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History of Bradford County, Pennsylvania with Biographical SketchesBy H. C. Bradsby, 1891If You Have Photos of People Mentioned on the Page, Send Them In For Inclusion |
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In May, 1871, he married a daughter of the late T. M. Wilson, at that time a resident of Illinois. To bless this union, one child, a daughter, was, October 7, 1878.
Dr. Payne is a member of the Bradford County Medical Society, of which he has served as secretary and president, and is also a member of the State Medical Society of Pennsylvania. Upon the organization of the Pennsylvania State Board of Health, he was appointed inspector of the Lycoming district, composed of the counties of Lycoming, Tioga, Potter, Bradford and Sullivan, which office he still holds. In politics, as have all naval officers, he has given respect and obedience to administrations, regardless of partisan politics, but, at all times, maintains tenaciously all rights of citizenship. He is a member of the Presbyterian Church, and was ordained presiding elder, in January, 1886; he has frequently been a delegate to the Presbytery, and was one of the commissioners to the Centennial General Assembly, in Philadelphia, in 1888.
JOSEPH K. PEASE, farmer, Pike township, P. O. LeRaysville, was born
in Enfield, Conn., December 25, 1821, and is the youngest of
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six children born to Alpheus and Prudence (Kingsbury) Pease, who were of English descent, and in 1825 settled on the farm where our subject now lives, then a dense forest. Joseph K. received his education by attending the district and LeRaysville borough schools, and by much persistent private study; he began teaching at twenty-one, and taught fourteen terms. He was married, in May, 1862, to Maria F., daughter of Daniel and Lydia (Buffington) Chaffee, of Warren, where they settled in 1827. Mr. and Mrs. Pease have two children: Flora L. and Orlo O., both living at home. Mr. Pease was in mercantile business at West Warren from 1868 until 1877, and deputy postmaster at that place for three years; he engaged in farming at Pottersville, in 1877, since then living on his present farm. The Pease and Kingsbury families both belong to the early colony at Plymouth, Mass. Mr. Pease is a member of the Congregational Church, Farmers’ Alliance and Democratic party.
HON. BENJAMIN M. PECK, president judge of the Thirteenth Judicial District of Pennsylvania, of Towanda, is a son of Hezekiah M. Peck, who came with his father, Hezekiah Peck, from Warren, R. I., to Bradford county, in 1812, and first located on a farm in Smithfield township. He remained upon his farm until 1889, when he sold it, and bought a gristmill, a tannery, wagon and blacksmith shops, and a furniture factory of moderate capacity, all of which branches of business he was at one time carrying on together. On September 26, 1821, he was united in marriage with Ruth Hale, also from Warren, R. I., a daughter of Benjamin Hale, and they had a family of three sons and three daughters, all living, except William A., who died in 1875, the others being as follows: Mrs. Mary W. Stanley, of Clifton Springs, N. Y.; George S., of Wysox; Mrs. Sophia C. Shoemaker, of Waverly, N. Y.; Benjamin M., the subject of this sketch, and Mrs. Frances C. White, of Dakota. The mother departed this life in 1867, and the father died at the residence of Mrs. White, in Barclay township, in 1872.
