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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES
MIDDLEBURY AND FARMINGTON TOWNSHIPS—NELSON, ELKLAND AND OSCEOLA BOROUGHS
ANDREW HOLIDAY, a native of Ireland, immigrated to Pennsylvania prior to the Revolution, and finally settled at Stroudsburg, Monroe County, Pennsylvania. He was a soldier in the Continental Army, and did good service for his adopted country. He was twice married, and reared a family of nine children, two by the first marriage, and seven by the second. About 1800 he came with his son, Daniel to Tioga County, Pennsylvania, and located at Lawrenceville. He subsequently removed to Troupsbury, New York, but later returned to Tioga County and settled at Elkland, where he died and was buried.
DANIEL HOLIDAY,SR., son of Andrew Holiday, was born at Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, and came to Tioga county with his father about 1800. With the exception of a short time spent at Troupsbury, New York, he resided in this county up to his death, dying at the home of his son, Daniel, at Holiday, Middlebury township, in 1855. He married Rhoda Searls, of Woodhull, New York, who bore him eleven children, viz; John, deceased; Daniel, a resident of Holiday; Margaret, Lavina, Timothy and Amos, all of whom are deceased; Catherine, wife of Ambrose Ives, of Troupsburh; Mary, wife of Daniel White, of Holiday; Samuel S., a resident of Marsh Creek; Rhoda, and Thomas, both deceased. Mrs. Holiday died upon the old homestead.
DANIEL HOLIDAY, oldest living child of Daniel Holiday, Sr., was born in Elkland township, Tioga county, September 26, 1810. When twelve years old he began working out as a farm hand, later learned the carpenter’s trade, and came to Holiday, Middlebury township, in 1832, where he conducted a hotel for fifteen years. He was then elected a justice of the peace, which office he filled continuously for forty years, and also served as a notary public six years. He carried on a general store five years, and conducted a farm during the whole time, finally retiring about 1876. Mr. Holiday married Alvira Keeney, a daughter of Thomas Keeney, who bore him the following children, viz: Bryon B., a merchant of Elmira; VanBuren B., station agent at Holiday; Delos, a farmer at Marsh Creek; Milford, deceased; Milton G., who was killed in the Rebellion; Darius, a resident of Wellsboro; Helen, deceased wife of Porter Blanchard, and Haletus P. His second wife was Ruth A., a daughter of I. P. Keeney, who became the mother of four children, viz: Viola, deceased; Mary, wife of Samuel Putnam, of Covington; Addie, wife of Samuel Maxwell, of Corning, and Claude M., also a resident of Corning. Politically, Mr. Holiday is a Democrat, and has filled nearly all the township offices at different periods.
HALETUS P. HOLIDAY, youngest son of Daniel and Elvira Holiday, was born at Holiday, Tioga county, September 30, 1844. When a week old he was taken by Lavina Cady, a sister of his father, and wife of Calvin Cady, with whom he lived for many years. July 3, 1866, he married Ellen Root, born September 4, 1846, a daughter of Isaiah and Sophronia Root. To this union there have been born two children, viz; George M. and Nettie, wife of Ervin Lewis. He built a house on the Cady farm and followed agriculture up to 1886, having bought forty-five acres of his father’s farm in 1880, and later 144 acres adjoining it. He next purchased the hotel property at Holiday, and conducted the house for five years, during which time he also engaged in selling farm implements. Since giving up the hotel business he has devoted his attention to tobacco growing. In 1890 the Cady farm was willed to him and his son, George. Mr. Holiday and wife are members of the P. of H. and he is connected with the I. O. O. F.
JOHN WEST, a native of Stoughton Harbor, Massachusetts, born December 2, 1778, was a son of John West, a native of England. He was reared in Vermont, and subsequently located in Madison county, New York, whence he removed to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, in 1829. He engaged quite extensively in the lumber business, and a few years later purchased the farm of the late Nathan T. West, at Middlebury Center, where he died May 3, 1853. He married Polly Holt, to whom were born the following children: Thomas M., Cynthia, John, Polly, Joseph C. and Nathan T., all of whom are dead; Philander, of Middlebury township, and Philetus, deceased, the two last mentioned being twins. Mrs. West survived her husband fourteen years, dying May 30, 1867, aged eighty-three.
THOMAS M. WEST, oldest child of John and Polly West, was born in Madison county, New York, November 7, 1804. He grew to manhood in his native county, and in 1833 came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and located on a farm on Loser Creek, in Middlebury township. A short time after he bought and moved to the farm now owned by his son Ira, where he followed farming and lumbering up to his death, February 20, 1882. In 1826, he married Emily Balch, a native of Madison county, New York, born in 1809, who bore him twelve children, viz: Truzilla, deceased; Adaline, wife of Alexander Combs, of Wisconsin; Aaron and Eliza, both deceased; Elizabeth, widow of Thomas B. Keeney; Daniel H., a soldier in the Union Army, who died at the age of twenty-eight years, while home on furlough; Thomas H., deceased; Orrin, and Ira, farmers of Middlebury township; William R., a farmer and lumberman of Wisconsin; Emily, wife of Gibson Niles, of Delmar township; and Marian A., wife of C. A. Goodwin, of Middlebury. Mrs. West died on May 10, 1881, aged seventy-two years.
