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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Deerfield Township and Knoxville Borough--Westfield Township and Borough--Brookfield Township.
WILLIAM KNOX, formerly a resident of the Mohawk valley, New York, settled in what is now Deerfield township, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, in 1798, on the lands now owned by William J., George W. and John W. Knox. With the assistance of his sons, he cleared and improved a farm here, upon which he resided until his death. His wife was Margaret Colton, and their children were as follows: John, William, Archibald, James, Colton, Betsey, who married Charles Carpenter, and Dolly, who married John E. White. Mr. Knox died in the prime of his life, but left numerous descendants to perpetuate his name and revere his memory.
JAMES KNOX, son of William Knox, was the first white male child born in what is now Deerfield township, Tioga county, his birth occurring March 28, 1800. He spent his whole life in Deerfield, was an extensive land owner and a prominent farmer. The homestead farm is now owned and occupied by his sons, Minzo W. and Aaron. The house built by Mr. Knox in 1836, is now the home of the former. He married Ann Faulkner, a daughter of Joseph Faulkner, of Deerfield, and their children are as follows: Archibald D., Franklin W., Harriet, wife of Peter Bosard; Eleanor, Angeline, wife of John Husted; Aaron, and Minzo W. Mr. Knox died September 20, 1881, in his eighty-second year.
ARCHIBALD D. KNOX, eldest son of James Know, was born in Deerfield township, Tioga county, October 3, 1821, was reared upon the homestead farm, and cleared a portion of the farm now owned by his son, Edward L., as well as that owned by his son, George H., settling on the latter in 1852. He was twice married. His first wife was Abigail Ann Rushmore, a daughter of Peter and Millie Rushmore, of Clymer township, Tioga county, who bore him one daughter, Mary, wife of F. V. Balch. His second wife was Julia A. White, a native of Erie county, New York, and a daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Horton) White. Seven children were born to this union, five of whom grew to maturity, viz: Abbie C., wife of E. A. Bean; Helen A., wife of Linden Case; Laura M., wife of J. C. White; Edward L. and George H. Mr. Knox died June 25, 1892. He was a Republican, in politics, was superintendent of the Tioga county poor house for one year, and was a well-known, representative farmer.
EDWARD L. KNOX, son of Archibald D. and Julia A. (White) Knox, was born in Deerfield township, Tioga county, July 4, 1855. He was reared in this county, and received his education in the common schools and Union Academy. Farming has been his life vocation, and since 1877, with the exception of two years, he has lived on his present farm in Deerfield township. In September, 1878, he married Mary Vredenburg, a daughter of George and Malinda (Leinaburg) Vredenburg, of Knoxville. Three children were born to this union, all of whom are dead. Mr. Knox is a member of the P. of H., and in politics, a Republican.
GEORGE H. KNOX, son of Archibald D. and Julia A. (White) Knox, was born in Knoxville, Tioga county, April 8, 1860. He was educated in the common schools and at Williamsport Commercial College, and since attaining his majority he has been engaged in farming the old homestead. Mr. Knox was married April 25, 1883, to Carrie A. Everitt, a daughter of Noah and Catherine (Winfield) Everitt, of Deerfield township, and has two children, C. LaRue and Lulu B. In politics, he is a Republican, has served two terms as school director, and three terms as auditor of the township. He is also a member of the Grange.
EBENEZER SEELYE was born in Connecticut, and served throughout the Revolutionary War in Sheldon’s Light Horse, a Connecticut company, a portion of the time under Washington. He was married in
Connecticut to Mehetabel Todd, and later removed with his family to Lindley, Steuben county, New York, where he improved a large tract of land. In March, 1799, they removed from New York to what is now Deerfield township, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and settled immediately east of Academy Corners. Here Mr. Seelye erected a saw-mill in 1810, one of the first in the Cowanesque valley. He died June 23, 1837, in the eighty-second year of his age. His wife died May 27, 1839, in her eighty-third year. their children were as follows: Mehetable, Anna, Lucina, Laura, Julius, Elanson, Harvey, Eleazer, and Sally, who was born May 4, 1800—the first female child born in Deerfield township—and married Prince King. Mr. Seelye was a Quaker in religion, an upright man, and a good neighbor and citizen. Many of his descendants are among the leading people of Tioga county.
ELANSON SEELYE was born in Connecticut, and married Mercy Howland, a native of Rhode Island, and one of the early teachers of Tioga county. Her parents, John and Lois (Eddy) Howland, came with their son, Dr. Eddy Howland, to Deerfield township in 1803. To Elanson and Mercy Seelye were born fourteen children, as follows: Willard, Ebenezer, John, Mercy, Hulda, Lois, David, Eddy, Chloe, Susan, Roby, Elanson, Malvin and Franklin. Of these Eddy, Elanson, Malvin, Lois and Roby survive. Mr. Seelye died on the old homestead in Deerfield, December 29, 1866, in his seventy-fourth year. His wife died November 25, 1867, in the seventy-fifth year of age. Like his father, Mr. Seelye was a stanch Democrat, was an adherent of the Quaker faith, and an honored and respected citizen.
DR. EDDY HOWLAND was a son of John Howland, a descendant of John Howland, one of three brothers who came to America in the Mayflower in 1620. The Doctor and his father were among the pioneers of Tioga county, Pennsylvania, locating in what is now Deerfield township in 1803. His father is said to have raised the first tobacco in the Cowanesque valley. Dr. Howland took up a large tract of land, a part of which is still owned by his descendants, which he cleared and improved with the assistance of his sons. He erected a saw-mill in 1804, established a store in 1814, and built a cider-mill in 1817. He spent the remaining years of his life upon the old homestead, and at his death was buried thereon. He married Molly Parker, a native of Massachusetts, and their children were as follows: Roby, who married Benjamin Smith; Reuben, Euncie, second wife of Benjamin Smith; John, Joseph, Polly, Eddy, Prince, and Olive, who married Charles Hackett.
EDDY HOWLAND, son of Dr. Eddy Howland, was born on the old homestead in Deerfield township, Tioga county, March 12, 1808, and resided there until his death, October 23, 1892. He married Charlotte Rexford, a daughter of Dr. John Rexford, of Troupsburg, New York, August 5, 1832, and reared a family of three children, viz: Harriet, wife of Nelson Ray; Charles R., and Maria, wife of William Wagner. Of Quaker ancestry, Mr. Howland always lived up to that creed, and was an estimable and worthy citizen. In politics, he was a Democrat, held the office of commissioner of Tioga county two terms, and for many years was a justice of the peace. It is said that none of his decisions were ever reversed by a higher court.
CHARLES R. HOWLAND, son of Eddy Howland, was born on the old homestead in Deerfield township, Tioga county, August 5, 1836, and obtained his education in the common schools and Union Academy. Farming has been his principal occupation since early manhood, though for fourteen years he followed merchandising at Academy Corners, and has also been extensively engaged in shipping baled hay to eastern markets, having shipped as many as 223 carloads in one winter to one man, besides other large shipments. On October 16, 1859, Mr. Howland married Elizabeth Smith, a daughter of Henry and Phoebe (Cook) Smith, of Nelson township, and has three sons: Ray, Harry and Arthur. In politics, he is an ardent Democrat, has filled various local offices, and was postmaster at Academy Corners one term. Mr. Howland is the owner of two fine farms in Deerfield township, and is one of the progressive farmers of the county.
EMMER BOWEN, SR., a son of Ezra Bowen, and a native of Massachusetts, came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, in 1804, and settled in Deerfield township, where he cleared and improved what is known as the old Bowen homestead. Here he resided until his death, May 3, 1841, aged seventy-one years. His wife, Huldah Howland, was a direct descendant of John Howland, who came to American in the Mayflower. She died July 9, 1847, aged seventy-two years. Their children were as follows: Lois, who married Elisha Train; Orpha, who married Garner Monroe; Cynthia, who married Abram Pease, Samuel, who married Polly Cook; Miriam, who married Ashbel Monroe; Otis D., who married Melinda Luce; Benjamin S., who married Hannah Whitaker; Susannah, who married Theodore Doty; Emmer, who married Nancy A. Clark; Patience, who married Leonard Daniels, and Huldah, who became the wife of Oliver Pease. All the children are dead. The grandchildren of Emmer Bowen, Sr., number over 100, while his descendants by inter-marriage are far more numerous. Mr. Bowen was a Quaker, in religion, and a man of strong character and strict integrity.
EMMER BOWEN was born on the old homestead in Deerfield township, Tioga county, May 27, 1815, a son of Emmer and Huldah Bowen. He was reared midst scenes of pioneer life, and attended the common school of his district. He remained on the old farm up to 1880, when he removed to the home of his son, Enoch E., where he resided until his death, February 7, 1896, at the ripe age of nearly eighty-one years. On December 13, 1837, he married Nancy A. Clark, a daughter of Eleazer and Abigail (Armstrong) Clark, of Deerfield township. She was born in Rhode Island in 1815, and bore him four children, two of whom grew to maturity, viz: Enoch E., deceased, and Abbie C., wife of Henry E. Hayes, of Brooklyn, New York. The widow lived with her son, Enoch E., in Deerfield township, until his death. In 1840 Mr. Bowen and his brother, Benjamin, in company with a few capitalists, built a large woolen factory in Deerfield township, of which they soon afterwards became sole proprietors. They carried on the business successfully until 1847, when the plant was burned. With characteristic enterprise they immediately rebuilt the mill and continued the business until January, 1863, when it was purchased by the late Joseph Ingham, and is now operated by J. S. Ingham & Sons. Throughout this period Mr. Bowen was also engaged in lumbering and farming. He was a man of strong convictions and inflexible principles, thoroughly unselfish, and possessing unbounded faith and confidence in his fellowmen. He was one of the best known and most highly respected citizens of the community in which his entire life was passed, and his jovial manners and lovable traits caused him to be widely known by the title of "Uncle Emmer." Mr. Bowen was form many years a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and a pioneer in the F. & A. M. and the I. O. O. F. societies. In politics, he was originally a Whig, and a Republican from the birth of that party.
ENOCH E. BOWEN, son of Emmer and Nancy A. Bowen, was born in Deerfield township, Tioga county, October 6, 1838, there grew to manhood, and spent his entire life near the place of his birth he lived on the old homestead up to 1880, when he purchased a farm in the same township, on which he died, April 17, 1896. Mr. Bowen was married to Addie Guinnip, a daughter of R. H. and Adeline (Canan) Guinnip, of Elmira, may 7, 1874. Politically, he was an ardent Republican. He was a quiet, unpretentious man, a good neighbor, and an affectionate son.
BENJAMIN S. BOWEN, a son of Emmer Bowen, Sr., was born in Deerfield township, Tioga county, in 1807, and spent his entire life on the old homestead. He married Hannah C., a daughter of Jabez B. and Thankful (Champlin) Whitaker, who came from Rhode Island. Mrs. Bowen’s brother, John C. Whitaker, was a leading physician of Tioga county, and also filled the office of associate judge. She became the mother of ten children, viz: Laura, who married J. D. Ray; John, Samuel B., Mary, who married J. W. Allen; George C., Benjamin F., Sarah M., wife of Dr. A. J. Heggie; Emmer H., Ezra R. and William H. Mr. Bowen died in 1889, aged eighty-two years. From early manhood he was a member of the Free Baptist church, and in politics, a Republican.
GEORGE C. BOWEN, son of Benjamin S. and Hannah C. Bowen, was born in Deerfield township, Tioga county, November 11, 1838, and was reared in his native township. He was educated in the common schools and at Union Academy, then under the charge of Samuel B. Price, its founder. In 1859 he commenced clerking, and followed that vocation until 1874. Politically, he has always been a Republican. In the winter of 1874-75, he was doorkeeper of the Senate at Harrisburg. In 1875 he was elected register and recorder of Tioga county, and was re-elected three times in succession, filling the office four terms. During President Harrison’s administration, he was private secretary for the commissioner of Customs two years, at Washington, D. C. Since 1892 he has made his home in Elmira, New York, and is present a commercial traveler. In 1860, Mr. Bowen married Hannah P. Stebbins, a daughter of Ebenezer and Hannah (Pierce) Stebbins, of Jamestown, New York, and has three children: Charles R., Martha S., wife of G. J. Stewart, and Anna P. Mr. Bowen is a member of the I. O. O. F., and the K. of H.
