Portrait and biographical record of Wyoming and Lackawanna counties, Pennsylvania : containing portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the counties, Part 72

Author: Chapman Publishing Company (NY)
Publication date: 1897
Publisher: New York ; Chicago : Chapman Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1068

USA > Pennsylvania > Lackawanna County > Portrait and biographical record of Wyoming and Lackawanna counties, Pennsylvania : containing portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the counties > Part 72
USA > Pennsylvania > Wyoming County > Portrait and biographical record of Wyoming and Lackawanna counties, Pennsylvania : containing portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the counties > Part 72

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At the old family homestead in Providence, the subject of this sketch was born in 1821, being a son of Henry L. C. von Storch, whose personal sketch appears elsewhere in this volume. At an early age he ran on the Lehigh Canal sev- eral seasons, then engaged in farming, and after- ward carried on a saw-mill business. He was superintendent in the sinking of the von Storch shaft, now owned and operated by the Delaware & Hudson Company. Afterward he was superin- tendent of the sinking of the Leggett's Creek shaft, putting in the brick and stone work. About 1866 he resigned his position with the Delaware & Hudson, and from that time looked after his various interests. A Republican in politics, he served for several terms as burgess of the borough of Providence, and for three years was a member of the select council from the second ward. His death occurred at his home, No. 1648 North Main Avenue, December 3, 1887, at the age of sixty-six years, four months and nine days.

In 1859 Mr. von Storch married Miss Mary Rogers, who was born near Tunkhannock, Wyo-

ming County, Pa., and was the eldest of eleven children, all of whom attained maturity. They were named as follows: Mary; John, of Cedars- ville, Kan .; Mrs. Hannah Tripp; Almira, who died in Wyoming County; Lewis, residing in Wyoming County; Jane, Mrs. Leander von Storch, of Scott Township, this county; George, who lives in Wyoming County; Joel, who is with Mrs. Mary von Storch; Belle, Mrs. Robert von Storch, of Scranton; Francis M., of this county; and Mrs. Lydia B. Hallock, of Wyoming County.

Nelson Rogers, the father of Mrs. von Storch, was born in Maine on Christmas Day of 1805, and at an early age accompanied his father to Wayne County, Pa., settling in the woods near Damascus. In young manhood he went to Wyo- ming County, where at first he followed the mill- er's trade, but afterward bought a farm near Eatonville, where he remained until his death, February 6, 1875. His wife, whom he married March 20, 1828, bore the maiden name of Jane Durland, and was born in Luzerne County, Octo- ber 6, 1811. She was a daughter of Shubald Dur- land, a farmer of Susquehanna County, who mar- ried Elizabeth Manning, from Orange County, N. Y. Mrs. Rogers died June 2, 1884.

In 1846 Mrs. von Storch came to Scranton and made her home with Mr. Benjamin Tripp, until her marriage in 1859. She is the mother of two children, Charles H. and Belle. The for- mer attended the public schools of Scranton and Professor Merrill's Academic School, graduated from the law department of the University of Pennsylvania in 1887 with the degree of LL.B., and has since practiced law in Scranton. From 1892 until 1896 he served on the board of school control from the second ward, and was its presi- dent for one year. On the home place in Provi- dence is the family burying ground, where the remains of many members of the family rest. It is a pleasant place and neatly kept, Mr. von Storch having had charge of it for more than thirty years.

The character of Mr. von Storch presented a happy combination of great refinement of mind and the practical adaptation of the qualities which enabled him to carry on his life pursuits with honor and success. Modest and retiring in dis-

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position, yet progressive and public-spirited, he was one of the best citizens of Scranton. Men- tally and morally he was a model man. He was never too busy to listen to a tale of distress, and no worthy person was ever turned from him with- out substantial aid. He will be remembered in this city long after those who knew him the most intimately shall have passed away.

J OHN McWILLIAM, who is one of the old and efficient employes of the Lackawanna Iron & Steel Company at Scranton and has been a resident of the county since August 8, 1855, was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, November 5, 1823. He is a representative of an old and prominent Scotch family whose members formed a well known Highland clan. His father, Robert, was a son of James McWilliam, a carpenter and builder in Aberdeenshire. The former was born in Banfshire, and in youth learned his father's trade, which he followed in Aberdeen throughout his entire active life. He died in that place at eighty-six years. Like many of the best Scotch- men, he was a strict adherent of the Presbyterian Church and aimed in his life to carry out its teachings. He married Elizabeth Willox, who was born in Aberdeen and died there at eighty- five years; her father, a captain, was lost at sea, and many of her male relatives also lost their lives while on the high seas as sailors.

