Burr
Bradley Scott was son of Gould Scott and Patty (?), and was
born in Ridgefield Connecticut on September 25, 1823. It appears
that Burr grew up living in “Scottland” at Scott’s Ridge, Titicus Mountain,
north of Ridgefield, Connecticut. There are many theories as to how
Burr got his name. There was a Revolutionary War Colonel Philip Burr
Bradley whom is buried in the Titicus Cemetery. A Lucy W. Scott married
Burr Bradley of Onondaga, New York in 1824 a year after Burr was born.
She may be Burr’s sister or half sister as Gould’s wife Patty’s first child
may have been named Lucy. There is a Mrs. Florence Bradley mentioned
among Nettie Scott’s papers, she may have been Chester’s first cousin.
In 1882, Clara Smith’s diary mentions “Nettie, Chester and Mrs. Bradley,
Mr. Scott’s sister”, visiting them (the Smiths).
In 1850, Burr is listed in the Ridgefield census
as a school teacher living with his father Gould, Jane Scott, age 21 and
his mother Patty, age 65. Burr had written articles for Connecticut
newspapers while he was a young adult. On September 10, 1850, he
married Angeline Selleck at the Pound Ridge, New York Methodist Church.
Reverend Miles Olmstead performed the ceremony. They then must have returned
to Ridgefield as Chester Henry Scott, their only son, was born in Ridgefield,
Connecticut on October 5, 1852, and Burr inherited the old Scott Homestead
when his father died in 1857. In 1860 they were listed as living
at the homestead, but in 1862, Burr sold the homestead to a George Washington
Brown and bought the farm on the “66 Road” in Hannibal, Oswego County,
New York.
On September 9, 1864 in Oswego, Oswego County,
NY, he enlisted in the Army at age 40. He was listed as having blue
eyes, dark hair, light complexion and was 5’9” tall. He served in
the 184th New York Volunteers. He was captured by the “Rebs” and
was in Libby Prison. On June 29, 1865 he was mustered out at City
Point, Virginia. Burr is mentioned in a letter written by his son’s
future father-in-law Chauncey Smith. In a letter home to his wife
Fanny, Chauncey mentioned that he had news of “Mr. Scott” and was
glad he was ok.
Burr was apparently very literate and boasted
of a relationship to Sir Walter Raleigh Scott, but it could not have been
a very close relation – perhaps no closer than 7th or 8th cousin.
He encouraged his grandchildren to read good books. In Scott’s Ridge,
a Scott was a teacher at the Scotts Ridge School (Ridgefield District #1)
from 1813 on. The Howes and the Hunts did not like their teaching
methods and built their own school, so the Scotts built a new school that
was in existence in 1849. It is likely that this was the school that
Burr taught in, in 1850. In his later years he had his daughter-in-law
(Nettie Smith Scott) read to him from the newspaper (Post Standard).
He had great interest in anything involving WWI.
Burr ran a farm in Hannibal, but was not inclined
towards manual labor, so the farm work was done by hired hands, and in
later years by his grandsons and great grandsons.
It was said that Burr was somewhat domineering
and could be somewhat of an autocrat and a tyrant around the house.
When his grand daughter Mae was entertaining a suitor, Burr would stomp
through the parlor muttering, “It’s nine o’clock – time for decent people
to be going home!” If Mae convinced the boy to ignore him, he would
find his buggy full of big rocks when he was ready to leave. (This
was an old Connecticut custom to show someone that they were not wanted!)
Mae would tell the boy it was a prank played by her brothers Fred and Frank.
Burr’s great grandchildren remember him stomping about the house, threatening
any of them who were in his path, with his cane! Of course these
were recollections of him in his old age, and he may well have been a very
well liked and respected person. Burr often attended “political debates”
and other affairs with Chauncey Smith and other neighbors. He would
visit the Smiths with great regularity.
In the 1892 –1893 school year, Burr is found
listed on a school poster as a trustee of the Cain’s Corners school.
His name appears with AH Wildie, and Moses Barrus.
