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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Tioga Township and Borough — Lawrence Township and Lawrenceville Borough — Jackson Township.
*Hon. James Ford was born at Morristown, New Jersey, March 4, 1783. This branch of the Ford family came from Middlesex county, England, six miles from the city of London, between the years 1636 and 1660. Records do not agree on this point. They were of the gentry and bore arms. Much of the data obtained from old records leads to the belief that Marshfield, Massachusetts, was their first place of settlement in America. Four brothers, Charles, William, Oswald and Samuel, went from Massachusetts to New Jersey, settling in Piscataway, Woodbridge and Morristown. Charles, the ancestral grandfather of James Ford, married Meribah Thornwell, to which union were born nine children. The third, Benjamin Ford, married Jemima Walker, a daughter of Hon. Thomas Walker, son of Capt. Samuel Walker, who was a member of His Majesty’s Council under Lord Cornberry, governor of East and West Jersey and New York. Captain Walker was named for governor just before the Revolutionary War broke out. The Walker family and Benjamin Ford were Tories, and refusing to take the oath of allegiance to the United States, their property was confiscated and they were obliged to flee to New York City for protection. Captain Walker died in that city and was buried in Old Trinity churchyard. At an early age James Ford went with John P. Ryers, as clerk, to a little settlement not far from Lawrenceville. About 1816 he purchased land on the Cowanesque river and built for himself a home, yet standing in Lawrenceville, where he resided until his death. He named the new settlement "Lawrence," in honor of Captain Lawrence of "Don’t give up the Ship" fame. Old family letters show that it was called Lawrence for many years. Mr. Ford was very successful in business, a man of rare intelligence and advanced ideas, energetic, quick to see, resolute to do and ready to venture on any new enterprise which promised success. Nothing better was to be found in the settlement than the lumber and flour from his mills which he shipped to southern markets. He took a prominent part in public affairs, served two terms as a member of the state legislature, and two terms as representative of this district in Congress during President Jackson’s administration, with whom he corresponded for a time. He was also a friend and correspondent of James Buchanan. Mr. Ford married Maria Lindsley, a daughter of Col. Eleazer Lindsley, who soon after the Revolution purchased a tract of land six miles square, now Lindley township, Steuben county, New York. Colonel Lindsley’s first visit to this part of the country was with General Sullivan on his march from the Wyoming valley, the year after the Massacre, through to the lake country to punish the Indians for their ravages and atrocities. Maria Lindsley was a direct descendant, through Eunice (Halsey) Lindsley, of Lion Gardiner, Lord of the Isle of Wight, and of Jeremiah Conkling, the ancestor of the Hon. Roscoe Conkling. To James and Maria Ford were born the following children: Charles H. L., who married Eliza Cruger, a daughter of General Cruger; Mary L., who married Milton P. Orton, M. D.; Emily C., who married Rev. George R. H. Shumway, and Susan Eliza, who married Col. Charles Dorrance, of Wilkes-Barre, a grandson of Col. George Dorrance, who fell in defense of home and country at the Wyoming Massacre. Charles Dorrance spent a long, useful and honorable life near the place where his heroic grandfather was slain by the cruel savages. James Ford was a friend to the poor and rich alike, and a man who never spoke ill of any one or allowed others to do so in his presence. He filled a prominent place in the early history of Tioga county, and died at his home in Lawrenceville, in 1859. He was laid to rest in the family burying ground, set apart by Colonel Lindsley for that purpose.
*Contributed by Mrs. M. L. Beaumont
Dr. Simeon Power is one of the well-remembered pioneer physicians of Tioga county, where he settled and began the practice of medicine more than ninety years ago. He was born in Guilford, Vermont, July 5, 1784. His parents were Manasseh and Susannah (Paine) Power, the former a native of Lancaster, Massachusetts, and the latter of Chatham, on Cape Cod. His father was a veteran of the Revolution. Dr. Power came on horseback to this county in 1805, arriving at Samuel Miller’s at what is now Millerton, in the evening. He intended to remain there over night, but finding what he thought to be a rough gathering he rode on through the dark forest, made hideous by the howling of wild animals, and finally arrived near daybreak at the home of Ira Kilburn, who lived on the site of what is now the borough of Lawrenceville. Here Dr. Power decided to "hang out his shingle," but after a short stay he removed to Knoxville and from there to Tioga—then the principal village in the county. While in Tioga he was married to Polly Inscho, February 2, 1809, a daughter of Obadiah Inscho, who settled on the Cowanesque river in 1798. She was born in Northampton county, Pennsylvania, September 28, 1788, and was about ten years old when her parents came to Tioga county. In 1821 Dr. Power returned to Lawrenceville, where he continued in the active duties of his profession during the remainder of his life. He first purchased a small tract of land within the village limits. This he sold and then bought a farm near the western limits of the town, and built the "Red House" on Cowanesque street, now one of the old landmarks of Lawrenceville. Dr. Power and wife reared seven children, viz: Mary, who married Samuel Ryon; Susan, who married Frederick Thurber; Judith, who became the wife of George Thurber; Simeon I., who was elected sheriff of Tioga county in 1858 and died at Lawrenceville; Dyer, a resident of that borough; Caroline, now residing in Lawrenceville, who married George Prutsman, of Tioga, and after his death Enoch Blackwell, of Nelson; and Samantha, who lives in Corning. The four oldest children are dead. Dr. Power was a prominent factor in the early political history of the county. In 1815 he was elected the second sheriff of Tioga, which office he filled three years, and in 1851 he was chosen an associate judge and sat upon the bench the full term of five years. An ardent Democrat up to the war, he gave a loyal support to the Union cause, but gradually drifted into the Republican party. He died at his home in Lawrenceville, December 19, 1863. His wife survived him until March 14, 1868, both dying in the eightieth year of their age. They sleep side by side in the Power Cemetery, which was laid out on their farm. During the early years of his professional labors, Dr. Power’s practice extended over a vast territory—westward up the Cowanesque into Potter county; south as far as Williamsport, and northward to Addison, Painted Post and Bath. A man of fine education, a good physician, and always kind and charitable to suffering humanity, his memory is revered by his descendants and the people of the community in which he spent the greater portion of his life.
John Ryon, Sr., was born on the Atlantic Ocean, March 10, 1748, while his parents were en route to New York. His father, Sir Anthony Ryon, was a native of Ireland, and died soon after coming to America. John grew to maturity in New York, whence he removed to the Wyoming valley, in Pennsylvania, prior to the Revolutionary War. Here he married Sarah Goodale, a native of Long Island, and settled near Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He was a veteran of the Revolution, in which he served nearly six years. His name appears on the rolls as a private in Capt. Thaddeus Weed’s company (formerly Capt. Solomon Strong’s Company), Fifth Connecticut regiment, commanded by Col. Philip D. Bradley, from July, 1777, to December, 1780, with the remark, "Enlisted October 20th, for during the war." In 1779 he was with Sullivan’s expedition against the Indians of the lake country. The records also show that he served as a sergeant in the Fifth Company (formerly Capt. Thaddeus Weed’s), Second Connecticut regiment, commanded by Col. Heman Swift, from March, 1781, to April, 1783. During a portion of his services he was employed in the commissary department, New York City, superintending the manufacturing of clothing for the army. He was subsequently pensioned by the state of Connecticut for his services in the Revolutionary War. While stationed in New York he was visited by his wife, who rode the whole distance from Wilkes-Barre on horseback, carrying her infant son, Benjamin, in her arms, and leaving her son William, with friends in the Wyoming valley. Though the route was infested with hostile Indians, the brave wife returned to her home in safety, but both she and Benjamin died soon after from smallpox, contracted during the trip. After the war closed Mr. Ryon returned to the Wyoming valley, where he found his son, William, alive but sadly neglected. When William grew up he married Miss Marcy, a cousin of Governor Marcy, of New York, settled in Wayne county, Pennsylvania, and there died. Mr. Ryon’s second wife was the widow of Captain Inman, who was killed in the Wyoming Massacre. Two sons, James and John, and a daughter, Betsey, were born of this union. A few years after his marriage to Mrs. Inman, Mr. Ryon removed with his family to Southport, New York, and later to Newtown, now a part of Elmira, where his wife and daughter died. In the spring of 1811 his sons removed with a colony of settlers to the Cowanesque valley, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and settled on the site of Elkland, where the father joined them later. He served as postmaster at that place, then called Ryonsville, from 1822 to 1830, and died January 20, 1832. His son, James, subsequently removed to Illinois, while John remained in this county and became one of its most distinguished citizens.
