1895 Landmarks
of Oswego County, New York Book
FAMILY SKETCHES IN OSWEGO COUNTY,
N.Y.
Many thanks and appreciation to
Sandy
Harrison for her time and efforts in transcribing the Family Sketches
Section of surnames from Oswego County, NY. The list is not in Alpha order
so either scroll down or use search engine to check for names.SSandy
Harrison at: vjgraphi@twcny.rr.com
Part V
237Monroe, D. C., a native of Jefferson
county, -was born November 6, 1855, a son of Harry and Marium (Wilcox)
Monroe, natives of Jefferson county, who came to Richland in 1862 and where
Mr. Monroe died in 1875 aged seventy-six, and his wife resides with our
subject. Subject was reared in the village of Pulaski, where he was educated
and has followed farming', and for ten years has lived in Sandy Creek on
a
farm his father bought twenty years
ago. Mr. Monroe is a member of the Pulaski Grange. He married June 28,
1876, Mina A. Wood, a -native of Jefferson county and daughter of John
Wood of the same county. Subject and wife have had two sons, Harry W. and
Roy Edgar.
Munson, Lester F., was born in
St. Lawrence county October 12, 1856, a son of Morrison, born in New Hampshire,
who died in St. Lawrence county aged forty. The latter married Maria R.
Cross, who died aged fifty-one, and their children are Helen, Caroline,
Fannie and Lester F., all living. Our subject was educated at
Gouverneur Seminary and followed
farming nine years; then came to Lacona and worked at painting one year,
after which he opened a restaurant and grocery store, at the end of a year
devoting himself entirely to the grocery trade which he still continues.
Mr. Munson carries the largest stock in Lacona, handling a general line
of groceries, boots and shoes, wall paper, chinaware, flour, tobacco and
confectionery, also handling phosphate and a full line of chairs. He is
a stockholder and director as well as agent of the Cosmopolitan Building
& Loan Association of Syracuse. December 30, 1880, he married Rosa
Hamer of Oswego county, daughter of David L. Hamer, jr., the latter a lieutenant
and captain in the civil war. The children of our subject are Orianna,
born November 8, 1881; Fannie M., born May 8, 1883. Mrs. Munson died. January
1, 1892. Our subject is local representative of the R. G. Dun & Co.
commercial agency.
McDermott, Michael, was born in
Ireland and at the age of seventeen came to America and set-tied in Albany,
where he lived for some years. In 1863 he came to Williamstown and is now
proprietor of the Casoag Hotel. Mr. McDermott has been in the hotel business
most of the time since 1849.
Monteath, John D., was born in
Orwell in 1863. His father, John, was born in Canada near Montreal and
came to Rensselaer county and married Abigail, daughter of Clark Vary.
They came to Orwell in 1854. They were both members of the M. E. Church.
John D- was reared on the farm, and besides attending school at home,
had several terms at the academy
at Pulaski. He has no family. Besides himself there was one brother, Henry
E., who died in 1892, leaving a wife and two children in this town.
Matthews, Alvaro, was born in Vienna,
Oneida county, March 24, 1848, a son of George W. Matthews, a native of
the same place, one of five children of Alvaro Matthews of Connecticut,
who was a farmer and lumberman, an influential man and prominent in the
early politics of Oneida county. He served as justice of the peace many
years. George W. in early life was a lumberman and later a farmer. He is
also a prominent politician, having held the most important town offices.
He now resides on a farm in West Vienna with his wife, who was Marian Bedell.
Their children are Mrs. Anna Janes of North Bay; Alvaro and George H. (deceased).
Subject began farming when he was
nineteen, which vocation he has since followed with success, now possessing
105 acres of choice land under cultivation. In 1884 he came to Constantia
where he embarked in the coal business for a short time. He married in
December, 1868, Mary L., (laughter of John C. and Augusta (Dakin) Turner
of Constantia, who were early settlers. They have one child by adoption,
Burton C. Mr. and Mrs. Matthews are members of the Presbyterian church,
of which he is warden. -He is also senior warden of the Masonic lodge.
Druce, Daniel M., was born in Volney
in 1844, and moved to New Haven when seven or eight years old with his
parents, Reuben S. and Mary (Chamberlain) Druce natives of Otsego and Jefferson
counties, who died in New Haven in 1864 and 1885 aged fifty-six and seventy-two
respectively. In 1873 he married Nellie Mace, a
native of Palermo, and they have
two children, Amos and Florence.
Dowd, Ward E., son of Titus and
Lydia Dowd. was born in 1861. In 1883 he married Alice Jennison, by whom
he has three children, Marion, Stewart and Bessie. The farm where he was
born and has always lived was settled by his grandfather, Job Dowd, in
1828. Job Dowd came from Oneida county with a family of nine
children, and lived and died on
the old place. The father of our subject was born in Oneida county in 1819
and died in 1883. His wife died in 1864. Frank, wife of Henry Simmons,
and Belle, wife of Charles Hewitt, are sisters of Ward E. Dowd, and with
him are the only surviving members of a family of five children.
Duane, George, was born in Boylston
in 1866. His father was Godfrey, who was a native of Jefferson county,
born there in 1827. He lived in Dexter and Brownville until twenty-five
years of age, when he came and settled in the southwest part of Boylston
on the State road. He died in 1888. Subject's mother was Olive Denon,
a native of Lower Canada. The family
was a large one of eleven children, eight of whom are living, one in Boston
and the rest in Oswego county. George married Ada Louise, daughter of David
Rider of Mexico, and they have two children, Godfrey H., born in 1892,
and Paul D., born in 1894. They have a farm of fifty acres.
Danks, Harold L., is of English
and Irish stock, his paternal great-grandfather having come to Nova Scotia,
where his grandfather, Nathaniel, was born, whence he removed to Onondaga
county, where Nathaniel second, father of Harold, was born and reared.
He married Betsey, sister of Isaac Newton, the builder of the side wheeler
Isaac Newton which, with the World constituted the steamboat line from
Albany to New York. Soon after his marriage he went to Beliol, where he
bought a farm and lived for many years, rearing five children, two of whom
died young. Of these children Harold was fourth. One son, George, spent
most of his life in Oswego, and died in Chicago in 1890. Isaac went to
Penn Yan and settled. Emeline married and went to Michigan. Horan married
at Red Creek, and died in Chicago in 1882, while on a visit. Melancthon
died in Cincinnati in 1889. In 1855 Harold married Adaline, daughter of
Robert S. Kenyon, formerly of South Hill, Onondaga county- He was at this
time living in Fulton, engaged in the lumber trade, which he has
followed for twenty-two years in
Fulton and Gayville. From 1889 to 1893 he resided on a farm in Parish,
spent the succeeding two years in Amboy, and in the spring of 1894 removed
to Constantia. Mr. Danks served two years in the 12th N. Y. Cavalry under
General Butler.
Dwerdin, Oscar F. B., was born
in West Monroe in 1826, son of Edward, a native of England, who came to
Constantia in 1820, and three years later removed to what is now West Monroe.
His wife was Martha Hepworth, and their children were Anna, James, Betsey
and Martha. His wife died in 1822, and he married second Caroline, daughter
of Elder Gamaliel Barnes, a Baptist minister who settled in Mexico in 1815.
She was the first school teacher
in the portion of Constantia which is now West Monroe. Their children were
Sarious, Antoinette, Oscar F. B., Hannah, Rosetta, William and Victoria.
Rosetta, Oscar and William are the only survivors of the family. The father
was prominent in local church affairs, and served in many of the town offices.
He died in 1861 aged seventy-six years. His wife died in 1867. At the age
of nineteen subject began teaching school, at twenty-one was elected town
superintendent of schools, which office he held three years. About 1851
he assumed full charge of the farm and cared for his parents till their
death. He served as town
collector, attending many of the
county conventions, as delegate, is a member of the West Monroe Grange
and Sons of Temperance, in which cause he has always been a strong advocate.
Davis, Henry I., was born in Temple,
N. H., December 12, 1833, a son of Freeman
and Hannah (Emery) Davis, natives
of New Hampshire, who came to Williamstown
in 1837 and in 1839 to Sandy Creek,
where he settled on. the farm now owned by our
subject, to which the latter has
added until he owns at present 144 acres. Freeman
died in 1860, and his wife August
27, 1891. Henry I. was educated at Mexico and
Bellville Academies, and taught
school nine terms, though his principal occupation
has been farming and dairying. He
is a Republican and has served as assessor one
term. He and wife are members of
the M. E. Church of Sandy Creek, which he
assisted largely in building. June
23, 1864, Mr. Davis married Olive Kent, a native of
Sandy Creek. She was a daughter
of Orlando Kent, born July 14, 1812, and of Susan
Phillips, born in 1815, natives
of. Vermont and Richland, this county, respectively.
The mother died in this town at
the age of forty-nine, and the father in Michigan
aged seventy-four. Orlando Kent
was one of the well-to-do farmers of the town
and cleared most of his farm. He
and wife had three children, two living.
Dyer, Charles F., was born at Rodman,
Jefferson county, July 28, 1857, a grandson
of John Dyer of New England, who
died in this State aged thirty; and a son of Peter.
born in Otsego county, who married
Arvilla Dyer of Massachusetts, who died in
Jefferson county aged sixty-nine.
Their children were Antoinette, Henrietta, Charles
F., Fred and two who died in infancy.
The father has been a commercial traveler
and farmer and is a Mason. Charles
F. was educated in Jefferson county and at the
age of twenty-two started as helper
in the office of the R. W. & 0. Railroad at Adams
Centre, remaining two years. He
was then sent to Three Mile Bay as station agent.
Returning to Adams he remained eight
years as clerk, and took charge of the telegraph
at that office. From there he went
to Claremont as station agent, and remained
eighteen months, then came to Sandy
Creek in the same capacity, where he still re-
mains, having the passenger, freight,
baggage, express, and telegraph business to
attend to. June 21, 1883, he married
Carrie C., daughter of Solomon and Mary
(Bassett) Devendorf, of Adams Centre.
Daffler, Andrew J., was born in
Constantia in February, 1830, a son of John Daff-
ler, a native of Germany. He was
one of three sons who came to America with their
father when. he was a boy, coining
direct to Constantia. Their ship foundered
and it took them eleven months to
cross. John was a carpenter and farmer by
occupation. His wife was Jemima
Phillips, a native of Constantia, and their children
were Catherine, Dorathy. Andrew,
Clinton, Maria, Flora. Fannie and Milford.
They spent their last days in Constantia.
Subject left home when twenty-five and
engaged in carpentry, which he followed
until 1869, when he was for six years engaged
in manufacturing barrel staves.
From 1875 to 1880 he engaged in wagon business
and since then has devoted his time
to carpenter work, two years of which he spent
in Syracuse contracting and building.
In 1860 he married Mary Jane, daughter of
Ahiel Sedgwick of West Monroe, and
they had two children, Freddie, who died in
1862, and Nellie, who died in 1893
aged twenty-seven.
Eldridge, Favette, was born in
Oneida county in 1836 and settled in Martville in
1854, where he married Charlotte,
daughter of David Austin, who was a native of
Vermont and came with an ox team,
being among the early settlers of that place.
His wife was Axie Adams, a sister
of the founder of the Adams Express Co. Mr.
and Mrs. Eldridge have one daughter,
Estelle, a teacher of the common schools,
having taught for twenty-seven terms.
Fayette Eldridge was a son of Thomas
Eldridge, an English soldier, who
left the army at the age of nineteen and came to
America and settled in Oneida countv,
where he married Polly Lindsey, who died in
1894, leaving six children. Our
subject is overseer of the poor of Hannibal.
Edwards, Charles D., was born in
England January 3, 1863. His grandfather,
David., was also born in England,
where he died aged seventy-seven, and his father,
David, was born in England March
17, 1844, and married Mary -, also a native of
that country, born in January, 1844.
Their children were William, Emily, Archie,
Alvin. Edith, Minnie, Leonard, Jennie,
Lillian, Gwendoline; of whom Minnie, Jen-
nie and Lillian are deceased. Charles
D. married Katie Malty July 16, 1889.
She was a daughter of Charles R.
and Isabelle Malty, of Pulaski, and their children
have been Mary I., Jannie L., Charles
M., who died in infancy, and a son not named
who died in infancy. Mr. Edwards
is a member of the Episcopal Church.
