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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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politics he is a democrat. He married, in 1852, Sarah, daughter of Jabez and Lucy (Thurston) Sumner, and they had four children: James, Asa Sumner, Lucy Eleanor and Jabez Hamilton. This is one of the highly respected and influential families of Bradford county.
ASA S. STEVENS, farmer, of Franklin township, P.O. Franklindale, was born in Standing Stone, this county, December 24, 1854, a son of Achatius and Sarah (Sumner) Stevens, the former born in Standing Stone, this county, the latter in South Auburn, Susquehanna Co., Pa. Achatius is the son of Asa, who was the son of Jonathan, the first settler in Standing Stone, and whose father was killed at the Wyoming Massacre. Nelson Stevens, uncle of our subject, is now living on the old homestead where Jonathan first settled, in Standing Stone. Achatius Stevens’ family consisted of five children, three of whom grew to maturity. Asa S., who is the second in the family, was reared and educated at Standing Stone, and attended two terms at the Mansfield State Normal School. On December 19, 1878, he married Miss Ella M., daughter of Hiram and Lodoiska Vannest, of Standing Stone, and this union resulted in the birth of three daughters: Lucy M., Florence E. and S. Lodoiska. Mr. Stevens is an enterprising young farmer, and his place situated on the high land, north of Franklindale; it comprises 120 acres and is known as the "Mineral Spring Farm," because of a valuable mineral spring on the place, which has not yet been analyzed. Mr. Stevens is a general farmer, and owns a fine assortment of Stock; also pays some attention to wool-raising. His farm is well supplied with a living spring of soft water. He is a Democrat, and has held the offices of auditor and inspector of elections. He is a member of the Grange.
CYRUS LEE STEVENS, physician and surgeon, Athens, is a native of Pike township, this county, a son of Cyrus and Lydia A. (Lacey) Stevens. The father, a farmer, died at Stevensville, this county, February 12, 1890, in his eighty-seventh year; his widow survives. Dr. Stevens, who is the youngest in a family of eight children, graduated at Lafayette College in 1876, was tutor of Natural Sciences at Parsons College for two years, and in 1878 entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Keokuk, Iowa, from which he graduated in the spring of 1880; he soon thereafter went to Turkey (Asa Minor), where he practiced his profession three years, when he returned to New York City, where he practiced until 1885; during which time he was medical superintendent of the New York Post-Graduate Medical School and Hospital. In August, 1885, he came to Athens, where he has since practiced. He was married at Laceyville, Pa., in 1880, to Nettie J. Keeney. Dr. and Mrs. Stevens are members of the Presbyterian Church, of which he is a ruling elder. He is a member of the F. & A. M. Rural Amity Lodge, No. 70; of the I.O.O.F., No. 165; of the Royal Arcanum, No. 1153, and of the Order of the Iron Hall, No. 146. The Doctor is ex-president of the Bradford County Medical Society, a member of the Pennsylvania State Medical Society and of the American Medical Association; is consulting surgeon of the Robert Packer Hospital, at Sayre, Pa., and is a member of the board of health, Athens. In politics Dr. Stevens is a Republican.History of Bradford County
EBENEZER LACEY STEVENS, merchant, Pike township,
P.O. Stevensville, was born, April 4, 1843, on the place where he now resides,
a son of Cyrus and Lydia Ann (Lacey) Stevens, natives of Pennsylvania,
of New England origin. The paternal grandparents were Aeden and Annis (Warner)
Stevens, who came from Connecticut in 1794 and located on the farm where
our subject now lives; they had five children, of whom Cyrus was the third
in order of birth. To Cyrus and Lydia Ann (Lacey) Stevens were born eight
children, E. Lacey being the fifth. He spent his childhood on the farm,
attending the common school, where he completed his education; at twenty-five
he engaged in farming, which he has followed to some extent since; in 1880
he engaged with H. A. Ross in the mercantile business. Mr. Stevens was
married, October 8, 1868, to Abbie Birchard, daughter of John and Mary
(Griswould) Birchard, and this union has been blessed with three children:
Mary Lucretia, born October 24, 1870, and died March 2, 1876; Eva Louise,
born November 8, 1874, and Ruie May, born May 1, 1880. Mr. and Mrs. Stevens
are members of the Presbyterian Church, of which he is an elder; he is
a Republican and has been town commissioner, school director and assistant
assessor.
