USA > Pennsylvania > Wayne County > History of Wayne County [Pa.] > Part 19
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In or about the year 1816, Stephen Day, from Chat- ham, New Jersey, settled on the east side of the Dyberry, where his son Lewis now lives. It is one of the pleasantest places on that stream. He died there aged ninety-six years. His wife was a daughter of Benjamin Bunnell. Jane, his oldest daughter, married Moses Ward, and was the mother of Rev. E. O. Ward, of Bethany. The rest of his children were as follows: Elias, moved to Ohio, thence to California, where he died recently, aged ninety-three years; Barney and Benjamin removed to Ohio; Mary, the wife of Levi Ketchum, has, with her husband, been dead many years; Damaris, now living, is the wife of Hon. E. W. Hamlin, of Bethany, and as a florist has a most deli- cate taste and an appreciation of the beautiful; Edwin S., deceased, was the father of George and Theodore; Lewis lives upon the old homestead and is an expert taxidermist.
Hon. Pope Bushnell, a son of Gideon Bushnell, was
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HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
born in March, 1789, in Salisbury, Connecticut. He came into Dyberry in 1817. Joseph Dow, who was a brother of the widow of David Cramer, deceased, and of Mrs. Tallman, the wife of C. P. Tallman, Esq., first began on his place; then Joseph Corbitt bought out Dow and sold his contract to Mr. Bushnell, who, by industry and economy paid for and cleared up the farm where he now lives. His worth was not unappreciated. He was appointed major of the first battalion of the Seventieth Regiment, in 1821, by Gov. Hiester, and was also appointed justice of the peace in 1824. He was the first county commissioner elected by the peo- ple. In 1847 he was chosen to represent the county in the Legislature. His pure life and abstemiousness have prolonged his life to a remarkable age, he being now in his ninety-second year. His wife, also living, was the daughter of Gideon Hurlburt, and was one of three of his triplet daughters who were born in Goshen, Litchfield county, Connecticut, March 20th, 1788. The first daughter, Mrs. Susan Grenell, widow of Michael Grenell, of Brooklyn, Susquehanna county, was the mother of four children. She died, aged about eighty-eight years. Mrs. Sally Bushnell, now in her ninety-third year, brought up six of her own children and four of other people's. Sidney N. Bushnell, Esq .. is her only surviving child. Mrs. Sibyl Ludington, widow of Theron Ludington, had but one child. She was a widow about seventy years, and died aged eigh- ty-eight years.
Capt. Homer Brooks, came from Vermont in or
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TOWNSHIPS-DYBERRY.
about 1816, and settled on the place where widow Eliza Brooks now lives. His sons were Ezra Brooks, a farmer, who lives westward of the old homestead; Virgil Brooks, farmer in Lebanon; Major E. Brooks, deceased; Horace D. Brooks, of Susquehanna county, farmer; and Wm. D. Brooks. He had several daugh- ters. Lephe, the wife of Lyman Gleason, Esq., is the only one living in the county. Lucy, the widow of Barney Bunnell, lives in Newark, N. J. The others are dead or have removed elsewhere.
Joseph Gleason began near where his son, Lyman Gleason, now lives. Alvin, one of his sons, was killed in the war of the Rebellion. Willard, another son, lives near the old homestead.
Gideon Langdon began about 1815 on the Thomas Hacker farm. His son, Solomon, followed him, and Jonathan T., another son, lived in Bethany. They finally removed to Montrose, Susquehanna county. The first wife of Lewis Day was a daughter of Gideon Langdon.
Philemon Ross, from Connecticut, in 1815, began where his son, David Ross, now lives. All the rest of the family have removed. Philemon married a dangh- ter of Pliny Muzzy, of Clinton. In 1817, Mr. Ross, who was one of the freeholders of the town, brought in a bill of $12.00 for warning twelve indigent persons who might need public aid, to leave the town with their families. There was no law to justify such in- human ostracism, but it had become a custom in some places, and it was claimed that custom made law.