Earl, Orrin R., was born in Jefferson
county November 2, 1813, a grandson of
Stephen, born in Rhode Island who
died in Saratoga county aged seventy-eight; a
son of Pardner, born in Rhode Island,
who died in Jefferson county aged sixty-two.
The latter married Nancy Sherman,
who died aged fifty, and their children were
Andrew C., Ruth, Orrin R., Albert,
Nancy, Jenette, Ann V., all deceased except our
subject. The father was a soldier
in the war of 1812. He was a prominent farmer,
and served as supervisor, etc. Orrin
R. was educated at Belleville, Jefferson county.
and in 1846 began life as a farmer.
He served for seventeen years on the Board of
Supervisors, was elected to the
State Legislature in 1847, and was president of the
village four years. In 1848 he engaged
in the mercantile trade at Sandy Creek, the
firm name being Earl & Salisbury,
which continued five years- He also conducted
the Salisbury Hotel one year, and
for about eight years kept a tan yard. In 1870 he
opened a bank in Sandy Creek, in
connection with P. M. Newton, which partnership
existed ten years, when Mr. Newton
retired. Mr. Earl still conducts the bank, which
was the first ever operated in Sandy
Creek. In 1884 Mr. Earl became interested in
the Sandy Creek Wood Mfg. Co. Limited,
of which he is president and one of the
largest stockholders. In 1889 a
well was sunk for natural gas, Mr. Earl being one of
the prime movers in this, and he
was president of the Sandy Creek Oil & Gas Co. for
three years, being now one of the
directors and chief stockholder. In addition to his
other pursuits he has conducted
a general farming and dairy business. In 1844he
married Jenette Salisbury of Sandy
Creek, who died March 8, 1886. She was a
daughter of Nathan Salisbury, and
her grandfather was a soldier in the war of 1813,
In 1862 Mr. Earl was sent to look
after the soldiers of this place, who were in the
front, and was inside the lines
at the battle of Antietam, witnessing the entire fight.
He also gave to the wounded men
of his acquaintance $o00 in money, besides
rendering them other assistance,
Mr. Earl at the age of eighty-two is still actively
engaged in the banking business.
Eddy, Edmund K., was born in Jefferson
county June 8, 1849, of New England
ancestry. His grandfather,
Enoch, was born in Vermont, and died in Jefferson
county in 1860. His father, also
Enoch, was born in that county in 1820, and. died in
1874, and his mother, Amanda, died
in 1865. The children of Enoch and. Amanda
were Ansel M., born in 1845; Gracia
A., born in 1847, and Edmund K. The father
was a Mason and served in the 20th
N. Y. Vols. in the late war. Edmund K. was
educated in the common schools in
Jefferson county, with a course at Watertown
Business College. He was also a
Mason and was in the Rebellion, serving in the
20th N. Y. Vols. September 22, 1869,
he married Abbie, daughter of John and Abbie
Pennell of Jefferson county, who
came from. Vermont in an early day, the grandfather
Pennell being one of the first settlers
in Jefferson county. The children of Mr. and.
Mrs. Eddy have been as follows:
a daughter born in 1884, who died in infancy, and.
Frank W., born December 9, 1886.
Mr. Eddy moved from Jefferson county in March,
1894, having purchased the Bown
farm in Richland.
Eason, Charles G., was born in
New Haven in 1839, son of Calvin and Elsie
(Crandall) Eason, who were among
the early settlers of New Haven, coming from
Vermont. Calvin Eason was in the
war of 1812, and died in 1863 aged eighty-seven.
His wife died in 1842 aged about
forty. Our subject, who always remained on the
home place at Butterfly Corners,
married in 1863 Sarah Baker, and has three children,
Jennie, Sadie and William.
Elmhirst, Frank, was born in Peterboro
county, Canada, in 1852, and at the age of
seventeen came to New Haven. He
married in 1874 Josehine Davis, and has two
children, Maud and Bessie. He is
a farmer and has owned and run a threshing ma-
chine for nineteen years. Beginning
with the old horse power, he introduced, the
first steam as well as the first
traction thresher in this section. The parents, John
and Eliza, were natives of England.,
who lived and died in Canada.
Earle, Frank M., is a native of
St. Lawrence county, born in 1846. He enlisted in
the 2d N. Y. in 1863, and served
till the close of the war. After returning from the
war he resided a short time in his
native county, later in Utica, and in 1879 came to
Mexico. He served one year as president
of the village and has been very active in
promoting all measures for the improvement
of the town. He interested foreign
capital in the Standard Woodenware
& Veneer Co., located the plant in Mexico and
was president of the company two
years. He also organized and built the veneer
works at Sandy Creek. He introduced
cement sidewalks in Mexico, built the first
electric light plant in Mexico,
and in 1879 sunk the first gas well in the town. He
built and owns "Twice Told," a.
fine hotel at Texas Point, 100 rooms and the best
furnished of any hotel in the State.
He also has a stock farm of several hundred
acres, where he keeps a herd of
registered Holsteins and a number of fine roadsters,
which he is especially proud of.
His wife, Anna (Curtin) Earle, died in 1878, leaving
one daughter, Marion.
Earl, De Alba, was born in Jefferson
county October 24, 1841, a grandson of James,
born in New England, who died in
Jefferson county aged ninety-three. The father
was Eli, and the mother Hannah (Wells)
Earl, both now deceased. The grandfather
Wells was in the Revolution, settled
in Canada, and remained till the war of 1813,
when he and his sons escaped to
the United States. Our subject was educated in the
common schools, and is a member
of the I. 0. 0- P., and of Grace Church, having
also served his town as chairman
of the Board of Supervisors. He engaged in the
boot and shoe business in 1885,
which he still conducts, carrying a general line of
footwear, and doing a large family
trade. In 1862 he married Lucinda Bissell of
Jefferson county, who died in 1866.
In 1867 he married Ellen C.. daughter of
Abraham Rowen of Ogdensburg, and
their children are Ella B., who married William M.
Brown of Oswego, and has one child;
Carrie B., Blanch B., and Lena May.
Frary, Benjamin Dolphus, of Vermont
ancestry, was born in Oswego county May
31, 1855. The grandfather, Orange,
was born in Vermont and died in Oswego county.
The father, George, was born in
Vermont, and was accidentally killed. His wife
was Rebecca Phillips, born in Oswego
county, who died aged sixty-nine. They had
these children: Candis L., born
July 30, 1843; , born March 23, 1845; Francis
A., born December 18, 1846; Julia
T., born December 10, 1850, of whom our subject
is the only one now living. Subject
was educated in Richland and is a farmer and
dairyman. He is a member of the
Grange. He married, May 'SO, 1876, Delia Amanda
Peck of Oswego county, daughter
of Harrison and Louie (Robinson) Peck, and their
children are Clara Belle, born February
3, 1878; Bertha P., born August 38, 1879;
Ella L., born April 21, 1881; Guy
Elan, born June 4, 1884, and Benjamin H., born
June 6, 1889.
Filkins, John Henry, of German
ancestry, was born in Oswego county June 3, 1841.
His grandfather, Henry, was born
in Germany and died in this county aged seventy-
eight. His father was James, who
was a native of Richland, and died in Michigan
aged sixty-five. The latter married
Eliza Rich of Cooperstown, who died here aged.
sixty-four years. Their children
were Ann, and John H. The father was a captain
in the State militia, and the grandfather
was one of the first settlers in the county,
coming about 1800. Our subject was
educated in the common schools, and in 1861
enlisted in the 142d N. Y. Inf.,
serving in the Army of the Potomac, was promoted
sergeant, and served a year and
a half. He made the Peninsula campaign, and
received his discharge at Williamsburg.
He is a G. A. R. man. April 21, 1863, he
married Eliza, daughter of Alien
G. and Eliza (Street) Perry. She died June 9, 1893.
Alien G. was in the war in Florida
and was wounded. The children of our subject
are Minnie, Perry and Ray, all living.
Minnie married Phineas Lilly and lives in
Oswego. She has one child. Perry
and Ray both reside at home.
Fox, Leroy R., was born in Jefferson
county October 6, 1837. His grandfather was
Elijah, a native of Vermont, who
died in Jefferson county, aged eighty-six. His
father, also Elijah, was born in
Vermont and died in Jefferson county aged sixty-
nine. The latter married Eliza Farrell
of Lewis county, who is now living aged,
eighty. Their children were James
M., Leander P., William D. (deceased), Winfield
M. and Sebina J. The father was
Justice of the peace, and town collector for many
years. Our subject was educated
in Jefferson county and began as a farmer. He was
in a store at Pierrepont Manor three
years, after which he farmed ten years, then
started a meat market at Mannsville.
He then kept a grocery at Brownsville, then
came to Sandy Creek and bought a
grocery business, which he still owns and which
is the largest in the village, keeping
also yankee notions, tobacco, etc. January 1,
1861, he married Elizabeth H., daughter
of William L. and Elizabeth (Smith)
Loraine, and they have one adopted
daughter, Myrtle Boden. Mr. Fox is a printer and
is employed on the local paper.
Farrington, O. B., is a son of
Philip, whose father, Rufus, came from England, and
settled in Baldwinsville on a large
farm, which for many years remained in the pos-
session of the family. He had eight
children: Edmund, an extensive contractor,
who moved to Ohio, where he died
in 1891, a very wealthy man, our subject being
one of his heirs; Rufus, a merchant;
Thomas, of Michigan; Freye, who died in
Michigan; Philip, who married Miss
Haynes of Baldwinsville and lived on the home-
stead till 1832, and finally settled
in Constantia. His two sons, O. B. and P. R.
Farrington, were born in Baldwinsville,
and came with their father to this town, the
latter removing in 1860 to Piqua,
0. Our subject was connected with his father in
the lumbering business until the
latter's death in 1855. He had received a thorough
academical education, having attended
the Mexico Academy, and became proficient
in surveying, and on his father's
death he was able to assume charge of the rather
extensive business interests, and
carry them on with success. There were at the
time two saw mills, besides large
lumbering interests. These mills furnished the
first plank road in the Statefrom
Troy to Albanyand for the first road on Long
Island- The old city hall at Hudson
was also built of lumber furnished by the
Farringtons. The annual cut of the
mills was about 1,000,000 feet, and the business
was a very prosperous one. Mr. Farrington
retired from the lumbering business in
1886, and resides in the house built
by his father half a mile north of the village, where
he has a pleasant home, surrounded
by every comfort which wealth can provide. In
1856 he married Adaline Chatfield,
daughter of Dr. Chatfield of South Corners, Oneida
county, and they have two daughters,
Mary, who married F. P. Williams, publisher
of a newspaper in Rapid City, S.
D.; and Addie. A son died of scarlet fever, aged
nine years.
Fox, Hiram D., proprietor of the
Windsor Hotel and the Windsor Opera House of
Phoenix, was born in Onondaga county
in 1843, son of John and Esther (Cole) Fox,
natives of Madison and Saratoga
counties. When thirteen years old he moved to
Schroeppel with his parents, and
when twenty-three removed to Phoenix. He
followed boating eleven years, owning
and running a canal boat from Fulton to
Syracuse, and purchased the Windsor
House in 1886. He has filled the office of
justice of the peace, supervisor
and assessor. His first wife, Mary Eno, died in 1822,
leaving two children, John and Hortense.
He afterward married Carrie Payne, and
has one child.
Foster, Ira S., was born in Volney
in 1847, son of Thomas and Jane (Squires)
Foster, natives of Massachusetts
and- Onondaga county. Ira S. was reared on a farm,
and in 1865 enlisted m Co. E, 184th
N. Y. Vols., serving till the close of the war.
In 1870 he married Hannah Alien,
a native of Herkimer county, who died in 1874
leaving two children, Elias, who
resides in Schroeppel, and Clarence, who died in
infancy.
French, C. W., younger son and
sole living lineal representative of a name which
stands high in the annals of Granby's
early history, was born here July 22, 1832.
