Portrait and biographical record of Wyoming and Lackawanna counties, Pennsylvania : containing portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the counties, Part 82

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 82
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 82

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coal business in Meshoppen; Orra L., wife of A. O. Christian, of Wilkesbarre; Elgin E., who rents a portion of the home place and engages in its cultivation; and Lella V., the youngest of the family.

L EWIS E. HEWITT, a well known travel- ing salesman residing in Meshoppen, was born June 21, 1841, in Candor, N. Y., a son of Rev. Jasper W. and Clarissa J. (Wright) Hewitt. The birth of the father occurred on the Hudson at Stillwater, N. Y., but when quite young he was taken by his parents to Candor, where he was reared and educated. At the age of thirty years he entered the Methodist Episcopal ministry, and during the forty years he engaged in ministerial work he preached at Me- hoopany, Pa., in 1861 and 1862. At the age of seventy he retired and still makes his home at Candor, N. Y. He is very active for one of his years, being now eighty-one. The family is noted for longevity, his father, Thomas Hewitt, living to the age of ninety-one, and his grandfather, William Hewitt, to the extreme age of one hun- dred and one. The former piloted on the Susque- hanna River for several years, and also engaged in lumbering and served in the Methodist min- istry. William Hewitt, the great-grandfather of our subject, was a Revolutionary hero and car- ried on a tavern at Oswego, N. Y., for a great many years. The mother of our subject, who was born and reared in Danby, Tompkins Coun- ty, N. Y., is also still living at the age of seventy- eight, and is well preserved, active, hale and hearty.

At the age of fourteen Lewis E. Hewitt began his business career as a clerk in a general store, but later attended school in Ithaca and Waverly, N. Y., for four years, spending the time until twenty-three in clerking, studying and teaching. He then engaged in the shoe business at Great Bend, Pa., for about a year, and in the grocery business at Susquehanna for two years, while the following year was spent as a traveling salesman. For three years he was then in a factory learning the shoe business, after which he went on the road as salesman for Anderson & Tremain, trav-

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eling in southern New York and northern Penn- sylvania for about three years. On the Ist of January, 1873, he entered the employ of Hum- phrey Brothers & Tracey of Towanda, and has since been connected with that firm, traveling principally through northern Pennsylvania and the coal regions, and completing the circuit every thirty days.

Mr. Hewitt was united in marriage with Miss Mary E. Sterling, and they are the parents of two children: Carrie L., now the wife of James A. Kintner; and Fred S., who attended the New York Veterinary College of New York City, and graduated from the American Veterinary Col- lege in 1891. He is now successfully engaged in the practice of his profession in Meshoppen, where he is also conducting a livery stable. Mrs. Hewitt is a native of Meshoppen, and is the only child now living born to Calvin and Hannah M. (Bond) Sterling. Her father was also born in what is now Meshoppen Township, Wyoming County, but was at that time called Braintrim. There he was reared upon the farm and learned the milling business, at which he worked for a great many years in Wyoming and adjoining counties. In 1851 he rented a large mill in Me- shoppen, which he operated for eight years, and then purchased a farm in the mountains, just out- side the corporation limits of Meshoppen, where he is now living a quiet, retired life. Our subject conducts his farm and has charge of his business affairs, thus relieving Mr. Sterling of all care and responsibility. He is a son of John and Sarah (Overfield) Sterling, prominent and honored pioneers of Wyoming County. His father was a native of Connecticut, and when two years old was brought here by his parents, Samuel Ster- ling and wife, who were among the first settlers of this part of the county. Samuel Sterling was also born in the Nutmeg State, and valiantly aided the colonies in their struggle for independ- ence during the Revolutionary War. In Wyo- ming County John Sterling grew to manhood, and engaged in farming throughout his active business life, dying here at the age of eighty years. Mr. Hewitt's mother was born in Monroe County, Pa., and like her husband is still living at a ripe old age. Her father, Peter Bond, was

one of the pioneers and prominent citizens of Providence, now Scranton, Pa., where he con- ducted a mill for many years.

Mr. Hewitt uses his right of franchise in support of Republican principles, and fraternally affiliates with Temple Lodge No. 248, F. & A. M., of Tunkhannock, and also belongs to the chapter and commandery. Since his marriage he has made his home in Meshoppen, and is numbered among its valued and honored citizens, giving his support to all worthy enterprises which will ad- vance the interests of the community or promote the general welfare. For almost a quarter of a century he has now been in the employ of one firm, and it is needless to say that his services have always proved satisfactory, as his long re- tention plainly indicates that fact.