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HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
Pope Bushnell, Esq., being highly incensed, denounced the custom as a disgrace, and it was thereafter discon- tinned, and the said bill was never paid.
Jonathan Arnold, from Connecticut, settled on the west branch in 1810. He was a pensioner, having been in some of the severest battles of the Revolution. He retained his faculties unimpaired to a very old age.
He was assessor of the town when eighty-four years old. "His eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated." He had a large family who are mostly, if not all, dead. Hon. Phineas Arnold, late of Promp- ton, and once associate judge of the county, and David Arnold, once county treasurer, were his sons. He had twelve children.
Isaac Dimmick came to Bethany about 1816. He bought the farm now owned by Edwin Webb. He was an associate judge of the county four years. He sold out his farm to Robert Webb, Sen., and removed to the West. He was a man of merit and ability.
Hon. Abisha Woodward, who was sheriff in 1807, took up the Henry Webb farm, and then the place fell into the hands of Edmund L. Reed. The history of Judge Woodward will be found under Bethany.
Phineas Coleman and Daniel Bunting were the first settlers upon the west branch; after them were Seth Hayden and Moses Hayden.
Eliphalet Wood came from Dutchess Co., N. Y., and settled on the west branch of the Lackawaxen, in 1816, on the farm now owned by Michael Moran. Mr. Wood bought out a man by the name of White.
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TOWNSHIPS-DYBERRY.
This was a very old place and is really in Clinton, al- though it was once said to be in Dyberry. The fol- lowing are the names of most if not all of the Wood family, namely: Enos, Jesse, Luman, Charles, Eliph- alet, John N., Ezekiel G., William F., Abigail, wife of Elias B. Stanton, Esq., Jane, wife of Hon. Phin- eas Arnold, both deceased, and Mary Wood, who died young.
The farm, now owned by Oscar Bunnell, was once if not at first occupied by Stephen W. Genung, and then owned by John Leonard, who sold it to Z. M. Pike Bunnell, since deceased. O. H. Bunnell, of Honesdale, is a son of said decedent. One of his other sons, Ellery, was killed in the battle at Gettys- burg.
Spencer Blandin was the first settler upon the pres- ent farm of Patrick O'Neill, on which is the great spring above the road. Daniel Blandin, who, in his life-time, lived near Honesdale, was his son. The place has since had several owners. John C. Ham built new buildings upon the farm, and then sold it to O'Neill, and he, with his family, removed to Wauseon, Ohio.
Eli Henshaw settled upon the farm now owned by Joseph Arthur. At what particular time he and his brother, Increase Henshaw, were first in the county is uncertain, but we know that they were here in 1816. Increase was a painter and an ingenious man. Some- times he lived in Bethany and then in Dyberry. Dwight Henshaw is a son of Eli.
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HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
Nathan Kellogg at first lived in Bethany ; he mar- ried Salinda, a daughter of Abisha Woodward. He was a relative of Silas Kellogg. He built a house on the farm of Francis Beere, Esq., and there for many years kept a licensed house.
A man by the name of Freeman began on the Ethel Reed place, so called, and was succeeded by Ephraim Torrey, who sold to Ethel Reed, who was a son of Ethel Reed, Sen., of Salisbury, Conn. He came in with his brother William, about 1832, and was a wheelwright by trade. His only living children are the widow of Ezra Brown, deceased, and the wife of Dwight Henshaw. Wm. Reed, deceased, settled in Honesdale and was many years a noted merchant. Charles G. Reed and Edmund L. Reed were sons of Josiah Reed, of Salisbury, Conn. The former located in 1832, on the farm where he now lives. Dr. Dwight Reed, Dr. Wm. Reed, and Egbert Reed, druggist of Honesdale, are sons of the former. Edmund L. Reed was a graduate of Yale College, and kept for years the academy in Bethany, where he died.
Jacob Hole, in 1817, settled on the Borchers place. He was the father of Lewis Hole.