Judge John Ryon, son of John Ryon, Sr., was born in the Wyoming valley, near Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, January 1, 1787. He came with the colony to the site of Elkland, Tioga county, in March, 1811, but did not bring his family until the following month. Here he cleared a large farm, engaged in merchandising, and followed the mercantile and farming occupations for many years. About 1848 he removed to Lawrenceville and purchased the present Ryon homestead, known as "The Elms," where he carried on the mercantile business and spent the remainder of his life. Judge Ryon was a self-made man, a politician of considerable note, and one of the leading Democrats of Tioga county. In 1816 he was elected a justice of the peace, in which capacity he served for many years. In 1819 he was elected a county commissioner. He represented this district three terms in the legislature, 1821, 1822 and 1823, and was state senator in 1824-25. In 1829 he was appointed an associate judge of Tioga county, and served on the bench continuously up to March, 1847. He also held several military positions in the militia, the highest being that of lieutenant colonel. Judge Ryon was a kind, courteous, Christian man, and an active worker in the Presbyterian church. A few years prior to his removal to the Cowanesque valley, he married Susannah Tubbs, a daughter of Samuel Tubbs, a pioneer of the Cowanesque. She was born in Newtown, now a part of Elmira, New York, and became the mother of twelve children, as follows: Sally, who married Col. Philip Taylor, of Elkland, and died in Osceola, March 1, 1896; Samuel, a deceased farmer of Lawrence township; George L., who died in the same township, April 2, 1897; Emily, widow of Dr. E. D. Benedict, of Westfield; Harris T., of Nelson; Harriet, deceased wife of Joseph Barker, of Chicago; Charles and Mary, both deceased; John W., a lawyer and ex-congressman of Pottsville; Robert T., a resident of Columbia, Pennsylvania; James, an ex-judge of Schuylkill county, now living in Pottsville, and Wallace P., who resides in the old homestead at Lawrenceville. Judge Ryon died at his home in Lawrenceville, July 22, 1859. His widow survived him nearly twenty-two years, dying March 5, 1881. He was one of the most prominent and successful men in northern Pennsylvania, and a leader in the Democratic party throughout his long and active career. His public and private life was ever governed by the Ryon family motto—"Death before Dishonor."
Samuel Ryon, eldest son of Judge John Ryon, was born in what is now Elmira, New York, March 10, 1811, and was reared in Elkland, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, where he assisted his father in clearing off the forest then covering the site of that borough. In 1832 he and his brother, George L., opened a store in Elkland, which they carried on up to 1843. On January 27, 1833, he married Mary Power, a daughter of Dr. Simeon Power, a pioneer physician of the Cowanesque valley. Three children, Alexander H., Simeon P. and Norman H., grew to maturity from this union, the last being the only survivor of the family. Simeon P. represented Columbia county, Pennsylvania, in the legislature, and died during his term, April 12, 1876. Samuel Ryon possessed a good education, was a fine mathematician, and served as assistant civil engineer on the Pennsylvania canal while his father was a member of the legislature. He was extensively engaged in farming and lumbering on the Cowanesque, near Lawrenceville, whither he removed from Elkland, and also operated a grist and woolen-mill at the same place for many years. Politically, a life-long Democrat, he was appointed postmaster of Ryonsville, now Elkland, April 24, 1834, by William T. Barry, postmaster general under President Jackson, and served a full term. Mr. Ryon spent the latter years of his life in Lawrenceville, where he died April 26, 1877. His wife died August 13, 1876. She was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, while he adhered to the Presbyterian faith.
George L. Ryon, second son of Judge John Ryon, was born in Elkland, Tioga county, June 28, 1813. He was educated principally in the common schools at Elkland, but finished his education by attending school at Harrisburg. When nineteen years of age he commenced business as a merchant in partnership with his older brother, Samuel, at Elkland, where they carried on business for eleven years. In 1838 he succeeded his brother, Samuel, as postmaster at Elkland. In connection with merchandising they carried on lumbering quite extensively. By the flood of 1843 they lost heavily, and were compelled to give up the lumber business. Mr. Ryon then turned his attention to farming, and cultivated the old homestead at Elkland for two years, at the end of which time he purchased an interest in a large tract of land near Elkland, and began the work of clearing and improving it. He was a noted pilot, knowing every part of the water from this county down the Cowanesque, Tioga, Chemung and Susquehanna rivers to Port Deposit, Maryland, a matter of importance in early days, as much depended on the skill and knowledge of the pilot in charge of the immense rafts that were started from this county to tidewater. Mr. Ryon was a captain in the State Militia, and for many years a prominent figure at the "trainings" as they were then called. He commanded the Elkland Guards, and one of his grandsons is now in possession of the sword presented to him, which was at that time said to be one of the handsomest in the State. He was also a noted rifle shot, and in his more youthful days was a keen sportsman. In 1849 he sold out his interests at Elkland and purchased his late homestead farm near Lawrenceville, upon which he resided until his death, April 2, 1897, in the eighty-fourth year of his age. In 1836 he married Hannah Hammond, a daughter of David Hammond, of Elkland, who bore him a family of thirteen children, five of whom died in early infancy. The remaining eight are named as follows: Ellen O., who married W. T. Rhodes, of Tioga, and died April 2, 1890; George W., a prominent lawyer and banker of Shamokin; Alvin F., an attorney of Lock Haven; Mary M., wife of H. L. Fitch, of New Hampton, Iowa; John A., a jeweler of Charles City, Iowa; Alice H., wife of Clark S. Ingraham, a druggist of Elmira, New York; William W., a lawyer of Shamokin, and David H., a farmer of Lawrence township. Mrs. Ryon died at the old homestead June 9, 1888, after a happy married life of more than half a century. Mr. Ryon and wife were members of the Presbyterian church, in which he filled the office of trustee for many years. In politics he was an ardent supporter of the Democratic party, and always took a commendable interest in public affairs, filling acceptably for many years the office of school director and other official positions. He was one of the most respected citizens of Tioga county, in which his entire life was passed. In private life he was a dignified, unobtrusive gentleman, very sociable and hospitable in his disposition, and when death called him at the close of a busy and useful life, he left a record of a long and honorable career as a valuable inheritance and example for his children.
Harris T. Ryon, third son of Judge John Ryon, was born in Elkland, Tioga county, January 9, 1816, and there grew to manhood. He then engaged in the mercantile business at Elkland for two years, and later embarked in farming in Nelson township, clearing a part of the farm now owned by Shaw and Tubbs. In 1849 he located at Lawrenceville, where he was engaged in general merchandising eight years. Returning to Nelson in 1861, he resumed agriculture, and has cleared and improved most of the farm of eighty acres he now occupies. Mr. Ryon has been twice married. In 1837 he married Hannah M., a daughter of George and Mary (Champlin) Congdon, of Steuben county, New York. She bore him two children who grew to maturity, viz: Alzadia, and Sarah A., wife of R. C. Bailey. Mrs. Ryon died in 1842, and the following year he married Elizabeth Sherwood, a daughter of John and Lucy Sherwood, of Orleans county, New York. Two children have been born to this union: John S., a lawyer of Elkland, and Emma A., wife of John D. James. Mr. Ryon is a member of the Presbyterian church, in politics, a Republican, and is one of the representative farmers of Nelson township. He has lived in the Cowanesque valley more than eighty years.