JOHN GOODSPEED, SR., was born in Vermont, in 1801, a son of Cornelius and Phoebe Goodspeed, and grandson of Anthony and Abigail Goodspeed. In 1813 the family came to Knoxville, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, where the parents spent the remaining years of their lives. John grew to manhood amidst the scenes of pioneer days and acquired a good education for that period. He taught school and also followed surveying, being employed by the Bingham estate as one of their land agents and surveyors up to 1836. In that capacity he became widely known throughout the Cowanesque valley. About this time he engaged in merchandising at Knoxville, which business he followed many years, and also dealt quite extensively in lumber. His long residence in Knoxville and his business enterprise entitles him to recognition as one of its leading pioneers. Mr. Goodspeed died in that town, August 26, 1864, in the sixty-fourth year of his age. His wife, Orril (Scott) Goodspeed, a daughter of Luke Scott, survived him one year, dying August 13, 1865, in the sixty-seventh year of her age. They were the parents of seven children, named as follows: Francis, John, Charles, Emily, Samuel, Charlotte and James.
JOHN GOODSPEED, JR., was born in Knoxville, Tioga county, November 15, 1822, second son of John Goodspeed, Sr. He was reared in his native town and there engaged in the mercantile business, which he followed until his removal to Sabinsville, where he died August 23, 1895. He married Melissa A. Phillips, a native of Shippen township, Tioga county. She was born June 21, 1828, a daughter of Richard and Amity Phillips, a grand-daughter of Sylvester and Rachel Phillips, and great-grand-daughter of Richard and Mercy Phillips, and died in Sabinsville, January 5, 1894. They were the parents of four children, viz: John Francis, James C., Mary and Ella.
JOHN F. GOODSPEED was born in Westfield, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, December 8, 1854, and is the eldest son of John and Melissa A. (Phillips) Goodspeed. He was reared in Deerfield township, and educated in the public schools of Knoxville, Pennsylvania, and Elmira, New York. For two years he was engaged in the grocery trade at Knoxville, and in 1864 located at Sabinsville, where for ten years he was manager of a general store. In 1894 he embarked in the grocery, and boot and shoe business at Sabinsville, which he continued up to the spring of 1896. In politics, he is a Republican, and has filled the office of treasurer of Clymer township since 1891. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and also of the K. of H. Mr. Goodspeed was married January 30, 1877, to Ida Johnson, a daughter of Caroline (Ives) Johnson, of Knoxville. They are the parents of three children, named as follows: Leon F., Charles L. and James G.
JAMES C. GOODSPEED, now a prominent insurance man of Rochester, New York, was born in Deerfield township, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, November 2, 1858, the second son of John and Melissa A. (Phillips) Goodspeed, and is a descendant of one of the oldest families of the county. He was reared in Deerfield, attended the public schools of that township, and later the Elmira Academy, and graduated from Warner’s Business College, Elmira, New York, in the class of 1879. In 1881 he embarked in the general insurance business at Knoxville, which he successfully prosecuted here in connection with dealing in real estate, until his removal to Rochester, New York. Mr. Goodspeed was married December 15, 1880, to Gertrude Crandall, a daughter of Silas G. and Mary (Weeks) Crandall, of Nelson township, Tioga county. They are the parents of seven children, viz: Mary M., Eva G., Helen C., Grace, Gertrude, Irving and Jeannie S. In politics, Mr. Goodspeed is a democrat, and has filled several local offices in Knoxville. He is a R. A. M. in the Masonic order, also K. T. of Tyagaghton Commandery.
CHARLES CARPENTER, a native of New England, was one of the first settlers of the Cowanesque valley. He located on the site of Osceola, but a few years later removed to Deerfield township and settled on the farm now occupied by the widow of Lorentes Carpenter, which he partially cleared and improved. He died upon that farm, as did also his parents, who came with him to Tioga county. His wife was Lucy Darling, and they had a family of six children, viz: James, Abijah, Charles, Sylvia, who married N. P. Robinson; Lyman and Samuel.
LYMAN CARPENTER, a son of Charles Carpenter, was born May 5, 1796, and was reared to manhood in Deerfield township. After his father’s death, he succeeded to the homestead farm, but later in life sold it and moved to Brookfield township and thence to Farmington, where he died February 19, 1873. He was twice married. His first wife was Almira Cook, a daughter of Levi and Elizabeth (Calkins) Cook, who bore him a family of twelve children, as follows: Elizabeth, who married Curtis Tiffany; Lorentes, Arthur, Polly, whose first husband was Eldridge Rathbone, and second husband John Casner; Levi, Celestia, who married Caleb Stadon; Sylvia, who married Charles Cronrath; Charles, Valores B., Maxey B., Samantha, who first married Wallace Green and afterwards Norman Bovee, and George B. Mr. Carpenter’s second wife was Mrs. Alta Elwood.
LORENTES CARPENTER, eldest son of Lyman and Almira Carpenter, was born in Deerfield township, Tioga county, April 4, 1822. He was reared on the homestead, and during the sixties located on the farm now the home of his son, Willard S., where he resided six years. He then purchased the Carpenter homestead, and lived there until his death, October 7, 1893. He married Lois Seelye, a daughter of Elanson and Mercy (Howland) Seelye, May 14, 1846. On the paternal side, she was a grand-daughter of Ebenezer and Mahetabel (Todd) Seelye, and on the maternal side, of John and Lois (Eddy) Howland, all pioneers of Tioga county. She bore him the following children: Mercy S., deceased; Willard S., A. Delphine, who married Ephraim Shaut; Della, who married Grant Seely; Hattie, Belle, widow of C. Ellsworth Clark; Clara, deceased wife of John Northrop; Frank, and Frances, twins. Frank married Mamie Harrison, and Frances is dead. Mr. Carpenter was a member of the Free Will Baptist church, and in politics, a Democrat. His widow lives on the old homestead.
WILLARD S. CARPENTER, eldest son of Lorentes Carpenter, was born in Deerfield township, Tioga county, November 24, 1848. He was reared upon the homestead farm, and obtained his education in the public schools and Union Academy. He has spent his entire life in Deerfield township, and has resided upon his present farm of 225 acres since 1886, sixty acres of which he cleared. Mr. Carpenter was married May 14, 1873, to Emma Daniels, a daughter of Henry F. and Esther (Close) Daniels, of Deerfield township, who has had four children, viz: Leah, wife of Frank J. Doan; Fred L., Ada E., and Walter L., deceased. In politics, he is a Democrat, and in religion, a member of the Baptist church. He is one of the representative farmers of Deerfield township, as well as a descendant of two of the oldest families of Tioga county.
ELEAZER CLARK was born in Burrellsville, Rhode Island, October 6, 1788, a son of Capt. Eleazer and Prudence Clark. His father was a farmer and cooper, was captain of a company during the Revolution, and lived and died in Rhode Island. Our subject was reared in that State, was a cooper by trade, and came to Deerfield township, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, about 1817, locating on the farm now owned and occupied by his son, Elias H. It embraces 200 acres, which he cleared and improved. He followed his trade in connection with agriculture for upwards of forty years, and was regarded as the best mechanic in his line for miles around. Mr. Clark was twice married. His first wife was Abigail Armstrong, of Rhode Island, who became the mother of five children, viz: Nancy, who married Emmer Bowen, Roswell, William, Eleazer, and Abigail, who married Enoch Steere. His second wife of Rosamond Salisbury, a daughter of John Salisbury, of Elkland, Tioga county. Five children were born to this union, viz: Erastus, George W., Sarah J., wife of Franklin Fairchilds; Elias H. and Susan H. Mr. Clark died on the old homestead in Deerfield township, October 7, 1862, being one day over seventy-four years old. He was an enterprising and progressive farmer, a good citizen and kind neighbor. In politics, he was a Democrat, and always took a commendable interest in public affairs.
ELIAS H. CLARK, youngest son of Eleazer and Rosamond Clark, was born on the old homestead in Deerfield township, Tioga county, April 28, 1836, and obtained his education in the common schools and Union Academy. He has spent his entire life upon the old homestead, which he inherited from his father. He has been an extensive tobacco grower since 1882, and is a breeder of Holstein cattle, and has been a breeder of Hambletonian and Percheron horses. Mr. Clark was married May 11, 1862, to Marietta Close, a daughter of David and Maria (Sweet) Close, of Westfield, Tioga county. Six children have blessed this union, viz: Byron L., Cecil A., Rosamond M., Clara E. and Horton E. In politics, Mr. Clark is a Republican, is connected with the E. A. U., and is recognized as a progressive and enterprising farmer.
CECIL A. CLARK, son of Elias H. and Marietta (Close) Clark, was born on the old Clark homestead in Deerfield township, Tioga county, February 13, 1864, where he also grew to manhood. He was educated at the Osceola High School, and since attaining his majority has been engaged in farming. In 1884 he removed to Brookfield township, remaining there until 1894, when he located in Westfield township, where he has since been engaged in farming, making a specialty of raising potatoes and buying and selling stock. Mr. Clark was married December 21, 1885, to Ida Grist, a daughter of Chester and Amanda (Bowman) Grist, of Athens, Pennsylvania, and has four children, viz: Earl E., Marietta, Ivan L., and Manning. In politics, he is Republican; is a member of the F. & A. M., and the I. O. O. F., and is one of the successful farmers of the township.
C. ELSWORTH CLARK was born in Osceola, Tioga county, August 25, 1861, a son of Eleazer and Julia (Johnson) Clark, of Steuben county, New York. His father was a native of Tioga county, Pennsylvania, a son of Eleazer Clark, Sr. Elsworth was educated in Osceola and at the business college in Elmira, New York, graduating in both places. He later took charge of the old Clark homestead in Steuben county, and afterwards of the old Carpenter homestead in Tioga county, and was a thrifty, prosperous farmer. He married Belle Carpenter, a daughter of Lorentes and Lois Carpenter, who survives him. Mr. Clark died November 29, 1893, leaving two children, Clarence E. and Loren C.
JOSEPH FALKNER, SR., a native of New York state, was one of the early settlers of Deerfield township, Tioga county, where he cleared and improved a farm now the home of the widow of his sons, William and Joseph. Here he died in 1838. he married Phoebe Monroe, and reared a large family, eight of whom grew to maturity. William served in the Civil War and died in a hospital at Washington, D. C., June 21, 1864; Margaret, married William Hoskins; Levi, died in Knoxville; Elizabeth, married Silas Finch; Mary J., married John Cook; Lucinda, married Smith Cornell; Joseph, died in Deerfield township, and Phoebe, married Miles Finch.
JOSEPH FALKNER, JR., was born in the old homestead in Deerfield township, Tioga county, April 25, 1829, and spent the greater portion of his life thereon, making farming his vocation. On June 29, 1865, he married Mrs. Eleanor Falkner, widow of his brother, William, and the daughter of William and Polly (Humphrey) Wass, pioneers of Chatham township. Mrs Falkner was born near Elmira, New York, but was reared in Chatham township. She was married at her father’s home to William Falkner, after whose death she became the wife of his brother, Joseph, who died March 16, 1895. In politics, Mr. Falkner was a Democrat.
LEVI FAULKNER was born in Deerfield township, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, November 21, 1814, and died at Knoxville, January 20, 1889, in the seventy-fifth year of his age. He was a son of Joseph and Phoebe (Monroe) Faulkner, of New York, who were among the early settlers of Tioga county. He was reared in Deerfield, and after his parents’ death had charge of the homestead farm until his marriage, when he started out in life for himself, settling on a farm immediately east of Knoxville, which is yet in possession of his widow. Mr. Faulkner was twice married. His first wife was Polly Butler, of Otsego county, New York. She died September 1, 1863, in her fiftieth year. in September, 1864, he married Miss Sarah A. Dearman, a daughter of George and Olive (Beach) Dearman, and sister of Albert and Justus Dearman, a sketch of whom appears in this chapter. She is the mother of two children: Mary L. and Wilson, the latter of whom died in infancy. Mrs. Faulkner resides in Knoxville. Mr. Faulkner dealt quite extensively in live stock, was a careful, honest business man, and was respected most by those who knew him best.