The family of which our subject is a member consisted of three sons and one daughter who attained mature years, and of these he and a sister are the only survivors. His brother. Rev. James McWilliam, was a Presbyterian clergy- man at Oxford Furnace, N. J., and died in Sus- sex County while holding the position of prin- cipal of the Towanda (Pa.) Seminary. John, who was next to the youngest of the family, was reared in Aberdeen and prepared for college there. However, instead of continuing his class- ical education, he determined to become a busi- ness man and accordingly at the age of seventeen began an apprenticeship of five years to the wholesale grocery business. On the conclusion of the time he engaged in business in Edinburgli and Glasgow.

July 4, 1855, Mr. McWilliam set sail from Liverpool on the ship, "Frances A. Palmer," and landed in New York City after a voyage of six weeks and three days. He at once joined his brother in Towanda, Pa., but after a few weeks started for Philadelphia via Scranton, stopping off at this place. Reaching here on Sunday, he interviewed J. J. Albright and Selden T. Scranton, and was asked by them to remain over until Mon- day. He did so and was engaged by them to ship rails at the old rolling mill, under Platt. After a year in that capacity he was made time- keeper, and in 1875 when the north mill was built, he was made its first timekeeper, a position he has since filled with fidelity to the interests of his employers.

The residence of Mr. McWilliam is at No. 61I Lackawanna Avenue. Prior to coming to the United States, he was married in Aberdeen to Miss Elsie Wright, a native of Morayshire, and daughter of James Wright, a shoe merchant there. They are the parents of three children living: James, who is employed as clerk with the Delaware & Hudson Company; Alexander, who is engaged in the gents' furnishing business in this city; and Mrs. Lizzie Hyfield, of Scran- ton. In 1866 Mr. McWilliam aided in organiz- ing the Caledonian Society, of which he was the second chief, succeeding Thomas Dickson. Po- litically he always votes the straight Republican ticket, believing the principles of this party best adapted to promote our country's welfare. He is a member of the First Presbyterian Church and a regular contributor to its good works.

F RANCIS E. LOOMIS, attorney-at-law, of Scranton, was born in Harford, Susque- hanna County, Pa., February 7, 1834, and is of remote English descent. The founder of the family in America was Joseph Loomis, a woolen draper in Braintrim, England, who, in 1638, settled at Windsor, Conn., and embarked in the mercantile business. In England the name was usually spelled Lomis or Lomas, and mem- bers of the family were prominent in parliament and business circles there. Nor have their de- scendants in America been less patriotic and

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prominent; it is estimated that over four hundred of the different branches took part in the Civil War, upholding the government and the old flag, and serving some as privates, some as officers.

The grandfather of the subject of this sketch was Eldad Loomis, born in Coventry, Conn., and a participant in the War of 1812. About 1822 he removed to Pennsylvania and settled in the wilds of Harford Township, Susquehanna County, where he cleared a farm from the pri- meval wilderness and spent the remainder of his life. A man of resolute will and fixedness of purpose, he was fitted for the pioneer task of evolving a farm from the wilds around him. Our subject's father, Dr. E. N. Loomis, was born in Coventry, Conn., in 1809, and in youth began the study of medicine under a preceptor, later was examined by the Syracuse University, from which he received his diploma and the degree of M. D. Locating in Harford, he carried on an extensive practice throughout the surrounding country, and among the people there few were better known than he. It was a frequent sight to see him pass on horseback with his saddlebags, in response to a frightened and hurried summons from some one suddenly taken ill. His was a busy, useful life, devoted to professional duties, which engrossed his atten- tion to such an extent that he had little oppor- tunity for entering public life, had such been his inclination. He died in Harford on the sixty- fifth anniversary of his birth.

The mother of our subject was Rowena, daughter of Maj. Laban Capron, who was born in Attleboro, Mass., came to Susquehanna Coun- ty about 1816, and settled upon a farm near Har- ford. His title was gained through service in the Pennsylvania militia. He was the first county commissioner of Susquehanna County and also held the office of justice of the peace. The fam- ily of which he was a member originated in Eng- land and was represented among the earliest settlers of Massachusetts. Mrs. Rowena Loomis was born in Susquehanna County and died there at the age of forty-six years. Her family con- sisted of four sons, the eldest of whom is our subject. Alonzo, who now resides on the old Loomis homestead, responded to the first call

for soldiers in 1861 and served for three months; Roscoe S., who was appointed a naval cadet, en- listed in Company F, One Hundred and Forty- first Pennsylvania Infantry, and was mortally wounded at Chancellorsville, dying in the hospi- tal there May 24, 1863; Gordon died in Sus- quehanna County in 1866.