Wallace Pulaski Ryon was born in Elkland, Tioga county, July 18, 1836, and is the youngest child of Judge John Ryon. He was educated in the Lawrenceville Academy, at Lawrenceville, in Lima College, at Lima, New York, and in Dickinson Seminary, at Williamsport, and also studied under the private tutorship of Rev. Sidney Mills. He read law with Hon. John W. Ryon, now a resident of Pottsville, and was admitted to the bar of Tioga county, at Wellsboro, in 1861. He next clerked for his brother, John W., who was a paymaster in the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps, and in the spring of 1862 located at Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, for the practice of his profession, remaining there one year. He then removed to Pottsville with his brother, John W., where he followed his profession up to 1879. From 1869 to 1872 he was also cashier of the Pennsylvania National Bank, of Pottsville, and in 1873 was president of the Merchant’s Exchange Bank of that place. In 1879 he removed to Philadelphia, where he was connected with the coal and iron business up to 1882, in which year he returned to the old homestead in Lawrenceville. He has since devoted himself to farming and the practice of his profession. Like his father, Mr. Ryon was a Democrat, and for many years gave his active support to that party. He was connected with the secret service of the postal department during President Cleveland’s first administration, and was appointed by Postmaster-General Vilas, president of a commission composed of postal experts to investigate the public service in the first and second-class postoffices in the United States, and to formulate a uniform system of classification and compensation therein. Mr. Ryon was married at Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, October 8, 1863, to Mary S. Rice, a daughter of Edward L. Rice, of Wilmington, Delaware. Mrs. Ryon comes of a family distinguished in the early annals of the Colonies. On her father’s side she is a descendant of Don Eduardo Reice, a Spanish refugee who settled at what is now Eastport, Maine, and whose descendants afterwards settled in Massachusetts, Delaware and Ohio. The Delaware branch of the family is well known in the early history of the settlements on the Delaware river. Her great-great-grandfather, Evan Rice, was one of the early business men of Wilmington, being an importer of teas, coffees and spices. Her father, Edward L. Rice, succeeded his father in business, and after an honorable and successful career of twenty-five years, retired. He was born in Wilmington, January 2, 1811, and was one of Delaware’s most prominent and respected citizens. During the Rebellion he gave largely to the Union cause. In politics, he was originally a Whig, but later a Republican. He was twice tendered the nomination for governor of his State, but refused to accept the honor. An enthusiastic sportsman, he was known by the appellation of the "Nimrod of Delaware." He died November 21, 1891, after a long life of honor and usefulness. On her mother’s side, Mrs. Ryon comes from the sturdy Swedish stock that first settled in Delaware. The old Colonial records give the Naff family prominence in the affairs of the Colony at Wilmington. Several of her Swedish ancestors were Revolutionary soldiers, serving principally in Washington’s army. Six children have been born to Wallace P. and Mary S. Ryon, viz: Edward Anderson, Estella Rice, Wallace Herbert, James Percy, John Naff, deceased, and Mary Edith Louise. The family are members of the Protestant Episcopal church, of Lawrenceville, in which Mr. Ryon is junior warden.
Hiram Beebe was born in Canaan, Litchfield county, Connecticut, there grew to maturity, and then came to Owego, New York, where he and a man named Hollabert carried on a store for two or three years. In 1815 they came to Lawrenceville, and opened the first store in the village, on the south corner of Cowanesque and Main streets, under the firm name of Beebe & Hollabert. The latter remained only a few years, but Mr. Beebe continued the business until 1840, when he sold out and formed a partnership with Hunt Pomeroy, and opened a store at Nelson, in which he was interested ten years. Soon after coming to Lawrenceville, Mr. Beebe married Margaret Allen, of Owego, who bore him two children, both of whom died in youth. He was one of the influential Democrats in Tioga county, and for that reason was locally named "King Hiram." He was postmaster at Lawrenceville many years. In 1822 he was elected a county commissioner, and again in 1826. In connection with merchandising, he also carried on the lumber business quite extensively, and was agent for the Bingham lands until Mr. Clymer succeeded him. Mr. Beebe and wife both died prior to the Rebellion.
Anson Beebe, a brother of Hiram, came to Lawrenceville in 1817 and engaged in the manufacture of gloves and mittens, which business he followed until his death, in February, 1830. He married Lucy Lincoln, a native of Worcester, Massachusetts, who bore him the following children: Edward, who died in infancy; Charles, of Lawrenceville; Harriet, wife of Morgan Seely, of Osceola; Mariah, who married Jacob Prutsman, of Tioga, and James, the last two of whom are dead. Mrs. Beebe died in 1875.
Charles Beebe was born in Lawrenceville, September 10, 1819, a son of Anson and Lucy Beebe. At the age of twenty he began learning the wagon-maker’s trade with Charles Powers, whose business he purchased in the fall of 1840. He carried on wagon-making at Lawrenceville until February, 1885, a period of nearly forty-five years, when he fell and broke his right hip, which compelled him to retire from active work. On January 1, 1848, Mr. Beebe married Martha Dodd, of Spencer, New York, and has one daughter, Mary C., wife of B. F. Madison, of Galeton, Potter county. In politics, he is a Republican, and in religion, a Presbyterian. Mr. Beebe is the oldest native born resident of Lawrenceville, and is regarded as one of the best posted men on local history in the Cowanesque valley.
Dr. Lewis Darling, Sr., one of the well-remembered pioneer physicians of Tioga county, was born in Woodstock, Windsor county, Vermont, March 4, 1804, a son of Seth and Chloe (Marsh) Darling, who were of Puritan stock. He was educated in the public schools and the Woodstock Academy, and at the age of twenty-two graduated from Dartmouth University. Three years later, in 1829, he took his degree of M. D., at the same institution, and soon afterwards started west, driving from Vermont to Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, where he commenced the practice of his profession the same year. In 1831 he removed to Lawrenceville, where he continued in active practice for fifty-one years. In 1862 he was appointed surgeon of the One Hundred and Sixty-first New York Volunteers, with the rank of major, and served under General Banks in the department of the gulf, accompanying his regiment through the famous Red River Campaign. Owing to poor health he was finally obliged to resign and return to his home, where he resumed practice. In 1871 he was appointed examining surgeon for the pension department, a position he held until his death, July 15, 1882. Dr. Darling was married October 17, 1831, to Lucy M. Parsons, a daughter of Capt. Luke Parsons, a cavalry soldier in the War of 1812. Eight children were born to this union, named as follows: Otis G. and Louis, both of whom died in infancy; Horace M., a resident of Southport, New York; Bostock J. and Parsons L., both deceased, and Emeline G., who graduated at Hartford Female College in 1865, and resides with her brother in Lawrenceville.
Horace M. Darling, son of Dr. Lewis Darling, Sr., was born February 2, 1835, was educated at Hobart College, graduated in medicine from the University of Michigan, and began the practice of his profession at Painted Post, New York, in 1858. One year later he removed to Helena, Arkansas, where he practiced his profession until the breaking out of the Rebellion, when he was appointed surgeon of the First Arkansas regiment, and served through the entire war. After its close he located at Columbus, Mississippi, and continued in practice for a time, when owing to failing health he gave up his professional duties and again entered the University of Michigan, taking a full law course, and graduating with the degree of LL. B. He then located at Mahonoy City, Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania, where he became prominent in the legal profession and filled the office of district attorney. Here he married Miss Mollie James, at whose death he gave up his legal practice and spent two years in travel, at the end of which period he located at Southport, New York, and again took up the practice of medicine. After a time he removed to Corning, but two years later returned to Southport, where he now resides on a farm. Here he was married a second time to Miss Mary Webb.
Parsons L. Darling, son of Dr. Lewis Darling, Sr., was born on January 5, 1839, was educated at Hobart College, and went to Helena, Arkansas, where he became principal of the High School. At the breaking out of the war he enlisted in the First Arkansas regiment, and was appointed commissary of subsistence, with the rank of captain, and served as such through the war. He then went to Columbus, Mississippi, and studied for the ministry of the Protestant Episcopal church, but giving up his studies he removed to Kansas City, where he died.
Dr. Lewis Darling was born in Lawrenceville, Tioga county, October 19, 1840, a son of Dr. Lewis Darling, Sr. He was educated in the Lawrenceville Academy, and began the study of law with John W. Ryon, but before his admission to the bar he went west and clerked in a bank at Independence, Iowa, for one year. He then returned to Lawrenceville and began the study of medicine under his father, and attended the Medical College of Georgetown, D. C., for one year. At the end of this time he enlisted as assistant surgeon, and did hospital duty one year at Washington, when he was assigned to the western army and served in the hospitals at St. Louis and Jefferson Barracks, Missouri. He was also surgeon of the transport, City of Memphis, engaged in carrying sick and wounded from the seat of war. He was at the surrender of Vicksburg, July 4, 1863, whence he returned to Jefferson Barracks, and was later assigned to the Army of the Cumberland and served in the hospitals at Chattanooga and Knoxville during the winter of 1863-64. In the spring of 1864 he was with the Army of the Ohio in the Georgia Campaign, and at the battle of Peach Tree Creek was operating surgeon of the Twenty-third Army Corps. He was next assigned to the hospitals at Franklin and Knoxville, Tennessee, and later went to Marietta, Georgia, where he resigned from the army, and received permission to go before the examining board for an appointment as surgeon in the United States navy, and was the first assigned to the Brooklyn navy yard, where he served as one of the board of examiners for recruits. He was next appointed surgeon for the United States steamer Florida, but before going to sea, he was detailed and returned to duty on the receiving ship North Carolina, then in the Brooklyn navy yard. In March, 1865, he was detached from this position and ordered to report to the South Atlantic Squadron, under the command of Admiral Dahlgren, and assigned to duty in the naval hospitals at Land’s End, Island of St. Helena and Port Royal harbor. After serving a short time in these hospitals, he was assigned as surgeon to the United States steamer Nahant, in which capacity he served until the close of the war. Returning home he entered the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, where he graduated in medicine in 1866. After taking a post-graduate course, he went to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he practiced a few months, then returned to Lawrenceville and became associated with his father in practice, which continued until the death of the latter. He then succeeded his father as special pension examiner, a position he still holds. Dr. Darling is a member of the Pennsylvania State Medical Society, the Elmira Academy of Medicine, the Corning Academy of Medicine, the Tioga County Medical Association, and the Association of Railway Surgeons of the United States. He is a member of the F. & A. M., and the E. A. U., being medical examiner for the latter society. He is also medical examiner for seventeen life insurance companies, and local surgeon for the Fall Brook Railroad Company. On January 1, 1867, Dr. Darling married Julia L. Day, a daughter of Hon. C. E. Day, of Avon, Connecticut. Three sons have been born to this union, viz: Arland L., who studied medicine under his father, graduated at the University of Buffalo, in 1892, and has since been in partnership with his father; Carlos P., who graduated at Hobart College in 1894, and is now engaged in special study, and Walter W., now taking a post-graduate course. The family are members of the Protestant Episcopal church, of Lawrenceville, in which Dr. Darling is senior warden. In politics, he is a stanch Democrat, and served as assistant deputy revenue collector during Presidents Johnson’s administration. In February, 1897, he was elected burgess of Lawrenceville. He has always taken an active part in the promotion of education, and has been president of the school board for several terms. Dr. Darling is recognized as one of the leading, successful physicians of his native county.
