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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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He is now retired from active life, and is living with his sons; his family consisted of five sons and five daughters, nine of whom grew to maturity, and eight are now living. Lyman C. Boughton was reared and educated in South Creek township, and has always confined himself to farming, like his father; at the age of twenty-four years, he enlisted in Company G, One Hundred and Seventy-first P. V. I., served nine months and was honorably discharged; in 1863 he again enlisted, this time in the twelfth N. Y. I. B., serving to the close of the war, at which time he was honorably discharged. On September 4, 1869, he married Miss Cornelia Adams of Columbia, and by this union there have been five children born to them, all yet living, viz.: Nine, Gracie, Arthur, Earnest and Blanche. Mr. Boughton is an extensive farmer, having a fine farm since 1865; has held the office of school director, and is a member of the G. A. R. Mrs. Boughton is a member of the Baptist Church.
DANVERS BOURNE, lumberman and farmer, P.O. Burlington, was born in Richmond, Cheshire Co., N. H., February 15, 1817, a son of Hosea and Amy (Martin) Bourne, the former of whom was a son of Stephen and Sylvia (Bump), and the latter a daughter of Wilderness Martin, who was the first white male child born in the above named town, both families being of English ancestry. The paternal great-grandfather of our subject was an Englishman and a sea captain. Hosea Bourne was born in 1796 in New Hampshire, was a farmer by occupation and in 1831 removed to Otsego county, N. Y., where his family of five children were reared. Danvers Bourne came to Bradford county in 1847, and engaged in teaching school, at which he continued twelve years. In 1849 he purchased a large tract of land in West Burlington township, where he has since been extensively engaged in the lumbering business and farming; he manufactures lumber, shingles and lath, and has a fine planning and grist mill and a farm of over two hundred and thirty acres of prime land. Mr. Bourne was married November 2, 1888, and he had three children living, as follows: Hester B., widow of C. W. Smith; Ophelia M., wife of Clarence E. Brigham, and Ellery L., married to Sophia Spencer; he is a partner in his father’s business, and is in reality manager. Mr. Bourne is a Republican, was nine years commissioner of the town, and one term auditor of the county. He is an active member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, as was also his wife, and has been superintendent of the Sunday-school twenty-one years, also an officer of the church since his connection with the same. He is much respected by the community and a wide circle of friends.
ANSON H. BOWEN, farmer, of Warren township, P.O. Warren Centre, is a native of Warren township, this county, born June 25, 1848, a son of William Clark and Angelina P. (Corbin) Bowen, Pennsylvanians, also born in Warren township. William C. was a son of William and Abagail (Case) Bowen, natives of Massachusetts, and of English descent, farmers who migrated to America in the early days, and located in Warren township, where the father of William C. died in 1852, and the mother in 1851; they had ten children, of whom William C. is the fourth. He commenced life when a young man as a blacksmith, and this and farming he followed during life, he having purchased the old family homestead. He was married in 1844 to Angelina P. Corbin, daughter of Penwell Corbin. Mr. and Mrs. William Clark Bowen make their home with their son, Anson H. They had born to them four children, as follows: Abbie A. (Mrs. Burr Decker), of Binghamton; Anson H.; Sarah M. (Mrs. Lafayette Dickenson), who died in 1872; William C., who died in 1876. The subject proper of this sketch, who was reared and educated in Warren township, owns the old family homestead, inheriting part and adding thereto; it contains one hundred and forty-five acres, is handsomely stocked with improved breeds of horses and cattle, and of the latter has some fine Holsteins. Mr. Bowen was married in Warren township, in 1871, to Cornelia, daughter of Edward and Louisa (Whitehead) Stephens, natives of Vermont, of English stock; (their family comprised ten children, all daughters, of whom Cornelia was the eighth). To Mr. And Mrs. Bowen were born three children, as follows: Archie B., Angie L., and Merton E. Mr. Bowen is a Democrat, and has filled the office of town clerk.