His father, Calvin French, was the
son of Asher French, of Connecticut birth and of
old English nativity. It was about
1820 when Calvin French purchased twenty-five
acres on the western shore of Lake
Neatawanta, which has grown with the family
fortunes into a magnificent farm
of 250 acres. He died May 4, 1881, leaving to his
descendants a good property. Mrs.
C. W. French is the daughter of the late William
Cary of Albany, of Irish birth,
who died in the army. Her only daughter, Cora,
married F. B. Smith of Granby, and
now occupies a pleasant home adjacent to the
place of her birth. She has
three daughters, Maud, Mabel and Hazel. C.
W. French attended the Centennial
in 1876 at Philadelphia, and in March, 1885, in
company with John Waterman, D. Prine,
and F. B. Smith visited the Exposition at
New Orleans, where he spent about
two weeks, passing through several different
States, and meeting with one collision,
which killed three of the passengers. Mr.
French, in company with John Waterman,
also spent three weeks at the World's
Fair at Chicago in October, 1893,
being there on " Chicago day."
Farwell, J. B., was born in Canada
March 22, 1842. He came to St. Lawrence
county when a child. He was educated
at Canton and graduated from Oswego High
School in 1862. In 1864 he began
to manufacture cement in Oswego. The lines
made were hydraulic and land plaster,
which business he continued in -until 1881.
He then went exclusively into the
jobbing business, same line. He has since added a
general line of building material.
For the past three years he has contracted, and
built telegraph lines in various
parts of the United States. Among the most important
lines constructed there might be
mentioned the one between Syracuse and Buffalo,
and from Springfield, 111., to St.
Louis. For the past six years he has been supplying
the Long Distance Telephone Co.
with poles from Canada. He is a Mason.
September 12, 1867, he married Emma
C., daughter of William and Huldah
(Johnson) Dolloway. Their
children are William D., born August 28, 1868; Gardner,
August 4, 1873; James R., September
27, 1877. William is associated with the New
York Tribune. Gardner is in the
insurance business in Camden, N. J., and James
R. is in the Lehigh University.
William graduated from the same college in 1889.
Flaxington, E. W., wholesale dealer
in coal, wood, and illuminating oils at Oswego
Falls, is a native of Yorkshire,
England, born March 10, 1843, and came to America
at the age of twenty-six. Mr. Flaxington's
mother, Judy, still lives in England, aged
eighty-one years. His father, Samuel
F., a spinner by trade, died in 1890 aged
seventy-eight. His first wife, Sarah
A. Emeny of Oswego Falls, died in 1889, leaving
three sons, William Herbert, Ward
Emeny and Fred Wright. The present Mrs.
Flaxington was the widow of the
late A. M. Howell, and has two children, Fred O.
and Lena J. Howell.
Fletcher, A. B., manufacturer of
brick at Oswego Falls, employs twelve men, and
produces nearly two million brick
per annum. He has been a resident of Oswego
Falls since 1869, and established
himself independently in 1875. He was born at
Bowmanville, Canada, in 1837, and
learned the brickmaking business from his father.
In 1871 Mr. Fletcher married Mrs.
Georgiana Baker, widow of Addison Baker of
Oswego Falls. She was born in Syracuse,
the daughter of George A. Fitch, a steam-
boat captain. They have one son,
George S. Fletcher, who was born October 36,
1882.
Feeney, James, was born in Oswego
March 15, 1857, son of Patrick and Mary
(McGowen) Feeney, who were both
born in Ireland. The father and mother both died
in Oswego. The grandfather. James,
was born in Ireland and died in Canada at
the age of eighty-six years. James
was educated in Oswego- He learned tinsmithing,
and then clerked in a hardware and
grocery store. After this he speculated in
country produce. In 1887 he started
a hat store on E. Bridge street, three years later
he added gent's furnishing goods.
In 1894 he purchased the corner stores situated
at E. Bridge and First streets-
He then added clothing to his line, and now has one
of the largest stocks in the city.
He also owns considerable property in Oswego
county. January 7, 1885, he married
Mary A., daughter of Martin and Ann (Culman)
Lally. They have two children, Mary
J., born January 28, 1887, and Patrick H.,
born June 15, 1889. Mr. Feeney is
a commissioner on the Board of Public Works.
He is a member of the A. 0. H.,
also the Priory, a temperance organization.
Farrell, Edward H., was born, in
Herkimer county August 31, 1851, son of Michael
and Mary (Whalen) Farrell, who were
both born in Ireland and died in Oswego
county. Edward was educated in Oswego,
graduating with the class of 1867. He
clerked in a store and then took
an interest in a boot and shoe store. In 1871 he
went to Alabama with the L. &
N. Railroad. He returned to Oswego in 1874 and
embarked in the tobacco business
in 1875. He started in a small way on First street,
and has built it up until it is
the largest concern of the kind in the county. He is a
member of the C. M. B. A. and the
C. B. L. He has held the office of police com-
missioner. In 1876 he married Catherine,
daughter of Daniel and Mary (McDonald)
McIntosh of Chicago. Her father
was interested in the Patriot war in Canada.
The children are Michael J., student
in St. Audrey College, Rochester; Mary R.,
Catherine G-., Annie, Agnes, Edward
J., and Jennie, deceased. The children are
all in school.
Fitzgerald, Alpheus E., was born
in Oswego March 4, 1835, son of Samuel and
Hannah (Eastman) Fitzgerald, who
were born in New England. They both died in
Oswego. Alpheus was educated in
Oswego. At first he clerked in a drug store.
After this for twenty-five years
he sailed, occupying the various positions of cook,
mate and captain. In 1886 he started
a cigar and tobacco store at 21 E. Bridge street
which he still continues. He was
a member of the Oswego Fire Department two
years. In 1862 he married Annie,
daughter of James and Elizabeth (Patridge)
Hanley of Oswego. The children are
Edward, born July 23, 1863, who is a book-
keeper; and Byron, born February
9, 1876, a stenographer.
Gibbs, Richard H., was born m Oswego
county in 1844, lived in Oswego, Cayuga
and Onondaga counties prior to the
war, and after serving about one year in the 193d
N. Y., returned to Onondaga county,
then married Cornelia Blanchard and located
where he has since lived in the
town of Mexico. His father, Thomas, was born in
England in 1814. emigrated to Cayuga
county in 1831, and is now living with the
subject of this sketch.
Gardner, Andrew J., was born in
Stone Arabia, Montgomery county. August 3, 1822,
son of Adam and Margaret Gardner,
who were among the earliest settlers of
Montgomery county. His father
moved with the family to Oneida county in 1846.
Andrew worked at farming in various
places until he was married and settled
permanently in Parish in 1847, then
started into the woods to clear off a farm, cleared
some land each year in -addition
to cultivating- that already cleared. Was married
twice, first to Harriet Fifield,
who died in 1883, then in 1886 married Irena Johnson.
Mr. Gardner has reared three children
by adoption. Mr. Jacobson, who bought Mr.
Gardner out in 1880, was adopted
when he was seven years old, continuing on the
farm of Mr. Gardner till he volunteered
in the army, again returning after a while to
Mr. Gardner's family. Mr. Jacobson's
wife was also adopted and brought up by Mr.
Gardner. Mr. Gardner has leased
the old homestead and land for a garden. He is
now able to see the farm prospering
under the management of the children he
adopted.
Graves. Herbert Francis, was born
May 30, 1847, at Youngstown, N. Y., only son
of Joseph and Arletta Graves, educated
in Texas, then learned the carriage trimming
trade, and afterwards the jeweler's
trade, worked twelve years at the first and six-
teen years at the last. Has been
a merchant in Paris the last sixteen years, where
he keeps a finely appointed store
containing an assorted stock of jewelry and fancy
goods. He married, June 19, 1869,
Jennie B. Hardy of Port Ontario.
Graham, Winfield S., was born in
Walworth, Wayne county, April 14, 1850, but
has resided in Oswego county thirty-five
years. He married Annie Elliott March 19,
1872, and they have two sons, Burke
A. and Stanley E. Mr. Graham has been for
three years trustee of school district
No. 8, and delegate to the Democratic County
Conventions for the past ten years,
and has served on the District Committee six
years. His father was Ansel B. Graham,
and his mother Maria (Preston) Graham.
Garrett, Thomas, of South Granby,
was born in Lysander in 1843, His father.
John Garrett, a farmer of that town,
died in 1873. Thomas has been a resident of
Oswego county since early infancy,
and now operates a farm of 150 acres in the
southern part of the town of Granby.
His wife, Louisa, was born on the place owned
by Mr. Garrett. 'They were married
in 1869 and have three sons, Louis, Guy and
Fred.
Gridley, Louis T., was born in
New Haven in 1846, and is a son of C. L. and Sarah
C. (Cummings) Gridley, natives of
Oneida county and New Haven respectively.
For several years after the close
of the war Mr. Gridley was in the lumber trade
in Michigan but he is now devoting
his attention to farming. In 18TO he married
Eliza G. Zones, and they have a
son, Ernest P., and one daughter, Eva, who died
aged nineteen. C. L. Gridley was
a lumberman and farmer, served as a lieutenant
in the war, and died in 1881 aged
sixty-seven. His wife died in 1863 aged forty-six.
Theodore, grandfather of subject,
came from Oneida county, locating at Little Hole,
where he carried on an extensive
tanning, carding and saw milling business till his
death. Abram Zones, the father of
Mrs. Gridley, lives with them and has resided
on the same farm over fifty years.
He came from Washington county and was born
in 1809. His wife, who died in 1892
aged eighty-five, was a daughter of Cornelius
H. Schemerhorn, a tanner, who came
to New Haven from the Mohawk Valley at a
very early date.
Guthrie, A. S., was born in 1839
in Argyle, Washington county, was educated in
the schools of that town, and graduated
at Eastman's Business College. He came
to this town in 1869, and was with
E. P. Barrett three years. He was at Jackson,
Mich., three years, was a railroad
conductor four years, and built eighteen miles of
the Lake Shore Railroad. He went
into the furniture and undertaking" business in
1878, which he still continues.
Mr. Guthrie is a son of John and Eliza Guthrie. He
married Ellen Mackintosh in 1887,
and in 1893 way elected county superintendent of
the poor for Oswego county.
Graves, Solomon, born in Vienna,
Oneida county, in 1840, is a son of Sanford
Graves, one of eight children of
Martin and Hannah (Jefferson) Graves of
Massachusetts. Martin conducted
a ferry boat for many years in Massachusetts, and after
coming to Oneida county boated on
the canals. He died in 1837 aged eighty-four
years. Sanford has always followed
farming, and came to West Monroe in 1866
His wife was Polly Harter, and their
children are Susan, Mary, Helen, Abbie A.,
and Solomon. He now resides with
our subject, aged eighty-five years. His wife
died in 1881. Subject when twenty-one
bought a canal boat which he run four years,
when he came to West Monroe, where
he owns 295 acres. Mr. Graves served as
assessor nine years, town auditor
three years, in 1893 as supervisor, and is a member
of the Masonic order and Central
Square Grange. In 1866 he married Eliza Vaaderburg,
who died in 1880, and in 1882 he
married Almina Hall of West Monroe. Their
children are Carl, born in April.
1884; Beulah, born in 1886; John, born in 1888; Otis,
born in 1890; and Lulu. born in
1892. Martin Graves, the grandfather, was
the son of Martin, who sprang from
the family of Thomas Graves, who came from
England and settled in Hartford.
Conn., in 1645.
Gault, William A., highway commissioner
of this town, was born in Ira, Cayuga
county, in 1847, and settled in
Hannibal in 1863. He is a veteran of the late war and
a member of the G. A. R., Hannibal
Post. He enlisted in 1864, in Co. I, of the 193d
Regiment, and was honorably discharged
at the close of the war. He is a son of
John Gault, and a grandson of John,
sr., one of the first settlers of Cato- In 1876
our subject married Catherine Smith,
and they have three children; James, Mabel
and Charles, The family is of Yankee
origin.
Guenther, Adolph, was born in Hesse-Darmstadt,
Germany,
June 14, 1829, son of
John and Margaret Guenther, who
died when subject was three years of age, and he
was bound out and later learned
the wagon trade. At the age of seventeen he came
to Syracuse, where he followed his
trade two years. The following five years was
spent in different States working
at his trade, his last place being St. Louis. He then
came to Hastings and with his brother-in-law
purchased the farm he now owns.