Thomas V. Darling was born in Lawrenceville, Tioga county, October 17, 1842, youngest son of Dr. Lewis Darling, Sr. He was educated at Lawrenceville Academy, where he was a student at the breaking out of the war. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served four years. Returning home in shattered health, he never fully recovered, and died in September, 1890. He married Delphine Chase, of Lawrenceville, who, with two sons and two daughters, resides in Washington, D. C.
*Milton Pardee Orton, M. D., was born at Sharon, Connecticut,
in 1795. His paternal ancestor, Thomas Orton, came to Ancient Windsor,
Connecticut, in 1640, and from a very early date the family have been cultured,
literary people. He was also a descendant of Thomas Yale, one of the founders
of Yale College, and of George Pardee, of New Haven, whose parents were
Huguenots and were driven from France by the troubles there. George Pardee
was the founder of the famous Hopkins Grammar School, of New Haven. Dr.
Orton was also descended form Capt. Samuel Turner, of New Haven, a member
of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery and distinguished for his bravery.
He graduated at Yale with honor, after which he took the medical course
at the same institution. In 1834 he came to Lawrenceville, Tioga county,
where he practiced his profession for nearly thirty years. He married Mary
Lindsley Ford, oldest daughter of Hon. James Ford. They had ten children,
seven of whom grew to maturity. Mrs. Orton died in 1852, aged forty-two
years. Dr. Orten died February 2, 1864, while surgeon in charge at Hatteras
Inlet. Their children were as follows: James Ford; Maria Lindsley, wife
of Col. Eugene B. Beaumont, U. S. A., a retired officer now living at Wilkes-Barre,
who served in the War of the Rebellion, being five times brevetted for
gallant and meritorious service, and appointed to receive Jefferson Davis
when the latter was captured; Stella Shoemaker, widow of the late Joseph
F. Rusling, of Lawrenceville; Charles Ford, who married Sarah Morgan; Ellen
Bicking, who married James H. Sherrerd, of Philadelphia; Benjamin Ford,
who married Isabella A. Pleasants, and Chester Butler Orton.
* Contributed by Mrs. M. L. Beaumont
Joseph Fowler Rusling was born in Bridgton, Cumberland county, New Jersey, November 29, 1831, a son of Rev. Sedgwick and Electa W. (Cummings) Rusling, natives of New Jersey, and of English extraction. His parents reared a family of seven children, and his father died in Lawrenceville in 1876. Joseph F. was educated in the public schools of New Jersey and at Pennington Seminary. In September, 1847, he secured a clerkship with Bishop & Newell, a large grocery, grain and coal firm of New Brunswick, New Jersey. Five years later he bought the business and conducted it successfully for a long period. In 1855 he was appointed an agent for Asa Packer for the sale of coal in New York City. He shipped the first coal by rail to Newark, New Jersey, connecting the New Jersey Central, at Elizabeth, with the New Jersey railroad. These two roads having different gauges, he invented the broad tread-wheel, which permitted the cars to go direct through to Newark without unloading. Mr. Rusling was founder and president of the second building and loan association in the United States. At the breaking out of the Rebellion, he secured letters from President Frelinghuysen, of Rutgers College, to President Lincoln and Secretary Seward, and going to Washington, D. C., obtained a contract for supplying the government with forage. In October, 1861, he was appointed agent of the government to handle forage shipped over the Baltimore and Ohio railroad under Colonel Ingals. In the spring of 1862 he became agent of the government to purchase hay and oats in the west, ship them to the seat of war and oversee their transportation. While thus engaged he was taken sick and returned to his home in May, 1862, and for two years was unable to do any business. In 1864 he removed with his family to Lawrenceville, Tioga county, which continued to be his place of residence until his death, October 3, 1896. The first year of his residence in this village he bought hay and grain for the government. In 1868 he embarked in the hay business for himself, operating at times as many as fifteen presses, and continued the business up to 1873. In 1871 he invented a hay-tie, which is now in general use, and the same year he erected the Rusling block in Lawrenceville. In 1878 he took charge of the cattle bill in congress for the Humane Society, and finally secured laws for the better transportation of live stock from the west to the eastern markets. On December 23, 1857, Mr. Rusling married Stella Shoemaker Orten, a daughter of Dr. M. P. Orten, and grand-daughter of Hon. James Ford, a pioneer of Lawrenceville. Six children were born to this union, as follows: Elizabeth L., wife of R. D. Brundage, of Wilkes-Barre; Charles S., Ford O., Frank D., Henry D. and Stella. Mr. Rusling was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and was also connected with the I. O. O. F. and the F. & A. M. societies. In politics, a Republican, he was burgess of Lawrenceville and president of the school board in that borough at different periods.
John B. Smith, physician and surgeon, was born at Hornby, Steuben county, New York, March 14, 1838. His parents, Hugh and Lydia (Blendin) Smith, were natives of that State, and reared a family of five children, viz: David P., a deceased merchant of Riceville, Iowa; John B., of Lawrenceville; Harriet R., wife of Edward Markham, of Riceville; Edward E., a merchant at Brownville, Iowa, and Frank A., a merchant of Osage, Iowa. The father died in April, 1890, aged eighty-one years. His widow resides at Osage, Iowa, aged seventy-six years. John B. obtained his early education in the public schools of his native county, read medicine under Dr. Shannon, of Savona, New York, and Dr. Harrington, of Corning, attended lectures at the University of Buffalo, and graduated from that institution. He commenced practice at Hornby, New York, where he remained for eighteen years. In 1855 he located in Lawrenceville, Tioga county, and has since built up a lucrative practice. Dr. Smith married Lenora Chapman, a daughter of Samuel Chapman, of Lawrenceville, and has two sons, Lawrence C. and Hugh M. He is a member of the F. & A. M., and the Royal Arcanum; also of the Elmira Academy of Medicine: the Steuben County Medical Society, and the Tioga County Medical Society. In politics, he is a Republican.
Peleg B. Sandford, retired grocer, was born near Newark, New Jersey, December 8, 1814, a son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Back) Sandford, natives of New Jersey and Connecticut, respectively. He attended the public schools of New York City in boyhood, and when fifteen years of age became a clerk in the grocery store of James H. Cook, of New York, with whom he remained eleven years. He then formed a partnership with Edmund Driggs, and opened a grocery store at the corner of Twelfth and Broadway, where they continued in business two years, and then removed to the corner of Houston and Eldridge streets, continuing the business there up to 1856. In that year Mr. Sanford sold out and removed to Ridgebury township, Bradford county, Pennsylvania, and purchased a farm, upon which he lived up to 1879, when he sold out and retired to Lawrenceville, which has since been his home. On October 3, 1841, he married Kezia Malcomb, who bore him six children, viz: Susan A., widow of Samuel Wilson, of Clifton, New Jersey; Peleg, a resident of Caton, New York; Isabella, who resides at home; Catherine E., who died in infancy, and Francis and Clara J., twins, the former who died in infancy, and the latter the wife of P. L. Califf, of Lawrenceville. Mrs. Sanford died in 1873, aged fifty years. In politics, Mr. Sandford is a Democrat.
