Portrait and biographical record of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Volume I, Part 127

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

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H ON. JOHN BALL OSBORNE, one of the distinguished and honored citizens of Scranton, was born in Wilkesbarre, Pa., June 24, 1868, a son of Gen. Edwin S. Osborne, of that city. He is descended from John and Ann (Oldage) Osborne, who came from England and settled in East Windsor, Conn., prior to May 19, 1645. Their son, Samuel, had a son Jacob, the father of Thomas Osborne, who removed from Connecticut to Essex County, N. J., shortly before the Revolution. He en- listed as a private in Captain Marsh's troop of Light Horse, and laid down his life at the bat- tle of Monmouth in 1778. He left a widow and infant son, Cooper. The latter, in 1798, married Hannah Oakley, of Scotch Plains, N. J., who was the daughter of Ephraim Oakley and grand- daughter of Sylvanus Oakley, a man of wealth and influence in New York. There was some- thing of a romance in this union. The Oakleys were proud and aristocratic, with loyalist lean- ings, and did not look with favor on the mar- riage of their delicately nurtured daughter with the sturdy young man who had been thrown on his own resources for a livelihood by the un- timely death of his patriotic father. But Cooper was very independent and, early in the present century, putting all their worldly goods in an ox cart, he and his young wife removed to Penn- sylvania and settled in what is now the town of Bethany, Wayne County. He bought some land and with indomitable energy made a clearing and erected a log house. He died in 1818, and his widow, who was a woman of unusual force of character, was left alone to rear a family of six

children. She died at Bethany in 1856, regretted by all who knew her.

One of these children, Sylvanus Osborne, the grandfather of our subject, was born in the log house in Bethany, in September, 1812, and be- came a farmer and later in life a railroad con- tractor. In 1836 he married Lucy Messinger, a daughter of Cyrus Messinger, of Bridgewater, Susquehanna County. She was a descendant of Henry Messinger, who was born in England and resided in Boston prior to 1640. He owned the property now occupied by the Massachusetts Historical Society. His son, Thomas, born March 22, 1661, married Elizabeth Mellows, by whom he had one son, Ebenezer, born June 2, 1697, who married Rebecca Sweetser. Their son, Wigglesworth, born December 16, 1743, served during the Revolution as first lieutenant in Read's Massachusetts Regiment of the Conti- nental army. He married Jemima Everett, sister of Rev. Oliver Everett, who was the father of Edward Everett, the famous statesman. Both the Messinger and Everett families furnished New England with several prominent clergymen. Cyrus Messinger, son of Wigglesworth and Jemima (Everett) Messinger, was born October 26, 1776, and was married in 1798 to Rhoda Keyes. From Massachusetts they removed to Susquehanna County, Pa., where their daughter Lucy was born October 27, 1816. She became the wife of Sylvanus Osborne and died in Promp- ton, Wayne County, December 21, 1844.

Gen. Edwin Sylvanus Osborne, son of Sylva- nus and Lucy (Messinger) Osborne, was born in Bethany, Wayne County, August 7, 1839, and his early years were spent upon his father's farm. After graduating from the University of North Pennsylvania, he entered the National Law School at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., from which in- stitution he received a degree in 1860. He also read law in the office of Hon. Charles Dennison of Wilkesbarre, and was admitted to the bar of Luzerne County February 26, 1861. After the outbreak of the Rebellion, in April, 1861, he en- listed as a private in Company C, Eighth Penn- sylvania Volunteers, and served during the cam- paign of 1861 with General Patterson's Division. The following year he returned to Wilkesbarre

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and recruited a company, of which he was com- missioned captain August 22, 1862. The com- pany was assigned to the One Hundred and Forty-ninth Pennsylvania Infantry. From Sep- tember, 1862, until February, 1863, Captain Os- borne served on the staff of General Wadsworth, after which he returned to his regiment, and par- ticipated in all the battles in which the Army of the Potomac was engaged, being on several oc- casions highly complimented in orders for gal- lantry and skillful handling of troops while under fire. He was commissioned major of his regi- ment and was three times brevetted for merito- rious conduct.