IRA WEST was born in Middlebury township, Tioga county, October 12, 1842, the ninth child of Thomas M. and Emily West. He attended the common schools of his neighborhood and worked at home until twenty-two years of age, and then began working farms on shares, which business he continued up to 1880. In that year he purchased the homestead farm, and cared for his parents during the remainder of their lives. On March 6, 1865, Mr. West married Polly P., a daughter of the late Nathan T. West, of Middlebury Center. She was born September 25, 1845, and is the mother of nine children, all of whom are living in Middlebury township, viz; Floretta, wife of J. M. Whitney; Ada B., wife of G. L. Niles; William E.; Alvira W., wife of Walter Ames; Dora M.; Thomas H.; Annetta P.; Adrain C.; and Nathan T. Mrs. West is a member of the Free Will Baptist church, and both she and her husband are connected with the P. of H. In politics, he is an independent voter.
NATHAN T. WEST was born in Madison county, New York, in 1818 and was about eleven years old when his parents, John and Polly West, came to Tioga county. He remained on the home farm until nineteen years of age, when he purchased the farm now owned by his son, John E., then consisting of 103 acres of timberland. He cleared and improved this property, and made it his home until his father’s death, when he purchased the interest of the other heirs in the old homestead and located upon it. He married Aurilla Niles, a daughter of Erastus Niles, March 23, 1838. She was born in Tioga Township, March 19, 1821, and is the mother of the following children: Adelbert, a farmer of Middlebury; John E., a resident of the same township; Nathan B., a stonemason at Keeneyville; Polly P., wife of Ira West, of Middlebury; Edward W., of Farmington; Alfred C., who lives in Middlebury Township; Hobart P., a resident of Wellsboro; Aurilla A., wife of George Reynolds, of Chatham; and Richard A., who lives near Jamestown, New York. Mrs. West is a member of the Free Will Baptist church. Mr. West died October 6, 1896, aged seventy-nine years. In politics, he was a stanch Democrat, held all the township offices at different periods, and was one of the most substantial farmers in the county.
ADELBERT WEST, eldest child of Nathan T. West, was born in Middlebury township, Tioga county, October 17, 1839. He attended the district schools in boyhood, and worked on the home farm until 1863, when he purchased eighty-six acres of his present farm and settled upon it. He followed farming five years, and then went to Warren county, Pennsylvania, where he worked for two years. Returning to his farm in Middlebury, he has ever since devoted his attention to agriculture, with the exception of eighteen months spent in Warren county working for the Buffalo and Warren Railroad Company. He now owns 151 acres of well-improved land. Mr. West was married in July, 1863, to Frances Cummings, a daughter of Dwight Cummings, who bore him two children, viz: Adelbert D., a farmer of Middlebury, and Katie, wife of Frank Pease, of the same township. His second wife was Marion I. Briggs, a daughter of William Briggs, of Warren county, Pennsylvania, whom he married November 23, 1867. Four children have been born to this union, viz: Leon J., Loretta, Frederick W. and Rufus B. The family are members of the Free Will Baptist church, and Mr. West and wife are connected with the Patrons of Husbandry. In politics, he is an ardent Democrat.
JOHN E. WEST, second son of Nathan T. West, was born on his present farm in Middlebury township, August 10, 1841. He attended the district schools in boyhood, and when twenty years of age began for himself by renting a portion of the old homestead from his father, which he continued to do for sixteen years. In 1870 he purchased thirty acres of land adjoining, to which he added a small tract in 1875, and in 1876 bought from his father the seventy-eight acres he had been renting, also seventy-nine acres more, and in 1882 an additional forty acres. In 1888 he moved to Virginia, purchased a farm of 450 acres, and resided upon it three years. Returning to Tioga county, he traded his Virginia land for eighty-one acres adjoining his Middlebury farm, and now owns a well-improved farm of 300 acres all in one body. September 27, 1860, Mr. West married Martha Wormer, of Chatham township, who bore him one son, Nathan T., a farmer of Middlebury. Mrs. West died May 14, 1865, aged twenty-four years. Mr. West was again married July 4, 1865, to Olive I. Croft, a daughter of John M. Croft, of Chatham township. She was born October 26, 1847, and has had four children, viz: Minnie, wife of E. E. Goodwin, of Deerfield; Nellie, who died at the age of four; John B., and Mildred E. Mr. And Mrs. West are members of the Free Will Baptist church, and in politics, he is a Democrat.
WILLIAM SPAULDING was born in Hebron, New York, September 18, 1788. Soon after his birth the family moved to Vermont, where his father died when William was about four years old and he then went to live with a Mr. Taylor. he obtained a common school education, and subsequently purchased a small farm in Vermont, where he lived up to 1836. In that year he came to Tioga county and bought a piece of timberland in Chatham township, erected his cabin in the midst of the primitive forest, and resided there until his death, November 9, 1863. His wife, Mary Briggs, whom he married in Vermont, was born in Dummerston, Vermont, December 4, 1790, and became the mother of thirteen children, as follows: Priscilla, who died at the age of seventy-six; Seth B., who died at the age of sixty-six; William, who died aged seventy years; Mary, and Luther, both of whom died at the age of seventy-five; John, a resident of Chatham township; Samuel, who died in early youth; Sem P., a farmer of Middlebury; S. Seymour, who died aged sixty-eight; Hannah, widow of J. B. Brown; Fannie, wife of Milo Goodwin, of Middlebury; Laura, wife of David H. Curtis, of Chatham, and Simeon. Mrs. Spaulding died February 19, 1886, at the remarkable age of nearly ninety-six year.
