History of the counties of McKean, Elk, Cameron and Potter, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections; including their early settlement and development; a description of the historic and interesting localities; sketches of their cities, towns and villages biographies of representative citizens; outline history of Pennsylvania; statistics, Part 70

Author: Leeson, M. A. (Michael A.) comp. cn; J.H. Beers & Co., pub
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 1320

USA > Pennsylvania > McKean County > History of the counties of McKean, Elk, Cameron and Potter, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections; including their early settlement and development; a description of the historic and interesting localities; sketches of their cities, towns and villages biographies of representative citizens; outline history of Pennsylvania; statistics > Part 70
USA > Pennsylvania > Potter County > History of the counties of McKean, Elk, Cameron and Potter, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections; including their early settlement and development; a description of the historic and interesting localities; sketches of their cities, towns and villages biographies of representative citizens; outline history of Pennsylvania; statistics > Part 70
USA > Pennsylvania > Elk County > History of the counties of McKean, Elk, Cameron and Potter, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections; including their early settlement and development; a description of the historic and interesting localities; sketches of their cities, towns and villages biographies of representative citizens; outline history of Pennsylvania; statistics > Part 70
USA > Pennsylvania > Cameron County > History of the counties of McKean, Elk, Cameron and Potter, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections; including their early settlement and development; a description of the historic and interesting localities; sketches of their cities, towns and villages biographies of representative citizens; outline history of Pennsylvania; statistics > Part 70

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NIMROD LANPHERE, farmer, P. O. Myrtle, was born in Almond, N. Y .. April 21, 1817, a son of George W. and Hannah (Haskins) Lanphere, both natives of New England. who settled in Ceres township in 1835, on the farm now owned by William Worden, where they made some improvements and resided until their death. They had five children who grew to maturity: John, Lois (Mrs. John Chapman), Nimrod, Esther (Mrs. Clark Wells) and Martha (Mrs. Joseph Trumbull). Nimrod Lanphere was eighteen years of age when he removed to Ceres with his parents. He cleared and improved the farm he now occupies. He was married in 1840 to Sally, daughter of George W. and Ruth (Cornell) Grow. of Ceres township, and they have the following named chil- dren: George, Albert, Rosa A. (MIrs. Oscar Cooper), Winfield. Frank and Nellie (Mrs. Milo Eckert). The two eldest sons, George and Albert, were in the war of the Rebellion. George enlisted in a New York regiment, was wounded at Roanoke, Va., and was discharged on account of disability after one year's service; he re-enlisted in 1864, and served until the close of the war. Albert went out with the Pennsylvania Bucktails, was wounded at Get- tysburg, and discharged after three years' service. Mr. Lanphere is a leading citizen of Ceres, and has held the offices of supervisor, judge of election. asses- sor and school director of the township. He is a member of the Seventh-Day Baptist Church; in politics he is a Republican.

THOMAS LYNCH, farmer, P. O. Ceres, was born in the town of Askelow. in County Limerick, Ireland, December 25, 1827, a son of Thomas and Mary (Reagan) Lynch, who emigrated to America in 1848, and settled in Washington, D. C., where they resided until their death. They had eight children, seven of whom came to America: Thomas, Margaret (Mrs Thomas McMann), Bridget (Mrs. Thomas Mulqueen), Johanna (Mrs. John Scanlon), Ellen (Mrs. John McCarty), William and Patrick. All are now deceased ex-

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cept Patrick, who resides in Washington, D. C., and Thomas, the subject of this sketch, who was reared and educated in his native country, and came to America in 1847, remaining at Quebec, Canada, one year. He then went to Vermont, where he remained two years, and in 1850 settled in Ceres township, McKean county, and resided in Ceres village five years, working in the lumber mills of that place. In 1855 he settled on the farm he now owns and occupies, where he has since resided, and which he cleared and improved. He was married in 1855 to Mary A., daughter of John and Johanna (Powers) Kennedy, of County Limerick, Ireland, and they have four children living: John, William. Edward and Margaret. Mr. Lynch is a member of St. Mary's Church, Sart- well; in politics he is a Republican.