William Miller, of German descent, came from Lu- zerne county, about 1820, and settled on the place where he now lives.
Barney Day began on the place near D. M. Kim- ble, then removed to the West, and was succeeded by Thomas Andrews.
Jacob Schoonover, a son of William Schoonover,
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TOWNSHIPS-DYBERRY.
began on his farm when he was a young man. Hc was a native of the county and has three sons.
Jason Torrey built a saw-mill at Dyberry falls, about 1830. In 1857, Barnet Richtmyer built a tan- nery there, which now belongs to Coe F. Young, Esq. Wm. N. Alberty is the general superintendent, and the business is ably conducted. There is, also, a large steam saw-mill. The water is used in and about the tannery. The village is now called Tanners Falls. It has a large store, a blacksmith shop and the usual conveniences of a village. There is a large amount of business done in the place.
Dyberry village. E. B. Kimble keeps a store, tav- ern, and post-office at his residence. There is a wagon and blacksmith shop, while the grist-mill of Messrs. Bates adds much to the business of the place.
There has been some dispute as to the origin of the name of Dyberry. It was said by Mrs. Isaac Brink, an early settler, that the earliest beginners told her that a man named Dyberry built a cabin on the east branch, and, being the first man that died in the town, the place was called after him.
In 1816, Christopher Faatz, Sen., Adam Greiner, Jacob Hines, Christopher Hines, Nicholas Greiner. and Christian Faatz, all Germans, commenced and built a factory for the making of window-glass, about one mile and a half west of Bethany and east of the First pond, north of the residence of Charles Faatz. The place selected was entirely surrounded by woods. The stones with which to build arches were obtained
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HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
from the Moosic mountain, and clay for pots wherein to melt the glass, was brought from Philadelphia by wagons and sleighs. They made good glass which they, by like means, had to convey to Wilkesbarre, Newburgh, and Philadelphia, from which places they obtained their goods. They finally failed. James Manning and Jacob Faatz ran the factory awhile and stopped. Then Jacob Faatz and William Greeley started it again in 1829. Augustus Greeley, a brother of William, furnished the capital. This firm ran ten years and failed and the works were sold. Then Sloan & Stebbins ran them for two years, when the works were finally discontinued. The sand which was used was taken from the ponds in the town. The several firms from time to time employed from thirty to fifty men. The enterprise was beneficial as it led to the sale and clearing up of the lands. Hiram K. Mumford, son of Thomas Mumford, of Mount Pleasant, owns the house and buildings which were erected by Col. William Greeley, now deceased. Joseph Bodie and Jacob Bodie were blowers in the glass-house, and have good farms in the "Bodie Settlement."
There are seven common schools, two hundred and eighty taxables, one Baptist church, and a Granger's hall in the town. The population is made up of Americans, Irish, Germans, and English. Of the lat- ter, within forty-five or fifty years past, the following persons have settled, viz : John Blake, John V. Blake, John Bate, Francis Bate, James Pethick, Nicholas Cruse, Richard Clift, Francis Beere, Joseph Dony,
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BOROUGH OF BETHANY.
Richard Bryant, Henry and Joseph Arthur, Matthew Clemo, who are now living; also, Thomas Bryant, William Bryant, John Dony, Samuel Dony, Robert and Richard Webb, Thomas Crago, Mr. Reynolds, John Pethick, and Thomas Hacker, all of whom are deceased. The living are and the departed were the best of farmers, and with their families made up the greatest part of the population in the town.
CHAPTER XXV.
BOROUGH OF BETHANY.
TT having been settled that Bethany was to be the county seat of Wayne, as stated by Judge Wood- ward, in the introductory chapter to this work, in 1801, Jason Torrey, Esq., surveyed and set the stakes for the public square and court-house, to be erected upon the 999 acres which Henry Drinker, of Phila- delphia, donated to Wayne county, the proceeds of which were to be used in constructing a court-house, &c. He immediately began the construction of a dwelling-house, and, while building it, he journeyed twelve miles daily to Mt. Pleasant and back, through the woods, to supply his workmen with provisions.