Henry Kirkland was born in England, August 25, 1824, and came to New York with his parents when ten years of age, settling in Utica. After attaining manhood, he married Amanda Hutchins, who became the mother of one son, William Henry, now a resident of Goodyears, New York. Mrs. Kirkland died in July, 1851, and March 27, 1853, he married Mrs. Jane Ann Denton, widow of Lorenzo D. Denton. She is the mother of one son by her first marriage, namely: James H. Denton, a resident of Sayre, Pennsylvania. The children of her second marriage are named as follows: George, a resident of Sayre, Bradford county; Harriet Amanda, wife of Leroy Smith, of Smithboro, New York; Lorenzo D., who died in 1889; Francis G., of Lawrenceville, and Elmer, who lives in Elmira. In 1865 Mr. Kirkland removed from Painted Post, New York, to Blossburg, Pennsylvania, and became associated with Thomas J. Mooers in the Blossburg foundry, the firm being Mooers & Kirkland. In the spring of 1868 he sold his interest in the business, because of failing health, and died July 17, 1868. On February 5, 1872, Mrs. Kirkland married John Hicks, of Cayuta, Schuyler county, New York, who died April 27, 1875. During the past seven years Mrs. Hicks has made her home with her son in Lawrenceville.
Francis G. Kirkland, proprietor of the Hotel Kirkland, of Lawrenceville, was born in Blossburg, Tioga county, December 5, 1865, a son of Henry and Jane Ann Kirkland. When he was not quite three years old his father died, and his mother removed to Painted Post, New York, where he received a common school education. In July, 1882, he came to Lawrenceville and began clerking in the Daggett House. During the succeeding seven years he clerked in stores in Corning, Freeville, Elmira and Havana, New York, and for Wing & Bostwick, of Lawrenceville; and also in the hotel at Lawrenceville, and the Wilcox House, Wellsboro. In February, 1890, he leased the hotel at Lawrenceville, and in January, 1894, purchased the property and changed the name to the Hotel Kirkland. Under his management the house has prospered, and is recognized as one of the best hotels in Tioga county. Mr. Kirkland is a Republican, in politics, and is now serving his second term as a member of the borough council. He is connected with both the lodge and encampment of the I. O. O. F., and in religion, is an adherent of the Protestant Episcopal church.
Leon A. Church, editor of the Lawrenceville Herald, was born April 30, 1860, in Deerfield township, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and is a son of Theodore C. and Julia (Dailey) Church, residents of Deerfield. His father is a son of Daniel D. Church, who came from Troupsburg, New York, at an early day and settled in Deerfield, and his mother is a daughter of Willis B. Dailey, a pioneer of Charleston township. Leon A. was educated in the common schools and at the Mansfield State Normal School, and began teaching in 1877, which occupation he continued for thirteen years. In 1883 he entered the office of the Knoxville Courier, with the intention of learning the printing trade, and during the next two years he worked in Knoxville, Westfield and Elkland, when not engaged in teaching. On February 1, 1892, he became associated with W. P. Ryon, of Lawrenceville, in the publication of the Herald, which partnership still continues. Mr. Church was married September 28, 1880, to Eleanor C. Corwin, a daughter of Daniel and Martha Corwin, of Deerfield, and has three children: Myrtie E., Mabel I. and Herold E. In politics, Mr. Church is a Republican, and in religion, an adherent of the Methodist Episcopal church. He has served as township clerk and inspector of elections in Deerfield, and is now filling his third term as clerk of Lawrenceville borough.
Eleazer Baldwin, a native of Connecticut, came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, in March, 1806, and located in Lawrence township, on the farm now owned by John Irvin. A few years later he purchased and moved to the property now owned by the widow of his son, Moses S. Baldwin. He married Betsey Stevens, February 2, 1803, who bore him five children, viz: Buell, Eleazer, Eunice, Moses S. and Thomas L. Mr. Baldwin died on the homestead, August 6, 1831, in the sixty-second year of his age.
Moses S. Baldwin was born on the Baldwin homestead in Lawrence township, Tioga county, September 22, 1815, attended the pioneer schools of his neighborhood, and endured the hardships and privations of those early days. He made lumbering and farming his principal business through life, and was an energetic, progressive man. He married Millicent H. Wylie, a daughter of Daniel B. and Betsey Wylie, July 26, 1846. She was born in Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania, November 5, 1825. Eight children were the fruits of this union, viz: Mary E., a physician of Newport, Rhode Island; Buell, and another son, both of whom died in infancy; Mose S., of Lawrence township; Kate W., a physician of Philadelphia; Daniel W., a well-known lawyer of Westfield; Lucy D., and Lemuel G., a physician of Brooklyn, New York. Mr. Baldwin died December 12, 1867. In politics, he was a Republican, filled all the township offices at different periods, and took a very active interest in public affairs.
Mose S. Baldwin was born on the Baldwin farm in Lawrence township, Tioga county, September 28, 1852, and is the oldest living son of Moses S. Baldwin. He was educated in the public schools and the State Normal School, at Mansfield, and has followed agriculture on the home farm up to the present. He married Miss Rose Osborn. In politics, he is a Republican, and has filled the offices of township clerk and school director.
Ephraim Thomas was born in Ireland, in 1788, immigrated to the United States about 1805, and finally located on the present Thomas farm in Lawrence township, Tioga county, Pennsylvania. His wife, Sally, bore him six children, viz: Sally, who married John Mourhees; Betsey, who married Luman Peck; William, Ephraim, Mary, who first married George Madison, and for her second husband, a Mr. McClure, and Ezekial, a farmer of Farmington township. Mr. Thomas was a carpenter, and followed that trade in connection with farming. He was also a local Methodist preacher, and died on September 8, 1852.
William Thomas, eldest son of Ephraim Thomas, was born in Lawrence township, Tioga county, April 15, 1818, was reared on the homestead, and followed farming during his lifetime. He purchased additional land to that taken up by his father, and was quite a prosperous man. His wife, Mary Ann, was a daughter of John and Caroline Crippen, of Farmington township. They were married September 22, 1844, and had one son, William R. Mrs. Thomas died August 10, 1866, and her husband, February 17, 1892. In early life Mr. Thomas was a Democrat, but later united with the Republican party.
Dr. William R. Thomas, only child of William Thomas, was born on the homestead farm in Lawrence township, Tioga county, February 28, 1858, attended the district schools in boyhood, and has spent his entire life on the place of his birth. He married Flora J., a daughter of Amos and Harriet Wingate, the youngest in a family of five children. She was born February 11, 1858, and is the mother of four children, viz: William R., Caroline C., Charles E., and Walter E. In 1881 Dr. Thomas began the study of medicine with Dr. Lewis Darling, of Lawrenceville, and the following year entered the Medical Department of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. The next three years he spent at the University of Buffalo, where he graduated in 1886. He practiced successfully for five years, when failing health compelled him to abandon his profession. Dr. Thomas and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and in politics, he is a Republican. He is also connected with the I. O. O. F., both lodge and encampment. He is one of the substantial farmers of his native township, where he owns a well-improved farm of 185 acres.
Julius Tremaine was born in Steuben county, New York, October 4, 1814, and was the second son of Lyman Tremaine. He was reared in his native county, and followed lumbering and farming the greater portion of his life. He came with his father to Lawrence township, Tioga county, where the family settled on the present Tremaine farm. He married Anna Roff, a daughter of Henry Roff. She was born September 30, 1814, and became the mother of seven children, as follows: Susan A., wife of W. M. Winter, of Lawrence township; Sarah J., wife of Allen T. Porter, of the same township; Charles H., a farmer of Lawrence; George M., a resident of Troupsburg, New York; William B., who lives in Lawrenceville; Levi J., a resident of Lawrence township, and Mary E., widow of E. J. Grant. Mr. Tremaine was an upright, Christian man, a successful farmer, and a prominent Democrat. He died December 29, 1882. His widow survived him over nine years, dying January 31, 1892.
Charles H. Tremaine, eldest son of Julius Tremaine, and grandson of Lyman Tremaine, was born on the homestead farm in Lawrence township, Tioga county, February 4, 1841, and has spent his entire life upon the same place. He obtained a common school education, and worked with his father in the lumber business until the death of the latter, when he bought out the other heirs and continued the business alone. On November 21, 1865, he married Thyrza M. Guile, a daughter of Joseph Guile. She was born December 18, 1841, and has two children: Frank B., a farmer on the old homestead, who married Maria Kelts, a daughter of Delos and Maria Kelts, of Lawrence township, and has two children, Charles D. and Gilbert E.; and Julius E., who resides at home. The family are members of the Protestant Episcopal church, and in politics, adherents of the Democratic party. Mr. Tremaine is a member of the F. & A. M., and of the I. O. O. F., both lodge and encampment. He has served as a school director, and township supervisor, and is one of the well-known citizens of the township.