SEM P. SPAULDING was born in Londonderry, Vermont, January 5, 1825, eighth child of William and Mary Spaudling. He was eleven years old when his parents came to Tioga county, and he worked on the homestead in Chatham township, assisting his father to clear and improve it, until he was seventeen years old. He then began working out as a farm hand and in the lumber woods, which he followed a few years. At the end of this period he purchased a portion of his present farm, now embracing 250 acres, where he has since resided, devoting his attention to farming and lumbering. He married Susan Beckwith, a daughter of Sylvester Beckwith, an early settler in Tioga borough, and later Middlebury township. She was born in Tioga, Tioga county, May 28, 1835. Five children were born to this union, viz: Mary D., wife of George Vanderhoof, of Middlebury; George B., who married Sarah Brigdon, and lives on a part of the old homestead; Sem P., who married Annie Mosher, and also lives on a part of the home farm; William H., a cigar maker of Wellsboro, who married Cassie Gaylord, of Mansfield, and Effie M., at home. Mrs. Spaulding is a member of the First Baptist church, at Hammond. In politics, the family are Republicans. Mr. Spaulding has served as school director and supervisor, and is a successful farmer and an enterprising citizen. He is the only one of the family that cared for gun and rod, and he has been quite a famous sportsman. His home is adorned with many trophies of the chase, in which he takes much pride.
WILLIAM STARKEY was born in the state of New York, in 1787, there grew to manhood and learned the carpenter’s trade. About 1835 he came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, worked at his trade here a few years, and then bought a farm in Middlebury township. He cleared a portion of it and resided there until his death, November 14, 1851, aged sixty-four years. He married Mary E. Benjamin, who bore him six children, viz: Harriet, deceased wife of Luther Washburn; Clarissa, wife of Allen Daggett, of Southport, New York; Philena C., wife of William Barnes, of Middlebury township; Samuel B., deceased; Eliza, wife of Erstine Ives, of Middlebury, and John, who resides at Middlebury Center. Mrs. Starkey died January 13, 1866, in the seventy-fourth year of her life.
JOHN STARKEY was born in Allegany county, New York, February 23, 1830, the youngest son of William Starkey. When twenty-one years of age he began for himself on a rented farm, but at the end of one year he returned to his father’s farm and finished clearing it up and paying off the debt still due upon it when his father died. There he remained up to 1868, in which year he removed to a farm he had previously purchased at Middlebury Center, where he also acted as superintendent of the turnpike from Tioga to Wellsboro for sixteen years. He built and conducted a general store at Middlebury Center for about ten years, and during his whole business career has been actively engaged in lumbering. In 1888 he purchased the hotel at that point, and moved into it the following year. In 1891 the building was burned, but he immediately rebuilt and continued the business. Besides his hotel property, Mr. Starkey owns over 1,000 acres of land in Tioga county, and also a property in Wellsboro, all of which he has accumulated by untiring industry and careful management. He is today one of the largest property owners in Middlebury township, as well as one of its most successful businessmen. Mr. Starkey was married January 18, 1859, to Caroline Palmer, a daughter of Lemuel M. and Eunice E. (Storer) Palmer, of Rutland township. She was born in Tioga county March 27, 1839, the fourth in a family of seven children. To Mr. And Mrs. Starkey have been born eight children, viz: Addie W., wife of Truman E. Carpenter, of Charleston township; Jennie M., wife of Judson H. Stephens, of Middlebury; Frank W., a merchant of Middlebury Center, who married Anna L. Dennison, of Charleston township, and has two children, Maude and George W.; Angie H., deceased ; Fred I., and Nellie E., wife of Byron E. Churchill,of Middlebury township. In politics, Mr. Starkey is a liberal Republican, and is recognized as one of the substantial citizens of Tioga county.
OLIVER BRIGGS, a native of New England, came from Tioga county, New York, to Tioga county, Pennsylvania in 1834, and located in Middlebury township, on the farm now owned by his son, A. B. A. Briggs. Here he followed farming to the time of his death. He was twice married. His first wife, Lydia Hoag, bore him three children, viz: Jacob, deceased; Elizabeth, widow of Perry Gage, of Jackson township, and Ebenezer H., a farmer of Middlebury. Mrs. Briggs died in 1820, and he was again married to Betsey E. Edwards. Eight children were born to this union, viz: Edward and Lydia A., both deceased; Ira, a farmer of Middlebury; Clarissa, Walter, Louisa and Oliver, all deceased, and A. B. A., who lives on the old homestead, where the parents died.
IRA BRIGGS was born in Spencer, Tioga county, New York, October 1, 1829, and is the oldest living child of Oliver and Betsey E. Briggs. He was five years old when his parents came to this county. Here he grew to maturity, attended the district schools in boyhood, and assisted in the duties on the farm. When nineteen years of age he went to work for his brother, Jacob, with whom he remained four years, and then purchased a portion of his present farm from the Bingham estate. Eight years later he purchased an adjoining tract from his brother, Jacob, making a farm of 146 acres, on which he has resided up to the present, devoting his attention to agricultural pursuits. Mr. Briggs was married in March, 1853, to Margaret A. Morrell, second daughter of Stephen Morrell, of Jackson township, with who he lived about twelve years, and was then legally separated. On January 1, 1871, he married Ermina M. Conley, second daughter of Jacob Conley, to which union were born five children, viz: Bert J., Ettie May, who married A. B. Fish, March 7, 1896, Rosa Nell, wife of Homer P. Cloos; Jennie V. and Mattie B., all of whom are living. The family attend the Baptist church. Beginning in life without a dollar, he has accumulated through the passing years a good property and has been fairly successful in his business affairs. He taught music from 1868 to 1871, and the family possess considerable musical talent. In politics, Mr. Briggs is a Republican.