At the close of the war Major Osborne was appointed judge advocate, with the rank of major, in the regular army. In this capacity he was charged with very important duties, including an inquiry into the treatment of Union soldiers while held prisoners of war by the Confederates. He went to Macon, Andersonville, and other places in the south, and after careful investiga- tion made a report which resulted in the arrest and trial of the notorious Captain Wirz of Ander- sonville prison. General Osborne drew up the formal charges against Wirz and prepared the case for trial. Wirz was found guilty and exe- cuted. Shortly afterward General Osborne sent in his resignation and returned to the practice of law in Wilkesbarre. In 1870 Governor Geary appointed him major-general of the Third Divi- sion of the National Guard. During the ten years that he held this position he was several times brought into prominence, notably during the exciting labor troubles at Scranton in 1871, and again at Susquehanna Depot in 1874, and at Hazleton in 1875. He took an active part in the organization and improvement of the National Guard. In 1874 he received the unanimous nom- ination of the Republicans of Luzerne County (then comprising Lackawanna County) for addi- tional law judge, but was defeated by a small majority.

General Osborne is an enthusiastic member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and in 1883 was commander of the department of Pennsyl- vania. He is also a member of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion, the Society of the Army of

the Potomac, Society of the Fifth Army Corps and kindred organizations. He was elected con- gressman-at-large from Pennsylvania in 1884 by the largest vote ever polled in the state up to that time, it having exceeded the vote for Blaine and Logan by more than 2,000. He was re- elected congressman-at-large in 1866 by a ma- jority that exceeded the vote for Governor Beaver by nearly 6,000. In 1888 he was returned to congress by his home district, comprising Lu- zerne County. Throughout his service of six years in congress he constantly advocated with force and ability the policy of protection to American industries and took a prominent part in the opposition to the Mills bill and later in the passage of the Mckinley law. On his retire- ment from public service he returned to the prac- tice of his profession.

October 12, 1865, General Osborne married Ruth Ann Ball, daughter of the late William Ball and Mary Ann Smith, his wife, of Carbon- dale, Pa. Mrs. Osborne is descended from Ed- ward Ball, who came from England and settled in Branford, Conn., some time prior to 1640. The immediate ancestors of Edward Ball were the same as those of Mary Ball, the mother of George Washington. Edward Ball was one of the commissioners sent from Branford and Mil- ford, Conn., in 1660, to inspect lands in New Jersey with the view of selecting an eligible site for a town. As a result of their report the an- cient township of Newark was purchased and the town of Newark established by Rev. Mr. Pierson and his congregation, who removed there in a body shortly before June 24, 1667. Edward Ball was sheriff of Essex County in 1693. His son, Thomas, was the father of David, whose son, Stephen Ball, was an ardent patriot during the Revolution, and on the 29th of Jan- uary, 1781, was executed at Bergen Point by the British as a spy. His son, Ezekiel, was the father of William Ball, a skilled mechanic, and a man of great energy and sterling qualities. He re- moved to Carbondale, Pa., and became one of the leaders in the development of that section. He helped to build and for many years superin- tended the Gravity railroad of the Delaware & Hudson Canal Company from Carbondale to

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Honesdale. William Ball married Mary Ann Smith, daughter of Charles and Ruth (Godfrey) Smith, of Sullivan County, N. Y. Mr. Smith was a captain in the War of 1812, and served on Sta- ten Island, N. Y. His father, Ephraim Smith, was a private in Capt. Noble Benedict's company of the Fifth Connecticut Regiment during the Revolutionary War. Ruth Godfrey was the daughter of David Godfrey, who also served in the Continental army as a private in Captain Mervin's company, Colonel Hathorn's regiment, New York Militia.

John B. Osborne, whose name introduces this sketch, is the eldest of six children, all of whom are still living. After preparing for col- lege in the public schools and the Harry Hillman Academy of Wilkesbarre, he entered the fresh- man class of the academic department of Yale University in 1885, and graduated in 1889 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. In 1894 his Alma Mater honored him with the degree of Master of Arts in recognition of his work in political econ- omy. Immediately after graduation he regis- tered as a law student in his father's office at Wilkesbarre, but his course of study was inter- rupted in an unexpected manner. In October, 1889, President Harrison appointed him consul of the United States at Ghent, Belgium. He was the youngest man ever appointed to such a position, being only a few months past his twenty- first year. His consular district consisted of the provinces of East and West Flanders, having a population of two million souls and teeming with thriving industries. Besides the historic cities of Ghent and Bruges, the district contained Ostend, the fashionable seaside resort, where our gov- ernment at that time maintained a consular agency subordinate to the consulate at Ghent. On the nomination of Consul Osborne, Dr. James W. Kesler of Honesdale, Pa., was ap- pointed and served for a time as consular agent at Ostend. During his administration our sub- ject made about thirty official reports on com- mercial and industrial subjects, many of which were reproduced from the government publica- tions by leading trade journals at home and abroad. He served at Ghent to the entire satis- faction of the department of state for over four

years, retiring in January, 1894, having thus been retained by President Cleveland for nearly a year.

