USA > Pennsylvania > Warren County > History of Warren County, Pennsylvania, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of some of its Prominent Men and Pioneers > Part 75
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Alson Rogers
633
WILLIAM S. MARSH. - ALSON ROGERS.
1, 1838; Rachel Jane, born November 30, 1839, died March 26, 1844; and Edwin Sheldon, born July 18, 1842, died March 18, 1844.
Joseph Marsh married his second wife, Mrs. Betsey Trask, in 1844. By her he had three children, Martha and Agnes, now deceased, and Joseph Al- bro, now living in Russellburg. Joseph Marsh died on the 14th of February, 1881, aged eighty-five years, eleven months, and four days.
William S. Marsh, the fourth child of Joseph and Ruth (Sheldon) Marsh, was born in Farmington township on the 9th day of July, 1826, and there received all the education that could be obtained without attendance upon the higher institutions of learning. He lived on his father's farm until he was mar- ried on the 6th of March, 1850, to Rosaville P., daughter of Hiram Knapp, of Farmington, then Pine Grove. His wife is still living. Previous to their mar- riage he had purchased fifty acres of land included in his present farm, and immediately after the marriage he built a house and moved into it. He has engaged from that time to the present in general farming, making something of a specialty, however, of dairying. The original dimensions of his farm he has increased to one hundred and fifty acres, which contains as good land as can be found in the surrounding county. In addition to his farming he has also acquired skill as a carpenter, but has done comparatively nothing at the trade since 1876. In 1870 he moved their first dwelling house back from the road and erected on its old site the house which they now occupy.
Mr. Marsh supports the views of the Republican party, and takes a lively interest in the vicissitudes of that party in State and national affairs, though in local matters he is accustomed to vote for whom he considers the best man for the office, irrespective of party. He has been placed in many of the township offices by his townsmen, but has declined to take offices which have been offered him of late. He has served three terms as justice of the peace, two consecutive terms beginning with 1856, and after missing one term, was elected the third time. At the expiration of the third term he was invited to accept the office once more, but declined it. His discharge of the duties of that responsible position seems to be of the same pattern as that of his father. His decisions on questions of law and justice are deliberate and indicative of a far-seeing common sense, and on appeal have generally been sustained.
Mr. and Mrs. Marsh have had four children, three of whom are living. The eldest, W. Edgar, was born on the 15th of January, 1851, and is now a practicing attorney at Corry. Pa .; Joseph Sherman was born June 17, 1857, and died November 14, 1861 ; Frederick Sherman was born April 29, 1862. and is now in the drug trade in Jamestown, N. Y .; and Carrie A. was born on the 23d of December, 1868, and is now residing with her parents.
R OGERS, ALSON, eldest son of Dr. Joseph and Cornelia Waldron Rogers, was born in Dutchess county, N. Y., on the 16th of November, 1807. Being left an orphan at the age of seven years, he was taken by his grandpar-
634
HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.
ents to Vermont, where he lived on a farm until 1830. He then removed to Warner, Pa., and went into business for himself. In March, 1835, he married Miss Kezia P. Sill, daughter of the late Nathaniel Sill, of Pleasant township. He settled in Mead township three miles above Warren on the Allegheny River, and engaged mainly in the lumbering business, in which he continued successfully until his death, April 11, 1876. His wife and seven children sur- vive him.
Mr. Rogers was kind and hospitable in his social relations, plain and unas- suming in manner, and one of the substantial and useful early settlers of War- ren county. He possessed in a marked degree that untiring perseverance, in- dustry, and economy which deserve and command success ; while his strict in- tegrity, high moral character, and firmness in his convictions of right, won for him the respect and esteem of his fellowmen.
PLODGET, DR. A. C. Western New York and Northwestern Pennsyl- vania received a large influx of settlers from Oneida county, N. Y., in the earlier years of this century-men with the prophetic instinct and un- daunted mettle to look through the struggles and hardships which characterize life in a new country to the wealth that flows from newly-developed resources, and to brave the former for the acquisition of the latter. Of such a stamp was Cyrenus Blodget, the father of Dr. Blodget, of Youngsville. He was born in Whitestown, Oneida county, N. Y., on the 6th of October, 1792 ; served in the second war with Great Britain, participating in the battle of Black Rock, and other engagements along the Niagara frontier ; settled in Busti, Chautau- tau county, N. Y., about 1816; toiled unremittingly in clearing and cultivat- ing a farm of respectable proportions, and died in September, 1862. His father, Solomon Blodget, was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, an early set- tler in Whitestown, N. Y., and died in Ontario county in that State.