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HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
Daniel Stevenson used to say that he cut out the road from Mt. Pleasant to Bethany, and that Jason Torrey paid him twelve dollars for doing the job. Dyberry township was not then erected, and Bethany was in Damasens township. Mr. Torrey laid out the 999 acres into town or building lots, or into ont lots of about five acres each. The Drinker land donated as aforesaid was called the "Town of Bethany." Mr. Torrey had not wholly finished his house, which was the second one built in the place, when the first court ever held in the place was convened in his unfinished house, on the 6th day of May, A. D. 1805, before the Hon. John Biddis, president judge, and Hon. John Brink, associate. The judges sat upon chairs placed upon a carpenter's bench and could have been very appropriately called the "Bench," while the jurors sat on board seats below. At that court a grand jury ap- peared and was sworn, who ignored three bills of in- dietment, and found one true bill for assault and bat- tery.
The first court-house was built upon the public square, and was thirty-six feet in front, and thirty-two feet deep. A large log-jail, disconnected from the other house, was built, in which were confined not only criminals but such persons as were unable to pay their debts, the law then allowing the plaintiff named in an execution, to sell all of a debtor's property, in- eluding his last knife and fork, and then to send him to jail, where the plaintiff, upon paying the sheriff fourteen cents per day, could keep the debtor until he
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BOROUGH OF BETHANY.
could be released by a tedious and expensive applica- tion for the benefit of the insolvent laws. The law, allowing imprisonment for debt, was repealed July 12, 1842. After some years the log-jail was burned down, and the back part of a building called the red house, north of Judge Manning's, was fitted up and used in its place, until the building of a new court- house, in 1816, when a strong jail was built in the lower story. The old court-house was removed to the west side of Wayne street and is now used as a storc by W. W. Weston & Brother.
John Bunting, from Canaan, built the first house in Bethany, which was the front house now belonging to John Henderson. It was built for a tavern, and at December sessions, 1805, license was granted to John Bunting. That year the house was valued at $200. This was probably the first house begun in the place. The next was the dwelling-house of Major Torrey, in which the court was held as aforesaid. Major Torrey obtained license at May sessions, 1805, two terms be- fore Bunting, and his house was licensed until 1813. When there were houses enough to accommodate the public, he gave up keeping tavern. Jason Torrey next built a store on the south-west corner of the Otis place which he, in company with Solomon Moore, ran until Mr. Moore built upon the lot now owned by Hon. E. O. Hamlin, and started a store for himself. About the time the red store, aforesaid, was built, the court-house and jail were put up, and Sally Gay built a small house below Dr. Scudder's. Simultane-
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HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
ously, John Bishop erected a house on the Bunnell place, opposite the dwelling-house of Miss Jane Dil- lon. Then David Bunnell built at or near the dwell- ing-house of Wmn. Stephens, Esq., and David Wilder built the red tavern in which he kept a public house, until he built the brick tavern. Jason Torrey built the Spangenburg house in 1815.
The only written evidence as to the person who cleared up the first land is found in an old assessment made of Dyberry township, in 1805, whereby Jason Torrey was assessed as having five acres of improved land, one horse, one cow, and four oxen; David Wil- der, as having one acre of improved land, and one cow; John Bishop, Wm. Williams, and John Bunt- ing each one cow but no cleared land. Jason Torrey at that time had made the only important improve- ment on the lands.