Judge Peck was born in this county, October 5, 1838, and was in attendance at the public schools, also the Smithfield Academy, and was then a student for a short time at the Collegiate Institute at Towanda. In 1858 he entered the office of Col. Elhanan Smith, Towanda, as a law student, and was admitted to the bar as an attorney and counselor at law, in September, 1860, opening at once his law office, and was actively in the practice until August 13, 1862, when he enlisted as a private in Company B, One hundred and Forty-first Regiment P. V. I., and at the organization thereof was made first sergeant of the company; in a short time he became second lieutenant, and Mary 23, 1863, he became Captain of company B; he was with his command without interruption until October 8, 1864, when he was detailed to command the First Regiment, United States Sharpshooters, and he continued in this command until that regiment was mustered out of the service, in January, 1865. He was then appointed, by Maj-Gen. Humphreys (subject to the approval of the Secretary of War), assistant commissary of musters of the Third Division, Second Army Corps, on the staff of Major Gen. Mott, and remained in this position until mustered out at the close of the war, may 28, 1865. He was severely wounded at the battle of Chancellors-
In 1872 Benjamin M. Peck was elected of the office of prothonotary, and was re-elected, serving six years. On retiring from office he resumed the practice of his profession. Upon the organization of the Citizens National Bank, in 1876, he was elected director and vice-president, and president in 1887. In 1890 he resigned his official connection with the bank upon his election to the position of president judge of the courts of this district, a position he is now filling with distinguished eminence. Judge Benjamin M. Peck and Miss Sarah H. Watkins were joined in wedlock, April 9, 1863; she is the daughter of Mr. John Watkins, of Athens, this county, one of the prominent families of the county, of English descent. The children of Judge and Mrs. Peck are Guy W. Peck (a civil engineer, in Denver, Colo.) and Mary A. (Mrs. Charles J. Califf). The family worship at the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which Judge Peck is a trustee, class-leader and Sunday-school superintendent. He is a member of G. A. R., Watkins Post, No. 68, and trustee of the Susquehanna Collegiate Institute, Towanda.
CAPT. GEORGE S. PECK, mill-wright, machinist and pattern-maker, Wysox township, was born in Smithfield, this county, July 24, 1825, and is the second in the family of six children of Hezekiah M. and Ruth (Hale) Peck. He was reared on a farm and educated in the common schools, and, at twenty-one, entered into partnership with his father in his gristmill, at Smithfield, where he remained twelve years, during which time he spent two years in Wisconsin. He studied dentistry two years with Dr. L. B. Hyatt, of Smithfield, and then located in Towanda, in the practice of dentistry. On September 12, 1861, he joined, as captain, Company G, fifty-seventh P. V. I., and resigned his commission September 2, 1862; then returned to Towanda, and for two years was engineer on the Barclay Railroad; then engaged in the machinist business, which he has since followed; was superintendent in Carman’s foundry, at Towanda, four years, and since that time has constructed a great many mills in Bradford and Wyoming counties; he had charge of the machinery in the cabinet department, in the base of the Treasury building at Washington, from April, 1888, until May, 1889. He recently remodeled and adjusted all the machinery in the Elmira and
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Athens Bridge Works; in his branch of mechanics Mr. Peck is without a peer. He was married, December 31, 1847, to Celestia M., daughter of Dr. Seth and Lydia (Hill) Salsbury. Mrs. Peck, who was a second cousin of the illustrious David B. Hill, of New York, died in 1867. Mr. and Mrs. Peck had five children, four of whom are living: George S., Jr., assistant superintendent in the Athens Bridge Works; Kincade H., foreman in the Elmira Bridge Works; Clarence Peak, a machinist, and Ellen S., who resides in Athens. Mr. Peck is a member of the Masonic Lodge at Athens, and in politics is a most loyal life-long Democrat.
FRED ALBERT PENDLETON (deceased) was born in Warren township, this county, February 18, 1866, a son of James and Nancy (Abell) Pendleton, natives of Rhode Island and of English stock. His father was a farmer, born January 2, 1831, and is a resident of Little Meadows, N. Y.; his mother died October 5, 1888. Their only children were twins: Fred Albert and Frank Adelbert. The former was reared on the father’s farm in Warren township, and when he commenced life on his own account, he engaged in merchandising, and followed this successfully till toward the close of his life, when he closed out his store, and purchased a farm of eighty acres, where he spent the remainder of his days. He married, May 14, 1887, Lettie, daughter of Hamilton and Jane (Walker) Morrow, the father a native of Ireland and the mother of New York. They reared a family of seven children, of whom Lettie, the youngest, was reared, educated and married in Herrick township. Fred Albert Pendleton, the subject of this sketch, though young when he died, was one of the promising men of the county; his death occurred November 17, 1889. His only child died March 15, 1889. Through his mother, who was an Abell, Fred was one of the heirs to the great Abell estate of Baltimore, and his widow is now the owner of the estate.