Cyrenus Blodget married Celia, daughter of Gardner Clark, of Petersburg, Rensselaer county, N. Y., about the year 1816. She was born on the Ist of June, 1799, and died in March, 1858, leaving three children-Mary Angeline, now the wife of Dr. E. S. Stewart, of Ellicottville, N. Y .; Alden Diver, who died in September, 1862; and Alanson Clark Blodget, of whom we are writ- ing.
A. C. Blodget was born on the 26th of October, 1821, in Busti, N. Y., where he received such education as could be obtained in the common schools, and the academy at Jamestown, N. Y. Believing his tastes and abilities adapted him for the life and work of a physician, he determined to fit himself for the practice of that learned profession, and began his medical studics with Dr. E. S. Stewart in 1840, subsequently attending lectures at the Geneva Medical College in Geneva, Ontario county, N. Y., from which he was grad- uated in 1846. Previous to that time he had commenced practice in Wrights-
635
DR. A. C. BLODGET. - ERASTUS BARNES.
ville, Warren county, as early as 1843. Upon his graduation from the medical college, however, he sought a more promising field, and removed to Youngs- ville in the fall of 1847. He soon acquired a good practice, which has con- tinuously grown to such an extent as to occupy his almost undivided attention for many years. Until within a year or two he has been the attending physi- cian and surgeon for the Rouse Hospital since its establishment. He was not engaged very largely in any other business, excepting that about twenty-five years ago he operated a little in oil, and put down two wells in Tidioute, which were worked with profit, and abandoned when they declined. For the last fifteen years lie has owned and managed a farm of about eighty acres, hiring it worked according to special directions. Though never conspicuous as a politician, he has always been ready to aid in securing the best men for offices of trust and responsibility. His sympathies were at first with the Whig party, and have been with the Republican party since its birth, before the last war. He has been honored with several town offices, and served one term as county commissioner, but prefers the practice of his profession to the duties of public office.
He has been twice married, first to Mary E. Littlefield, on the 19th of No- vember, 1852. She is now deceased. He was united in marriage with his present wife, Venie C. Culbertson, on the 8th of August, 1876. He is the father of three children, two sons by his first wife, one of whom, Frank H., is now residing in Youngsville, the other, Lynn, having died in infancy, and one daughter, Lucelia, by his present wife. The former was born on the 5th of December, 1854, and the latter on the 28th of March, 1878.
B ARNES, ERASTUS. The subject of this sketch was born at Italy Hill, Yates county, N. Y., in the year 1811, his father being Timothy Barnes, who with his family left New York State in 1828, and settled on the south branch of Tionesta Creek in Sheffield township, Warren county, then a wilder- ness. Here a mill was erected which still stands, a landmark in the now thriv- ing community. Land was acquired, business accumulated, and soon all the evidences of a prosperous career began. Grown to manhood, Erastus, who had become manager of the business, married Eliza Eddy, a daughter of Zaclı- ariah Eddy, of Warren. Their children were Rose, now Mrs. Frank T. Blair ; Timothy E., late treasurer of Warren county, now deceased, who married Miss Ada Houghton; Letitia, who married George Horton; and Catharine, the wife of H. H. Ham. Mr. Barnes, becoming a man of note in the county, was selected one of the county commissioners; and the Rouse fund coming to the county at this time, enabled Mr. Barnes and his associates to enact those wise measures which the county now so highly prizes. The commissionership was his only political office. He lives full of years, honored and respected by all who know him.
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636
HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.