Francis E. Loomis was reared upon one of his father's two farms in Susquehanna County and attended the public school and Harford Univer- sity, after which he taught school in Lathrop Township, that county. In October, 1854, he went west and taught three terms in Dallas City, Hancock County, Ill., after which he traveled in both the north and south. During this time, and later, many serial stories and sketches from his pen appeared in the papers of Pennsylvania, Illinois and Wisconsin. In 1857 he began the study of law under William and William H. Jes- sup, of Montrose, Pa., and while carrying on his studies also held a position as one of the editors of the "Montrose Republican." Going back to Illinois in 1860, he was connected with a newspaper of Dallas City for nine months, after which he located in Rockford, Ill., as a partner of James LeRoy, and was a contributor to the "Rockford Republican" and "Janesville Gazette," of Janesville, Wis. One of his most interesting early experiences was in his capacity as reporter at the Chicago convention of 1860 that nom- inated Abraham Lincoln for president.

With the practical knowledge acquired through travel and intercourse with the prominent men of the day, Mr. Loomis returned to Pennsylva- nia, and in the fall of 1862 was admitted to the bar, having passed an examination at Montrose. September 8, 1863, he opened an office in Scran- ton, where he has since engaged in a general law practice. For a time he was in partnership with Judge B. S. Bentley until the removal of the latter to Williamsport, after which he was connected with Hon. S. B. Chase, and still later with Daniel Hannah. His career as a lawyer was successful. However, failing health and the multiplicity of other interests have induced him to retire to a large extent from the practice. Much of his time is given to selling timber lands and to the development of his real estate interests,

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which are large and valuable. At one time he was treasurer and a director of the Scranton & North Carolina Land & Lumber Company, and is still one of its stockholders. For many years lie made his home in Mifflin Avenue, where he still owns property, but he now resides on the hill.

In Lathrop, Pa., Mr. Loomis married Miss Fannie M. Lord, the daughter of John Lord, Sr. She died in Scranton in 1872. Five chil- dren were born of this union: Arthur B., pas- senger engineer on the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western road, with headquarters at Bingham- ton ; Hattie M., Mrs. Edward D. Lathrop, of Car- bondale; Edgar E., a resident of Kendallville, Ind., engaged in the hardware business; Wil- liam G., of Binghamton; and Charles E., who is connected with the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad at the same place. The pres- ent wife of Mr. Loomis was Rebecca Van Fleet, daughter of Alvan Van Fleet, a farmer and mer- chant of Benton Township, this county, where she was born. A daughter, Minnie Estelle, blesses this union.

From the organization of the Republican party Mr. Loomis was a stalwart champion of its prin- ciples. His first vote was cast for J. C. Fremont in 1856. Frequently he has served his party as delegate to county and city conventions, and has been a judicious worker, doing effective service during campaigns. He was chairman of the Central Grant Club in the campaign of 1868. When Benjamin Jay, by reason of extreme age, became incapacitated for the office of alderman, Mr. Loomis served his term from the eighth ward. In 1882, by the unanimous vote of the Repub- lican convention, he was nominated for represen- tative to the legislature of Pennsylvania, but, owing to the work against him by the Liquor League, was defeated by a small.majority. Fra- ternally he is a demitted Mason. He is a deacon in All Soul's Universalist Church and one of its active workers.

In the course of his active career, Mr. Loomis has been successful as attorney, editor, news- paper correspondent, politician and real estate dealer, which indicates that he is a man of ver- satile ability. As a writer he is keen, thoughtful,

grasping the salient points of the topic under consideration and presenting his arguments log- ically and clearly. As a lawyer he grapples al- most by intuition the principal points of his case and identifies himself earnestly with his client's interests. As a citizen he is progressive and con- sistent, and always identifies himself with move- ments for the benefit of the city.

C HARLES VOSBURG. Of many of the once prominent men of South Abington Township it may be said that though "they rest from their labors, their works do follow them." After struggles to secure success, after hardships and toil, "after life's fitful fever, they sleep well." His business life was alternated be- tween farm work and the management of a hotel, these enterprises proving the source of a good income. In his old age he retired from active labors and his last days were spent quietly on the homestead, where he died January 16, 1890.