SILAS BILLINGS took a conspicuous part in the lumbering business on the Cowanesque river and Pine creek in early days, and for many years was one of the leading operators in this section of the State. He was born in Amherst, Massachusetts, May 23, 1790, and in 1820 settled on Seely creek, in Southport township, Chemung county, New York, where he operated a linseed oil and wool-carding mill. In 1882 he sold his factory and removed to Knoxville, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, purchasing large tracts of timer lands on the Cowanesque. Here he built an extensive pearl ashery in 1823, and the same year he and his brother-in-law, Col. Hiram Freeborn, erected a distillery, which business he carried on several years. He also opened a store in the village and was the leading merchant of Knoxville for a long period. In 1824 he erected a linseed-oil mill, and the following year a gristmill; operated several saw-mills and a tannery at different periods, and conducted a hotel for the accommodation of travelers from 1826 to 1840, thus setting an example of business enterprise to the people of the valley. During this period he made extensive purchases of timber lands on Pine creek, operated saw-mills in what is now Gaines township, and rafted the lumber down Pine creek to Harrisburg and other southern markets. Mr. Billings was one of the most prompt and reliable lumbermen that did business on the Susquehanna in those days. In many respects he was quite eccentric, but was frank, outspoken and scrupulously honest. When he came into Tioga county the forest along Pine creek was almost unbroken, and no man of his day in the county made a better record in the development of its great lumber interests. For seventeen years he labored in the mill, in the woods and on the river, getting his lumber and timber to market. In 1840 he removed from Knoxville to Elmira, New York, and purchased the first brick building erected in that city, in which he lived the remaining years of his life, dying August 28, 1853, in his sixty-fourth year. While residing in Elmira he still kept an eye on his business affairs in Tioga county, and after recuperating his broken health, he returned occasionally to Gaines township, where his sons, Silas X. and Charles F., and son-in-law P. S. S. McNeil, were living, and prosecuted his business with increased vigor up to the time of his death. Mr. Billings was married four times. His first wife was Lauriette Freeborn, a daughter of David Freeborn, of Cazenovia, Madison county, New York. She died in Cazenovia, leaving three children, viz: Lauriette, David and Nancy. His second wife was Abby Freeborn, his first wife’s sister, who became the mother of Silas X., Abbie B., widow of P. S. S. McNeil, who lives in Elmira, and Charles F., a resident of the same city. Mrs. Billings died at Knoxville, February 16, 1831, and he was again married to Rosette Chapman, who bore him one daughter, Mary, now the widow of John Dexter. His last wife was Rachel Sloan, a native of Philadelphia, who survived her husband three years.
SILAS X. BILLINGS, for many years one of the most prominent and successful citizens of Tioga county, was born in Knoxville, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, February 2, 1826, a son of Silas and Abby (Freeborn) Billings. His father was an extensive lumberman on the Cowanesque river and Pine creek, and Silas X. thus became acquainted with the details of the lumber business. In 1840 his father removed to Elmira, New York, where our subject acquired a good English education in the Elmira Academy. In 1847 he was sent to take charge of the timber lands owned by his father in Gaines and Elk townships, located on Pine creek, and Cedar and Slate runs. Here a steam saw-mill was erected under the management of Mr. Billings and P. S. S. McNeil. In 1853 his father died, and Silas X. was appointed one of the administrators to settle the estate, which he successfully carried out at the end of two years, taking his own share of the estate in wild lands in Tioga county. In 1855 he located permanently at Gaines, where he continued to reside until his death. January 5, 1865, he married Miss Sarah M. Locke, a daughter of Jesse and Lura Locke, who survives him, and now resides in Wellsboro. Mr. Billings was a man of great energy, methodical business habits, and unsullied integrity. He purchased large tracts of coal and timber lands, erected mills, stores, tanneries and hotels, and was eminently successful in all his undertakings. He was prominently associated with the early struggles to obtain and keep alive the charter for the Jersey Shore, Pine Creek and Buffalo railroad (now the Pine Creek), which in the face of great opposition succeeded, though he did not live to see the road built. A few months before his death, he was prevailed upon by his friends to seek medical relief and repose, and went to New York City to consult eminent physicians. On his return, while visiting his sister, Mrs. McNeil, at Elmira, New York, he was stricken with an attack of Bright’s disease, from which, however, he rallied and returned to his home in Gaines. Some three weeks later he was again prostrated by the same insidious disease, and on the morning of October 13, 1879, his spirit took its flight. His remains were interred in the Wellsboro Cemetery, where a beautiful granite monument, erected by his loving wife, marks his resting place. Politically, he was a life-long Democrat, but aside from performing the duties of citizenship, took no active interest in public affairs. Mr. Billings was a genial companion, a true and steadfast friend, an affectionate husband, generous and open hearted to the poor and suffering, and ever ready to give his encouragement and support to the upbuilding of the social and material interests of his native county.
CHARLES FREEBORN BILLINGS was born in the old Billings homestead at Knoxville, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, erected by his father in 1823, and yet standing in the western limits of the borough, February 16, 1831, and is the youngest son of Silas and Abby Billings. He spent his childhood in his native town and removed with his father to Elmira, New York, in 1840, where he attended school until sixteen years of age. He then returned to Tioga county to assist his brother, Silas X., in the lumber business established by their father, where his delicate constitution rapidly improved, drinking in the pure air of the pine forest and eating the homely fare of camp life. After becoming familiar with the lumber business, he had charge of various departments, finally returning to Elmira and spending two years at school. After his father’s death he gave his attention to the farming interests of the large estate, while his brother had charge of the lumber business. In the winter of 1858 Mr. Billings met Miss Helena Sweet, fourth daughter of Rev. Elisha Sweet, a Methodist Episcopal minister then laboring in the circuit embracing Knoxville, and September 13, 1859, the young couple were married and settled on a fine farm of 225 acres on Troup’s creek, in Deerfield township, a short distance from Knoxville. Here they resided some twenty years, when the death of his brother placed an estate of about 40,000 acres of timber, coal and farm lands, lying in Tioga and Potter counties, under his control, besides one-half of the personal property. Removing to Elmira, he has since devoted his attention principally to the management of the property which then came to himself and sister, Mrs. McNeil. Mr. Billings has been identified with the development of his native county since early manhood, and usually spends the summer months in Knoxville. He assisted in securing the construction of the Addison and Pennsylvania railroad, which has proven a great benefit to the Cowanesque valley and the vast lumbering and coal interests of western Tioga. Mr. and Mrs. Billings are the parents of four daughters, viz: Carrie, wife of Preston Gilbert, of New York City; Jessie, wife of Willis Beach, of Knoxville; Abbie, wife of Horace Brewster, of Elmira, and Louise, wife of Edward T. Youmans, a resident of the same city. Politically, Mr. Billings voted with the Republican party until after the presidential election of 1876, when believing that Samuel J. Tilden was the legally-elected president of the United States, and was defrauded out of the office by the Republican leaders, he left that party and has since been an independent voter, though he generally supports the Democracy on state and national issued. Possessing large means, he gives liberally to religious, charitable and educational objects. The Billings Park at Knoxville is one of his gifts to the people of his native village.
COL. HIRAM FREEBORN was born in Cazenovia, New York, in 1799, a son of David Freeborn, and there grew to manhood. He came to Tioga county in 1822 with Silas Billings, his brother-in-law, and located at Knoxville, where he became a partner of Mr. Billings in a distillery, which he subsequently carried on by himself for many years. He also engaged in farming, clearing up the land now occupied by his son, D. L., upon which he lived and died. He married Cynthia Lorinda Thompson, a daughter of Joseph Thompson, and a native of Otsego county, New York. To this union were born three children, viz: Levantia W., who married Levi B. Reynolds; DeLancy, of Knoxville, and Viola, who married William Mead. Colonel Freeborn held various township offices, and was prominent in the militia during the early years of the county’s history. He was a Democrat until the breaking out of war, when he became a Republican. In religion, he was a member of the Congregational church, and died in that faith in 1889, in the ninetieth year of his age. Throughout the greater portion of his residence in Knoxville, Colonel Freeborn was one of its prominent and influential citizens, and his name is closely interwoven with the history of the town.
LEVI B. REYNOLDS was a native of Rhode Island, and a son of William and Lydia (Church) Reynolds, of that State. When Levi B. was about seven years old his parents removed to Spring Mills, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, where he grew to manhood and learned the mercantile business with Judge Gaylord Colvin. He later became a merchant at Burus, New York, in partnership with Ira Davenport, of Bath, who furnished the capital against young Reynolds’ business experience. In 1847 the firm located in Knoxville, Tioga county, where the business was continued, under the firm name of Levi B. Reynolds, in a store building owned by his father-in-law, Col. Hiram Freeborn. After his marriage to Levantia W. Freeborn, Mr. Reynolds bought his partner’s interest and continued the business up to 1870. In that year he removed to Wellsboro, where he followed merchandising until 1874, when his store was destroyed by fire. Returning to Knoxville he again embarked in merchandising, which he carried on until he was succeeded by his son, William D., and his son-in-law, H. T. Gilbert. He then devoted his attention to his real estate interests until his death, October 31, 1891, aged seventy-two years. Mr. Reynolds was a careful and honest business man, and highly respected for his many sterling qualities. He was a member of the Presbyterian church, and also of the I. O. O. F. and E. A. U. societies. He filled the office of postmaster at Knoxville, as well as other local positions. His widow and three children survive him, viz: Mrs. Ella C. Gilbert and William D., both residents of Elmira, New York, and Mrs. Effie L. Beach, of Knoxville.
HIRAM GILBERT was born in New England, March 6, 1796, and came to Deerfield township, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, in 1824, where he worked at the carpenter’s trade. He later engaged in the boot and shoe business at Knoxville, which he carried on there upwards of thirty years. He then purchased a couple of farms in Deerfield township, now owned and occupied by his sons, Wallace and George, and died on that occupied by the former, June 10, 1871, in his seventy-sixth year. His wife was Eunice Powers, of Cuba, New York, who bore him six children, as follows: Wallace, Mortimer, George, Eleanor, Truman and Emmett.
GEORGE GILBERT, third son of Hiram Gilbert, was born in Knoxville, Tioga county, June 27, 1829, there grew to manhood, and was educated in the public schools and at Union Academy. Soon after attaining his majority, he engaged in farming in Deerfield township, which vocation he has since continued, and for twenty-five years he also followed cattle droving. During the Rebellion, he enlisted in Company G, Thirty-fifth Pennsylvania Militia, known as Emergency Men, who were called out for the purpose of repelling Lee’s invasion of Pennsylvania. On October 3, 1854, Mr. Gilbert married Emeline Butler, a daughter of John and Anna (Guy) Butler, of Otsego county, New York, and has three sons living: Frank L., Eugene and Jerome. Mr. Gilbert is a member of the E. A. U., and in politics, is an adherent of the Republican party.
FRANK L. GILBERT, eldest son of George Gilbert, was born in Deerfield township, Tioga county, September 9, 1856. He was educated in the public schools of Knoxville and at the State Normal School, Mansfield, after which he taught for two terms. In 1877 he embarked in the drug business at Knoxville, in which he has continued up to the present, being recognized to-day as the leading druggist of the borough. Mr. Gilbert was married March 14, 1879, to Eva M. Buckbee, a daughter of Daniel H. and Emeline (Hammond) Buckbee, of Knoxville. They are the parents of three children: Maud, Dora and Arthur B. In politics, Mr. Gilbert is a stanch Republican, and was postmaster of Knoxville for four years during Harrison’s administration. He is a member of the F. & A. M. and the I. O. R. M.
JOHN E. WHITE was born in Wyndham county, Connecticut, May 26, 1809, a son of Jeremiah and Sarah (Bottum) White. His father was born in Connecticut, June 8, 1780, and died December 18, 1866. He was married four times. His first wife was Sarah Bottum, whom he married October 1, 1801. She was born November 18, 1776, and died August 21, 1813. Their children were Malinda, Joseph M., John E., Mary Ann and Sarah. His second wife was Elizabeth Bottum, who bore him two children, Sumner P. and Sophronia. His third wife was Alice Hartson, who became the mother of seven children, named as follows: George A., Freeman, Earl A., Angeline, Sophronia, Charles and Henry. His fourth wife was Anna Parkhurst, to which union were born four children, viz: Lester, Eliza Ann, Sarah A., and Lucian. John E. White came with his brother, Joseph M., to Nelson, Tioga county, in 1831, where they worked at blacksmithing, which business they had learned in Connecticut. In 1833 John E. removed to Knoxville, where he continued working at his trade. His brother remained at Nelson, where he afterwards filled the office of postmaster for many years. The subject of this sketch was twice married. His first wife was Minerva C. Baker, a daughter of Abisha and Martha (Lytle) Baker, of Nelson, Tioga county, whom he married September 23, 1832. She became the mother of three children, viz: Sumner P., Susan B. and Malvina D., who married Enos Nichols. Mrs. Minerva C. White died June 18, 1849. On September 16, 1850, he married Dolly Knox, a daughter of William Knox, who settled Deerfield township, Tioga county, in 1798, and a sister of John C. Knox, a distinguished jurist, at one time a judge of the supreme court of Pennsylvania. She died April 19, 1875. Four children were born to this marriage, viz: John C., James B., Newell R., and Emily K., wife of Richard Hill. Mr. White was an ardent Republican, and filled the office of justice of the peace in Knoxville for thirty-three years. He was a member of the Baptist church, also of the I. O. O. F., and is one of the well-remembered pioneers of the borough, where the greater portion of his life was passed. He died in Knoxville, January 31, 1884.
JOHN C. WHITE, son of John E. and Dolly (Knox) White, was born in Knoxville, Tioga county, October 11, 1851. He was reared in his native village, and obtained his education in the public schools and Union Academy. On attaining his majority, he followed the vocation of a painter and paper-hanger several years, and for nine years was constable and collector of Knoxville. Since 1885 he has been the clerk of the Adams House at Knoxville, and has been manager of the same since the fall of 1893. Mr. White was married June 23, 1878, to Laura M. Knox, a daughter of Archibald and Julia A. (White) Knox, of Deerfield township. Mrs. White was born in that township June 20, 1853, and has one son, J. Archie, born September 3, 1887. Mr. White is a member of the F. & A. M., the K. of H., the K. & L. of H., and the I. F. A. In politics, he is a Republican, has been a member of the borough council six years, and president of the board for two years.