BRAINERD BOWEN, tanner, Troy, was born in Pittsford, Rutland Co., Vt., November 21, 1828, a son of Laban and Esther (Crippen) Bowen, natives of Rhode Island and Vermont, respectively, of Welsh and Scotch descent, and who settled in Troy township, this county, in 1833, locating on what is now known as the Keyon farm; this his father cleared and improved, and resided thereon until 1843, when he removed to Troy village, and purchased the "Trojan Tannery," which he conducted until his death in1849; his children were four in number: Brainerd, Lucy J. (Mrs. James Ballard), Mary A. (Mrs. Rev. William J. Reed) and Annette (Mrs. John Creque). Our subject was reared in Troy from eight years of age, and received a common-school education, he learned the tanner’s trade with his father, and in 1851 became part proprietor of the "Trojan Tannery" with which he has since been connected, alone and with others, and also has an interest in a tannery at Lansboro, Susquehanna Co., Pa., since 1889. Mr. Bowen has been thrice married; his first wife was Harriet Bird, of Potter county, Pa.; his second wife was Emeline Tracy, of Smithfield, and his third wife was Harriet, daughter of John Birchard, of Susquehanna county, and by her he has two children: Mary and Nettie. Mr. Bowen is a member of the Presbyterian Church; he has always taken an active interest in the welfare of Troy, and in politics he is a Republican.
GEORGE A. BOWEN, proprietor of creamery, P.O. Herrick, was born in Susquehanna county, Pa., March 3, 1859; his father, Robert S. Bowen, was born in Warren township, Bradford county, July 13, 1822; his grandfather, Abner Bowen, a native of Rhode Island, came with his father, James Bowen, to this county sometime previous to 1800, being the first settlers in Warren township; Bowen Hollow was named after them, and afterward changed to Warren Centre. There are two apple trees now in Warren Centre which were planted by James Bowen, the seed having been brought with him from Rhode Island in his valise; these trees are on the farm now owned by J. D. Kinney, and are supposed to be the oldest apple trees in this county. R. S. Bowen, his son, was educated in the district school; he first purchased a farm in Warren Centre, which he afterward sold, and then purchased the farm on which he now resides. George A. Bowen was born on this place, and attended the district school until his twentieth year, when he went to work on his father’s farm seven years; then worked in his brother-in-law’s creamery in Warren Centre one year, after which he commenced his present business, opening a creamery in Ballibay in 1887. By hard work and honorable dealing with his patrons he has made it a decided success and a necessity in the community; his business for 1890 was twenty-five per cent more than for 1887. Mr. Bowen married, January 2, 1884, Anna F., daughter of John M. and Catherine (Sleeper) Currier; she is the eldest of five children, viz.: Iva, born December 9, 1884; Lucy, born January 31, 1886; Harley, born April 19, 1887, and Amy, born April 7, 1889. The family are members of the Baptist Church, Warren Centre, and are among the best known and well respected people in the county. Mr. Bowen in his political preferences is a Democrat.
GEORGE WARREN BOWEN, retired farmer, Warren, is a native of Seekonk, born February 28, 1811, a son a George and Sarah (Allen) Bowen, natives of Rhode Island, of Welsh and English stock. The father who was a farmer and shoemaker, immigrated to this county in May 1811, and located in Warren township, being one of the earliest settlers in that dense wild wood, where with his own hands he girdled and felled the trees for his clearing; in 1827 he bought of his brother a gristmill, and in 1830 added thereto a sawmill; he was the second in a family of nine children, and was the first of the family to come to this county, his four brothers following later–William in 1815, Noah and Brown in 1816, and Caleb in 1824; the brothers had altogether twenty-nine sons and daughters. George Bowen has one child which was seven months old when he came here, and this child is the subject of this sketch; the father died February 14, 1844, the mother, September 1, 1858; they had twelve children—five sons and seven daughters—as follows: George Warren, Noah C., who is now the oldest living person born in Warren township; Allen, who died in 1889, leaving a widow and four children, four now living; Martha (Mrs. Henry T. Newman, who has two children); Maria (Mrs. Josephus Sleeper, who died, leaving seven children; Mr. Sleeper then married her youngest sister, Mary, the twelfth of the family, and he died in 1890, leaving a widow and two children); Nancy (Mrs. Nathan Young; Mr. Nathan Young died in 1890, leaving one son); Lucinda (Mrs. Nelson Pratt, of Boston, has two children); Jacob, who died in 1846, leaving a widow and three children; Romanda (Mrs. David Brainard), who resides in Warren township. As stated, George W. was but