N [ ATHAN P. WILCOX, who has been an honored resident of Nicholson since 1862, and is a worthy representative of its mercantile interests, well deserves representa- tion in this volume. His record is that of a man who, by his own unaided efforts, has worked his way upward to a position of affluence. His life has been one of industry and perseverance, and the systematic and honorable business methods which he has followed have won him the support and confidence of many. Without the aid of in- fluence or wealth he has risen to a position among the most prominent men of the county, and his native genius and acquired ability are the step- ping stones on which he mounted.

Nathan P. Wilcox was born in Livingston County, N. Y., May 16, 1832, and was the young- est son of Nathan Pendleton and Lurancia (Rich- ardson) Wilcox. His father, a native of Herki- mer County, N. Y., and a farmer by occupation, died in Livingston County in 1833, when our sub- ject was a year and a half old. His brother, Thomas J., is also deceased. His mother, how- ever, lived to be eighty-two years of age. The ancestors of both the Richardson and Wilcox families came from Rhode Island. When our subject was a child of four years his mother mar- ried again, becoming the wife of William Wil-

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liams, of McKean County, Pa., to which place the family removed in 1836.

Mr. Wilcox received limited educational privi- leges, but made the most of his opportunities, and fitted himself for teaching school. After pur- suing that profession for two terms he spent two years in the home of an aunt in Rochester, N. Y., where he attended the public school. Afterward he studied in an academy at Nunda, N. Y., sub- sequently an academy at Smethport, Mckean County, Pa. In 1848 he entered the employ of his uncle, Jeremiah Richardson, and for four years was a clerk in his store, obtaining there his first mercantile experience. He next went to Olean, N. Y., where he was connected with mer- cantile affairs for nine years, first as clerk, later as the senior partner of the firm of N. P. Wilcox & Co., and subsequently as a member of the firm of Wilcox & Eaton. This store and its contents were destroyed by fire in January, 1861, and the following year Mr. Wilcox came to Nicholson, where he embarked in general merchandising. He has since been a prominent factor in the com- mercial interests of the town, and to his efforts is largely due the business activity whereon de- pend the prosperity and growth of all town life. He established the first regular hardware store in Nicholson, and with different partners continued that business until 1886, in which year the pro- prietors who had formed the firm of Wilcox & Pratt closed out. They had built up an extensive trade, and in the meantime Mr. Wilcox also dealt in agricultural implements and farming machin- ery, in which line of commercial transactions he is still interested. He also had some knowledge of surveying, and after coming to Nicholson fol- lowed that business for a time. He surveyed much of the land in this vicinity, and when a va- cancy occurred in the office of the county sur- veyor he was appointed to that position by John A. Stizer, then judge of the court, and creditably discharged his official duties for three years. In May, 1894, he was appointed postmaster, and is the present incumbent, administering the affairs of the office in a way that has won him the com- mendation of all concerned.

In Chenango County, N. Y., October 6, 1856, Mr. Wilcox married Celestine Birge, a native of

that county. They have four children. William Alonzo, an attorney at Scranton, was born July 25, 1857, and married Catherine, daughter of Steuben Jenkins. They have three children, Wil- liam, Emily and Helen. Clara B. is a teacher in a kindergarten in Scranton. Henry Pendleton, of Clarks Summit, Pa., married Rose Avery, who died, leaving a daughter Esther, now living with her grandparents. For his second wife he chose Mrs. Emma Niver. Anne Jeanette, born July 25, 1862, is engaged in the millinery business in Nicholson.

Mr. Wilcox votes with the Democratic party and has been honored with official preferment, both in political and social circles. While in Olean, N. Y., he served as justice of the peace, and for three terms has held that office in Nichol- son. He formerly belonged to both the subordi- nate lodge and encampment of the Odd Fellows Society, and was also a member of the Sons of Temperance. He is prominent in the Masonic fraternity, is a charter member of Nicholson Lodge No. 438, F. & A. M., has served as high priest of the chapter and is a Knight Templar of the commandery. Since 1857 he has been a member of the Presbyterian Church, was active in the organization of the church in Nicholson and has been ruling elder from the beginning. He has also served as trustee most of the time, takes a deep interest in church and Sunday school work, has been a teacher in the school and was superintendent for a number of years. He is a man of irreproachable integrity and upright life, honored by all who know him.