Shortly after his return to the United States, Mr. Osborne was admitted to the bar of Luzerne County, and later to the bar of Philadelphia. Locating in that city he practiced law there, with an office in the Girard Building, until April, 1896, when he came to Scranton, where he has since successfully prosecuted his profession. He is a man of literary tastes and has contributed several able articles to leading magazines, including the Cosmopolitan and the Green Bag. Besides be- longing to the college fraternity of Zeta Psi and several other fraternal organizations, he is a mem- ber of the Pennsylvania Society of the Sons of the Revolution and a Companion of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States.

On the Ist of October, 1891, Mr. Osborne was united in marriage with Miss Bertha Josephine Grinnell, a daughter of Frank Dexter and Eliza- beth (Upson) Grinnell, of New Haven, Conn. One child blesses this union, Grace Josephine, born in Ghent, Belgium, August 7, 1892. Mrs. Osborne also comes from colonial stock, being descended from Matthew Grinnell, who came to this coun- try from England at a very early day and was made a freeman of Portsmouth, R. I., in 1638. To the same family belonged the late Moses and Henry Grinnell, the well known bankers of New York City, who equipped the Arctic expedition which discovered Grinnell Land. The paternal grandmother of Mrs. Osborne was Lydia Cog- geshall, a direct descendant of Sir Thomas Cog- geshall, of the Manor Coggeshall in Essex, Eng- land, who lived in the reign of King Stephen (1149). The first American ancestor was John Coggeshall, a silk merchant, who came from Essex in the famous ship "Lyon," arriving at Bos- ton September 16, 1632. He became a deputy to the general court of Boston and although a strict Puritan he espoused the cause of Mrs. Ann Hutchinson when she was persecuted. As a re- sult he was practically banished, and in com- pany with other supporters of Ann Hutchinson and Roger Williams, he removed to Rhode Island and founded a new colony. When the four towns, Newport, Portsmouth, Providence

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and Warwick were united in 1647, John Cog- geshall was made the first president of the colony. He died the same year while in office. Mrs. Os- borne's great-great-grandfather in this line, John Coggeshall, was born October 5, 1757, and died at New Bedford, Mass., July 19, 1830. He was a major in the Revolutionary War. In 1775 he was one of the minute-men and was at the bat- tle of Bunker Hill. He also had the distinction of being in the first regiment to march into Bos- ton after the evacuation of the British. On her mother's side several of Mrs. Osborne's ancestors distinguished themselves in the Revolution. Among these were Capt. Daniel Allen, Lieut. Isaac Kimberly, Ensign Samuel Atkins and Simeon Upson.

W ELLINGTON CHAMBERS. By a happy dispensation of Providence there are "many men of many minds," and in looking over the world it would seem to the contemplative mind that it is really admir- ably balanced. Some must necessarily be ex- pert in the marts of trade, others must interest themselves in defending the principles which lie at the base of law and order, while a large num- ber (and they form the most important class of all) give their attention to the cultivation of the soil. To this last-named class Mr. Chambers belongs, for he is making agriculture his life work. He resides upon a portion of the old homestead in South Abington Township, where he has gathered about himself and those dearest to him the comforts and conveniences that have so much to do with the happiness of life. His farm is in productive condition and is devoted to general agriculture.

During the residence of his parents upon the homestead in South Abington Township, the subject of this review was born February 23, 1851. His father, Sylvester Chambers, a native of Abington Township, was born January 26, 1821, and was united in marriage April 8, 1850, with Louisa McCoy, who was born in Provi- dence, and is still living. A farmer by occupa- tion, he purchased the place where he remained

until his death, April 19, 1894. His active life was one of unceasing toil, but it brought its re- ward in the accumulation of valuable property and considerable means. He was held in the highest esteem and his efforts toward the eleva- tion of the community and the advancement of its material prosperity received the fullest appro- bation. After his death his wife purchased a home in Factoryville, where she now resides. They reared five children, two sons and three daughters. The sons, Wellington and Perry, re- side on the old homestead; the latter married Miss Effie Townsend. The eldest daughter is the wife of Ira B. Miller and lives in Factory- ville; Ella married Christopher Carpenter and re- sides in Wyoming County; the youngest daugh- ter married John Griffin and lives in Chinchilla.