From 1858 to 1870 he was engaged
in the manufacture of lumber, since which time
he has conducted his farm of 270
acres. In 1863 he married Caroline Ganc, and their
children are Augusta, wife of Edward
Clark of Hastings; Charles, Fred and Emma.
Subject is a member of the Central
Square Grange. He was the youngest of nine
children, and the only male representative
of the family who came to America.
Green, Edward, was born in West
Monroe in August, 1859, son of Silas Green, a
native of Onondaga county, born
in 1829, whose father was Gardner Green of the
same county and of New England ancestry,
who came to West Monroe in 1831 and
settled. He was a great hunter and
chose this place as wild game was very abundant.
Silas was reared on the homestead,
of which he came in possession later, and
where he has since lived. His wife
was Malica Clapp, and their children were Ed-
ward, Henry, Emery and Nancy. Subject
began by working at the lumber business,
later learned the mason's trade,
which he followed nine years. In 1885 he came to
Hastings and purchased his present
farm, making a specialty of hop-growing. He
married the same year Katie daughter
of George Lienhart of West Monroe, and they
have two children, Lynford, born
m 1886, and Floyd, born in 1899. Subject is a
member of the Central Square Grange.
Gaylord, L. A., was born October
9, 1822, at Florence, Oneida county, a son of
Miles H., "who was born February
6, 1796, and settled in Florence where he was
pastor of the M. E. Church. He died
in 1886 aged ninety years. His father, Elijah,
was born March 5, 1770, and his
mother January 24, 1768. Miles H. married first
Minerva Kellogg, and second. Jane
Dustin, who was a descendant of one of the first
families in the county, and of the
Dustins who went into an Indian camp, returning
with the scalps of several of the
Indians, the sword being- now in our subject's pos-
session. His father was assessor
in various towns of the county for over thirty years,
and was justice of the peace for
seventeen years. L. A. Gaylord spent his early
days on the farm, and later carried
on a nourishing jewelry business in Pulaski.
Fifteen years ago he came to his
present abode in Albion and bought a farm of 234
acres, most of which is under cultivation,
Mr. Gaylord being thoroughly up to the
times in the farmer business. He
married Matilda J. Wyman and they have nine
children, several of whom are in
business in Lockport. Mr. Gaylord is a Mason of
Pulaski Lodge No. 415.
Gray, Charles C., farmer and proprietor
of a saw mill near Colosse, was born in
1851 at Colosse, son of Peter Gray,
one of the early settlers of France, He does
custom sawing of all kinds, cutting
annually 200,000 feet of lumber. He also
manufactures about 5,000 bushels
of apples into cider annually, custom work. In 1875 he
married Eugenia Vigneron, who is
also of French parentage, and has three children:
Edward, Harietta and Grace.
Getty, Alfred B., was born in Madison
county March 13, 1824. His grandfather
was Robert of Massachusetts, who
died in Madison county aged sixty; his father
was Isaac, a soldier of the war
of 1812, who was born in Washington county and died
in this county aged seventy-three.
The latter married Asenath Cook of Onondaga
county, who died aged eighty-three,
her father having been a Revolutionary soldier.
Our subject was educated in Oneida
county, read law, was admitted to the bar in
1848, and has practiced ever since.
In 1857 he was appointed clerk in the Oswego
custom house, later serving as department
collector, then alderman, then member
of the Board of Education, and was
postmaster under President Buchanan. He was
a member of the Military Committee
of Oswego county during the war, and was also
city attorney, assessor, collector
of internal revenue of the 32d district, and was
appointed United States circuit
court commissioner for the State of New York, which
office he has held twenty-six years.
Mr. Getty has also served as recorder and city
judge of Oswego. September 6, 1849,
he married Mary E., daughter of Waitman
Lyon of Syracuse, and their children
are Alice, born August 20, 1850, died October
31, 1866; Addison B., born February
9, 1853; Frederick W., born November 3, 1853;
Charles R., born January 10, 1857,
died January 1, 1860. Addison resides in Omaha,
Neb. His wife was Martha A. Conger
of Cayuga county. Fred W. married Eva
May Williams of Chicago, where they
reside.
Matteson, A. M., was born in the
town of Albion May o, 1856, son of Charles and
Julia Matteson. The parents were
originally from Vermont. The father came to
Albion about forty-six years ago
and cleared a tract of land of one hundred and fifty
acres. The occupation of the family
has always been farming, He worked for several
years at grafting, taking a gang
of men into Canada for that purpose. He married
Julia D. Saders, who was of Dutch
parentage. They became the parents of
eight children. A year ago the parents
celebrated their fiftieth anniversary. The
children are Frederick, Frank A.,
Loretta, Ada, Adam, Gemane and A. M. Our
subject owns at present a farm of
sixty-seven acres, all under cultivation, and is looked
upon as a first class farmer in
this locality. He married Allie, daughter of Nicholas
Mead, December 6, 1879. They have
three children now living, Bessie, fourteen
years old ; Etta, tweve years old;
and Harold, six years old. Our subject is a
member of the Grange.
Matteson, Z. T, was born in the
town of Albion on the farm he now owns, November 28,
1847. He is the son of Burtori and
Lydia (Bowen) Matteson, who were both
born in Vermont. They came to Otsego
county and settled in Richfield. In 1847
they came to Albion. The father
was a farmer. Our subject is also a farmer and
owns a fine farm of 156 acres. Mr.
Matteson was educated in the district schools.
In 1872 he married his first wife,
Sarah E. West of Albion. His second wife was
Ella E. Reese, also of Albion. Our
subject is a member of the Grange.
Nelson, Dr. George W., was born
in Rome, Oneida county, April 8, 1836, a son of
Elijah P., a native of Plain field,
N. Y., born in 1806, whose father was Moses Nelson,
born in 1760. At the terrible Cherry
Valley massacre of 1778, Moses and his mother
were taken captives by the Indians,
who set out for Canada with their prisoners, and
finding that his poor mother was
unable to keep up with the march, they scalped and
killed her in his presence. After
reaching their destination, they compelled him to
run the gauntlet." Along the path
were ranged warriors, squaws, and children,
armed with clubs and goads and various
weapons of offense. Nelson acquitted him-
self so bravely as to win applause
of his captors and was released. He enlisted in
the Revolutionary army and died
in 1844, leaving ten children. Elijah resided the
greater part of his life in Westmoreland,
Oneida county. He married Mary Wallace,
born in Albany county in 1806. He
died in 1855 and she died in 1865. They had
three children. Dr. William H.,
of Taberg, George W. and Mary E. (deceased).
George W. was educated at Rome Academy
and Whitestown Seminary, and taught
school a number of terms in Rome,
Taberg and Florence. He studied medicine and
surgery with Drs. J. B- Cobb, of
Rome, and W, H. Nelson, of Taberg, finishing at
Castleton Medical College in Vermont
in 1861. The following year he practiced with
his brother in Taberg, and in October,
1862, located in Orwell, where he has since
enjoyed a large and extensive practice,
often being called into adjoining townships.
He is a member of the Oswego County
Medical Society, the Medical Association of
Central New York and the State Medical
Association. He has served as county
coroner, town clerk, etc., and is
a member of the I. 0. 0. F. and the Royal Templars
of Temperance. In April, 1865, he
married Mary E., daughter of John and Maria
Bonner of Orwell. She died in September,
1884, leaving one son, George, now a
merchant in Orwell. Dr. Nelson married
second Lilian Milkins of Skaneateles,
Onondaga county.
Nye, Eugene F., was born in Madison
county February 15, 1850, a grandson of
Ebenezer of Connecticut, who died
in Madison county aged seventy-four, and a son
of Ebenezer L., who married Rebecca
Pruyn, born in Herkimer county, who died
aged sixty-three. Their children
were Eugene F., Irving M., Mary A., Hattie and
Maude E., all deceased but subject.
The grandfather was a soldier in the war of
1813. The father of our subject,
who is still living aged seventy-two, was for eighteen
years a dealer in furnishing and
undertaking- Eugene F. was educated in Oneida
Seminary and Sandy Creek High School,
finishing at Poughkeepsie Business College,
after which he engaged with the
R. W. & 0- Railroad as clerk. He was afterward
six years in the marble and granite
business in Sandy Creek, and in 1880 started in
the general furnishing and undertaking
business, under the firm name of E. L- Nye
& Son, which still continues.
This firm is the only one of the kind in the town, and
uses the latest process of embalming,
in which our subject is an expert. March 7.
1877, he married Susan A. Caswell
of Oswego county. daughter of Charles and Mary
(Fowler) Caswell. They have adopted
one child. Lulu, who lived to be six years of
age, dying August 15, 1888. Mr.
Nye was for four years a member of the Sandy
Creek Band.
Norton, Hiram, was born in Schroeppel
in 1830. His parents, Lumon and Mellnda
(Thompson) Norton, were born, reared
and married in Oneida county. In 1819 Lumon
Norton took up lot No. 6, built
a log house, and moved here with his wife in the
spring of 1820. He died in 1870
aged seventy-four, and his wife in 1864 aged sixty-
seven. They reared three children:
Zenas, born in 1822 who died in 1864, a prisoner
in the late war; Mary, born in 1826,
who [Harried Gilbert Brundridge and died in
1889; and Hiram, our subject- The
latter resides on the old homestead where he
was born. When twenty-three years
old he spent one 3 ear in California, then re-
turned and married Henrietta Thompson,
who died in 1857. He afterward married
Eliza Ann Miller, and they have
two children, Irving S. and Earl S. Mr. Norton
served two terms as assessor, and
was elected the third term.
Nelson, Brainard, is a son of Ebenezer
J. and Charity (Dunbar) Nelson, and was
born in Camden, Oneida county, December
14, 1833. Ebenezer J., a native of
Ainherst, Mass., settled in Camden
about 1830. He was a stone mason by trade and
worked on various public contracts,
and was also farmer, in which occupation the son
was reared. Educated in the common
schools and Cortlandville Academy, he began
life at the age of twenty as an
apprentice at the mason's trade, which he thoroughly
mastered in all its branches, and
which he followed till about the close of the year
1858. In January, 1859, he became
a resident of Oswego, and miscellaneous clerk
in the county clerk's office under
Samuel R. Taylor. Since then, excepting eight
years, he has been continuously
connected with that office. January 1, 1862, he was
appointed deputy clerk by Edward
R. Rathbun, and in January, 1865, became also
acting court clerk, holding both
positions until January 1, 1874. In the fall of 1673
he was elected county clerk by a
majority of 1,650 over Morgan L. Marshall, the
Democratic nominee, and served a
term of three years. He "was then for one year
(1877) special deputy clerk under
his successor, Daniel R. Taylor, and from then
until December, 1885, was engaged
in business in Oswego. In January, 1886, he
again became special deputy clerk
under John Oliphant, and in January, 1892, was
appointed to his present position
of deputy clerk under Mr. Pentelow. During all
this time, excepting the years from
1878 to 1885 inclusive, Mr. Nelson has also served
as court clerk, discharging all
the duties with rare fidelity and eminent executive
ability. He has always been a staunch
Republican and has scarcely missed an election
since attaining his majority. He
has ever been prominently identified with his party,
though never aggressively active
in partisan affairs. During his term as county
clerk he was instrumental in introducing
the present Lusk system of indexing, which
simplifies the labor of research
and condenses the old voluminous method previously
employed. As a result the records
in the office from 1791 to the present year have
been wholly re-indexed and made
convenient as well as accessible. He was a charter
member of the People's Mutual Benefit
Insurance Association of Oswego in 1879 and
for sometime one of its executive
committee. In November, 1861, Mr. Nelson married
Mary S., daughter of Orson Norton,
a merchant of Camden. She died March 3, 1892.
Nacey William, was born in Oswego
June 24, 1863, a son of William, born in
Ireland, now living aged sixty-five.