SAMUEL A. CADY, a native of Jasper, New York, born March 15, 1810, was the fourth in a family of five children born to Abel Cady, viz: Michael, Daniel, Manissa, Samuel A. and Esther. He received a common school education, but was only four years old when his father died, and was compelled to make his own living from early boyhood. When twenty-five years of age he bought the Cady farm in Middlebury township, Tioga county, where he followed agriculture until his death, March 22, 1881. He was postmaster of Chatham Valley for a number of years, also at Holiday for two years, was an active Democrat, and one of the best businessmen in his section. In religion, he was an Adventist. On March 3, 1832, Mr. Cady married Adaline Cole, a daughter of Sala Cole, who was born in Vermont, March 3, 1815. Four children were born to this union, viz: Charlotte M., wife of Dennis Andrews; Celestia M., wife of Edward A. Keeler; Wesley P., who enlisted in Company G, Two Hundred and Seventh Pennsylvania Volunteers, and was killed in the charge on Fort Mahone, in front of Petersburg, April 2, 1865, in the twenty-sixth year of his age, leaving a widow and two daughters, the former now the wife of M. B. Brown, of Lawrence township; and Sala V. Mrs. Cady died on December 26, 1874.
SALA V. CADY, youngest child of Samuel A. Cady, was born on his present farm in Middlebury township, Tioga county, July 18, 1851, was reared on the homestead, and worked in the lumber woods during the winter seasons. He was married November 8, 1882, to Jane N. Clark, a daughter of Albert Clark, of Chatham township, and has one child, Leo Netto, born April 3, 1884. In politics, Mr. Cady is a stanch Democrat, and is recognized as one of the progressive farmers of his native township, where he owns a well-improved farm of 137 acres, a part of it having belonged to the old Cady homestead.
ALEXADER A. MCLEAN was born in Yates county, New York, November 3, 1814, and learned the blacksmith’s trade at Dresden, where he served an apprenticeship of five years. In 1832, when but eighteen years of age, he came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and worked for three years as foreman of a blacksmith ship in Tioga village. He then moved to Middlebury Center and carried on a shop for some ten years, at the end of which time he went to Indiana and remained in that state up to 1860. Returning to Tioga county, he established a shop at Hammond, and continued blacksmithing until 1880, when he retired from active business and was succeeded by his son, John A. Mr. McLean married Mary J. Potter, a daughter of Henry H. Potter. She was born October 25, 1820, and became the mother of thirteen children, viz: William and Marietta, both of whom died in early youth; Edwin, a resident of Indiana, who served three years and nine months in the Rebellion; Sarah, deceased wife of James Marcus; Henry H., who died at Chattanooga, Tennessee, while a soldier in the Rebellion; Delia, wife of M. S. Potter, of Syracuse; Lewis G., a resident of Indiana; Alanson C., who lives in South Dakota; John A., a blacksmith at Hammond; Lizzie, wife of G. W. Groom, of South Williamsport; Emma, wife of Charles M. Jennings, of Charleston township; Ida I., deceased wife of C. L. Ferry, and Carrie, who died at the age of three years. Mrs. McLean died April 17, 1880. Her husband resides with his son, John A., at Hammond.
JOHN A. MCLEAN, son of Alexander A. McLean, was born at Rob Roy, Fountain county, Indiana, January 15, 1853, and was seven years old when his father located at Hammond. When thirteen years of age he went into his father’s shop to learn the blacksmith’s trade, which he has followed continuously ever since at Hammond, but has also been engaged in farming on a small scale on land owned by his wife. Mr. McLean was married October 6, 1881, to Ada B. Stevens, a daughter of Daniel G. Stevens, of Middlebury, to which union have been born four children, viz; Henry H., Eveline J., Clara E. and Ida E. The family attends the First Baptist church, and in politics, support the Republican party.
CHARLES N. WILCOX was born March 29, 1815, and came to Tioga county in early manhood, locating in Middlebury township. He married Ruby Keeney, a daughter of Jesse Keeney, of that township, July 21, 1839. She was born May 18, 1812, and became the mother of five children, viz; Edward A., born April 19, 1840, who died in infancy; George E., born November 12, 1841, and died November 6, 1847; Jesse K., born November 12, 1843, and died in Andersonville prison, in October, 1864, while a Union prisoner; Catherine E., born April 12, 1846, and died December 24 following, and Ransom E., born March 24, 1848, a farmer of Middlebury township. Mr. Wilcox was a stanch Democrat. He died July 11, 1854, at Waterville, Wisconsin, while on his way to visit a brother in the west. His widow survived him six years, dying December 4, 1860.