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ELMER F. STEVENS, farmer, and manufacturer of
lumber, lath and shingles, Stevensville, was born at Stevensville, this
county, May 12, 1850, and is a son of Myron and Susan (Bosworth) Stevens,
the former a son of Nathan Stevens, and the latter a daughter of Reed Bosworth.
In their father’s family there were eight children, of whom Elmer F. Stevens
is the youngest. He was reared on a farm, educated in the common school
and LeRaysville Academy, and began life for himself at the age of twenty-one,
engaging in farming the next fourteen years. He then exchanged a portion
of his farm, with W. C. Burrows, for a stock of goods, at Stevensville,
where he remained in mercantile business for three years, and then removed
to his present home where he has since lived. In 1883, he engaged with
his brother-in-law, F. E. Eastabrook, in the lumber business, of which
they have made a success. Mr. Stevens was married, September 11, 1870,
to Clara B., daughter of Edward J. and Emaline (Potter) Eastabrook, of
English lineage, and they have the following children: Walter B., born
February 10, 1873, head sawyer in his father’s mill; Fred E., born May
21, 1877, and Floyd R., born January 2, 1885. Mr. and Mrs. Stevens are
members of the Presbyterian Church, and he is a Republican in politics.
[Photo sent in by Bill Benson] |
GEORGE W. STEVENS, farmer, Pike township, P.O. Stevensville, was born, April 3, 1867, on the farm where he now resides, the only child of Aeden and Lucy (Van Gorden) Stevens, natives of Pennsylvania, and of New England origin. He was reared on a farm, educated in the common school, and at Nicholson, Pa. He began life for himself at sixteen, on his present farm of seventy-nine acres, which he inherited from his father. Mr. Stevens married, May 11, 1889, Miss Mary, daughter of Sylvester and Della (Terry) Powers, natives of Pennsylvania, also of New England origin, and her grandparents were among the early settlers in Pike township. They have History of Bradford County one child, Earl A., born November 2, 1890. Mr. Stevens is a member of the Farmers’ Association, and is a Republican in politics.
JOEL STEVENS, farmer, P.O. Macedonia, was born February 7, 1828, in Standing Stone, this county, a son of Asa and Phoebe (Vought) Stevens, former of whom was born in Luzerne county, Pa., and latter educated in the schools of his native town, learned the carpenter’s trade, and was a contractor and builder over fifteen years. He was married, January 8, 1863, to Sarah, daughter of George and Rebecca (Terry) Gordon, whose ancestors were among the pioneers of the county, coming here in an early day and settling at Terrytown. To Mr. and Mrs. Stevens were born children, as follows: George, born December 2, 1864, married to Alice G. Cole; Augusta L., born September 24, 1866; Mary E., born March 8, 1870; Joseph M., born July 5, 1872; Thomas E., born December 10, 1874, of whom the first three were born in Standing Stone, and the two latter in Asylum. The great-grandfather of subject was killed by the Indians a few days before the massacre at Wyoming, and Grandfather Stevens, who was born in Canterbury, Conn., was a soldier in the Revolutionary Army, enlisting when but fourteen years of age. Mr. Stevens is a Democrat, and has held many places of public trust; he has been a school director twenty years, and at the present time is town auditor. He is a popular man with both political parties, and is respected by a wide circle of friends.
| JONATHAN B. STEVENS, farmer, Pike township, was
born February 18, 1838, the second of three children of Henry L. and Martha
(Brink) Stevens. He was reared on a farm and educated in the common school,
beginning life for himself at the age of twenty-one, farming, which occupation
he has since followed except while in the army. He enlisted at Towanda,
August 24, 1862, in Company B, One Hundred and Forty-first Regiment P.V.I.,
and was mustered out April 24, 1863, on surgeon’s certificate of disability.