Our subject was educated in Oswego at St. Paul's
school, and in 1879 began to learn
the sash and blind manufacturing trade, at which
he worked eleven years. In 1889
he bought the livery stables at 140 East First street
of Levi Brown, which he now conducts,
doing a general livery business with boarding
and sale of horses. He also keeps
trotting horses, and the stable has a capacity
of thirty horses. Our subject is
a member of the Catholic church, and of the A. 0,
U. H. June 5, 1889, he married Nellie
Glinn, daughter of Michael and Ellen Berrigan
of Oswego, and their children are
William J., born June 2, 1891, and Mary Alice,
born February 8, 1893.
Nacey & Flanigan, 14 East Cayuga
street, are manufacturers of ginger ale, birch
beer, sarsaparilla, lemon soda,
lemon sour, cream soda, strawberry soda, etc. They
organized in April, 1885, on East
Second street, but in 1891 removed to the above
number, where they do an extensive
business. They manufacture every kind of
bottled liquor, their bottling all
being done, by machinery, for which they have the best
facilities and the latest improved
works. John Flanigan was born in Ireland, March
13, 1847, a son of John, who was
also born in Ireland, where he died aged fifty-three.
He married Catharine Guartlin, who
died in Oswego aged sixty-five. John came to
Oswego at the age of four, and here
was educated. He first engaged at work in a
cotton factory, then at lumbering,
and next engaged on the canal, which occupation
he followed twenty years, owning
three vessels at one time. In 1885 he joined John
Nacey and organized the firm of
Nacey & Flanigan, which still continues. Mr. Flanigan
married in 1881 Nellie, daughter
of Thomas and Mary Otis of Oswego, and they
have had these children; Catharine,
born February 11, 1882, George, born August
4, 1883, Loretta, born in September,
1888, and Frederick, born in October, 1891.
Olin, William, was born in Mara,
Oneida county, in 1833, son of Benjamin Olin, a
native of Norwich, Conn., born 1794,
the oldest 01 eleven children born to Benjamin
P., who came to the United States
and served in the Revolutionary war with credit,
being- promoted to major. After
the war Benjamin took up farming and became
wealthy. Benjamin, the father of
William, was always a farmer, a thrifty and successful
man. He came to Albion in 1825 and
settled near Sand Bank, where he spent
his remaining days. He served as
justice of the peace four years. His wife was
Susan Partlow of Connecticut, by
whom he had ten children: Eliza A., Ezra. Susan,
Emeline, William, Harriet, Daniel,
Russell, Benjamin F. and George W. Mr. and
Mrs. Olin both died in 1862. William
began for himself when eighteen years of age,
working in a saw mill, and through
his industry and integrity he soon owned saw
mills of his own and manufactured
lumber and shingles. He followed this business
for forty years in Albion. In 1891
he retired from this business and bought a farm
in Centreville. In 1893 he removed
to his wife's farm in Orwell where he now resides.
In 1854 he married Lydia Lyons of
Albion. Their children are Franklin, Mrs. Libbie
Bates of West Amboy, Mrs. Hattie
Powers of Sand Bank, Mrs. Nettie Thorp of
Bridgeport, and Mrs. Kittie Ackley
of Albion. His wife died in 1865, and in 1880 he
married his second wife, Sarah (Tyron),
widow of Jere Mattison. Mr. Olin and his
wife are both members of the Grange.
Oyer, Charles H., was born in Sandy
Creek. October 7, 1853, the oldest of two
children born to Ira and Elizabeth
(Howe) Over, the former a native of Frankfort,
Herkimer county, born November 16,
1820, and the latter of Sandy Creek, born in 1820.
The father of our subject started
in life for himself at the age of fourteen, and at his
death owned 336 acres of land. His
wife died in 1860. and he married Lorett Howe,
a sister of his first wife, and
they had three children. He was a Free Mason, and a
member of Sandy Creek Lodge. He
died February 28, 1892, and his wife died in
June, 1885. Our subject was educated
in Pulaski Academy, and graduated from the
Watertown Business College in 1872.
He is a farmer and owns 115 acres, keeping a
dairy of fifteen cows- In 1881 he
married Hattie R. White of Adams, Jefferson
county, daughter of Herman and Caroline
(Green) White, and they have one daughter,
Cecile E., born January 29, 1884.
The grandparents of Charles H. had a family
of ten children, of whom seven survive,
the youngest being now fifty. The maternal
grandfather, Newell Howe, was one
of the first settlers in this town.
Oderkirk, John Andrew, was born
in Boylston July 20,1831. He is a son of Nelson
Oderkirk who was born in Hoosick,
Rensselaer county, in 1811, son of Jacob
Oderkirk. The Oderkirk family had
its origin in The Hague, Holland. Jacob was a
farmer and came to Oswego county
about 1820 and settled in Sandy Creek. A few years
later he removed to Boylston, where
he and his wife, Catherine Wyant, spent their
remaining days. Nelson was a farmer.
He married Maria, daughter of George and
Sally (Shoecraft) Hostater, born
in Schuyler, Herkimer county, in 1810. Their
children were John, David and Almira.
Nelson died in 1883. His wife now resides on
the homestead with our subject,
who has devoted most of his life to farming. From
1879 to 1882 he was engaged in the
manufacture of cheese in this town. He has
served as supervisor and assessor
of the town and is at present postmaster at North
Boylston. In 1850 he married Susan,
daughter of John Etherage of Massachusetts
who were of Puritan stock. Their
children are Mrs. Jennie Woodard, of Ellisburg,
Jefferson county, Mrs. Mary Reamer,
of Savannah, Wayne county, and Mrs. Betsey
Eggleston of Boylston. Mr. Oderkirk
is a member of the I. 0. 0 F. and he and his
wife are members of the M. P. church
at N. Boylston.
Oderkirk, Jacob J., was born in
Sandy Creek in 1819. His family remained there
two years, then one year in Ellisbnrg,
and moved into Boylston, settling on the north
side of the town, Mr. Oderkirk being
the oldest settler of the town. He lived on the
north road until 1856, then moved
to the center of the town and bought a farm of fifty
acres but now has ninety-six acres-
He married in 1848 Rachael Shoecraft, who died
in 1867. Her children are Adaline,
Mrs. Newell Lermonth; Antoinette, Mrs. Anthony
Mackey of Olean; Martha T., Mary,
Mrs. Darius Yerdon of Dexter; Richard M.,
Claudius T., and. Harriet, Mrs.
Brown of Olean. He married second Helen dark of
Richland, by whom he had three children,
Benjamin, Don T. and Helen M. The
second Mrs. Oderkirk died in 1880.
Subject's father, Jacob, a native of Rensselaer
county, died in Boylston in 1854.
His mother was Catherine Wygant.
O'Brien, John, was born in Ireland
in 1840, and came to America in 1853. and
located in Oswego county in 1864.
After spending some time in New York,
Pennsylvania and Syracuse, he learned
the harnessmaker's trade at the latter place, and
followed it till 1868- Is 1867 he
married Josephine Bailey, a native of Hastings, and
followed farming in Schroeppel till
1884, when he removed to Phoenix. He was in
the government employ four years
during the war, spending the last two years at the
Washington City Arsenal. He was
postmaster at Caughdenoy eight years, justice
of the peace four years, and supervisor
five years. He is one of three partners
owning the Oswego River Paper Mill,
and is also proprietor of the Phoenix Foundry.
He has one son, Robert E. Mrs. O'Brien
is a granddaughter of Henry Waterbury,
who came from Rensselaer county
to Hastings among the very earliest settlers of
that town. Her father, Erastus W.
Bailey, was one of the pioneers of Schroeppel.
O'Connor, James, was born in Scriba
May 30, 1851. In 1890 he married Catherine
L. Healey, and they have two children,
Edward Nelson and Ella Mary. Mr.
0'Connor's father was Michael, and
his mother Mary (Fineron) O'Connor. His father
came to America from Ireland in
1834. Mrs. O'Connor's father was Patrick Healey
of New York, and her mother Elizabeth
(Nevens) Healey. Mr. Healey entered the
navy during the late war and died
shortly after from injuries received while in the
service.
Owen, Joseph, was born in South
Wales, February 3, 1818, son of William and
Sarah Owen. Joseph was sixteen years
old when he came to this country, and worked
at farming until he bought his own
farm about 1849. He cleared off a portion of it
each year, cultivating it as it
was cleared. He married Catharine Flanagan and has
five children: Mary, Rosanna, Lewis,
Theresa, Robert, all married and located in
homes of their own. Coming to this
country at an early age, through his unaided
efforts he secured 'a farm of his
own, and raised a family of children who are all doing
well.
Odell, Austin W., resided in his
native county of Lewis till 1866 (when he was six-
teen years old) then moved to New
Haven with his parents, Austin Y. and Arabella
(Campbell) Odell. The mother died
in 18T4 aged seventy years, and the father re-
sides with our subject. He married
in 1874 Ida Crysdall of Canada, and they had
two children, Clarence and Mabel.
Oswego Dry Goods and Carpet Co.,
191 to 195 N. First street, successors to Fred
K. Massey & Co. This is a stock
company with a paid up capital of $20,000, organized
March 8, 1894. They carry a full
line of imported and domestic dry goods, carpets,
rugs, oil cloth, linoleums, matting,
etc. ; notions, draperies, and all upholstering
goods, cloaks, men's furnishings,
hosiery and underwear, etc., and are special agents
for the Robinson cover and the Majesty
corset covers, with a full line of kid gloves.
They carry the largest line in the
county in ladies dress goods, and have a large and
varied assortment of cloaks and
silks. Their store is 50 by 100 feet, two floors, and
they employ twenty-eight salespeople,
catering to the best city trade and doing a
business of about §120,000
a year. Michael T. Kinnane, the manager and treasurer
of this large concern, was born
in Oswego September 5, 1861. He was educated in
this city and began his business
life as a dry goods clerk, continuing six years. He
spent two years with Massey &
De Forest, then formed the firm of Halligan, Mahar
& Kinnane, which lasted seven
years. He next formed the above company, of which
he is the only active member. He
is a member of the Catholic church.
Odell, Mrs. R. B. (Kellogg), was
born in Granby, August 19, 1826. Her father,
the late Ambrose B. Kellogg, was
one of the leading farmers of Granby, a justice
and supervisor, and in all respects
prominent Her late husband, R. B. Odell, was
born in Homer, Cortland county,
March 14, 1819. They were married at Morrisville,
October 4, 1848, and in 1855 removed
to Fulton. Among the practical and original
builders of those days Mr. Odell
was a leader. He was his own architect, being a
practical draughtsman also. Several
of the mammoth mills here are specimens of his
skill and handiwork. In the Masonic
and I. 0. 0. F. orders he took a high rank,
also in society in general. He died
very suddenly while at his work August 30, 18T9.
They had one daughter, Clara F.,
born October 11, 1849, but she died in infancy.
The aged mother of Mrs. Odell now
shares her home. She was born in Marcellus,
the daughter of Benjamin Rathbun,
and is now eighty-eight years of age.
Parks, Daniel, was born in Amboy
in 1844, son of John, whose father, Sage Parks,
was one of the most prominent men
in Amboy, where he died in 1848 aged sixty-four
years, leaving five sons. John Parks
had two sons, John B. and Daniel, as above.
who is now a farmer at Amboy Centre.
His wife is Mary, daughter of James Foils
of Amboy.
Whitney, George M., was born in
New Haven in 1849, and with the exception of
one year in Erie county, has always
resided there. He was reared a farmer, learned
the cooper's trade, dealt in agricultural
implements seven or eight years, and is at
present in the undertaking business-
He has been overseer of the poor several
times, supervisor five years, inspector
of customs three years, a member of the I. 0.
0. F., and the Methodist church.
In 1868 he married Mary Searles, and has two
daughters, Myrta and Bertha N. His
father, Burton C., is a native of Vermont,
located in New Haven at an early
day, and is now seventy-two years old.
Willmarth, S. 0., was born in
New Haven in 1832, and is the son of Orrin and
Sarah (Utter) Willmarth, who came
from Madison county and died here. Subject
was reared a farmer, has been in
the mercantile trade and is a stock dealer. He
married in 1866 Caroline Burton,
who died in 1878 leaving one child, George of
Mexico. He afterward married Alice
Hall, and has one child, Avery.