RANSOM EUGENE WOLCOX, only living child of Charles N. Wilcox, was born at Keeneyville, Tioga county, March 24, 1848. He received a common school education up to the age of twelve years, when the death of his mother compelled him to go out into the world to make his own living. He worked as a farm hand until he was twenty-three years old, when he went to learn the carpenter’s trade. He purchased a home in Keeneyville, followed his trade there until 1877, and then bought his present farm of eighty acres northeast of that village. He still continued to work at his trade for some ten years, but has since devoted his whole attention to agriculture. Mr. Wilcox was married March 24, 1869, to Mary L. Dickinson, a daughter of Nathaniel Dickinson, of Middlebury township, where she was born August 13, 1844. Five children have been the fruits of this union, viz: Jesse N., born February 10, 1870, and died September 5, 1889; Raymond C., born January 19, 1873, and died March 6, following; Agnes M., born January 5, 1875, wife of Warren Colgrove, of Savona, New York; Charles E., born June 28, 1878, and Ruby L., born August 23, 1880, and died October 14, of the same year. Mr. Wilcox is a Prohibitionist, and is also a member of the I. O. O. F., and the Patrons of Husbandry.
NATHANIEL DICKINSON, a native of New York state, was born September 18, 1819, a son of Arnold and Mary (Sutton) Dickinson. His father was a son of Nathaniel Dickinson, who came with his brothers, Francis and Arnold, from England to America about 1770. Nathaniel, Sr., and one of his brothers were soldiers in the Revolution. The subject of this sketch was reared in New York and came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, in 1839. He purchased a farm four miles north of Holiday, in Middlebury township, but was obliged to cut a road through the forest from Holiday to his farm before he could reach the latter. He cleared and improved this property, and resided upon it up to his death, July 7, 1869. He married Eliza L.Smith, a daughter of David Smith. She was born in Hartford, Connecticut, January 2, 1819, and is the mother of five children, viz: Mary L., wife of R. E. Wilcox; George W., a farmer of Middlebury; Fidelia I., wife of Albert E. Hackett, of Smethport, McKean county; John J., of Middlebury, and a daughter that died in infancy. Nathaniel Dickinson was a well-educated and public-spirited citizen, and quite active in public affairs. Politically, a Republican, he filled nearly all of the township offices at different periods. His widow resides with her son, John J.
GEORGE W. DICKINSON, eldest son of Nathaniel Dickinson, was born in Middlebury township, Tioga county, November 15, 1845. He was educated in the common schools and the academies of the county, and also attended Bryant and Straton’s Commercial College, Binghamton, New York. When nineteen years of age he commenced teaching, and taught at Lose Creek, Keeneyville, Shortsville, Roe and Treat’s. He remained on the home farm until twenty-three years old, and then became a bookkeeper for a lumber firm in Shippen township. Soon after he purchased his present farm of fifty acres, which was then covered by the primitive forest, and has since resided upon it. In 1887 he bought seventy-two acres more, a short distance northeast of the original homestead, and has devoted his attention principally to farming. Mr. Dickinson was married November 15, 1868, to Myra J. Keeney, a daughter of Richard M. Keeney, of Middlebury township. They are the parents of two children, viz: Anna M., born March 19, 1871, and died June 21, 1880, and Burton N., born June 24, 1881. The family are members of the Free Baptist church, in which Mr. Dickinson has been choir leader for many years. In politics, a Republican, he has held all the township offices except constable and justice of the peace, and has been clerk for many years. Mr. Dickinson is president of the Tioga County Grange Mutual Fire Insurance Company, and a member of the executive committee of the State Grange. Both he and wife are members of the P. of H., and he has always taken a deep interest in the growth and prosperity of that society, to which he has devoted a great deal of valuable time.
JOHN SHAFF, a native of Saratoga Springs, New York, born in 1776, was a son of William Shaff, who came from Germany to America and fought in the Revolution. John was reared in New York stated, and married Annis McCarty, who bore him a family of eleven children, viz: Nancy, widow of Darius Dickinson; Stephen C., a resident of Middlebury; Betsey, William, Margaret, Jane and Angeline, all of whom are dead; Rosanna, widow of Moses French; Lucinda, deceased; Wellington, a farmer in Lawrence township, and John H., a resident of Potter county. Mr. Shaff and family came to Tioga county in 1839, and located on a farm in Middlebury township. Here his wife died in 1857, and himself in 1871.
STEPHEN C. SHAFF, oldest son of John Shaff, was born in Schoharie county, New York, April 4, 1809, and came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, in January , 1836. He purchased eighty acres of timberland in Middlebury township, and set to work clearing and improving it, making agriculture and lumbering his life vocation. He married Cynthia West, a daughter of John West. Se was born February 19, 1806, and became the mother of nine children, viz: Mary A., wife of A. E. Rowley, of Middlebury township; Henry J. and Porter D. both residents of Middlebury; Lois, wife of John E. Roe, of the same township; Asa, James A. and Hulda, all of whom are dead; Matilda, wife of Jacob Schaffner, of Lindley, New York, and Alonzo D., of Middlebury. Mrs. Shaff died September 24, 1875. In July, 1862, Mr. Shaff enlisted in Company A, One Hundred and Thirty-sixth Pennsylvania Volunteers, and served until February, 1863, when he was discharged on account of sickness. In politics, he is a stanch Republican.