Mr. Stevens was married, May 27, 1863, to Miss Sarah C., daughter of Nathan
and Delia M. (White) Rockwell, the former a native of Pennsylvania, and
the latter of New York; they have one child, Ella M., born October 25,
1864, married to F. E. Eastabrook. Mr. Stevens is a staunch and lifelong
Republican.
[Photo sent in by Bill Benson] |
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OLIVER W. STEVENS was born in Stevensville, Pike township, this county, January 15, 1831, on the old homestead farm of his grandfather, Col. Aden Stevens, one of the early pioneers of the Wyalusing valley, who purchased and settled upon it in the year 1794, and now is owned and occupied by E. Lacey Stevens, having been kept continuously in the family for three generations, and almost one hundred years. Col. Aden Stevens was the son of Peter Stevens, of New Milford, Conn., a Revolutionary soldier, who was wounded at the capture of Danbury, from which he died August 6, 1779, leaving a large family of children, of which five subsequently settled and raised large families in Pike township. Two of his sons, Col. Aden and Nathan, came to the present site of Stevensville in 1794, and jointly purchased some five hundred acres of Capt. Bronson, lying on both sides of the Wyalusing creek, under the Connecticut title, paying for the same one hundred pounds (money) in gold. The Pennsylvania title was purchased of John B. Wallace and others about 1814. They, after a few years, divided their land, and each established for himself a good home and a fair competency, besides raising large families and paying for their land twice. Col. Aden Stevens was commissioned colonel of the One Hundred and Twenty-ninth Regiment of Pennsylvania Militia, Second Brigade, Ninth Division, composed of the counties of Northumberland, Lycoming, and Luzerne, September 9, 1805. During the War of 1812 he was ordered to Northumberland, but peace was declared before he took part in any engagement. He was a very active, energetic, man, a deacon of the Presbyterian Church, of which he was a member over fifty years. A staunch Whig, he held several important positions of trust, and he died at his home July 28, 1858. He married, November 14, 1796, Anise Warner, and had five children, as follows: Oliver W., Hiram, Cyrus, Anne and Sally. Anise (Warner) Stevens died February 6, 1814, and February 16, 1815, he married Rebecca P. Somers, by whom he had three children: Philena, Louis (died in infancy) and Peter. [Photo sent in by Betsey Rogers] |
Oliver W. Stevens, the subject of this sketch, attended the common school in Stevensville, and the Academy of LeRaysville, also Owego Academy, and when about twenty years of age began the practice of surveying and civil engineering, teaching school winters for a number of years. In 1852 he purchased a farm near LeRaysville and located there. In 1859 he sold his farm and purchased the Hill Side farm in Herrick, to which he moved and where he has since resided, a few acres of the same being the first improvement made in the township. There are now thrifty bearing apple-trees thereon, which were set out previous to 1805. The house was built by one Sabins, in 1810, being the oldest remaining house in the township. Mr. Stevens was elected county surveyor in 1868, and has held various township offices. He is a member of the Presbyterian Church, of Stevensville, and in politics is a Republican. He married, May 22, 1854, Susan E., the youngest of eight children of John and Marinda (Stone) Ingham, and born November 20, 1832. They had five children: Manning R., born May 15, 1855, died in infancy; Susan, born May 11, 1857, died young; Lydia Marinda, born October 14, 1858; Harvey Ingham, born February 1, 1861, and Cyrus Aden, born July 21, 1864. Susan E. (Ingham) Stevens died July 27, 1875, and Mr. Stevens married, March 8, 1881, Uraniah L., the eldest of ten children of Ira L. and Henrietta (Carman) Brown, born at Sugar Hill, Wilmot township, April 15, 1855. They have one child, Susan Uraniah Stevens, born July 18, 1883.
