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DANIEL HARVEY BACON was born in Farmington, Litchfield county, Connecticut, about the year 1764, and was a son of Daniel Bacon, a grandson of Daniel Bacon, and a great-grandson of Daniel Bacon, Sr., who came from England to America prior to the Revolution and settled in Middletown, Connecticut. Daniel H. married Lydia Ellis, a native of Massachusetts, at Owego, New York, where he located about the year 1796. Seven children were the fruits of this union, viz: Chauncey, Oliver, Hannah, Nancy, Lewis, Chloe and Daniel. Mrs. Bacon died, and he was again married, to Mary Zuber, who bore him five children, viz: Caleb, John, Lucy, Hector and Homer. Mr. Bacon and family came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, in 1815, and located on Marsh creek, then within the limits of Delmar township. He remained there five years, and in 1820 purchased the farm on which his grandson, Oliver, now lives. On this farm he spent the remaining years of his life, dying in 1850.
OLIVER BACON, second son of Daniel Harvey and Lydia (Ellis) Bacon, was born in Candor, Tioga county, New York, in 1801, and came with his parents to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, when fourteen years of age, where he grew to manhood. He married Catherine Houghton, a daughter of Simeon Houghton, and settled on the farm in Delmar township purchased by his father in 1820. He reared the following children: Chauncey and Eunice, both deceased; Simeon, a farmer of Delmar; Eli, deceased; Ferris, a clerk in the railroad office at Newberry, Lycoming county; Daniel, deceased; Lydia, wife of George F. Butler, of Delmar; Esther, wife of James Vandergrift, of Delmar; Aseph, a resident of Missouri; Oliver, who lives upon the old homestead in Delmar, and Seth, a resident of Wellsboro. Mr. Bacon died upon his farm in Delmar, where the greater portion of his life was passed. His widow lives with her son, Oliver. She was born in Otsego county, New York, August 26, 1805, and is one of the oldest residents in the township.
SIMEON BACON was born upon the Bacon farm, in Delmar township, Tioga county, June 12, 1830, and is the oldest living child of Oliver and Catherine Bacon. He obtained his education in the district schools of his native township, and with the exception of two years that he was engaged in operating a grist-mill, erected by himself in Delmar, he has devoted his whole attention to agricultural pursuits, owning a fine farm of 235 acres six miles southwest of Wellsboro. In 1864 he enlisted in Company K, Two Hundred and Seventh Pennsylvania Volunteers, and was honorably discharged from the service in June, 1865. On May 30, 1868, he married Frances Skelton, born July 8, 1841, in Wilberforce, England, a daughter of George and Elizabeth Skelton, and then located on his present farm, adjoining the old homestead. They have one daughter, May, now the wife of F. G. Nordstrom. Mrs. Bacon and daughter are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Politically, Mr. Bacon is a Republican, has served nine years as a school director, one year as an auditor, and five years as justice of the peace. He is one of the substantial, enterprising farmers of his native township.
OLIVER BACON, JR., son of Oliver and Catherine Bacon, was born November 14, 1845, upon his present homestead in Delmar township, Tioga county. he was educated in the common schools, and has devoted his entire attention to farming pursuits. September 5, 1869, he married Elsie M. Bartle, a daughter of Andrew and Maria Bartle. She bore him one son, Walter A., born September 9, 1875, who married Addie Callahan. He is a farmer by occupation. Mrs. Bacon died January 29, 1877, and he was again married February 14, 1882, to Jennie Bunnell, a daughter of James and Euretta Bunnell, of Chenango county, New York. In politics, Mr. Bacon is a Republican, and has served as a school director for three years and assessor one year. he is the owner of a farm of 335 acres, 300 acres of which are under cultivation. By the application of approved and scientific methods in its cultivation, and the exercise of good judgment in its equipment, he has made it one of the model and profit-paying farms of the county. Mr. Bacon is a thorough business man, and attributes his success to a strict adherence to sound business principles in the management of his farm. He gives his personal attention to every detail, and as a result, every tilled acre is in the very best possible condition for profitable production. In 1894 he purchased a property in Wellsboro, where he intends spending the evening of a busy and successful life retired from the cares of business.
WILLIAM EBERENZ immigrated from Germany to Pennsylvania in 1817, when he was but sixteen years of age, and soon after located in Tioga county. Here he married Mary Hoover, a daughter of Dr. Samuel Hoover, who lived near Wellsboro, and immediately settled on a tract of timer land which he purchased from Morris, paying $1.50 an acre for it in county orders, which he earned by clearing up the public square in Wellsboro, then covered with timber and underbrush. The young couple were very industrious and practiced the most rigid economy. They reared a family of six children, viz: Mary, wife of Edwin Matson, Sr.; John, who was drowned when twenty-one years old; Canelia, deceased wife of Elisha Brown; Margaret, deceased wife of H. Guernsey; Charles, who died in 1882, and Caroline, wife of James H. Smith. The wilderness condition of the coutry may be realized by the reader of to-day when informed that Mrs. Eberenz used to say that she did not see the face of a white woman for three years after moving into their cabin. She made moccasins for her children out of deer skins, and the family knew only bear and deer meat, while their couch at night was composed of the skins of wild animals. No luxuries entered that humble cabin. Grain was scarce and flour hard to obtain. At that time the county contained less than 500 taxable inhabitants and Wellsboro had less than a dozen log houses. Mr. Eberenz was a substantial citizen and left to his son Charles one of the finest farms in Delmar. He was remarkable for his pleasant disposition and social qualities, and the quaint sayings and humorous anecdotes of "Uncle Billy Eberenz," as he was familiarly called, are well remembered by the older residents of Wellsboro. He spent three score years on the farm which he carved out of the forest with his own hands, and died May 31, 1880, at the age of seventy-nine years. His wife died December 27, 1865, aged seventy years. They passed through the trials and vicissitudes of pioneer life, and when they died an abundance of the good things of life surrounded their home.
CHARLES EBERENZ was born on the Eberenz farm in Delmar township, Tioga county, youngest son of William Eberenz. He was reared upon the homestead, attended the common schools of the district in boyhood, and followed agriculture all his life. He married Sarah Brubaker, and reared three children, viz: Mary E., wife of John Brubaker; Julia, who died at the age of eighteen, and William B., of Delmar. Mr. Eberenz and wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and both died in that faith. He was one of the active Democrats of his township, and always took a deep interest in public affairs.
WILLIAM B. EBERENZ was born on the old homestead in Delmar township, Tioga county, September 1, 1856, and is the youngest child of Charles Eberenz and grandson of William Eberenz, the pioneer. He attended the common schools during his boyhood years, and has since devoted his attention to farming. He has been twice married. His first wife was Carrie D. Bartle, and bore him one daughter, Sarah, born October 27, 1883. Mrs. Eberenz died September 27, 1884, and on December 15, 1886, he married Lettie Kizer, a daughter of William Kizer, of Wellsboro, who has borne him two children, viz: Harold, born April 24, 1889, and Florence Ione, born November 8, 1895. The Eberenz farm, containing 280 acres, is one of the model farms of Delmar, and Mr. Eberenz carries on a dairy in connection therewith. In politics, he is an ardent Democrat, and one of the respected farmers of the township.
ZENAS FIELD, a native of Massachusetts, born March 1, 1776, came from Vermont to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, in 1817, and purchased 154 acres of land in Delmar township. Building his cabin in the midst of the primitive forest he went bravely to work to make a home for himself and family. He was a stonemason and worked at his trade in connection with his farm duties. He was married in Vermont to Polly Follett, who bore him a family of seven children, viz: Eliphas, Isaac F., Roxeylana, Moses D., Nelson and Mary, all of whom are dead, and Lucinda, deceased wife of Charles Billings, of Nebraska. Mr. Field and wife continued to live on the homestead in Delmar until their death.
ISAAC F. FIELD, son of Zenas Field, was born in Vermont, August 9, 1805, and came with his parents to Delmar township, Tioga county, when about twelve years old. He assisted them in clearing and improving the old homestead, which became his property at their death. He married Catherine McCarty, and reared three children, viz: Daniel, of Delmar; Rispa, wife of Charles M. Dartt, of Kansas City, Missouri, and Everett, who died at the age of eighteen. Mr. Field continued to reside in Delmar up to his death, in 1878; his wife died in November, 1885.
DANIEL FIELD, only living son of Isaac F. Field, and grandson of Zenas Field, was born in Delmar township, May 1, 1824. He was reared on the homestead, obtained his education in the common schools, and has followed farming and lumbering since early manhood. In 1857 he purchased from his father 150 acres of land southwest of Wellsboro, upon which he has since resided, but has sold off forty acres of the original tract. On July 14, 1852, he married Lovisa F. Webb, to which union have been born eleven children, viz: Wilbur I., of Wellsboro; Otis, who died at the age of twenty-three; Frank E., of Delmar; Ferdinand R., Orris D., and Ransford W., all residents of Wellsboro; Arthur G., of Delmar; Harry B., weighmaster for the Fall Brook Railroad Company at Corning, New York; Perley W., who lives in Wellsboro; Minnie C., wife of Elwin Steele, of Delmar, and Vinnie C., who lives at home. Mr. Field is a member of the I. O. O. F. and also of the Grange. In politics, a Republican, he has filled the offices of supervisor, justice of the peace and collector.
FERDINAND R. FIELD was born in Delmar township, Tioga county, June 5, 1859, a son of Daniel field. He was educated in the common schools, and for several years after arriving at manhood devoted his attention to farming in summer and working in the woods in the winter season. He also operated a threshing machine for six years. In 1890 he and S. L. Herrington built the Wellsboro Roller Mills, but in 1893 he sold his interest and engaged in mercantile business with W. A. Hammond, continuing it eighteen months. He has since followed farming and shipping, commencing the latter business several years ago. In July, 1896, his brother, Ransford W., became his partner, and the firm has since been F. R. & R. W. Field. On September 3, 1873, Mr. Field married Mary L. Mills, a daughter of Samuel and Mary Mills, of Round Top, Charleston township, and has one daughter, Addie M. Politically, he is a Republican, and has filled the offices of assessor, constable and collector of Delmar, holding the latter office from 1886 to 1890. In religion he is a member of the Presbyterian church, and is connected with the I. O. O. F., both Lodge and Encampment, and also with the K. O. T. M. and the P. of H.
RANSFORD W. FIELD was born in Delmar township, Tioga county, June 23, 1861, and is a son of Daniel Field. He was reared on the home farm and obtained his education in the common schools of Delmar, the High School of Wellsboro and Williamsport Commercial College, from which he graduated in 1884. He taught school and farmed until January 1, 1895, when he was appointed deputy sheriff, which position he filled until July 1, 1896, at which time he became a member of the present firm of F. R. & R. W. Field, wholesale dealers in hay, grain and general produce. Mr. Field was married April 26. 1887, to Jennie M. Roland, a daughter of H. C. and Sarah Roland, of Delmar, and has one son, Fay. In politics, he is a Republican and is also a member of the I. O. O. F. and the P. and H.
MOSES D. FIELD was born in Vermont, March 18, 1810, a son of Zenas and Polly Field, and was about seven years old when his parents came to Tioga county. he was reared on the homestead, and devoted his entire life to farming and lumbering, a portion of the time on the home farm settled by his father. He married Amy Walker, a daughter of Joseph and Loretta (Greene) Walker, November 9, 1834, and to them were born the following children: Delos and Ethan, both deceased; Darwin S., of Delmar; Charles, who resides in the west; George, of Lawrence township; Flora L., deceased; Henry, who lives in the west, and Herman, deceased. Amanda M. Dewey was adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Field when an infant, and is the wife of John Butler, of Delmar. Mr. Field died May 14, 1888. His widow resides with her son, Darwin S. The family are adherents of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which faith Mr. Field lived and died. In politics, he was a Republican, and filled the office of constable, also collector, in Delmar.
DARWIN S. FIELD, oldest living child of Moses D. Field, was born in Delmar township, Tioga county, July 13, 1842. He grew to manhood upon the homestead farm, and was educated in the common schools and Wellsboro Academy. He worked on the home farm and in the lumber woods until his majority, and then continued to cultivate rented farms on shares for sixteen years. In the meantime he had purchased his present farm in Delmar, and settled upon it in the spring of 1883. It is located at the southern limits of Wellsboro, and contains sixty-seven acres. Mr. Field has operated a threshing machine during the fall seasons for the past fourteen years, and also runs a hay press and power wood-saw. August 2, 1863, he married Lurania Torpy, a daughter of Joseph and Artemishia (Balch) Torpy, and has two children, viz; Stella J., wife of Delbert H. Darby, of Hoytville, and Ella M., wife of Charles Benauer, of Delmar township. Mr. and Mrs. Field are members of the Patrons of Husbandry, and he is also connected with the I. O. O. F., both Lodge and Encampment. In politics, a Republican, he has served as township supervisor two terms.
ALLEN BUTLER, a native of Vermont, born May 14, 1771, married Susanna Borden, of New Hampshire, and in 1817 came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and settled on the present Butler farm in Delmar township. Here he resided until his death, January 9, 1846. His wife died January 15, 1850. They were the parents of nine children, named as follows: Belinda, Betsey, Allen, Hartford, Wellman, Eunice, Dolly, Selden and Crete.
WELLMAN BUTLER was born in New Hampshire, October 29, 1801, a son of Allen and Susanna Butler. He was sixteen years old when the family came to this county, and the balance of his life was spent on the old homestead in Delmar township, where he devoted his entire attention to agriculture. In 1823 he married Nancy Rhoads, a native of New Hampshire, who bore him five children, viz: Wellman S., a resident of Nebraska; Nancy J., deceased wife of Benjamin Wilcox; John M., of Delmar township; George F., a resident of Stokesdale, and Daniel, who lives in the west. Mrs. Butler died July 30, 1834, and he was again married February 22, 1835, to Margaret M. Steel, who bore him two children: Harlon, deceased, and Margaret B., wife of Alva Kennedy, a resident of Minnesota. Mr. Butler and wife were members of the Free Will Baptist church, in which he filled the office of deacon. They died upon the old homestead in Delmar township.
JOHN M. BUTLER was born upon his present farm in Delmar township, Tioga county, January 15, 1830, attended the district schools in boyhood, and has always lived upon the same place. In early life he spent his winters in the lumber woods, and was well known as a pilot on the West Branch of the Susquehanna. With the exception of that period, he has devoted his whole attention to agricultural pursuits. The Butler farm contains 144 acres, and he makes dairying a specialty. Mr. Butler was married June 10, 1852, to Amanda M. Dewey, an adopted daughter of Moses D. Field, who has borne him four children, viz: Allen, Amy Adella, who married Adelbert Warner, of Morris, and has one daughter, Grace; Charles G., who married Jennie Allen, and has had six children, Hazel, Dewain, Bernice, Ruth, one that died in infancy, and Fay J.; and Grace, wife of Miles Blackwell, of Blackwells, Tioga county, who has one son, Milon E. Mrs. Butler is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and both she and her husband are connected with the Patrons of Husbandry. Their sons, Allen and Charles G., live upon the home farm and assist in its cultivation. In politics, the family are supporters of the Republican party.
SIMEON HOUGHTON, a native of Massachusetts, and by trade a carpenter, came to Otsego county, New York, where he followed his trade for some years. On April 10, 1818, he located on the present Houghton farm in Delmar township, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, which was then covered with the primitive forest. He erected a cabin and began the work of making a home for himself and family. He had previously married Rachel Dean, who bore him a family of six children, viz: Catherine, widow of Oliver Bacon, who resides with her son Oliver in Delmar township; Ferris, Jemima, Jeremiah, Olive and Esther, all of whom are dead. Mr. and Mrs. Houghton passed the remaining years of their lives in this county.
JEREMIAH HOUGHTON, born in Otsego county, New York, April 10, 1813, came to Tioga county with his parents when five years old. He was reared on the farm in Delmar, and spent his entire life in this county on the same property, settled by his father in 1818. He married Susan F. Horton, a daughter of Thomas Horton, of Delmar, who bore him five children, viz: Charles, a wagonmaker at Tiadaghton; Sylvester, a wagonmaker in Wellsboro; Edgar, a resident of Morris; Thomas, of Delmar, and William L., who died at the age of twenty-seven years. Mr. Houghton was an active Republican, in politics, and both he and his wife were members of the Baptist church. He was a justice of the peace for some twelve years, and died on his farm, April 30, 1886. His widow resides with her son Thomas in that township.
THOMAS HOUGHTON, youngest living child of Jeremiah Houghton, was born on his present homestead in Delmar township, Tioga county, April 23, 1847, there grew to manhood, and purchased the farm from his father in 1876, since which time he has devoted his attention to its cultivation. On October 9, 1888, he married Mary Vandergrift, a daughter of James Vandergrift, of Delmar, and has two children, Mazie and Blanche. Mrs. Houghton is a member of the Baptist church. In politics, Mr. Houghton is a Republican, and has filled the offices of township clerk and treasurer one term each. He is a member of the I. O. O. F., and the P. of H., in which he takes an active interest.
JOHN FELLOWS, a native of Connecticut, born in 1774, came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, about 824, and purchased a farm near Wellsboro, where he resided until his death, in 1853, aged seventy-nine years. He married Edna Dabold, of Connecticut, who bore him seven children, viz: Erastus, Asahel, Edwin, Horace, Hulda, widow of David Heise, Merritt and Eliza. Mrs. Fellows died at the home of her daughter, Hulda, in 1876, aged ninety-three years.
