History of Wayne, Pike, and Monroe counties, Pennsylvania, Part 126

Author: Mathews, Alfred, 1852-1904. 4n
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Philadelphia : R.T. Peck & Co.
Number of Pages: 1438

USA > Pennsylvania > Monroe County > History of Wayne, Pike, and Monroe counties, Pennsylvania > Part 126
USA > Pennsylvania > Pike County > History of Wayne, Pike, and Monroe counties, Pennsylvania > Part 126
USA > Pennsylvania > Wayne County > History of Wayne, Pike, and Monroe counties, Pennsylvania > Part 126

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Howel Woodbridge was a farmer, a highly respected citizen, and served a short time in the late Rebellion. He died August 29, 1878. His wife died April 24, 1871.

C. S. COBB.

C. S. Cobb kept a public-house (log tavern) for the entertainment of the traveling public. Both himself and wife, Mary (Stevens) Cobb,

generous with those in need of pecuniary aid. In politics, he was first an Old Line Whig, but subsequently became a Democrat, which he re- mained until Lincoln's administration, when he identified himself with the Republican party. He was many times chosen by the people of his township to fill positions of trust, such as justice of the peace, etc. His wife was Mary, daugh- ter of Conrad and Lucy (Bunting) Swingle. He died August 16, 1866, aged seventy-seven years,

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eight months and six days; and his wife died December 13, 1874, at an advanced age. Their children were eight in number, of whom Con- rad S. was fifth in line. He was born Febru- ary 8, 1825, in Luzerne, now Lackawanna County, Pa., Jefferson township. He remained in that locality until March, 1867, engaging in farming, carpenter and joiner work, etc., and having received a good English education, also engaged in teaching school and practiced sur-

March, 1877, removed to Salem township, Wayne County, Pa., and settled upon land he had purchased but a short time previously, and herc he continued his active career on what was known as the Robert Patten farm, the condition of which was such as to require an immediate outlay of money and labor. Mr. Cobb has, by industry and good management, placed the premises in such a state of improvement as to be second to none in Wayne County. His

C. J. Cool -17 -

veying to a considerable extent. In politics, { he is an independent Republican, and has been several times chosen to fill township offices, such as justice of the peace, school director, ctc.

While a resident of Lackawanna County he was largely instrumental in making extensive and valuable improvements in the vicinity of his residence, but the facilities offered there be- ing insufficient to gratify his ambition, he, in

buildings are tastefully and substantially con- structed, and the home of C. S. Cobb is one of the most sightly and picturesque places in Northern Pennsylvania. He was married to Laura J., daughter of Moses and Elizabeth (Cobb) Swingle, December 10, 1846. The children born to this mion are as follows : John M. (deceased) ; Moses I., now residing in Hillsdale County, Mich .; Amy A. (deceased) ;

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Velma E. (deceased) ; Jessie I., wife of Charles Uban ; Polly A. (deceased) ; and Lucy, who resides at home.

Mr. Cobb is liberal in his religious views, but rather inclines to the faith of the disciples. He has been a liberal contributor to all church organizations in the neighborhood.

After his return from the College Natural History Society's Scientific Expedition, in Sep- tember of that year, he was employed in his father's cotton-factory and store till November, 1864, when he removed to Ledgcdale, Pa., and since then he has been the managing partner of the extensive business of tanning, merchandising,

LEONIDAS WILLIAM MORSS.

Leonidas William Morss, of Ledgedale, Wayne County, Pa., second son of Benton Gilbert Morss and Caroline Amelia (Kirtland) Morss, was born at Red Falls, Greene County, N. Y., January 17, 1838.

He was fitted for college at Davenport and Prattsville, N. Y., and at Glendale, Mass., en- tered Williams College in 1856, and was grad- uated in 1860.

farming and lumbering, which was established at that place by his father in the years 1849-50.

He is a thorough-going business man, and understands what is being done about the tan- nery, in the store, and on the farm down to the minutest details.

He was married, in October, 1866, to Minnie E. Morse, of Carbondale, Pa., and has had by this marriage seven children, six of whom are now living.

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A. J. ROLLISON.