Reared on a farm, our subject spent his winters in school and his summers in working at home. Upon the death of his father he inherited a por- tion of the home place and here he has since de- voted himself to agricultural work. In August, 1873, he was united in marriage with Miss Hen- rietta Griffin, who was born in Schultzville, New- ton Township, this county. Their family con- sists of four children, of whom the eldest, Wal- ter, married Nellie Pelham and assists his father in the cultivation of the farm. The others, Frank, Blanche and Cecil, are at home. In religious connections the family are identified with the Baptist Church. The first ballot cast by Mr. Chambers was in support of General Grant in 1872 and since then he has steadfastly af- filiated with the Republican party and sup- ported its men. Interested in progress and improvement, he is active in co-operating in any measure by which the good of the county can he secured, and is entitled to the respect of his fellow-citizens.

J JOHN A. SCHADT, deputy treasurer of Lackawanna County, secretary of the Con- sumers' Ice Company, and member of the firm of C. H. Schadt & Bro., insurance agents at Scranton, was born in this city July 26, 1872, and is a son of the late Charles H. Schadt, Sr., of

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whom mention is made upon another page of this volume. He was reared at the family resi- dence in Wyoming Avenue and received his rudimentary education in Scranton School No. I, later taking a course of study in Kingston Commercial College, from which he graduated in 1888. Afterward he was connected with the "Scranton Times" for a few months.

In 1890 Mr. Schadt commenced in the insur- ance business with his uncle, the firm name be- ing M. Zimmerman & Co., with office in the Li- brary Building. After the death of Mr. Zimmer- man in 1892 the title was changed to C. H. Schadt & Bro., under which name the business is now conducted. At first they represented only two companies, the American of New York and the London Assurance, but two have since been added, the Sun of London and the West- chester of New York. In 1892 Mr. Schadt be- came secretary of the Consumers' Ice Company and has since served in that capacity. Upon the election of his brother to the position of county treasurer, he was appointed deputy treasurer Jan- uary 7, 1895, and has since been the incumbent of that position, having entire charge of the office.

The marriage of Mr. Schadt took place in Scranton and united him with Miss Clara J. Tampa, who was born in Hyde Park and died at the family residence, No. 410 Olive Street, leav- ing two children, John A., Jr., and Hazel. Fra- ternally he is connected with Union Lodge No. 291, F. & A. M., Lackawanna Chapter No. 185, R. A. M., and the Commandery, K. T., at Scran- ton, also Fairview Lodge No. 369, K. of P. Po- litically he is a stanch Democrat, upholding the principles for which that party stands and voting for its men and measures.

W ILLIAM A. PAINE, M. D., member of the Scranton board of health and of the Scranton poor board, is en- gaged in the general practice of medicine and surgery on the west side, with office at No. 1202 Washburn Street. He is of English descent, his father, John, and grandfather, John, Sr., having been natives of Devonshire. The former, who

went to Wales in early life, there learned the iron manufacturing business. In 1848 he came to America and after a short sojourn in Danville, Pa., removed to Safe Harbor, Lancaster County, where he engaged in the manufacturing busi- ness, later going to Phoenixville, and in 1865 as- sisted in organizing the Susquehanna Iron Com- pany, at Columbia, Pa., to which he removed in 1874, becoming superintendent and manager, also one of the directors, until his resignation in 1883. His death occurred two years later. He was a man of influence in his community and was a Knight Templar Mason. His son, Frank G., succeeded to the position of superintendent of the iron company and has since served in that capacity.

The mother of our subject, Catherine, was born in South Wales, where her father, Thomas Gregg, was an iron worker. At this writing she resides in Columbia. Her family consists of seven children, all of whom are living. Will- iam A., who was third in order of birth, was born in Safe Harbor, Pa., in April, 1854, and in boyhood attended the schools of Chester Coun- ty. At an early age he began to work in the rolling mills. In 1874 he accompanied the fam- ily to Columbia, where for four years he was employed in a drug store, and in the meantime began the study of medicine. In 1877 he en- tered Jefferson Medical College and two years later graduated with the degree of M. D., after which he took a post-graduate course. Later he made an extended trip through the west.