ASAHEL FELLOWS was born in Canaan, Litchfield county, Connecticut, November 23, 1803, and came with his parents to Tioga county, Pennsylvania. He soon after bought a farm in Delmar township, upon which he resided until his death, March 2, 1889. He married Elvira Fuller, December 14, 1825. She was born November 26, 1810, and became the mother of six children, as follows: Elijah J., who died December 15, 1854, in his twenty-seventh year; Eliza J., wife of Fred Stickley, of Wellsboro; Polly M., who died June 27, 1861, in her twenty-fourth year; George Leroy, of Delmar; Sarah M., wife of Melvin Boyden, and Edna, wife of Joseph Benauer, both of whom live in Delmar township. Mrs. Fellows died April 5, 1893, in her eighty-third year.
GEORGE LEROY FELLOWS was born in Delmar township, Tioga county, November 9, 1839, and on attaining his majority took charge of the homestead farm, upon which he has spent his entire life, engaged in agricultural pursuits. On November 26, 1863, he married Rhoda Hoag, of Delmar, and has one son, Edwin D., born January 28, 1867. The latter married Carrie Holiday, and has two children, Bernice and Errick. Mrs. Fellows died November 27, 1896, aged fifty-one years.
BENJAMIN FURMAN, a native of Pennsylvania, born May 4, 1771, came from Northumberland county to Tioga county, about 1823, and located on Pine creek, at what is now known as Furmantown. Three years later he purchased a farm in Delmar township upon which he passed the remaining years of his life. He married Jane Wilkinson, who bore him six children, named as follows: Harkley and Edie, both deceased; Coleman, a resident of Corning, New York; Wilkinson, and Daniel, both farmers of Delmar, and Jane, deceased. The mother died upon the old homestead in Delmar.
WILKINSON FURMAN was born in Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, September 21, 1821, and was about two years old when his parents came to this county. After attaining his majority, he purchased fifty-three acres a short distance northwest of Stony Fork, where he has since devoted his attention to farming. Mr. Furman was married May 11, 1844, to Caroline Morsman, a daughter of Silas Morsman, of Charleston township. She was born September 11, 1824, and is the mother of three children, viz: George Bertron, born April 25, 1846, who was killed by the cars in St. Louis, Missouri, January 16, 1873; Mary J., wife of Thomas Horton, of Shippen township, and Sarah A., who married Charles A. Buckley, and died October 20, 1888. In politics, Mr. Furman is a Republican, and is also a member of the Patrons of Husbandry.
WILLIAM HOWE was born in Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, August 28, 1806, a son of Nathan and Catherine (Furman) Howe, of English and German ancestry. He was reared and educated in his native county, and when twenty-two years of age came to Tioga county, where he purchased 100 acres of forest land in Delmar township, now known as the Howe farm. He cleared and improved his property, and resided upon it until his death, June 23, 1887. He married Chloe Bacon, a daughter of Daniel Bacon, of Delmar township, who bore him five children, viz: Lydia, wife of W. W. English, of Delmar; John W., who died at the age of nineteen; Emma F., deceased wife of W. W. English; Morris D., of Delmar, and Oliver B., who died at the age of eleven years. Mr. Howe was a member of the Methodist church, and in politics, an ardent Republican. Mrs. Howe was a member of the Baptist church. She resided with her son, Morris D., on the old homestead until her death, December 29, 1894, at the age of eighty-two years.
MORRIS D. HOWE, only living son of William Howe, was born upon his present farm in Delmar township, Tioga county, June 23, 1850, and has spent his entire life thereon. He attended the public schools of his district, and when twenty-one years old began working the farm on shares, which he continued for six years, and the purchased it from his father. In 1884 he rented a hay press, and in 1886 purchased one, which he has operated each fall and winter season since. He has also worked at lumbering more or less for some years. In 1891, in partnership with J. Bottom & Company, he purchased a timber tract of 657 acres on Cedar run, and they have taken the timber off about one-half of it. In 1892 he built a feed-mill, to which he added a shingle-mill in 1893, both of which he has operated since their erection. Mr. Howe was married January 26, 1870, to Isabel Willard, a daughter of Joseph Willard, of Delmar, to which union have been born five children, viz: Ruth, Homer B., Rena B., Fred, and one that died in infancy. Politically, Mr. Howe is a Republican, and has been a justice of the peace since 1890. He is a member of Stony Fork Lodge, No. 564, I. O. O. F.
WILLIAM LEE SPENCER was born in Connecticut, and was a farmer, millwright and miller. He married Senie Phelps, who bore him three children, all of whom are dead: Lyman, Orange and James. Mrs. Spencer died, and some years later he was again married, to which union were born two children, Thomas and Jonathan, both of whom reside in the west. After his second marriage he came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, where both he and his wife spent the remaining years of their lives.
LYMAN SPENCER, eldest child of William Lee and Senie (Phelps) Spencer, came with his parents to Tioga county. He learned the miller’s trade with his father, and after his marriage located on a rented farm near Mansfield, where he lived a few years, and later lived on a farm near Stokesdale, until his removal to Van Ettenville, New York. Four years afterward he returned to Tioga county, and made his home with his son, Alenson, until his death, July 16, 1875, in his seventy-ninth year. Mr. Spencer married Asenath Rumsey, who bore him a family of twelve children, viz: Carlonas, a resident of Iowa; Massanello, who died in infancy; Lorenzo D., a resident of Oxford, Tennessee; Lorensa A., deceased; Loretta, wife of Argalus Ford, of Mainesburg; Alenson, of Delmar; Asenath, deceased; Cansonetta, widow of George Kress; Blyman A., of Delmar; Britianna, wife of R. E. Pond, of Wellsboro; Massenello, a resident of Delmar, and James C., of the same township. Mrs. Spencer died April 11, 1865, in the sixty-seventh year of her age.
ALENSON SPENCER, millwright and carpenter, was born in Mainesburg, Tioga county, October 19, 1826, a son of Lyman and Asenath Spencer. He was reared on a farm, and when twenty-six years old commenced working at the carpenter’s trade, which he followed three years. For the succeeding twenty-four years he operated a saw and grist-mill in Wellsboro, for John Dickinson. At the end of this time he removed to his present farm in Delmar, but after four years returned to Wellsboro, and in partnership with Edward C. Dickinson, erected the present grist-mill, which they operated together three years. He then purchased Mr. Dickinson’s interest and conducted the mill alone for three years, after which he returned to his farm in the spring of 1891. It contains 227 acres, purchased during the time he worked for John Dickinson, and is located two miles north of Wellsboro. Mr. Spencer was married January 2, 1853, to Catherine S. Hiltbold, a daughter of Henry and Phoebe (Furman) Hiltbold, of Delmar. Eleven children have been born to this marriage, viz: A. Edward, who married Ada Leisenring, and operates the grist-mill in Wellsboro; Samantha V., wife of Horatio Culver, of Delmar; Susan M., wife of L. M. Fleming, of Wellsboro; Henry L., of Delmar, who married Martha Fleming; James D., deceased; Lizzie D., wife of George R. Johnson, of Delmar; Sadie A., deceased; William W., a resident of Wellsboro, who married Anna Leisenring; Lucy May, wife of L. A. Goodwin, of Stony Fork; Richard R., of Delmar, who married Mary Powlison and Fannie D., who married W. F. Dewey, of Wellsboro. Mr. and Mrs. Spencer are members of the Protestant Episcopal church, and in politics, he is a Republican.
ISRAEL STONE, a native of Massachusetts, born in 1801, came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, in 1832, and purchased fifty acres of land in Delmar township, upon which he passed the remaining years of his life. He was married twice, first to Abbie Dean, in Massachusetts, who bore him five children, viz: Adaline, wife of Henry Wilson, of Delmar; Abigail and Dewite, both deceased; Orrin, a resident of Broome county, New York, and Eugene Howard, of Delmar. Mrs. Stone died in February, 1844. He was again married, to Amanda A. Howe, who bore him two children, viz: William A., a prominent lawyer and congressman of Pittsburg, and Israel G., a resident of Delmar township. In politics, Mr. Stone was originally a Whig and later a Republican. He was assessor of Delmar for several years, also township clerk and treasurer for a number of terms, a county auditor for three terms, and a school director for a long period. He was a member of the Congregational church, and died in that faith, November 9, 1887. Mr. Stone was one of the progressive, enterprising and successful citizens of the county, and was highly respected by the community in which he lived.
EUGENE HOWARD STONE was born in Delmar township, Tioga county, January 31, 1842, and is the youngest child of Israel and Abbie Stone. He was reared on the homestead farm, and in August, 1861, when but nineteen years old, he enlisted in Company E, Forty-second Pennsylvania Volunteers, known as the "Bucktails," and participated in the following battles: South Mountain, Antietam and Mechanicsville, where he was taken prisoner, June 27, 1862, and held forty days in Libby and Belle Isle prisons. He was then exchanged and returned to his regiment, and served until August 7, 1864, when he was honorably discharged, at Petersburg, Virginia. Returning to his home in Tioga county, he worked on his father’s farm for six years and subsequently cultivated a farm in Charleston township on shares for two years. He then purchased a farm in Shippen township, but at the end of a year sold it and went to Pawnee county, Kansas, and took up 160 acres of land. He remained there some three years, then sold out and returned to the old homestead, on which he lived one year. At the end of this time he purchased a farm in Shippen township, lived upon it four years, and subsequently four years more on the home farm. Returning to his farm in Shippen, he resided there until the spring of 1893, when he bought his present farm in Delmar, adjoining his Shippen farm, both embracing 190 acres. Mr. Stone was married November 9, 1864, to Sarah, a daughter of Ephraim Francis, of Charleston township. They are the parents of four children, viz: Frederick A., Mary A., wife of George Campbell, of Delmar; Winifred A., and Sarah E. Politically, Mr. Stone is a Republican, and has served as a school director in Shippen township one term, and supervisor three terms. He is a member of the F. & A. M., the P. of H., the G. A. R. and the Union veteran Legion.
ROBERT CAMPBELL was born in Lodi, Seneca county, New York, May 3, 1809, and was a son of Archibald and Elizabeth (Seely) Campbell. His father was born near Cork, Ireland, June 30, 1770, came to the United States after attaining his majority, and located at Bath, Steuben county, New York. He married Elizabeth Seely, born in Newtown, now Elmira, New York, December 19, 1790, and subsequently located in Seneca county, where both he and wife died. They were the parents of fourteen children, named as follows: Margaret, Robert, James, Caroline, Marthaline, Jane T., William P., Mary, Elizabeth, Newell T., Maria A., Abraham M., Norman and Ann E. The subject of this sketch was reared in his native county, whence he came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and purchased the farm in Delmar township now owned by his son William. After a short stay in Tioga county, he returned to Lodi, New York, where he taught school for two years, then came back to this county, taught school for four terms, and settled permanently on his farm. On October 3, 1837, he married Jane S. Knight, a daughter of Luke and Jane (Suydam) Knight. She was born April 5, 1815, and became the mother of five children, viz: Oscar, born January 3, 1839, a farmer in Delmar township; Edwin, born April 7, 1840, a farmer in the same township; William, of Delmar; Franklin, born October 1, 1845, and died March 31, 1856, and Mary, born August 14, 1848, wife of Burt Schrader, of Tioga. Mr. Campbell and wife were members of the Presbyterian church, and in politics, he was a stanch Democrat. He died upon his farm in Delmar, June 11, 1890, and his wife, January 29, 1885.
WILLIAM CAMPBELL, was born upon the homestead farm in Delmar township, Tioga county, June 30, 1841, and is the third son of Robert Campbell. He attended the common schools of the district in boyhood, and has always lived upon the home farm, which he purchased at his father’s death. It contains 150 acres of well-improved land, and he makes a specialty of dairy farming and sheep growing. On September 19, 1882, he married Sarah Phinnie Bartle, a daughter of R. D. Bartle, of Delmar township. They are the parents of four children, viz: Cora B., born July 31, 1883; Franklin R., January 14, 1886; Harry C., March 16, 1890; and died August 6, following, and Erwin B., born October 13, 1893. Mr. Campbell is an ardent Democrat, and may be safely classed among the leading farmers of his native township.
JAMES CAMPBELL was born in Lodi, Seneca county, New York, July 23, 1812, and is the oldest living child of Archibald and Elizabeth (Seely) Campbell. He was reared upon a farm in his native county, and came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, in 1832, locating in Delmar township. Three years later he purchased the farm now owned by his brother, William P., on which he lived a short time engaged in clearing and improving it. In 1850 he purchased his present farm, but after five years sold it and bought a farm in Sullivan township. He subsequently traded his Sullivan farm for the one previously owned in Delmar township, on which he has since resided. Mr. Campbell married March 27, 1833, to Emma M. Ely, a daughter of William and Fannie (Curry) Ely. She was born September 29, 1816, and became the mother of eight children, viz: William E., born September 7, 1835, and died November 5, 1837; Elizabeth C., born June 15, 1838, wife of Eugene Miller, of Slate Run; Frances, born July 13, 1840, wife of Samuel Kendrick, of Stony Fork; Margaret, born May 4, 1844, wife of J. B. Wilcox, of Wellsboro; Archibald, born March 27, 1847, an insurance agent of New York City; Cornelia, born August 18, 1850, wife of Orrin Williams, of Wellsboro; Edward H., born February 9, 1852, a resident of Delmar, and Harriet, born January 16, 1854, wife of Thomas Frost, of Elmira, New York. Mrs. Campbell died September 5, 1889, in the seventy-fourth year of her age. Mr. Campbell resides with his son, Edward H., on the old homestead, and is one of the oldest citizens of Delmar.
EDWARD H. CAMPBELL, a son of James Campbell, was born upon the farm where he now resides, in Delmar township, Tioga county, February 9, 1852, attended the district schools of his neighborhood, and has devoted his entire attention to farming. On December 25, 1873, he married Sophia E. Bartle, a daughter of R. D. Bartle, of Delmar township. They are the parents of four children, viz: Edith I., born April 29, 1875, and died May 24, 1882; Tracy Elsworth, born August 18, 1879; Cordelia, born May 19, 1885, and one that died in infancy. In politics, Mr. Campbell is a Democrat, and is also a member of the Knights of the Golden Eagle.
NEWELL T. CAMPBELL, a prominent retired farmer of Delmar township, was born in Lodi, Seneca county, New York, June 28, 1827, a son of Archibald and Elizabeth (Seely) Campbell. He was reared on a farm and obtained a common school education in his native county. In 1850 he came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and purchased a portion of his present farm in Delmar township, to which he has added by subsequent purchases until he now owns one of the best farms in this locality. Mr. Campbell was married December 3, 1857, to Angeline Houghton, a daughter of Ferris H. Houghton, of Delmar, to which union have been born two children, viz: Norman, who died at the age of twenty-seven, and Estella, who married E. W. Toles, of Westfield, Tioga county, and died at the age of thirty-one years, leaving one daughter, Myrtle. Mr. and Mrs. Campbell attend the Presbyterian church of Wellsboro, and in politics, he is a stanch Democrat. He has been assistant assessor of his township, and is recognized as one of the substantial citizens of Delmar, where he has lived for nearly half a century.
SIMON G. WILLCOX, a native of Rhode Island, settled in Chenango county, New York, in early life, and there remained until his eleven children were born. He came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, in 1842, and lived among his children. He was twice married. His first wife, Anna Cartwright, a native of Boston, Massachusetts, bore him a family of six children, viz: Phoebe, deceased wife of Aaron Symonds; Anna, deceased; Job, deceased; Mary D., deceased wife of Sylvanus Moore, Jr.; Clarissa H., deceased wife of J. F. Townsend, and Simon. Some time after the death of his first wife, Mr. Willcox married her sister Phoebe, who became the mother of five sons, viz: Daniel B. and Benjamin C., both deceased; John D., of Olmsville, Delmar township; Nathan F., deceased, and Ira L., a resident of Kansas. Mr. Willcox died June 12, 1851, aged seventy-two years, and his wife, Phoebe, July 18, 1849, aged fifty-nine.
JOB WILLCOX was born in Chenango county, New York, in 1807, eldest son of Simon G. and Annie Willcox. He came to Tioga county in 1833, and purchased timber lands at Round Island, now Tiadaghton, where he followed lumbering up to 1839. He then removed to Wellsboro, formed a partnership with C. & J. L. Robinson, and continued his lumber operations with these gentlemen, and also conducted a store in the borough. Six years later he sold his interest in the store and bought a large farm in Delmar township, and subsequently severed his business connection with the Robinsons in the lumber business. He was at times associated with some of the well-known lumberman of the county, and his operations were extensive and lucrative. Mr. Willcox was married in early manhood, to Asenath White, of Chenango county, New York, who bore him seven children, viz: Charles C., of Delmar township; Simon, deceased; Edwin and Edward, twins, the former deceased and the latter a resident of Delmar township; Galusha B., also a resident of Delmar, and George and Caroline, both of whom are dead. Mr. and Mrs. Willcox died in Delmar township, the former in May, 1874.
CHARLES C. WILLCOX, oldest child of Job Willcox, was born in Chenango county, New York, December 15, 1829, and was in his fourth year when his parents settled on Pine creek, in Tioga county. when twenty-one years old he began jobbing in the lumber woods, which occupation he followed ten years. He afterwards purchased a farm on Middle Ridge, lived on it a few years, and then went to Lycoming county, where he followed lumbering one year. Returning to Delmar, he began merchandising at Stony Fork, and continued that business four years, at the end of which period he purchased eighty-eight acres of his present farm and settled down to farm life. He later added to his original purchase 150 acres, making in all 238 acres of well-improved land. He has since devoted his entire attention to agricultural pursuits, and is one of the substantial farmers of his township. Mr. Willcox was married October 26, 1852, to Tabitha Ann Webb, a daughter of Orson Webb, of Delmar. She was born October 17, 1832, and is the mother of eight children, all of whom reside in Delmar township, viz: Addie, Cora L., Charles O., E. Archibald, Wellington W., Artelissa, Burton E. and Ross G. The family are adherents of the Baptist church, and all of the sons are members of the Patrons of Husbandry. In politics, Mr. Willcox is a Republican.