PHILANDER G. STEVENS, retired farmer, Columbia township, P.O. Sylvania, was born in Burlington township; this county, January 1, 1832, a son of Joel and Celestia (Ballard) Stevens; his paternal grandfather was formerly of Massachusetts, and was a pioneer of Troy township, this county, while his maternal grandfather, Nathaniel Ballard, was a native of Vermont, and son of John Ballard, both of whom were pioneers of Burlington township. Nathaniel, with a brother, John, made the first clearing in Columbia township in 1796-97. He returned to Burlington township soon after, and in 1833 again located on the farm now owned by our subject, and resided there until his death, which occurred November 1, 1861, when he was aged eighty-three years; he was born December 27, 1787. The father of our subject was a native of Spencer, Tioga Co., N.Y., but was reared in Burlington township, this county, and settled in Columbia township in 1853, where he cleared a large part of the farm now owned by our subject, and died there in 1880, at the age of eighty years; his children were: Harriet (Mrs. William G. Bradford), Nathaniel, Philander G., Susan (Mrs. Alvin Furman), Lydia (Mrs. David Wherler) and Myron. Philander G. Stevens was reared in Columbia township, where he has always resided. In 1853 he married Achsa, daughter of James and Louise (Strait) Parsons, of Columbia township, and has one daughter, Harriet (Mrs. Fred D. Bedford). Mr. Stevens is a prominent and influential citizen of Columbia, a member of the I.O.O.F., and in politics is a Democrat.
SILAS W. STEVENS, farmer, Pike township, P.O. Stevensville,
was born April 5, 1830, in Pike township, this county, a son of Nathan
and Phoebe (Scoville) Stevens, the former a native of Connecticut,History
of Bradford County
and the latter of Pennsylvania. In their family were nine children, of whom Silas W., is the fifth. He was educated in the common school, and began life for himself at the age of twenty-one. After one year spent on a farm, he learned the blacksmith’s trade, which he followed five years; then resumed farming, which he has since followed. His present home of two hundred acres was inherited. Mr. Stevens was married, December 15, 1863, to Henrietta A., daughter of George N. and Elizabeth (Lockwood) Stevens, and they have two children: Harry S., born January 16, 1866, married, December 19, 1888, to Emma Harris (and they have one child, Ina M., born October 18, 1889); Louie, born July 30, 1877. About 1794, Aden and Nathan, Sr., Stevens located on the farm how owned by E. Lacey Stevens, and an adjoining farm, and soon thereafter their brother Samuel settled where H. U. Jones now lives, and a half-brother, Jonathan Stevens, where Silas W., now owns. Aden was once tax collector, and went to Wilkes-Barre (then the county seat) with the taxes of Pike township, amounting to something less than three dollars. Mr. and Mrs. Stevens and their son, Harry S., are members of the Presbyterian Church, and in politics are Democratic. Mr. Stevens was postmaster four years under Cleveland’s administration, and is at present a school director, and a member of the Patrons of Industry. Harry S. Stevens is also a member of the Patrons of Industry.
WILLIAM V. STEVENS was born in Orange County, N.Y., June 28, 1819, and died February 4, 1878. He was the fifth of ten children of Jeremiah and Nancy (Smith) Stevens, and he was reared by his aunt, Mrs. Isaac Wells, of Southport, N.Y. He came first to Bradford county in 1846, working as a millwright at Mason’s mill; then lived in Elmira until 1859, when he located on his present home, which he rented until 1867, when he purchased it, and placed the present buildings thereon. Mr. Stevens was married May 11, 1847, to Miss Julia A., daughter of Joseph and Mary (Mason) Griggs, and this union was blessed with seven children, viz: Mary E., born May 24, 1848, married to Winfield Scott; Eugene W., born November 21, 1849, living at home; Joseph F., born July 16, 1853, married to Emma Ennis, of Liberty Corners, by whom he has two children, and resides at Gaines, Pa.; Oscar L., born September 17, 1855, employed in the toy factory at Towanda (he married Elizabeth Allen, of Laddsburg, by whom he has three children, Emily L., born September 19, 1862, is at home; Willis E., born April 19, 1965, is engaged in the toy factory at Monroeton; and Charles V., born March 21, 1873, died December 6, 1882. The family have always been identified with the Presbyterian Church, and are Republicans in politics.