NEWELL R. WHITE, son of John E. and Dolly White, was born in Knoxville, Tioga county, May 30, 1860. His education was acquired in the common schools of his native town. From 1880 to 1884 he was in the employ of the Standard Oil Company as a member of the pipe-line force. During the next three years he was in the employ of the American House at Westfield. In 1890 he leased the Park Hotel at Tioga and conducted that house for a year and a half. He then located in Wellsboro and for four years was engaged in the manufacture of cider and vinegar. Since September, 1895, he has been employed in the Coles House. Mr. White was married March 2, 1889, to Margaret E. Lane, a daughter of Patrick and Elizabeth Lane, of Westfield, and has three children, viz: William Francis, John C., deceased, and Marguerite. In politics, Mr. White is a Democrat, and was elected an inspector of election in Wellsboro in February, 1896. He is a member of Tioga Lodge, No. 374, F. & A. M., Tioga, and of Wellsboro Lodge, No. 273, K. of P.
DANIEL ANGELL was born in the town of New Berlin, Chenango county, New York, March 24, 1809, a son of Daniel and Cynthia (Burlingame) Angell. He was reared in his native county, and learned the tanner’s and shoemaker’s trades. In 1842 he located in Nelson township, Tioga county, where he worked for Joel Campbell two years. In 1844 he came to Knoxville, and the same year erected a tannery, with which he was actively connected up to 1859, manufacturing mostly finished leather in calf, kipp, upper and some sole leather. During this time he also ran a shoe shop, and nearly all the leather made in the tannery was made up into boots and shoes for the surrounding country, thus giving employment to a large number of men. In 1859 he sold the tannery to A. D. Knox in exchange for a farm about two miles west of Knoxville, where for the next twelve years, or until about 1871, he was actively engaged in farming and clearing land. In this line of work he also gave employment to a number of men. In 1868 he again became the owner of the tannery, which he thoroughly repaired, putting in steam power and many modern improvements, and in addition to his farm business, he, in connection with his sons, Delos D. and William Darius, carried on the tanning business until the spring of 1872, when he sold the tannery to his son William Darius and the balance of his property to other parties, and moved to Grafton, Fillmore county, Nebraska, where he worked at farming until the spring of 1896, when he sold out and returned to Knoxville, where he now resides. He was always one of the leading business men of the community in which he lived. He married Mary A. Tiffany, a daughter of Humphrey and Hannah (Mathewson) Tiffany, of Norwich, new York. She bore him six children, viz: Daniel Delos, born March 15, 1839; William D., September 14, 1844; Adelbert L., August 27, 1846; Orrin, October 20, 1848; Edward, May 18, 1854, who died December 4, 1890, and Albert, May 18, 1854, who died in childhood. Mrs. Angell died July 20, 1890. Mr. Angell is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and in politics, a Republican.
WILLIAM DARIUS ANGELL, second son of Daniel Angell, was born in Knoxville, Tioga county, Pa., September 14, 1844, and has spent his entire life in his native place. He was educated in the common schools and at Union Academy, and began his business career on a farm. He engaged in the tanning business in 1868, followed for ten years, and then embarked in general merchandising, which he still continues. Mr. Angell was married December 24, 1865, to Jennie E. Howland, a daughter of Willard and Minerva (Luce) Howland, of Deerfield township, and has three living children, viz: Bertha M., born February 3, 1868, wife of George H. Fowler; Ellen I., born February 6, 1870, and Ruth M., June 18, 1878. Melvin D., born October 8, 1874, died August 15, 1876. Mr. Angell is a member of the E. A. U. and K. of H., and is an ardent supporter of the Democratic Free Silver party.
WILLARD HOWLAND was born in Exeter, New York, March 15, 1806, a son of Willard and Polly (Munyan) Howland, and grandson of John Howland. His father was an operator in the cotton mills of Webster, Massachusetts; a deacon in the Baptist church, and reared a family of twenty children. The subject of this sketch married Minerva Luce, a daughter of Jonathan and Mahetabel (Bates) Luce, and in 1836 came to Tioga county and found employment in the woolen factory in Deerfield township. He returned to Massachusetts twice, coming to this county the last time in 1861, and dying September 18, 1889. His widow is still living at the age of eighty-nine years. She is the mother of five children, named as follows: Henry W., born June 21, 1831; Erastus J., May 23, 1833; Mary M., May 8, 1835, who died January 11, 1894; Melvin, February 9, 1838, and Jennie E., June 24, 1842, now the wife of W. D. Angell. Erastus J. went to Kansas in 1867, when the free soil and pro-slavery trouble was the issue there, and was actively engaged in it. His friends in the east had letters from him for some time afterward, when they ceased, since which the most earnest efforts have failed to find any trace of him. Melvin enlisted in the Fifteenth Volunteer Cavalry, July 12, 1861, in the War of the Rebellion, and died in the hospital at Poolsville, Maryland, August 27, 1861, having been in the United States service only a little over a month. Henry W. is now living in Camden, New Jersey, and is engaged in the mercantile business.
GEORGE H. FOWLER, son of Charles W. and Lucy A. (Harney) Fowler, was born in Jacksonville, Tompkins county, New York, September 18, 1867. He received a common school education; afterward studied pharmacy, and has since followed the business of a druggist. He was married June 25, 1890, to Bertha M., eldest daughter of W. D. and Jennie E. Angell. They are the parents of one daughter, Irma, born June 30, 1892. Mr. Fowler is a resident of Knoxville.
ALBERT AND JUSTUS DEARMAN, sons of George and Olive (Beach) Dearman, were born in Groton, Tompkins county, New York, the former October 12, 1824, and the latter September 8, 1829. Their father was a son of George and Sally Dearman, and was a skillful mechanic and an artist of considerable ability. He died in Knoxville, December 7, 1867, aged sixty-nine years. He was a member of the Baptist church, and a temperate, industrious, good citizen. His wife died August 12, 1833. They were the parents of four children, viz: Albert, Sarah A., Justus and Jane, the last two of whom are dead. In early manhood Albert worked with his father at the house-painter’s trade. In 1844 he came to Knoxville, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and entered the employ of his uncle, O. P. Beach, in whose store he clerked for one-half year, when his uncle took him into partnership under the firm name of Beach & Dearman. In 1849 the firm dissolved, and Justus Dearman then came to Knoxville and formed a partnership with his brother, for the sale of merchandise, the combined capital not exceeding $1,000. The firm of A. & J. Dearman existed for fifteen years, and by fair dealing and strict attention to business prospered beyond their expectations. At the end of that period the firm dissolved by mutual consent, Justus continuing the business at the old stand. In 1871 his store was destroyed by fire, and in 1873 he erected the substantial business house which he occupied until his death, December 14, 1880. Justus Dearman never married. He possessed great taste and pride in his home and surroundings, and his store and grounds were arranged and ornamented under his personal supervision. He was a liberal contributor towards any project for the benefit of his adopted town, while he was known as one of the most lenient creditors. He is buried in Fairview Cemetery, at Osceola, in a lot which has been beautifully fitted up with all the attention brotherly affection could suggest. Albert Dearman remains as he has been for many years, one of the leading merchants of Knoxville, and is probably the oldest merchant in Tioga county in continuous business. He married October 1, 1861, Jennie Sutliff, a daughter of Case and Jane (Dearman) Sutliff, of Dryden, Tompkins county, New York, and has two children living: Charlie G. and Everett J. Mr. Dearman is a Republican, and has been burgess of Knoxville fifteen years, being last re-elected in 1894 for a term of three years. He has also served several terms as a school director. In religious belief, he is a Free-Thinker.
WILLIAM MARKHAM was born in England, July 6, 1817, a son of John Markham, who came to the United States in 1823 and located near Ithaca, New York, whence the family removed to Deerfield township, Tioga county, Pennsylvania. John Markham was one of the early settlers of Deerfield, where he cleared a farm of over 200 acres. Towards the close of his life he removed to Knoxville and died at the age of eighty-five years. He was twice married. His second wife was Mrs. Catharine Cornell, nee Quick. He reared five children: Samuel, William, George, Thomas, and Ann, who married Thomas Kymes. The subject of this sketch grew to manhood in Deerfield township, where he was engaged in farming, and also worked at the carpenter’s trade for many years. During the Civil War, he carried on a hardware store in Knoxville, in company with Giles Roberts. His wife, Betsey, was a daughter of Benjamin and Anna (Baker) Giles, of Deerfield, and bore him four children, viz: Mary A., wife of William Morse; Albert, Charles D., and Sophronia, wife of Guy R. Kelts. Mr. Markham died on July 12, 1883, from injuries received by falling from a scaffold. He was a member of the Christian church, and in politics, a Republican.
ALBERT MARKHAM, eldest son of William Markham, and grandson of John Markham, was born in Knoxville, Tioga county, December 27, 1850, and has always lived in his native place. He obtained a common school education and also attended Union Academy. After spending two years at the harness maker’s trade, he embarked in business for himself in 1873, and, with the exception of five years, has continued in that business up to the present. Mr. Markham married Mary Fisk, a daughter of Orlando and Catharine (Loomis) Fisk, of Knoxville, February 13, 1876, and has two children, Walter and Mabel. In politics, Mr. Markham is a Republican, and has filled various local offices. He is a member of the F. & A. M., the I. O. O. F., the K. O. T. M., and the I. O R. M. societies, in all of which he takes an active interest.
GILES ROBERTS, a prominent merchant of Knoxville, was born in Cincinnatus, Cortland county, New York, March 10, 1832, and is a son of Samuel and Eliza (Green) Roberts. The Roberts family came from Connecticut, and the Green family from Rhode Island. Mr. Roberts was reared in his native county until sixteen years of age, and obtained a common school education. In 1848 he went to Rhode Island, where he served an apprenticeship of three years at the tinner’s trade, and later worked as a journeyman in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. In 1853 he settled at Knoxville, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and the same year embarked in the tin and stove business, as a member of the firm of Markham & Roberts, which partnership existed for ten years. He then purchased his partner’s interest, and has since carried on a general hardware business. During this period he was also a member of the firm of Markham & Roberts, lumber dealers, and did quite an extensive business in that line. In January, 1855, Mr. Roberts married Helen Dunham, a daughter of William and Ruby (Mattison) Dunham, of Knoxville, and has one daughter living, Mrs. Alfred Edgcomb. He is now serving his third term as justice of the peace of Knoxville; was coroner of Tioga county one term, and has always given an earnest support to the principles and measures of the Republican party.
HENRY G. SHORT was born in De Reuyter, Madison county, New York, February 14, 1821, a son of Zadock and Hannah (Van Horn) Short. He was reared in Cortland county, new York, but never attended school except six weeks, and whatever education he possesses was self-acquired. In 1852 he settled at Knoxville, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and for fifteen years was a traveling salesman for a New York hat, cap and fur house, and for an additional fifteen years filled a similar position for a wholesale grocery house of the same city. He still lives in the suburbs of Knoxville, on a farm of thirty acres, upon which he settled more than forty years ago, clearing and improving the land through the passing years. Mr. Short was married July 2, 1845, to Mercy Barker, a daughter of Albert and Sophronia (Eastman) Barker, of Homer, Cortland county, New York. They are the parents of two children: Helen A., wife of E. H. Bowen, and John G. In early life Mr. Short served a four years’ apprenticeship at the harness-maker’s trade, but not liking the business, he never followed it afterwards. He is a member of the E. A. U., and the P. of H. In politics, he is a Democrat, and has held every local office in Knoxville from burgess down.
JOEL JOHNSON was born in Triangle, Broome county, New York, August 28, 1818, a son of Edward and Roxanna (Cook) Johnson. On attaining his majority he engaged in farming until 1852, when he located at Jasper, Steuben county, New York, where he operated a steam saw-mill and grist-mill for three years. He then returned to Triangle, Broome county, whence he removed in 1863 to Knoxville, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and purchased the grist and saw-mill property later operated by his son, Laverne J. He continued in this business until his death, which occurred November 9, 1893, at the age of seventy-five years. In 1888 he tore down the old mill, erected in 1825 by Silas Billings, and built the present one, which is equipped with all the modern improvements of mill machinery. His wife was Caroline Ives, of Guilford, new York, who bore him six children, five of whom are living, viz: Frances, wife of O. H. Wood; Leverett A., Alice, wife of F. L. Scoville; Ida, wife of J. F. Goodspeed, and Laverne J. Mr. Johnson was an adherent of the republican party, and in religious faith, a member of the Presbyterian church.
