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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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CHARLES N. IRVINE, farmer, Monroe township, P.O. Box Liberty Corners, was born in Monroe township, on the old Welch Irvine homestead, August 9, 1846, and is a son of Guy C. and Deborah A. (Hollon) Irvine, the former of whom was born August 25, 1816, a son of Welch Irvine whom removed to Monroe in 1814, and was of Scotch-Irish origin; the latter was a branch of the Hollon family, well known in Monroe. In his father’s family there are two children: Lyman Welch, born January 8, 1842, who lives on the old homestead (he was in the quartermaster’s department at Murfreesboro, Tenn., during the war; he married Lorania H. Van Gorder, by whom he has two children: Zilpha, born April 27, 1873, married to Clark A. Dodson, a farmer and lumberman, Shickshinny, Pa., and Deborah E., born January 12, 1877), and Charles N. The subject of this sketch spent his boyhood on the farm, was educated in the common school, also in Monroe graded school, and at twenty-one engaged in business for himself; he worked on his father’s farm seven years, and then located on his present home, which he had previously purchased. Mr. Irvine was married, January 26, 1874, to Miss Alice A., daughter of Wells and Mary A (Shiner) Goff, of Monroe; she died September 19, 1888 leaving two children: Carrie D., born November 14, 1875 and Guy C., born March 28, 1879. Mr. Irvine was afterward married, March 18, 1891, to Miss Sarah, daughter of F. Wilson and Mary (Hanna) Frutchey, of Frenchtown. Lyman and Charles N. Irvine are Republicans in politics, and have been frequent holders of town offices in Monroe township.
JAMES W. IRVINE, merchant, Liberty Corners, was born in Monroe this county, March 6, 1825, and is a son of Welch and May M. (Kester) Irvine, natives of Cumberland and Union counties; respectively. Welch Irvine was of Scotch descent,, his wife of German. His parents fled from the Indians, Northumberland county to Cumberland county, and while there in camp Welch was born, but his mother died soon after; the exact date of his birth is unknown, but it is thought to be not far from June 15, 1780. George, the brother of Welch, removed to Bradford county; coming up "Lycoming creek, which he crossed thirty-six times, he arrived in Fowlertown after dark, December 17, 1813. Andrew – a half-brother – located in Towanda, in 1812, where he erected and operated a tannery till 1836, when he removed to Warren county, Pa., where he bought property and engaged extensively in lumbering and farming. On the property which he purchased, and which is now is possession of his children, are several productive oil and gas wells. In 1814, Welch removed and located on the farm now owned by E. T. Parks, where he remained till sometime in 1815, when he moved onto the land which he bought at Liberty Corners, and followed farming and boat-building until his death, which occurred February 12, 1850. In his family there were six children, of whom J. W. is the fifth. He began life for himself, farming, a nineteen, which he followed until the spring of 1866, when he engaged in clerking, which he followed two years in Taylorsville and Scranton, and then located in his present place of business, where he has since kept a general store, and dealt quite extensively in Syracuse chilled plows, and also given some attention to farming. He was married January 8, 1851, to Miss Almira, daughter of Jeremiah and Elizabeth (Orcutt) Hollon, and they have had the following named children: Mary E., born May 20, 1860, died August 19, 1865; Alice and Addie M. (twins) born July 1, 1864 (Addie M. died April 10, 1872, and Alice was married June 6, 1888, to O. Delos Davis, who was born in Steuben county, N.Y., June 25, 1864, and is a son of Rev. Orson D. and Malissa (Knowles) Davis (he is in the employ of Mr. Irving); they have one child, Irvine D., born April 2, 1889). Mr. Irvine is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church; has always been a supporter of all public and educational enterprise, taught school at Smithfield as early as 1843, and then taught, off and on, twelve years, having at times as many as eighty pupils; he is a Republican in politics , and was postmaster from 1872 till 1886.
J. M. IRVINE, farmer and stock-raiser, Wyalusing township, P.O. Homet’s Ferry, was born in Wyalusing township, this county, February 20, 1858, and is a son of John Irvine. He was reared on the farm he now occupies, was educated in the common school, and upon reaching his majority was already a well-equipped farmer. He has always resided on this old homestead, which he has owned since 1872; it contains 100 acres of productive land, well improved and well stocked with horses and cattle. He combines hay-pressing and threshing with farming, owns a fine steam rig for that purpose. Mr. Irvine was married October 23, 1883 to Della Biles, a daughter of Charles Biles, of the same vicinity, and their union has been blessed with two children: Raymond and Christine. He is a member of Fairbanks Association of P. of I., No. 3304, and politically he is a Democrat. Mr. Irvine, who is one of Wyalusing’s successful young farmers, has all the qualities that go to make up a leading man of his class – industry, honesty, frugality and intelligence.