Jason Torrey was born in Williamstown, Mass., and, when scarcely twenty years of age, in the spring of 1793, came on foot into the township of Mt. Pleasant, where he found Elijah Dix, whom he knew in his na- tive place, and here he became acquainted with Sam'l Baird, of Pottstown, near Philadelphia. Mr. Baird was a noted surveyor and employed Mr. Torrey to as- sist him in making some surveys ; after he had trav- eled through different parts of New York and this State, he finally concluded to settle in Mt. Pleasant. Having selected his land, he began to make improve- ments upon it and built a log-house, and moved into it in February, 1798. He continued to improve his
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BOROUGH OF BETHANY.
land in Mt. Pleasant until he removed to Bethany, in 1802. He was endued with a great capacity for busi- ness and was consulted about all the intricacies per- taining to county accounts. He removed to Hones- dale in 1826, and built the first house that was erected in the place, and, as it was finally used as a church, it was called the Old Tabernacle. Jason Torrey was generally called Major Torrey, the office of major having been conferred on him by an election in his earlier days. He had eleven children, namely: Will- iam, a Presbyterian clergyman, deceased; Ephraim, who was a very promising young man, but died at the age of twenty-four; Nathaniel, who died young; John, living in Honesdale; Asa, living in Bethany; Ste- phen, Presbyterian clergyman, living; Charles, de- ceased ; James, who died young; David, a Presbyte- rian clergyman, living; Maria, who married Richard L. Seely, deceased; and Minerva, married Elijah Weston, deceased; both daughters are deceased. As to other matters relating to Jason Torrey, see under the chap- terabout land-titles.
Solomon Moore was from the State of New York. In connection with Jason Torrey he kept the first store, and was the first postmaster in Bethany. He built a house and store on the E. O. Hamlin corner. He was elected sheriff in 1820, and afterwards was appointed clerk of the several courts of the county, in which office he died. He was a very competent man, and assorted and numbered the papers in the several courts and brought order out of chaos. Edward Wes-
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HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
ton, Esq., of Providence, married a daughter of Solo- mon Moore.
David Wilder was a native of New Hampshire, and came into Bethany and settled in 1803, and married Sophia, a daughter of Paul Tyler, of Damasens. They had one daughter, Charity B., who married the Hon. James Manning, deceased. Mrs. Manning and Asa Torrey are the only surviving persons in Bethany who were born therein of parents that first settled there. Mr. Wilder commenced keeping a licensed house in 1811, and continued in the business the most of his life. He was an honest innkeeper and a good farmer.
William Williams was a Yankee, who built a hut below the church lot, but it was of such humble pre- tensions that the assessors failed to value it. He was in the Revolutionary war, and always carried his dis- charge with him upon the top of his head, where a ball had struck him and plowed a furrow through his scalp. He was pensioned. John Bishop is noticed under the head of Berlin, and John Bunting and Asa Stanton under that of Canaan.
David Bunnell came from Stroudsburg, and settled upon and cleared up the farm and built the house that is now owned by William Stephens, Esq., and was a justice of the peace for many years. He devoted the most of his time to farming, although he was a black- smith by trade. His wife was Parthenia Killam, of Palmyra, Pike Co. Their sons were Z. M. Pike, Henry, John P., and Charles; and daughters, Elea- nor, deceased, wife of Isaac P. Olmstead; Eunice, de-
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BOROUGH OF BETHANY.
ceased, married to Brooks Lavo; Sarah, the wife of Rev. Mr. Bailey ; and one daughter, Jane, who mar- ried and removed West.
Eliphalet Kellogg. When the county business was first transacted at Bethany, Mr. Kellogg was appoint- ed clerk to the commissioners of the county. He was a brother of Silas Kellogg, who moved into Mount Pleasant in 1791, and Eliphalet must have located there soon after, as in 1801 he was assessed there as owning a house and nine acres of improved land, and as then being a clerk. He kept a tavern many years in Bethany, being first licensed at February sessions, 1813. He was appointed in 1809 register and recor- er, and clerk of the several courts of Wayne county, by Governor Snyder, and held said offices during Snyder's three terms, making nine years. He died in Bethany at a very advanced age. He had five children, name- ly, Martin Kellogg, only son; Mary, wife of Dr. Isaac Roosa; Sarah, wife of Reuben R. Purdy; Abigail, wife of Dr. Halsey; and Eunice, wife of Washington E. Cook.