GALUSHA B. WILCOX, son of Job Willcox, was born in Wellsboro, Tioga county, May 8, 1842, and was three years old when his parents located on the farm he now owns. Here he grew to manhood, and has spent his entire life in agricultural pursuits. His farm embraces 150 acres of well improved land, two miles north-east of Stony Fork. In 1868 he married Ann Janett Kilborn, who bore him four children, viz: Hiram E., a resident of Hoytville; Edith M., deceased; Asenath C., and Leon, both at home. Mrs. Wilcox died December 21, 1878, aged twenty-nine years. He was again married January 28, 1880, to Anna E. Brill, a daughter of Peter Brill, who is the mother of four children, viz: Harry G., Blanche, Ralph, deceased, and Verne. In politics, Mr. Wilcox is a Republican.
BENJAMIN C. WILCOX, a son of Simon G. and Phoebe Willcox, was born in Preston, Chenango county, New York, January 3, 1823, and was fifteen years old when his parents came to Tioga county. In December, 1839, he purchased a timber tract of 140 acres in Delmar township, and went to work to clear and improve it. He erected buildings and lived on this property from 1843 to 1874. In the latter year he sold it and bought a farm immediately west of Stony Fork, where he resided up to 1891, and then retired from active life, making his home with his son, George S., until his death, February 28, 1897. Mr. Wilcox was married September 1, 1844, to Nancy J. Butler, who bore him five children, viz: Harland, Melvina and Simon, all of whom are dead; George S., of Delmar, and Nancy J., wife of Albert Van Vleit, of the same township. Mrs. Wilcox died August 6, 1879, aged fifty-four years. In 1881 he married Mary Wall, who died five years later, and on April 23, 1887, he married Mrs. Elizabeth Rockwell, a daughter of Benjamin Borden, whose first husband, Simon Wilcox, was a brother of Benjamin C. Mr. Wilcox was a member of the First Baptist church. In politics, he was a Republican, and held the office of township supervisor two terms.
GEORGE S. WILCOX, only living son of Benjamin C. Wilcox, was born in Delmar township, Tioga county, June 7, 1852, was reared on the homestead farm, and obtained a common school education. When eighteen years of age he began working for himself in the lumber woods, and four years later purchased a timber tract on Heise run, which he cleared up and built upon. After three years’ residence there, he sold the property and went to work for Silas X. Billings, at Leetonia, but soon after entered the employ of the Leetonia Tanning Company, with whom he remained until 1885. In that year he bought his present mill property, to which he has since added by subsequent purchases, until he now owns 140 acres. He cultivates his farm and also operates the mill whenever there is work to do in that line. Mr. Wilcox was married April 19, 1874, to Ida M. Bowen, a daughter of DeForest Bowen, of Delmar township, who has borne him two children, Addie E., and Georgie, the latter deceased. Mr. Wilcox and wife are members of the First Baptist church, of Delmar, and also of the Patrons of Husbandry. He is connected with the I. O. O. F., and the K. of G. E., and in politics, is an adherent of the Prohibition party.
JOHN D. WILLCOX was born in Preston, Chenango county, New York, September 4, 1825, where he resided with his parents, Simon G. and Phoebe Willcox, until 1840, and was in his fifteenth year when he came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and went to work for Job Willcox & Co., of Wellsboro, with whom he remained three years. He later purchased a farm adjoining his present one, buying the latter in 1867. He has since followed farming, and has also operated a saw-mill on his farm. On February 24, 1844, he married Orrilla Dimmick, who bore him the following children: Mary L., wife of P. R. Sherman, of Michigan; Phoebe C., wife of E. H. Halstead, of Delmar township; Maria A., who died in infancy; Elam E., who died at the age of thirty-three; Clarence A., Simon G., Orlando R. and Edwin H., all residents of Delmar township, and Sanford D., of Harrison Valley, Potter county. Mrs. Willcox died May 17, 1868, aged forty-two years. On May 13, 1869, he married Sarah M., a daughter of John Wilson, of Morris, Tioga county, by which union he has three children, viz: Lillian M., wife of John Dortt, of Shippen township; Sarah E., wife of A. H. Taylor, and William D. The family are members of the Baptist church, and in politics, Mr. Willcox is a Republican. He has served as a school director for two terms, supervisor six years, and has been postmaster of Olmsville, which is located at his home, since July 1, 1886.
EDWIN MATSON, SR., lumberman and farmer, was born in Chenango county, New York, January 21, 1815, a son of Zeba W. and Lydia (Merritt) Matson, natives of Connecticut. He was reared and educated in his native county, and when eighteen years of age came to Tioga county and entered the employ of Stowell & Dickinson, who were engaged in the lumber business on Pine creek. Here he remained thirteen years, and then went to Wrightsville, York county, Pennsylvania, where he built and operated saw-mills for fifteen years. Returning to Delmar township, Tioga county, he located on a farm which he had previously purchased. After a few years he went to Northumberland county and again engaged in the lumber business for seven years, and subsequently followed lumbering in Florida for fourteen months. Going to Cleveland, Ohio, he completed an unfinished mill, which he operated for one season, and then returned to his farm in Delmar. In 1881, he erected his present mill in Shippen township, which he has operated successfully for the past fifteen years, under the firm name E. Matson & Son. Mr. Matson was married in 1837, to Mary Eberenz, a daughter of William Eberenz, of Delmar, to which union were born seven children, viz: Aurelia, deceased; John W., a resident of Cleveland, Ohio; William E., who served in a battery of New York Heavy Artillery and died of wounds received in the battle of Petersburg; Mary, wife of Charles Derbyshire, of Delmar; Charles, deceased; James H., deceased, and Edwin, junior member of the firm of E. Matson & Son. Mr. Matson is the owner of one of the largest farms in Delmar township, while his lumber interests in Shippen are extensive and lucrative. He also conducts a store in connection with his mill, which does an annual business of $12,000. Mr. Matson is one of the leading Democrats of the township, and is the present postmaster of Marsh Creek. The family are adherents of the Presbyterian church.
JAMES H. MATSON, a son of Edwin and Mary (Eberenz) Matson, was born March 4, 1851, in Wrightsville, Pennsylvania. After acquiring a good English education in the common schools of Delmar township, Tioga county, where his parents still reside, he took a course in the law department of the Michigan University at Ann Arbor. He taught school for a time and then finished his legal studies in the law office of Hon. Jerome B. Niles, Wellsboro, and was admitted to the bar May 4, 1880. In 1884 he was elected district attorney and served on term. On September 24, 1884, he purchased an interest in the Republican Advocate, of Wellsboro, and on January 13, 1886, assumed editorial control, continuing in that capacity until March 10, 1891, when he sold his interest to William L. Shearer, the present proprietor. He then engaged in the insurance business in Wellsville and Syracuse, new York, until the fall of 1894, when he was made state agent for Connecticut of the Illinois Covenant Mutual Insurance Company, at New Haven, which position he retained until his death, march 14, 1897. Mr. Matson married November 25, 1880, to Mary Seaman, of Nauvoo, to which union there were born the following children: Mildred Blanche, Anna Louise, Lillian Elva, Edwin Augustus and Elma Amelia, both deceased, and James Henry. In politics, Mr. Matson was an ardent Republican. For a number of years previous to his death he was a member of the official board of Grace Methodist Episcopal church, New Haven, Connecticut.
EDWIN MATSON, JR., was born in Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, June 28, 1858, a son of Edwin Matson, Sr., and came with his parents to Tioga county when about one year old. He obtained a good common school education, and was reared principally on his father’s farm. In 1882 he engaged in the lumber business on Marsh creek, with his father, under the firm name of E. Matson & Son, where they have since carried on business. Their mill has a capacity of 30,000 feet per day, their product being hardwood and hemlock, which they ship to the northern markets. Mr. Matson was married November 1, 1875, to Hattie U. Russell, a daughter of Lucius L. and Ann Eliza (Morse) Russell. They are the parents of seven children, namely: Nina M., John E., Nora E., James H., Jessie R., Edwin and Morgan L. Nora E. and James H. are dead. In religion, the family are adherents of the Baptist church, and in politics, Republican. Mr. Matson has filled the office of director and treasurer of the school boards in Shippen and Delmar townships. He is a member of the I. O. O. F., and is connected with both the lodge and encampment.
JOSEPH BOYDEN, a native of Massachusetts, born in 1775, there grew to manhood, married Abigail Gilmore, and in 1848 came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and located in Delmar township. He was the father of nine children, as follows: Nancy, who married Enoch Cheney; Harriet, who married Charles Bond; Sanford, Addison, Lemuel, Miranda, wife of Albert Root, of Wellsboro; Eliza, wife of Lemuel Colvin, and Maria, who married Lyman Whitmore. Addison, Mrs. Root and Mrs. Colvin are the only survivors of this family. Mr. Boyden died in Charleston township, January 5, 1854, and his wife, July 11, 1858, aged seventy-seven years.
ADDISON BOYDEN was born in Vermont, October 10, 1805, was reared on a farm, and attended the common schools of his native place. When twenty-one years old he began working in the lumber woods of Canada, which he continued for eight years. In 1833 he came to Tioga county, and located in Delmar township, where he followed the lumber business. In 1842 he bought 100 acres of timber land in Delmar, and after clearing a portion of it, sold it and purchased the present Boyden farm of 112 acres, a short distance west of Wellsboro, upon which he has lived up to the present. In 1831 he married Sophia Colvin, who bore him ten children, viz: Cynthia D. and Abigail, both deceased; Sanford N., of Wellsboro; Melvin, of Delmar; Alfred, of the same township; Mary M., wife of Luther Torpy, of Delmar; Charles F., of Delmar; Rosina A., wife of William Derbyshire, of Delmar; Addison C., of Delmar, and Sophia S., wife of Loren Phippin, of Delmar. Mrs. Boyden died April 3, 1973, aged fifty-nine years. Mr. Boyden lives with his son Alfred on the homestead farm.
MELVIN BOYDEN was born in Shippen township, Tioga county, July 19, 1841, a son of Addison Boyden. He was reared on the homestead farm, obtained a common school education, and worked at home until he was twenty-five years old, when he purchased his present farm in Delmar, and with the exception of three years spent on a rented farm, he has devoted his whole attention to clearing and improving his property. He was married December 6, 1862, to Sarah M. Fellows, a daughter of Asahel Fellows, of Delmar township, and has two children, Charles M., who owns and operates a fruit evaporator on the farm, and Ella S., wife of Charles Spencer, of Delmar. Mrs. Boyden is a member of the Baptist church. Politically, Mr. Boyden is a Republican, and has served as a school director six years. He is deputy constable for the north district of Delmar township.
ALFRED BOYDEN, son of Addison Boyden, was born in Delmar township, Tioga county, March 10, 1844, was reared on the farm, and attended the district schools of his neighborhood. In 1862, when but seventeen years old, he enlisted in Company A, One Hundred and Forty-ninth Pennsylvania Volunteers, and participated in the following battles: Pollock’s Mills, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Funkstown, Haymarket, Wilderness, Laurel Hill, Spottsylvania, North Anna River, Cold Harbor, Pamunkey River, Petersburg, Weldon Railroad and Hatcher’s Run. He was promoted to corporal November 26, 1863, and was honorably discharged from the service at Harrisburg, June 29, 1865. Mr. Boyden returned to his home in Delmar township, and worked in the lumber woods for about ten years. For the following three years he cultivated rented farms, and then took charge of his father’s farm, upon which he has since lived. He was married May 7, 1874, to Mary E. Loudon, a daughter of James Loudon, of Delmar, and has two children, Belle C. and Dana A. The family are connected with the Baptist church, of Wellsboro. Politically, Mr. Boyden is a stanch Republican, and a member of the G. A. R. and P. of H.
CHARLES F. BOYDEN was born in Delmar township, Tioga county, January 30, 1849, a son of Addison Boyden. He was reared on the farm, attended the common schools, and worked at home until he was twenty-four years of age, when he went to northern Wisconsin and operated a farm on shares for a year and a half. For the following six months he drove team for a milling company, and then returned to his home in Delmar, where he cultivated the old homestead for one year. at the end of this period he purchased his present farm in Delmar township, and has since devoted his attention to its cultivation. On June 22, 1873, he married Lydia Matson, of Wisconsin, who has borne him the following children: Elida R., wife of Ferdinand Nobles, of Delmar; Edith D., Edwin A., Flynn O., Sarah E., and Mary E., the last mentioned having died February 27, 1890. Mr. and Mrs. Boyden are members of the Baptist church, and in politics, he is a Republican.
ADDISON C. BOYDEN, youngest son of Addison Boyden, was born in Delmar township, Tioga county, July 30, 1852, attended the district schools and also the Wellsboro Academy. He worked at home until twenty-six years old, and then purchased his present farm in Delmar, which he has since cleared and improved. On June 9, 1879, he married Amanda Matson, a daughter of Horton Matson, of Delmar township, who has borne him two children, Bertha R. and Horace A. They have also an adopted daughter. Mr. Boyden and wife are members of the Baptist church, and in politics, he is a stanch Republican.
ALANSON J. WILSON, a native of Massachusetts, and a son of Solomon Wilson, came to Tioga county in the spring of 1839 and purchased a farm of eighty-six acres in Delmar township. He was a shoemaker and also a blacksmith, and after locating in Delmar township did considerable work in those lines, being one of the most useful citizens in the community. Though a man of limited education, he possessed natural ability as a manager and accumulated a competence. Mr. Wilson married Julia Bradley, of Massachusetts, and reared a family of five sons, as follows: James A., who died at the age of twenty-two; Henry B., Milon D., Ira C. and Baxter H., all residents of Delmar township. Mr. Wilson died in 1876, and his wife ten years before.
MILON D. WILSON was born in Steuben county, new York, March 21, 1831, and is the third son of Alanson J. Wilson. He was reared on a farm, attended the common schools, and when thirteen years old went to Wellsboro, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and engaged with William S. Taylor to learn the tanner’s trade, at which he spent three years. He then returned home and worked in the woods and as a farm hand for about nine years. At the end of this time he purchased the farm upon which he now resides, and where he has since lived. On October 15, 1861, he enlisted in Company I, Forty-fifth Pennsylvania Volunteers, and served with his regiment up to December, 1862, when he was honorably discharged. Mr. Wilson was married December 1, 1856, to Mary Monroe, a daughter of Garner Monroe, of Delmar township, who bore him six children, viz: Daniel G., a resident of Potter county; Alanson W., who died in infancy; Rosanna M., wife of Tully Monroe, of Potter county; Mary E., wife of Frank Luddington, of Delmar; Caroline A., wife of Charles Loucks, of Potter county, and Lillian L., who died in infancy. Mrs. Wilson died September 11, 1891, aged fifty-nine years. February 21, 1894, Mr. Wilson married Philura Plumley, of Delmar township. He is a member of the Baptist church, while his wife is a Methodist. In politics, he is a Republican.
IRA C. WILSON was born in Barrington, Massachusetts, August 18, 1833, and was in his sixth year when his parents came to Delmar township, Tioga county. He was reared upon the homestead farm, attended the district school of his neighborhood, and when fourteen years of age commenced working in the lumber woods as a teamster, which he followed four years. Returning home he worked on the farm until his majority, and then purchased eighty acres of land from William Bache, located in Delmar township. At the end of six years, after clearing a part of it, he sold this property and purchased the old homestead, upon which he lived until he purchased his present farm of 120 acres, leasing the first to his son, Charles L. He also owns two other farms of 100 acres each in Delmar, and is one of the most prosperous farmers in the county. He married Mary Jane Nobles, a daughter of Loron Nobles, to which union have been born nine children, viz: Mary Louisa, deceased wife of George Smith; Emma, wife of Daniel Bennett, of Shippen township; Lyman M., who died in infancy; Charles L., and Frank H., both residents of Delmar; Ella, wife of Charles A. Buckley, of Delmar; Frederick J., and Minnie, both of whom died in early youth, and Ira W., who lives with his parents. The family are connected with the Baptist church, and in politics, Mr. Wilson is a Democrat.
ROBERT STEELE, SR., was born in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, about 1766, there grew to maturity and married Esther Rowe. He served a short time in the Revolutionary War, later studied medicine, but never practiced the profession. About 1805 he came to Tioga county and located on the site of Ansonia, then known as Big Meadows. He reared a family of nine children, viz: John, James, Matilda, Ephraim, Henry, Elizabeth, Robert, Polly and William. Mr. Steele died at the home of his son Robert in Delmar township in 1836.
ROBERT STEELE was born on the site of Ansonia, Tioga county, October 12, 1810, a son of Robert Steele, Sr. He was reared on a farm and attended the pioneer schools of his neighborhood. In 1834 he located in Delmar township, purchasing the farm where his son Miles now lives. His wife, Mary Ann, was a daughter of William Blackwell, an early settler of Morris township. She bore him ten children, named as follows: Richard, who died in infancy; Louisa, wife of William Walbridge, of Delmar; John, who died on his farm in Delmar, March 14, 1896; Sarah, wife of Peter Walbridge, of Wellsboro; William, who was wounded in the battle of Petersburg, and died June 27, 1864; Miles, Charles and Robert, all residents of Delmar; Mary A., wife of Willis L. English, of Morris, and Otis, who lives in Wellsboro. Mr. Steele died on the old homestead in Delmar, November 27, 1884. His widow lives with her son Miles in that township.