Watson, William H., was born in
Oswego city in 1841, son of Jonathan and Jane
(Thompson) Watson, natives of Yorkshire,
England. They were married in Canada
and moved to Oswego in 1840; from
Oswego they came to New Haven in 1863, and
died in 1874 and 1893, aged sixty-three
and seventy-seven respectively. Mr. Watson
followed sailing on the lakes thirty-three
years, but has followed farming exclusively
for the past six years. He married
Marcia A. Mattison in 1866, and has four children,
George, Velona, Boardman P. and
Liva.
White, Solomon, was born at Watertown,
Jefferson county, in 1835 and is a son of
Solomon and Lucy (Lee) White. In
1836 they moved to Port Ontario, where the
father was a merchant till 1844
when he moved to New Haven and farmed till his
death in 1857, aged seventy. His
wife died in 1877, aged eighty-one. Our subject
filled various clerkships in stores
in Watertown, Buffalo and- Oswego, and in 1850
engaged in the mercantile trade
in New Haven, and took up farming in 1855. He
married in 1853 Celia Eason, by
whom he has had two children, Daniel Lee, who died in
1855, and Charles S. of New Haven.
Mr. White received the appointment to the
New Haven post-office under Folk's
administration and served six years. Mrs.
White died in 1891 aged fifty-six.
Waring, J. W., son of George, was
born in Schroeppel in 1839. The father, George,
was a son of Solomon and was the
first white child born in the county. He died in
1867 aged seventy-two. George Waring
reared a family of six children, and his wife,
Irene Hall, died in 1892 aged ninety.
J. W. is the youngest of the family, and married
in 1887 Eliza, daughter of Alexander
Ross. He is one of the most prominent
men in the town.
Warner, Thomas, was born in Schoharie
county March 16, 1829, son of David J.,
whose father was Jacob Warner of
the same county- David J. was a farmer, came
to Hastings to 1830, and owned a
saw and grist mill which he conducted in connection
with his farming. His wife was Fannie
Osborne, and their children were Charity,
Peter, Adaline, Caroline, Josephus,
Margaret, Katherine and Mary Jane. He died
in 1850, since which time subject
has conducted the business and farm, has also dealt
in wood and has also been interested
in canal boats. In 1852 he married Juliet Z.,
daughter of George Waring, born
in Constantia in 1796. He was the first white
child born in this county, was a
farmer and Mexican soldier. His father was Solomon
Waring, among the first to settle
in Oswego county. George W. married Irena,
daughter of Joshua Hall, a soldier
and first man that was buried in Caughdenoy
cemetery. Subject s children are
Florence, wife of Tyler Church, and Frank S. He
and wife are members of the Central
Square Grange.
Wilson, Silas Lorenzo, was born
in Madison county in 1839, son of Timothy Wilson,
a native of the same county, who
was one of eight children and came to Oswego
county about 1847, and settled on
a farm in Palermo. Later he moved to Hastings,
where he and his wife Lydia (Elwood)
Wilson, spent their remaining days. They
had five children, William, Elizabeth,
Silas L., Sylvanus D., and Alien Adelbert.
At the age of twenty-one subject
began life for himself as a farmer, and in 1869
purchased his present farm. He has
also been interested in horse breeding and stock
raising. In 1861 he married Alvira
P. Pangburn, and their children are States
Barton; Mrs. Sarah Morgan and Mrs.
Cora Gates of Clay, Onondaga county; and
William J. Subject and wife are
members of the M. E church of Upson Corners; has
been church delegate and is now
steward.
Wolcott, Gustavus, of Holland ancestry,
was born in Jefferson county April 11,
1833. The father, Lawrence, was
born in Dutchess county, and died in Jefferson
county aged sixty years. His wife
was Celinda Hughes, born in Connecticut, who
died in Oswego county aged seventy-eight
years. Their children were Morgan,
Washington, Wilfred May, our subject,
John, Sylvanus and Sarah, of whom Morgan
and Washington are deceased. The
grandfather wa3 in the Revolutionary war.
Subject was educated in Dufcchess
county, was a butcher, then a farmer, and has
lived, in Oswego county since 1854.
He married in 1854 Martha Hinsman of Oswego
county, daughter of Henry and Ursula
(Fox) Hinsman. Their children were Carrie.
William and Eva. She died and he
married second, March 13, 1894, Laura, daughter
of William and Betsey (Burt) Hovens
of Oswego county, who was a widow having
two children. Carrie married Warren
Bennett; and Eva married Harvey Marshall
and lives at Pulaski.
Winner, Richard, of New England
ancestry, was born in Jefferson county October
15, 1835, a grandson of Charles,
who died in Buffalo aged eighty years; and a son of
Thomas born in New Jersey, who died
aged seventy-seven years- The latter married
Annie Anthony of Vermont, who died
aged eighty-one years. Their children
were Daniel, Sally A., William,
who died in infancy, Elizabeth, Albert and Richard.
The father was a Quaker. Richard
was educated in Jefferson county and is a Mason
and a member of the G. A. R. In
1862 he enlisted in the 10th N. Y.-Heavy Artillery,
and served in the Army of the James.
He was injured by the exploding of a shell In
front of Petersburg, but served
till the close of the war. In 1855 he married Sarah
Petrie of Jefferson county, whose
parents were James and Nancy (Walrath) Petrie.
Mrs. Winner died in 1886, leaving
these children: Maurice, Adelbert, Arthur J., of
whom Maurice married Carrie Griffin,
who died in 1888, and second Sarah Brown;
Arthur J. married Delia Walters.
In 1877 our subject married second Flora Fitch of
Oswego county, daughter of Ephraim
and Caroline (Bishop) Fitch.
Walworth, Warren, was born in Richland
August 11, 1826. His grandfather, John
Walworth, died in' this State, and
his father, Azel, was born in Rensselaer county,
and died in Richland March 14, 1850-
The latter married Betsey Pierce. He was a
farmer and participated in the war
of 1813. His children were John, Betsey, Harriet,
Benjamin, Azel, William and Warren,
all deceased except Harriet and our subject.
The latter was educated at Richland
in the common schools, and look up farming.
He is a Republican in politics,
and a member of the Grange. He married Harriet
Brown of Richland.
White, Albert, of English descent,
was born in Wisconsin November 22, 1852.
His grandfather, William Bradshaw,
was born and died in England, and was a man
of influence in the town of Lincolnshire,
England. The father of Albert was William,
born in England, who came to the
United States about 1848, and at the outbreak
of the civil war raised a regiment
and went to the front as colonel, never being heard
from after. He married Catharine
Bradshaw, born in England, who now lives with
her son. Her children were William,
Henry and Albert. The latter was educated
in Oswego county and at the age
of twenty-one began his business career, looking
after the interests of an aunt,
Melvina M. Gurincrass of New York. He attended
her in her travels for a number
of years; 'among the countries visited being Brazil,
Portugal, etc., where she had property
interests. They also visited England, Scot-
land, France, Spain and various
cities on the continent. She died October 5, 1882.
Our subject then went to Oswego
county and settled on the homestead place in Richland
with his mother, where he now resides.
White, Joseph Yates, of Massachusetts
ancestry, was born in Otsego county August
30, 1830, a grandson of William,
born in New England and died in Columbia county,
aged eighty-three, and his son,
Calvin, was also a native of that county and died in
Oswego county at the age of sixty-six.
The mother of our subject was Ephia Stowell,
a native of Connecticut, who died
aged seventy-seven years. Their children were
Charles E., Joseph, Lovetta J.,
George W., Delia, William, Catharine H., Francis M.,
Louisa, Cornelius. Grandfather White
and Grandfather Stowell were both soldiers
in the Revolution. The former was
a surveyor and settled in Oneida county before
the Indians had surrendered that
county, and the ancestors more remote came over
in the Mayflower. Our subject was
educated in Delaware and Oswego county schools,
and is a carpenter and bridge builder,
as well as the owner of a farm. He was in
the engineer corps during the late
war. In December, 1878, he married Phoebe Ellis,
of Jefferson county, and they have
two children: George, born July 25, 1873, and
Alien G., born March 35, 1874, both
residing at home.
Wyman, Eugene E., was born in this
county September 22, 1853. His grandfather,
Purley Wyman, died in Oswego county
aged eighty-five; and his father, Erastus D.,
died aged seventy-five. The latter
married Mercy Smith, who died at the age of
fifty. Their children were Eliza,
Mercy A., Mary, Jay, Eugene E., and Almira.
Eugene was educated in the common
schools, and has been a farmer, a mechanic,
and a railroad man, having been
car inspector at Richland Station where he is also
freight agent. July 4, 1875, he
married Etta, daughter of Dexter and Harriet (Huth)
Stewart, and their children are
Charles, Lydia and Mina, Charles being in the employ
of the R. W. & 0. Railroad at
Richland Station. Eugene E. is an Odd Fellow,
and a K. of M.
Whaley, Washington, was born in
1838, son of George Whaley, who was one of the
early settlers of Amboy. Mr. Whaley
married Abigail, daughter of Thomas Towsley.
and their children are Perry, Clara,
Thomas, Anna and Myrtie. Mr. Whaley bought
the farm where he now lives in 1868.
Waugh, Washington, was born in
Scriba February 17, 1840, a son of John P. and
Eleanor Waugh, the father a lumberman,
who came to this county at the age of
eighteen, and died aged seventy-five.
His wife was Eleanor Judson, widow of Mr.
Jones, and they had ten children.
Our subject began for himself at the age of twenty-
nine, in the lumber business, which
he has followed ever since, excepting during
the war, when he enlisted in August,
1862, in the 110th N. Y. Vols., and was discharged
in July, 1865, in Vermont. He was
not wounded, but came from the service with
impaired health. He is a member
of the G. A. R. of Parish. July 30, 1869, he married
Sarah L. Spencer, daughter of D.
W. Spencer of Albion, and they have two
children, Ida L., now Mrs. Cogier,
and one other.
Wall, William, was born in Ireland
in 1852 and came to Amboy in 1870, where he
has since been one of the thrifty
farmers. He married in 1889 Mary, daughter of
David Price of Camden, and they
have one son, Charles W.
Wilkinson, Thomas, was born in
Amboy in 1847, and is one of the thrifty farmers
of his town. His father was Thomas
Wilkinson, who came from Scotland and settled in
Amboy in 1837 and died in 1886.
Mr. Wilkinson's wife was Charlotte, daughter of
Samuel Whaley. He has one sister,
Mrs. William Brown of Amboy.
Whaley, John W., was born in Herkimer
county in 1824, son of George, who was
one of the early settlers of Amboy,
having settled there in 1829 where he died in 1892,
leaving four sons. The Whaleys have
always been one of the most prominent families
of the place, and George is now
postmaster, having retired from farming.
Williams, Edward, was born in Jefferson
county October 20, 1847, a grandson of
David, and a son of Daniel and Eliza
(Van Auken) Williams, the former born in
Herkimer county, and dying in this
county aged sixty-eight; and the latter now living
aged seventy-two. Their children
were Angeline, Edward, Wilbert, Ezra, Henry,
Irwin and. Carrie. Edward was educated
at Ellisburg Academy and followed farming
till the age of twenty-three. In
1863 he started a small mercantile business in
Sandy Creek, and by close application
and good management he has met with success.
In 1882 he built the first brick
building ever erected for business in the town. In
1888 he bought the adjoining building
and added to his already large store, since
which he has dealt largely in dry
goods, groceries, hardware, country produce, boots
and shoes, agricultural implements,
etc., being the leading merchant of the town,
and carrying the largest stock.
He also conducts a farm in the town of Sandy Creek.
August 32, 1872, he married Jeteene,
daughter of Jason Hadley, and they have one
child, Andrea, born August 6, 1887.