The parents of our subject, Cornelius and Per- melia (Pulver) Vosburg, were born in Columbia County, N. Y., and there married and settled on a farm. In an early day they removed to Penn- sylvania and settled in Lackawanna Township, this county, near Hyde Park, but about 1855 they went to Illinois and settled near Paw Paw Grove, Lee County. There they died, he when eighty-one years and she at ninety-six years. They had twelve children, but only four are yet living. Charles, who was born dur- ing the residence of the family in Columbia County, N. Y., November 1, 1809, was a small child when his parents came to this county, and here obtained his education in the district schools.

At the age of twenty-one Mr. Vosburg married Miss Milicent Van Luvnee, who was born in Pittston, Pa., in 1816, the daughter of Israel and Rachel (Burns) Van Luvnee, natives of Bucks County, this state. The family of which she was a member consisted of six children, but only one is yet living. Her father died at the home of Mr. Vosburg when ninety-one years of age, and her mother died at the old home in Pittston, aged sixty-nine. According to family tradition, the Burns ancestors came from France, the Vosburgs

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are of German lineage, and the Van Luvnee fam- ily of Irish origin.

After his marriage Mr. Vosburg settled on a portion of his father's old home and there he en- gaged in farming for eighteen years, after which for eight years he rented a farm near that place. Next moving to Newton Township, he bought a farm and continued its cultivation for fifteen years. In 1867 he purchased Clarks Summit Hotel, of which he was proprietor for fifteen years, his sons meantime operating the home farm. At the end of that period he traded for the old George Swallow farm, retired from the hotel business and settled on his new purchase, where he lived practically retired from that time until his death.

While engaged in the hotel business, Mr. Vos- burg was bereaved by the death of his wife, June 28, 1885. She was the mother of thirteen children and all attained mature years and are still living except Ziba B., who died near Clarks Summit aged fifty-three years, leaving a widow and three daughters. Cornelius, who is a farmer in Ne- braska, is married and has four children; Surdias, with his wife and three children, lives on a farm in Lee County, Ill .; Zora (twin of Ziba) is a re- tired farmer of Michigan, and Charles is a retired farmer of Lee County, Ill., both sons having two children; Rachel, wife of Durand Bell, lives near Clarks Summit; Israel (twin of Rachel) owns and operates a farm in Newton Township; Jane, also a resident of that township, is married to Solomon Van Sickle, and has two children; Milicent, Mrs. Samuel Ringsdorph, has two children and lives in Scranton; John, who rents his own farm, re- sides at the old homestead, and cultivates it in partnership with his younger brother, George; the latter has a fine home in this vicinity; Mary su- perintends the household interests of the old homestead and resides with her brother, John; William, an engineer living near Clarks Summit, is married and has one child.

The family attend the Methodist Episcopal Church and are interested in religious causes. Though taking no active part in politics, our subject always voted the Democratic ticket and supported the measures advocated by that party. His son, John, is one of the progressive farmers

of the township, and is highly respected by his acquaintances. While he inherited considerable property, his possessions have been increased by economy, perseverance and industry, and by accurate judgment and discretion he has in- creased the value and amount of his property holdings.

A BEL GARDNER was born in North Ab- ington Township, this county, May 14, 1815, and died in Dalton March 12, 1882. The family of which he was an honored member was represented among the pioneers of Pennsyl- vania, the first of the name to come here being his grandparents, Abel and Dorothy (Sweet) Gardner, who were born in Exeter, R. I., he on the 2d of September, 1747. They became pio- neers of this section and remained here until death. During the Revolutionary War he en- listed and fought in defense of the colonies.

The father of our subject, George Gardner, was born in Exeter, R. I., August 9, 1775, and was united in marriage, February 20, 1800, with Abigail Dean, who was born in West Greenwich Center, R. I. They removed to Pennsylvania and died in Dalton, he on the 15th of April, 1855. Throughout life he had engaged in farm pur- suits. His son, our subject, received a district school education and remained on the home farm until about twenty-one years of age, after which he worked at the carpenter's trade for a time and then became interested in the meat busi- ness. He became the first butcher of Scranton, to which place for a time he hauled his meats from Abington Township; later the slaughtering was done in Scranton. After his marriage he opened what was the first store in the borough of Dalton, in 1849, before the railroad was built through here. The business which he estab- lished was carried on with success until increas- ing deafness obliged him, in 1865, to retire there- from. Afterward he gave his attention to the supervision of his property interests and a flour mill in which he had invested some of his means. Energetic by nature, he succeeded in amassing a competency and leaving his family in good cir- cumstances. Politically he was a Whig in early

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life. In 1856 he voted for J. C. Fremont, and two years previous had taken a part in organiz- ing the Republican party in this locality.