His grandparents, William Rollison and Su- sana Schoonover, were natives of New Jer- sey, where they were married and reared a family, and at quite an early day settled in Cherry Ridge township, Wayne County, Pa. They shortly thereafter removed to Salem town- ship, where the remainder of their lives were spent. He was a farmer and cooper by occu- pation, and both himself and wife were mem-

he could towards the support of his father's family. He was married to Rebecca, daughter of John and Rebecca (McCabe) Osborn. Their children were Arthur James, Matilda W., de- ceased, who became the wife of Edward Am- merman), Zilpha, deceased, and Merritt D. Nathaniel Rollison made his first purchase in the fall of 1827, in Salem township. This land he subsequently exchanged for a larger tract in the same neighborhood, and there he spent the

Ay Rolison

bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church. They died at quite an advanced age, leaving a large family of children, among whom was Nathan- iel, father of the subject of this notice. He was born August 24, 1805. When a " lad " he went to live with his uncle, but only remained with him-until he was old enough to make him- self useful. He then entered the employ of dif -. ferent ones, contributing such of his earnings as

remainder of his life. He was a supporter of all worthy local objects, a consistent Christian and a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he took an active part. In politics he was a Democrat until the nomina- tion of John C. Fremont for President, when he became a Republican, which he ever after remained. He died April 28, 1876. His wife, who survived him resided with her son, Arthur

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J., until her death, in February, 1886, at seven- ty-seven years of age.

Arthur James Rollison was born September 20, 1828, in Salem township, Wayne County, Pa. His early life was spent at home upon the farm, where the usual routine was pursued incident to farm-life. He acquired such an ed- ucation as the neighborhood school afforded. Upon reaching his majority he took upon him- self the responsibility of purchasing a farm, incurring a debt covering the whole of it, which, by dint of courage, energy and economy, he paid off in due time, and made additional purchases, until he now owns two hundred and five acres of as finely-improved land as Wayne County affords. His entire life-work thus far has been devoted to agricultural pursuits, with the ex- ception of three years he spent in merchandising. Mr. Rollison has ever taken an active interest in the neighborhood, township, etc. ; has con- tributed liberally of his time and means to the support of church and kindred interests; was largely instrumental in the erection of the hand- some church edifice recently built by the Meth- odist Episcopal Church organization in the neighborhood, of which he is a member and with which he is officially connected. He has always taken an active interest in school matters, and was for six years school director. He was mar- ried, January 1, 1852, to Lovina Ammerman. She died January 21, 1874, without issue. His second marriage occurred August 19, 1874, to Margaret A., daughter of Thomas Bortree. The children born of this union are Matilda E., Orra M. and Leroy L. Besides this, he has added to his family by adoption Aaron Cramer, William E. Woodward, Lafayette Ammerman, Orpha Ammerman and Annie E. Cole. The two latter reside with him at the present time.

CHAPTER XXXII. LAKE TOWNSHIP.1

LAKE TOWNSHIP was erected in 1877 out of the northern part of Salem and a small strip of South

Canaan. The dividing line from the former town- ship is substantially that run by L. S. Collins, R. S. Doren and J. R. Hoadley, commissioners appointed by the Court of Quarter Sessions, in June, 1874, to divide Salem into two election districts, in response to a petition signed by most of the residents of the upper portion of the town. The election-house was then located at Ariel, and has since become the town-house. The excision of the new district as a separate township took place in 1877, though the lines were not finally determined upon until two or three years later. The first assessment was made in 1878, and at that time the township had taxables. The line which divides it from Salem commences near the west side of W. H. Sharp's, and runs east so as to

cross the Pennsylvania Coal Company's track southwest of Simon Moore's house. Thence it runs over what is known as "Morgan Hill," crossing the township road near Joseph Cobb's ; thence across the old Salem road, between the farms of Horace Bell and J. L. Miller ; thence across the lands of W. B. France; thence across the Chapmantown and Rollinsonville road, near the house of D. Lockcord, and thence south of Day- ton Pond to the Rollinsonville and Purdytown road, near Hemlock Hollow, leaving Marcus Killam's farm buildings on the east side of the line and in Salem township. The South Canaan line was also straightened at the same time, so that a small strip of territory that formerly belonged to that township was included in the boundaries of Lake. The first election held in "Salem No. 2," as the district was first called, took place in February, 1875, and one hundred and seventy-three votes were cast, the first being polled by Samuel Safford.

The topography of Lake is much broken with large areas of sterile, rock-bound spurs of the Moosic Mountains, and several formidable swamps surrounded by almost impenetrable thickets of laurel, extending back from a few rods to a quarter of a mile. The morass in the eastern portion of the township is part of the great swampy region that extends over into Paupack, and is historic as "The Shades of Death," made memor- able by tragedy and suffering, as the settlers who escaped the tomahawk and scalping-knife at

From matter supplied by P. W. Collins and Homer Green, Esq.

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Wyoming fled to the Delaware. There is, per- haps, as much waste land in the township as in any equal area in the county, yet the central portion contains some good farms and is well populated. The proportion of uncleared land is large, much from which the timber has been felled being so covered with boulders and broken stone as to render it useless for agricultural purposes, and it remains a forbidding wilderness of decay- ing logs, brush and scrub oak, penetrated only by hunters and fishermen.