Washington, George B., has had
an experience having but few parallels in the
history of any country. Born a slave
in the State of Virginia about 1850, very little
can be said of his ancestry. This,
however, can be demonstrated beyond doubt, that
his mother and grandmother were
both brought from Africa, and that owing to the
fact of their being less tractable
than those usually brought over, they were both con-
fined in a box during the entire
voyage. The birthplace of George was in Mecklenburg
county, Va., and he remembers perfectly
having been sold once before being
liberated in 1865. At the time of
the surrender of Lee he was with United States
troops and. was at Appomattox Court
House and the famous apple tree when. Lee
finally surrendered. After the close
of the war, being then a boy of about fifteen
without any education, money or
friends, he came north and took up his residence
first in Pulaski. He then went to
Mansville and attended a common school eight
weeks, when he began working for
a hardware firm and. began handling bar iron,
which was marked with size, length,
etc., and he being forced to read those marks,
determined to apply himself and
in this way secured the rudiments of a good business
education. After practicing the
utmost economy for twelve years, he came to Pulaski
and engaged in the grocery business
for himself, having now one of the leading stores
in Pulaski as well as some of the
most desirable property in the village. In 1881 he
married Lucretia E. Bakeman of South
Onondaga, and their children are Grace L.,
born July 29, 1883; George W-, born
February 10, "1885. Mr. Washington secured, a
piece of the root of the famous
apple tree above noted, which he sold for $20.
Place, William H., was born in
Jefferson county September 11, 1857, of Canadian
extraction, a son of Richard and
Rosaltha Place, (the former, born in Jefferson county
in 1834), who had these children:
William H., Emma, Walter, Harry, Martin, Alice,
Belle and Leon, all now living.
Richard, the father, was a member of the N. Y.
State militia. William H. was educated
in Jefferson county and followed farming
until February, 1894, when he bought
the Ontario House, the leading hotel at Port
Ontario, and moved his family to
that place. He married in 1879 Annie, daughter
of William and Nancy Chowgo of Oswego
county. The grandfather of our subject
was William Place, who was a native
of Canada.
Purdy, Willis E., was born in Jefferson
county August 15, 1860. The grandfather,
James, was born in New York and
died in Jefferson county and is still living' aged
eighty years. The father, William,
was born in Jefferson county and is living aged
sixty years. His wife was Cleantha
Caster, born in Oneida county, by whom he had
one child, our subject- The latter
was educated in Oswego county, and has followed
farming and contracting. In 1886
he started the first planing mill in Richland, which
he still conducts and which is the
largest of the kind in this section, being the only
one that carries a line of finished
stock. In 1881 he married Jennie Hollis of Orwell,
daughter of William and Joanna Hollis.
Mrs. Purdy had two brothers, Malcomand
Henry, in the civil war.
Pierce, Riley D., proprietor of
the Hinmanville House, was born in Caynga county
in 1828, and when eleven years of
age came to Oswego city with his parents, Francis
and Eliza (Fox) Pierce. The father
was a Methodist minister, and died at Hinmanville
in 1891 aged eighty-five, and his
wife in 1887 aged eighty-one years. Subject is
an only child. He was educated in
Oswego city, and when sixteen began sailing on
the lakes, which he followed several
years. In 1853 he married Effie M. Fellows,
who died three years later leaving
one child Minnie E., wife of Abram Deacons of
Fulton. Mr. Pierce afterward married
Caroline 0. Bundy, and has two children,
Pearl, wife of Merton Sheldon of
Hinmanville and Guy L., who resides at home.
Mr. Pierce has been in the hotel
business at Hinmanville eleven years.
Parkhurst, 0. J., was born in
Scriba in 1868, reared on his father's farm, and
married in 1892 Carrie Marvin, who
is also a native of Scriba. He afterward located on
his present farm in New Haven, where
he follows small fruit growing and general
farming.
Parsons, N. W., farmer and merchant
of Demster, was born in Mexico in 1843, and
reared there on a farm. He served
four years in the 1st N. Y- Light Artillery, Battery G.
After the war he returned and farmed
in Mexico several years, carried the
mail from Mexico to Fulton eight
years, was in the mercantile trade at East Palermo
seven years, and moved to New Haven
in 1888. In 1867 he married Eliza Kane, and
has one son, Lorain J.
Palmer, Albert D., was born October
16, 1843, in Parish, son of Edwin and Delia
Ann Palmer. Edwin Palmer was one
of the earliest settlers in Parish, where he
came when an infant. He was educated
in the common schools and Mexico Academy,
where he graduated. He built the
school house at Parish, of which he was
trustee for over thirty years up
to the time of his death. His name is inscribed or.
the bell, and at his death March
14, 1892, aged seventy-one years, memorial services
were held at the school house. He
was an enthusiast in all educational work, and
also a writer of ability. Subject
was educated in Parish, and then went to work on
his father's farm of 100 acres,
which he conducted during the latter s lifetime and
now owns. Mr. Palmer married Louisa
Gero, and has one child, Charlie E.
Patter, William G., was born in
England in 1849 and when twenty-one years of
age came to America, locating in
Oswego county. He married at Pulaski in 1885
Jennie, daughter of John McBride.
He located on his present farm of fifty acres near
Arthur in 1891. He has two children,
William and John- His parents, George and
Kazia Patter, lived in England and
died there in 1883 and 1892 respectively.
Poucher, Jacob S., was born in
Columbia county July 12, 1823, a son of Jacob, born
in Dutchess county, who died here
aged eight}-. The latter married Margaret N.
Sharp of New Jersey, who died in
this county aged eighty. Our subject was educated
in Cayuga county, and followed farming
for about five years, dealing in stock
the next seven years, then came
to Oswego and started a livery stable in 1857 which
he still continues. In 1876 he erected
the fine brick barn which he now occupies for
his business, the best building
for the purpose in the county, having a capacity of
forty horses. He does a general
livery and boarding business, etc. Mr. Poucher
formerly engaged in the manufacture
of carriages and harnesses. He is a Mason,
Knight Templar, and in politics
a Democrat.
Pierce, D. L., son of Philander
and Belinda (Stanton) Pierce, who settled on the
western shore of Neahtawanta in
1828. There were two daughters, Duane being
their only son, born November IT,
1833. He has been identified with the best interests
of Granby and has also filled various
official positions, and is held in the highest
esteem by all who know him. September
19, 1852, he married Jane P., daughter of
Keyes Alien of Granby, formerly
a wholesale dealer of boots and shoes and proprietor
of a hotel at Spencer, Mass. Their
children are: Keyes, Frank, Fred and Gertrude.
Keyes married Emma, daughter of
Lawrence Van Vieck of Butler, Wayne
county, and has purchased a farm
adjacent to his father's home. He is now town
assessor. Frank married Carrie Cooper
of Ira, Cayuga county, and lives in Granby;
while Fred and Gertrude remain at
home.
Pearman, James, was born in London,
England, in 1839. In early youth he was
apprenticed to a mechanical trade,
and became a practical builder in London of
locomotive engines. He married in
England Sarah Inder, who died in 1894 leaving
five daughters: Emily Ina, Ruth
Ann, Sarah Louisa, Elizabeth Jane and Hannah,
of whom Emily, Ruth and Elizabeth
are dead. In 1870 Mr. Pearman and family
came to America, where his superior
mechanical skill was better remunerated. He
was for fourteen years in the employ
of the late Frank Dilts at Fulton, being foreman
during the latter half of that time.
In 1885 he established himself in business in
Fulton, his foundry and machine
shop being located on First street. Mr. Pearman
manufactures a land roller having
peculiar merit, beside a general business of large
proportions. Himself and daughters
are members of the Baptist church, as was his
late wife and he is eminent in the
Masonic and Odd Fellows fraternities, in the latter
of high degree.
Parsons, Charles W., was born in
Oswego June 4, 1837, a son of Portius F., a
soldier in the war of 1812, who
was also of this locality, and died at the age of sixty-
seven years. He married Eleanor
Lard, a native of Onondaga county, who died
aged seventy-six years. Charles
W. came to the city of Oswego at the age of ten.
He first worked at teaming, then
at boating on the canal, and was foreman in the
coal business for six years. In
1879 he started a livery stable at the corner of East
First and Oneida streets, which
he still continues, doing a general livery and
boarding business. He also buys
and sells, has a line of hacks, etc. In 1861 he married
Elizabeth Crowley of Oswego, daughter
of Paul and Elizabeth Crowley, and their
children are Adelaide (deceased),
and Mary G., who graduated from the Oswego
High and Normal School, and is a
teacher in the city school-
Pero. Edward, of French ancestry,
was born in Jefferson county April 24, 1849, a
son of Edward, born in Montreal,
and Sophia Keily, born in this State, who died in
Oswego aged sixty-three. Our subject
was educated in Oswego and worked on the
canal and in the factory. In 1884
he opened the Pero House at 203 and 205 East
First street which he still continues,
and which is the handsomest hotel of its size in
the city, accommodating 100 guests,
and having a dining-room capacity of seventy-five,
with reading room, sample room,
ladies' parlor, etc., buffet filled at all times with the
finest imported and domestic wines
and liquors, cigars, etc. In 1874 Mr. Pero married
Adeline Cayor of Oswego, and they
have two children: Alfred, born in 1875,
with his father in the hotel; and
Calvin, born in 1876, who is a machinist in Buffalo.
Perry, Capt. W. R., was born in
Cayuga county May 30, 1841. He learned the
trade of printer in Fulton. In 1861
he enlisted in Co. A, 10th N. Y. Vol. Cavalry,
and by bravery on the field was
promoted to second lieutenant in 1863 and captain in
1864 with brevet rank of major.
He was wounded at Sailor's Creek April 6, 1865.
In 1865 he married Amanda Worden.
They have one son, Walter W. Capt. Perry
served in the Oswego Custom House
under three different collectors and is one of the
charter members of the O'Brien Post.
His father was Sylvanus H. Perry, his mother
Sarah M. (Thorpe) Perry. Mrs. Perry's
father, Schuyler Worden, was born in 1806
and has resided in Oswego county
for seventy-eight consecutive years. He lives with
Mrs. Perry.
Perkins, J. A., was born in West
Monroe, Oswego county, April 22, 1842. He
learned the trade of blacksmith
in Hastings and lived there fifteen years. In 1861 he
enlisted in Co. C, 101st N. Y. Vols.,
and served three years. He was with the Army
of the Potomac all through the Peninsula
campaign and participated in the battles of
Antietam. South Mountain and Fredericksburg-.
In 1866 he came to Minetto and has
followed his trade ever since. Mr.
Perkins takes a lively and intelligent interest in
public affairs, and was supervisor
of Oswego in 1888 and again in 1892. He is a notary
public at present. In 1864 he married
Sophia Waterbury. They have one daughter,
Mrs. Ella Sweet. Mr. Perkins's parents
were Joseph and Rachael (Taylor) Perkins.
Pare, Elijah J., was born in Montreal,
December 12, 1842, son of Louis and Margurite
(Merrow) Pare, who were both born
in Canada. The mother died in Oswego
at the age of sixty-three years.
The father was a shoemaker and worked on the bench
for ninety-one years. The grandfather
was born in France but died in Canada at
the age of one hundred and three
years. He was a soldier in the French war and
served under Napoleon, Elijah
was educated at Oswego. He learned the shoe-
maker's trade and worked at the
bench for ten years. He then clerked in a store for
seventeen years (without losing
a day). In 1883 he started a shoe store on E. First
street, remaining there for nine
years- He then removed to his present location at
Nos. 6 and 7 Arcade, carrying all
kinds of footwear, doing from twenty to twenty-
five thousand dollars of business
per year. In 1863 he married Mary A., daughter
of Thomas Singleton of Oswego. They
were the parents of seven children, three of
whom are living, Elijah J., Alfred
and Walter. The children are all in school. Mr.
Pare is a Mason.
Penfield, Chester, was born in
Oneida county, May 3, 1823, a grandson of Abijah,
a native of Connecticut, and a son
of Alexander, born in Connecticut, and of Betsey
Goodnough, also of Connecticut,
who died in Oswego county, aged sixty-eight. The
grandfather on the paternal side
was in the Revolutionary war, and the father was
in the war of 1813. Our subject
was educated in the common schools of Wayne
county, and is a Mason. He has been
prominent in public life, having served as
chief of police, collector, commissioner
of public charity, and numerous offices. He
has followed canalling, was in the
insurance business, and has also dealt in coal. In
1839 he married Janet Richards of
Wayne county, a daughter of Solomon and Salome
Richards, her father having been
a soldier in the war of 1812, also in the Canadian
war. The children of Chester Penfield
are as follows Alexander R., born September 20,
1840; Lavina (deceased), Garrett
S., Frederick A. (deceased). James G , Frederick, and Annie.