In December, 1880, Dr. Paine opened an office in Scranton, where he has since conducted a general practice. In 1890 he was appointed a member of the board of health by Mayor Fel- lows, and five years later was again appointed by Mayor Connell for another term of five years. He assisted in organizing the Associate Board of Health of Lackawanna County, originated to secure the uniformity in sanitary work in the county. In addition, he is connected with the State Association of Health Boards. The posi- tion of member of the Scranton poor board, which he holds, was conferred upon him by the president judge, and upon the board he repre- sents the fourth, fifth, sixth, fourteenth, fifteenth

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and eighteenth wards of the city. At the present time he is medical examiner of the Royal Arca- num. At different times he has held the offices of president and secretary of the Lackawanna Coun- ty Medical Society, and he is also a member of the State Medical Association. In the incorpora- tion of the West Side Hospital Association he took an active part, and is one of the directors of the concern. Fraternally he is identified with the Sons of St. George.

In Wrightsville, Pa., Dr. Paine was united in marriage with Miss Eliza R. Harris, a native of Canada, and daughter of George Harris, who prior to the war was a prominent railroad con- tractor and member of the firm of Harris & Black, of Lancaster, Pa. Five children comprise their family: George, Catherine, Ella, Dorothy and Margaret. Mrs. Paine is a member of the Presbyterian Church, which the Doctor attends. In politics he is an upholder of Republican prin- ciples, and has frequently attended state con- ventions of his party. He was chairman of the Republican convention of the first legislative district when the candidate for assembly received the largest majority ever gained by a member of that party.

F RED M. FRANCIS, one of the prominent business men of Dalton, was born in New Milford, Susquehanna County, Pa., March 25, 1862, and is a son of Edwin A. and Adaline (Moxley) Francis. His paternal grandparents, John and Esther (Walden) Francis, were born in the town of Windham, Conn., and there re- mained until death. Among their fifteen children was Edwin A., who was born in Canterbury, Conn., August 24, 1826; by his own exertions he succeeded in acquiring a common school education and purchased his time before he was twenty-one years of age. In his younger and middle life he engaged in educational work, but later was an evangelist in the Baptist Church until his death, which occurred in Binghamton, N. Y., at the age of fifty-six years and nine months. His wife, who was born in New Mil- ford, Pa., March 24, 1823, died there October 28, 1863, aged forty years. Of their three chil-

dren, two died in infancy, Fred M. being the only survivor.

The maternal grandparents of our subject, Francis and Nancy (Tyler) Moxley, were natives respectively of Groton, Conn., and Harford, Pa. The former, who was born September 1I, 1798, removed with his parents in 1814 to New Milford, Pa., where he continued to reside until his death, July 17, 1883. For a period of seventy-three years he was a member of the Baptist Church. His father, Jonathan Moxley, was an emergency man at Ft. Griswold, Conn., in the War of 1812, and was a son of Joseph Moxley, whose name is on the Ft. Griswold monument at Groton, Conn., containing a record of the patriots slain by the British under the leadership of the traitor Arnold in 1781.

Our subject's grandmother, Nancy Moxley, was born April 12, 1804, and died August 4, 1878. She was a daughter of Job Tyler, who was born in Attleboro, Mass., in 1780, and died at the age of seventy-seven. Her grandfather, John Tyler, was born in Massachusetts in 1746, came in an early day to Pennsylvania, settled near Har- ford, and there died in 1822. It is said of Job Tyler that he was noted for his unvarying pre- cision and system in every line of work he at- tempted. Whether in command of his regiment as its colonel, or in the conducting of a funeral, he worked with military order and preciseness. Even when he drove oxen it is said that they were trained to hold their heads erect, and in building the old-fashioned rail fences the stakes had to be set as straight as gun barrels.

The Walden family, with which our subject is connected, emigrated from England and settled in Salem, Mass. The first member of whom there is any record is John Walden, who with his wife, Dorcas, and their two sons, made set- tlement in Windham, Conn., in 1708, and died there in March, 1722. His wife survived him twenty-six years, and died at the age of eighty- eight years. Descending from this family was our subject's great-grandmother, Irene, born February 27, 1757, married to John Francis, who was a native of Boston, Mass., later settling in Canterbury, Conn. Capt. John Walden enlisted in the Revolutionary War July 14, 1779, as a

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Portrait and biographical record of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Volume I, Part 127

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