RAYMOND PEPPER, farmer, West Burlington township, P. O. Troy, was
born in Towanda, this county, September 11, 1824, a son of William and
Amy (Bagley) Pepper, farmers of Towanda township, of German origin. The
subject of this memoir was reared on the farm, educated in the schools
of his native town, and has followed agricultural pursuits. He was a soldier
in the Civil War, having enlisted in Company K, Second New York Cavalry,
and experienced great hardships by which his health was undermined; was
honorably discharged at the end of the war, being present at Lee’s surrender,
and he is a pensioner. Mr. Pepper was married November 21, 1850, to Emily
E. Landon, of Canton. She was born of English descent March 14, 1829, daughter
of David S. and Lucy (Case) Landon, natives of Bradford county. Her grandfather
Landon was a soldier in the War of the Revolution seven and one half years;
was one of the bodyguards of General Washington, and became a pensioner.
To Mr. and Mrs. Pepper have been born six children, viz.: David, born September
10, 1851, married to Odessa Baxter; Frank, born December 1, 1853, married
to Marilla Clark; Clara B., born January 24, 1859, wife of Albert Bailey;
James V., born December 21, 1862; Jennie Mae, born May 5, 1867, wife of
Fred Allen; Raymond D., born April 16, 1869,
R. N. PERRY, insurance agent, Canton, is a native of Owego, N. Y., born July 13, 1848, a son of Hiram and Mary (Merrill) Perry, natives of Connecticut and Schoharie county, N. Y., respectively. His father, who was a farmer, was born July 12, 1800, and died February 22, 1886; his mother was born September 29, 1803, and died November 2, 1865. R. N. Perry, who is the youngest in a family of nine children, of whom six are now living, was reared on the farm in his native home until twenty-two years of age, and received his education in the public schools and in the Commercial College, Williamsport. He worked on a sawmill about five years, and then was a lumber shipper in Williamsport two years; was in the insurance business two years. Removing to Alba, this county, he purchased an insurance agency, and there remained one year; then came to Canton, where he has since been engaged in the insurance and job-printing business. He was married in Owego, N.Y., in 1870, to Mary Neal, daughter of John and Lucy (Clements) Fenderson, natives of Maine; her father was a lumberman, drowned in the Susquehanna at Hyatt’s Ferry, N. Y., in 1877, in his sixty-seventh year; her mother resides in Sayre. Mrs. Perry is the twelfth in order of birth in a family of fourteen children, eight of whom are now living, and was born in Owego, N. Y., February 18, 1853. To Mr. and Mrs. Perry were born four children, as follows: Willis R., William Armstrong (now publisher of the Cantonian), Jennie E., (Deceased) and Lorena Neal. The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Perry is a member of the I. O. O. F., Canton Lodge, No. 321, also Canton Encampment, and has passed all the chairs in both Orders; is also a member of the Equitable Aid Union; politically he is a Republican.
JOHN F. PETTES, of Pettes & Ballard, grocers and crockery dealers,
Troy, was born in Ulster township, this county, July 12, 1847, and is a
son of Benjamin A. and Sarah (Moore) Pettes, the former a native of Wheeling,
West Va., of Connecticut stock, a pioneer of Ulster township, where he
cleared and improved a farm, and was also, for many years, engaged in the
dry-goods business in Towanda, where he died in 1889, at the age of sixty-nine
years; the latter was a daughter of Robert and Mary (Grafius) Moore, of
Moore’s Hill, Ulster township, this county. They had three sons: Robert,
of Williamsport, Pa.; John F., our subject, and William E., of San Francisco.
John F. was reared in Towanda, educated at Susquehanna Collegiate Institute,
and Eastman’s Business College, Poughkeepski, N. Y. In the spring of 1870
he settled, in Troy, where, with the exception of three and one-half years
spent in Chicago, he has since resided; for thirteen years he served as
clerk in general stores of Troy, and in 1887 embarked in his present business,
and two years later took a partner, in the person of Mr. C. W. Ballard.
In 1882 he married Frank, the daughter of Edwin and Charlotte.
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(Reynolds) Porter, of Troy. Mr. Pettes is one of the popular business men of Troy; in politics he is a Republican.