LAVERNE J. JOHNSON, youngest son of Joel and Caroline Johnson, was born in Triangle, Broome county, New York, February 12, 1861, and was two years old when his parents came to Knoxville, Tioga county. He attended the public schools of that borough, and later Starkey Seminary, Yates county, New York, and Elmira Business College. Before attending his majority, he took charge of the grist-mill, purchasing and selling supplies, and in 1862 entered into partnership with his father and brother, which continued until January, 1894, when he became sole proprietor of the mill, and managed it until August, 1895. Mr. Johnson was married February 27, 1889, to Cora J. Lugg, a daughter of Anthony W. and Ann (Seely) Lugg, of Knoxville, and has two children, Glenna A. and Reed Laverne. In politics, he is a Republican, and also a member of the F. & A. M. He is one of the well known young business men of Knoxville, where he now carries on a flour and feed store.
NOAH EVERITT was born in Wantage, Sussex county, New Jersey, May 4, 1837, and is a son of Jesse and Phoebe (Tuttle) Everitt, who came to Deerfield township, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, about 1870, where his father engaged in farming, and died in 1874. Jesse and Phoebe Everitt were the parents of four children who grew to maturity, viz: Isaac, Noah, Jesse and Josiah. The subject of this sketch was reared in his native county, there received a good common school education, and later taught school for several years, but has spent most of his life in agricultural pursuits. He settled in Deerfield township, Tioga county, in 1866, purchasing 150 acres of land, which he partially cleared and improved, and for a number of years he operated a dairy of thirty cows. In 1890 he removed to Knoxville, where he has since carried on a grocery, flour, feed and general mercantile business. In 1858 Mr. Everitt married Kate Winfield, a daughter of Isaiah and Kate Winfield, of Sussex county, new Jersey, and has three children: Henry, Carrie, wife of Herman Knox, and Florence, wife of J. N. Losey. Mr. Everitt is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and a stanch adherent of the Democratic party. He has filled various local offices in Deerfield township, and is now recognized as one of the substantial business men of Knoxville.
CHESTER WELLS was born in Binghamton, New York, April 23, 1825, a son of Chester and Polly (Sleiter) Wells. His father was a native of Connecticut, of Scotch ancestry, and his mother of Binghamton, New York, where she was born in 1796, when that place contained but two log cabins. She was of French descent. Mr. Wells was reared in Binghamton, and there learned the carpenter’s trade with B. F. Scisson, with whom he remained seven years. In 1851 he removed to Towanda, Pennsylvania, where he went into the furniture and undertaking business, and carried on the same until January 1, 1865, when he removed to Waverly, New York, and later to Addison. He followed the lumber business and also conducted a general store at Addison, remaining there between four and five years. In October, 1869, he located at Knoxville, Tioga county, where he carried on the furniture and undertaking business for twenty-six years. Mr. Wells was married October 4, 1849, to Margaret A. Chambers, a daughter of George W. and Hannah (Simonson) Chambers, of Staten Island, who died on January 14, 1894. Seven children were the fruits of this union, named as follows: George, deceased; Chester F., a resident of Binghamton; J. Stewart, an attorney of West Superior, Wisconsin; William P., Edmund L., Helen C. and Mrs. Grace Howland. Mr. Wells died in Knoxville, October 3, 1895, and the business has since been conducted by his daughter, Helen C. He was a member of the I. O. O. F., and in politics, a stanch Democrat. Upright and straightforward in all his dealings, he enjoyed the confidence and respect of the community, and was one of the popular business men of Knoxville.
CHARLES A. REESE, M.D., was born in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, August 20, 1841, and is a son of Rev. Charles and Catherine (Gephart) Reese, natives of Lebanon and Lancaster counties, Pennsylvania, respectively, who were of Welsh and German descent. His father was a minister of the Lutheran church, and was widely known throughout the State. Charles A. was reared in Pennsylvania, and was educated in the public schools and Bernville Academy, Berks county, Pennsylvania. From the age of eleven to nineteen he clerked in a general store, and during the Rebellion recruited thirty-four men for the Union army, which under the ruling of Governor Curtin entitled him to a captaincy, but he never applied for the commission. In 1860 he began the study of medicine in the office of his brother, Dr. D. J. Reese, now of Renovo, Pennsylvania, and attended one partial and one full course of lectures at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. In 1861 he commenced practice at Sinnamahoning, Cameron county, where he continued for twelve years. In the fall of 1872 he attended another course of lectures at the University of Pennsylvania, and was graduated in the class of 1873. in 1875 he located at Knoxville, Tioga county, where for more than twenty-one years he was engaged in the active duties of his profession. Dr. Reese was married August 31, 1864, to Alice M. Stamp, a daughter of Joseph and Maria (Fish) Stamp, of Clinton county, Pennsylvania. They are the parents of eight children, six of whom grew to maturity. Their names are as follows: Libbie, wife of Eugene Wortman; Francis Gurney Smith, who graduated at the University of Pennsylvania in the class of 1895, and is now practicing medicine in Coudersport; Imogene, wife of Norman F. Madison; Bertie, deceased; Allie M. and Eva M. In politics, Dr. Reese is a stanch Democrat, and was a member of the school board of Knoxville for seven years. During his residence in Cameron county, which is strongly Republican, he was elected coroner by the largest majority ever given to a candidate for a county office up to that time. Against his earnest protest he was re-nominated for a second term, but used his influence for his opponent, and even then was defeated by only a small majority. While a resident of Knoxville, he enjoyed a good practice, and was recognized by his medical brethren as one of the able physicians of the county. In the spring of 1897 Dr. Reese moved to Coudersport, where he has since continued to pursue his profession.
JOHN W. FITCH, a native of New York state, and a son of Samuel and Sally (Woodcock) Fitch, came in early manhood to Nelson township, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, removing at a later day to Brookfield township, where he purchased a tract of land and cleared and improved a farm, now owned by Fred. Bush, which he afterwards exchanged for a farm in the same township. He resided in Brookfield upwards of forty years, and at one time owned over 400 acres of land in that part of the county. During this period he was extensively engaged in lumbering, and was an energetic, enterprising citizen. About 1878 he located at Knoxville, where he later embarked in general merchandising, which business he conducted until his death, September 26, 1889, in the sixty-eight year of age. Mr. Fitch was twice married. His first wife was Minerva Seeley, a daughter of Barney Seeley, of Brookfield township, who bore him five children, viz: Sally A., who married Henry Holt; Charles, William G., John E., and Ella, wife of Chauncey Reynolds. His second wife was Sally Seeley, a sister of his first wife. At one time Mr. Fitch was a member of the I. O. O. F. He was a Republican in politics, and served as a member of the Knoxville council.
JOHN E. FITCH, son of John W. and Minerva Fitch, was born in Brookfield township, Tioga county, June 12, 1850. he was reared in his native township, and obtained his education in the public schools and Woodhull Academy. After attaining his majority, he was engaged in farming for twelve years in Brookfield, and also as a drover, buying and selling cattle for the New York and Philadelphia markets. He lived in Brookfield until 1888, when he removed to Knoxville, where he has since been successfully engaged in general merchandising. Mr. Fitch was married October 18, 1875, to Orcelia Beagle, a daughter of James and Malvina (Nevins) Beagle, of Steuben county, New York, and has one son, David B., born March 13, 1880, also an adopted daughter, Myrtle. In politics, Mr. Fitch is a Republican, has served five years in the borough council, and is one of the leading business men of Knoxville.
CHARLES LUGG was born in Gloucestershire, England, October 11, 1791, a son of Robert and Phoebe (Haley) Lugg, the latter a cousin of Gen. Anthony Wayne. He was reared on a farm, and followed that business as a vocation all his life. He first came to the United States with his family, consisting of his wife and five children, in 1830, and located in Elkland, Tioga county, Pennsylvania. He later rented a farm on Thorn Bottom creek, one mile and a half west of Nelson, on Beecher’s Island. But being disappointed with the country, he returned with his family to England in May, 1831. In the autumn of 1833 he again came to Tioga county, settling on what is known as Sober’s Hill, in Farmington township, where he purchased 100 acres of land, containing a log house and barn, and about four acres cleared. He subsequently added 150 acres to his first purchase, cleared up 200 acres of the tract, and spent the remaining years of his life on this farm. Mr. Lugg was married in England, by Rev. Edward Mansfield, August 18, 1818, to marry Ann Chandler, born June 20, 1797, a daughter of James Chandler of Gloucestershire, England, to which union were born eight children, viz: Mary A., who married Alanson Hoyt; Eliza, who became the wife of Lewis Beiver; Anthony W., Robert S., who married Rebecca Bottum; Caroline, who married Enoch Blackwell; Elizabeth and Charles. Mr. Lugg died January 13, 1874, aged eigty-three years, and his wife, March 12, 1873, aged seventy-five years. Both were members of the Presbyterian church for sixty years.
ANTHONY W. LUGG, eldest son of Charles and Mary A. Lugg, was born in Gloucestershire, England, August 25, 1825, and came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, whit his parents in 1830, and again in 1833. In early manhood he engaged in farming, which he followed until thirty years of age. In October, 1855, he embarked in merchandising at Nelson, Tioga county, which he successfully continued there up to 1881. In 1877-78 he spent seven months in California for the benefit of his heath, and in 1881-82 six months in that State for the same purpose. From 1882 to 1886 he was engaged in farming on the old homestead in Farmington township, and in the spring of the latter year located at Knoxville, where he resided until his death, January 29, 1897. As senior member of the firm of A. W. Lugg & Sons, he followed general merchandising in that borough for more than ten years. On January 6, 1851, Mr. Lugg married Ann K. Seely, a daughter of Nathaniel and Lucy (Kelsey) Seely, of Osceola. Six children were the fruits of this union, four of whom survive; viz: Wayne, Charles H., Cora, wife of L. J. Johnson, and A. Waldo. In politics, Mr. Lugg was an advocate of prohibition. While a resident of Nelson township, he served twenty-two years as a justice of the peace, being elected five successive terms. For more than forty years Mr. Lugg was a member of the Presbyterian church. He was one of the substantial and respected citizens of Knoxville, a kind husband and a good father.
ANDREW B. HITCHCOCK was born in Caton, Steuben county, New York, May 15, 1863, a son of Ezekiel and Martha (Silsbee) Hitchcock. His parents came to Covington, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, in 1865, and later removed to Morris Run, and thence to Lawrence township, where his mother died in 1887. They had eight children, six boys and two girls. Our subject was reared in Tioga county from the age of two years, and was educated in the district schools and the State Normal School at Mansfield, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the latter institution in 1884, and commenced teaching in the fall of that year in the schools of Union township, and the next year was principal of the schools at Morris Run. In 1886 he became principal of the Knoxville graded schools and attained a front rank among the educators of the county. In 1895 he resigned his position as principal and purchased a general insurance business. Mr. Hitchcock was married August 5, 1891, to Ola Woodbury, the daughter of Frederick and Sarah (Kelly) Woodbury, of Knoxville. They have had two children, Reed W. and Howard F. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, also of the F. & A. M. In politics, he is a supporter of the Republican party, and was elected justice of the peace in February, 1897, which office he is now filling.
PHILIP ERWAY was born in Chemung county, new York, September 14, 1823, a son of Philip and Anna (Fogel) Erway, and is of Irish and Dutch extraction. He remained in New York state until seventeen years of age, and his education was limited to less than three months’ attendance at the common schools. In 1840 he came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and found employment on a farm in Delmar township for three years. In 1843 he purchased a tract of seventy-five acres in Chatham township, which, as time would permit, he cleared and improved, working in the lumber camps during the winter seasons. In the meantime he built a log cabin on his farm, in which he kept "bachelor’s hall" for almost two years, and lived there until 1863, when he exchanged the farm for another of eighty acres, to which he subsequently added fifty acres more, making a total of 130 acres. In 1869 he purchased another sixty-acre tract, cleared and improved it, and sold it in 1882. He lived in Chatham township until 1886, when he removed to Knoxville, where he has since resided. Mr. Erway has been twice married. His first wife was Mary King, a daughter of Samuel P. and Eleanor (Springsteel) King, of Chatham township, who bore him eight children, viz: Rutsor P., Oscar, Floyd, Amos, Ruth, wife of Hiram Close; Edgar, Otis H. and Andrew G. His second wife was Amy W. Marlatt, a daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Pease) Marlatt, of Steuben county, New York. In politics, Mr. Erway is a Republican, and is one of the prosperous, well known and respected citizens of the community.