M ILES, ROBERT, one of the first and most prominent merchants and capitalists of Warren county, was born in Northumberland county, Pa., on the 2d of April, 1793. His parents, Robert and Katharine (Watts) Miles, were both Pennsylvanians, and when Robert, jr., was but three years of age the family passed through Warren on their way to Sugar Grove, their future home. Here his father performed the duties of an early settler on a tract of land which, had it been a rectangle, would measure nearly three miles square. Robert was the sixth of seven children, and like the others, was educated by private tuition till, at the proper age, he was obliged to do his share of work upon the large farms which his father had put into cultivation in 1797. It is thus established that the family were among the first to settle in Warren county. He continued upon the home farm until the death of his father, when he engaged in the lumber trade, and remained actively and extensively con- nected with that interest until within a few years of his death. He was a vol- unteer soldier in the War of 1812. In 1830 he was elected prothonotary of the courts of Warren county, being the fourth person to hold that office after its separate establishment in Warren county. The infinite variety of his tal- ents impelled to enlarge perpetually his business interests. He was identified very considerably with mercantile and real estate transactions, most of them involving large amounts. He was one of the first to perceive the probable effect of the discovery of petroleum on business operations, and engaged with ardor in its production. About the year 1859 he erected a refinery a short distance below Warren, and kept it in operation for a number of years. His business tact and sound judgment were so prominent characteristics of his mind as to cause the advantageous issue of nearly all his investments. His connection with Warren as a resident of that borough began with the year 1830, when he removed from Pine Grove, the place in which he began the manufacture of lumber.
In politics Robert Miles was a zealous and an influential advocate of the principles of the Whig and Republican parties. In religion he evinced his faith by attaching himself early to the Presbyterian Church. He was very patriotic and public spirited, and to his efforts much of the prosperity of Warren county is to be ascribed. In business he was active and laborious to a degree that would have broken down a more feeble constitution. He was deliberate in forming an opinion, but his decisions were practically irreversible. He was a great reader, and was well versed in general literature, in history and in the chronicles of passing events. It was his habit to preserve carefully a record of all his business transactions. A spirit of benevolence pervadcd his character and impelled him to give with great liberality to the support or assistance of those who needed and deserved help. He died on the 11th of May, 1877, aged eighty-four years.
Robert Miles married Sally Smith, of Enfield, Conn., on the 16th of Jan-
637
ROBERT MILES. - JAMES ROY.
uary, 1817, and by sustaining him in his early efforts and crowning his latter days with comfort, she amply justified the wisdom of his choice. She sur- vived him until the 30th of August, 1882, when she had reached the ripe age of eighty-eight years. They had a family of two sons and four daughters, all of whom lived to years of manhood and womanhood. Their names are as follows : Harriet, now Mrs. E. N. Rogers, of Union, Pa .; John, formerly an attorney of Warren, where he died in 1855 ; Catharine, now Mrs. C. D. Rog- ers, of Jamestown, N. Y .; Dwight, who resides at Osceola Mills, Polk county, Wis .; Nancy, now Mrs. A. J. Davis, of Warren; and Sarah, who became the wife of Dwight Allen, of Jamestown, N. Y., where she died in 1853.
R' OY, JAMES, who was born in Phelpstown, Ontario county, N. Y., on the 14th day of September, 1822, is descended from a family bearing his pat- ronymic in Scotland. His grandfather, Cole Roy, came from that country about 1788 or 1789, and settled in Phelpstown, where he died about 1825. His son, Andrew, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Scot- land about 1785, and was the youngest member of a family of five sons and a daughter. He engaged in farming near Phelpstown, N. Y., until his death in 1829. His wife, Margaret, was a native of eastern Pennsylvania, and was married to him as early as 1810. He took an active part in the second war with Great Britain, serving at Black Rock, and along the Niagara frontier. One of his brothers, Charles Roy, was killed in action at Fort Erie. Andrew and Margaret Roy had a family of three daughters and two sons, of whom James is next to the youngest, and the youngest of the sons.
Mr. Roy received the rudimentary portion of his education in Phelpstown, but in 1836 he came to Elk township in this county, and attended school for a time after his settlement there. Before he had reached the age of twenty-one years he began engaging in agricultural and lumbering pursuits, clearing land in Elk township and shipping lumber down the river. From this early beginning until as late as 1883 Mr. Roy continued this twofold business, and from a seemingly unpropitious start, with little means and few friends, he wrought out by patient labor and sagacious management, a well-deserved fortune. In 1883 he discontinued lumbering, and besides the cultivation of his old farm and other land which he has accumulated in the years that are past, he has devoted himself assiduously to operations in oil. In all the business transactions of a long life he has manifested a mingled conservatism and energy which are sure prognostics of success. His landed interests in Warren county comprise about fifteen hundred acres, though the acres he has owned and disposed of may not be reckoned.