HENRY J. SHAFF, eldest son of Stephen C. Shaff, was born in Madison county, New York, September 10, 1834, and was less than two years old when his parents came to Tioga county. He was reared on the homestead in Middlebury township, and in the spring of 1854 went to Wisconsin, and worked in the lumber woods of that state a few years. In 1858 he and his brother, Porter D., purchased the old homestead of 105 acres, on which they now reside. Here he followed farming up to 1866, when he and Newbury Cloos, Jr., build a sawmill on Losey Creek. He followed that business up to December, 1894, quite successfully. Mr. Shaff has been identified with many of the leading industries of the county, and every dollar he now possesses was earned by hard work and rigid economy. He was married September 6, 1861, to Amarilla Cloos, eldest child of Newbury Cloos, Jr. She was born in Deerfield township, April 1, 1844, and is the mother of three children, viz: George, deceased; George N., a resident of Belmont, New York, and Sophia E., wife of Matthew Haskell, of Middlebury township. IN politics, Mr. Shaff is a Democrat, and has served as school director three years. He is a member of the K. of H., and one of the enterprising farmers of the community.
PORTER D. SHAFF, second son of Stephen C. Shaff, and grandson of John Shaff, was born in Madison county, New York, October 13, 1835, three months prior to the coming of his parents to Tioga county. He was reared in Middlebury township, and attended the common schools of his district in boyhood. With the exception of a few months in 1865, when employed by the United States government, and about one year spent in Illinois and Wisconsin, he has always been engaged in farming and lumbering in this county. His homestead farm contains 107 acres, and he also owns 1,193 acres of timberland in Llunanburg county, Virginia. On September 7, 1861, he married Mary Dickinson, daughter of Darius Dickinson. She was born December 10, 1835, and has five children, named as follows: Stephen C., a resident of South Dakota; James R., of Middlebury; Ida A., wife of Burt Sherburn, a resident of the same township; Clarence E., and Nettie J., wife of Orrin Doan, both residents of Middlebury. In politics, Mr. Shaff is a stanch Republican, and has been a school director for the past twenty-five years, and assistant assessor three terms. Mr. Shaff and sons, James and Clarence, are members of the I. O. O. F., and themselves and wives are connected with the Patrons of Husbandry. He is one of the progressive, enterprising farmers of the county.
ALONZO D. SHAFF, youngest son of Stephen C. Shaff, was born in Middlebury township, Tioga county, April 9, 1851, obtained a common school education and worked for his brother, Porter D., until his majority. He then began working out as a farm hand, and at the end of six years, purchased the farm on which he now resides. Eight years later he sold a part of it to his father, and again went to work as a laborer, lumberman, and farmer, on rented farms, returning to his old property in 1894, which is owned by his father. Mr. Shaff was married January 15, 1876, to Louise Eggleston, a daughter of E. H. Eggleston, of Middlebury township. She was born April 23, 1856, and is the mother of nine children, as follows: Cynthia, Edwin, Mary, Iva, Grant, Grace, Burr, who died in infancy. Ethel, and Harold. Mr. And Mrs. Shaff are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and in politics, he is an independent voter.
GILBERT B. OWLETT, SR. was born in Kent county, England, April 11, 1799. His father, Thomas Owlett, was a farmer, and the son adopted the same vocation. In 1822, he married Miss Martha Pope, and in 1831 came with his family to the United States, locating in Saratoga county, New York. Later he removed to Otsego county, New York, and in 1840 came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and purchased a farm of 140 acres on the line of Chatham and Middlebury townships. Here he resided until his death, August 22, 1877. His farm then passed into the possession of his son Benjamin, and is still owned by him. Mr. Owlett was thrice married. His first wife died in 1851, leaving eleven children, as follows: Thomas M., deceased farmer of Chatham township; Martha, wife of Edwin Temple, of Corning, New York; Gilbert B., a retired farmer, Keeneyville; Jane, widow of Charles Cloos; Mary Ann, wife of Albert Foote; Mrs. Rebecca Foote, of Elkland; Susan, wife of James Hamilton, of Jackson township; John, a deceased farmer of Chatham; Sally A., wife of Charles H. VanDusen; Benjamin, a retired farmer, Keeneyville; and Joseph, a farmer of Chatham. His second wife, Mrs. Phila Lee, was a daughter of Julius Seely. She died in 1860, leaving two children: Henry J., of Horseheads, New York, and Edward Howland, an attorney of Wellsboro. His third wife, Mrs. Adelia VanOsten, nee Ford, survived him a few years. Mr. Owlett was a representative pioneer farmer. Rugged physical powers, practical wisdom and strict integrity were his distinguishing characteristics. When he came to Tioga county he took possession of an uncleared tract of land in an almost unbroken wilderness. At the time of his death five of his sons were settled on adjoining farms, the family possessions embracing over 1,000 acres of land.
GILBERT B. OWLETT, retired farmer, Keeneyville, was born in Kent county, England, June 26, 1826, and was five years old when the family came from England to the United States, and fourteen when they settled in Middlebury township, Tioga county. Here he grew to manhood, and at the age of twenty-two years purchased a farm of eighty-two acres of heavily timbered land in Middlebury township. This has since been cleared, added to and improved, until his present farm embraces 225 acres, and is one of the best in this part of the county. In 1890 Mr. Owlett rented his farm and moved to Keeneyville, where he purchased a hotel property, which he has since remodeled and fitted up as a residence. Mr. Owlett has been twice married. In 1848 he married Sarah Temple, a daughter of Maj. Russell Temple, of Chatham township, who bore him three children, viz: Jane, wife of Lawrence Martin, of Farmington; James H., a farmer of Chatham; and Madella, wife of Charles O. Churchill, of Chatham township. Mrs. Owlett died June 9, 1888. On March 14, 1895, Mr. Owlett married Julia Roushy, a daughter of Jacob Roushy, of Chemung county, New York. In politics, a Republican, he is one of the prominent and substantial citizens of Middlebury.