JUDSON RILEY, farmer, P. O. Sartwell, was born in Ceres township, McKean Co., Penn., August 13, 1865, and is a son of Jeremiah and Bridget (Lundrigan) Riley. His paternal grandfather was Jeremiah Riley, a native of County Cork, Ireland, who came to America in 1840, and settled in Ceres township, McKean Co., Penn. His maternal grandfather, James Lundrigan, was also a native of County Cork, Ireland, and was a pioneer of Annin town- ship, MeKean county. The father of the subject of this sketch was a native of County Cork, Ireland, and Judson's mother was born in Waddington, St. Law- rence Co., N. Y. Judson's father cleared and improved the farm in Ceres township now occupied by his widow and heirs, and there it was that he died. His children were eleven in number: Elizabeth (Mrs. Delon Beeman), Henry, Hannah (Mrs. John Bly), Ellen ( Mrs. Thomas Foley), Kate, James and Judson (twins), Anna, John, Joseph and Winifred. Mr. Judson Riley was reared on the old homestead, and with his brothers, John and Joseph, conducts the farm. He is a member of the Catholic Church, and in politics is a Democrat.

JOHN J. ROBARTS, of the firm of Robarts Bros., dealers in general merchandise, Ceres, P. O. Ceres, N. Y., was born in Westfield, Tioga Co., Penn., April 16, 1844, a son of John J. and Phebe (Trowbridge) Robarts, natives of Luzerne county, Penn., and Painted Post, N. Y .. respectively. His paternal grandfather was Josiah Robarts, a native of Connecticut, of Welsh and Scotch descent, a pioneer of Luzerne county, Penn., and his maternal grandfather was Henry B. Trowbridge, a native of Vermont, who, with his parents, settled in Tioga county, Penn., in an early day. and was a prominent business man of his time in Westfield, that county. The parents of Jolm J. Robarts settled in Pleasant Valley, Potter Co., Penn., in 1853, where his father cleared and improved a farm, and resided there until 1866, when he removed to Annin (now Ceres) township, this county, locating on the farm now owned by his son C. B. Robarts, which he also cleared and improved, and resided there until his death, in 1878, at the age of sixty-six years. His children were Daniel P., Henry B .. Jemima L. (Mrs. Lewis R. Palmer), Phebe S. ( Mrs. E. B. West), Sarah E. (Mrs. J. S. Butters), John J., Martha E. (Mrs. H. S. Gleason), Polly M. (Mrs. E. Clark), Caleb B., Mary L. (Mrs. Henry Ter- rette) and William G. Of these, two were in the war of the Rebellion. Daniel P. enlisted in the Pennsylvania "Bucktails," was afterward trans- ferred to the Invalid Corps, served three years, and was honorably discharged. Henry B. enlisted in 1864, in Company A, Eighty-fifth New York Volunteers, and was honorably discharged July 17, 1865. John J. Robarts was reared in Potter county, and received a limited education in the common schools. After leaving the farm he engaged as a clerk in a store at Port Allegany, and followed that occupation until 1868, including three years at Ceres. In March, 1868, he embarked in business for himself at Ceres. with V. Perry Carter, under the firm name of Carter & Robarts, dealers in general merchan-

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dise; and in 1873 he purchased his partner's interest, conducting the business alone until 1875, when he sold out. In 1883 he again resumed business in Ceres, and since 1887 the business has been conducted in the name of Robarts Bros., C. B. Robarts being his partner. Mr. Robarts was twice married; first, in June, 1871, to Ella A., daughter of V. Perry and Almira (Smith) Car- ter. of Ceres, by whom he had one daughter, Grace A. Mrs. Robarts died, and September 17, 1878, he married Minnie C., daughter of A. C. and Belle C. (Smith) Hovey, of Ceres, by whom he has two children: Jay E. and H. Ross. Mr. Robarts served as auditor of MeKean county in 1878-80-81, and was deputy sheriff in 1882-83. He is a member of the Masonic order and K. O. T. M .; in politics he is a Republican.