W ILLIAM SICKLER, a leading and progressive farmer of North Moreland Township, Wyoming County, evi- dences by the manner in which he carries on his 1 business that he thoroughly understands .the vo- cation in which he is engaged and success has at- tended his efforts toward securing a competency. Neatness and order prevail upon his place, which is managed, with regard to its cultivation, in a manner which reflects credit upon the owner. Besides his own valuable place, he has two

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other well improved farms, which stand as monu- ments to his thrift and industry.

Mr. Sickler is a native son of Wyoming Coun- ty, his birth having occurred in Exeter Town- ship, July 4, 1841. His great-grandfather Sick- ler was born in Germany, and on coming to the new world at an early day, he took up his resi- dence in Dutchess County, N. Y., where William Sickler, the grandfather, first opened his eyes to the light in 1775. The latter followed agricultural pursuits throughout life. John and Prudence (Montanye) Sickler, the parents of our subject, were natives of Dutchess County, N. Y., and Lu- zerne County, Pa., respectively, and eleven chil- dren were born of their union, but only three are now living, Mary, Emma and William. One son, Augustus, removed to Minnesota in 1850, locat- ing in Rice County, where he engaged in farm- ing and met with excellent success. Another son, John, was a valiant soldier of the Civil War, and being discharged on account of disability, he started home, but died on the way, at St. Charles, Mo.

During his boyhood and youth William Sick- ler became familiar with agriculture in all its departments upon the home farm and received a fair common school education, which was sup- plemented by a course in the Wyoming Semin- ary, at Wyoming, Pa. At the age of sixteen he left home and began working for others, but three years later lost the use of his right hand, after which he turned his attention to teaching, successfully following that profession for fifteen terms. In the meantime, however, he also en- gaged in farming, and for two years was inter- ested in merchandising in Beaumont and Center Moreland. For the past twenty-four years he has given almost his exclusive attention to agricul- tural pursuits and has met with a well deserved success in his undertaking.

At the age of twenty-five years, Mr. Sickler married Miss Eliza J. Fassett, a native of Wyo- ming County, by whom he had one son, Howard E., who died in infancy. After a happy married life of little over a year, the wife was called to the world beyond, dying January 25, 1858. On the Ist of December, 1870, Mr. Sickler was again married, his second union being with Miss Mary

Brungess, who was also born in Wyoming Coun- ty, and they have become the parents of five chil- dren: Arthur T., John H., Walter F., Herman® A., deceased, and May. John Henry Brungess, the grandfather of Mrs. Sickler, was a native of the Fatherland, and in early life crossed the At- lantic, settling in New York City, where the birth of John H. Brungess, the father, occurred. He was only four years old when brought by his parents to Wyoming County, Pa., with whose in- terests the family have since been prominently identified.

As a representative and prominent citizen of his community, Mr. Sickler has been called upon to fill a number of important official positions. In the fall of 1878 he was elected a commissioner of Wyoming County, serving for three years with John Herman and Asa H. Friar. He has also been auditor of his township, and in the fall of 1896 was judge of elections. Being deeply in- terested in the cause of education, he has effi- ciently served as school director, and is a sup- porter of all worthy enterprises calculated to pro- mote the welfare of his town or county. Politi- cally, he uses his right of franchise in support of the Democracy, which finds in him an earnest advocate. He has always held a prominent and influential position and stands remarkably high in the estimation of the community as an hon- orable, upright and trustworthy man.

F ERNANDO C. DECKER, an honored veteran of the Civil War, is one of the most energetic and enterprising agricul- turists of Nicholson Township, Wyoming Coun- ty. His fine farm is pleasantly located near West Nicholson, and there he has made his home for thirty years, during which time he has placed the land under a high state of cultivation and made many valuable and useful improvements.

He was born April 19, 1839, in the township which is still his home, and is a son of Daniel and Prudence (Stark) Decker, and a grandson of John Decker. The father was a native of Orange County, N. Y., and while yet a young man set- tled in Lenox, Susquehanna County, Pa., where he followed the occupation of farming. He died

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when our subject was but three years of age, and the mother died when in her sixty-eighth year. · Their children were Fernando C.,.of this sketch; Harmon, a resident of Nicholson Township, Wyoming County, and John M., who was one of the boys in blue during the Rebellion and died in the service.