As late as 1850 probably two-thirds of the town- ship was covered with heavy timber, hemlock predominating amid a valuable growth of hard- wood and some white pine. The hardwood con- sisted chiefly of hard and soft maple, beech, birch, hickory in a few localities, considerable chestnut, black cherry, black oak, tulip tree and poplar. In 1851 the Pennsylvania Coal Company's Rail- road was completed, and an outlet thus given to these hitherto almost inaccessible lumber regions. Soon axes were swinging busily in the forest, and tanneries sprang up to utilize the hemlock bark. As prices increased, still greater inroads were made on the mountain tracts, until now there is but little of the original unbroken forest left, and in its place are long stretches of ragged land covered with briar and brush, with here and there a solitary, fire-blackened tree standing guard over the abandoned field.

Although there is much land that will hardly be utilized for several generations, the township contains some as fine farms as will be found any- where in the county; these are not, however, adapted to wheat or winter grains of any kind, though excellent for grazing. Those who make a specialty of stock-raising may be reckoned among the most successful farmers of the township, and corn, oats and potatoes are staple crops and give good returns. There are certain ridge farms, con- taining what is known as " red shale soil," which are better adapted to grain than grass. The Morgan farm, first occupied by Samuel Morgan, and now occupied by his son and daughter, is one of these, and has the reputation of being the best in the township for both crops.

course, the first settlers of Lake. The country in the vicinity of Jones Lake, being fertile land and comparatively free from large stone, was selected as the place for their clearings, and they and their descendants gave rise to two settlements which antedate all others in the township. Jonestown, the first of these, is a short distance east of the lake, and Elizur Miller was the first settler. He was the father of Joseph, Jesse, Ashbel and Hervy. The homestead descended to Jesse, who married Margaret Bishop, and was the father of five sons, -- Palmer, John B., Jesse, Joseph and Jason. His wife, who lived to be a very aged woman, died but a few years ago. John B. Miller was the first to take up land in what is now known as the " Chap- man District," about two miles east of Jonestown, on the Purdytown road. He married Nancy, a daughter of James Stone, of Arlington, who was one of the first settlers of Luzerne County. Mr. Miller had six children,-three boys and three girls. George, the youngest, who is the only son living, has the homestead. James Wiley, who married one of the daughters, lives on a part of the old place, and Silas Clark, the husband of another sister, has a place near by. The third daughter married Benjamin West, and has been dead several years.

Joseph L. Miller also settled in Chapmantown at first, but afterwards sold to George Killam and Silas Clark and went back on the Miller estate. He died in 1883, and Jesse Q. Miller, his son, has his homestead. In 1860, Jesse Miller, Sr., sold fifty acres of the estate to S. B. Dolph, of Luzerne County, who now resides on the north side of the place.

The Polly farm, which is north of the Miller estate, was first owned by Salmon Jones, a brother of Deacon Asa Jones. Salmon was elected sheriff in 1816, and moved to Bethany ; but he inust have sold the place before that, as it was assessed to Amos Polly in 1815. Esquire Polly was the second justice of the peace in Salem town- ship, and held office until 1839. He was a carpenter by trade, and for a number of years the only one in Jonestown or vicinity, and many of the first buildings were erected by him. He was EARLY SETTLEMENT .- Seventeen pioneers came into Salem township prior to 1803, and also interested with Deacon Jones in a saw-mill referred to elsewhere, and was a valuable man in those who settled in the northern portion were, of the community. His wife was a sister of Joseph

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Headley, of Prompton, and he had six children,- three boys (Amos, Horace M. and Horton W.) and three girls (Sophia, the wife of Hiram Blois, who is still living at Hamlinton, aged eighty years; Hannah, the wife of Robert Headley ; Electa, who married Edwin Haling). Most of them are now dead.

On the adjoining farm Deacon Asa Jones and Polly, his wife, settled in 1803, having come from the town of Newfoundland, Conn., by the way of New Jersey and the Delaware River. They had been recently married and Mrs. Jones had one grown son, afterwards Esquire Polly, by her first husband, Amos Polly, Sr. Deacon Jones had eight children,-Asa, Amasa, Joel, Polly, Hannah, Lury, Electa and Vesta.

Asa was a great hunter and trapper, and it is said of him that there was no man in the county who could infuse greater expectations into a party of hunters at the commencement of the chase, or bring about more satisfactory realizations at its close. He married Lucinna Buckingham and settled between the homestead and the farm of his brother Amasa. All of his seven children are dead except the youngest son, Amon, who has the old place.