Pickerd, Abram, of Oswego Falls,
was born at Stark, Herkimer county, March 6,
1821. His father, John, was a farmer,
and settled in Schroeppel in 1835, completing
his life work in Oswego county.
Abram learned the carriagemaker's trade, at which
he worked in most of the larger
cities of the Eastern States. ^Having accumulated a
large property by skill and frugality,
he is now retired from business. His wife is
Maria Welden of Stark. Their daughters
are married, and both live in Palermo.
Lomanda, the elder, married Joseph
Woodruff, and Ida May is the wife of Jerome
Smith.
Pierce, Marshall W., was born in
Oswego county March 8, 1857. His grandfather
was Benjamin Pierce, born March
8, 1788, who married Rebecca Obrin, who was
born September 14, 1792. Their children
were Mercena, born July 1, 1815; Waldin
B., born December 7, 1818; and Walter,
born July 15, 1821. Benjamin died October
9, 1867, and his wife January 7,
1858. Mercena died September 7, 1841, Walter
died in January, 1882, The grandfather
settled on a farm three miles east of
Sandy Creek. Walter (the father
of our subject) died in Richland. His wife was
Chloe Tuttle, by whom he had these
children, Bryant, Mercena, Ruth, Eudora J.,
Marshall W., and Violet R. Marshall
married, September 17, 1882, Rosa, daughter
of George and Maria (Huffstater)
Mead, of Oswego county, and they have had two
children, a son who died in infancy,
and Chloe, born February 17, 1888. The maternal
grandfather of Mrs. Marshall Pierce
was Jacob Huffstater, a descendant from the
Dutch who settled in the Mohawk
Valley. He was born May 12, 3813, and married
first Mary Corkins, by whom he had
four children, and second Clara Widrick,
by whom be had five children. The
maternal grandfather of Mrs. Pierce was Jeremiah
Mead, who was born September 14,
1790, at Mt. Washington (great-grandson
of John Mead, who came over in the
Mayflower). In 1814 he settled three miles east
of Sandy Creek, and married Anna
Cline, by whom he had ten children. He married
second Elizabeth Clark.
Quonce, R., was born in Scriba
February 4, 1851, and has followed farming all his
life except five years when engaged
in the cattle business. In 1875 he married Anna
E. Brotherton, and they have three
children, Mattie E., George S., and Flossie M.
Mr. Quonce is a member of the Odd
Fellows, of which he is district deputy grand
master. He has been inspector of
election. His father was Henry Quonce and his
mother Ann (Barlow) Quonce.
Pattat, Constant W., was born in
West Monroe in July, 1836, son of Jacob and
Madaline (Tackly) Pattat, natives
of France, who came to the United States about
1833 and settled on the place where
subject's store now stands. Jacob was a carpenter
by trade and the only one of the
family who came to America. He had eight
children: Francis, Jacob, Peter,
Catherine, Victoria. Constant, Eugene and Joseph,
the sons being all coopers. Jacob
and wife spent their last days with their children
in West Monroe. Subject remained
on a farm till eighteen, when he engaged in the
cooper business, which he followed
for some years. In 1863 he purchased a store in
Little France, then known as French
Settlement, where he engaged in the general
merchandise business; also handles
agricultural implements and hardware. Through
his efforts in 1876 a post-office
was established at this place and called Little France,
with Mr. Pattat as postmaster for
the following twelve years. He served as highway
commissioner ten years. In 1863
he married Mary Ann, daughter of Theodore and
Margaret (Horner) Snavlin of West
Monroe, natives of Germany, and they have three
children: Arthur J., Nelson T.,
and Elnora M., wife of Chandler Tooke of Madison
county. In May, 1883, Mrs. Pattat
died, and in February, 1886, he married Hannah,
daughter of John Elbar, natives
of Canada. They have one child, Lottie M. Mr.
Pattat owns and conducts a farm
in West Monroe.
Place, M. S., was born in Oswego
February 32, 1852. He was a farmer in his
younger days, and afterward a sailor,
which latter calling he followed seven years.
then settled in the town of Oswego.
He and his brother, N. A. Place, carry on the
manufacture of cider, vinegar, etc.,
and do a large business in evaporating apples.
In 1888 Mr. Place married Ida A.
Harrington. He is a member of the Masonic
fraternity and of the Grange. His
father was a brickmaker, and kept a store at South-
west Oswego. Our subject is an enterprising
and successful businessman.
Potter, Orlo S., was born in Sandy
Creek November 7, 1854, a son of Judson W.,
a native of Jefferson county, who
married Betsey Scripterl of Oswego county, both
now living. Judson W. is a merchant
in Sandy Creek and is superintendent of the
Agricultural Society. Orlo S. was
educated in Sandy Creek, where he clerked for
ten years in a general store, then
became junior member of the firm of E. Williams
& Co. In 1888 he opened a general
insurance office, this being an old concern
established in 1860, which he purchased
and still conducts, representing the
AEtna. of Hartford, the Royal of
Liverpool and the Glens Falls, Agricultural (New York State),
Caledonia of Scotland, Fireman's
Fund of Colorado, New York Mutual Life, Fidelity
& Casualty of New York. He has
served as town clerk since 1890, having been|
nominated by acclamation. He is
a stockholder and a director in the Sandy Creeek Wood
Mfg. Co., Limited. November 17,
1875, he married Hattie M., daughter of Benjamin F.
and Jane (Warren) Pond of Massachusetts,
and they have one child, Fred C.,
born December 7, 1877, a student
at the High School. Subject is a Mason.
Plummer, Frank, was born in Onondaga
county March 10, 1854. His grandfather,
Lester, was born and died in Onondaga
county, and his father, Charles, was born in
Connecticut and is now living at
the age of sixty-six. He married Mary L. Sales of
Onondaga county, who died aged thirty-eight.
Their children were Frank, Ella,
Matilda, Lena, Belle, Etta, Lacey,
Lillian, Addie and Edith, Lillian and Addie being
deceased. Frank was educated in
Oswego county and began teaming in Hastings's
sand banks. In 1891 he commenced
keeping the Orwell House, and in 1894 came to
Lacona and bought the Lacona House.
This is a first class hotel, situated nearer to
the station than any other hotel
in the place, and Mr. Plummer devotes his special
attention to the commercial trade,
his house being provided with commodious sample
rooms, a first class livery and
the entire house heated and lighted by natural gas.
February 10, 1873, he married Irene,
daughter of Rodney and Mary (Pickard) Pierce,
and their children are Mattie, born
March 23, 1875; Eugene, born January 27, 1877;
Blanche, born September 6, 1886;
and Velma born May 31, 1891. Mattie married
Frederick Johnson.
Peckham, Major Isaac C. H., was
born in Hannibal in 1829, a son of David and
Polly Peckham, natives of Connecticut,
who were among the first settlers; and he
used to take his grain to Rochester
in a boat to a grist mill to have it ground into
flour. Subject held the office of
overseer of the poor fourteen years, and was the
only overseer at that time- He was
also commissioner of highways five years. He
enlisted as a private in Co. F,
110th Regiment of Inf., was mustered into the United
States service August 25, 1863,
as first lieutenant, was promoted to captain in March,
1863, and was breveted major for
meritorious service. He resigned on account of
disability. At the time he was mustered
in the United States service there were 101
men in his company, and in one year's
time there were but eleven men fit for duty
out of the original 101.
Piguet, Victor, was born in Constantia
September 13, 1843, son of Francis V. Piguet,
a native of France, son of Xavier
Piguet of the same place, who came with his family
to the United States in 1820, coming
direct to Oswego county and settling on a farm
in Hastings- Francis, the father,
died in 1853, and his wife now lives with her son
Victor on the homestead. Subject's
chief business since boyhood has been coopering,
but later years have been devoted
to farming on the homestead of seventy-six acres,
which he now owns. In 1S64 he enlisted
in Co. E, 16th N. Y. Heavy Artillery and
served until the close of the war.
His brother Joseph was with him and died in the
hospital. His brother Peter served
in the 147th Regiment and was severely wounded
in the battle of Gettysburg. Mr.
Piguet is a member of the West Monroe Grange,
of which he was at one time treasurer.
Pickett, Garrett, was born in Oswego
city in 1839. His father was David Pickett,
a native of Ireland, who was a cartman
in Oswego city for many years. His wife
was Catherine , and their children
were Catherine, William, David, John and
Garrett. The father died when our
subject was four years of age, and the mother
when he was eight. He was then thrown
on the mercies of the world to shift for
himself, and secured a position
as paper deliverer for the Oswego Palladium and
Times, which he followed two years.
When ten years old he drove team on the
Oswego Canal, and was subjected
to many cruelties by the captain, and when winter
came he was turned adrift without
his pay. That winter he chored for his living,
and the following year, secured
a position on the canal of Capt. La Mountaine of
Constantia, with whom he lived and
made his home for ten years. At twenty he steered
a boat, and a few years later purchased
a half interest in the boat owned by Capt.
La Mountaine. The following year
the boat was taken from him for debts contracted
by its former owner. He then bad
to begin anew, but with his energy and careful
attention to business he soon became
the successful owner and operator of other boats.
He has accumulated a good property,
and made for himself and family a comfortable
home. In 1867 he married Laura,
daughter of Charles Notgrass of Lee, Oneida
county, and they have two children,
Emma J. and Jennie. Mr. Pickett is a member
of the Masonic fraternity.
Reynolds, Charles Henry, was born
in West Monroe July 28, 1830, a son of Caleb
Reynolds, one of six children of
Benjamin Reynolds, of the Mohawk Valley, a farmer
who came from the town of Lee to
West Monroe. His last days were spent in
Michigan. Caleb, the father of subject,
was a farmer and resided in Oswego county until
his death. His wife was Angeline
Patterson of West Monroe, and. their children were
Charles H., Sanford, Andrew, Adeline,
and Delutia. His wife died in 1849, and he
died in January, 1894, in Constantia
at the home our subject, aged ninety years.
Subject began farming" for himself
at sixteen and later spent ten years as cooper,
and some years as boatman on the
Erie Canal- In 1864 he enlisted in Co. I, 157th
N. Y. Inft., and served until the
close of the war. He participated in the battles of
De Voores Neck and Sumterville.
Since 1866 he has resided on his farm in
Constantia, during which time he
has lumbered to some extent. In 1866 he married
Susan, daughter of Elias Vanderwerker
of North River. Mr. Reynolds is a member
of Lewis Post, G. A. R., of Constantia,
of which he is quartermaster.
Rourke, Dennis, was born in Ireland
in 1833 and in 1863 came to Williamstown,
where he worked in the tannery for
five years, and in 1868 bought and settled on the
farm where he now lives. He is one
of the leading farmers of his town. His children are
James P., John T., Dennis E. and
four daughters.
Rohde, George H., was born in the
town of Hastings in 1843, a son of Ferdinand
T., a native of Constantia, one
of two children of Henry, a native of the same place.
His father was from Germany, whose
name was connected with the early history of
this county. He was brought to the
United States by George Scriba and surveyed
the Scriba tract, for which he was
awarded a tract of land west of the village of
Constantia, comprising several farms.
Henry was a farmer and spent his last days in
Constantia. Ferdinand has followed
farming and lumbering. His wife was Sarah
Walk-up of Brewerton, who died when
our subject was one week old. His second
wife was Maria Liddle of Fayetteville,
by whom he had one child, Mrs. Sarah Slocum
of Hastings Centre, with whom they
now reside. Subject at nineteen enlisted in the 1st
N. Y. Mounted Riflemen, Co., and
served until the close of the war. He participated
in the battles of Fair Oaks, Cold
Harbor, Petersburg, Suffolk, Richmond, Jackson,
N. C., Seven Pines and Drurys Bluff.
He was injured while in the war, and is now
obliged to use crutches. In 1866
he married Margaret, daughter of Hugh Martin
of Greene county, and they have
two children, Harry and Frank. Mr. Rhode is a
member of Lewis Post, G. A. R.
End Page 265
Source: Landmarks of Oswego
County New York, edited by John C. Churchill, L.L.D., assisted by H. Perry
Smith & W. Stanley Child, Syracuse, N.Y., D. Mason & Company Publishers,
1895.
Part
VI