seven months old when his father came to the county. Here he grew up a pioneer boy, and as soon as he was old enough he went out to work as a farm hand, and with his wages of $10 a month paid for fifty acres of his father’s farm; when he came of age had but a single dollar as his worldly possession, and now he owns one hundred and fifty acres of fine, well-improved farm land. He was married in Warren township to Sabra Young, daughter of Nathan and Lucy (Burton) Young, natives of Vermont, who came to Bradford county in 1816, and settled in Warren; their family were six in number, of whom Sabra was the eldest, born October 28, 1818; her father died in 1872, and her mother in 1874. To Mr. and Mrs. George W. Bowen were born seven children, three of whole died in infancy, and four grew to maturity, as follows: George Nathan, married to Hannah McCreary (has two children); Oscar W., married to Julia Gallup (has three children); Lucy Anna (Mrs. Edward Pitcher) died in 1872; Zachary T., born December 6, 1847, is now a prominent farmer and manages his father’s farm (he married Lois R. Abell, daughter of Caleb and Rebecca (Gauff) Abell, of Rhode Island, who had five children, of whom Lois was the youngest; Zachary T. and Lois R. Bowen had two children, Lois Anna and Walter Abell, whose mother died February 12, 1888). Three generations it will be this seen are under the roof-tree, and the above is an account of five generations of this family—one of the largest and most prominent families in the county. Mr. and Mrs. George W. Bowen are venerable with the frosts of many winters, yet bright, active and intelligent, and full of interest in the affairs of their younger heads about them. The father’s family are Presbyterians, while the son’s family are Methodists, and in politics the father and son are Democrats.
RICHARD T. BOWEN, farmer and stockman, P.O. Warren Centre, was born in Warren township, this county, December 22, 1843, a son of Richard D. and Sabina (Thayer) Bowen, natives of Rhode Island and of English descent. The father was a farmer in this country, but had been a miller prior to coming here; he removed to Bradford county in 1837 and settled in Warren township, where he farmed the remainder of his days, and died in 1881; his widow survives. They had seven children, viz., Maria (Mrs. Dexter Chaffee, of Orwell); Mary (Mrs. Nathan Newman, of Warren); Martha A. (Mrs. Franklin Pendleton); Caleb N., who enlisted in 1862, in Company D, Seventeenth Pennsylvania Cavalry, and followed the hard service of his regiment in all its battles and marches (he was taken prisoner while carrying dispatches, and died in Salisbury prison, February 21, 1865); Richard T.; Joseph N., a farmer, and Horace E. Richard T. Bowen was reared in Warren township, became a farmer, and is now the owner of sixty acres of land, all finely improved with good buildings. He was married in Pike township, in 1870, to Henrietta, daughter of Russell and Elvira (Dimon) McCreary of Connecticut, of Scotch-English descent; her father died June, 1876, her mother survives; they had two children; Celinda (Mrs. Martin W. Smith) of Tuscarora township, and Henrietta, who was born, educated and married in Pike township. Mr. and Mrs. Richard T. Bowen have one child, Wesley A. This is one of the most highly respected families in the county.
FRANK A. BOWMAN, conductor, Lehigh Valley Railroad, Ulster, is a son of William and Eleanor J. (Harsh) Bowman, and was born in Ulster, November 22, 1846. His father was a common laborer, and the son was put to work at an early age; in the summer he would drive the mules on the North Branch Canal, then attend school in the winter, and secured a fair common-school education; he began driving when only eight years old, and followed the canal until July 24, 1870, when he began braking on the railroad, but worked only one year at that when he was promoted to freight conductor, which position he has since held. He enlisted in the army, February 14, 1864, in Company D, One Hundred and Sixty-first Regiment, N. Y. V., and was discharged as sergeant November 12, 1865; he participated in the battles of Sabine Cross Roads, Pleasant Hill, Cane River, Morgangies Bend, Siege of Mobile, Ft. Blakesly, and was in the Red River expedition. His mother dying February 17, 1881, at the age of sixty years, his father makes his home with our subject, who has just completed an elegant nine-room residence in the village of Ulster, this being a modern house and one of the finest residences in Ulster valley. Mr. Bowman was never married; he has been a member of the F. & A. M. Rural Amity Lodge, No. 70, Athens, since 1871, and has taken and held the office of commander for three successive years; is a member of the Iron Hall, in which he fills the chair of cashier of Local Branch No. 886; also a member of the Brotherhood of O. R. C., No. 10, Waverly; in his religious views, he is a Methodist, and in his political belief he is a strong Republican.
