Portrait and biographical record of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Volume I, Part 10

Author:
Publication date: 1897
Publisher: New York : Chapman Publishing co.
Number of Pages: 1068

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Thoroughly identified with the growth of Car- bondale, Mr. Crane took an active part in every good cause. He was one of the leaders in the Y. M. C. A., in which he was an officer, and for years served as an elder in the Presbyterian Church, always manifesting a desire to help for- ward movements of a religious nature. A tem- perance worker, he was identified with the Pro- hibition party. He was connected with the Elec- tric Light Company and other local enterprises. When in the prime of his usefulness and business prosperity, he passed from earth September 5, 1891. Starting in life with no other capital than his energy and determination, and meeting in his early business career with many obstacles, in the last few years of his life he built up one of the most important business houses in Carbondale and left a large estate at his death.

The home of Mr. Crane was one that bore in its everyday life a happiness and completeness more to be desired than the amassing of riches or the accumulation of power. In December, 1867, he was united in marriage with Miss Mary Lathrop, a lady possessing a sympathetic dis-

position, one who was trained to follow closely the Great Exemplar of the true life. Of their four children one died when seven years of age. Dwight Lathrop, a rising young business man, is the manager of the Israel Crane Company, and resides with his mother, and brother and sister, Albert and Marion, in the family residence in Lincoln Avenue.

S AMUEL E. RAYNOR. In the coloniza- tion of the states that lie along the Atlantic seaboard, at least two different classes of people are distinctively noticeable; in the north, the Puritan element, sagacious, manly, pious and industrious, and in the south, the cavalier ele- ment of England, open-handed and light-hearted. The subject of this sketch, the late Samuel E. Raynor of Carbondale, was a descendant of the former class, and though many generations re- moved from his ancestors who came to this coun- try with the Pilgrim Fathers, he inherited the traits of character that were dominant in the lives of those early settlers.

At a period early in the history of this coun- try, members of the Raynor family, with other prominent Puritans from Connecticut, made their way across the sound in a small boat and settled in Southold, on the east end of Long Island. Many of the name may still be found in different parts of the island. Nathan Raynor, our subject's father, was born at Westhampton, L. I., August 13, 1789, and married Sarah B. Cooper, who was born at Bridgehampton, L. I., July 24, 1789, and who like her husband was a descendant of one of the oldest and most re- spected families on the island. She came with her husband to Carbondale in 1831 and here he died a few years later. For many years she made her home with her son and his wife, and died about 1876. Her ancestors were people of deep piety, devoted members of the Congregational Church, and religious devotion has been a family characteristic down to the present generation.

Of the children of Nathan and Sarah Raynor, we note the following: Eliza C., who married Anthony Marvin, a merchant in Delhi, N. Y., later connected with the United States sub-treas-

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ury at New York, at her death left two children; Mrs. Mary Smith was the wife of a farmer at Dundee, Ill .; Rev. James Raynor is a Pres- byterian minister at Montrose, Pa .; and Samuel E., our subject, was born in Montrose, July 16, 1827. The last-named was four years of age at the time the family came to Carbondale and soon afterward his father died, leaving the widow with four small children and but little of this world's goods. For this reason he had but a limited edu- cation. At twelve years of age we find him a clerk in the store of Lewis G. Ensign, his future father-in-law. It is related by a warm friend of his, in boyhood and throughout life, that he never saw him. any happier than when he had earned enough money to buy a barrel of flour for his mother. Of a life made up of good deeds, this first act seemed to give him the greatest satisfac- tion of all. All through his life to the death of his mother, he was devoted to her and saw that she wanted for nothing.

We can do no better at this time than to quote from the obituary written at the time of his death, February 1, 1894, by his lifelong friend, C. E. Lathrop, of the "Carbondale Leader," who had the highest regard for his noble traits of charac- ter and business ability: "Mr. Raynor was one of the few living persons who watched the growth of Carbondale from its rude and unprom- ising beginning. He came to this place when four years of age from Montrose with his parents and had lived here continuously ever since. Dur- ing this long period he was a supporter of and leader in every movement for spiritual advance- ment and moral reform. He was one of the oldest living members of the First Presbyterian Church, having joined that communion in 1836. In 1854 he was ordained a deacon and in 1865 was in- stalled as elder. For many years he was super- intendent of the Sabbath-school, his time in that office being longer than any other in the history of the church.

