Article
Number Twenty- Three A -
Field, Pratt, Johnson, and Kirtland Families
Written by Joshua G. Borthwick and originally published
on May 21, 1881, in the Catskill "Examiner". Copy
provided by the Durham
Center Museum and retyped by Annette Campbell
Although Mr. Cyrus Field was not one of the first settlers
of the town, still he came quite early in its history. He was born in
Wallingford, CT, in 1782, and came to this town very early in life. He lived
at first on the Judge Barker farm, where George
Easland lives. From there he went to Cairo, and from there he came to the
farm upon which he lived until his death at 83 years of age. His first wife
was Ancy Stocking, the daughter of Stephen Stocking,
who was a singing-master and lived near Cornwallsville. She was an excellent
Christian woman. They had six daughters and one son, viz: Harriet,
the wife of the late Edward Johnson; Charlotte,
the wife of the late Collins Johnson; Adelia,
the wife of H. B. Kirtland; Antoinette,
the wife of the late Judson Chittendon; Eliza,
deceased, the wife of Peter Miller, and S. Arminda,
the wife of Platt A. Smith; Oscar, the
only son, married Laura Finch, the daughter of William
Finch of Windham. She died in 1864, and he married Libbie
Aubbard. He died in 1870. Mrs. Field, the mother of
this family died in 1841, and Mr. Field married Mrs.
Maria Best, who was the teacher of a select school in Durham. She is
now living with her daughter in Kenosha, Wis.
Daniel Kirtland, Sr., was a native of Durham, CT. His
wife was Lovisa Lord, daughter of Dea. Christopher
Lord, whom he married while living in his native town. The year of
their settlement in this town is uncertain, but it was probably about 1785. He
owned a part of the farm now owned by Mrs. O. Porter. He was
a tanner and shoemaker by trade, and had a small tannery on the stream South
of Mrs. Porter's. At that time, mills for grinding
tanbark were not much used; so he broke or pounded his bark by hand, tanned
his leather and made it up into shoes. He and his wife were church-members in
Connecticut, and on the 13th day of January, 1793, they united with the
Presbyterian church in Durham, N.Y. They had eight children, viz: Richard,
Lucilla, Lucy, Benjamin, Christopher, Daniel, Lovisa, and
Roxiana. Richard married Lydia Lord and lived in West
Durham, on the farm now owned by William Bascom. Christopher
married Rhoda, a sister of the late Dea. Danil Coe.
They had two sons---Orlando Lord, and Benjamin.
Orlando L., became a Presbyterian minister, and died a few years ago
in Springfield, NJ. Lucilla married a Mr. Gridley;
Lucy, the wife of Joseph Hart, Jr., and
Lovisa, who married a Western New York man, all went to live in that part of
the State. Roxiana became the second wife of FosterMorss, the father of Hon. Burton G. Morss of Red
Falls. Daniel Kirtland Jr., was the youngest son,
and was born in Connecticut in 1794 and when a mere lad he came with his
father's family to this town in the wilderness. He married Hulda
Stephens and they lived at first about half a mile West of George
W. Pratt's, on the old road. The buildings are all gone and the
road long since closed up. Afterward, he traded farms with William
Hendrickson and built the house now owned by Edmund Pratt,
where he died in 1834. They had seven children. Daniel, the
eldest child, married a daughter of Dea. Benjamin Chapman and
lived in Honesdale, PA. Eliza, the wife of David
Merwin, Jr. went to Ohio in 1816, when theMerwin
family removed
there. They went in wagons, and were six weeks on the road. Frederick
married a lady in New London, CT., and lived in Jackson, MI. Julia
Ann married Cooper Sayre of Rensselaerville. Amelia
Caroline became the wife of Hon. Burton G. Morss.
She died about two years ago greatly mourned by old and young. She was a great
friend of the children, and for several years she conducted a Sabbath school
in her own village for their instruction in the way of life. She was very
liberal in supplying the wants of the needy all about her. Horace Buel
married Adelia Field and lives about half a mile
East of the old homestead, on the Judge Daley farm. He was
once a member of the Board of Supervisors. Dorrance Lord,
the
youngest, went to Western New York, where he married and still resides.