CALEB B. ROBARTS, of Robarts Bros., Ceres, was born in Westfield, Tioga Co., Penn., March 9, 1850, a son of John J. and Phebe (Trowbridge) Robarts. He was reared and educated in Pleasant Valley, Potter Co., Penn. He served an apprenticeship of four years at the mason's trade in Corry, Penn., after which he worked as a journeyman for two years. He then engaged in farming on Bell's run, Ceres township, Mckean Co., Penn., at which he con- tinued for fifteen years, on the farm he now owns, settled by his father, and during that period was also engaged in lumbering. In 1886 he embarked in mercantile business in Ceres, and in 1887 formed a partnership with his brother John J. under the firm name of Robarts Bros. Mr. Robarts married, in 1871. Hattie M., daughter of James R. and Martha (Fuller) Grow, of Ceres township. and they have two children: Ray R. and Daisy. Mr. Robarts is a representa- tive merchant and citizen of Ceres. He and his wife are members of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church. In politics he is a Republican. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, the A. O. U. W .. the S. of T. and the K. O. T. M.

FRANCIS M. VAN WORMER, lumberman, P. O. Ceres, N. Y., was born in Cohocton, Steuben Co., N. Y., February 18, 1836, a son of Henry and Han- nah A. (Elliott) Van Wormer. His paternal grandfather. Lawrence Van- Wormer, was born near Kinderhook, N. Y., and was of the old Dutch Knicker- bocker stock. He settled in Cohocton, N. Y., in 1816, with a family of four- teen children, as well as a number of negroes, remnants of slavery days, who remained with the family. He was a farmer by occupation and a large land- holder. The maternal grandfather of Francis M. was Jonathan Elliott, also a pioneer of Steuben county, N. Y., formerly of Otsego county, N. Y. Henry Van Wormer was a large real estate dealer and speculator in Steuben county, N. Y. Francis M. Van Wormer was reared in his native county, and educated in the common schools and Macomb Street Academy, Monroe, Mich. He set- tled in Ceres, McKean Co., Penn., in 1858, where he worked in a lumber-mill until the breaking out of the war of the Rebellion. April 15, 1861, he enlisted in Company A, Twenty-third New York Volunteers, and participated in the battle of second Bull Run, Chantilly, Fredericksburg, Cedar Mountain, and other engagements, and was honorably discharged in June, 1863, at the expira- tion of his term of service. He then returned to Ceres, and, with L. P. White. purchased the grist-mill and lumber business of Eleazer Harmon, the business being conducted under the firm name of Van Wormer & White up to 1882. when Mr. Van Wormer purchased his partner's interest, and has since success- fully conducted the business alone. Mr. Van Wormer married, in 1864, Eliz- abeth C., daughter of Rev. David B. and Alice H. (Pusey) Brown, of Couders- port, Penn., and they have three children living: A. Castella. Edith M. and Henry B. Mr. Van Wormer is a self-made and successful business man, and a prominent and respected citizen. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and politically he is a Republican.

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HISTORY OF MCKEAN COUNTY.

CHAPTER XXVII.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES- NORWICH, HAMLIN, LAFAYETTE AND SERGEANT TOWNSHIPS.

NORWICH TOWNSHIP.