"Outside of the church Mr. Raynor was con- stantly active in good works. For years he was a power in the Order of Good Templars and the Sons of Temperance, and his Band of Hope, a training school for the children in principles of total abstinence, became famous for the power

it exerted. Scores of the substantial people of this city look back with pleasure and gratitude to the time they were members of this youthful band. In point of continuous residence, Mr. Raynor was one of the very oldest citizens of the place. He came from a prominent family on Long Island and many of his relatives stood high in business circles in New York City. His mother was a sister of Hon. Almon H. Read, at one time a member of congress.

"Mr. Raynor being almost the only support of a

widowed mother, of necessity contracted

habits of industry and economy, and in early life found profitable employment with L. G. Ensign, later his father-in-law. Afterward he was with Sweet & Ensign and subsequently became a part- ner of Dr. Sweet, conducting a successful busi- ness for several years, and later was alone in business. This he relinquished to become teller in the Miners & Mechanics Bank, in which he was largely interested. He retired some years ago on account of failing health.

"It is, however, in the line of moral and re- ligious work that Mr. Raynor left an impress upon the life of our city that will not soon be effaced. He was a disciple of Christ at a very early age. He was a model boy and some now living here remember him as most active in all the departments of church work and in the tem- perance cause. From an early period in the his- tory of the town, especially among the children (which, by the way, was his favorite work) he was most successful, and many of our young people are profiting today in their lifework by the lessons he inculcated with such earnestness and zeal. Of late years his part in church and temperance work has been less active, but he by no means lost his interest in such matters up to the very last. His faith was an abiding one, root- ed and grounded in the doctrines of Calvinism, which has animated so many of the world's noble men and has given to this nation some of its most eminent men. As the older members of society and the church pass away, others will rise up to carry on the good work, but there will be few in this community who will do as good a work as the deceased has done during the half century of his active life. His holy example will

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be a stimulus for his co-laborers and long after his personality is forgotten the church records will attest to his faithful work.

"'Life's labor done, as sinks the clay, Light from its load the spirit flies, While heaven and earth combine to say, How blest the righteous when he dies.'"

About 1850 Mr. Raynor married Elizabeth Stoner, who at her death left a daughter, but the latter died at thirteen years. January 27, 1864, he married Miss Harriet Ensign, daughter of Lewis G. Ensign, who was for many years a lead- ing jeweler of Carbondale. A native of Litch- field, Conn., and of good old Puritan stock, Mr. Ensign inherited substantial traits of character, which brought him business success. When his daughter Harriet was nine years of age, he took his family to Wyoming, Pa., and there died Jan- uary 29, 1887, at the age of eighty-one years. His wife, Rebecca (Fortner) Ensign, was born in Milton, N. Y., June 5, 1803, and died in Wyom- ing, Pa., January 13, 1855. She was a member of the Presbyterian Church, to which Mr. Ensign also belonged, and in that faith they reared Harriet, the only one of their children who reached maturity. Mrs. Raynor and her daughter Gertrude, an accomplished young lady, are living in their comfortable residence in Lin- coln Avenue, surrounded by every comfort; the other daughter, Frances, is the wife of Dr. C. T. Meaker of Carbondale.

A NDREW WYLLIE. The life of this gen- tleman, who for years has been superin- tendent of the iron department of the Delaware & Hudson blacksmith shops at Car- bondale, affords an illustration of the axiom that "grit and grace" have as their companion "greenbacks." With few exceptions, the men who have the grit to cope with the difficulties of life and the grace to bear hardships, will at- tain, if not wealth, at least the possession of a bank account sufficiently large to secure them against want and poverty in their old age.

A native of the county of Fife, Scotland, Mr. Wyllie was born in the historic town of Kirkcaldy,

eleven miles from Edinburgh, October 18, 1826. This shire was also the birthplace of his parents, George and Mary (Stanhouse) Wyllie, the for- mer of whom died in early manhood. The latter, a lady of high literary attainments, was for forty years a teacher in Philips Institute in her native heath. Of her three children Elizabeth married James Louttit, an extensive manufacturer and dealer in cloth, now living retired in Kirkcaldy; George died many years ago; and Andrew, our subject, was the youngest of the family. In youth he went to sea one voyage and on his return learned the blacksmith's trade in his native place, afterward worked at his trade in Manchester, England, for five years.