JOSEPH G BOYCE, finisher, Oliver’s furniture factory, Troy, was born in Troy, Pa., August 16, 1847, and is a son of David and Nancy (Keyser) Boyce. His father was a native of Herkimer county, N. Y., born in 1802, and settled in Troy township, this county, in 1826, where he cleared and improved the farm now owned by Caleb Case; in 1869 he removed to Kansas, where he died in 1875; his wife was a daughter of John Keyser, of Troy township, by whom he had eight children: Hiram, Thankful, (Mrs. Henry Olds), Francina (Mrs. Moses Ingalls), James, Elizabeth, Joseph G., Abigail and Edwin. Our subject was reared in Troy township, where, with the exception of twelve years, he has always resided; he was in the Civil War, enlisting December 28, 1863, in Company E, Eleventh Pennsylvania Cavalry, and participated in the engagements in front of Richmond, Petersburg, Ream Station, Wilderness, Johnson Farm, Five Forks, and was at Lee’s surrender at Appomattox, and was honorably discharged in August 1865. After the war ended he learned the finisher’s trade in Troy, where he worked five years, then spent ten years in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa, returning to Troy in 1880, where has since been in the employ of J. H. Oliver. In 1868 he married Sarah E., daughter of Stephen Wheeler, of Troy township, and has five children: Newton (proprietor of "Troy House" barber shop), C. Ernest, Jennie, Dewitt and Alice. Mr. Boyce is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of Gustin Post, G. A. R., and politically is a Republican.
J. W. BOYD, farmer and stock grower, Wyalusing township, P.O. Wyalusing, a son of Charles and Elizabeth (Morrow) Boyd, was born in Wyalusing township, April 16, 1865. He passed his boyhood on the farm, and had the advantages of a good common-school education; he adopted farming as an occupation, and has successfully pursed the same until the present time, farming on the old homestead in connection with his father, as well as operating a hay press and threshing machine in their season, until 1889, when he purchased his present home, known as the L. D. Biles estate. This a well-improved and beautifully-located place, containing seventy-five acres, and Mr. Boyd has it well stocked. He was married, March 13, 1889, to Elnasa Stevens, and to them has been born one child, Florence Virginia. Mr. Boyd is an active politician, casting his interests with the Republican party. He now fills the office of town commissioner, having been elected to that position in 1890. His is one of Bradford’s energetic young farmers, and has created for himself a host of friends.
FRANCIS BOYLE, hotel proprietor, in Rummersfield, was born in Wyalusing township, this county, August 11, 1841, a son of Patrick Boyle, who was born in County Cavan, Ireland, August 22, 1805, and grandson of Thomas Boyle, who was born and died in Ireland and had a family of seven children: Patrick, Ellen (wife of Mike O-Connell), Michael, Thomas, Peter, James and Anne. Patrick came to this country in 1826, remaining one year on Long Island, then worked on the Erie Canal one year, then on the North Branch Canal three years, then went to Wyalusing and purchased 100 acres and added fifteen acres more, and built his house in 1867. He was a prominent and successful farmer, and the family are members of the Catholic Church; his politics are Democratic. He married, in 1827, Susan, daughter of Francis Flanigan, of New York City, and had six children, as follows: Anne (wife of J. J. O’Brien), John, Thomas, Francis, Peter and James. The mother died in February, 1851, and he again married in October of the same year. Anne, daughter of Patrick Monaghan, and by this marriage has one child, Cornelius. Patrick Boyle died, August 22, 1890.