Teacher is listed as being Bert B. Collirs (?), and attending the
Cain’s Corners School that year were as follows:
Jewett Barton
Bernie W. Barrus
Bert E. Cole
Robbie W. Colvin
Cora A. Cole
Bert B. Hilbert
Percie W. Lund
Harry Q. Merriman
Roy A. Palmer
Fred O. Palmer
Clayton O. Palmer
Hattie C. Palmer
Myrtle A. Palmer
Howard J. Sweet
Frankie Scott (Burr’s grandson – my great grandfather)
Charlie J. Sanders
Minnie E. Smith
George W. Wilde
The Cain’s Corners school was nestled under
some trees on the “66” Road near the intersection of “Old 104” and down
the road from the Scott farm.
In 1890, Burr applied for a Federal pension
(age 67). In Dr. Acker’s notes the following was written:
"He had a weakness across the small of his back, weakness of the stomach
and vomits occasionally, has pain in the head, pulse of 120, respiration
18, temperature 98 and weight 145 lbs. Pension was denied until years
later."
According to his grand daughter, when he was
in his 90’s he threw away his glasses, grew a third set of teeth!
In his last years he would wake up each morning and chuckle to himself,
“Don’t that beat all! Here I am again this morning!”
Burr Bradley died on May 16, 1917, having outlived his wife and his
only son by many years. He is buried with Angeline in the Hannibal,
Oswego County, New York Cemetery.
Angeline Selleck was the daughter of
Sanford
Selleck and Betsie Slauson. She was born in New York, most probably
in the Pound Ridge area on October 13, 1823. It seems likely that
Angeline spent most of her early life in the Pound Ridge, New York area.
In 1842 she became a member by probation to the Pound Ridge Episcopal Community
Church. At the time she was living “east of Pound Ridge”.
In 1850 she married Burr Bradley Scott of Ridgefield, Connecticut, and
in 1851 she was removed by the Episcopal church by certificate. After
her marriage to Burr, the couple returned to Ridgefield, Connecticut where
they resided until 1862 when they removed to the farm in Hannibal, Oswego
County, New York. In the 1870 census, Angeline’s mother Betsie is
listed as residing with them at the farm. After Chester and Nettie’s
marriage in 1874, they resided with Burr and Angeline on the farm.
It is unclear as to whether or not the property was given to Chester, or
willed to Nettie at the time of Burr’s death.
In Angeline’s later years, it is apparent that
she became preoccupied with death as she invited guests to see the dress
that she was to be laid out in. Clara Smith’s diary states that on
July 29, 1891, “Mrs. Burr Scott has been here, she thinks it is the
last time she will come.”
Angeline died on January 25, 1898 and was buried
next to Burr in the Hannibal, Oswego County, New York Cemetery.
Chester Henry Scott was the son of Burr
Bradley Scott and Angeline Selleck. He was born in Ridgefield, Connecticut
on October 6, 1852. Chester was the only child of Burr and Angeline.
Generally speaking little is known about Chester. He grew up in the
Ridgefield area until 1862 when the Scott family removed to the farm in
Hannibal. Chester married Nettie (Genet) Smith, daughter of
Chauncey
Austin Smith and Fanny Palmeter, in Hannibal, Oswego County, on
November 19, 1874. Reverend HD Seward, Minister of the Gospel, performed
the services, with LM Chapman and CA Chapman (Nettie’s first
cousins) as witnesses. It is unclear if the Scott farm was given
to, Chester and Nettie, but throughout Chester’s life Burr remained “head
of the household” yet Chester with the help of his wife, children and farm
hands ran the Scott farm on the “66 Road” near Cain’s Corners in Hannibal.
Children of Chester and Nettie were Franklin Burr (5/29/1886-1965),
Frederick Walter (9/29/1889-1958) and Fanny May (Mae) (May
14, 1891-11/1/1983). All three children were born in Hannibal and
were raised on the Scott farm. Frank & Fred remained in Hannibal,
Mae removed to Washington, DC for the remainder of her life.
Chester died April 20, 1903, and is buried
in the Hannibal Cemetery, Hannibal, Oswego County, New York.
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