In the fall of 1848 Mr. Wyllie came to America and was employed in Brooklyn at the time Tay- lor was inaugurated president of the United States. Later he worked for Hoe, the printing press manufacturer in New York. In 1851 he came to Carbondale, where he had been for a short time previously, working in the shops of the Delaware & Hudson until the death of his brother-in-law. On his return here he resumed work with the company and since 1856 has been at the head of the iron department. A sturdy, conservative Scotchman, he guards well the in- terests of the company with which he has been connected for forty years or more.

April 26, 1854, Miss Isabella Diack, a native of Glasgow, Scotland, became the wife of Mr. Wyllie and they have three sons and three daugh- ters, namely: Mary, wife of Oscar E. Histed, an engineer on the Delaware & Hudson road; Alexander, a machinist in the Delaware & Hud- son locomotive works; George, who is employed in his father's department; Isabella, who mar- ried Frank Arnold, of Carbondale; Elizabeth, at home; and Thomas, a bookkeeper in the Pittston stove works. Like the majority of Scotch peo- ple, Mr. Wyllie attends the Presbyterian Church and is a believer in its doctrines.

J OHN S. JADWIN. The entire life of Mr. Jadwin, with the exception of the periods when business connections or the search for health took him elsewhere, was passed in the

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city of Carbondale, where his life began Decem- ber 3, 1853, and ended May 17, 1894. Numbered among the energetic and progressive business men of the place, he accumulated a handsome property and left his family in comfortable cir- cumstances. His success, however, was secured only through the outlay of physical strength that broke down a naturally strong constitution.

The father of our subject was Henry B. Jad- win, one of the pioneers of Carbondale, who came here before 1830, and assisted in laying the foundation upon which the present prosperous anthracite city is built. He filled many local offices, and his ability and force of character made him a prominent figure through this part of the state. His family consisted of eight sons, four of whom are living, namely: ex-Congressman C. C. Jadwin, of Honesdale; O. H., a wholesale druggist in New York; ex-Mayor Henry B. Jad- win, of Carbondale; and Charles P., of Scranton, mentioned elsewhere in this volume.

The subject of this sketch, who was the young- est of the sons, grew to manhood in Carbondale and early engaged in the drug business. For three years he was in business with his brother, C. C., in Honesdale, after which he took a posi- tion with his brother, O. H., in New York City. In 1875 he opened a store in Carbondale and from that time to his death met with unvarying success. The large business which he built up is now conducted by his wife, who runs it through a manager.

For twenty years Mr. Jadwin was a member of Olive Leaf Lodge, I. O. O. F., in which he was one of the past grands. The fatal illness which resulted in his death was contracted in January, 1893, when he was taken ill with pneumonia. The attack permanently injured his lungs, and hoping that a change of climate might prove beneficial, June 1, 1893, he departed for Colo- rado, returning in the autumn somewhat im- proved. The benefit, however, was only tem- porary. On Thanksgiving Day he went home ill and was never again seen at his place of busi- ness.

September II, 1877, Mr. Jadwin married Miss Mattie Buzzell, of Morris, N. Y., daughter of the late John Drew Buzzell, a native of Maine, and

for some years a local politician of note in Morris. At his death Mr. Jadwin left five daughters, Susan, Augusta, Florence, Gladys and Amber, who are bright, vivacious and accomplished, and one son, John Seymour, the youngest of the family.

P ATRICK A. POWDERLY, who repre- sents one of the most prominent pioneer families of Carbondale, was born in this city October 28, 1833, and is a son of Terrence Powderly, a native of County Meath, Ireland, born in 1800. The paternal grandfather, Hugh Powderly, spent his entire life in Ireland, where he died at forty years of age. Of his four sons and two daughters, three sons and one daughter came to America, namely: Terrence; John, who went to Illinois and engaged in farming there until his death; Hugh, a man of roving disposi- tion, whose destiny is unknown; and Marcella, who married John Powderly (not a relative), a gardener in Brooklyn, N. Y., where she died, leaving seven children, now residents of Dayton, Ohio.

Reared on a farm in Ireland, Terrence Pow- derly emigrated to America in young manhood, sailing from Dublin March 20, 1827. He set- tled near Carbondale, where he engaged in farm- ing for two years. June 18, 1829, when coal was discovered here, he moved into the city, which then had but two houses and those of logs. For several years he was employed as a miner and in 1845 opened what has since been known as the Powderly mine, and Powderly road leading to this mine was named in his honor. From 1858 to 1876 he was connected with the car shops of the Delaware & Hudson Canal Company, but in the latter year gave up active business, and from that time lived in quiet retirement. He passed away May 27, 1882. In 1851, when the city was incorporated, he was one of the first board of councilmen, and in every way possible promoted the welfare of the place.