REV. JOHN STEVENS STEWART, D. D., the present pastor
of the First Presbyterian Church of Towanda, began his labors in this congregation
March 1, 1870, and is therefore in the twenty-second year of his services
in this church. Dr. Stewart was born at Jenkintown, Pa., April 1, 1835,
the youngest of a family of nine children. His father, Ardemus Stewart,
was born in what is now Philadelphia, and came of Scotch ancestry. His
mother, Eliza (Dillon) Stewart, was born at Abington, Pa., of French blood
on her paternal, and of German blood History of Bradford
County
on her maternal side. The farm on which her father and mother began their married life 100 years ago was retained by her until her death, in 1887, and is still, in part, held by her children. The early life of the subject of this sketch was spent in Jenkintown, but when he was fourteen years of age his parents removed to their farm at Abington. He was able here to gratify his predominant tastes for communion with nature, and for books. His early reading was mainly in the line of belles-lettres; and especially did he become acquainted with the great English poets. In the two years of his farm life, he mingled ploughing with poetry, and hay-making with essay-writing. The religious atmosphere of his early years was surcharged with the sober and serious influences of old-time Presbyterian. The following realistic poem, written in later life, gather up his recollections of his youthful environment:
"Oh, the Sabbaths that are past!
How their holy memories last,
Like the odor of the violets around our children’s door!
Sure the sky seemed nearer then,
And a warmer hand had men,
And a brighter aureole the brows of saintly women wore.
"Now the quaint old church is gone,
In its stead a Gothic one;
And a bell from out the tower calls a younger race to prayer,
True; ‘tis sweet, but then I think
Of the saints across the brink,
And I miss the solemn stillness in the brooding Sabbath air.
"Where the girls who used to be
In the queer old gallery,
And sing till all the house was filled with clear and joyous sound;
All are vanished; now the place
Knows no more maiden grace,
One with heavenly light and gladness has her modest forehead crowned.
"But the sweetest thoughts of all
Are Sabbaths I recall,
When the banquet-hall was opened and the banner waved of love.
Then the elders sang ‘Coleshill,’
And the preacher’s eyes did fill,
And we sat and wept together with the Spirit of above.
"To the past a pensive sigh!
Morrow-duties call hard by,
And God’s angels walk around us truly as in days of yore.
Blessed Sabbaths that are past,
May your memory always last,
And the languid pulse of duty quicken ever more and more!"
Out of these sober and stimulating influences at the age
of sixteen, a shy and dreamy boy passed into the severe discipline and
eager competitions of school-life. For two years he pursued the studies
preparatory to college at the Tennent School, Hartsville, Pa. – named after
the famous William Tennent, who founded the Log College near by – and in
August, 1853, entered the Sophomore Class in Princeton College, and graduated
in 1856. He was the first class-day poet in that institution: the class-day
exercises of the time consisting of merely an oration, a poem and a class
song. The newly-fledged A. B. sighed for History of
Bradford County
some larger and more definite knowledge of the world, before entering upon a course of professional study, and so, for two years, he presided over one of those family-school, which were a striking feature of the South in the days before the Civil War. It was "simplex" without the "munditiis." A log cabin formed the school-house, and the furniture was anything but spruce or elegant. But the grace and elegance were found outside the school-room in the manners and conversation of the cultivated men and women who kept up well the old traditions of Virginian courtesy and hospitality. In September, 1858, Dr. Stewart returned to Princeton and entered the Theological Seminary; whence after a full course, he was graduated in 1861. During a part of this time he served as tutor of rhetoric in Princeton College. During the War summer of 1861 Dr. Stewart supplied the Presbyterian Church of Silver Spring, Cumberland Co., Pa., and in November of the same year was called to the pastorate of the Presbyterian Church at Greenwich, Cumberland Co., N.J. He was ordained and installed February 11, 1862, and remained as pastor until he removed to Towanda.