Mr. Roy has not been a political aspirant ; nevertheless he has accepted several township offices, and in 1880 was elected county commissioner of War- ren county. During the war he supported the nominees of the Republican
638
HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.
party ; voted for Horace Greeley in 1872 ; and is now a member of the Green- back party.
On the 10th of September, 1851, he married Sophia, daughter of William and Maria Shattuck, who were originally from Massachusetts, and later became prominent in Elk township. Mrs. Roy died on the 19th of July, 1867. She left seven children, all of whom are now living. The eldest, Helen Maria, was born on the 28th of May, 1853; Margaret, born June 3, 1856, is the wife of Glennie Meade, of Warren ; Franc, born June 17, 1858, is the wife of Jesse F. Baker, of Des Moines, Ia .; James, born March 27, 1860, married Saloma Smith, of Warren; John was born March 20, 1862; Blanche was born Septem- ber 24, 1863, and Josephine Adella was born March 7, 1865.
G RANDIN, SAMUEL, the subject of this sketch, is a grandson of one J Samuel Grandin, who was born in 1700 on one of the islands along the coast of France. He came to this country, settled in New Jersey, and passed nearly all his life there, but died in 1787 on an island near New York harbor. He was well-to-do, and gave his large family of children a good education. Three of his sons were educated, one for the practice of law, one for the min- istry, and the other for a mercantile life. John Grandin, father of the subject of this notice, was for a time in the mercantile business, but at a later day taught school, until failing health compelled him to retire. His family lived in Morris county, N. J., but he died in Pleasantville, Venango county, Pa., more than forty-five years ago, aged sixty-seven years. His wife, whom he married in New Jersey, was a native of Sussex county in that State. They had seven children, of whom three were sons and four daughters. Only two of these are now living, namely, the subject of this sketch, and Daniel Grandin, of James- town, N. Y.
Samuel Grandin was born in Sussex county, N. J., on the 15th day of Oc- tober, 1800. His educational advantages were very limited, the schools were not good, and he did not attend them after his eighth or tenth year. He then learned the trade of a tailor, which he afterward followed for twenty consecu- tive years. In 1822 he came to Pleasantville, Venango county, Pa., where he remained until 1840. In that year he removed to Tidioute in this county, re- linquished his trade, and began selling goods. He also built mills and engaged in the lumber trade, rafting large quantities down the river. He continued this business until his retirement from active business pursuits shortly after the year 1860. In 1867 he built the dwelling house which he still occupies. By virtue of his sagacity and industry he amassed a fortune, his capital at the be- ginning being, as he has been heard to say, " a pair of shears and a lap-board." He has never been a politician, nor an office seeker. Although urged to ac- cept office, he has persistently refused, leaving that duty or pleasure to those who sought it. He votes, independently of party distinctions, for the best
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639
SAMUEL GRANDIN. - NATHANIEL BAILEY ELDRED.
man. His religious belief is that all men are at last saved, that they should do their best here and not wait until after death. He is a member of the Uni- versalist Church, and contributes liberally to its support. He has ever been found at the head of any enterprise which looks to the advancement of the in- terests of the county or of Tidioute borough, taking especial pride in her edu- cational institutions, and generously aiding them with his means.
Personally he is of a sociable disposition, though his hatred for sham will not permit him to disguise his feelings when it is manifested to him. He is generous to a fault, and has never been able to refuse help to any one in need. He has lost large amounts of money by indorsing notes for the accommodation of friends who allowed him to stand the consequences of his own kindness. In public affairs he is much more discriminating, wisely giving where his bene- factions would do the most good.
On the 4th of October, 1832, he married Sarah Ann Henry, of Venango county, who was born October 12, 1807, and died May 11, 1852. They reared a family of five sons and two daughters, as follows: Morris Worts Grandin, born October 10, 1833, died September 5, 1834; Stephen Girard, born April 14, 1835, died by drowning July 24, 1851 ; Jolin Livingston, born December 20, 1836, now a member of the firm of Grandin Brothers, of Tidioute; Will- iam J., born August 26, 1838, now of the same firm; Elijah Bishop, born No- vember 23, 1840, also a member of this firm ; Maria Jane, born February 21, 1843, now the widow of Adnah Neyhart, of Ithaca, N. Y., and living with her father ; and Emma Ann, born June 29, 1849, died in Jamestown, N. Y., Au- gust 17, 1867.