The mother of our subject, known in maiden- hood as Margery Walslı, was born in County Meath, Ireland, July 4, 1811, and in 1826 became the wife of Terrence Powderly. August 15, 1876,

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they celebrated their golden wedding, when they were the recipients of many congratulations and good wishes. Three days later, August 18, she passed quietly from earth. Of her twelve chil- dren the eldest, Elizabeth, was born on the St. Lawrence River, July 26, 1827, when her parents were journeying via Canada to the United States; she married William W. Walker, who was con- nected with the mines until his death, November 25, 1895, and she died March 18 of the following year. Their son, T. V. Walker, is agent for the National Express Company in Carbondale.

Hugh, the first-born son of Terrence and Mar- gery Powderly, was born in August, 1829, and died at the age of two years. Thomas, whose birth occurred September 16, 1831, died in in- fancy. Hugh W., who was born February 8, 1837, is represented elsewhere in this volume. John, born June 21, 1838, is employed in the freight department of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad at Scranton. Joseph, born May 5, 1841, was for several years in the mer- cantile business in Carbondale, at one time served as postmaster and is now weighmaster for the Delaware & Hudson Railroad. Christopher, who was born April 9, 1843, was killed August 20, 1864, by a train on the Gravity Railroad. Mary, born December 1, 1844, died in 1846. Mary (2d), born February 8, 1847, died in in- fancy. Hon. Terrence V., born January 27, 1849, is the most noted member of the family, having been mayor of Scranton, a leading politician and for many years grand master workman of the Knights of Labor, in which way he has gained a national reputation; he is now a practicing attorney of Scranton. The youngest child, Mar- gery, was born March 15, 1853, and lives in Car- bondale.

At the age of fourteen our subject became a helper in the employ of the Delaware & Hudson Company, receiving fifty cents a day. Later he worked in various capacities for the company, and since August 1, 1858, has been foreman of the switch back of the car department. He is a man of natural ability and broad views. His memory is remarkable and he is sometimes called the "living encyclopedia" of Carbondale, on ac- count of his familiarity with the history of the

city. September 14, 1857, he married Mary, daughter of John and Margaret Gilligan. Her parents were born, reared and married in Ireland, and came to America at the same time our sub- ject's father emigrated hither. Her father took a position with the Delaware & Hudson Com- pany in 1829 and remained in their employ as long as he was able to work. He died in October, 1884, at the age of eighty-four. Mrs. Gilligan was the cook for the first men that worked in the mines of Carbondale. She attained an ad- vanced age, dying in 1880.

Of the five children of John and Margaret Gil- ligan, the only son died in youth. Margaret was born in Carbondale December 12, 1829, and was the second child born in the place; she is still liv- ing, unmarried, and is now the oldest native-born resident of the town. Bridget, who was born in November, 1835, married Patrick McLaughlin and died in 1862, leaving one child. Judith is the wife of 'Thomas O'Connell, a merchant of Carbondale. Mr. and Mrs. Powderly are the parents of three living children and lost three in infancy. Marcella is the wife of James A. Far- rell, who is connected with the bridge department of the Delaware & Hudson Railroad, and they have three children, Mary E., Joseph and Made- line. Mrs. Farrell was for eight years a teacher in the schools of Carbondale and was a very suc- cessful instructor. Philip Hugh, our subject's older son, was born in July, 1861, and is in the employ of the Delaware & Hudson Railroad. T. V., Jr., agent for a company at Scranton, mar- ried Elizabeth Finigan, and has two sons, Ray- mond and Rollin. Mr. and Mrs. Powderly oc- cupy a pleasant residence in Eighth Avenue.

T HOMAS BOUNDY. The "Jermyn Press," of which Mr. Boundy is editor and proprietor, was established in 1890 by H. P. Woodward and from the first has had a steady growth in circulation and influence. From six it has been increased to eight columns, thus affording an increased amount of reading matter to its patrons. In political affairs it has maintained an independent and conservative spirit, avoiding the radical views of partisan ex-

HON. WILLIAM CONNELL, M. C.

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tremists, but at the same time giving a cordial support to measures that will promote the public welfare.