His entire ministerial life has been spent in these two congregations, and has been quiet and uneventful. The church at Greenwich was blessed with a powerful revival during his ministry, the fruit of which is apparent to this day; and several revivals of greater or less power have marked his labors in Towanda. This church numbered 150 members when he became pastor March 8, 1870, and now it numbers 392. During his ministry of twenty years, about 500 persons have been added to the church, and in every way the congregation has prospered and grown. In 1875 Hamilton college conferred upon Dr. Stewart the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity.
Dr. Stewart was married, May 1, 1862, to Miss Anna M. Ellies, of Shippensburg, Pa., who has been his active helper in all good works. Their family consists of four children.
H. A. STILES, dealer in drugs, books, stationery, tobaccos, paints, oils, etc., Ulster, is a son of Dr. O. D. and Mary E. (Chubbuck) Stiles, who reside in Elmira, N.Y., and was born April 21, 1869, at Rome, Pa. His father was a native of Michigan, and his mother of Pennsylvania, both of English descent. His maternal grandparents, L. S. and Phoebe Chubbuck, reside in North Orwell, this county. His father’s family consisted of eight children, seven of whom survive. H. A. is the only one of the children who resides in this county; he was reared in Elmira, N.Y., and attended the public school during school-time, and clerked in his father’s drug store during vacations. He graduated, with honors, from the Elmira schools, June 27, 1884, and having learned the drug business in his father’s store, on leaving school, he accepted a position in an Elmira drug store, owned by Dr. J. L. Everitt, and was here a short time, then worked in Gerity Brothers’ wholesale drug store for one and one-half years, after which he returned to his former place with Dr. J. L. Everitt, where he remained until August, 1889, when he came to Ulster, and purchased the drug store he now owns. He was united in marriage with Jennie M., daughter of L. J. and Martha J. (Blakeslee) Ballard, of Troy, Pa., September 26, 1889. The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church; he is a memberHistory of Bradford County
of the Order of Aegis, of which he is secretary, and is one of the leading successful business men of his locality.
JAMES STIRTON, farmer, P.O. Bentley Creek, was born April 4, 1833, on the farm where he now resides, a son of John and Ellison (Elder) Stirton, the former born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and the latter in London, England. The father, who was a baker, and carried on an extensive business in London several years, came, in 1828, to America, and was one of the first settlers in the western part of Ridgebury, this county; he was a prominent member of the Presbyterian Church, and his influence was always that of the best of men; he died at the age of seventy-nine years, and the mother when aged sixty-eight years. There were eight children in their family, seven of whom are now living; one son, John, was in the Civil War. Mr. Stirton, the subject of these lines, has a fine farm of 130 acres in a beautiful location in the township of Ridgebury. He was married, May 25, 1868, to Mrs. Sarah E. (Brown) Raynor; she was born in South Creek township, July 25, 1837, a daughter of Elijah and Lucetta (Burnham) Brown, and to them was born one daughter, who died at the age of seven years. Mrs. Stirton has two children by her first husband: Eva M., wife of Frank Swartwood, and Ettie B., wife of John L. Wilcox. Mr. Stirton is a Republican in politics, but takes no active part in the affairs of the party, and is one of the substantial and highly respected citizens of the town; his wife is a consistent member of the Baptist Church of Wellsburg.
CHARLES R. STONE, merchant, Wyalusing, was born in Camptown, this county, August 27, 1849, a son of Philemon and Theresa (Homet) Stone, the former of whom was a farmer, and had a family of five children, viz: Charles R.; Thomas B., a farmer on the old homestead; a daughter that died in infancy; Ulysses P., a farmer on the old homestead, and Lucy. The parents are both living. Charles R. Stone was born and reared on a farm, and educated at Camptown Academy. When eighteen years old he began clerking for C. S. Lafferty, with whom he remained seven years; then came to Wyalusing and entered the employ as clerk for Bosworth, Stone & Co., where he remained until August 27, 1889, when he became a member of the firm. He is unmarried. Politically he is a Republican, and has held various township offices; was assessor three terms, and elected first treasurer of the borough.