Francis, the subject of this sketch, attended school until his twentieth year; then worked on a farm until 1865. In 1866 he purchased fifty acres of land which he sold in 1870, then managed his father’s farm until 1889, when he rented the "Rummersfield Hotel," which he conducted until 1890, then returned home, and at his father’s death he inherited the homestead. November 22, 1890, he purchased the "Rummersfield Hotel." Mr. Boyle is a Democrat; and the family are members of the Catholic Church. He married in 1876, Bridget, daughter of Michael and Sarah (Hammersley) Ryan, the third of a family of seven, five of whom are living, and of this marriage were born seven children: Susan, born April 29, 1868, wife of George McCrossen, the have one child, Francis, born September 30, 1888; Sarah and Kate (twins) were born April 6, 1870; Annie, born March 28, 1873; Mary born February 6, 1875; Patrick, March 11, 1879, and Michael, born November 25, 1881. This family is one of the leading ones of the county.
CAPTAIN DANIEL BRADBURY, machinist, Athens, is a nation of Ulster county, N. Y., born September 23, 1830, a son of Thomas J. and Clarinda (Hayes) Bradbury, natives of Ulster and Dutchess counties, N. Y., respectively. The father is a retired farmer and resided in Southport, Chemung Co., N. Y., now eighty-three years old. Subject’s grandfather, Amirheuhana Bradbury, was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, in Col. Shepherd’s Massachusetts Regiment. The maternal grandfather, William Hayes, was a soldier in the War of 1812. Capt. Daniel Bradbury is the eldest in a family of seven children, of whom six are living. He was reared principally in Tompkins, N. Y.; worked three years on a farm, and at eighteen began an apprenticeship at the machinist’s trade in Elmira; then, in 1851, removed to Athens, and worked at his trade until 1856, when he went to Newark, Ohio, and from there to Buffalo, and thence to Corning, N. Y. Returning to Athens in 1858, he here worked at his trade until the breaking out of the Civil War, when he enlisted, April 23, 1861, in the three-years service, in Company F, Sixth Pennsylvania Reserves, and was appointed captain. He was wounded at Drainesville, Va., December 20, 1861, and was an invalid in camp until March 1, 1862; he was furloughed home, where he remained until May, when he returned to his command in Virginia, but after his examination was rejected on account of his wound; was discharged from the service July 15, 1862. Returning to Athens he worked at his trade until 1867, when he went to Penn Yan, N. Y., and in 1879 to Elmira, same State, where he worked for Reid & Cooper, manufacturers of steam engines and general machinery, until January, 1885, when he came to Athens and worked in the Lehigh Valley machine shops; he is now in the employ of Reid & Cooper, Elmira, N. Y. Capt. Bradbury was married in Smithfield township, this county, to Miss Polly, daughter of Jared and Eliza (Hackett) Phelps, natives, respectively, of Massachusetts and Vermont; the father, who was a farmer, was born January 24, 1789, and died August 17, 1869, in Smithfield. Mrs. Phelps was born May 20, 1795, and died May 2, 1839. Mrs. Bradbury’s grandfather, Jared Phelps, served one full term of three years in a Connecticut regiment during the Revolutionary War, and soon after his discharge again enlisted for a term of three years, and served until the close of the struggle; he was first a drummer, and afterward a fifer. Mrs. Bradbury is the youngest in a family of nine children that grew to maturity, and was born in Smithfield township, this county, December 4, 1831. To Mr. and Mrs. Bradbury were born four children, viz.: Thomas J., married to Mary V. Massey, residing in New York City (he is a reporter on the New York Tribune); Margaret E., and Asa, deceased. The Captain is a member of the G. A. R., Mallory Post, No. 285, and Union Veteran Legion, No. 28; he served two years as commander of the Post, and one year of the U. V. L.; is serving his second year as president of the Sixth Regiment Pennsylvania Reserve Association. Politically he is a Republican.
DANIEL BRADFORD, a prominent and enterprising farmer of Columbia township, P.O Sylvania, was born in Columbia township, this county, March 16, 1831, a son of Joseph R. and Mary (Monro) Bradford, natives of Rhode Island, who settled in Columbia township in 1829, where the father partially cleared and improved a farm, then removed to Tioga county, Pa., in 1837, where the father died in 1867, aged sixty-five years; his children were as follows: Levi D., Mary A. (Mrs. Alex. Smith), Daniel, Leonard J., Harriet (Mrs. Stearn Ashley) and William H. Our subject was reared in Tioga county, Pa., from six years of age, and received a common-school education. After reaching his majority he engaged in farming in Tioga county, until 1865, when he removed to Columbia township, this county; since which time he has occupied the farm where he now resides, and has made all the improvement in buildings, etc. On March 30, 1853, he married Melinda, daughter of Robert and Mary (Gardner) Card, of Tioga county, Pa., formerly of Rhode Island, and has one son, Fred. D. Mr. Bradford is a member of the Presbyterian Church of Sylvania is a Republican in politics, and has served as county commissioner of Bradford county two terms.