Thomas Spangenberg. Perhaps the history of this man could not be given in a more agreeable manner than as told to us, and taken down at his . request, in the same year in which he died. "I was born in Sus- sex county, in New Jersey. When I came into Wayne county, (or what is now Wayne county,) in 1794, 1 crossed at Monroe ferry, two miles below Milford. At the latter place there were but two or three houses. The first house west of Milford was an old stone fay-
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HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
ern, built by Andrew Bray; next, old Lot tavern ; then seven miles to Shohola farms; next to Blooming Grove where Uriah Chapman, Esq., lived; there I stopped a week to hunt; then I came to the Narrows, where Ephraim Kimble, Sen., the father of Asa Kimble, lived. There I found William Schoonover, the father of Daniel, Levi, Jacob, and Simon Schoonover. Levi Schoonover, born that year, was the first white child born on the Dyberry. I then came on to Wilsonville. Several men lived there who were at work on a factory at the mouth of Paupack eddy. The next place was Paupack eddy; there lived Reuben Jones, an enormous- ly large, tall man, and his brother Alpheus, and their sister, Widow Cook. Elisha Ames lived on the David Bishop farm. I next came to the Benjamin Haines place, since known as the Jonathan Brink place; then to the Walter Kimble farm, now owned by Buckley Beardslee; from there I came to Tracyville. There was a tub mill which had been built to grind corn in that had been deserted. Then I went over on the east side of Irving's cliff, and came down to where Daniel Schoonover lives. This was in 1794; I moved up in 1798. The sheriff took for jurors whom he pleased and they received no pay. I first settled on the John Nelson place. That year the county was organized into eight militia companies, and an election held at Wilsonville to choose officers. John H. Schenck was elected lieutenant-colonel, Ephraim Killam was elect- ed major for the first battalion; Samuel Stanton for the second battalion; William Chapman, captain of
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BOROUGH OF BETHANY.
Palmyra; Ephraim Kimble, captain of Lackawaxen; Jesse Drake, captain of Damascus; Edward Doyle, captain of Buckingham; John Tiffany, captain of Mount Pleasant; and Asa Stanton, captain of Canaan, etc. In 1799, I went to Elijah Dix's, in Mount Pleasant, to election. Two went from Cherry Ridge and three from Dyberry. There were but forty-five votes cast in the county. I killed in Bethany one elk, two wolves, four bears, and thirty-seven deer, and I killed all but the deer before 1800. My oldest daugh- ter, Betsey, was born on the Nelson place in 1799, and is the wife of John Raymond, Esq., of Scranton, Pa. In 1800 I moved upon and bought the land which is now the farm of widow Mary Stephens. My daugh- ter, Catharine, was born in 1803; my son, John S., in August, 1812 ; and Esther in December, 1820. I had other children, but the above named are all that are alive. My second daughter, Phebe, was burnt to death by the accidental and sudden destruction of my house in the night by fire. She was thirteen years old. I have neglected to say that I was married to Susan Headley, January 2d, 1798. I moved into Bethany in 1817, and kept a boarding-house for many years." It may be said truthfully that Esq. Spangenberg was a very temperate man and never used profane lan- guage. Being of German descent he could talk that language. He was commissioner and county treasurer, and was for fifty-three years a justice of the peace. He died April 8th, 1864, aged about eighty-nine years. He was a member of the M. E. church.
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HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.
Joseph Miller was a son of Elizur Miller, of Salen. and, when a young man, came to Bethany and took the the job, in 1816, of building the court-house, which. it used to be said, cost the enormous sum of $15,000. a sum, in those days, considered almost uncountable. He built, in 1814, the house which has been overhaul- ed and rebuilt by Dr. Isaiah Sendder. He was twice elected sheriff of the county, and died in Bethany re- spected and regretted. He had one son, Joseph, who married a daughter of Judd Raymond, and they have gone to the mysterious realm; one daughter, Hannah. deceased; and another daughter, Armenia, who is the widow of Enos Woodward, deceased, and is yet living.
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