JOHN S. ADAMS was born in Wayne county, Pennsylvania, November 12, 1843, a son of Elijah and Ann Eliza (Cressman) Adams, and was of English and German descent. In early manhood he went to Pike county, Pennsylvania, where he engaged in lumbering, and in the fall of 1881 he located in Galeton, Potter county, where he remained one year. In October, 1882, he removed to Gaines, Tioga county, and in partnership with Michael Maloney embarked in the hotel business. They greatly improved the moral surroundings of the house, and proved that a hotel on Pine creek could be conducted decently and in order. He remained there three years and a half in the hotel business, and after one year’s retirement he, in April, 1887, purchased the brick hotel property at Knoxville since known a the Adams House. He soon built up the reputation of the house, and carried it on successfully to the time of his death, which occurred October 31, 1893. during this period he had won the confidence and esteem of the leading business men of the borough. Mr. Adams was married August 11, 1870, to Celestia Armstrong, a daughter of Caleb and Louisa (Gardner) Armstrong, of Otsego county, New York, who became the mother of three children, viz: Mary E., Charles, deceased, and Floyd. He was a prominent Mason and Odd Fellow; was also connected with the K. of H., and in politics, was a stanch Democrat. Mr. Adams’ word was regarded as good as his bond, and he was one of the best, if not the best, landlords in the history of Knoxville. He was kind and hospitable, and no needy person ever went hungry from his door.
CHARLES E. BRUGLER, editor and publisher of the Knoxville Courier was born in Blairstown township, Warren county, New Jersey, March 7, 1855, a son of James and Susannah (Konkle) Brugler. He was reared in his native county, and obtained his education in the public schools and Honeywell Academy. He served six years’ apprenticeship at the printer’s trade in the office of the Blairstown Press, and later was assistant foreman of the New Jersey Herald, published at Newtown, New Jersey, for nearly four years. On November 1, 1889, he purchased the plant of the Knoxville Courier, at Knoxville, Tioga county, which under his management has become one of the leading papers in the Cowanesque valley. Mr. Brugler was married April 25, 1877, to Rosa A. Bunnell, a daughter of Henry and Mary (Lanterman) Bunnell, of Blairstown, New Jersey. They are the parents of four children, as follows: C. Harry, Lewis J., Milton A. and R. Bunnell. In politics, Mr. Brugler is a Republican, and in religion, a member of the Presbyterian church. He has always taken an active interest in social affairs, and is connected with the K. of H., and the p. of H. societies.
ALONZO KIBBE, physician and surgeon, was born in Harrison township, Potter county, Pennsylvania, April 16, 1856, a son of Thomas J. and Dorcas (Cotton) Kibbe. He was reared on a farm, and obtained his education in the public schools and Ulysses Academy. In 1882 he commenced the study of medicine with Dr. M. R. Pritchard, of Harrison Valley, and was graduated from the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Baltimore, Maryland, march 13, 1885. The same year he began the practice of his profession at Galeton, Potter county, removing one year later to Troupsburg, where he continued in practice for five years. In April, 1891, Dr. Kibbe located at Knoxville, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, where he has since been engaged in the practice of his profession. He has been twice married. His first wife was Ida L. Hurlbut, of Harrison township, Potter county. His second wife was Anna G. Merrick, a daughter of Charles and Hannah (Sears) Merrick, of Wellsboro, Tioga county, who has borne him four children: Russell L., Rose Geraldine, Sarah Ione and Stewart R. Dr. Kibbe is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and is connected with the F. & A. M., the K. O. T. M., the K. of H., the I. O. O. F. and I. O. R. M. In politics, he is a Republican, and is a member of the board of health of Knoxville. Since locating in Tioga county, he has built up a lucrative practice and attained a front rank among the medical fraternity of this portion of the State.
WILLIAM WASS was born in Sussex county, New Jersey, March 27, 1794, and was a son of Adam Wass, a native of Germany. He served through the War of 1812, and drew a pension from the government for his service in that war. Soon after its close, he removed to Elmira, New York, where he was married, and in 1817 came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, settling in Deerfield township, but in 1818 he removed to Chatham township. Here he cleared two large farms, and also engaged in the lumber business, and for forty years, during the rafting season, was a pilot on the Susquehanna river. At the end of each season he walked home from Columbia, Pennsylvania, a distance of 200 miles, making the trip in four days. He died upon his farm in Chatham township, May 19, 1889, where he had lived for more than seventy years, and is buried in Riverside Cemetery, at Knoxville. His wife was Polly Humphrey, a daughter of Isaac Humphrey, of Ohio, who bore him a family of ten children, viz: George, Eleanor, widow of Joseph Faulkner; John, Sally A., who married Abram Humphrey; Harriet, who married A. D. White; Mary, wife of John Faulkner; William, Alexander, David and Robert. In politics, Mr. Wass was a Republican, and is remembered as one of the oldest citizens in the county at the time of his death, attaining the ripe old age of over ninety-five years.
DAVID WASS, son of William Wass, was born in Chatham township, Tioga county, may 12, 1837, and was reared on the old homestead upon which he lived until 1890, when he removed to Knoxville, where he has since resided. He is still the owner of the old farm, settled by his father nearly three-quarters of a century ago. He has been engaged in farming and lumbering since early manhood, and has been quite successful. On May 3, 1874, he married Lucinda Perry, a daughter of Wooster and Maria (Lucas) Perry, of Woodhull, Steuben county, New York. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, while his wife is a Presbyterian. In politics, he is an adherent of the Democrat party.
MOSES INSCHO, second son of Obadiah and Judith Inscho, was born April 28, 1792, and was six years old when his parents settled in Tioga county. He was reared upon the homestead farm in Lawrence township, and in 1825 located in Deerfield township, where he partially cleared and improved a farm. He did considerable business as a teamster, owned a saw mill and dealt in lumber to some extent. About fifty years ago he built the wooden bridge yet standing south of Knoxville. On January 1, 1818, he married Mary Seelye, a daughter of Capt. John and Elizabeth (Lindsley) Seelye, pioneers of Steuben county, New York. She was born January 21, 1793, and became the mother of ten children, as follows: William Edwin, born October 11, 1818, and died May 10, 1881; Eliza Lindsley, born January 15, 1820, widow of John O. Ward; Hiram, born February 24, 1821, and died March 25, 1896; Mary Ann, born November 6, 1822, who married Benoni Madison, and died August 10, 1871; Charlotte A., born July 5, 1825, who lives upon the old homestead; Rachel, born February 16, 1827; James Byron, born November 25, 1828, and died September 16, 1854; Micajah Seelye, born November 12, 1830; Emily J., born May 22, 1832, and Lucius C., born December 6, 1834, and died January 8, 1896. Mr. Inscho died October 1, 1848, in his fifty-seventh year, and his wife, January 11, 1872, in her seventy-ninth year. Their daughter, Charlotte A., who has remained unmarried, occupies the old homestead, and is the owner of 265 acres of land. Her history from early girlhood is full of interest, and illustrates what persistent industry can accomplish. She started in life with an earned capital of $16, and is to-day one of the substantial farmers of Deerfield. She carried on merchandising in Knoxville for many years, and is noted for her sound, progressive business qualifications and sterling integrity.
HIRAM INSCHO, second son of Moses Inscho, and grandson of Obadiah Inscho, was born in Tioga township, Tioga county, February 24, 1821, and spent his entire life in his native county engaged in agricultural pursuits. He was twice married. His first wife was Lucretia George, and his second, Mrs. Betsy Glover, but he left no children by either marriage. He died March 25, 1896. He was a quiet, retiring, honest man, and a good citizen, but never accumulated much of this world’s goods. In politics he was a Republican.
MICAJAH SEELYE INSCHO, son of Moses and Mary Inscho, and grandson of Obadiah Inscho, was born in Deerfield township, Tioga county, November 12, 1830. He was reared on the Inscho homestead, and attended the common schools and Union Academy in boyhood. At the age of fourteen he began working as a lumber pilot on the Cowanesque river, and followed the lumber business upwards of thirty years. He also bought cattle and sheep for the New York and Williamsport markets for several years, and has devoted his principal attention to farming, having resided in Westfield township since 1878. In 1858 Mr. Inscho married Charlotte Howland, a daughter of Joseph and Lucy (Rexford) Howland, of Steuben county, New York, and has three children, viz: Merrit F., Lucy, wife of Ralph Skinner, and Mary, wife of Fred Preston. In September, 1862, he enlisted in Company A, One Hundred and Seventy-first Pennsylvania Volunteers, and was honorably discharged after a service of ten months. In politics, Mr. Inscho is a Republican.
CAPT. JOHN SEELYE, though never a resident of this county, has numerous descendants in the Cowanesque valley. He was born in Litchfield, Connecticut, April 22, 1757, and died in Lindley, Steuben county, New York, January 17, 1813. He married Elizabeth Lindsley, March 9, 1783. She was born July 17, 1764, and died January 25, 1852. She was a daughter of Col. Eleazer Lindsley, a soldier of the Revolution and a pioneer of Steuben county, where the town of Lindley was named in his honor, though a mistake was made in the official spelling of the word, which was intended to be "Lindsley." Captain Seelye and wife were among the honored pioneers of that locality, and reared the following children: Mahlon, Samuel, Daniel, Micajah, Mary, Phoebe, Louise, William, Eleazer and Eliza. Captain Seelye was a prominent Mason, and his grand-daughter, Miss Charlotte A. Inscho, has in her possession a gold locket containing his portrait, on the back of which is carved the mystic symbols of the Masonic order. It is an heirloom highly prized by the owner.
NATHAN BAKER, of Otsego county, New York, came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, in 1827, and in the following year settled in what is now Deerfield township, on the farm owned and occupied by his grandson, Allen Baker. With the assistance of his sons, he cleared and improved this farm, and resided there until his death. He died April 17, 1846, and was interred upon the homestead. His wife was Hannah Wood, and their children were as follows: Sally, who married Marvel Handy; Daniel, Charlotte, who married Jarvis Freeman; Ira, Esther, who married Hiram Bostwick; Nathan, Hannah, who married Hiram Swimley; Perry and Elisha.
IRA BAKER, son of Nathan and Hannah Baker, was born in Otsego county, new York, February 26, 1815, and removed with his parents to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, in 1827. Soon after arriving at manhood he took up and cleared a farm in Chatham township, about a mile south of the old homestead. Here he remained until 1852, when he returned to the old homestead in Deerfield, settled by his father in 1828, and there died September 23, 1894. He married Lydia Philley, a daughter of Luman and Eunice (Coburn) Philley, pioneers of Deerfield township. Three children were born to this union, viz: Laura, wife of Timothy Hastings; Allen, and Alta M., wife of Welch Reynolds. Mr. Baker was a member of the Christian church, and in politics, a Republican.
ALLEN BAKER, only son of Ira and Lydia Baker, was born in Chatham township, Tioga county, January 15, 1843, and from nine years of age was reared on what is known as the Baker homestead in Deerfield township, which he now owns and occupies. He received a common school education, and has made farming his life vocation. On December 24, 1875, he married Hattie Guile, a daughter of Alonzo and Mary J. (Watkins) Guile, of Deerfield township, who is the mother of the following children: Edith, deceased; Ernest G., Blanche O. and Everitt A. In politics, Mr. Baker is a Republican; has served as school director of his township fourteen years; is a member of the P. of H., and is one of the prominent and influential farmers of the community.
HENRY F. DANIELS, SR., was born in Broome county, New York, July 16, 1817, a son of George and Lydia (Hoskins) Daniels, who settled in Jasper, Steuben county, New York, in 1828. Their children were as follows: Hannah, who married Edmund Porter; Nathan, Barney, George W., William, Leonard, Lurania, who married Abram Freeland; Rhoda, who became the wife of Amos Raymond; Henry F., and Lydia J., who married Truman Kibbe. In 1832 Henry F. came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, locating in what is now Deerfield township, and in 1838 he settled on his present farm, most of which he has cleared, and has erected all the buildings now thereon. It embraces 186 acres. Mr. Daniels married Esther Cloos, September 27, 1838. She is a daughter of Newbury and Esther (Short) Cloos, and a grand-daughter of Reuben Cloos, pioneers of Tioga county. Five children have been born to this union, viz: Melissa, Henry F., Mary J., wife of Lucian A. Mattison; Emma, wife of Willard S. Carpenter, and Jeannette, wife of Frank H. Smith. Mr. Daniels is a member of the Christian church, and an adherent of the Republican party.
HENRY F. DANIELS, JR., was born in what is now Deerfield township, Tioga county, February 26, 1841, and is a son of Henry F. Daniels, Sr. He lived upon the old homestead until he was thirty-two years of age, when he located upon the farm of his uncle, Reuben Cloos, which has since been his home. He was educated in the Osceola High school, and the Union and Troupsburg academies, and has always followed farming as an occupation. On July 14, 1866, he married Jerusha L. Van Dusen, a daughter of Benjamin and Jerusha (Lee) Van Dusen, of Chatham township. They have five children, viz: Ned J., and Fred F., twins, the latter deceased; Bertha E., Ben B. and George H. On Lee’s invasion of Pennsylvania, in 1863, Mr. Daniels joined Company G, Thirty-fifth Pennsylvania Militia, and served two months. In politics, he is a Republican, and has filled various local offices in Deerfield, including clerk and treasurer, and was elected justice of the peace in February, 1896. He is a member of the G. A. R., the Grange and the K. of H.