C. A. ANDERSON, merchant, Colegrove, was born in Warberg, Sweden, March 5, 1860, a son of Andrew and Inga Anderson. He attended school in his native country, when, his father having moved to the United States, he was anxious to come and find him, but having no money he borrowed enough of a friend to pay his passage to New York City. From New York he went to New Jersey, where he was employed two months in carrying water to a company of men working on a railroad. Having earned a little money, he determined to come to MeKean county. He landed at Ridgway, a small boy without friends or money, and unable to speak the English language. Here a gentleman gave him money enough to take him to Wilcox, thirteen miles away, and from there he walked to Clermont, where he found some of his own country people, to whom he told his story. They furnished him with food and money enough to take him to his father in Smethport. He found his father, who was not able. however, to support him, and a Mrs. Rifle furnished him with a room and a bed, and he worked at anything he could find to do to obtain his food. After spending a week in Smethport he accompanied his father to Colegrove, where the latter was employed by W. J. Colegrove, and he worked for his board. His father left Mr. Colegrove in about two months, but he continued in his employ, remaining on his farm until 1881, when he was employed as clerk in the gen- eral store of W. J. Colegrove & Son at Colegrove. This partnership was dis- solved, and C. M. Colegrove carried on the business until July 19, 1883, when he sold out to Mr. Anderson, who, after a few months, admitted M. J. Gallup as partner in the business, and they continued together until April 1, 1886, when Mr. Anderson bought Mr. Gallup's interest and has since continued the business alone. Mr. Anderson has been a successful business man, and is highly esteemed in the town of Colegrove. He has held various township offices and August 1, 1883, was appointed postmaster. He was married April 25, 1887, to Miss Annie, daughter of Conrad and Lena Bayer, of Norwich township. Mr. Anderson is a member of Norwich Lodge, No. 538, E. A. U., and Mckean Lodge, No. 388, F. & A. M. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

A. P. BREWER, farmer, P. O. Norwich, is a son of William and Polly (Curtis) Brewer, natives of Connecticut, who came to Mckean county, Penn., in 1815, and settled upon the farm where A. P. Brewer now resides. They reared a family of seven children, the subject of this sketch being the second son, and the only one now living. He was born October 24, 1821, and received his education in the public schools of the township where he now resides, and has always lived upon the farm which his father settled. In September, 1841, he married Miss Helen, a daughter of Luther and Jemima (Colegrove) Haven, of Norwich township. The Havens were among the first settlers of that township, and reared a family of eight children, all of whom are living. Mr.

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and Mrs. Brewer are the parents of four children, viz .: W. W. (proprietor of a hotel at Mount Jewett. Penn.), Milton A., Melvin F .. and Nellie Alcena (de- ceased). Mr. Brewer served six years in the capacity of county commissioner. also six years as county auditor, and has been identified with various township offices. Mr. and Mrs. Brewer are members of the Baptist Church. In poli- tics he is a Republican.

G. W. BURDICK, farmer. P. O. Norwich, a son of Rowland and Alvira (Webb) Burdick, natives of New York State, was born in Norwich township. McKean Co., Penn., April 17, 1820. He spent his boyhood days on the farm with his parents, and August 3, 1842, he married Miss Sarah H., a daughter of G. W. and Elizabeth (Rose) Griswold, natives of Vermont, who were among the early settlers of Smethport, Penn. Mr. Burdick has been identified among the many Iumbermen of MeKean county, is also an enterprising farmer, and was postmaster under President Tyler. His son, W. P. Burdick, was born November 27, 1859, and is now a practicing physician in DuBois, Clear- field Co., Penn. G. W. Burdick's grandfather was a Baptist minister. His father and mother and six brothers and one sister belonged to the Baptist Church, and one sister joined the Methodist Church. Six brothers and one sister are still living.

G. A. BURDICK, farmer, P. O. Norwich, was born in Norwich township, MeKean Co., Penn., November 1, 1830, the youngest of eight children born to Rowland and Alvira (Webb) Burdick, natives of New York, who came to Nor- wich township in 1815. Mr. Burdick has always resided on the old homestead. and been engaged in farming. He married, August 12, 1855, Miss Viletta, a daughter of Orin and Nancy (Corwin) Gallup, and they are the parents of six children, viz .: Clarence A., Elbert C., Orlo J., Wellington L., Alice E. and Ina V. Mr. Burdick has been actively identitied with the interests of the township, and has held various township offices.