SPENCER S. BRAINARD, farmer and stock grower, P. O. Warren, was born in Warren township, this county, June 29, 1847, a son of Sidney C. and Eunice H. (Moore) Brainard, natives of New York and Vermont, respectively, and of Scotch origin. Sidney C. was a son of Isaac, born August 27, 1778, and his mother was Zeruah Spencer, born December 24, 1775; Isaac was the son of Timothy, who was born April 22, 1740, and his wife, Elizabeth Spencer, was born May 21, 1744. Sidney C. Brainard was a farmer and carpenter, who came to Bradford county and located in Warren township in 1810, where he cleared and opened the first farm in the township, the spot being known for years as the "old clearing" (on this farm his son Spencer S. now resides), where he died May 16, 1884; his wife died March 10, 1870; they had ten children, of whom Spencer S. was the eighth. Our subject grew to his majority on his native farm, in time purchased the old homestead, and now has a fine farm of one hundred acres, widely known to be as fine as any in the township. He was joined in matrimony, in Warren township, with Mary E. Hardie, daughter of Stephen and Emaline (Stephens) Hardie, natives of New Jersey, farmers of Camptown, and of German and English descent. Mrs. Hardie died in 1864, the mother of six children, of whom Mary E. was the eldest. Mr. and Mrs. Spencer S. Brainard had born to them two children, viz.: Rosabel and Arthur S. They are members of the Free Baptist Church. Mr. Brainard enlisted in the army July 12, 1864, in Company D, Seventy-seventh N. Y. V. I., was sent to Elmira and guarded prisoners; he was discharged November 19, 1864, and returned to his home. Three of his brothers and two brothers-in-law were in service. Mr. Brainard is a member of Spalding Post, No. 33, and in politics is a Republican.
PATRICK F. BRENNAN, farmer, of Monroe township, P. O. Liberty Corners, was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, October 20, 1837, and is a son of John and Johanna (Fogarty) Brennan. There were thirteen children in their family, of whom subject is the seventh. His parents dying in 1855, he began life for himself, farming and teaming, and in 1861 he purchased six acres of land, where he now resides. When he had cleared and paid for this, he purchased more, and so on, until now he has sixty-two acres of well-cultivated land. Mr. Brennan was married December 25, 1858, to Miss Mary Ann McFee, daughter of Hannah M. Sullivan, and they have five children: George H., born January 14, 1860, resides with his parents, and is married to Alice McDaniels (they have one child, Thomas H., born September 14, 1890); Mary C., born March 31, 1863, married to Willis J. McDaniels, an employé in the Athens Bridge Works (they have one child, Anna E., born September 20, 1890); John M., born December 18, 1867, taught school seven terms in Bradford county (was graduated from Miller’s Commercial College, and is now in the employ of the New York Railroad Supply Company, at New York, where he is a member of the Y.M.C.A.); Thomas P., born April 11, 1873, died December 4, 1881, and Frank A., born July 7, 1876. Mr. Brennan has always been a strong advocate of Democracy, as are all his children.
GEORGE W. BRINK, farmer, P. O. Bentley Creek, was born in Branchville, Sussex Co., N. J., August 26, 1826, a son of Garret and Mary (Bowman) Brink, natives of Sussex county. Garret Brink followed the calling of an auctioneer many years, and died at the age of fifty. His family consisted of five children—three sons and two daughters—all of whom grew to maturity, and three are now living. George W. Brink, who is the fifth in the family, was reared and educated in Sussex county, N. J. At the age of twenty he married, for his first wife, Susan, daughter of Lewis Johnson, by which union there born to them seven children—six boys and one girl—as follows: Andrew, Benjamin, Alfred, Willis, Frederick, Frank and Alice, all of whom are married and prosperous; his second wife was Sarah Patterson, whom he married December 26, 1875. Mr. Brink removed to this county in 1856, locating in Wells township, where he lived until 1878 when he removed to Bentley Creek, and has since resided here. His wife, Sarah, purchased what is known as the "Cook Place." Mr. Brink is a extensive dairyman, and has two registered Alderneys.