JOHN STEELE, son of Robert and Mary Ann Steele, and grandson of Robert Steele, Sr., was born in Delmar township, Tioga county, March 3, 1841, and lived with his parents until he was twenty-six years old. His father then deeded him a farm of 108 acres, two miles south of Wellsboro, where he resided until his death, March 14, 1896. Mr. Steele was married September 18, 1866, to Alice Copestick, a daughter of Charles Copestick, of Delmar. Six children were born to this union, viz: Raymond, a resident of Charleston township; Mabel, wife of Horatio Reed, of Delmar; Isabel, Robert, Claude, deceased, and Carrie. When Lee invaded Pennsylvania, Mr. Steele went out with the Emergency Men to assist in defending his native State, thus proving his patriotism. In politics, he was a Republican, and served as clerk and treasurer of Delmar from 1882 to 1892. He belonged to the Grange and was a liberal supporter of the public schools. Mr. Steele was a kind father and husband, a good neighbor and a respected citizen.
WILLIAM ROBERTSON, SR., was born in Scotland, there grew to manhood, and became a stationary engineer and miner. In 1830 he came to the United States, and worked in the Baldwin Locomotive Works five years. In 1835 he came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, remained a short time in Wellsboro, and then purchased a farm in Delmar township, on which he resided up to his death. He married Agnes Archibald, who bore him twelve children, four of whom are living and residents of Delmar township, viz: Frasier, wife of Thomas Clark; Thomas A., William, and Jane, wife of James Dale. Mrs. Robertson died October 14, 1886, at the ripe old age of ninety-two years.
THOMAS A. ROBERTSON, eldest son of William and Agnes Robertson, was born in Scotland, march 17, 1824, and came to the United States with his parents when six years old. He attended the public schools of Philadelphia and Tioga county in boyhood, and worked on the home farm until he was twenty-three years old. He then cultivated a rented farm for two years, at the end of which time he bought eighty-two acres on East Hill, Delmar township, a property he still owns, and lived there from 1850 to 1891. He then removed to his present farm, a portion of the old homestead. Mr. Robertson was married March 8, 1849, to Mary A. Moyer, a daughter of Jonathan Moyer. Four children were born to this union, viz: Margaret, who died at the age of twenty-six; George A., of Delmar; Adaline, wife of Robert A. Kerr, of Morris, and Isabel, wife of Rev. E. D. Rawson, of Allegany, New York. Mr. Robertson and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. In politics, he is a Republican, and is also a member of the Patrons of Husbandry.
GEORGE A. ROBERTSON, only son of Thomas A. and Mary A. Robertson, was born in Delmar township, Tioga county, was reared on the homestead farm, and attended the district schools in boyhood. When twenty years of age he began working in the lumber woods, but soon returned to farm work. He later spent three years in the Hoytville tannery, then bought a farm in Delmar, near the Shippen line, which he sold two years later and purchased his present farm of fifty acres, east of Stony Fork. Mr. Robertson was married June 17, 1876, to Agnes Dort, a daughter of Russell Dort, an early settler of Delmar township, and has three children, Edith, Leon A., and Pearly A. Mr. Robertson, wife and oldest daughter are members of the P. of H., and in politics, he is a stanch Republican.
WILLIAM ROBERTSON, youngest son of William Robertson, Sr., was born on the homestead farm in Delmar township, Tioga county, November 8, 1837. He attended the common schools of his district and worked at home until he was twenty-one years of age. He then began working out as a farm hand, but two years later rented a farm and continued to cultivate rented farms up to 1876, when he bought a homestead in Delmar township, which he sold six years afterwards and purchased his present property of fifty acres adjoining the old homestead farm, in which he owns a quarter interest. Mr. Robertson was married September 25, 1859, to Lydia A. Smedley, a daughter of William and Ellen (Shuart) Smedley, born September 6, 1838. They have one daughter, mazie, born April 8, 1882. In politics, Mr. Robertson is an ardent Republican.
AARON SYMONDS was born in Connecticut, June 30, 1793, a son of John Symonds. In early life he learned the blacksmith’s trade, particularly the manufacture of scythes, and followed that business until failing health compelled him to abandon it, when he turned his attention to farming. In 1836 he came to Tioga county and operated a saw-mill at Round Island, now Tiadaghton. He afterwards bought fifty acres of land on Middle Ridge, in Delmar township, where he followed farming until his death, August 5, 1842. Mr. Symonds married Phoebe Willcox, oldest child of Simon G. Willcox, November 5, 1818. She was a native of Chenango county, New York, and became the mother of nine children, viz: Luther, who died at the age of twenty-three; David B., a farmer of Potter county; Job W., of Delmar township; Hannah A., who died in 1888; Sarah A., deceased, wife of Darius B. Ford; Clarissa, who died in 1886; Caroline, and Emeline, twins, the former of whom died in girlhood, and the latter in 1886, and Betsey A., who died in April, 1863. Mrs. Symonds died in May, 1860, aged fifty-eight years.
JOB W. SYMONDS, retired farmer and blacksmith, was born in Chenango county, New York, October 20, 1825, and was eleven years old when his parents settled in Tioga county. On attaining his majority he began work in the lumber woods, devoting his summers to farming, which he continued five years. He then bought a farm of fifty acres on Middle Ridge, Delmar township, originally owned by his father, erected a blacksmith shop, and followed farming and blacksmithing. He did work for his neighbors, having picked up sufficient of the trade to be a fair workman. In 1856 he sold this property and bought his present farm of 100 acres, a short distance north of Draper. Here he followed blacksmithing and farming up to 1886, when he retired. Mr. Symonds married Cynthia Borden, a daughter of Benjamin B. Borden, of Delmar township, January 3, 1844. She was born April 10, 1828, and became the mother of ten children, viz: Phoebe J., widow of A. S. Torpy; George, an oil operator in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania; Mary E., who died in infancy; Betsey E., wife of Asher A. Hines, of Minnesota; Mary A., wife of Charles Orr, of Delmar township; Fidah M., wife of Albert Torpy; Myra B., wife of Edwin Allen; Hurbin, who married Ida Compton, February 14, 1887; Katie, wife of Ira Rice, and Benjamin, the last five of whom are residents of Delmar township. In politics, Mr. Symonds is a Republican. He has been supervisor one year, and a justice of the peace fifteen years, in Delmar township.
THOMAS HORTON was born in Orange county, New York, in 1781, and came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, in 1837. He purchased the farm in Delmar township on which his son Thomas C. now lives. He married Anna Cully, who bore him a family of nine children, viz: Elizabeth, who married John Kimball; Hiram, and Hannah, who married Daniel Slosson, all of whom are dead; Susan, wife of Jeremiah Houghton, of Delmar; Thomas C., a farmer of the same township; Ezra, deceased; Hector, of Delmar; Sarah A., wife of P. G. Walker, of Stony Fork, and Samantha, wife of Edward Hastings, of Wellsboro. Thomas C. was born in Tompkins county, New York, September 1, 1820, came to this county with his parents, and married Marietta Stanton, who bore him six children, viz: Newell F., and Mary J., both deceased; Ezra, a farmer on Marsh creek; John and Nathan, both deceased, and Myron, a resident of Virginia. Mr. Horton and wife spent the remaining years of their lives in this county.
HECTOR HORTON, youngest son of Thomas Horton, was born in Schuyler county, then a part of Tompkins county, New York, December 27, 1822, and was in his fifteenth year when his parents settled in Delmar township. He worked at home until twenty-three years of age, and then bought his present farm of 100 acres from his father, on which he has since lived, devoting his attention to general farming and dairying. October 9, 1850, he married Permelia A. Emick, a daughter of William Emick, of Morris township. They are the parents of seven children, viz: Charles A., and Frank, both residing in the oil fields of Pennsylvania and Ohio, respectively; Maria, wife of Andrew English, of New Mexico; George, and Fred J., residents of Wood county, Ohio; Mary, and Hubert, both at home. The family are adherents of the Baptist church, and politically, Mr. Horton is a Republican. He is also a member of the Patrons of Husbandry.
DAVID GORRIE was born near Wilmington, Delaware, March 28, 1820, a son of John and Agnes (Ower) Gorrie, natives of Scotland. David is the youngest and only survivor in a family of ten children. He was reared in his native place and in the City of Philadelphia up to the age of seventeen, and obtained a common school education. In the fall of 1837, he, with his mother and invalid brother, came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, where he bought a farm of about 120 acres, in Delmar township, and devoted his entire attention to agricultural pursuits. In 1882 he built upon the farm of 125 acres, where he now resides, disposing of the old homestead to his son Clarence. Mr. Gorrie was married in 1851 to Cerissa Griffin, of Delmar township, and has reared four children, viz: Clarence, who lives upon the old homestead; Norval, a farmer residing in Idaho; David, a farmer in the same State, and Lillie M., at home. In politics, Mr. Gorrie is a stanch Democrat. He is one of the prominent and respected farmers of Delmar township, and by his own exertion and energy has accumulated through the passing years a handsome competence.
LYMAN WALBRIDGE was born near Springfield, Massachusetts, February 6, 1786, a son of Joshua Walbridge, a Revolutionary soldier, born in 1758. He was reared on a farm, received a good education, and taught school for some years in his native State. In 1837 he came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and purchased his farm in Delmar township now owned by his son William, where he resided until his death, August 17, 1862. He married Ann D. Smith, a daughter of Rev. William R. Smith. She was born in 1795, and bore him six children, viz: William, a resident of Delmar, born September 16, 1821, who married Louisa, a daughter of Robert Steele, and has two sons, Bion and Arthur; Elizabeth, a resident of Europe; Joshua, a judge of the common pleas court in Goldboro, Colorado; John W., an oil operator of Venango county; Robert S., of Delmar, and Peter D., who lives in Wellsboro. Mrs. Walbridge died April 10, 1880, aged eighty-four years.
ROBERT S. WALBRIDGE was born in New Jersey, October 5, 1831, and was about six years old when his parents located in Delmar township, Tioga county. He was reared upon the farm, and when twenty years of age began working out as a farm hand, which he followed for ten years. He then bought his present farm of 100 acres, lying west of Stony Fork, where he has since devoted his attention to agriculture. On December 11, 1862, Mr. Walbridge married Mary Copestick, a daughter of Charles Copestick, of Delmar, and has three children, viz: Alfred C., an electrical engineer of Washington state; Bertha E., wife of C. E. Olmstead, of Delmar, and George B., a student at Lafayette College. Mrs. Walbridge died January 21, 1889, aged forty-seven years. In politics, a Democrat, he has served as township clerk and treasurer for several years. He is a member of the P. of H., and also of the K. of G. E.
WILLIAM TROWBRIDGE DERBYSHIRE was born in Denmark, New York, December 28, 1809, a son of William and Laura (Trowbridge) Derbyshire. He was the second in a family of seven children, and is to-day the only surviving member of the family. He received a common school education, and when sixteen years of age went to Utica, New York, and spent three years learning the harness maker’s trade, which business he followed about ten years in that State. In the autumn of 1837 he came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and located in Wellsboro, where he worked at his trade three years. He then purchased the Derbyshire farm in Delmar township, and for the succeeding twenty-five years devoted his attention to clearing and improving his land, and working at his trade in Wellsboro. At the end of this period he gave up working at his trade, and devoted his whole attention to the farm. Mr. Derbyshire was married in January, 1835, to Mary Granger, a daughter of Levi Granger, of Otsego county, New York, to which union were born ten children, named as follows: William, who died at three years of age; Mary, Caroline, Elizabeth, George R., who died in a rebel prison in South Carolina during the war; Charles, and William, both residents of Delmar; Frank, deceased; Laura, wife of Charles Smith, and Marian, wife of John Russell, both residents of Delmar township. Mrs. Derbyshire died in August, 1891, aged seventy-nine years. Mr. Derbyshire is a member of the Protestant Episcopal church, and in politics, a Republican. He is one of the oldest citizens of Delmar township.
CHARLES DERBYSHIRE, son of William T. Derbyshire, was born in Delmar township, Tioga county, May 30, 1846, was educated in the district schools, and has made farming his life vocation. His farm is located four miles northwest of Wellsboro. He married Mary Matson, a daughter of Edwin Matson, Sr., of Delmar, December 31, 1868, who has borne him five children, viz: Mary E., wife of John Hasker, of Delmar; William E., who married Lizzie Covert, of Wellsboro; Robert C., Charles F., and Marion C. The family are connected with the Baptist church. Mr. Derbyshire is a Republican, in politics, and is one of the school directors of his district.
HIRAM L. ROBLYER was born near Horseheads, Chemung county, New York, March 14, 1825, a son of Hiram and Rhoda (Sanford) Roblyer. His parents were natives of Orange county, new York, whence they removed to Chemung county, and in 1837 located in Rutland township, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, where they died, the father May 6, 1857, aged eighty-two, and the mother, November 27, 1859, aged seventy-eight. Their children were as follows: Austin, Diadama, Andrew J., David S. and Ira, all of whom are dead; Dorcas M., widow of A. B. Tanner; Hannah J., deceased; Sally Ann, widow of Northrop Smith, of Sullivan township, and Hiram L. The subject of this sketch came to Tioga county with his parents when twelve years old, and was reared to manhood in Rutland township. He afterwards worked as a farm hand for several years. In 1851 he embarked in merchandising at Elk Run in partnership with Northrop Smith, but in 1857 he sold his interest to Mr. Smith and bought his present farm of 104 acres, on which he has since lived. Mr. Roblyer was married October 3, 1855, to Almira Wood, a daughter of Solomon and Lydia Wood, of Sullivan township, where her parents settled in 1821. Three children have been born to this union, viz: Herbert, a resident of Delmar; Levi, who lives in Sullivan, and Harvey, who died November 18, 1877. In politics, Mr. Roblyer is a Republican, and has served as auditor and treasurer of his township. Both he and wife are members of East Sullivan Grange.
HERBERT ROBLYER was born in Sullivan township, Tioga county, July 16, 1856, eldest son of Hiram L. Roblyer. He was educated in the common schools, at the Mansfield State Normal, and Warner Business College, Elmira, New York. When twenty-one years of age he began teaching in winter, which he followed for seven years, working on the farm during the summer season. In the fall of 1881 he purchased his present farm of 100 acres in Delmar township, one mile north of Balsam, on which he has since resided. Mr. Roblyer was married to Lina M. Wilbur, a daughter of Nelson and Melissa Wilbur, of Wayne county, Pennsylvania, October 3, 1880, and has three children: Lulu May, Carrie Estella and Harvey Lewis. The family attend the Episcopal church. Mr. Roblyer is secretary of Pomona Grange, and also a director and secretary of the Tioga County Grange Mutual Insurance Company. He is a stanch Republican, has filled the office of school director in Delmar, and is recognized as one of the leading citizens of the township.
PETER BUCKLEY, a son of John and Hannah (Decker) Buckley, was born in Oxford, Chenango county, New York, November 23, 1809, and there grew to manhood. In 1839 he came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and purchased the present Buckley farm in Delmar township. He was a carpenter and millwright, and for many years devoted a portion of his time to the construction of mills. On November 26, 1837, he married Ruth A. Bartle, a daughter of Charles Bartle, and had one son, John H., when the family moved to this county. The following children were born after their settlement here: Byron C., who died in February, 1868, aged twenty-six years; Hulda A., who died aged two years; Charles A., of Delmar township; Jerusha A., wife of Charles Copestick, of Delmar; Uriah, telegraph operator and station agent at Minoa Station, New York, and two that died in infancy. Mr. Buckley died November 8, 1856, from an injury received while working on a saw-mill. His widow resides with her son, John H., in Delmar. In early life a Democrat, he later became a Republican, and was quite active in political affairs.
JOHN H. BUCKLEY was born in Oxford, New York, June 16, 1839, eldest child of Peter Buckley, who came to Tioga county five months after our subject’s birth. He was reared upon his present homestead farm, and received a good education in the common and select schools of Delmar township, and at Oxford Academy. He worked at home until the death of his father, since which time he has had charge of the farm, with the exception of the period when he was serving in the Union army. On September 21, 1861, he enlisted in Company I, Forty-fifth Pennsylvania Volunteers, and participated in the battles of James Island, Blue Springs, Campbell Station, Siege of Knoxville, Siege of Vicksburg, Jackson, Jamestown and the Wilderness, where he was wounded. He was promoted to corporal in 1863, and was discharged at McClellan Hospital, Philadelphia, on account of a gunshot wound in the left hip, May 8, 1865. With the exception of the four years spent in the service, Mr. Buckley taught school nineteen consecutive terms, principally in his native township. He was married March 29, 1870, to Isabel, a daughter of Charles and Isabel Copestick, of Delmar. Three children have been born to them, viz: Ruth, a student at the State Normal School, Mansfield; Charles, a graduate of that institution, and now a teacher in the Philadelphia public schools, and Florence. Politically, Mr. Buckley is a Republican, and has filled the office of auditor three terms, and that of clerk and treasurer five terms. The family attend the Presbyterian church, and Mr. Buckley is one of the most intelligent farmers in Tioga county.
ALMON BROOKS, a native of New York state, was one of the early settlers of Tioga county, Pennsylvania. He purchased a farm in Delmar township, cleared and improved it, and passed the remaining years of his life in making a home for himself and family. He married Lena Miller, who bore him the following children: Anne M., wife of D. R. Null, of Williamsport; Frank W., of Delmar; Charles M., a resident of Williamsport; Emma E., wife of Z. O. Campbell, of Wellsboro; John W., a resident of Manhattan, Tioga county; Henry D., of Delmar, and Ada M., deceased wife of Elmer E. Striker.