Mr. Boundy is an Englishman by birth and parentage, and was born in Cornwall, October 28, 1849. There his boyhood years were spent, mainly in toil, his opportunities for study being limited to attendance at school prior to the age of twelve. Early in life he was obliged to become self-supporting and was making his own way in the world when most boys of his years were in school. In 1870 he went to Wales and two years later, under the direction of John Brogden & Son, railroad contractors, went to New Zealand, where he was employed in various occupations and later taught school. Failing health caused him to return to England in 1883, and four years later he came to America, settling in Jermyn, where for a year he worked in powder mills. Afterward he was manager of a co-operative store for four years, and then, in 1893, he bought the "Jermyn Press." Notwithstanding the fact that he had no previous knowledge of or expe- rience in the newspaper business, he has been quite successful and, with the assistance of his children, has built up a readable paper.

In 1873 Mr. Boundy married Miss Mary J. Seymour, of Cornwall, and they are the parents of four children, namely: William, who is em- ployed as weighmaster at the Erie mine; Sarah, Charles and Nellie, at home. While he has con- ducted his paper as an independent sheet, per- sonally he favors sound money and protection, and therefore supports Republican measures and men. In boyhood he united with the Methodist Episcopal Church and for about seventeen years was a local preacher.

Not only in this county, but in many other parts of the United States Mr. Boundy has be- come known as a writer of prose and verse. Be- fore coming to America one of his poems, "An Essay on Ambition," was published by the Eng- lish press and attracted considerable attention. The greatest work of his life is probably the poem entitled "Liberty's Martyr," which, as the title indicates, refers to that most illustrious of Amcr- icans, Abraham Lincoln. The excellence of this production entitles him to a place among the

greater poets of the age. Many of his short sketches were published by the "Carbondale Leader," under the nom de plume of Ottiwell Wood, among them "Fifty Chips," in 1894. Among his published stories, one of the best is "Albert Dimond's Ambition," a tale of the mines. He now has ready for publication a story called "A Disciple of Cain." Many of his writings are humorous, and these are among the most read- ablc of all. While traveling for a year with the musician, Professor Crowell, he gave public readings, all of which were original productions. Notwithstanding the fact that his education was limited and his early life one of hard toil, he has gained a literary style that culture does not al- ways impart nor training produce. His wide travels have given him an inexhaustible fund of information, from which he draws in writing his stories. Among the literary men of the county he has attained, and deservedly, a high place.

H ON. WILLIAM CONNELL, M. C. The services which in the past Mr. Con- nell has rendered his fellow-citizens of Scranton and which he is now rendering the people of this district as their representative in congress, entitle him to rank among the emi- nent men of the state. His popularity is proved by the fact that he was elected to his present re- sponsible position by a majority of nearly eight thousand, which was four times as large a ma- jority as has ever been given in the county. Elected in November, 1896, he entered upon the active discharge of his duties with the best wishes of a host of friends, and represents the district in a manner reflecting the highest credit upon himself.

There are, in the character of Mr. Connell, three qualities that have been especially con- ducive to his success: energy, a trait of the ma- jority of Americans; independence and determi- nation, the heritage from a long line of Scotch ancestors; and a kind and sympathetic nature, bequeathed to him by his Irish forefathers. Na- ture bestowed upon him a vigorous mind. He is quick to see an emergency and equally quick to devise means of meeting it. Thus it has been

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that in the course of his long and exceedingly active business life, obstacles liave not daunted him, but have only served to develop his invin- cible determination of character.

The industries with which Mr. Connell is con- nected include some of the most prominent or- ganizations in the city of Scranton. He is presi- dent of the Third National Bank, one of the most solid financial institutions of the state, and is a large stockholder in the First National Bank; also president of the Connell Coal Company, the Lackawanna Knitting Mills Company, Scranton Button Manufacturing Company, Limited, Wes- ton Mill Company, Hunt & Connell Company and Meadow Brook Land Company. He was also at one time a director in the Lackawanna Iron & Steel Company, Dickson Manufacturing Com- pany, Clark & Snover Company, Lehigh Salt Mining Company, Scranton Packing Company, Scranton Forging Company, Lackawanna Lum- ber Company, Consumers' Ice Company and "Scranton Tribune."

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Portrait and biographical record of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Volume I, Part 10

Author: Publication date: 1897 Publisher: New York : Chapman Publishing co. Number of Pages: 1068

Author:
Publication date: 1897
Publisher: New York : Chapman Publishing co.
Number of Pages: 1068