CALVIN HAMMOND, a son of Ebenezer and Sally Hammond, was born in Warren county, New York, November 1, 1820. He attended the common schools of his native county, and on attaining his majority came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and found employment in a sawmill at Hammond. A short time later he bought the plant and carried on quite an extensive lumber business, subsequently purchasing the farm which his two sons now own. Mr. Hammond was an energetic businessman, upright and honest in all his dealings, and had many friends in the community. He was married in Warren county, New York, to Louisa Wells, who bore him five children, viz: Janette, wife of Andrew Briggs, of Wellsboro; Alice M., widow of Henry Hymes; Emmer, wife of Frank Steele, of Bradford county; Frank, and George, the latter deceased. Mrs. Hammond died August 19, 1860, and her husband was again married, to Emma A. Stone. Three children were born to this union, viz: Arthur G., of Middlebury; Jennie and Ida. Mr. Hammond died May 5, 1876 and his widow, December 21, 1891.
FRANK HAMMOND, superintendent for J. B. Weed & Company, at Slate Run, Lycoming county, was born in Middlebury township, Tioga county, and is the only son living of Calvin and Louisa (Wells) Hammond. He obtained a good education in the public schools of Tioga and Wellsboro, and at Mansfield Business College. He worked on the home farm until twenty years of age, and then followed lumbering in Middlebury township for two years. He next cultivated a farm for three years, and conducted a store at Hammond for two years. At the end of this period he was appointed foreman with J. B. Weed & Company, lumber operators, and was soon after made shipping clerk. He worked for that firm three years, and then entered the employ of C. B. Farr & Company, lumber dealers, and later engaged with the Union Tanning Company. After a year spent with the latter, he returned to J. B. Weed & Company, with whom he has since filled the position of superintendent at Slate Run. He owns and lives on a part of the old homestead, and also owns an additional tract of seventy-eight acres in Middlebury township. Mr. Hammond was married August 20, 1876, to Amy Thurston, a daughter of A. K. Thurston, of Middlebury, and has two children, Keith C. and Callie M. The family belong to the First Baptist church, at Hammond. In politics, Mr. Hammond is a Republican, and has filled the office of school director one term. He is a member of the I. O. O. F., the F. & A. M., and the K. O. T. M. societies, and is recognized as one of the enterprising citizens of the community.
ARTHUR G. HAMMOND, only son of Calvin and Emma (Stone) Hammond, was born on his present farm, in Middlebury township, October 20, 1867, and obtained a good education in the district schools and Tioga graded school. He is living on the old homestead, a well-improved farm of 160 acres near Hammond, and has devoted his attention to agriculture. On February 22, 1888, he married Martha Simonds, a daughter of Oscar Simonds, of Middlebury township, and has one daughter, Hazel. The family are members of the First Baptist church, at Hammond. In politics, Mr. Hammond is a Republican, and is also a member of the I. O. O. F. He is one of the substantial young farmers of Middlebury.
HENRY H. POTTER, a son of Benjamin Potter, was born in Rhode Island, September 15, 1791, and removed with his parents to Onondaga county, New York, in 1804. He was a soldier in the War of 1812, serving under General Scott, and participated in the battle of Lundy’s Lane and other engagements on the Canadian frontier. He was thrice married. His first wife was a Miss Ketchum, who bore him one son, Alanson E., now a resident of Spring Lake, Minnesota. His second wife was Abigail Maxwell, to which union were born three children, viz: Howard H., who died in Wisconsin in 1878; Jane, deceased wife of A. A. McLean, and Delia A., widow of A. C. Cole. About 1824, Mr. Potter removed to Spring Mills, Allegany county, New York, and built the first mill at that place, thus giving the hamlet its name. In 1827 he came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and kept the tavern at Lawrenceville, afterwards known as Slosson’s Hotel. Here his second wife died, December 17, 1828. On March 12, 1829, he married Mallinda G. Stevens, a daughter of Martin Stevens, an early settler of Middlebury township. To this union were born eight children, viz: Harriet, deceased wife of the late W. H. Currier of New Hampshire; Jerome B., and Angie, wife of H. E. Potter, both residents of Wellsboro; Benjamin B., who lives in St. Clair, Michigan; Julia A., wife of L. A. Potter, and George W., both residents of Middlebury; Albert W., of Mansfield, and Alice, wife of Poleman Brown, of Middlebury. In 1830 Mr. Potter removed to Tioga and for several years kept the old Willard Hotel. During the building of the Corning and Blossburg Railroad in 1839-40, he took contracts for two sections of the roadbed, on which he lost over $4,000 by the failure of the party with whom he made the contract. Mr. Potter, however, paid his employees to the last cent. For several years afterwards he was seriously embarrassed, but eventually succeeded in recovering from his financial troubles. In 1843 he located at Middlebury Center, where he kept hotel for several years, the place becoming widely known as "Potters". He was elected county commissioner in 1843, and sheriff of the county in 1846. For thirty years he was the postmaster at Middlebury Center, the office originally being named "Potter" in his honor. He died March 24, 1879, in the eighty-eighth year of his age, and his wife, January 8, 1886, in her seventy-ninth year.