E 'LDRED, NATHANIEL BAILEY, the first president judge appointed from the bar of Wayne county, was born at Dolsontown, Orange county, N. Y., January 12, 1795. His early education was such as the local schools afforded, supplemented by a diligent reading of all books that fell into his hands. While yet a boy he formed the purpose of becoming a lawyer, and about the year 1811 he went to Milford, then the county seat of Wayne, to begin the work of preparation.
He first entered the office of Dan Dimmick, one of the leading lawyers of the county, and subsequently completed his studies under the direction of Edward Mott, deputy attorney-general for the county. Before his course of legal study was finished the county was divided, and Milford became the county seat of Pike.
January 27, 1817, he was admitted to the bar of Wayne. He continued, however, to reside at Milford until after the death of Andrew M. Dorrance, the senior of the two lawyers then practicing at the county seat of Wayne, in April, 1818. Thereupon he took up his residence and commenced practice in Bethany, which remained his home for the greater part of the next half cen- tury.
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HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.
In thus commencing life, Mr. Eldred was favored with no advantages except those bestowed by nature. Those however were sufficient to win rapid advancement, especially in a community which recognized no conventional standards or artificial distinctions. His mental constitution was a rare combi- nation of sturdy personal qualities, quick intelligence, keen powers of observa- tion, generous impulses, rigid integrity, and a ready adaptability to surrounding conditions. He rapidly gained the appreciation and confidence of the people of the county, both as a lawyer and a man, and in 1822, four years after he had come among them, a stranger, he was elected to the Legislature. In the following year he was re-elected.
Under the system of rotation in the district that prevailed, the nominees were selected from Pike county for the next two years. When it again fell to Wayne to secure the candidate, Mr. Eldred was re-elected for two terms more. His fourth year's service completed, he declined a subsequent nomination. Later when the system of public improvements constructed by the State was put in operation, he accepted the position of canal commissioner, but declined a second term. He was also a member of the board of commissioners appointed by the State - Hon. John Ross and Hon. David Scott being his associates - to treat with a like board appointed by the State of New Jersey in relation to the navigation and control of the Delaware River, and aided materially in the adjustment of all questions connected with this subject. In 1844 he was chosen a presidential elector and cast his vote for James K. Polk. In the spring of 1853 he received from President Pierce the appointment of naval officer at the Philadelphia custom-house, a position which he held for four years.
But it was in the field of his profession rather than in politics that his chief distinction was won. During a practice of nearly twenty years, in competition with such men as Amzi and Thomas Fuller, George Wolf, Dan Dimmick, Ed- ward Mott, Garrick Mallery, Oristus Collins, John N. Conyngham, and other noted practitioners of that day, he rose to a high position at the bar, and for nearly twenty years more he held a seat on the bench. By an act passed April 8, 1833, the counties of Potter, Mckean, Warren, and Jefferson were erected into the Eighteenth Judicial District, from and after September 1, 1835, and the governor was required to appoint a president judge for the district. When the time for making the appointment arrived Governor Wolf, who had often met Mr. Eldred at the bar, and recognized his fitness for the position, com- missioned him president judge of the new district. In 1839 the death of Judge Slupper made a vacancy on the bench of the Sixth District, composed of Erie, Crawford, and Venango counties, and Governor Porter commissioned Judge Eldred as president judge of that district.
In 1843 Judge Blythe, of the Twelfth District, composed of Dauphin, Leb- anon, and Schuylkill counties, resigned to accept the office of collector of cus-
641
NATHANIEL BAILEY ELDRED.
toms of Philadelphia, and Governor Porter thereupon commissioned Judge Eldred as his successor.
In 1849 the counties of Wayne, Pike, Monroe and Carbon were erected into the Twenty-second District, and Judge Eldred, desiring a return to his old home in Bethany, Governor Johnson commissioned him president judge of the district. In 1851 the judiciary having been made elective by the constitu- tional amendment adopted the preceding year, many of Judge Eldred's friends throughout the State proposed his nomination for judge of the Supreme Court. He declined however to become a candidate, preferring to remain on the bench where his home was situated ; and the desire to retain him was so general in the district that he received the support of both parties, and was elected with- out opposition. In April, 1853, the position of naval officer at Philadelphia being tendered him by President Pierce, he decided to accept it and resigned the judgeship. This closed his judicial labors, and, substantially, his profes- sional career.
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