DITON PHELPS, butcher and proprietor of a meat-market, East Smithfield, was born March 5, 1840, a son of Henry and Phoebe (Wheeler) Phelps, the former of whom was born in Becket, Mass., and came to this county, with his parents, in 1805. Jared Phelps, the grandfather of our subject, was a drum-major in the Revolutionary War, and one of the first members of the Congregational church at Smithfield; he was the original owner of all the land where the village now stands, comprising over 200 acres; gave the church society the land where the church now stands, also the public square, and the land for the cemetery (a daughter of his was the first person buried there). Diton Phelps, who was the only son in a family of four children, was educated at the old academy at Smithfield, and, in 1861, he enlisted in Company F, Sixth Pennsylvania Reserve. He was discharged, June 14, 1864, after three years’ service. Mr. Phelps was twice married: the first time, December 27, 1864, with Jane E. Gerould (daughter of Ziba and Eliza Gerould, of East Smithfield), who died in Kansas, July 21, 1873; Mr. Phelps’ second wife, whom he married, May 3, 1875, was Alice, daughter of James and Polly Gorton, of Tioga county, Pa. There have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Phelps three children, as follows: George M., born February 8, 1876; Rosa, born June 30, 1878, and Mary Jane, born March 9, 1882. Mr. Phelps is a Republican; has been elected by his party to the offices of constable and school director, and is at present justice of the peace; he is a member of the G. A. R. and the Knights of Honor.
HENRY L. PHELPS, farmer, in Herrick township, P. O. Herrickville,
was born in Hartford county, Conn., September 22, 1819, a son of David
L. and Sarah (Matson) Phelps, the former of whom died in Connecticut in
1822. The grandfather, Asa Matson, took him after his father’s death, and
they came to this county in 1823, first stopping on Wyalusing creek, where
they remained about two years, and then came to the farm he now occupies;
his grandfather had with him one son, wife and daughter with three children
- Henry L., and two sisters. At this time there was a cabin near the house
he now occupies. The grandfather settled on this land, purchased the title
from Col. Kingsbury, and had about 150 acres, of which he cleared about
thirty acres; he died in 1833. The house Mr. Phelps occupies was built
by his uncle Asa B. Matson, in 1836. He now owns about 100 acres, and still
leads an active life. His eldest sister married Mr. O. Stevens; his sister
Emily married L. M. Stevens, now deceased. Mr. Phelps was married, October
23, 1845, to Sarah E., daughter of Ira and Betsy (Pierce) Brister, and
they had one child, Burton H., who was educated in the public schools and
at the Collegiate Institute; he was a farmer; he married Anne Bolles, adopted
daughter of John and Rachel (Marsh) Bolles, of Pike Township, both now
deceased; they had a family of five children, two now living - Mrs. Phelps
and another; she was born September 13, 1854, and has one child, Walter
H., who was born May 4, 1882; He worships at the Methodist Episcopal Church,
WILLIAM H. PHELPS, farmer, P. O. East Smithfield, was born in Smithfield township, December 21, 1824, a son of Augustus and Abigail (Hackett) Phelps, natives of Massachusetts. Augustus Phelps was a son of Jared and Rowena (Fuller) Phelps, who came to this town in the fall of 1811, with a large family, one of whom, a daughter of fifteen, died in the early winter, and was the first to be buried in this part of what was then a dense wilderness. A little church was soon built near the lonely grave, which decided the location of the village. The rest of the family all settled in this vicinity. Jared Phelps enlisted, and served during the Revolutionary War.
William H. Phelps is the third in a family of eleven children, and still resides on the homestead settled by his grandfather, Jared Phelps. He was married, March 11, 1866, to Mary D., daughter of Don M. and Elizabeth (Harrison) Bacon, and was born April 8, 1829. Mr. and Mrs. Phelps had one child, who died at the age of two years. In politics, Mr. Phelps is a Republican, in religion, a Congregationalist, and has been a deacon in the church for many years.