FRANK W. BROOKS was born in Delmar township, Tioga county, February 26, 1850, and is the eldest son of Almon and Lena Brooks. He worked at home until he was sixteen years of age, when he went to Williamsport, where he lived several years, during which period he worked in a saw-mill. He then purchased a farm on Marsh creek, Tioga county, which he sold three years later to his brother-in-law and went to Manhattan tannery, where he worked as a teamster four years. He was afterwards a hostler at the same institution for eight years. In the spring of 1893 he moved to his present farm in Delmar township, which he had previously purchased and has since followed agricultural pursuits. Mr. Brooks was married in Westfield, Tioga county, May 3, 1880, to Miss Etta Davis. She is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. In politics, he is a Republican, and gives his support to the principles of that party.
RUSSELL LAWTON was born in Chenango county, New York, November 21, 1816, a son of Gideon and Polly (Dodge) Lawton, and grandson of Noyes and Cynthia (Rathbone) Lawton, all natives of Rhode Island. Russell was the fifth in a family of nine children, named as follows: Eliza, Thomas, Harry, Lucinda, Russell, Almira, William, Charles and Ira. The father was born November 11, 1786, and died February 13, 1841. The mother was born May 25, 1793, and died October 31, 1861. Russell was reared on a farm, obtained a common school education, and came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania about 1839. He purchased a farm in Delmar township, and followed agricultural pursuits up to his death. He married Susannah B. Hardy—born in Delmar township January 19, 1823,—a daughter of Levi and Sally (Borden) Hardy, natives of New Hampshire and Massachusetts, respectively, and early settlers of Delmar township. They were the parents of five children, viz: Levi E., who died at eleven years of age; Gilderoy H., Warren, Francis R., and Edgar, all residents of Delmar township. Mr. Lawton departed this life October 29, 1888. His widow resides with their son, Francis R.
GILDEROY H. LAWTON was born in Delmar township, Tioga county, February 20, 1843, a son of Russell Lawton, and was reared upon the homestead, and attended the common schools of his district. On August 8, 1862, he enlisted in Company A, One Hundred and Forty-ninth Pennsylvania Volunteers, and was in the battles of the Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Petersburg, Weldon Railroad and Hatcher’s Run. He was wounded at Spottsylvania, and was honorably discharged at Elmira, New York, with the rank of corporal, June 24, 1865. Returning to Delmar township, he bought his present farm of 100 acres, and has devoted his attention to its cultivation. On January 22, 1866, he married Mrs. Lydia M. Berry, nee Lawton, who had two children by her previous marriage, viz: Mary S., wife of E. E. Sherman, of Delmar, and George L., of Stony Fork. Mr. Lawton is a member of George Cook Post, G. A. R., and his wife is connected with the Women’s Relief Corps, of that post. In politics, he is a stanch Republican.
WARREN LAWTON was born in Delmar township, Tioga county, October 31, 1844, a son of Russell Lawton, was reared on the farm and educated in the public schools. On March 6, 1864, he enlisted in Company I, Forty-fifth Pennsylvania Volunteers, and was in the battles of the Wilderness, Spottsylvania, North Anna River, Cold Harbor and Siege of Petersburg, and was discharged from the service July 18, 1865. He returned to his home in Delmar township, and settled upon his present farm of 125 acres, purchased while he was in the service, and has since made farming his vocation. Mr. Lawton was married February 13, 1867, to Clarissa L. Townsend, a daughter of Jacob F. Townsend, of Delmar, and has two children: Noyes, who married Clara Lyons, and has two sons, Perley W. and Russell P.; and Clara L., wife of William A. Luddington, of Delmar township, who has one daughter, Clarissa M. Mrs. Lawton died April 22, 1892, aged forty-five years. Mr. Lawton is a stanch Republican, and is a member of the G. A. R., the I. O. O. F., the K. of G. E., and the P. of H.
EDGAR LAWTON, youngest son of Russell and Susannah B. Lawton was born in Delmar township, Tioga county, January 21, 1849. He was reared on the homestead farm, attended the district school in boyhood, and when twenty-three years of aged purchased the C. G. Osgood farm in Delmar township, which he cultivated twelve years. He then sold it and purchased his present farm of ninety acres, a half mile west of Stony Fork, upon which he has since resided. He also followed the stonemason’s trade in connection with his farm duties for ten years. He makes dairy farming a specialty, keeping on an average ten cows. Mr. Lawton was married February 20, 1872, to Agnes Orr, a daughter of Thomas Orr, of Delmar, and has two sons, Thomas R. and Frank R. Mrs. Lawton is a member of the Presbyterian church and their son, Thomas R., is connected with the Patrons of Husbandry and the I. O. O. F. In politics, Mr. Lawton is a Republican.
LEVI HARDY was one of the early settlers of Delmar township, Tioga County, where he purchased a farm about 1827. He was a native of New Hampshire, a son of Rufus and Lucy (Livermore) Hardy, natives of New England. He married Sally Borden, who became the mother of nine children, viz: Rufus, John, William, Lorenzo, Dexie, Henrietta, Annie, Susannah B., who married Russell Lawton, and Adaline. Mr. Hardy was a blacksmith, and followed his trade in connection with agriculture up to his death, September 18, 1859. His widow survived him only a few months, dying February 27, 1860.
JAMES PLAYFOOT was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1815, a son of David and Elizabeth (Day) Playfoot, and was the eighth in a family of nine children, named as follows: David, Daniel, David (2d), Sarah A., John, Martha, Elizabeth, James and Jonathan, all of whom are dead except Elizabeth and James. The mother died in 1846, and the father, in 1856. James was four years old when his parents removed from Cincinnati to New York City, where his father engaged in the milk business. He attended the public schools of that city, and when fifteen years of age came with his parents to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, where his father purchased 150 acres of timber land. The family staid but a couple of months, and then went to Sullivan county, New York, where James learned the blacksmith’s trade. Two years later he went to Athens, Bradford county, Pennsylvania, to which place his father had previously moved, and followed his trade there five years. After a couple of months spent at Columbia Flats, he came to Covington, Tioga county, and continued to work at his trade for three years. Returning to Athens, he followed blacksmithing for about five years with the exception of one year spent on his father’s farm, and again came to Tioga county. he worked at his trade on Pine creek for a few months, in Sullivan township three years, and at Covington fourteen years. At the end of this period he purchased a farm, which he subsequently traded for his present farm in Delmar, on which he has since lived. Mr. Playfoot was married February 12, 1843, to Susan A. Chapin, who has borne him the following children: David, who died while a soldier in the Rebellion; Mary, who lives with her mother in Wellsboro; Annie, deceased; Edward J., of Delmar; William, a minister residing in Monroe county; George J., of Delmar; Charles, deceased, and Sarah, who lives in Wellsboro. Mr. Playfoot resides with his son Edward J., while his wife makes her home in Wellsboro with her two daughters. Both are members of the Baptist church, and in politics, he is a Republican.
EDWARD J. PLAYFOOT was born on November 24, 1849, a son of James and Susan A. Playfoot, and has made farming his life vocation. He worked in the lumber woods during the winter seasons from 1869 to 1879, since which time he has devoted his whole attention to the home farm. On April 17, 1879, he married Emma Grosjean, a daughter of Edward Grosjean, of Delmar, and has two children, Earl W. and Viva M. Mr. and Mrs. Playfoot and their son, Earl W., are members of the Baptist church, and also of the Patrons of Husbandry. In politics, he is a Republican.
CYRUS HEATH, born in Cayuga county, new York, in 1785, came to Tioga county in about 1840 and purchased a farm in Chatham township, where he followed farming and lumbering until his death, in 1857. He married Prudence Pierce, who bore him two children, Levi P. and Mary A., wife of William T. Hardin, of Wellsboro. Mrs. Heath died in 1866, aged seventy-five years.
LEVI P. HEATH, only son of Cyrus Heath, was born in Cayuga county, new York, in 1822, and was eighteen years old when the family came to Tioga county. He found employment in the lumber woods on Pine creek, which business he followed two years. He then bought a farm in Chatham township, which he later traded for one in Delmar. This he afterwards sold and moved to Wellsboro, where he died in 1878. He married Harriet Amelia Humphrey, a daughter of James V. and Harriet Humphrey, of Chenango county, New York, who bore him three children, viz: Georgianna, wife of William Avery, of Delmar; Thomas J. and Frank P., both residents of the same township. Mr. Heath was an ardent Democrat, and always gave his support to that party. His widow, who was born June 2, 1833, resides with her son, Frank P., in Delmar township.
FRANK P. HEATH, youngest child of Levi P. Heath, was born in Delmar township, Tioga county, January 30, 1869. He was reared on a farm, and was educated in the district schools of his native township and at Wellsboro High School. Since his father’s death he has cared for and supported his mother, working on a farm and in the lumber woods until November, 1893, when he settled on his present farm in Delmar township. Mr. Heath was married November 15, 1893, to Miss Stella M. Bernauer, a daughter of Samuel Bernauer, of Delmar township, and has one daughter, Hazel Gertrude. In politics, he is a Republican.
AUGUSTUS BARTLE, a native of Chenango county, new York, born June 19, 1796, was a son of John Bartle, a native of Massachusetts, and the father of seventeen children, of whom Augustus was the fourth child and oldest son. He learned the stone cutter’s trade in boyhood, and followed it until 1841. In that year he came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and purchased the farm now owned by his son, Jacob C. He married Cynthia Buckley, a daughter of John Buckley, of Oxford, New York, who bore him ten children, viz: Augustus C., who died in 1890, in Texas; John, deceased; Jacob C., of Delmar township; Peter W., a resident of Arkansas; Hannah L., wife of George W. Williams, of Arkansas; Mary J., wife of Emanuel Impson, of Potter county; William V., who died in early youth; Emily E., widow of J. C. Wheeler, of Wellsboro; Ann A., wife of Lewis P. Hastings, and Amy C., wife of Floyd Taylor, both residents of Delmar township. Mr. Bartle died in 1875, and his wife, in 1891, aged ninety years.
JACOB C. BARTLE was born in Oxford, Chenango county, New York, June 29, 1825, and lived in his native land until 1843, when he came to Tioga county, whither his father had preceded him some two years. He labored at farm work in the summer and in the lumber woods during the winter seasons, for six years. In 1849 he purchased 240 acres of land in Delmar township, but subsequently sold the greater portion of it, retaining seventy-two acres, upon which he has since lived. He operated a grist-mill on the place for twelve years, when it was burned. He then ran a mill in Charleston township for three years, at the end of which time he erected a mill upon the old site, conducted it four years, when it was again burned, and he has since devoted his whole attention to farming. Mr. Bartle was married April 6, 1848, to Eunice Bacon, a daughter of Oliver Bacon. She was born January 15, 1828, and bore him a family of seven children, viz: Henrietta H., who has been twice married, first to P. G. Lyon, by whom she had four children, and afterwards to J. T. Wortendyke, of Delmar township; Clara J., who died April 9, 1890; Eli, a resident of Shippen township; Adaline, wife of Henry J. Mitchell, of Delmar; Nellie E., wife of Wilbur F. West, of Delmar; Lottie T., wife of Charles L. Miller, of Addison, New York, and Eloise, wife of Clinton West, of Delmar township. Mrs. Bartle died September 7, 1890, aged sixty-two years. The family are adherents of the Presbyterian church, and in politics, Republicans. Mr. Bartle has been a school director for three years, and is a member of the Patrons of Husbandry.
WILLIAM TAYLOR, born in Chenango county, New York, June 29, 1807, was a son of Andrew and Julia (Stephens) Taylor. His father was a native of Scotland, and his mother the first white female child born in Otsego county, New York. They were the parents of five children: William, Andrew, James, Cornelia and Martha, all of whom are dead. William was reared upon a farm, and married Caroline Webb, a daughter of James Webb, of Chenango county, New York, who bore him two children: William A., of Delmar township, and Julia A., wife of W. S. Moore, of the same township. In 1844 Mr. Taylor and family came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, where he purchased the farm in Delmar township now owned by his son, William A. Here he resided until his death, June 19, 1877. His widow resides with William A. upon the old homestead.
WILLIAM A. TAYLOR, only son of William and Caroline Taylor, was born in Chenango county, New York, August 23, 1833, and was eleven years old when his parents settled in Delmar township. He attended the public schools, and also the Deerfield and Wellsboro Academies, and has since devoted his attention to agriculture, inheriting the farm purchased by his father in 1844. He commenced teaching school when nineteen years of age, and taught for twenty winters, seventeen of them in Delmar township. The Taylor homestead contains 150 acres, and is located one mile north of Olmsville. Mr. Taylor was married January 20, 1868, to Sarah M. Horton, a daughter of George and Harriet (Flagg) Horton. She was born June 21, 1843, and is the mother of four children, viz: Edith R., William R., Caroline H. and George L. Mrs. Taylor is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. In politics, Mr. Taylor is a Republican, and is also a member of the I. O. O. F. and the K. of G. E. societies.
LORON NOBLES, retired farmer, was born in Westfield, Massachusetts, February 11, 1812, a son of Elijah and Martha (Drake) Nobles. He was reared in his native town, and when eighteen years of age began work in a cigar factory, where he remained two years. For the succeeding five years he found employment in a brickyard, and afterwards worked two years in a butt factory. He worked five years in an ax factory, and for a short time as a farm hand. In 1844 he removed from Massachusetts to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and purchased a farm of ninety-two acres in Delmar township, which he disposed of six years later and bought 100 acres in the same township. He sold the latter in 1887, and purchased his present farm, some five miles west of Wellsboro. On July 13, 1836, Mr. Nobles married Jane C. Russell, to which union were born the following children: Mary J., wife of Ira C. Wilson, of Delmar; William and George A., who enlisted in Company A, One Hundred and Forty-ninth Pennsylvania Volunteers, and died in the service; Ella, wife of William M. Wilson, of Delmar; Daniel L., of Tioga; Julia, wife of George W. Balfour, of Antrim, and Ferdinand E., a farmer of Delmar. In politics, Mr. Nobles is a Republican, and both he and wife are members of the Baptist church, and also of the Patrons of Husbandry.
FERDINAND E. NOBLES, youngest child of Loron and Jane C. Nobles, was born in Delmar township, Tioga county, July 28, 1859, and obtained a common school education. When eighteen years of age he rented a farm, which he cultivated one year, and then went to Michigan and worked in the lumber woods for eighteen months. At the end of this time he opened a boarding house, which he carried on for a year and a half, and then returned to Tioga county. He worked for his father a short time, then purchased fifty acres of land from the latter, and has since been engaged in agricultural pursuits. In the spring of 1894 he opened a small grocery store, which he conducts in connection with his farm. Mr. Nobles was married February 19, 1890, to Lida Boyden, a daughter of Charles Boyden, of Delmar, and has four children: Jesse L., Bessie J., Zorado Mildred and Clara Lydia. Mrs. Nobles is a member of the Baptist church. He is connected with the P. of H., and politically, is a Republican.
GEORGE VALSING was born in Germany, July 22, 1835, a son of Martin and Anna Valsing, who immigrated from Germany to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, with their family, consisting of three children, George, Walter and Veronia, and located on the present Valsing farm in Delmar township. Here Mr. Valsing died May 14, 1855, aged forty-nine years. His wife died may 17, 1870, aged sixty years, after an illness of four years. George was seven years old when the family came to this county, and grew to manhood on the homestead farm. On November 25, 1868, he married Clara Dartt, a daughter of Russell Dartt, of Delmar township, to which union were born four children, viz: Walter, born September 1, 1872; Nellie J., March 4, 1875, a graduate of the State Normal School at Lock Haven, and a teacher by profession; Hattie, October 24, 1878, and Russell, March 30, 1881, all of whom reside with their mother on the old homestead. Mr. Valsing died January 3, 1883. He was an ardent Republican, and an adherent of the Methodist Episcopal church. The family attended that church, and Mrs. Valsing and her two oldest children are members of the Patrons of Husbandry. Walter has charge of the farm, and has proven himself a good son, and an energetic farmer.
FERDINAND T. STURMER was born in Prussia, Germany, January 10, 1803, there learned the harness maker’s trade, which he followed in his native land up to 1836. In that year he immigrated to New York City, worked at his trade there for a short time, and then came to Manchester, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, where he found employment in saw-mills for eight years. At the end of this time he purchased eighty acres of land in Delmar township, and devoted his attention to farming in the summer seasons and working at his trade in Wellsboro during the winter. In 1844 he married Diana Bernauer, who became the mother of five children, viz: George, of Delmar; Mary L., deceased wife of Walter Wetherbee; Maria A., deceased wife of Edward D. Fisher; Frances, wife of Robert L. Wilson, of Delmar, and Ferdinand, who died at the age of twenty. Mr. Sturmer died February 5, 1873, and his wife, December 13, 1887.
GEORGE STURMER, eldest child of Ferdinand T. Sturmer, was born in Shippen township, Tioga county, December 26, 1845. He was reared on a farm, attended the district school in boyhood, and worked for his parents until he was thirty-one years old. He then purchased the homestead farm from the other heirs, and operated it until 1886, when he sold the property and purchased his present farm of eighty-seven acres in Delmar township. He also owns fifty-three acres of timber land in Shippen. On June 13, 1877, Mr. Sturmer married Eliza Root, a daughter of George and Polly (Wilson) Root, of Liberty township. They are the parents of four children, viz: Ray V., deceased; Rank V., Ross M. and George E. He is a member of the P. of H., and politically, a Republican.