JEROME B. POTTER was born in Tioga, Pennsylvania, January 6, 1833, and is the eldest son of Henry H. and Malinda G. Potter. He was educated in the common schools and at Alfred Seminary, in Allegany county, New York. About 1855 he embarked in the mercantile and lumber business at Middlebury Center, continuing four years. In the spring of 1861 he was appointed to a clerkship in the United States treasury department, Washington, D. C., which position he resigned four later on account of ill health. Returning to his home, he was elected sheriff of Tioga county in 1867 and served one term. He next engaged in the real estate and lumber business which he followed up to 1880. In 1876 he was appointed one of the inspectors of internal revenue during the Centennial Exposition at Philadelphia. In 1878 he was elected sergeant-at-arms of the House of Representatives at Harrisburg and served through two sessions. In 1881 he became private secretary to Hon. John I. Mitchell, United States Senator from Pennsylvania. He was also appointed clerk of the Senate committee on pensions, serving in that capacity nine years. In December, 1895, he was appointed one of the assistant doorkeepers of the House of Representatives at Washington, a position he still holds. Mr. Potter retains his residence in Wellsboro and owns the old homestead in Middlebury township. He was married December 3, 1858, to Amy E. Rockwell, a daughter of Norman and Sophia Rockwell, of Cherry Flats, to which union have been born nine children, as follows: Cora L., wife of T. C. Sullivan, of Wellsboro; May M., deceased; Burton M., an attorney of Wellsboro; Edwin S., editor of the Pathfinder, Washington, D. C.; Margaret S., a physician of the same city; Maud A., wife of C. H. Seaton, of Washington; Frances W., a teacher in the Washington public schools; Helen H. and Shirley B. Mr. Potter has been a life long Republican and a stanch adherent of the principles of that party. He was a delegate from this congressional district to the National Republican Convention in 1856, and also to the National Republican Convention of 1872.
RICHARD BROWN is one of the oldest and best-known farmers in Middlebury township. He is a native of Woodstock, Connecticut, born August 6, 1815, a son of James and Elizabeth (Carpenter) Brown, natives of Connecticut and Rhode Island, respectively, and of English ancestry. Richard was the fourth in a family of six children, as follows: William, Maria, Almira, Richard, Amy and James B. The father was drowned in Rhode Island about 1845, and the mother died in Middlebury township, at the home of her son Richard, aged seventy-nine years. The subject of this sketch is the only survivor of the family. When ten years old he went to work in a cotton factory in his native town, where he was employed eight years, at the end of which period the family moved to Rhode Island, and from there to Otsego county, New York, and subsequently to Michigan. In 1849 Richard came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and rented a farm at Wellsboro, where he resided ten years. In March, 1859, he purchased his present homestead in Middlebury township, upon which he has lived for the past thirty-eight years. On August 5, 1847, Mr. Brown married Annette Wilcox, a daughter of Archibald Wilcox. She was born September 16, 1822, and is the mother of two children, viz: James H., born November 20, 1852, who resides with his parents, but owns a farm adjoining the old homestead which he also cultivates; and Mary L., born May 11, 1854, wife of Albert Redfield, of Virginia. Mrs. Brown is a member of the Baptist church. In politics, the family are stanch Republicans.
JAMES B. BROWN was born in Woodstock, Connecticut, December 18, 1820, a son of James and Elizabeth (Carpenter) Brown, and a younger brother of Richard Brown. When a mere lad he went to work in a calico printing mill, where he was employed up to 1839. He then enlisted in the United States Navy, and soon after was chosen as one of 300 picked men to make the famous voyage around the world on board the United States man-of-war Boston. (This vessel was lost with all on board, off Key West, on the next voyage). On his return from this voyage, which lasted three and a half years, he went to Chenango county, New York, where he worked on a farm for a period. In 1845 he came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and found employment in the lumber woods, and later worked a year on a farm in Middlebury. In 1847 he bought eighty-eight acres of timber land north of Holiday, and some years later purchased 112 acres more, on which he passed the remainder of his life, engaged in agriculture pursuits. His wife, Hannah, was a daughter of William Spaulding, of Chatham Valley. She was born in Windham county, Vermont, March 5, 1829, and reared one son, Poleman E. Mr. Brown died December 16, 1894. His widow resides on the old homestead. By his own energy and industry, he created one of the finest farms in Middlebury township. An upright Christian man, he was for years a deacon in the First Baptist church at Holiday, and a very liberal contributor towards that society. He was an active member of the Republican party, and filled the offices of supervisor, school director and collector at different periods.
POLEMAN E. BROWN, only child of James B.Brown, was born on his present
homestead in Middlebury township, Tioga county, March 10, 1849, and has
spent his entire life on the home farm. He was married September 24, 1872,
to Alice Potter, youngest child of Henry H. Potter. She was born at Middlebury
Center, September 23, 1850, and is the mother of six children, viz: Roy,
who died at the age of five years, Shirley A., James C., Earl H., Ross
E. and Mary R. Mr. And Mrs. Brown are members of the First Baptist church,
and also of the P. of H. He belongs to the I. O. O. F., and in politics,
is an adherent of the Republican party.
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