In Scranton, February 10, 1845, Mr. Gardner married Sarah Hitchcock, who was born in Clare- mont, N. H., October 14, 1817. Her father, Elisha Hitchcock, also a native of Claremont, was born January 21, 1778, and died in Scranton October 16, 1858; his wife, who bore the maiden name of Ruth Slocum, was born in Wilkesbarre, Pa., September 13, 1791, and passed away May 23, 1882. Mr. and Mrs. Gardner became the parents of four daughters, namely: Helen E., who died at six months; Ruth, who died at thirty years; Adelaide, who married Herbert D. Gard- ner, M. D., and has one son living, Robert A .; and Mary, who received an excellent education in the schools of the state, and resides with her mother, for whom she tenderly cares in her de- clining years. The family are connected with the Methodist Church and occupy a high position among the people of Dalton, where they have resided for so many years.

T HOMAS WOODBRIDGE. There are very few persons who, even if spared to a good old age, can say that they have spent more than fifty years upon the same place, for the vicissitudes of life usually bring many changes of environment; but such has been the record of Mr. Woodbridge, of North Abington Township. His declining years are being quietly and happily passed upon the spot where the years of youth and manhood's prime were busily spent in the cultivation of his farm. No one in the locality is more conversant with its early history than he, and it is a privilege to meet him in social intercourse, especially if one desires to learn facts in regard to the early settlement of the county. In the days when there were only a dozen or two inhabitants in Scranton, he fre- quently hauled meat to that place, that now boasts of over one hundred thousand people. The transformation effected during the interven- ing years has been noted by him with interest and satisfaction.

In the township where he now resides Mr.

Woodbridge was born October 24, 1817, being a son of Ashbel and Parmelia (Stratton) Wood- bridge. His grandfather, who was a native of Connecticut, settled in Wayne County, Pa., in an early day, and while residing there served as an officer in the War of 1812. About 1815 Ashbel, the father of our subject and a native of Con- necticut, moved into Abington Township about one and one-half miles from the present borough of Dalton. Here he died at the age of seventy- five.

The education of our subject was obtained in the district schools. At the age of seventeen he began to work by the month on a farm, receiving $10 per month at first and later $12, and in this way he secured his start in life. When quite young he married and had one son, but lost his wife and child by death. May 30, 1844, he was united with Miss Jemima Dershimer, who was born in Luzerne County in 1820, a daughter of John and Christina (Siglen) Dershimer. Her parents were born in Northampton County, Pa., and died in Exeter, this state, her father at seventy-five and her mother- when sixty-two. Mr. and Mrs. Woodbridge became the parents of five children, of whom four are living, Frank, Helen, John and Clara, all of whom are married.

The family is connected with the Presbyterian Church. In early life Mr. Woodbridge was a Whig and became a Republican upon the organ- ization of the party, since which time he has always stood firmly by the principles he believes calculated to advance the welfare of the people. He is justly proud of the fact that he has voted at every presidential election for the past sixty years. After fifty years of happy married life, he and his good wife celebrated their golden wedding, at which time they were the recipients of congratulations from friends far and near.

The old homestead where Mr. Woodbridge has so long resided is now managed by his son, John A., who was born here February 9, 1853, and was educated in the district schools and Keystone Academy. December 31, 1879, he married Miss Amy, daughter of Milton and Margaret Britton, of Factoryville, and afterward for a time he re- sided on the old Griffin farm, but since 1880 he has been in charge of the home farm. A Repub-

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lican in politics, he has served as assessor and justice of the peace and takes an interest in all public affairs. With his wife, he is connected with the Methodist Episcopal Church. Prudent and industrious, he and his wife share in the re- spect so long accorded his father and mother.

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Portrait and biographical record of Wyoming and Lackawanna counties, Pennsylvania : containing portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the counties, Part 72

Author: Chapman Publishing Company (NY) Publication date: 1897 Publisher: New York ; Chicago : Chapman Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1068

Author: Chapman Publishing Company (NY)
Publication date: 1897
Publisher: New York ; Chicago : Chapman Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1068