DANIEL FISHER was born in Germany, in 1815, a son of Peter and Elizabeth (Lininger) Fisher. He grew to manhood in his native land, and in 1837 immigrated to the United States and found employment on a farm in New Jersey for three years. He subsequently clerked in a grocery store in New York City for several months, and then removed to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, where he spent one year. The following year he lived in Susquehanna county, on a farm, and then came to Tioga county. After working one year as a farm hand, he purchased 100 acres of land in Delmar township, located upon it, and has since been engaged in farming and lumbering. In 1842, he married Catherine Sticklin, a daughter of Henry and Margaret (Grosjean) Sticklin, to which union have been born nine children, viz: Margaret, wife of James English, of Kansas; Edward D., of Wellsboro; Adelia, wife of Nelson Wedge, of Kansas; Carrie, deceased; Mary, wife of Frank Parks, of Delmar; Henry, who lives with his parents; Annie, wife of Lewis Deane, of Delaware county, New York; John, a farmer of Shippen township, and Albert C., at home. Mrs. Fisher is a member of the Protestant Episcopal church. In politics, Mr. Fisher is a Democrat, and has filled the office of school director.
EDWARD D. FISHER, eldest son of Daniel Fisher, was born in Delmar township, Tioga county, January 18, 1845, was reared on the homestead and obtained a common school education. At the age of eighteen he began working in the lumber woods in Delmar township, which business he continued for eighteen years. He then purchased a farm in Delmar, cultivated it for eight years, and then sold it and bought his present farm of 106 acres within the borough limits. Mr. Fisher was married March 30, 1876, to Maria A. Sturmer, a daughter of Ferdinand T. and Diana (Bernauer) Sturmer, of Delmar. She died May 22, 1879, aged thirty-two years. He was again married March 5, 1883, to Corrinne West, a daughter of Luther and Rosalthe (Keeney) West, of Middlebury township. They have an adopted son, harry, born June 29, 1878. Mrs. Fisher is a member of the Christian church. In politics, Mr. Fisher is a Democrat, and has served as supervisor of Delmar and assessor of Wellsboro.
IRA D. HOTCHKISS was born in Harpersfield, Delaware county, New York, October 16, 1825, and is the youngest in a family of six children born to Joseph and Lydia (Davenport) Hotchkiss, only two of whom are living. The father died in 1831, aged forty-one years, and his wife, in 1875, aged eighty-three. Ira D. was reared on a farm, and obtained his education in the public school of his native town. In 1845 he came to Knoxville, Tioga county, where he was engaged as a clerk in a general store for five and a half years. He then went to Hornellsville, New York, and followed clerking for three years, at the end of which time he opened a store in jasper, New York, where he carried on merchandising for six and a half years. Selling out he returned to Tioga county and rented a farm in Deerfield township, which he worked for six years, and then located on his father-in-law’s farm in Delmar township. At the end of one year he moved to Bath, New York, to take charge of the Davenport Orphan Girls’ Home farm, his wife serving as matron of that institution. They occupied these respective positions for six and a half years, and in 1872 again returned to Tioga county and purchased his present farm of sixty-seven acres, a short distance south of Wellsboro. Mr. Hotchkiss was married in 1854, to Sarah Bulkley, a daughter of George Bulkley, of Deerfield township, and has two children by that marriage: Lucy, wife of E. J. Tuttle, of Delmar, and Carried, wife of Orrin Penfield, of Delaware county, New York. Mrs. Hotchkiss died in 1859, aged twenty-seven years. In 1864, he married Lucy Moore, a daughter of Richard Moore, of Delmar township. She is a member of the Protestant Episcopal church, and both she and her husband belong to the Patrons of Husbandry. In politics, Mr. Hotchkiss is a Republican, and has filled the offices of assessor and auditor of Delmar township.
DARIUS B. FORD, a native of Smithfield township, Bradford county, Pennsylvania, born July 8, 1827, came to Tioga county in 1845, and purchased the present Ford farm in Delmar township. He cleared and improved this property, and devoted the balance of his life to farming and lumbering. Mr. Ford was married May 5, 1850, to Sarah A. Symonds, born on January 29, 1831. Six children were the fruits of this union, named as follows: Laurena M., Caroline G., wife of Charles W. Fuller, of Charleston township; Emeline L., wife of Hiram Tomb, of Delmar; Cassius M. and Elmer E., both residents of Delmar, and Clara S., wife of Lee English, of the same township. Mrs. Ford died March 15, 1882, and her husband, November 7, 1889.
CASSIUS M. FORD, second son of Darius B. Ford, was born in Delmar township, Tioga county, April 16, 1859, and has spent his entire life upon the homestead farm, where he has devoted his attention to agriculture. He married Addie Dibble, a daughter of Calvin Dibble, October 17, 1877. Mr. Ford is a Republican, in politics, and is a member of the I. O. O. F. and the Patrons of Husbandry.
VINE BALDWIN was born near Athens, Bradford county, Pennsylvania, in 1784, the first white male child born in that locality. He was a son of Thomas and a grandson of Isaac Baldwin, pioneers of Bradford county. He married Sarah Burt, of Chemung county, New York, who bore him seven children, as follows: Thomas, a resident of Troy, Bradford county; Vine H. and Robert C., both deceased; Mrs. Martha Kress, deceased; Mrs. Mary Pickering, deceased; Miles C., of Chemung county, New York, and Morgan. In 1834 Mr. Baldwin came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and bought a large tract of land on the "Big Marsh," now the site of Stokesdale, but after a few years’ residence here he moved to Chemung county, New York, where he died in 1872.
VINE H. BALDWIN was born in Ridgebury township, Bradford county, Pennsylvania, in 1815, second son of Vine Baldwin. He was reared on a farm, and obtained a common school education. In 1847 he came to Tioga county and purchased eighty acres of land in Delmar township, to which he subsequently added by other purchases until he owned 365 acres. On Mary 27, 1853, Mr. Baldwin married Cynthia D. Boyden, a daughter of Addison Boyden, of Canada, to which marriage were born five children, viz: Thomas, a farmer of Delmar township; Charlotte, who died November 17, 1883; rosette, wife of Eugene English, of Shippen; Alfred M., of Delmar, and Charles V., of the same township. Mr. Baldwin filled the offices of overseer of the poor and supervisor, and in politics, was a Republican. He died May 3 1887, and his wife, November 9, 1890.
ALFRED M. BALDWIN was born upon the present homestead farm, in Delmar township, Tioga county, July 4, 1864, a son of Vine H. Baldwin. He attended the district school, and when twenty-one years of age took charge of a farm in Delmar township given him by his father, where he has since lived. On December 17, 1887, he married Ella Ainsley, a daughter of Marvin Ainsley, of Potter county. In politics, Mr. Baldwin is a Republican.
JOSEPH MITCHELL was born in Yorkshire, England, December 24, 1832, a son of James and Martha (Driver) Mitchell, natives of Scotland and England, respectively. James Mitchell was a miner by occupation, and was a foreman of mines in England and Nova Scotia during the greater portion of his life. He was the father of the following children: Robert, William, Jeremiah, James S. and Charles, all of whom are dead; Henry, a retired mine owner of Nova Scotia; Grace and Thomas, both deceased, and Joseph, of Delmar. Mr. Mitchell died in Nova Scotia, aged fifty years. His widow came to the United States with her three sons, Henry, Thomas and Joseph, and located in Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania, whence they removed one year later to Blossburg, Tioga county, where the sons found employment in the mines. She died at the home of her son Joseph, in Delmar township, aged ninety-three years. The subject of this sketch was fifteen years old when his mother came to Pennsylvania. He worked in the mines near Blossburg four years, and later five years in the mines at Morris Run. He then moved to Liberty township, purchased a farm, and lived upon it ten years. Selling out, he bought coal lands in Morris township, now known as the "Mitchell Mines," and operated them for twelve years, at the end of which time he sold the property and bought his present farm in Delmar township, on which he has since resided. Mr. Mitchell was married July 15, 1854, to Sarah Langwith, a daughter of Henry Langwith, of Nova Scotia, who has borne him seven children, viz: Henry J., of Delmar township; Martha, who died at the age of four years; Grace, wife of Ford Kingsbury, of Hoytville; Jennie, wife of William Shaw, of Elmira, New York; Annie, Sadie and Elizabeth, all of whom live with their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell and their three youngest daughters, are members of the Patrons of Husbandry, and in politics, the family is strongly Republican.
HENRY J. MITCHELL, eldest child of Joseph Mitchell, was born in Morris Run, Tioga county, May 4, 1855, and was reared beneath the parental roof. From the age of twelve years he worked in his father’s mines in Morris township, at which business he continued until he was twenty-four. He later conducted a hotel at Sand Run, Tioga county, for two years, and then purchased a farm on East Hill, Delmar township, which he cultivated five years. At the end of this time he sold out and bought his present farm, which originally embraced 172 acres, off which he has since sold seventy-two acres, leaving 100 acres of well-improved land, to which he has recently added thirty-one acres. He makes a specialty of dairy farming, keeping about sixteen cows. Mr. Mitchell was married July 29, 1879, to Adaline Bartle, a daughter of J. C. Bartle, of Delmar township, and has three children, viz: Martha, Harry B. and Eunice. Mrs. Mitchell is a member of the Presbyterian church. In politics, Mr. Mitchell is an ardent Republican, and has been assistant assessor of Delmar one term. He is a member of the I. O. O. F., and he and his wife are members of the Daughters of Rebekah, and also of Stony Fork Grange, No. 1033, P. of H. They have always taken a deep interest in the growth and progress of Pomona Grange.
AUGUSTUS P. and CHARLES KREISLER were natives of Breman, Germany. The former came to the United States alone and located in Tioga county, Pennsylvania, purchasing the present Kreisler farm in Delmar township. Charles came out a few years later to visit his brother, and concluded to remain here. He married Martha Putman, a daughter of John Putman. She was born August 22, 1828, and became the mother of six children, as follows: William A., a lumberman on Marsh creek; Andrew J., a farmer in Nebraska; Eliza, deceased; Elias E., of Delmar; Nettie M., wife of William Vandergrift, and Franklin L. Charles Kreisler died in 1867, and his widow married his brother, Augustus P., who died April 6, 1884. Mrs. Kreisler lives with her son, Elias E., on the old homestead.
ELIAS E. KREISLER was born in Delmar township, Tioga county, September 10, 1854, a son of Charles and Martha Kreisler. He was reared on the farm, and attended the common schools of his district. Since the death of his step-father, Augustus P. Kreisler, he has owned and cultivated the homestead, which embraces eighty-seven acres. On October 28, 1885, he married Mary J. Bartle, a daughter of Ransford D. and Cordelia Bartle, and has two children, Della A. and Otto R. Mr. and Mrs. Kreisler are members of the Patrons of Husbandry, and he is also connected with the I. O. O. F. In politics he is a Democrat.
WILLIAM STATTS was born in Darmstadt, Germany, June 21, 1799, there grew to manhood and married Maria Doahvengen. In 1841 he immigrated with his family to Baltimore, Maryland, where he worked as a laborer seven or eight years, at the end of which period he came to Shippen township, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and worked in the saw-mills for about fifteen years. He then removed to Delmar township, and made his home with his children until his death, may 2, 1870. To William and Maria Statts were born the following children: Johann, a resident of Richmond, Virginia; Margaret, deceased; John, of Delmar township; Henry W., of the same township; Anna K., and James, both deceased. Mrs. Statts died November 7, 1885, aged eighty-six years.
JOHN STATTS, eldest son of William Statts, was born in Germany, February 28, 1825, and came with his parents to Tioga county. He worked in saw-mills for fifteen years, during which time he bought his present farm of ninety-two acres, four miles west of Wellsboro. The land was then covered by the primitive forest, but by hard and diligent labor he converted it into a fertile farm. In 1852 Mr. Statts married Nancy Smith, and has reared three children, viz: Margaret, deceased wife of Charles Balfour; William A., who lives on the home farm, and Mary, wife of Joseph E. Fishler, of Delmar. Mr. Statts is a member of the Presbyterian church, while his wife is an adherent of the Catholic church. Politically, he is a Democrat.
WILLIAM A. STATTS, only son of John Statts, and grandson of William Statts, was born in Shippen township, Tioga county, May 6, 1854. He attended the common schools of this county, and has spent his entire life with his parents on the home farm. He was married September 28, 1875, to Anna Rosette Fishchler, a daughter of John Fischler, of Delmar township. Six children have blessed this union, viz: Laura M., John W., Edward Lloyd, William Leon, deceased; Albert Joseph and Leo Leonard. The family are members of the Catholic church. In politics, Mr. Statts is a Democrat, and has served as clerk of Delmar for three terms.
HENRY W. STATTS was born in Germany, March 29, 1831, and came to Baltimore, Maryland, with his parents when about nine years old, and subsequently to Shippen township, Tioga county, where he worked in the saw-mills of that locality for eight years. He afterwards came to Delmar township, bought twenty acres of land on the Pine Creek road, and began farming. In 1884 he purchased his present farm of sixty-seven acres, on the Stowell road, four miles west of Wellsboro. Mr. Statts was married October 15, 1853, to Maria E. Kiphart, who has borne him four children, viz: Annie I., who died June 13, 1862; Carrie Viola, wife of M. W. Carpenter, of Cedar Run, Lycoming county; Rose who died in infancy; and Maud Ellen, a student at Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, Lima, New York. Mr. and Mrs. Statts are members of the Presbyterian church, and in politics he is a Democrat.
ALLEN WEBSTER, a native of Massachusetts, born November 22, 1805, came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, about 1825, and purchased a farm in Sullivan township, where he resided until his death. He was twice married. His first wife, Thanks Norton, was born September 5, 1806, and bore him six children, viz: Alvin N., of Delmar township; Solomon, deceased; James D., a farmer in Shippen township; Triphena, wife of Noah Bradway, of Richmond township; William, a farmer of Sullivan, and Ellen, deceased. His second wife was Laura Tinkham, who became the mother of three children, viz: Rhoda, Orso and Berdett, all residents of Sullivan township. Mrs. Webster died upon the homestead in that township.
ALVIN N. WEBSTER, eldest child of Allen and Thanks (Norton) Webster, was born in Sullivan township, Tioga county, April 5, 1829, was reared on a farm, and educated in the common schools. At the age of twenty-one he began working out as a farm hand and in the lumber woods, which he followed one year. in 1851 he purchased his present farm in Delmar township, of 103 acres, then covered with the primitive forest, which he has since cleared and improved, devoting his entire attention to agriculture. On July 8, 1856, he married Esther M. Wooster, a daughter of Moses Wooster, of Chenango county, New York. She was born March 8, 1832, and is the mother of four children, viz: Ellen E., deceased; Viletta, wife of Luther Walbridge, of Delmar; Carrie M., wife of Arthur Stratton, of Niles Valley, and Sarah L., wife of William F. Gitchell. Mr. Webster and wife are members of the Baptist church, and politically, he is a Republican.
JAMES OLMSTEAD, a native of Ireland, came to the United States in early manhood, and learned the blacksmith’s trade, in which business he became quite proficient. He worked for many years at Milltown, near Waverly, New York, and came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, in 1865. He purchased a farm near Wellsboro, upon which he passed the remaining years of his life. Mr. Olmstead was the father of five children, viz: Henry, a resident of Great Bend, New York; Stephen, deceased; Ashmond, a resident of Sayre, Bradford county; Jane, widow of George Ayres, of Sayre, and Clement P. He also reared two adopted daughters, viz: Mrs. Kate Denmark, of Wellsboro, and Mrs. Sarah Russell, of Delmar.
CLEMENT P. OLMSTEAD was born at Milltown, near Waverly, New York, in 1824, there grew to manhood, and in 1852 purchased the present Olmstead farm of 120 acres in Delmar township, Tioga county, upon which he settled the same year. Some years later he lost his mind, and in 1876 wandered away from home and never returned. It is supposed that he died in the dense forest then covering this portion of the county. He married Sarah J. Townsend, who reared three children, Jacob R., Francis H. and Charles E., all farmers of Delmar township. Mrs. Olmstead resides with her son, Jacob R., on the old homestead.
JACOB R. OLMSTEAD, eldest child of Clement P. and Sarah J. Olmstead, was born in Delmar township, Tioga county, September 24, 1855. From the age of seven to fourteen years he worked out for his board and clothes, and had very little advantage to obtain an education. When fourteen years old, he commenced working as a farm hand in summer and in the lumber woods during the winter seasons, which he followed until 1881. He then rented a farm, which he cultivated four years. In 1885 he and his brother, Charles E., bought his present farm, but in 1889 he purchased his brother’s interest. This is the same property owned by his father, which had passed out of the family’s possession. Mr. Olmstead was married February 2, 1887, to Olive V. Stradley, a daughter of Archibald T. Stradley, of Lycoming county. They have four children, Lealon C., Cleovia J., and Gail A. and Gladys L., twins. Politically, Mr. Olmstead is a Republican.
RANSFORD D. BARTLE was born in Chenango county, New York, February 20, 1832, a son of John W. and Arvilla (Hill) Bartle. His father was born in Chenango county, January 28, 1804, a son of David Bartle, and married Arvilla Hill, a daughter of Chauncey Hill, in 1831. They were the parents of five children, as follows: Ransford D., of Delmar township; Erwin D., who resided on the old homestead in Chenango county, until his death January 29, 1896; John S., deceased; David W., who died at Oxford, New York, February 3, 1897, and Newton D., a resident of Guilford, Chenango county. The father died November 7, 1871, and the mother, October 14, 1890, aged seventy-eight years. Ransford D. was reared on a farm, and worked at home until he was twenty years old. In 1852 he came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, purchased a farm in Covington township, and cultivated it eight years. He then sold it and came to Delmar township, where he purchased his present farm of 156 acres, on which he has since resided. Mr. Bartle was married June 22, 1854, to Cordelia Allen, a daughter of Thomas and Deborah (Walker) Allen, of Cazenovia, New York. Ten children have been born to this union, viz: Sophia A., wife of Edwin Campbell, of Delmar; Sarah Phinnie, wife William Campbell, of the same township; Carrie D., deceased wife of William R. Eberenz; Thomas W., a miller at Stony Fork; Mary J., wife of Elias Kreisler, of Delmar; Alanson F., Birdie A., Arthur S., who married Isabel Copestick, a daughter of Charles Copestick, and Earl L., all of whom reside at home, and Lewis V., who died February 2, 1892, in his twelfth year. Mr. Bartle is a stanch Democrat, and one of the progressive farmers of Delmar.