Thomas Knapp was born in Connecticut, in 1801, and the following year his parents, Elijah and Currance (Barnes) Knapp, removed from Connecticut to Lindley, New York. Thomas was the eldest in a family of eleven children, viz: Thomas, Seldon, Frederick, Abraham, Jacob, Shadrack, Derrick, Betsey, Polly, Sally and Lemiza. The father was killed by a rolling log, about 1838. The subject of this sketch was reared in New York state, living there until 1832, in which year he removed to Tioga county. He married Emily Cady, a daughter of John and Amelia Cady, who bore him the following children: George, deceased; Mary, wife of J. W. Jackson, of Wyoming county, New York; Thomas C., of Lawrence township; Ira B., a carpenter of Steuben county, New York; John C. and Lewis J., both deceased; Andrew M., a resident of Caton, New York; Theresa P., wife of Daniel Stoddard, of Steuben county, and Martha, widow of Abraham Knapp. Mrs. Knapp died April 15, 1875, and her husband, September 24, 1889.
Thomas C. Knapp, oldest living son of Thomas Knapp, was born in Lindley, New York, June 27, 1831, and grew to manhood in this county. In 1850 he purchased twenty-five acres of land in Lawrence township, and an additional tract of fifty acres in 1861, on which he has been engaged in farming up to the present. In 1855 he married Julie Cady, a daughter of Samuel and Diantha Cady, of Lawrence township, who bore him one son, Thomas, who died in infancy. In September 1864, Mr. Knapp enlisted in the First New York Cavalry, and was later transferred to the Second New York Cavalry. He participated in the battles of Cedar Creek, Warm Springs, the capture of Early’s command at Bladenburg, and Five Forks, and was discharged from the service on June 5, 1865. Returning home, he resumed his duties on the farm. Mr. Knapp is a member of the G. A. R., and in politics, a stanch Democrat. He has filled the offices of supervisor, constable and collector of Lawrence township.
Samuel Rockwell, retired farmer, was born in Tariffville, Hartford county, Connecticut, May 21, 1816, a son of John T. and Amanda (Cowles) Rockwell, natives of that State. Samuel is the eldest in a family of six children, and the only survivor. He received a common school education n Connecticut and New York, his parents removing to Southport, New York, when he was about nine years old. He learned the chairmaker’s trade, and in February, 1839, located in Lawrenceville, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, where he followed his trade eleven years. He then bought his present farm four miles east of Lawrenceville, on which he settled, continuing to work at his trade for about twenty years, at the end of which period he gave up that business and devoted his entire attention to farming. In September, 1839, he married Johanna Hunt, a daughter of Hosea Hunt, to which union were born ten children, as follows: Hosea H., a lawyer of Elmira; Edward E., a farmer of Lawrence township; Anna, wife of George Mitchell, of Jackson township; John P., a resident of Minneapolis; Julia M., wife of Charles Seely, of Caton, New York; Sarah J., wife of D. L. Mulford, of St. Paul; Joseph W. and Josephine, twins, the former a resident of Lawrence township, and the latter died in infancy; Nellie M., wife of Chester Blanchard, of Farmington township, and Gertrude A., wife of R. W. Clark, of California. Joseph W. was born November 2, 1851, was educated in the district schools and the State Normal School, at Mansfield, and taught for seventeen terms, since which time he has followed farming. He was married September 19, 1883, to Mrs. Lucy Chase, widow of William H. Chase, and daughter of William W. Warren. He has served as constable and collector of the township for seven years, and is present township clerk. The mother of these children died March 23, 1884, aged sixty-nine years. Mr. Rockwell is a member of the Lawrenceville Presbyterian church, of which he has been ruling elder since June, 1840. Politically, he is a Republican, and has been a school director for fifteen years, secretary of the school board for twelve years, and township assessor four years.
Edward E. Rockwell, second son of Samuel Rockwell, was born in Lawrenceville, Tioga county, September 4, 1841. He attended the district schools in boyhood, and when nineteen years of age went to Cameron county and worked one year in the lumber woods. He then enlisted in Company K, Twenty-third New York Volunteers, and served in General Pope’s campaign, participating in the battle of Second Bull Run, and also at South Mountain, Antietam and Fredericksburg. He was honorably discharged in May, 1863. Returning home, he followed lumbering up to 1870, when he purchased his present farm of eighty acres, four miles east of Lawrenceville, and has since been engaged in farming. Mr. Rockwell married Martha Tilford, a daughter of Charles Tilford, of Lawrence township, November 15, 1865. They are the parents of two children, viz: Frank A., who was accidentally killed while attending school at Hornellsville, New York, and Charles S., a farmer of Lawrence. Politically, a Republican, Mr. Rockwell has been a school director for twelve years, and is now serving his third term as township assessor. Like most old soldiers, he is a member of the G. A. R. He is a member of the East Lawrence Christian church and has been Sunday-school superintendent twelve successive years.
William H. Evans, a native of New Hampshire, came to Tioga county in 1836 and located in Elkland, where he was engaged in merchandising four years. He then purchased a farm in Lawrence township, and died there in 1846. He married Sallie Parkhurst, who bore him five children, viz: Maria, deceased wife of Dr. R. P. Brown, of Addison, New York; Allison H., deceased; Martha, wife of Thomas J. Lake, of Barto, Florida; William M., a farmer at Amherst Court House, Virginia, and Curtis P., a carpenter of Elkland.
Allison H. Evans was born in Springfield township, Bradford county, Pennsylvania, May 4, 1821, and was fifteen years old when his parents came to Elkland, Tioga county. He was employed as a clerk in his father’s store in that town, where he also worked for a time in a distillery. In 1840 the family located in Lawrence township, where Allison H. was engaged in agricultural pursuits to the time of his death, March 16, 1881. In 1846 he married Abigail Haven, who bore him one daughter, Allena, who married J. M. Harrison, deceased, and is now the wife of Marcus Nye, ofWhitesville, New York. Mrs. Evans died in 1848, and in 1849 he married Laura M. Haven, a sister of his first wife. Five children were born to this union, as follows: Alton C., of Lawrence township; Edgar F., a contractor and builder of Elmira; Hattie R., wife of E. G. Haven, of the same city; Nettie L., wife of Dr. M. R. Pritchard, of Harrison Valley, and Nellie H., deceased. Mrs. Evans died November 19, 1882, aged fifty-three.
Alton C. Evans, oldest child of Allison H. and Laura M. Evans, was born in Lawrence township, Tioga county, March 9, 1852. He received a common school education, and worked on the home farm until twenty-three years of age, when he purchased a farm in Lawrence township, but sold it four years later and moved to Farmington township. He cultivated rented farms in that township eight years, and then returning to Lawrence township, bought his present farm of sixty acres, five miles west of Lawrenceville, on which he has since lived. Mr. Evans married Phebe D. Lugg, a daughter of Robert and Rebecca Lugg, of Nelson. She was born August 6, 1859, and has two children: Leah R., a teacher, and Dollie. The family are members of the Presbyterian church, and politically, Mr. Evans is a Democrat.
Joseph Guile, a native of Vermont, born July 23, 1813, was a son of Leonard Guile, who was born in the same State September 24, 1793. Joseph was reared in Vermont, and came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, in 1840, locating on Lamb’s creek, where he operated a saw-mill for about seven years. He then removed to Middlebury township and purchased 300 acres of timber land, from which he cleared a farm of 150 acres. He next removed to Lawrence township, rented a saw-mill, and followed lumbering there for five years, at the end of which time he removed to Tioga township, leased the DePui saw and Grist-mills, and carried on a large and lucrative business for five years. Becoming a member of the firm of Tubbs, Ransom & Guile, he engaged extensively in the lumber business in Lawrence township and vicinity for upwards of ten years, then sold his interest to his partners and purchased a farm at Somer’s Lane, where he also built a store and carried on the mercantile business up to the time of his death, July 24, 1885. Mr. Guile married Susan Leonard, a daughter of Ebenezer Leonard. She was born on February 15, 1813, and bore him a family of eleven children, viz: Marietta, born February 15, 1831, and died October 7, 1889; John R., born January 5, 1833, and died February 14, 1854; Martha J., born January 23, 1835, and died March 27, 1842; Curtis C., born April 17, 1837, a farmer just across the line in New York state; Adeline E., born July 9, 1839, and died in August, 1885; Thyrza M., born December 18, 1841, wife of Charles Tremaine, of Lawrence township; Wyat S., born November 25, 1843, and died December 16, 1852; Norman L., born October 20, 1845, a farmer at Crown Point, New York; Leonard J., born July 23, 1848, a farmer in Lawrence township; Quincy M., born January 19, 1853, a conductor on the Fall Brook railroad, residing at Corning, and Charles E., born December 10, 1857, a conductor on the Erie railroad, living at Cameron, New York. Mrs. Guile died on the old home stead October 17, 1875.