JONATHAN COLEGROVE, farmer. P. O. Colegrove, was born in Nor- wich township, Mckean Co., Penn., November 22, 1844, a son of Horace and Emily (Burlingame) Colegrove, both also natives of Norwich township. He was in the Civil war, enlisting in 1861 in Company F. Fifty-seventh Pennsyl- vania Volunteers. and served three years. He was in the siege of Yorktown. and was taken prisoner on the peninsula near Savage Station, in 1862, was prisoner two and a half months on Belle Isle, afterward joined his regiment near Falmouth, Va., was in the Gettysburg fight, and on the second day was wounded through the neck and windpipe, and also through the left shoulder. He was taken to Baltimore, Md., to Patterson Park hospital, which hospital was under the charge of Dr. S. D. Freeman. He was not expected to live, for several days; for twenty-two months he never spoke a loud word. He served the rest of the time in the medical purveyor's department, Baltimore, Md. He was married January 1, 1867, to Miss Hattie P., daughter of Shetfield and Mary E. (Baldwin) Purple, of Troy, Penn., and they are the parents of two children, viz. : Samuel (deceased) and Albert L. (living at home). He also has an adopted daughter, Mary P. Mr. Colegrove is a member of McKean Lodge, No. 128, F. & A. M .; Bradford Chapter, No. 160, and Sir Knights, No. 58.

C. D. COMES, Iumberman, P. O. Digel, a son of D. D. and Polly V. (Smith) Comes, natives of Pennsylvania, was born in Keating township, Mc- Kean Co., Penn., June 13, 1855. He has always lived with his parents, and at the present time has control of a mill in company with his father. They are sawing 4,000,000 feet of lumber per year, and peeling 2,500 cords of hem- lock bark.

C. W. DICKINSON, farmer, P. O. Norwich, is a son of Edward H. and

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HISTORY OF MCKEAN COUNTY.

Roxie (Comes) Dickinson, the former a native of New Jersey, and the latter of Norwich township, McKean Co., Penn. The father came to Mckean county in 1833, and engaged in hunting and trapping, at one time killing fifty-seven deer in twenty five days; he also killed three elks and twenty bears in Mckean county. C. W. Dickinson is the second son of eight children. He was born in Norwich township, November 10, 1842, and received his education in the common schools of Norwich. July 9, 1861, he entered the United States serv- ice, enlisting in Company I, Forty-second Regiment Pennsylvania "Buck- tails," and was discharged on account of disability, returning to Norwich Sep- tember 28 of the same year. He married, November 18, 1873, Miss Estella. P. Denison, a daughter of William and Otteline (Carter) Denison, natives of the State of New York, who came to Norwich township in 1841. Mr. and Mrs. Dickinson are the parents of four children, viz. : Charlie B., Lena E., Carrie A. and Louis H. Mr. Dickinson is one of the wide-awake men of the township, and has been identified with various local offices. He has taken a great interest in the public schools of the township, and, like his father, has a disposition to hunt and trap, having killed about three hundred deer, nine bears, eighteen wolves, and about twenty wildcats, and caught too much small game to mention here.

J. C. DOYLE, lumberman, Crosby. P. O. Newerf, is a native of Mckean county, Penn., born in Sartwell, May 10, 1860. He was reared and educated in his native county, and when but a boy began to work in his father's mill, and finally was appointed its superintendent, and on reaching his majority was admitted as a partner, the firm name then being M. Doyle & Son. Mr. Doyle was married October 16, 1884, to Miss Katie C. Butler, of Sartwell, and they have two children: Helen B. and Clayton P. Michael Doyle, father of J. C., came to this country with his parents from County Cork, Ireland, when but nine years of age. At twenty-three he married Ellen Keefe, a native of Canandaigua, N. Y. Michael Doyle died September 17, 1889, at Sartwell, Penn., surrounded by his family and a few intimate friends; the firm name was then changed to that of J. C. Doyle & Bro., who will in future carry on the business on the same system as before. Mrs. Katie C. (Butler) Doyle is a daughter of James Butler, the eldest of seven children, and who came to this country from County . Kilkenny, Ireland, about the year 1850, and was married one year later at Cuba, N. Y., to Bridget Phelan, a native of Ireland.