LEWIS P. HASTINGS was born in Smithville, Chenango county, New York, May 2, 1833, a son of William P. and Diana (Johnson) Hastings. He is the youngest in the family of seven children, named as follows: Sarah A., Clarinda and John S., all of whom are dead; Elizabeth, widow of Lucius Campbell, of Stony Fork; Edward, deceased; Catherine, wife of C. E. Whitman, of Oswego, New York, and Lewis P. The subject of this sketch obtained a good common school education, and came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, when nineteen years of age. After working nine years as a farm hand, he bought his present farm of eighty acres in Delmar township, where he has since devoted his attention to farming. Mr. Hastings married Ann Augusta Bartle, a daughter of Angus Bartle, of Delmar township, and has three children, viz: Elva D., Fred B., and Charles L., all residents of Delmar. In politics, Mr. Hastings is a Democrat, and is also a member of the Patrons of Husbandry.
PATRICK H. SCANLIN was born in Bradford county, Pennsylvania, September 15, 1832, a son of Thomas and Mary (Hennessy) Scanlin, natives of Ireland. Patrick is the third in a family of five children, viz: John, a resident of Bradford county; Annie, who died when six years old; Patrick H., of Delmar township; Thomas, who lives in Bradford county, and Mary, wife of James Hyde, of Sullivan county. Both the parents are deceased. The subject of this sketch was reared on a farm, attended the public schools of his native county, and when twenty-one years of age came to Tioga county and worked in the lumber woods five years. He then purchased his present farm of 160 acres in Delmar township, on which he has since lived. Mr. Scanlin was married February 1, 1861, to Ellen Johnson, a daughter of Abraham and Maryett Johnson, of Delmar township. Six children are the fruits of this marriage, named as follows: Charles, who married Dela Marshall, and lives in Wellsboro; Thomas, Mary, Annie, John, who died March 17, 1895, and Daniel, the last two being twins. Mr. Scanlin is a stanch Republican, and one of the substantial farmers of his township.
SYLVANUS MOORE was born in McDonough, Chenango county, New York, June 7, 1812, a son of Sylvanus Moore, a native of Connecticut, who came to Chenango county in early manhood, where he followed farming and was also agent for the Ludlow Land Company. He was twice married, and reared quite a large family, only five of whom are living. The parents died in New York state. The subject of this sketch was reared on a farm, and attended the common schools of his native county. He followed farming and lumbering there until 1854, when he came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and purchased the farm in Delmar township on which his son, William S., now resides. He married Mary D. Wilcox, a daughter of Simon and Anna Wilcox, to which union were born eight children, viz: Charlotte, widow of J. S. Coles; Henry, deceased; William S., of Delmar; Louisa, wife of Frank Dodge, of Elmer, Potter county; Uriah B., deceased; Adelbert, of Delmar; Emeline, deceased, and Herman S., a resident of Elmer, Potter county. Mrs. Moore died July 24, 1878, aged sixty-nine years. Her husband died March 27, 1895, in Outagamie county, Wisconsin.
WILLIAM S. MOORE was born in McDonough, Chenango county, New York, April 18, 1838, was reared upon the farm in his native county, and received his education in the common schools. He was sixteen years old when his parents located in Delmar township, Tioga county, and he remained at home assisting in the duties of the farm until his majority. He then began working in a saw-mill on Pine creek, but at the end of six months took a lumber job and rafted the lumber down Pine creek and the Susquehanna to Columbia, which business he followed two years. He then purchased 400 acres of timber land in Delmar township, and devoted four years to clearing and improving it, still continuing in the lumber business. In 1867 he moved on his present farm, once owned by his father, on which he has since resided. In 1865 he married Julia Adelaide Taylor, a daughter of William and Caroline (Webb) Taylor, of Delmar, and has two children, viz: Wilburn T., born December 26, 1867, who married Hulda Devowl, and has four children: Carl, Asyrius, Cleris and an infant daughter; and Marian, who married Alfred Walbridge, had two children, Marian and Florence, and died May 3, 1892. Mr. Moore and son are members of the I. O. O. F., and in politics, adherents of the Republican party.
JOHN FISCHLER was born in Germany, in 1832, a son of Joseph and Margaret (Hoagg) Fischler. He attended the public schools of his native land, and in 1854, when twenty-two years old, immigrated to the United States, coming soon afterwards to Wellsboro, Tioga county, Pennsylvania. He worked on a farm for Samuel Dickinson one season, and then went to Charleston township, where he worked for James Kelley seven years. In 1862 he purchased his present farm of 112 acres, four miles west of Wellsboro, which he cleared and improved and upon which he has since lived. In 1856 Mr. Fischler married Wilhelmina Kohler, who is the mother of the following children: Anna R., wife of W. A. Statts, of Delmar; Lena, wife of Lewis B. Smith, of Delmar; Joseph E., a farmer in the same township; Louisa, wife of Joseph Glass, of Wellsboro; Sarah, wife of Daniel McCarty, of the same place; Maggie, wife of Otto Martz, also a resident of Wellsboro; Samuel and Mary, both living at home. The family are members of the Catholic church, and in politics, adherents of the Democratic party.
AVERY KENNEDY, a son of Alexander and Catherine (Brown) Kennedy, was born in Vermont, in 1800. He was reared on a farm, and made farming his life vocation, first locating in Springfield township, Bradford county, Pennsylvania, whence he came to Tioga county about 1856. He purchased a farm in Delmar township, upon which he resided until his death, in 1870. He was a local preacher in the Free Will Baptist church, and preached the gospel in Bradford and Tioga counties. Mr. Kennedy was twice married. His first wife, Julia A. Wilcox, was the mother of seven children, viz: Philura and Mary A., both deceased; Avery J., of Delmar; Daniel and Evelyn, both deceased; Alexander A., a resident of Minnesota, and Samuel W., of Delmar. His second wife was Axey Hugg, who bore him eight children, viz: Stephen F., of Wellsboro; Russell, of Middlebury; Olive, wife of Robert Francis, of Shippen; William, deceased; Lydia, wife of Dickison Francis, of Delmar; Hosea, of the same township; Jennie, wife of Thomas Ashley, and Letitia, wife of Frank Kennedy, both residents of Delmar.
SAMUEL W. KENNEDY, youngest child of Avery and Julia A. (Wilcox) Kennedy, was born in Springfield township, Bradford county, Pennsylvania, February 28, 1834. He following farming in his native county until the removal of the family to Delmar township, Tioga county, where he subsequently purchased his present farm of 132 acres, upon which he located in 1866. In 1855 he married Emma E. Wright, a daughter of James Wright, of Rutland township, Tioga county. She was born January 20, 1838, and is the mother of five children, viz: Charles E., a farmer of Shippen township; Amanda F., wife of Willard Ashley, of Shippen; Fannie M., wife of Isaac B. Horton, of Delmar; Lewis W., who was born July 31, 1862, purchased the homestead from his father in 1893, and has since cultivated it, and Delia M., who lives at home. Mrs. Kennedy is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and both she and husband, also their son, Lewis W., are connected with the Patrons of Husbandry. In politics, the family are adherents of the Democratic party.
CHARLES GOODREAU was born in St. Hyacinthe, Canada, march 22, 1818, a son of Charles and Mary (Labeaux) Goodreau, and the eldest of a family of five children. When nineteen years of age he went to Saratoga county, new York, and followed farming some fifteen years. He then removed to Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, where he was engaged in the lumber business some years, and afterwards operated a tannery at Canton, Bradford county, from 1849 to 1852. In 1856 he came to Tioga county and located at Wellsboro, but three years later bought his preset farm in Delmar township, where he has since devoted his attention to agriculture, with the exception of a short time that he owned and operated a saw-mill at Stony Fork. Mr. Goodreau was married June 9, 1875, to Maggie Kennedy, a daughter of George W. Kennedy, of Delmar. Five children are the fruits of this union, viz: William L., born October 6, 1876; Mary L., September 9, 1878; Charles L., September 13, 1880; Mortimer E., November 19, 1882, and Rex E., February 9, 1886. Mrs. Goodreau and children are connected with the Baptist church, and also with the Patrons of Husbandry. Politically, the family is Democratic.
SIMON GROSS, a native of Connecticut, born in 1782, came from Chenango county, New York, to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, in 1840. He was a shoemaker, but followed farming in this county for two years then removed to Potter county, purchased a farm, and was accidentally killed in 1848. He married Clarissa Starkey, who bore him nine children, viz: Abraham, Lucy, Currency, Morilla, Loduskey, Angeline (all of whom are dead), California, Ersula and William S. Mrs. Gross died in 1839, aged sixty years, and he subsequently married Julia E. Taylor, but had no issue by this marriage.
WILLIAM S. GROSS was born in Oxford, Chenango county, New York, May 11, 1825, and was fifteen years old when his parents came to Tioga county. Two years later he went with them to Potter county, where he followed farming up to 1857, when he sold his property and bought a farm in Shippen township, Tioga county, on which he lived three years. He then sold it and purchased his present homestead in Delmar township, where he has devoted his attention to farming and the carpenter’s trade, which he learned in early manhood. In 1847 he married Martha Taylor, who bore him three children, viz: William D., a blacksmith and farmer of Delmar; John D., a merchant, and Martha C. Mrs. Gross died in April, 1862, aged thirty-three years. In September, 1863, he married Julia E. Kennedy, and has two children by this union: Hiram A., of Delmar, and Emma, wife of Avery Francis, of Delmar. Mr. and Mrs. Gross are members of the Free Will Baptist church, and in politics, he is a Republican.
WILLIAM D. GROSS was born in Potter county, Pennsylvania, March 9, 1850, and followed farming until he was twenty-five years of age. He then learned the blacksmith’s trade, to which he devotes his principal attention, though he also gives some attention to agriculture. He is the owner of two farms in Delmar township.
HIRAM A. GROSS was born in Shippen township, Tioga county, September 4, 1863, a son of William S. and Julia E. Gross. He has followed farming and lumbering the greater portion of his life. On September 28, 1885, he married Rosa Francis, a daughter of Robert Francis, of Shippen township, and has two children, Samuel L. and Robert W. Mrs. Gross is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. In politics, Mr. Gross is a Republican, and is also a member of the K. of G. E. He resides on the old homestead with his parents.
LUCIUS L. RUSSELL was born in Hector, Tompkins county, New York, August 14, 1819, a son of Elijah and Esther (Austin) Russell. He obtained a common school education, and learned the carpenter’s trade with his father, which he followed in New York until 1858. In that year he came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and purchased 100 acres of land two miles west of Wellsboro, upon which he settled and resided until his death, November 11, 1872. He followed his trade in connection with agriculture throughout his residence in this county. prior to his settlement in Tioga county, he was superintendent of the public schools in Catlin, Chemung county, New York. Mr. Russell was married October 23, 1845, to Ann E. Morse, a daughter of Barak Morse, of Broome county, New York. She was born January 20, 1825, in Tully, Onondaga county, New York, and is the mother of seven children, viz: William O., of Wellsboro; Alice A., wife of Thomas D. Marsh, of the same borough; Kate E., wife of Henry Grosjean, of Stokesdale Junction; John M., of Delmar; Hattie U., wife of Edwin Matson, Jr., of Marsh Creek; Lucius L., of Delmar, and George M., of the same township. Mr. Russell was a member of the Presbyterian church, to which denomination his widow also belongs. She resides in Wellsboro.
JOHN M. RUSSELL, son of Lucius L. Russell, was born in Catlin, Chemung county, New York, July 17, 1853, received a common school education, and grew to manhood on the homestead farm. When twenty years of age he began working in the lumber woods on Marsh creek, at which he continued five years. He then bought two tracts of timber land on Heise run, and was in the lumber business up to 1889, when he rented the Edwin Matson, Sr., farm, and has since cultivated it. On April 25, 1877, Mr. Russell married Marian C. Derbyshire, a daughter of William T. Derbyshire, of Delmar township, to which union have been born four children, viz: Harry H., Kate E., Charles F. and Lura D. Mr. and Mrs. Russell are members of the Protestant Episcopal church. In politics, he is a Republican, and is connected with the I. O. O. F.
ROBERT ORR, a native of Wigtonshire, Scotland, born in 1807, and a son of James and Catherine (Kenmure) Orr, was reared and educated in his native land, and there learned the weaver’s trade. In 1828 he immigrated to New York City, where he worked at his trade a few years, and then removed to Onondaga county, New York. He continued working at his trade in that county up to 1849, in which year he removed to Wyoming county, where he spent ten years, only part of the time following his trade. In 1859 he came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and rented a farm one mile south of Wellsboro, in Delmar township, which he cultivated for two years. He then bought a farm adjoining that now owned by Thomas J. Orr, on which he passed the remaining years of his life, dying in September, 1891. He married Delia Cook, and to them were born four children, viz: Catherine, wife of W. E. Tyler, of Minnesota; Thomas J., of Delmar; Robert S., who was killed before Petersburg, September 9, 1864, while serving in the Union army, and Alice, deceased wife of A. C. Mack. Mrs. Orr died in 1887, aged seventy-nine years.
THOMAS J. ORR, only living son of Robert Orr, was born in Onondaga county, New York, May 2, 1842, and was educated in that county and Wyoming county. When seventeen years old he came to Tioga county with his parents, and worked on the homestead farm up to 1885, when he purchased his present property of 217 acres, a short distance northwest of Stony Fork, where he makes a specialty of dairy farming, usually keeping twenty-five cows. Mr. Orr was married March 8, 1864, to Ruth Willard, a daughter of Joseph Willard, of Delmar township, and has three children, viz: Robert J., Kate E. and Neva A. A daughter of his deceased sister Mrs. Mack, Laura D., also lives with them. Mr. Orr is a stanch Democrat, is a member of the K. of G. E., and both he and wife are connected with the Patrons of Husbandry. He is one of the substantial and progressive farmers of his township.
REUBEN HERRINGTON, a native of Owego, Tioga county, New York, born in 1785, came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, in 1821, and located on Pine creek, in what is now Shippen township, where he followed lumbering and farming. He married Eunice Ellis, who bore him nine children, five of whom are living, viz: Jacob, a resident of Potter county; Sally A., wife of C. L. Carsaw; Charles, of Delmar; Deroy, who lives upon the old homestead in Shippen township, and Harriet, wife of J. T. Purvis, of Niles Valley. Mr. Herrington died in 1861, and his wife in 1866.
CHARLES HERRINGTON, second son of Reuben Herrington, was born in Shippen township, Tioga county, December 23, 1821, was reared upon the homestead, and obtained a good education in the district schools and at Wellsboro Academy. When twenty-one years of age he opened a store near Gaines, in Potter county, but one year later removed to Middlebury, Tioga county, where he continued merchandising four years, when the store was burned. He had also followed lumbering in Potter county, which business he continued up to 1859, when he purchased his present farm in Delmar township. Mr. Herrington was married in 1849, to Sarah J., a daughter of John Mathers, who has borne him seven children, viz: William M., a traveling salesman; Charles L., deceased; Happy, wife of Edward Bryden, of Wellsboro; Sadie, John P., Carrie, and Jennie, wife of Dr. Charles Main, of Clearfield county. The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and in politics, adherents of the Republican party.
JOHN BURNETT was born in Ontario county, New York, April 18, 1821, a son of Frederick and Rachel (Wooden) Burnett, the former a son of Major Burnett, a Revolutionary soldier. John was the fifth in a family of nine children, named as follows: James, a resident of Orleans county, New York; Patrick and Lucelia, both deceased; Abigail, wife of Milo Bronson, of Brockport, New York; John, of Delmar township; Albert, Elizabeth and Louisa, all deceased, and Clinton, a farmer near Brockport. The father died in 1831, and the mother in 1854. The subject of this sketch was reared on a farm and came to Tioga county in the winter of 1859, prior to which time he had worked in a foundry. He rented a farm in Delmar township, and for the following seven years continued to cultivate rented farms on shares. He afterwards kept a boarding house at Blossburg one year, and ran a saw-mill at Tiadaghton the following year. In May, 1868, he purchased his present farm of ninety-three acres in Delmar township, and has since devoted his attention to its cultivation. Mr. Burnett was married in January, 1845, to Delia A. Sears, a daughter of Leonard Sears, of Brockport, New York, who died May 15, 1893, leaving a family of four children, as follows: Franklin A., who lives at home; George F., a merchant and real estate dealer at Galeton; Viola, wife of Edward D. Crippen, and Louisa, wife of Jay Crippen, both residing in Galeton. In politics, the family support the Republican party.