Leonard J. Guile, son of Joseph Guile, was born in Lawrence township, Tioga county, July 23, 1848, attended the common schools in boyhood, and when nineteen years of age began working the home farm on shares. Two years later he entered his father’s store, in which he clerked two years, next spent two years in Jackson township in the lumber business, and then found employment on the Tioga railroad. At the end of one year he began working for the Fall Brook railroad, where he remained five years. He next spent a year in tobacco growing, and then went to Lyons, New York, and carried on a restaurant there for a couple of years, at the end of which period he purchased his present farm of seventy-seven acres south of Lawrenceville, on which he has since resided. On July 11, 1868, he married Sarah A. Warren, a daughter of Elijah and Mary (Edison) Warren, who was born on August 8, 1844. Mr. Guile is one of the progressive farmers of Lawrence, and in politics, a stanch Republican.
Nelvin H. Brant was born in Delphi, Delaware county, New York, in 1812, a son of Hamilton Brant, a native of Massachusetts. He followed farming in his native State up to 1857, in which year he purchased a farm in Lawrence township, Tioga county, where the remaining years of his life were passed. His wife, Jerusha, was a daughter of Jeremiah Mulford, of Steuben county, New York, and bore him nine children, as follows: Albert and Bruce, both of whom were drowned in boyhood; Legrand G. of Lawrence township; Anna J., wife of James Loop, of Elmira; Ross M., who died at the age of twenty; Charles P., a carpenter at Corning; Bruce N., who lives on the old homestead; Mrs. Ella S. Wells, of Elmira, and Jennie. Mr. Brant died on September 3, 1865, and his wife, November 7, 1882, surviving him over seventeen years.
Legrand G. Brant, oldest living child of Nelvin H. Brant, was born in Lindley, New York, March 20, 1848, and came with his parents to this county. On January 14, 1864, when in his sixteenth year, he enlisted in Company G, One Hundred and Sixty-first New York Volunteers, and participated in the following engagements: Sabine Cross Road, Pleasant Hill, Cane River Crossing, Ovalooses Prairie, Yellow Bayou, Siege of Fort Morgan, and the Siege of Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely. He was transferred to Battalion One Hundred and Sixty-first New York regiment, September 20, 1865, and promoted to corporal of Company B. He was discharged at Tallahasse, Florida, November 12, 1865, and returning home had charge of the homestead farm for ten years. In 1866 he purchased a tract of land in Lawrence township, to which he subsequently added, until he now owns 160 acres. In the spring of 1882 he located on this property, and is making a specialty of sheep growing. Mr. Brant married Ella M. Horton, a daughter of Hiram and Hannah Horton, of Lawrence, October 11, 1876. She is the youngest in a family of eight children, and was born January 1, 1850. Seven children are the fruits of this union, viz: Arthur G., Floyd H., Cora M., Walter S., Morton C., Frank and Jennie L. Mrs. Brant is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. In politics, Mr. Brant is a Republican, has served as supervisor and school director, and is a member of the G. A. R., and the P. of H. societies.
Lyman Hurlbut was a lineal descendant of Thomas Hurlbut, who came from England in 1635 and helped to establish the Saybrook colony, in Connecticut. He was born in the Wyoming valley, Pennsylvania, May 2, 1798, a son of Napthali Hurlbut, a native of Groton, Connecticut, born August 12, 1767. His father was married in Hanover, Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, July 25, 1793, to Olive Smith, a native of Lyme, Connecticut, and a daughter of Dr. William Hooker Smith, of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Their children were as follows: Asenath, Lyman, Esther Eliza, who married Abel Hoyt, of Osceola, and died in that borough; Mary Ann, Amos Avery, William Hooker, and John Randolph, a resident of Osceola. The father never lived in this county, and died in Burns, New York, March 28, 1844. When a young man, Lyman left his home in the Wyoming valley and entered the mercantile house of Philip Hone, of New York City. After a varied experience in New York, he returned to the Wyoming valley and became one of the leading contractors of his time. He built a large portion of the North Branch canal, from Wilkes-Barre to Towanda, several bridges across the Susquehanna, and employed several hundred men for a number of years. In the spring of 1856 he came with his family to Tioga county, and purchased what was then known as the Newbury Cloos farm, on the Cowanesque river, in Deerfield township. In the spring of 1861 he sold this place and bought the Thomas Richardson farm, four miles west of Lawrenceville, in Lawrence township, where he lived until his wife’s death, after which he made his home with his youngest daughter, Mrs. Dewitt Baxter, in Nelson, and died on May 20, 1876, aged seventy-nine years. Mr. Hurlbut married Caroline Scovill, July 17, 1823, to which union were born eight children, as follows: George Lyman, John Scovill, Maria G., wife of James Hancock; William N., a resident of Westfield; Esther Olive, wife of Reuben Close; Caroline Scovill, wife of Luke Gibson; Sarah Myers, wife of Dewitt Baxter, and Charles Fuller, a real estate agent of Elmira, New York. Mr. Hurlbut was a man of strong personality, striking physique, large-hearted and liberal in his views, and a consistent Christian.
George Lyman Hurlbut, eldest child of Lyman Hurlbut, was born in Exeter, Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, December 25, 1827. He received a good education, graduating from the Wyoming Seminary, and taught a few terms of school. In 1851 he went to California, where he spent about four years. Returning home, he came with his parents to Deerfield township, Tioga county, in the spring of 1856, where he became interested in the tanning business. Five years later the family removed to Lawrence township. On August 9, 1862, Mr. Hurlbut enlisted in Company B, One Hundred and Thirty-sixth Pennsylvania Volunteers, and participated in the battles of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and many other minor engagements. He was honorably discharged at Harrisburg, May 29, 1863, and returned to his home in Lawrence township. Here he followed agriculture up to his death, November 12, 1892, leaving to his family a good farm of 200 acres. He was married November 13, 1861, to Jane E. Blanchard, a daughter of Charles Blanchard, of Lawrence township, who bore him five children, as follows: Carrie L., a teacher in Detroit; Emma, Marion, Charles L., who was drowned in the Cowanesque, at Nelson, when about eighteen years old, and John, who manages the old homestead. Mr. Hurlbut was a member of the G. A. R., and I. O. O. F. In politics, a Republican, he filled the offices of school director and assessor, and was one of the prominent citizens of Lawrence township.
Henry P. Kirkendall, a native of New Jersey, was married in Tomkins county, New York, and subsequently located in the town of Barton, Tioga county, New York, where he followed farming until his removal to Lawrenceville, Tioga county, Pennsylvania. Here he engaged in the lumber business, and later bought a farm at Somer’s Lane, where he spent the remaining years of his life. His family were as follows: Mrs. Louisa T. Reep, Julius E., deceased; Samuel E., a lawyer of Millerton; Erastus, who lives on the old homestead; John K., and William H., both deceased; Mary J., wife of Daniel Higgins, of Rockland, Illinois; James, Henry P., Leonard R., and Martha, who died in infancy. Mr. Kirkendall was actively interested in educational matters, and always took a prominent part in school work.
Vine D. Patchin was born in Paulding, Dutchess county, New York, in 1803, a son of John and Jerusha (Cook) Patchin, and grandson of Andrew Patchin, a native of New England, and a soldier in the Revolution, who died at White Plains during that struggle for liberty. Andrew married Mary Mallory, who bore him two children, John, and a daughter who married a Mr. Vinegar. John Patchin was born in Dutchess county, New York, married Jerusha Cook, and reared three children, viz: Vine D., Levi M. and Sally, all of whom are dead. Vine D. received a common school education, followed farming for a livelihood, and came to Tioga county in April, 1842, locating in Richmond township, where he purchased a farm on which he resided up to his death, in 1880. He married Maria H. Davidson, a daughter of James Davidson, to which union were born three children, viz: Andrew J., of Lawrence township; Orville M. and Arvine, the last two being deceased. Mrs. Patchin died in 1885.
Andrew J. Patchin, only living child of Vine D. Patchin, was born in Chenango county, New York, May 25, 1830, and was twelve years old when his parents came to Tioga county. When fifteen years of age he commenced working in the lumber woods, and fifteen years later purchased a farm in Richmond township, which he cultivated five years, then sold it and went to work in the Arnot mines. In 1870 he bought his present farm, which now comprises 200 acres, in Lawrence township, three miles south of Lawrenceville, where he has since resided. In 1852 he married Jane Pratt, a daughter of Robert Pratt, who bore him two children, viz: Vine D., born December 14, 1866, who was killed by the cars October 1, 1892, while filling the position of conductor, and Mart K., born November 19, 1872, who was married November 1, 1894, to Hattie J., daughter of Almeron Perry, of Richmond township, and has charge of the homestead farm. Politically, the family are Republicans. Mr. Patchin has been a school director two terms, supervisor two terms, and auditor for three terms. He is a member of the F. & A. M., and the I. O. O. F., while his son, Mart K., is also a member of the latter society.