MICHAEL ERHART, postmaster and merchant, Newerf, was born in St. Mary's, Elk Co., Penn., March 25, 1854, a son of John and Margaret Er- hart, natives of Germany, who came to St. Mary's in 1853. Mr. Erhart received his education in the common schools of Keating township, and in April, 1884, he purchased a farm of 211 acres in Norwich township. He was married, in August, 1886, to Miss Laura, a daughter of Samuel and Matilda (Cochran) Lay- ton, natives of New York State, who came to McKean county in 1880. Mr. and Mrs. Erhart have one child, Essie, born October 9, 1888. In May Mr. Erhart engaged in mercantile business in Newerf, since which time he has also acted in the capacity of postmaster.

W. O. GALLUP, farmer, P. O. Norwich, was born in Norwich Township, McKean Co., Penn., June 28, 1851, the elder of two sons born to Nathaniel C. and Alcena (Derby) Gallup, natives of Pennsylvania, born in 1814, and who settled upon the farm now owned by their son, H. H. Gallup. W. O. Gallup- received his education in the common schools of his native township, and has always been engaged in farming. He was married, in February, 1875, to Miss Ella Grigsby, born in December, 1851, a daughter of Samuel and Mary (Evendon) Grigsby, natives of England. Mr. and Mrs. Gallup are the parents of four

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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

children, viz. : Cora A., Bertha M., Milford H. and Susan R. Mr. Gallup takes an active interest in the affairs of the township, and has held various local offices.

N. W. HEINEMANN, lumberman, Colegrove, was born in Duderstadt, Germany, November 25, 1848, a son of Christopher Heinemann. When he was three years old his parents came to the United States and settled in Nor- wich township, Mckean Co., Penn., where, in 1865. his father built what is called an up-and-down saw-mill. He was reared in Mckean county, working on the farm and in the mill until manhood, and finally bought the homestead and mill of his father. He has rebuilt the mill, and has furnished it with the latest approved machinery, and is now cutting 30,000 feet of lumber a day. Mr. Heinemann was married, October, 1. 1874, to Miss Annie Bell Waffle, of Elm Valley, Allegany Co., N. Y. She is a daughter of George and Bessie (Knight) Waffle, the former of whom was born in Cortland, N. Y., July 8, 1808, and the latter in Vermont. April 20, 1820. Mr. and Mrs. Heinemann are the parents of two children: Bessie W. and Theressa.

J. B. OVIATT, JR., farmer, P. O. Norwich, was born in Smethport, Mc- Kean Co., Penn., December 22, 1850, the third son of eleven children born to J. B. and Catherine M. (Stickles) Oviatt, natives of New York State, who came to Mckean county in 1837. and settled in Keating township. Mr. Oviatt remained upon the home farm with his parents until he was twenty-one years of age, when he went to Roulette, Penn., where he was employed by the late Leroy Lyman in hunting, and working upon the farm. From Roulette he went to Alfred Centre, N. Y., where he finished his education, after which he came to Norwich township and engaged as a laborer. He married, in October, 1875, Miss Hattie R., daughter of J. B. and Mary B. (Gallup) Kimball, who came to Norwich township in 1855. Mr. and Mrs. Oviatt are the parents of three children, named as follows: Jessie F., Milo and Frank, all of whom reside at home. Mr. Oviatt, after his marriage purchased the farm which he now owns, and upon which he has erected a handsome residence. Mr. Oviatt has been a very successful hunter, and has caught or killed, since 1875, the following wild animals: 170 deer and 10 bears, which netted $1.146.91; and 111 foxes, 112 raccoons, 8 otters, 35 minks, S wildcats, 30 martins, 56 skunks, and 120 muskrats, netting $403.86. He has held various township offices, and is highly respected by all who know him. The family are members of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church, of Colegrove.