Amasa Jones bought of Esquire Amos Polly when the latter moved to Hamilton and settled on the old Bethany road, near the Bethuel Jones' farm. Amasa was counted as a very successful farmer in the early days, and had one of the best appointed places in the locality. He married Morilla, a daughter of Josiah Curtis, of Salem Corners, and had five daughters,-Eliza, Mahala, Harriet, Vesta and Adaline. Washington Hoel, a son of Captain Charles Hoel, of Bethany, married Vesta, and now, with his family of three children, lives at the homestead.

and lives at the homestead. His mother is still alive and resides with him.

Polly, Deacon Jones' eldest daughter, married William Hollister, and had a numerous family, . most of whom reside in the township.

Lucy married Luther Weston, of Salem, and left no issue.

Electa was the wife of Joseph Moore, of Salem, and left only one son, who is now dead.

Vesta became the wife of Horace Moore, who, in 1827, bought of Timothy Hollister two hundred acres on the Salem and Cherry Ridge road, adjoin- ing the farms of Amasa and Bethuel Jones. Mr. Moore had four children, and is still living, an aged man, and a deacon in the Jones Lake Baptist Church.

Hannah married Abner D. Collins, a son of Lewis Collins, of Cherry Ridge, and, in 1853, settled on lands lying between the old Asa Jones estate and the farm of Elder G. Dobell, on the place now occupied by P. W. Collins. They had six children,-Lysander Y., who married Eliza Brown, of Paupack, and removed to California in 1860; Elizabeth, the wife of Alva Harding, of Susquehanna County ; Julia A., who married Thomas Cook, and lives in New York State ; Hannah M., the wife of Warren Slocum, of Scran- ton ; Philander W., who married Susan E. Lon- don, and resides at the homestead; Calista H., who married Warren Moore, and afterwards Edward W. Moore.

Ambrose Buckingham bought a few acres of Asa Jones, Jr., and built to the north of the latter's farm. After a few years he traded with Nathaniel Whitmore for two hundred acres in Paupack. Whitmore was a shoemaker, and one of the best in the county at that time, having owned a large manufacturing establishment in Connecticut previous to his removal to Pennsyl- vania. Besides the wide experience thus gained, he was a man of excellent education, and taught the winter schools several years.

Joel Jones married Delinda Purdy, a daughter of Reuben Purdy, of Paupack, and had five children,-Byron, who married Lucy Allen, of Luzerne County, and is one of the present justices of the peace for Lake township; Calinda, the wife Bethuel Jones came from Hebron, Conn., in 1822, arriving in Salem early in April in company with Lawrence Tisdel. The East and West turn- pike was then in process of construction, and they came along the new road, staying the first night of Charles Purdy, of Dalton, Lackawanna County ; Melissa, who married S. T. Walker, and lives at Nicholson, Wyoming County ; Reuben ; and Polly, who married W. H. Bidwell, and lives near Sand Pond. Reuben married Abby Cobb, of Canaan, | after their arrival with Seth Goodrich, on the

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Little Meadows place. Bethuel bought the place now occupied by his son, E. Z. Jones, from Jonathan Watrous, who had purchased from E. Flint and Jesse Miller. Bethuel was a brother of Asa and Salmon Jones, and was considered one of the most enterprising men of his time. He was a blacksmith, and had the only shop in the vicinity. He was three times married, -his first wife being Hannah Church, his second Lydia Rogers, and his third Betsy Isham. The latter survived him a number of years. He had six children,-E. R. Jones, Bethuel, Jr., Gates, Eliza- beth, Lydia and Hannah. The eldest of these, E. R. seems to have inherited the enterprise of his father. He was a very successful lumberman in the early history of that industry, and enjoyed the confi- dence of all who knew him. He has been twice commissioner of Wayne County.

Lawrence Tisdel, who was a son-in-law of Bethuel, settled just north of him, and is still living, in his eighty-ninth year. Hannah, his wife, is eighty-four, and both are cared for by their son, George W., who lives at the homestead. Mr. Tisdel had a number of sons, all of whom have shown great constructive ability, and become noted for their skill in the avocations they have adopted. L. W. Tisdel is widely known among sportsmen as the ingenious gunsmith of Scranton. A. G. is a resident of Brooklyn, and has the reputation of being one of the best photographic and stereoscopic instrument makers in the country. Bethuel, who is a fine workman on calender clocks, is the foreman of a large establishment in Ithaca, N. Y., where another brother is also employed ; while Frederick, the oldest son, has a very successful truck farın at Pittston.

John Watrous, a son of Jonathan, an early set- tler at Salem Corners, and a skillful shoemaker in his day, owns the farm adjoining the Tisdel place.