Allen T. Porter was born in Troy, Bradford county, Pennsylvania, July 8, 1837, a son of Uel Porter, a native of Bethlehem, Albany county, New York, born December 15, 1805. His father was the youngest of three children born to Thomas and Hannah Porter, viz: John, Betsey and Uel. His grandparents located at Troy, Pennsylvania, in 1814, where Thomas died July 19, 1824, and his wife, May 23, 1840. Uel Porter was married February 27, 1825, to Eliza A. Furman, of Columbia township, Bradford county, who was born in Delaware county, New York, August 25, 1807. They became the parents of nine children, as follows: Rensselaer, born July 14, 1826, and died October 26, 1853; John F., born April 27, 1828, and died in 1894: James, born April 22, 1831, is a farmer at Canton, Bradford county; Lydia, deceased, who was born April 2, 1833; Elizabeth, born February 14, 1835, wife of P. A. Palmer, of Chicago; Allen T., now residing in Lawrence township; Ezra E., born August 5, 1843, and died May 9, 1844; Eliza H., born January 30, 1847, who is the wife of J. N. Chilson, of Chicago, and Alvin, born December 22, 1849, now a carpenter and builder of Elma, Chehalis county, Washington. The parents both died in Troy, Bradford county. The subject of this sketch remained with his parents until twenty-one years of age. He enlisted February 24, 1864, in Company M, One Hundred and Twelfth regiment, Second Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery. His regiment was first stationed at Fort Ethan Allen and Fort Marcy. He was engaged in the battle of Cold Harbor and in front of Petersburg, where he was taken sick and sent to the hospital. He remained in hospital almost a year, and was detailed for duty when discharged from the service at the close of the war. Returning to Troy, Bradford county, he soon after went to Fall Brook, Tioga county, where he was employed by the Fall Brook Coal Company until the spring of 1866. Three years later he located at Lawrenceville, but after a short stay in that borough moved to Mansfield, where he lived two years. In the spring of 1874 he purchased his present farm of 127 acres two miles west of Lawrenceville, where he has since devoted his attention to farming. Mr. Porter has been twice married. On December 24, 1856, he married Wealthy Johnson, a daughter of Dr. P. A. Johnson, of Troy, who bore him two children, viz: Edward E., a merchant tailor of Denver, Colorado, and Carrie M., wife of H. B. Milligan, of Lake Charles, Louisiana. His second marriage occurred June 30, 1867, to Sarah J., a daughter of Julius and Anna Tremaine, of Lawrence township. He is a member of the I. O. O. F., the G. A. R., and the Farmer’s Industrial Union, and was on the state committee of the Farmer’s Alliance and Agricultural School. In politics, Mr. Porter is a stanch adherent of the Democratic party.
John McAvoy was born in Queens county, Ireland, June 24, 1830, a son of Samuel and Maria (Burke) McAvoy, natives of Ireland. His father was a sergeant and master-tailor in the British army, and had two children, Julia, widow of Edward Hinds, who resides in Wisconsin, and John. The latter attended the public schools of his native land, and worked on a farm until his nineteenth year, when he immigrated to the United States and found employment in a bottling works in Albany, New York, where he spent two years. He then removed to Corning, but two months later located in Richmond township, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and for thirty-four years was in the employ of the Tioga Railroad Company, as a foreman, with the exception of eight months, in 1868, when he worked on the Kansas Pacific railroad, in Kansas. In the spring of 1879 he moved to his present farm, which he had purchased two years before, consisting of seventy-five acres, three miles south of Lawrenceville, on the Tioga river. Here he has since devoted his whole attention to agriculture. Mr. McAvoy was married May 31, 1865, to Ann O’Conner, who was born in Dublin, Ireland, May 22, 1825, a daughter of John O’Conner. Three children have blessed this union, viz: Thomas M., a train despatcher on the Fall Brook railroad at Corning, New York; Julia, wife of Hugh Weiscot, of Rochester, New York, and Simon, telegraph operator for the Fall Brook railroad at Lawrenceville during the past eighteen years. The family are members of the Catholic church, and ardent supporters of the Democratic party.
Miletus Brown was born in Cayuga county, New York, there grew to manhood, and came to Tioga county, Pennsylvania, purchasing a farm in Chatham township. He married Paulina Warner, who died on January 2, 1879. She was the mother of eight children, named as follows: Burton, who was killed in a collision on board the steamer West Point, August 18, 1862; Merrit B., of Lawrence township; George, a resident of Middlebury Center; Elizabeth, wife of J. D. Carpenter, of the same place; Prudence, wife of Curtis Brewer, of Deerfield; John B., of Mansfield; Charles, deceased, and Stella, wife of Charles Carpenter, of Middlebury Center. Mr. Brown died in Chatham township, February 24, 1897, aged seventy-seven years.
Merrit B. Brown was born in Cayuga county, New York, March 11, 1843, and is the eldest living child of Miletus Brown. He received a good common school education, and when fifteen years of age began working as a farm hand, which he followed several years, and then purchased a few teams and hauled lumber for some years. He later acted as agent for the Shakers, on a large broom-corn farm, and after this rented farm lands for several years, until he settled on his present farm, which he finally purchased, and has since been engaged in general farming and tobacco growing. Mr. Brown was married January 1, 1874, to Catherine, a daughter of James Paddock, of Chatham township, and has one son, Dewitt A., born November 27, 1877. Mrs. Brown is a member of the Baptist church. In politics, Mr. Brown is a Republican, and has filled the office of township auditor two terms.
John McCallum, a native of Scotland, is claimed to have been the fifth settler of Farmington township, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, where he located early in the present century. He married Sarah Gee, a daughter of William Gee, of Orange county, New York. Twelve children were born to this union, nine of whom grew to maturity, viz: William, a resident of Wisconsin; Joseph, Betsey, and Jane, all deceased; Charles, who lives in Wisconsin; John deceased; Thomas, a resident of Elmira; Joshua G., of Farmington township, and Maria, who lives in Illinois. Mr. McCallum lived on the farm in Farmington township, now the home of his son, Joshua G., up to his death, in 1862. He cleared this property from the original forest, and endured all the privations of pioneer life. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and in politics, a Republican.
Joseph McCallum, a native of New York state, born in 1814, came to Tioga county with his parents, and subsequently settled on an adjoining tract of land to the one taken up by his father, where he followed farming the remaining years of his life, and died in April, 1880. He married Mercy A. Colegrove, a daughter of William Colegrove, of Middlebury, to which union were born the following children: William H., of Lawrence township; Susanna F., wife of Lawrence Watson, of Farmington; Sophia L., wife of Darius Gee, of Lindley, New York; Benjamin F., deceased; Joseph B., who died while a soldier in the Union army during the Rebellion; Celestia, deceased; Emma Jane, wife of Euclid E. White, of Galeton; Adaline E., wife of F. D. Pierce, of Farmington; Elsie E., wife of C. H. Buckbee, of Nelson; Olin E. and Franklin, both deceased; Ada A., of Rochester; Arthur L., who lives in Corning, and James B., a resident of Farmington township. Mrs. McCallum died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Pierce, in Farmington township, October 1, 1896.
William H. McCallum was born in Farmington township, Tioga county, March 30, 1836, oldest son of Joseph McCallum, and worked on the homestead until 1862, when he purchased a farm in the same township. In August, 1863, he was drafted, and assigned to Company A, One Hundred and Forty-ninth regiment. He was wounded at Spottsylvania Court House, and was mustered out of the service at Elmira, New York, at the close of the war. Returning home he resumed his duties on the farm, and continued to live in Farmington township until 1886. He then purchased 150 acres of land three miles southwest of Lawrenceville, on which he has since resided. Mr. McCallum was married November 25, 1855, to Rachel Gee, a daughter of Daniel and Mary A. Gee, who bore him three children, Viz: Edgar L., who died at the age of twelve years; May B., wife of Eugene Hammond, of Wellsboro, and Floyd E. Mrs. McCallum died in September, 1889, aged fifty-three years. He was again married November 1, 1890, to Mrs. W. H. Sink, a step-daughter of J. W. Gilson, of Bradford. Politically, Mr. McCallum is a Republican, served as constable and collector of Farmington two years each, three years as auditor of Lawrenceville towns
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