H. F. PHILLIPS, of the Red Front Shoe Store, Athens, in a native of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., having been born December 13, 1863, and is the fifth in the family of thirteen children of William and Ellen (Courtright) Phillips, natives of Luzerene county, Pa. His father, who was in canal-boat builder, died in Wilkes-Barre, January 2, 1884, in his sixty-third years. Mr. Phillips’ mother died June 26, 1891, aged sixty-two years. He has been in the shoe business since he was eleven years old. At the age of seventeen, he was manager of a shoe store in Wilkes-Barre, continuing in that position for some time. Leaving there, he went to Scranton for about two years, where he had charge of a shoe jobbing house for F. E. Nettelton, one of the largest in the city of Scranton. Coming again to his native town, he embarked in business for himself, forming a partnership with Morgan Weller, under the name of Phillips & Weller, Albany Red Front Boot and Shoe Store. Mr. Phillips is the originator of the celebrated three-dollar Anchor Kip and Calf Boots. He is a genial, whole-souled, active, energetic business man. In the spring of 1890, he opened a shoe store in Athens, Pa., where he carries the largest and best line of shoes in the city. He was married, September 5, 1888, to Ada, eldest in a family of nine children of Leonard Roll, and born in Beach Haven, Pa., October 17, 1866. By this union there are two children: Charles and Ruth. Mr. Phillips is a member of the I. O. O. F., Wyoming Lodge, No. 39, also of Otalessa Camp, No. 39, and is a member of The Royal Society of Good Fellows, and K. of G. E. He is one of the prime movers in starting a Y. M. C. A. in his town.
ISRAEL PHILLIPS, farmer, Smithfield township, P. O. Hoblet, was born in Broome county, N. Y., July 15, 1822, and is a son of James and Anna (Lockwood) Phillips, natives of New York, of Welch descent, and who came to this county fifty-six years ago, settling in Burlington, then a dense wilderness. William Phillips, great-grandfather of Israel Phillips, was one of the party that boarded
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in Boston harbor, and threw the tea overboard; afterward he took part in the battle of Bunker Hill. It is said of him that he was never known to eat or drink anything imported from England. James Phillips, father of our subject, was drafted in the War of 1812. He belonged to a rifle company, which was drafted just before the battle of Lake Champlain, and they arrived at the scene of the fight the morning after; he received his land warrants for his services some time after Israel was grown to manhood. Israel, the fifth in a family of twelve children, was reared on his father’s farm, and when a young man his family came to Smithfield township, settling near where he now resides. He was married June 13, 1847, to Helen, daughter of James G. Harkness, and born June 6, 1830; she was born in Springfield township, and lived there until her marriage, a few weeks after which she and her husband moved into Smithfield, on a farm they now own, located about three miles from where they now live. He paternal grandfather was one of the pioneers of Smithfield township. Mr. and Mrs. Phillips have had born to them eleven children, nine of whom are living, as follows: Walter, born July 30, 1849; Jessie, born July 8, 1856; James H., born December 14, 1858; Stephen, born June 8, 1861; Frank, born January 17, 1863; Ida, born April 17, 1865; Dorcas, born January 19, 1868; Cora, born January 5, 1872; Reuben, born November 4, 1873. Mr. Phillips has by great perseverance and frugality accumulated a fine property, and now owns two farms of about three hundred and twenty-five acres, most of which is under a good state of cultivation. On one of his farms is one of the finest maple groves in the county, where each year he is able to manufacture a large quantity of maple sugar. He is a Republican in politics, taking an active interest in the affairs of his community, and has been school director many years.
JOHN M. PIATT, farmer, Monroe township, P. O. Liberty Corners, was
born in Lansing, N. Y., January 9, 1824, and is a son of Christopher P.
and Rebecca (Morris) Piatt. Two Piatt brothers came from France with LaFayette
to fight for American independence; one started to return to his native
country, and was never after heard of, and the other is the ancestor of
all the American Piatts. In Christopher Piatt’s family there were eleven
children, of whom John M., the subject of this sketch, is the second; he
came to Towanda in November, 1842, and next summer when to Monroe; was
West two years, in Wysox from 1849 to 1852, in Franklin from 1858 to 1860,
and with these exceptions has always lived in the place where he now resides.