Chapmantown, the second of the early settle- ments, was begun about 1828, when Elder George Dobell moved from Sterling and located on a tract east of the old Jones place, on the Purdytown road. He had moved from England ten years before. Some improvements had been made on the tract by Jesse Miller, and as Mr. Dobell was very energetic he soon had a fine clearing that proved so productive as to attract others to the neighborhood. His early life was filled with do-

mestic affliction. His first wife, a bride of a short time, died just before he sailed for America. In 1820, he married Catharine Smith, of Sterling, who also lived but a few years. His only son, John, was drowned, and sickness visited his children. In spite of all these discouragements, he was always cheerful in his activity, and uncompromising in integrity, and consistent in his Christian life. He held firmly to the old school Baptist doc- trines, and, after having preached as a licen- tiate for a number of years, was ordained to the ministry, by Rev. Zelotes Grenell, in 1828-9. In 1824 he had preached the funeral sermon of Rev. William Purdy, the pioneer minister of the Baptists in Wayne, who, organized the Palmyra Church in 1801, and was its pastor from that date. Mr. Dobell succeeded him, and for a number of years was closely identified with the congregation. He was a prominent figure in the controversy be- tween the old and new school doctrines, and the disagreements growing out of it led him to resign his pastorate. Elder Dobell's third wife was Eliza Lawrence, whom he married in 1833; she died only a few months ago, aged nearly ninety years. His children were as follows : Eliza, who married Albert Purdy, and was the mother of George Purdy, Esq., of the Wayne County bar ; Hannah, wife of Joseph L. Miller; Sarah, who married Henry Stevens, of Sterling; Frances, the wife of William Ramble; Martha ; Mary Ann, the wife of Edward Smith ; Charlotte, who married Wil- liam Simmons, of Sterling.

William Ramble, who was skilled as a mill- wright, came from Northampton County, Pa., about 1847, and worked at his trade for many years on mills in the vicinity. In 1849 he bought the farm adjoining the Dobell place, and now has one of the best improvements in the district. He married Frances Dobell, as has been stated, and has six children ; William, the eldest, owns the original Dobell place.

East of Mr. Ramble's is a farm owned by Edwin Haling, whose father came from Connec- ticut to Salem in 1844, and commenced clearing up a farm south of Jones' Lake, which is now owned by James Swingle. Mr. Haling married Electa Polly, and settled in Chapmantown in 1855.

The Chapmans who gave the name to this set- tlement, did not locate there until 1851. There

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were three of them-Leander, Horace and Alfred -- brothers, and sons of Daniel Chapman, an old resident of Salem. They took up large tracts about a mile east of Jones' Lake, and were soon followed by others, among whom are W. B. Lesher, James Lesher and George Killam, who all occupy farms that compare favorably with those of the older settlers. On the new cross-road are some excellent farms, which have been quite recently cleared-notably, those of William Finn, W. B. Lesher, James Lesher and Hoarce Butler. Two other farms-the Ammerman and Daniels places, both settled much earlier-are now occupied by other than the original owners and their descend- ants.

In 1845 the turnpike from Salem to Cherry Ridge was completed, reducing the journey to Honesdale more than one half. The road led through what was at that time almost an unbroken forest, but as it became at once the main highway lands were quickly taken up and cleared, a paying market being found for both bark and lumber at Honesdale. Lewis Leonard had previously settled at Sand Pond, and it was through him and his son-in-law, Charles Washburn, that the road was so expeditiously opened. He was an oar-maker, who came from the State of Maine, in 1840, and settled on the place commenced by one Moore ; and as the forest abounded with the best ash it was but a short time before he had a saw-mill and turning lathe at work.

George Leonard, a son of Lewis, settled next to his father, and has been one of the most success- ful and scientific farmers in the township. He is a man of broad technical knowledge and good constructive ability, and has been awarded several patents on water-wheels, ploughs, torpedoes and other useful inventions. He had until quite re- cently one of the most complete maple sugar camps in the county, and his apiary will compare favorably with any in the State. Mr. Leonard is an authority on bee-keeping, and elsewhere con- tributes to this work a valuable chapter on the industry. He is also a noted fruit raiser, and has the only power wind-mill in the township.

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History of Wayne, Pike, and Monroe counties, Pennsylvania, Part 126

Author: Mathews, Alfred, 1852-1904. 4n Publication date: 1886 Publisher: Philadelphia : R.T. Peck & Co. Number of Pages: 1438

Author: Mathews, Alfred, 1852-1904. 4n
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Philadelphia : R.T. Peck & Co.
Number of Pages: 1438