Augustus Pratt, Sr., another pioneer of the town, was born in
Durham, CT, in February, 1751, and he and his wife Esther
came with a family of little children, and established a home where George
W. Pratt, their grandson, now lives. He was a Revolutionary soldier,
and drew a Government pension of $96 a year. He was one of the original nine
who constituted the Presbyterian church at its organization. He lived a quiet
Christian life, and died in December, 1850, lacking only about two months of
reaching 100 years of age. Esther, his wife, died more than
thirty years before him. They had five children: Esther, the
eldest, was not married, and very tenderly took care of her father in his old
age. She was born in 1777, and died in 1858. She had a fall which proved
fatal; otherwise it seemed that she might have lived a hundred years. In her
haste to observe the glories of the Aurora Borealis, she mistook the door and
plunged headlong into the cellar. She survived only a few days. Augustus,
Jr., was a blacksmith, and lived and worked at his trade near the old
homestead. He had five children, viz: Laura, Caroline, Salina,
Addison, and Julia Ann. Frederick had the
homestead, and he and Nancy, his wife, lived to a good old
age. Her death was hastened by a fall quite similar to "Aunt
Esther's." Their children were Henry, Frederick, William,
George W., Philander, and Ralph. None of them now
lives in the town, I believe, except George W., who
owns the old farm. This farm has now been owned by the Pratt
family nearly one hundred years. Burrus, the third son, lived in Windham and
finally went out West.Linus, the youngest of the
family, married Mrs. Betsey Mulford, a sister of the late Henry
Hedges. They lived in the "Cowles House," East of George
W. Pratt's, They had six children viz: Mary Hedges, Harriet,
Mulford, Eleazer, Augustus, and Elizabeth. None of
them remains in town; several are dead.
Charles Johnson, another pioneer settler of Durham, was a son
of Solomon Johnson, Sr.. The family once lived in Holland,
although they were probably English people. They may have belonged to the
Puritans, and went to Holland to escape persecution, and from Holland came to
this land of liberty. They lived at Wallingford, CT, and when the Revolution
came on Solomon Johnson took the field to fight for liberty.
I have seen a letter written by him to his wife in 1777, while he was in the
army. It is very brief, as he says, "We are under marching orders;"
and speaking words of cheer, he bids her good-bye. But he lived to see the
rights of man vindicated, and he died at his home in Wallingford. Charles,
his son, came to this town in 1792 or '3, and bought land where William
Johnson now lives. In a letter to his parents he speaks of his
wheat, and of his cattle, and of having bought a piece of land on which there
is a "small frame house." He was a very courteous man, and in
his letters home he addresses his "Honored Parents" in a manner
calculated to teach the young of the now-a-days a lesson which they are very
slow to learn. And as a result, he was honored. When his house was
burned, in 1819, the people from far and near came with their teams, bringing
lumber, and giving labor, so that in a very short time the main part of the
present house was ready for their occupancy, and almost without expense to
him. He belonged to a troop of horse, and went by the name of "Capt.
Johnson" and "Esquire Johnson". He and Elizabeth,
his wife, were members of the Presbyterian church in Durham. He was a
singing-master, and led the singing in church until he became an old man. He
died in 1848, and Elizabeth, his wife, died in 1840. They had
nine children, viz: Philo, Phebe, Mary, Solomon, Edward, Eliza,
Julia, Charles, and Collins.Philo married
Esther Newell of Stamford, NY. She was a sister of Mrs.
James Baldwin, also of Mrs. Lyman Wilcox.Phebe
was the wife of Abner Cowles, a brother of J.B.
Cowles M.D. of Durham. Mary was the wife of David
Cornwall (see Sketch No. 21). Solomon married
Mary Whittlesey, a sister of the late Zina Whittlesey.
They were the parents of Whittlesey Johnson, now of
Brooklyn. He marriedAdalineHineof Cairo, a grand daughter
of Ezekiel Smith, Capt. Thomas Smith's eldest son,
(Sketch #19). Edward married Harriet Field, and
lived on the old homestead, until his death, on the 21st of September last.
They had one son, William, who with his mother and wife (Mary
Simmons formerly) still remains in that pleasant home. Mr.
Johnson was a very genial, courteous man, and was greatly esteemed.
He was once supervisor of the town, also president of the Agricultural Society
of the county. The flags of the Society were lowered to half-mast at the time
of his death, which took place on the day previous to the annual fair. Eliza,
the wife of the late Otis Wattles. lives in Athens,
Tenn. She and her son George are doing a great work for
the colored people, educationally, and religiously. Julia
married a Mr. Bush of Jersey City. Charles married
Eliza Ann Mulford, the daughter of widow Mulford,
who married Linus Pratt. They "went West." Collins
married Charlotte Field. He died a few years ago. Sherwood,
his son, has the place, while the widow lives with the daughter Elizabeth,
who married a Mr. Kiff of Delaware county.