He was married, November 2, 1848, to Miss Hannah, daughter of John and
Nancy (Schaffer) Miggos, and they have three children: Amanda E., born
September 15, 1849, married to George B. Laporte of Frenchtown; Mary Ann,
born June 26, 1851, married to J. C. Reynolds, of Susquehanna, and died
August 10, 1886, leaving two children; and Lottie E., born June 2, 1853,
married to Daniel T. Benjamin, carpenter and joiner, at Athens, they have
four children: Gertrude E., Clarence J., Arthur G. and Harrison Morton.
Mr. Piatt is a member of the I. O. O. F. Lodge, at Monroe, and is a Prohibitionist
in politics.
E. CORODON PIERCE, farmer, of West Burlington township, P. O. West Burlington, was born September 5, 1851, in Smithfield township, this county, a son of William H. and Olive (Parsons) Pierce, the former of whom was of English origin, and the latter of Scotch, a native of Columbia, this county. The father removed to Springfield when a young man, was a carpenter and builder by trade, also a farmer; the mother’s grandfather was one of the first settlers on Sugar creek, in Troy township. The subject of these lines, who is one of the family of nine children - three daughters and six sons - was reared on the farm and educated in the schools of the town, carried on agriculture, and by
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practicing the strictest economy, and with great perseverance, accumulated a fine property, being now the owner of a good farm of 130 acres, under an excellent state of cultivation; has a dairy, and follows sheep raising and general farming. He was married October 28, 1884, to Orris Claflin, of East Troy, born January 16, 1863, a daughter of Abner and Mahala (Cummings) Claflin; her mother’s family were among the early settlers of Towanda township, and were agriculturists. Mr. and Mrs. Pierce have two children: Fred and Martin. He is an Independent in politics, but his sympathies are with the Prohibition cause; he is a member of the Patrons of Husbandry.
F. H. PIERCE, shoemaker, LeRaysville, was born in LeRaysville, this county, October 13, 1859, a son of Lewis B. and Elizabeth H. (Black) Pierce (natives of Pike township; the former of New England origin, and latter of English), and grandson of Benjamin and Mehitable (Brink) Pierce, the former of whom was born in Kingston, Pa., March 11, 1796, and came to Bradford county, in 1802, being apprenticed until twenty-one years old to Dinnon Bostwick, a blacksmith, of Wyalusing creek; he volunteered in the War of 1812, and had reached Carlisle, Pa., when the war ended. Coming to LeRaysville in 1810, he took up land where he afterward lived and reared a family of four children, of whom Lewis B., the youngest in order of birth, was married January 18, 1855, and for four years was engaged in general mercantile business in LeRaysville, and afterward in farming, two years; he was inspector of the training militia, and in 1861 joined, as lieutenant-colonel, the One Hundred and Thirteenth, Twelfth P. V. Cavalry, known as the "Curtin Hussars," organizing his own regiment twelve hundred strong. Upon the resignation of Col. Frieschmuth he was made colonel, at Harrisburg; spent four weeks at home during the war on account of a wound; was suspended four months on account of a charge preferred against him by a Harrisburg gambler, stood his trial and was honorably re-instated, and made brevet-brigadier in the spring of 1865. In November, 1865, he removed his family to Baltimore, where he engaged in the insurance business with the Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Company, of Hartford, Conn., in which he remained until his death, which occurred October 30, 1876. He was a graduated physician, but never practiced medicine. In his family there were three children: Martin W, in the Postoffice Department, Washington; F. H. and Mary H., who died at the age of two years. Our subject was educated in Balitmore High School, and began work, when nineteen, in Johnson’s mill, in LeRaysville, where he remained two and one-half years, then engaged with Jesse P. Carl in his present business, the firm being known as Carl & Pierce, manufactures of all kinds of men’s footwear, doing a wholesale and retail business. Mr. Pierce was married, January 3, 1883, to Cora B., daughter of George N. and Alice (Chaffee) Johnson, and they have three children: Alice E., born October 28, 1884; Marian Ellen, born June 9, 1887, and Lewis B., born December 28, 1890. Mr. Pierce is a member of the Masonic Lodge at LeRaysville, and has held all the offices in the Blue Lodge. He is a Republican, and has been school director six years. In his younger days he was an accomplished athlete, excelling as a skater and oarsman; has also
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