WESLEY B. STONE, farmer, LeRoy township, P.O. West LeRoy, was born in LeRoy township, on the old homestead, December 17, 1838, a son of Horace and Cynthia (Lindly) Stone, native of Connecticut and Vermont, respectively. They moved to this county in 1820, locating in West LeRoy, where he continued farming until his death, which occurred May 11, 1861; his wife died March 22, 1867. Their family consisted of ten children, nine of whom grew to maturity, and six are now living. Our subject, who is the eighth member of the family, was reared in his native town and educated at the common school, has always followed farming, and is now the owner of eighty-five acres of fertile land. He married March 11, 1863, Mary R., daughter of Rev. E. H. and Permelia (Griggs) Cranmer, the formerHistory of Bradford County of whom was a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and for a number of years presiding elder over the old Troy (now the Elmira) district. To Mr. and Mrs. Stone was born, October 16, 1865, one son, Horace L., who married Bertha, daughter of Oakly and Anna Lewis; he is a young man of promise, now engaged in the mercantile business in LeRoy. Mr. Stone is a prosperous farmer, raising stock, wool, butter and grain. He had been elected to various offices in the town; is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church; also a member of the Grange, and in politics he is a Republican.
JONAS F. STORRS, farmer, P.O. LeRoy, was born in Delaware county, N.Y., a son of Isaac C. and Emily (Owens) Storrs, also natives of Delaware county. Isaac C. Storrs, who was a son of Oliver Storrs, removed to Liberty, Tioga Co., Pa., where he remained seven years; then came to Bradford county, first locating in Canton, afterward in Granville, where he remained until his death, which occurred November 13, 1889. He was an industrious farmer. His family consisted of three sons, all of whom grew to maturity. Jonas F., who is the eldest in the family, was reared and educated in Granville, this county, and in his early life he learned the blacksmith’s trade. He was twice married, his first wife being Mrs. Eleanor Gifford, the widow of Stephen Gifford, and a daughter of John and Sallie Coon; his second wife was Alice M., daughter of Dr. W. H. and Polly (Bullock) Holcomb, of LeRoy; by this marriage there was one child, Iona B., born June 4, 1879. Dr. Holcomb, the father of Mrs. Storrs, was born in LeRoy, and is the son of Eli Holcomb, one of the early settlers of LeRoy township, this county. He was a successful physician and had a large practice; he died at the age of sixty-one years; his widow and eight children still survive him. Mr. Storrs was one of the first volunteers to answer to his country’s call, enlisting April 22, 1861, and serving his first term. He was honorably discharged and again enlisted, this time July 22, 1861, in Company G, Sixth Pennsylvania Reserves, for a term of three years; after a service of nine months he was honorably discharged on account of disability, and is now drawing a pension. He engaged in general farming, paying some attention to blooded horses; he is living with Mrs. Dr. Holcomb, whose farm he works in connection with his own in Granville; he is a member of the G.A.R., the Patrons of Husbandry and politically he is a Republican.
ALVIN STRAUSS, foreman, L.V.R.R. repair shops, Sayre, is a native of Lehigh county, Pa., and was born August 15, 1834, a son of Renben and Sarah (Edelman) Strauss, natives of Lehigh county, the former of whom was a contractor. Grandfather John Strauss was a soldier in the War of 1812. Alvin, who is the second in a family of seven children, received a common-school education, and when a young man served an apprenticeship at the carpenter’s trade, at which he worked in his native county until 1862, when he went to Mauch Chunk, in the employ of the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company, and after about three years moved to Wilkes-Barre and was in the employ of the company until October, 1869, when he went to Waverly, where he remained until the shops were removed to Sayre, where he has been in the employ of the company since. He enlisted in the State Militia
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