MOSES LEE was born in Milford, Otsego county, New York, December 22, 1813, a son of Daniel and Hannah (Butts) Lee, and was of English and Dutch descent. He was reared in his native county, received a common school education, and was a natural mathematician. In middle life he took up surveying, became quite efficient in that profession, and did an extensive business. In 1832, when nineteen years of age, he came to Chatham township, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, where the balance of his life was spent in agricultural pursuits. A short time after his coming, his parents located in Chatham township. Their children were as follows: Moses, James R., Seneca, Thomas D., Jerusha, who married Benjamin Van Dusen, and Mary, who married Joseph Walling. The sons cleared and improved a farm, which is now situated on the line of Deerfield and Chatham townships, and is still in the possession of the family. Moses Lee lived on the homestead until his death, December 10, 1892, being then within twelve days of eighty years of age. His first wife was Sylvia Costley, a daughter of Charles and Orpha (Bowen) Costley, of Deerfield township. She was the mother of four children, two of whom grew to maturity, viz: Mary, who married William Wass, Jr., and Daniel H. They also had an adopted daughter, Jane, who married Lemuel Jackson. Mr. Lee’s second wife, Amy, a daughter of Abram Teachman, resides in Chatham township.
DANIEL H. LEE was born on the old Lee homestead, in what is now Deerfield township, Tioga county, November 2, 1838, and is the only surviving son of Moses and Sylvia Lee. He was educated in the common schools and Alfred University, and has always followed farming as an occupation. He lived on the old homestead until twenty-four years of age, when he purchased an adjoining farm where he resided until 1894 and then removed to Knoxville. He married Armenia M. Lee, a daughter of Alonzo and Almira (Wright) Lee, of Chatham township, and has one son, Joseph H. In politics, Mr. Lee is a Republican. He is a member of Pomona Grange, No. 30, P. of H., and also of the K. of H.
JACOB PRICE, a New Jersey Quaker, was a pioneer of Tioga county, Pennsylvania, locating near Freeman’s grist mill, in Westfield township, where he made a clearing and erected a house, which is still standing. He later removed to what is now Philips Station, in the same township, where he continued in agricultural pursuits until his death. He was married three times. He second wife, a Miss Baker, became the mother of twelve children, and his last wife bore him one child.
SAMUEL B. PRICE, a son of Jacob Price by his second marriage, was born in Westfield township, Tioga county, in 1819. He received a good education, and for twenty-one years followed school teaching, as well as farming, in Deerfield township. He established Union Academy, at Academy Corners, which he conducted for twenty-one years, and was an educator of considerable local celebrity. His wife was Sophia Leonard, a daughter of Stephen and Peninah (Darrow) Leonard, of Westfield, who bore him two children, one of whom is living, Charles R. Mr. Price was not only a leading educator, but a prominent member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and an enterprising, progressive citizen. He was a stanch Republican, and served one term as superintendent of schools in Tioga county. He died in 1868.
CHARLES R. PRICE, only surviving child of Samuel B. Price, was born in Deerfield township, Tioga county, February 26, 1856. and was educated at Union Academy and the State Normal School, Mansfield. He later taught school or two terms, but since 1871 he has devoted his attention to farming. On January 19, 1878, he married Emma Mead, a daughter of Frank and Mary (Phippen) Mead, of Lawrenceville, Tioga county, and has four children, viz; Earl P., Hugh S., Wayne and Reid. Mr. Price is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and also of the P. of H. In politics, he is a Republican, and a strong advocate of prohibition.
MARTIN BOWEN, a son of Elihu and Lucy Bowen, was born in Rhode Island, October 9, 1788, and there grew to manhood. In 1816 he came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and settled in Westfield township, later removed to Farmington, and thence to Deerfield, where he operated a tannery for some years. He died in Deerfield, June 5, 1858. His wife, Freelove, was a daughter of Jonathan Potter, of Rhode Island, and reared a family of nine children, viz; Cyrus P. William, Alma, who married Joseph Edson, and subsequently William Weeks; Rhoda, Elihu, who recently died in this township; Lucy, who married George Aldrich; Freelove J., Ruth, who married Allen King, and Phoebe W. Mr. and Mrs. Bowen were members of the Society of Friends, and died in that faith.
ELIHU BOWEN, son of Martin and Freelove Bowen, and grandson of Elihu and Lucy Bowen, was born in Westfield township, Tioga county, March 14, 1819, and spent his entire life in this county. He was married May 27, 1849, to Eliza Ann Greene, a daughter of James and Polly Greene, of Steuben county, New York, and settled on his late homestead in Deerfield township the same year, where he resided until his death, February 14, 1896. His original purchase embraced ninety-seven acres, to which he afterwards added until he owned a well-improved farm of 129 acres. He was the father of four children, viz: Eva J., deceased wife of Elmer Wheaton; Addie F., wife of Wallace Davis, of Deerfield; Lena, deceased, and Cora M., wife of William Smith of South Addison, New York. Mrs. Bowen resides on the old homestead. Mr. Bowen was an honest and respected citizen of Deerfield, a member of the Baptist church, and in politics, a Prohibitionist.
JOSEPH O. NEWMAN settled at Academy Corners, Deerfield township, Tioga county, in 1855. He was a blacksmith, and followed his trade there until 1861, when he removed to Sunderlinville, Potter county, where he continued working at his trade until his death, in 1871. His wife was Sarah A. Burrows, of Otsego county, New York, and their children were as follows: Andrew J., Albert, Esther, wife of James Scott, Mary, wife of F. M. Spicer; Ferris L., Orlando, Edward and Willia.
ALBERT NEWMAN, second son of Joseph O. Newman, was born in Otsego county, New York, October 8, 1842. He attended school only two terms, and was practically reared in his father’s blacksmith shop, which trade he has followed since twelve years of age. In 1855 he came with his parents to Academy Corners, Tioga county, and in 1861 removed with them to Sunderlinville, Potter county. In February, 1864, he enlisted in Company L, Second Pennsylvania Cavalry, which formed a part of the Second Brigade, Second Division, Army of the Potomac, and when not in the field he performed the duties of a blacksmith. He was in Sheridan’s campaign from the Rapidan to the Wilderness, and was in the engagements at Cold Harbor, Weldon Railroad, Spottsylvania, Todd’s Tavern, Richmond Heights, Malvern Hill, Jerusalem Plank Road, Gaines’ Mill, Petersburg, and many others, and was honorably discharged from the service, July 22, 1865. He has been located at Academy Corners, Tioga county, since 1867, where he has carried on the blacksmithing trade. In 1867 he married Mrs. Louisa Ellis, nee Wager, a soldier’s widow, of Sunderlinville, Potter county, and has one son living, Albert J. Politically, Mr. Newman is a Republican.
OLIVER L. WOOD, a native of New Jersey, born in 1797, and a son of Oliver and Phoebe (Gregg) Wood, came from Orange county, New York, to Deerfield township, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, in 1861, and located on a farm now owned and occupied by his son, Joseph, consisting of 220 acres. He lived there until 1880, then disposed of his farm to his son, Joseph, and removed to Sussex county, New Jersey, where he died in 1882, at the age of eighty-five years. His children were as follows: Absalom S., Oliver H., Phoebe J., wife of E. P. Masterson; Mary A., wife of Martin Wilson; William C., Thomas E., Emily, wife of Samuel Christy, and Joseph.
JOSEPH WOOD, youngest son of Oliver L. Wood, was born in Orange county, New York, April 10, 1846, and when fifteen years of age came with his parents to Deerfield township, Tioga county. He obtained his education in the common schools and at Whiteman’s Academy, Osceola, and has always made farming his principal occupation. He owns and occupies the old homestead of 220 acres, upon which his father settled in 1861, which he purchased form the latter in 1880, and with the exception of two years’ residence in Knoxville, he has lived upon this farm since coming to Tioga county. He has been a breeder of Hambletonian horses, and is now interested in the breeding of Jersey cattle, and is also an extensive tobacco grower. Mr. Wood was married February 29, 1870, to Myrtilla Wainwright, a daughter of Jacob and Esther (Everitt) Wainwright, of Deerfield township, and has four children, viz: Fred J., Perry L., Edna N. and Russell. In politics, Mr. Wood is a Democrat, is a member of Valley Grange, of Academy Corners, and Pomona Grange, of Wellsboro, P. of H., and is one of the representative farmers of Deerfield township.
JOSEPH S. INGHAM was born in Monroeton, Bradford county, Pennsylvania, April 14, 1836, a son of Joseph and Johanna (Blakeley) Ingham, natives of England, who immigrated to Philadelphia in 1821, and in 1825 removed to Monroeton. His father there engaged in the manufacture of woolens, and also in lumbering, until 1863, when he settled in Deerfield township, Tioga county, purchasing the woolen mills now owned by his son, Joseph S. He continued in the manufacture of woolen goods until his death, December 25, 1869, at the age of seventy-three years. His widow survived until August, 1888, dying at the age of eighty-six. They reared the following children: Martha, who died in childhood; Elizabeth, who married John G. Mason; James B., who was killed at the battle of Antietam, September 17, 1862; George W., Henry H., Harriet A., who married Warren Landon; Joseph S., Ruth A., who married Ornal Kellogg; Cecelia E., second wife of Warren Landon, and Alice. In religious belief, Mr. Ingham was a follower of Swedenborg, and in politics, he was a stanch Republican. The subject of this sketch was reared in Bradford county, and obtained his education in public and private schools. He later commenced clerking in a general store, and in 1858 embarked in the mercantile business at Monroeton, Pennsylvania, but at the end of a year his store was burned. He then engaged as a traveling salesman for a flouring mill, at which he continued until 1861. On August 10th of that year, he enlisted in the Fiftieth Pennsylvania Volunteers, and went to the front as second lieutenant of Company K, his brother, James B., being captain of the same company. In August, 1862, he was transferred as first lieutenant of Company B, same regiment, and commanded that company until his resignation, in November, 1862, on account of sickness, doing the duty of captain and drawing a captain’s pay. During his term of service he was detailed as a recruiting officer until January, 1862. He participated in the battles of Pocotaligo (where he was in command of the left skirmish line), Second Bull Run, Chantilly, South Mountain and Antietam. In 1863 he came to Deerfield township, Tioga county, with his parents, where he has since been engaged in farming, manufacturing woolen goods, cider and jelly. His two sons have been connected with him in business since 1887, under the firm name of J. S. Ingham & Sons. On November 10, 1862, Mr. Ingham married Isabella M. Purple, who was born may 29, 1838, in the court house of Potter county, a daughter of Ansel and Maria (Howard) Purple, of Deerfield township. Her father was a pioneer of Potter county, Pennsylvania, was the first sheriff of that county, and later settled at Purple Brook, on the line of Westfield and Brookfield townships, Tioga county, which place was named in his honor. Mrs. Ingham is the mother of two sons, Daniel P. and Ansel Grant. The former married Nellie Howland, and has one son, Lawrence. Ansel Grant married E. May Dunham, of Knoxville. Mr. Ingham is a stanch Republican, has filled the office of auditor of Deerfield for seventeen years and is at present holding that position. He has cleared up the township debt twice, and thus proven himself a good financier. He was transcribing clerk of the House during the legislative session of 1874-75. He is a Royal Arch Mason, and is also a member of the G. A. R., the K. of H. and the Grange. In the summer of 1896 he developed on his land one of the finest stone quarries in the county, for the product of which there is considerable demand in New York and Pennsylvania.
WILLIAM L. MERRICK was born in Potter county, Pennsylvania. His father, Moses Merrick, was an early settler of Middlebury township, Tioga county, where William L. was reared to manhood and partially cleared a farm. He later removed to Chatham township, where he die din 1887, aged seventy years. His wife was Caroline Whitney, a daughter of Jeremiah Whitney, of Middlebury township, Tioga county. They reared five children, as follows: Fidelia, who married Erastus Rice; Wheeler O., Bradford W., E. Moses, who died from wounds received at the battle of Cold Harbor, and Fannie, wife of Ira Mourey. Mr. Merrick and wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and in politics, he was a Democrat.