The subject of this review drew his educa- tion from the district schools near his home and was reared to habits of industry upon the farm. In August, 1861, spurred on by a spirit of patriot- ism that reigned in the hearts of so many of the youth of our land, he enlisted for three years in Company A, Fifty-seventh Pennsylvania In- fantry, which was assigned to the Army of the Potomac. Leaving a comfortable home and many friends, he freely gave his services toward putting down the rebellion and endured all the hardships and privations of army life. His brav- ery was tested on many a southern battlefield, and he participated in the following important engagements: the siege of Yorktown, the battles of Williamsburg, Fair Oaks, seven days' battle of the Wilderness, Malvern Hill, Manassas, second battle of Bull Run and the engagement at Fred- ericksburg. Taken captive by the rebels, he was for four weeks incarcerated in that loathsome Libby prison, suffering much from exposure and hunger. For about four months he was then in the parole camp, and on rejoining his regiment he was in the hotly contested fights in front of Petersburg. When his term of service had ex- pired he was honorably discharged and returned to civil life, resuming the peaceful occupation of a farmer, which he has since followed with most gratifying results.

In January, 1864, Mr. Decker married Miss Ruth Travis, of Lemon Township, Wyoming County, and to them have been born six children, namely: Effie A., wife of Le Grand Mead, of Tompkinsville, Lackawanna County; Oscar H., who is successfully engaged in teaching school, and Angie, Lloyd, Mollie and Fred, all at home. Mr. Decker is an earnest supporter of the Demo- cratic party, and has always taken quite an ac- tive and prominent part in public affairs, credit- ably filling different official positions up to 1896, when he retired to private life. Socially he af-

filiates with the Grange, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Sons of America and Billings Post, G. A. R., at Nicholson. He is widely and favorably known throughout the community and is held in the highest regard by all with whom he comes in contact.

H ORACE W. ROZELL, who is extensive- ly engaged in farming, owns a very de- sirable homestead in Falls Township, Wyoming County. From his boyhood he has taken great interest in every branch of agricul- ture, and has made a study of the best and most improved methods of the modern farmer. Year by year his success has increased, on account of the wisdom and energy of purpose he displays. His place is a model of neatness and thrift, every- thing bespeaking the care and attention of the industrious owner. With all who have the pleas- ure of an acquaintanceship with him he is on the best of terms, and his neighbors hold him in high esteem.

Samuel Rozell and his son Edward came to this state at a very early day, and were numbered among the first settlers of Newton Township, Lackawanna County, where they located. Ed- ward, father of our subject, was born in Sussex County, N. J., in 1800, and was married Febru- ary 26, 1824, to Miss Nancy Twichell. They had a family of nine children, as follows: Emily, Rozella, William, James, Niles, Horace, Mary C., Edward C. and Ransom. The family of Mrs. Nancy Rozell were natives of Connecticut, and of the good old Puritan stock. Mr. Rozell was a blacksmith by trade, and besides giving due time to this occupation, cleared a farm in the wilder- ness of Newton Township, remaining there until 1861, when he settled on the place now owned by our subject. His death took place November 16, 1872, and that of his wife several years later, March 24, 1888.

Horace Rozell was born in Newton Township, Lackawanna County, April 20, 1839, and grew to manhood under the parental roof, receiving such advantages as the schools of the period could of- fer. He was still at home when the Rebellion came on, and enlisted in 1863, for three years

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service, as a private in Company K, Sixty-sev- enth Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers. His first engagement was in Flat Brook battle, in front of Pittsburg, and he was also present at Appomattox when Lee surrendered. His hon- orable discharge was given him July 14, 1865, at Hall Hill, Va., and he at once returned home. Until his marriage he resided with his father, then moving to Abington Township, where he remained a year and a half. In 1870 he returned to the old farm, and has had charge of it ever since, with the exception of two years passed in Scranton, where he was in the mercantile busi- ness. He owns over one hundred acres of land, and carries on general farming and dairying.