HARRY DANIELS WHEELER was born in Oxford township, Chenango county, New York, June 20, 1839, a son of Harry D. and Lucina (Race) Wheeler, natives of New York and Massachusetts, respectively, and of English, Irish and German ancestry. His father was born in Chenango county, New York, in 1800, was a carpenter, and died in his native town in 1850. His mother died in June, 1892, aged eighty-six years. The subject of this sketch went to work for a farmer in Coventry, Chenango county, when fourteen years of age, and remained with him until he was twenty-one. In 1860 he came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and located at Stony Fork, in Delmar township, and engaged in lumbering. In 1864 he purchased thirty-five acres of land in Delmar, upon which he settled in 1866. He continued in the lumber business until 1875, when he went to Wellsboro, as a clerk in the grocery store of his brother, J. C. Wheeler and C. L. Wilcox, with whom he remained two and a half years. He subsequently traveled three years on the road selling cigars and tobaccoes for Thorn Brothers, of Binghamton, New York, and afterwards filled a similar position with George A. Kent & Company, of the same city. Returning to his farm in Delmar, he was soon after appointed collector of the township, and served ten years, and later served nine years as constable. In the fall of 1888 he was elected, on the Democratic ticket, a county commissioner, served three years in that office, and has since given his attention to farming. He purchased his present farm of 120 acres in 1874. Mr. Wheeler was married June 16, 1864, to Ruth E. Horton, of Green township, Chenango county, New York, who bore him five children, viz: Edward M., Ruth E., Lucina, Arthur B. and Grace M. Mrs. Wheeler died December 4, 1882, and he was again married September 2, 1885, to Ida T. Butler, of Delmar township, who is the mother of one child, Bertha. Mrs. Wheeler is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and both she and her husband are connected with the P. of H. In politics, he is an unswerving Democrat.
THOMAS ORR was born in Wigtonshire, Scotland, August 12, 1812, a son of James and Catherine (Kenmure) Orr, the former a sailor by occupation. Thomas was educated in the common schools of his native country, and there learned the stonemason’s trade. In September, 1851, he immigrated to Arcade, Wyoming county, New York, where he worked at his trade until April, 1865, when he came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and purchased a farm in Delmar township, upon which his son Charles now resides. He followed farming there until 1888, when he retired and bought his present home at Stony Fork, where he and his wife are passing their declining years in peace and comfort. Mr. Orr was married January 25, 1842, to Charlotte McLees, a native of Scotland. They are the parents of nine children, viz: Elizabeth J., Sarah, Charles, Charlotte, Agnes, Mary A., Margaret, Maria and Isabel. Mr. Orr and wife are members of the Presbyterian church, and in politics, he is a Republican. He has served three years as a school director, and has always taken a deep interest in educational matters.
CHARLES ORR was born in Scotland, February 11, 1847, and is the only son of Thomas and Charlotte Orr. He was in his fifth year when the family came to the United States, and he obtained his education in the common schools of Wyoming county, New York. He learned the carriagemaker’s trade, but after the family came to Tioga county, he worked upon the farm in Delmar township. In 1870-71, he worked at his trade, and in 1875 purchased his present farm from his father, and has since devoted his attention to agriculture. Mr. Or was married December 15, 1871, to Mary A. Symonds, a daughter of Job W. Symonds, of Delmar township, to which union have been born six children, viz: Harry E., William M., Charles T., Grace C., deceased; Ella M. and Charlotte S. Mr. Orr is a member of the Presbyterian church, and in politics, a Republican. He has served as a school director for the past fifteen years. He makes dairy farming a specialty, keeping twenty-five cows, the product from which he sells to Stony Fork Creamery Company, in which he is a stockholder and director.
JOHN M. GENTRY, physician and surgeon, of Stony Fork, was born in Green county, Virginia, February 26, 1843, a son of John and Caroline (Douglass) Gentry, and of English and Scotch extracation. His father was born in Virginia, in 1812, was a farmer by occupation, and died in June, 1888. His mother, born in 1813, lives with a son on the old homestead farm in Virginia. John M. was reared on the homestead, and was educated in the public schools of his native county. He came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, in 1869, and in 1872 purchased a farm in Delmar township, upon which he worked until 1881. He then commenced the study of medicine with Dr. C. W. Webb, of Wellsboro, attended lectures at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Baltimore, Maryland, and graduated from that institution in the spring of 1884. He then sold his farm, and commenced practice at Stony Fork in June, 1884, which he has successfully continued up to the present. Dr. Gentry was married July 13, 1869, to Miss Emma Herrington, a daughter of George W. Herrington, of Shippen township, and has two children, E. Blanche and George W. Dr. Gentry is the only physician in Delmar township outside of Wellsboro, and enjoys a lucrative practice.
SAMUEL NAVIL was born in Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, in 1831, a son of John and Rebecca (Kline) Navil. His father was born in Lycoming county, in 1808, and was twice married. By his first wife, Rebecca Kline, he reared five children, viz: Jacob, of Lycoming; George, of Wellsboro; Samuel, of Delmar, Andrew, who lives in Lycoming county, and Rebecca, deceased. His second wife was Elizabeth Gamell, who bore him the following children: Emily, James, who was killed in the Civil war; Ellen, Albert, Robert, who was killed in the war; Elizabeth, John, Philip, Harriet and Mary. Samuel received a common school education, and when twenty-one years old began farming on shares, which he continued up to 1872. In that year he came to Tioga county and purchased a farm in Delmar township on which he has since lived. In 1851 he married Anna Eliza Bevier, of Lycoming county, and has three children: Hannah E., wife of Daniel Horton, of Delmar; Orrin J., and Lois A., wife of Lorenzo Tomb, of Delmar. Mrs. Navil is a member of the Free Will Baptist church, and both she and Mr. Navil are connected with the Patrons of Husbandry. In politics, he is a Democrat.
ORRIN J. NAVIL, only son of Samuel Navil, was born in Cummings township, Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, April 20, 1854. He obtained a common school education, and when twenty-one years old purchased sixty-one acres of timber land, in partnership with E. J. Playfoot, from which they sold the bark. He then rented a farm in Delmar, which he cultivated three years, and later carried on a grocery store at Kennedy five years. He afterwards conducted a restaurant at Westfield one year, then returned to Kennedy, where he resumed the grocery business, in which he continued three years. In 1890 he purchased his present farm of eighty acres, and has since devoted his attention to farming. On November 3, 1876, he married Marian Grosjean, a daughter of Edward Grosjean, of Delmar. Mr. Navil was postmaster at Kennedy from 1881 to 1892. He is a member of the I. O. O. F., the K. of G. E., and the P. of H.
ROBERT B. WILSON was born in Harford county, Maryland, September 7, 1817, a son of William K. and Sarah (Miller) Wilson. When eight years old he began a seafaring life as cabin boy, and finally rose to the captaincy of a sailing vessel on Chesapeake bay. In 1839 he gave up that occupation and came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, where he engaged in lumbering on Little Pine creek, continuing that business for eighteen years. He afterwards acted as a pilot on the West Branch of the Susquehanna river up to 1881, when he engaged in farming in Delmar township. He had previously purchased the Dr. Archer farm in Morris township in 1859, but sold it in 1885 and bought his present farm in Delmar. Mr. Wilson married Jane McMasters, who bore him six children, viz: William Mc., of Delmar; Kenly, who died at the age of forty-three years; Anna, wife of John Black, of Liberty township; Mary Etta, wife of William Blackwell, of Morris township; Robert L., of Delmar, and Frank, who died in infancy. Mrs. Wilson died in 1852, and he was again married to Mary Kriner, to which union were born seven children, viz: Sarah J., wife of Thomas Blackwell, of Morris; Frank and Ida, both of whom died in childhood; Libbie, wife of B. C. Fish, of Morris; Ulysses G., of Delmar; Samuel D., of Delmar, and Mina, wife of Samuel Campbell, of the same township. Mr. Wilson now resides with his son, Robert L., in Delmar township. His wife died in Mary, 1896, aged sixty-eight years.
ROBERT L. WILSON was born in Morris township, Tioga county, August 17, 1850, and is the youngest living child of Robert B. and Jane (McMasters) Wilson. He was reared on the farm, attended the district schools in boyhood, and on obtaining his majority worked in the lumber woods four years in Tioga county. He then located on his present farm, which he had purchased in 1872, and has since been engaged in farming. He owns twenty acres in Delmar, and fifty in Shippen township, and has cleared and improved most of his present property. Mr. Wilson was married June 1, 1875, to Frances Sturmer, a daughter of Ferdinand T. Sturmer, and has one daughter, Edith M. Politically, he is a Republican, and is also a member of the Patrons of Husbandry.
GEORGE W. WEST was born in Southport, New York, December 12, 1818, a son of Jonathan West, a Baptist minister. Before reaching manhood he came to Pennsylvania, locating in Troy, Bradford county, where he lived until twenty-six years of age. He then came to Wellsboro, Tioga county, and followed the shoemaker’s trade, but was soon afterwards elected constable and made a faithful and fearless officer. He also served as deputy sheriff and was instrumental in breaking up the band of horse thieves and counterfeiters on Pine creek, and arrested the noted counterfeiter, Winslow. He removed to Michigan and remained there a year and a half, and then returned to Wellsboro. On February 4, 1846, he married Abigail Ritter, a daughter of Daniel and Lydia Ritter. To this union were born ten children, viz: Henry Dallas, a resident of Nebraska; Georgiana, deceased; Mary, wife of Orr Kennedy, of Wellsboro; George, who lives in Seattle, Washington; Clinton, a resident of Delmar township; Alice, wife of Warren Callen, of Michigan; Wilbur F., a resident of Delmar; Hannah, wife of M. Ogden, of Cedar Run; Adney, a resident of Idaho, and Allen, deceased. Mr. West followed farming for a number of years and also kept a hotel at Stony Fork. In 1879 he removed to Nebraska, remained there until 1888, and then returned to Tioga county, locating in Charleston township, where he resided until his death, May 9, 1896.
CLINTON WEST was born in Shippen township, Tioga county, April 7, 1857, a son of George W. West. When fourteen years of age he began making his own living, working as a farm hand and in the lumber woods of his native county for several years. He then went to Bradford county, where he worked upon a farm two years. Returning to Tioga for a short period, he afterwards went to Nebraska, but came back a year later and continued working on a farm and in the lumber woods. He finally rented a farm, and in the spring of 1887 bought forty acres of his present homestead, to which he added fifty-one acres more in the fall of 1888, on which he has since resided. Mr. West was married June 29, 1884, to Eloise Bartle, a daughter of J. C. Bartle, of Delmar, who has borne him four children, viz: J. Frederick, Lottie, Harvey D., deceased, and Harold J. Mr. West is a member of the Grange, and also of the K. of G. E. In politics, he is an independent voter.
WILBUR F. WEST was born in Wellsboro, May 2, 1860, a son of the late George W. West, of Charleston township. When sixteen years of age he began working out as a farm hand, which business he followed several years, and subsequently bought sixty acres of land in Delmar township. He sold this farm later and purchased his present farm of ninety acres, on which he has since lived. Mr. West was married May 11, 1881, to Nellie E. Bartle, a daughter of J. C. Bartle, of Delmar, to which union have been born five children, viz: Flora E., Nellie M., Eunice, Wilbur T., and Allen J. Mr. West and wife are members of the Grange, and adherents of the Baptist church. He is connected with the K. of G. E., and in politics, he is a Democrat.
MINER BENJAMIN was born in 1814, in St. Lawrence county, New York, and came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, in 1843. Here he married Sarah Wilson, of Liberty, Tioga county, in 1845. He followed lumbering as an occupation until 1868, when he was accidentally killed by being struck by a log. To Miner and Sarah Benjamin were born six children, viz: Frances, wife of the late Robert Quimby, of Lycoming county; William Q., who married Margaret Roland, of Wellsboro; Clara, wife of George Greene, of Wellsboro; Janette, wife of Charles Steele, of Delmar; Charles W., who died when he was fourteen months old, and Elmer E. The family is connected with the Baptist church.
DARIUS C. ANDREWS was born near Burlington, Rutland county, Vermont, April 4, 1812. When he was about eighteen months old his parents started for Tioga county, New York, but before the journey was completed his mother died, and he was given to an aunt, Mrs. Thomas Caulkins, an early settler of Charleston township, Tioga county, Pennsylvania. Here he grew to manhood and married Jane Coombs, who was born in Steuben county, New York, October 10, 1815. She became the mother of seven children, as follows: Deborah D., widow of William Brockway, of Port Huron, Michigan; Anna, wife of Albert Brown, of Roaring Branch, Lycoming county, Pennsylvania; Thomas, a resident of Mason City, Iowa; Catherine, wife of Alexander Miller, of North Yakima, Washington; Harriet, wife of a Mr. Brown, of Salem, Oregon, and two that died in infancy. About 1837 Mr. Andrews removed to Sullivan county, Pennsylvania, where he lived five or six years and then returned to this county, locating in Chatham township. Here he remained about ten years, when he went to Steuben county, New York, but soon returned to Tioga county. About 1879 he settled on a farm on Marsh creek, in Delmar township, where he died September 3, 1893. Mrs. Andrews is living with her daughter, Mrs. Harriet Brown, in Salem, Oregon, at the ripe age of nearly eighty-two years. In 1857 an estrangement arose between Mr. Andrews and his wife, which resulted in a legal separation. In 1861 he married a Mrs. Potter, of Troupsburg, New York, who bore him two children, viz: Flora, wife of Walter French, of Mills, Potter county, and Abram D., of Marsh Creek.
FRANCIS M. ANDREWS, eldest child of Darius C. and Jane (Coombs) Andrews, was born in Charleston township, Tioga county, October 8, 1835. After receiving a common school education, he learned the millwright’s trade, at which he worked in Middlebury and Elk townships. In the winter of 1854 he went to Canada and a year later to Wisconsin. He remained in the latter twenty-three years and became a prominent lumberman and mill operator, owning and operating mills at Merrill, Lincoln county, Wisconsin. About 1877 he removed to Cerro Gordo county, Iowa, where he followed agriculture until 1881 and then returned to Tioga county and took charge of his father’s farm. To this he has since added until he now owns 285 acres. Mr. Andrews was married September 10, 1868, to Theresa J. Beeman, a daughter of Stephen Van Rensselaer and Lorena Beeman, of Middlebury township. She bore him four children, viz: Frank M., Lulu, deceased; Fred B., and Raymond. Mrs. Andrews died February 22, 1879, and September 15, 1880, he married Ella Chamberlain, a daughter of Joel and Ellen (Wait) Chamberlain. Mr. Andrews is a Republican, and served as county supervisor of Lincoln county, Wisconsin, seven years, and also as a school director, and has filled the offices of assessor and auditor of Delmar township. He is a member of both lodge and chapter in the Masonic order, and also of the Grange. Mr. Andrews and wife are adherents of the Methodist Episcopal church.
JAMES HODDER, a native of South Wales, born May 20, 1841, is a son of Simeon and Anna (Watkins) Hodder, natives of the same country. His parents reared a family of eleven children, seven of whom came to the United States. James was the eldest, and worked with his father in the coal mines of his native land until 1869, when he immigrated to Pennsylvania and found employment in the mines at Fall Brook, Tioga county, where he worked until 1872. He then went to Antrim, and continued at the same business for ten years. In the meantime he had purchased fifty acres of land at Hoytville, in 1874, which he sold in 1880 to the Hoytville Tannery Company, upon which the tannery works were subsequently erected. He then bought his present farm of eighty-six acres in Delmar township, upon which he located in 1881, since which year he has devoted his attention to agriculture. Mr. Hodder was married December 24, 1861, in South Wales, to Margaret Davis, and they are the parents of eleven children, viz: Margaret A., wife of Elmer Emmick, of Morris; Florence, Benjamin Sidney, Simon James, Libbie, deceased; Elizabeth, Lillie, Katie, Emma, Mary and William C. Mr. and Mrs. Hodder are members of the First Baptist church of Delmar. In politics, he is a Republican, and is also a member of the I. O. O. F. and the P. of H. societies.
GEORGE F. RAISH, farmer and lumberman, was born in Lackawanna county, Pennsylvania, October 22, 1859, a son of Godfrey and Jane (Olewine) Raish, natives of Lackawanna and Monroe counties, respectively. His father was a lumberman, and died in 1874, aged forty-three. His mother died in 1865, aged twenty-five years. They were the parents of four children, viz: George F., Charles A., a resident of Colorado; William, deceased, and Samuel, who resides in Snyder county. The subject of this sketch came to Tioga county in September, 1879, and found employment in the Leetonia tannery for eight years. While there he bought thirty acres of land in Delmar township, upon which he settled after leaving the tannery. He followed teaming four years, and then took a large bark and lumber contract, and in the next three years got out 3,700 cords of bark, and 7,400,000 feet of lumber. He later took a large contract to supply a Penn Yan, New York, firm with bark and lumber, which proved a successful venture. He recently purchased a farm of 120 acres immediately west of Draper, and devotes his attention to farming and lumbering. On July 4, 1879, Mr. Raish married Amelia George, a daughter of Levi George, of Luzerne county. They are the parents of the following children, viz: Charles, Edgar, Walter, Ivan C., Leonard, Freeman, Lee G., Violet A., and one that died in infancy. Mr. Raish and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and in politics, he is a Republican. He is also connected with the P. of H., the K. of G. E., the I. O. O. F., and the F. & A. M., in all of which he takes a deep interest.
JOHN LAGERBOM was born in Sweden, March 1, 1839, a son of Carl Lagerbom. He worked as a farm hand and in the construction of railroads in his native land until 1871, when he immigrated to Pennsylvania and worked one year on the Fall Brook railroad. He then found employment at the Mansfield furnace, where he remained one year, and for the following eight years worked in the mines at Morris Run and Antrim. In 1881 he purchased ninety-four acres of timber land in Duncan township, which he cleared up and improved. He resided upon it until the spring of 1892, when he bought his present farm of 136 acres in Delmar township, on which he has since resided. Mr. Lagerbom married Caroline Oleson, and has four children, viz: Mary H., who lives in Chicago; Jennie, wife of Lloyd Henry, of Delmar; Charles and Eva, both of whom live with their parents. The family are members of the Lutheran church, and in politics, Mr. Lagerbom, is a Republican. He is also a member of the Patrons of Husbandry.
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