BRADFORD W. MERRICK, son of William L. Merrick, was born in Middlebury township, Tioga county, March 19, 1842. He was reared in this county, and obtained his education in the common schools. On August 4, 1862, he enlisted in Company A, One Hundred and Thirty-sixth Pennsylvania Volunteers, and was honorably discharged after nine months’ service. In the fall of 1864 he re-enlisted in Company C, Eleventh Pennsylvania Cavalry, and served until mustered out in August, 1865. He participated in the battles of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and all of the engagements of the final campaign of the Army of the Potomac, ending with the surrender of Lee at Appomattox. From the close of the war until his death Mr. Merrick was engaged in farming in Deerfield township. In 1866 he married Emily E. Howland, a daughter of Joseph and Lucy (Rexford) Howland, of Chatham township, who bore him three children: Philip H., Fred J. and Daniel W. Mr. Merrick was a stanch Democrat, and a member of the G. A. R., the K. of H. and the Grange. He died June 1, 1896, from diseases contracted in the army.
WILLIAM WAGNER was born in Steuben county, New York, December 23, 1842, a son of Inglehart and Christina (Collier) Wagner, and is of German and English extraction. His paternal grandfather, Abraham Wagner, was a native of Germany, and a pioneer of Steuben county. William was reared in his native county, was educated in the common schools, and on attaining his majority clerked in a store, and later engaged in farming in Deerfield township, Tioga county, where he has resided since 1870. In May, 1868, he married Maria Howland, a daughter of Eddy and Charlotte (Rexford) Howland, of Deerfield township, and has one son living, Eddy H. The latter has developed a rare taste for Indian and ancestral relics, and, although but sixteen years of age, has gathered a collection to be proud of. Mr. Wagner resides with his wife and son on the Eddy Howland homestead. In politics, he is a Democrat, and has held the office of school director nine years. He is a member of the E. A. U., and a charter member of the Grange organized at Academy Corners in 1889.
EBENEZER A. BEAN was born in Centreville, Allegany county, New York, April 10, 1844, a son of Orson and Clara (Van Buren) Bean. He was reared in his native county, and obtained a common school education. On August 9, 1862, when but eighteen years of age, he enlisted in Company F, One Hundred and Thirtieth New York Volunteers, from which he was transferred with his regiment in July, 1863, to the First New York Dragoons. He participated in the battle of Deserted Farm, near Black Water, Virginia, where he was wounded in the right hand, losing his thumb, and also in other engagements, and was honorably discharged April 1, 1864. He then engaged in farming in Allegany county, New York, until 1875, when he removed to Deerfield township, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, where he has since resided. For the past twenty years he has operated a cheese factory in Deerfield, and a similar factory in Austinburg, for twelve years. These factories have a combined annual product of 200,000 pounds. Since the spring of 1895 he has operated the West Farmington Cheese Factory, in Farmington township. Its annual output is 70,000 pounds. Mr. Bean was married May 18, 1890, to Abbie C. Knox, a daughter of Archibald D. and Julia A. (White) Knox, of Deerfield township. He is a member of the F. & A. M., also of Lafayette Hose Company, of Knoxville, and in politics, is a Republican.
WILLIAM A. JACKSON, son of Asa and Mary Jackson, was born in Sullivan township, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, August 1, 1833, and grew to manhood on his father’s farm, his parents being pioneer settlers of that township. He was married December 30, 1856, to Susan Slocum, born August 1, 1838, in Dutchess county, New York, a daughter of John P. and Eliza T. Slocum, who settled in Chatham township, Tioga county, about 1842, on the farm where Mrs. Jackson now resides. After his marriage, Mr. Jackson resided in Shippen township three years, and then removed to Chatham township, where he followed farming until his death, October 23, 1891. Seven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Jackson, viz: Henry C., a resident of Deerfield township; Anna E., wife of David Short; Lewis, deceased; Lelia A., wife of Frank Husted; Wilbur A., of Deerfield township, Tyna B., wife of Fred. Walker, and Della M. During the war Mr. Jackson served as a corporal in Company G, One Hundred and Forty-ninth Pennsylvania Volunteers, participating with his regiment in numerous battles and skirmishes. He was taken prisoner at the battle of Gettysburg, but was paroled on the field. In politics, he was a Republican, and was a member of the G. A. R. and the K. of H.
HENRY C. JACKSON, eldest son of William A. Jackson, was born in Shippen township, Tioga county, November 18, 1857. When about two years old his parents removed to Chatham township, where he was reared to manhood, obtaining a common school education. He engaged in farming, and also kept a hotel at Academy Corners four years. Since 1881 he has been a resident of Deerfield township. In 1880 he married Ellen Mattison, a daughter of Henry and Betsey (Cooper) Mattison, of Chatham township, and has one daughter, Ethel R. In politics, Mr. Jackson is a Republican; has served as township supervisor two terms; as constable six years, and as collector four years. He is a member of the Masonic order, and of the I. O. R. M.
JOHN B. BUSH was born in the Province of Quebec, Canada, March 26, 1836, a son of Peter and Julia (Joard) Bush, both natives of Canada and of French descent. His paternal grandfather was Jacques Bush, and his maternal grandfather was Francis Joard, both native of France. His parents located in Granville, Washington county, New York, in 1847. His father served in the Union army one year during the Rebellion, enlisting at Fairfax, Vermont. He died in a hospital at Washington, D. C., of disease contracted in the service, and is buried at Fairfax. His mother was born July 13, 1809, in St. Ours, Canada; came to Brookfield township, Tioga county, in 1866, where she remained until 1885, then returned to Canada, and died at the residence of her daughter in 1890. The subject of this sketch was reared in Granville, new York, from the age of eleven years. After attaining the age of sixteen, he spent three winter terms in a country school, which was all the educational advantages he ever received. In 1857 he came to Brookfield township, Tioga county, where he rented a farm one year. In 1858 he purchased 108 acres of land which he cleared and improved, and still owns, and subsequently added thereto 105 acres adjoining. He later purchased two farms of fifty acres each in the same township. He resided in Brookfield until 1887, when he purchased the Emmer Bowen farm, in Deerfield township, consisting of 250 acres, for which he paid $10,500, and upon which he has since lived. During the Rebellion he was drafted, went to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, with the intention of joining his regiment, but for family reasons subsequently sent a substitute. In 1886 he built a grist-mill at Westfield, Tioga county, at an expense of $10,000, which he operated one year as a member of the firm of Richardson & Bush, when he sold out. The mill was burned in 1891. Mr. Bush was married in 1857, to Sarah Kilburn, a daughter of Peter and Sophia (Burch) Kilburn, of Brookfield township, and has four children living, viz: Florence E., wife of Samuel Ludlam; Julius Edgar, Sarah Ethel and Zadie Evangeline. In politics, Mr. Bush is a Republican, has filled various local offices, and is a member of Valley Grange.
CHARLES METCALF was born in Brookfield township, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, about 1828, a son of Daniel and Hanna (Terwilliger) Metcalf, pioneers of Brookfield. He was reared to manhood in that township, and then located in Harrison township, Potter county, where he cleared and improved a farm, upon which he resided until his death, at the age of forty-three years. His wife, Cornelia, was a daughter of Peter and Polly (Young) Manchester, of Westfield township, Tioga county. They were the parents of seven children, viz: Esther, wife of Henry Rood; James, Justus, Daniel P., Lydia, Polly, wife of Charles Stephens, and Zoa, wife of Rufus Camp.
DANIEL P. METCALF, son of Charles Metcalf, was born in Harrison township, Potter county, July 30, 1861, and was educated in the common schools, Starkey Seminary, and the State Normal School at Mansfield. He has followed farming as an occupation, devoting considerable attention to tobacco growing. Since 1870 he has been a resident of Tioga county, and has lived in Deerfield township since 1888, where he owns a fine tobacco farm of 126 acres, known as the Eleazer Seely farm. Mr. Metcalf was married August 12, 1896, to Caroline M. Wood, a daughter of Oliver H. Wood, of Deerfield township. He is a member of the P. of H.; is a Republican in politics; has held various local offices, and is now the assessor of Deerfield township.
SAMUEL LUDLAM was born in Roseboom, Otsego county, New York, January
30, 1859, a son of Samuel and Martha (Barber) Ludlam, natives of Derbyshire,
England, who came to the United States about 1835, and located in Otsego
county, New York, where the father engaged in farming. In 1867 he removed
to Charleston township, Tioga county, purchased a farm, and resided thereon
up to his death, January 27, 1884, aged seventy-six years. His wife died
February 4, 1882, aged seventy years. They reared a family of nine children,
viz: Mary A., wife of Joseph Webb; Martha, wife of George Neal; Henry,
who died of disease while a soldier in the late war; George, John, Lucy,
wife of George Wingate; Elizabeth, deceased; Thomas and Samuel. The subject
of this sketch was seven years old when his parents came to Tioga county,
and has always followed farming as an occupation. He lived in Charleston
township from 1866 to 1884, and then engaged in agricultural pursuits in
Osceola, later went to Nelson, and in 1890 located upon his present farm
in Deerfield, which he purchased in 1892. Mr. Ludlam has been twice married.
His first wife was Huldah Monroe, a daughter of Levi G. and Cynthia (Pease)
Monroe, of Potter county, whom he married June 17, 1886, and who bore him
three children, viz: Lewis L., Lawrence and Laura, the last two being twins.
His second wife, whom he married April 3, 1892, was Florence E. Bush, a
daughter of John B. and Sarah (Kilburn) Bush, of Deerfield. Mr. Ludlam
is a member of the Grange, in politics, a Republican, and has filled the
office of township auditor.
HENRY CURRAN was born in Chanceford, York county, Pennsylvania, March 30, 1807, a son of Samuel and Mary Curran. He was reared in his native county, and about 1828 came to Tioga county, where he worked in the lumbar woods and in the spring rafted lumber down the Susquehanna to his home. On October 12, 1830, he married Mrs. Sally Parker, a daughter of David Short, a pioneer of Deerfield township, Tioga county, and the same year settled on his wife’s farm in Chatham township. He cleared and improved it, and resided there until his death, October 6, 1855. Ten children were born of his marriage to Mrs. Parker, as follows: Elias, Margaret, who married W. W. Beach; Melissa, who married Orange G. Johnson; Ira, Ann, who married Samuel M. Strawn; Emily A., who married Benjamin F. Westbrook; George W., Clarissa, wife of Samuel P. King; Esther, wife of C. E. Beach and Henry.
GEORGE W. CURRAN, son of Henry Curran, was born on the old homestead in Chatham township, Tioga county, July 23, 1844, obtained a common school education, and resided on the home farm, which he still owns, until 1891. In that year he removed to Knoxville. He has always followed farming as a vocation, and for eight years made cattle droving a specialty, buying for the lower Pennsylvania markets. Besides the old homestead of 112 acres, he also owns a 100-acre farm adjoining. He served in Company G, Two Hundred and Seventh Pennsylvania Volunteers, and participated in the battles of Fort Steadman and Petersburg, his company being in the front line during the latter engagement. He was honorably discharged June 5, 1865. Mr. Curran married Hattie M. Westbrook, a daughter of George and Lovisa (Taylor) Westbrook, of Middlebury township, September 1, 1867. After the death of Elias Curran and wife, they reared and educated his brother’s three children, viz: Frankie M., wife of Frank C. Teachman; Samuel, and Nettie, wife of George H. Bloom. They have also an adopted son, Fred. In politics, Mr. Curran is a Republican, and is a member of the K. of H. and the G.A. R.
BENJAMIN VAN DUSEN was born in Maryland, Otsego county, New York, in 1806, a son of Jacob Van Dusen, whose ancestors were natives of Holland. He grew to manhood in his native county, and came to Chatham township, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, in 1831, took up 150 acres of land, which he cleared and improved, and resided there until 1869. In that year he removed to Cattaraugus county, New York, where he died soon after at the age of sixty-three. His wife was Jerusha Lee, a daughter of Daniel and Hannah (Butts) Lee, of Chatham township. Daniel Lee was a Revolutionary soldier and a relative of the Lee family of Virginia. She bore him a family of ten children, viz: Clarissa, Emily, who married Morris Seeley; Daniel, Jacob, Charles H., Mary, wife of William Townsend; Benjamin, Jerusha, wife of H. F. Daniels; James and Amelia, wife of Frank Godfrey.
CHARLES H. VAN DUSEN, son of Benjamin Van Dusen, was born on the old homestead in Chatham township, Tioga county, August 25, 1837. He received a good common school education, and taught school one term in Charleston township. He clerked for two years in a store in Wellsboro. In October, 1861, he enlisted in Company C, Seventh Pennsylvania Cavalry, and was honorably discharged from the service in June, 1862. On his return home he engaged in farming in Chatham township, which business he still continues, though he has resided in Knoxville borough since 1892. Mr. Van Dusen married Sallie A. Owlett, a daughter of Gilbert B. and Martha (Pope) Owlett, of Chatham township, January 17, 1866, and has three children: Kate, wife of Eugene Sprague, Claribel, wife of Harley R. Pride, and Mary. Mr. and Mrs. Van Dusen are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and in politics, he is a Republican. He has held nearly all the minor offices of both Chatham and Deerfield townships, and is connected the P. of H., K. of H., and the G. A. R.
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