January 7, 1868, Mr. Rozell and Clara Walter were married in Falls Township. She was born in this township, in March, 1843, and is a daugh- ter of Michael Walter, a native of Warren Coun- ty, N. J., born in 1813. He was a son of Henry Walter, and was one of fifteen children, and with the family moved to Newton Township, Lacka- wanna County, in 1822. There they improved wild land and resided until 1839, when Michael Walter came to Falls Township and purchased a farm near Mill City. He married Esther Howe May 16, 1835. She was born in Sussex County, N. J., and was one of eighteen children, all of whom grew to maturity, and were as follows: Deborah, Ann Maria, John, Esther, Stephen, Francis, Catherine, Elizabeth, Isaac, Phoebe, Re- becca, Thomas, Jacob, Seanea, Mary, Samuel, Henry and Jacob (2d). The father lived to be seventy-five and the mother seventy-two years of age. Mrs. Rozell is one of eight children: Elea- nor, wife of George A. Sherwood, was born Au- gust 4, 1836; Peter B. was born August 24, 1838; William H., a veteran of the late war, and now a resident of Pittston, Pa., was born July II, 1840; Sophia C. (Mrs. Rozell) was born in March, 1843; Timothy, born April 26, 1844, died April 20, 1893; Michael, who served in the war and is now a resident of Colorado, was born Sep- tember 23, 1847; Esther, wife of Judson Davis, was born April 17, 1850, and Catherine A. was born April 25, 1856. Mr. Rozell is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, belonging to the post at Factoryville, and is also identified

with the Masonic order. He and his wife are 'members of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Mill City and are respected by all who know them.

B ENJAMIN HENRY THROOP, M. D., has been identified with the history of Scranton from a very early period of its settlement, and not only has he been honored as a physician and surgeon who has met with more than usual success in his chosen profession, but also for his excellent record as a public-spirited citizen, his honorable service in the army and his brilliancy as an author. The results of his ex- periences as a citizen of Scranton he has embod- ied in an octavo of over two hundred and fifty pages, entitled "A Half Century in Scranton," a work which proves his literary ability and forms a valuable addition to the historical collections of the city. He has also shown himself to be a business man of superior ability, and although he has been very liberal and charitable to the poor, and has given largely of his means and time to alleviate human suffering and promote the hap- piness of mankind, he has acquired a competency and is regarded as one of the wealthy citizens of this part of the state.

In tracing the genealogy of the Throop family, we find a legend that has been handed down from generation to generation, to the effect that Adrian Scrope, one of the judges who condemn- ed Charles I., fled from England and landed in America. In order to conceal his identity and thus escape the punishment of Charles II., he changed his name to Throop. In successive generations there were three Congregational clergymen who bore the name of Benjamin Thiroop, and held pastorates in Rhode Island and Connecticut. The Doctor's grandfather, Benjamin, was major in the Fourth Connecticut Infantry during the Revolution, and, on recom- mendation of General Washington, was breveted colonel for meritorious conduct; his commis- sion, signed by John Jay in 1779 at Philadelphia, is now in the possession of Dr. Throop. Colonel Throop died in 1820, and during his latter years was in receipt of a pension. The Doctor's father,

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who was fifteen at the time Colonel Throop en- tered the army, went with him into the service as a fifer, and afterward was a pensioner of the government.

The youngest of six sons, the subject of this article was born November 9, 1811, in Oxford, Chenango County, N. Y., to which place his par- ents removed in 1800. Orphaned at the age of twelve by the death of his father, Dan Throop, he was reared by his mother, who trained him carefully for a life of usefulness and took the most affectionate interest in his welfare, until she passed away in 1842, aged seventy-three. In

youth he was a student in Oxford Academy, among his classmates being Horatio Seymour and Ward Hunt. On the completion of his lit- erary course, he began to read medicine with Dr. Perez Packer, and later attended Fairfield Medical College, then the only medical institu- tion in New York. From this he graduated in 1832 at twenty-one years.

In February of the same year the young Doc- tor settled in Honesdale, Pa., then an insignifi- cant hamlet, with no trace of its future prosper- ity save its favorable position at the head waters of the Delaware & Hudson Canal. Notwith- standing the fact that he was young, inexpe- rienced and poor, his genial manners, upright life and professional knowledge soon enabled him to gain the confidence of the people. How- ever, he was not satisfied with the location, and in 1835 went to Oswego, N. Y., and thence less than a year later removed to New York City. In the fall of 1840 he went to Honesdale on a visit, and soon afterward was called to the Lacka- wanna Valley in consultation. While here he noticed this locality offered a promising field for professional work and determined to make it his future home. Accordingly, he established him- self in Providence October 8, 1840.

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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 82

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