T. W. BRINK, P. O. Brink Hill, who ranks among the most prominent farmers of Litchfield township, was born in Sheshequin township, this county, March 21, 1820, on the farm now owned by Rufus Mallory, a son of Benjamin and Rhoda (Rodgers) Brink, the former of whom was a farmer, and resided at the old Rodgers homestead in Sheshequin from 1825 until his death. Our subject is the eldest of four children, of whom Amanda married Henry McKinney, and died in 1883. Benjamin Brink married, for his second wife, Polly Forbes, and by her had two children, viz., Delila, married to Philip Crans, of Athens, and John F., married to Emily Crans. The grandfather was a soldier of the War of 1812. T. W. Brink was reared on the old homestead, and received a limited common-school education. Leaving school at the age of seventeen years, he took charge of a farm in Sheshequin township, and at the age of twenty-one removed to the farm now owned by George Page, in Athens township, then returned to the old homestead, where he remained until 1859, in which year he came to Litchfield on the farm he now owns, comprising two hundred and ten acres, of which one hundred and fifty are improved, with comfortable buildings. He has been twice married; first time in 1841, to Martha Harrington, by which union were born eight children: Mary, married to George W. Morse of Washington, D.C.; George, married to Owilda Carmer, and resides in Litchfield; Henry, married to Kate McGovern, and lives in Athens township; Dell who first married Orlando Park, and for her second husband married Perley Phalin, of Athens; Alonzo, died at the age of six; Alfred, died at the age of two; Henrietta, died in infancy; Fred, married Ida Munn, and lives on part of his father’s farm. Our subject married for his second wife, in 1869, Clarissa McKinney, third in the family of six children and has held various town offices. The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
SAMUEL N. BRONSON, retired merchant, Orwell. John Bronson came from England in Colonial times with a colony under the leadership of Rev. Thomas Hooker, in 1636, and settled at Hartford, Conn.; he was in the bloody Pequot War of 1637, and removed to Tunxis (Farmington), about 1641; he was one of the organizers of the Farmington Church, October 13, 1652; he died November 28, 1680, having reared a family of seven children, of whom the fifth child, John, then ancestor of the gentleman whose name heads this sketch, was born in January, 1644; he became an early settler of Waterbury, where he died. His family consisted of seven children, of whom John, the eldest in this branch of the family, was born in 1670, and removed from Waterbury to Southington, where in January, 1697, he was married to Rachel Buck, of Weathersfield, and had seven children, of whom Jonathan, born May 14, 1706, married Abigail Clark, May 17, 1732, and lived in Southington, where he died, August 20, 1751; his family consisted of ten children, of whom the second, John, born July 16, 1735, married, for his first wife, Sarah Barnes, March 30, 1758, and soon after settled in Wolcott, where she died December 17, 1804; he then married the widow of Curtiss Hall, and died November 10, 1838, aged one hundred and three years, three months and twenty-five days; his family of six children were as follows: Joel, born March 9, 1759; Isaac, born July 19, 1761; Benjamin Barnes, born August 19, 1763; Philenor, baptized April 27, 1766; Hannah; John, born January 31, 1776. Of these Joel, who was the grandfather of Samuel N. Bronson, married Cynthia Minerva Squires, December 3, 1783, and had the following children, all now deceased: Ira, born September 11, 1784; Samuel Squire (father of subject), born May 6, 1787; Avis Finch, born October 27, 1790; Mary Woodruff, born July 13, 1793; Nancy Barns, born April 25, 1796; Joel, Jr., born May 23, 1799; Cynthia Minerva, born August 5, 1809, and died March 14, 1891, at Kennet Square, Pa.
[The Humphrey family in America dates from Michael Humphrey, "the emigrant" from England whose first record here is in 1643 in Windsor, Conn.; he married October 14, 1647, Priscilla Grant
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