N. H. PARKER. Iumberman, P. O. Gardeau, is a son of George and Polly Parker. George Parker was born in the city of Albany, N. Y., in 1784, but when eight years of age was taken by his father to the Cownaisque valley, where the family settled. In this same valley Polly Parker was born in 1792, and at the age of fifteen years was married to George Parker. Here also, N. H. Parker was born in 1812. In 1828 the family moved into the Genesee Valley, and bought the farm formerly owned by Shongo, the head chief of the Seneca Indians, Six Nations, and who then lived on the farm and continued to do so for over a year, George Parker afterward giving him the privilege of spending the remainder of his days there if he chose. But a majority of the other In- dians had gone to the Buffalo, Cattaraugus and other tribes, and after about a year and a half he said he must go to console and advise those who looked to him for counsel. He was a man of much intelligence, was a great warrior in the Revolutionary war, and had participated in the massacre in the valley of the Wyoming. He was also very skillful in the medical profession, and prac- ticed much among the whites in the early history of the county with marked success. Among the Indians at that time was one named Johny Hacks, who

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HISTORY OF MCKEAN COUNTY.

was a great hunter. George Parker asked him where there were some good "licks," He answered by saying, "Way off yonder great much lick, much deer, much elk, much salt and much medicine water." He could not tell where, or how far, but could point directly toward the present site of Norwich, Penn. In his annual hunting trips Mr. Parker, with his son, commenced going in this direction, and in June, 1838, reached what is now Mckean county, to hunt elk, and found the place spoken of by Johny Hacks. At that time no place ever seen on the American continent would reward the hunter's pursuit as well as this. There was plenty of elk, immense quantities of deer, black bears and wolves very plenty, also panthers and all kinds of small game. George and N. H. Parker continued to hunt here each year, and in the winter of 1844 the father and son bought a tract at this point for the purpose of hunt- ing, and N. H. Parker owns it still, although the game, like the red man, has all gone toward the setting sun. About the year 1800 one Capt. Thomas, said to have been a sea pirate, abandoned his ship on the coast of Florida to avoid being captured by a Spanish man-of-war, and followed the coast all the way to the Susquehanna river, thence up to this place, and eventually put a well down here on the site of the great Elk lick of the world, and made salt here until the Parkers bought of him in 1844. In 1865 N. H. Parker put down a well here near the old one, 640 feet deep, from which flows inces- santly the strongest mineral water in the world, which has no equal in curing all chronic cases of disease. For all time to come thousands will receive ben- efit from its wonderful healing properties. This well is now famous, and is known as "Parker's Mineral Spring." George Parker commenced hunting when very young, and soon became very skillful in the capture of game. Hav- ing hunted the Alleghany mountain range all over, in 1850, George and N. H. went to Lake Superior, caught 125 beaver, killed several bears and wolves, and before returning hunted around the Lake of the Woods and a great part of the northwest territory. In March, 1851, George Parker surveyed a road from the mouth of the Ontonagan River, at Lake Superior, through an entire wilder- ness to Wisconsin river, where no human foot had ever trod before. In 1852 the two went to California, across the plains, for the sole purpose of hunting, killing large numbers of deer, elk, antelope and buffalo. In California they killed several grizzly bears, on one occasion bringing down a very large one at the first shot, with a repeating rifle made for Mr. Parker by William Billing- hurst, of Rochester, N. Y. at a cost of $150. Returning from California by steamer the same year, George Parker also hunted in the Adirondacks, in northern New York, killing many moose. He continued to hunt up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1868, having killed in his lifetime over 3,000 deer, about 200 black bears, and nearly twenty elks, besides a large number of wolves and all other kinds of wild animals on this continent. N. H. Par ker was married. January 6, 1846, to Hannah, daughter of Jesse Bullock, at that time sheriff of Allegany county, N. Y., and to this union have been born two children, George B. and Polly.

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Author: Leeson, M. A. (Michael A.) comp. cn; J.H. Beers & Co., pub Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & Co. Number of Pages: 1320

Author: Leeson, M. A. (Michael A.) comp. cn; J.H. Beers & Co., pub
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 1320