ROBERT M. IRVINE, farmer, Monroe township, P.O. Liberty Corners, was born in Monroe, June 24, 1846, and is a son of William W. and Eliza (Hollon) Irvine. Robert spent his boyhood on the farm, and attended the common schools. He then took up farming, and has followed it since, on a portion of the old Irvine homestead. He was married, March 15, 1871, to Miss Myra Dell, daughter of Charles and Elizabeth (DuBois) Marcy, the former a native of Monroe and of New England origin, and the latter a native of New York State, of German lineage. One son and two daughters blessed this happy union, viz.: Alice A. (born November 2, 1872), Jennie M. (born July 20, 1875), and Frederick E. (born May 11, 1879). Mr. Irvine is an earnest and enthusiastic Democrat.
WASHINGTON IRVINE, farmer and stock-grower, Wyalusing township, P.O. Homet’s Ferry, was born in Asylum township, this county, January 9, 1832, and is a son of John and Martha (Arnot) Irvine. When he was eight years of age he came with his parents to the old homestead, now occupied by his brother, John M., and there he passed his boyhood, assisting in clearing and cultivating the land, and during winters attending school at Fairbanks school-house. He remained with his father, on the old homestead, until he was thirty-three years old, and then removed to his present place, which at that time was an old frame house, with about fifteen acres of cleared land, which he at once began clearing and improving, and now he has seventy acres of fine farm land, fifty acres being cleared, and all well improved, with good buildings and fences. Mr. Irvine was united in marriage, December 25, 1864, with Lucy A., daughter of Thomas and Juliett (French) Doud, residents of Franklin township. Her father died in 1871, aged sixty-four years; her mother is yet living; they had a family of six children, three yet living, Mrs. Irvine being the eldest in the family. This union has been blessed with three children: Alice, (married to S. D. Eilenberger, and employee of Frost & Sons;) Margaret and Bertha, students at the Susquehanna Collegiate Institute, Towanda. Mr. Irvine, has always been a farmer, and has his farm well stocked with horses and cattle; he is a member of the Fairbanks Association, Patrons of Industry, and is a Democrat.
WILLIAM W. IRVINE, farmer, Monroe township, P.O. Liberty Corners, was born in Northumberland county, Pa., April 5, 1812, and is a son of George and Margaret (Reed) Irvine, natives of Pennsylvania, the former of Protestant-Irish origin; the ancestors of the latter lived in Pennsylvania many generations. In their family were nine children of whom subject is the sixth; the other eight lived to be over sixty years of age, two sisters and the subject of this sketch being the only survivors. George Irvine came to Monroe township in 1813, and lived near where Monroeton now is, until he built his house of hewn logs, where William W. now resides. The last-named gentleman worked for the general interest of the family until he was nearly thirty, and then engaged in farming and lumbering on the old homestead, which he has since followed. He was married, October 16, 1842, to Miss Eliza, daughter of Jeremiah and Betsey (Orcutt) Hollon, and they have five children (three of whom are living): Robert, born June 28, 1846; George P., born July 24, 1850, died July 24, 1851; Edward C., born may 31, 1853, clerk in C. P. Welles’ store, Towanda; Walter W., born July 3, 1855, residing at home, and Alice V., born April 16, 1858, died November 19, 1865. Mr. and Mrs. Irvine are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and he has not failed to poll a Democratic ballot at general election in fifty-eight years.
PHILEMON ISBELL, farmer, of Burlington township, P.O. Luther’s Mills, was born in Eaton, Madison Co., N.Y., September 20, 1809, a son of Noah and Nancy (Slocum) Isbell, of English and Welch origin, natives of Massachusetts. Noah was a tanner and currier, also a farmer, and died when our subject was three years of age; the mother than married John Hall, a farmer of Onondaga county, N.Y. When Philemon was fourteen years of age the family removed to Owego, N.Y., where he was reared on the farm, and, soon after attaining his majority, he engaged in farming for himself, in Michigan, where he remained until 1843, when he came to Bradford county, and settled in Burlington, where, he has been engaged in lumbering and farming. He married in February, 1833, Margaret Ann McNeil, of Scotch ancestry, born May 10, 1810, a daughter of Francis and Polly (Norton) McNeil. To this union were born eleven children, seven of whom are living, as follows: Hulda, John, Nancy, Polly, Maria, Sherman and William. John is a farmer in Burlington, and was a soldier in an Engineer Corps in the Civil War; he married Mary, a daughter of Welcome and Julie Ann (Jones) Rice; her father is living at the age of eighty-one years. William was married to France Adamson, who died, and for his second wife he married Alice, daughter of J. and Lydia (Bennett) Campbell of North Towanda; he is a farmer on the old homestead (a fine farm of about 100 acres) with his father. Philemon Isbell, the subject of this sketch, was many years a Democrat, but since Buchanan’s administration he has been a Republican, as are the sons. The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, having joined the same about 1850. They are hardworking people and are respected by all.
W.C. JACKSON, farmer, P.O. Terrytown, was born near Dushore, Sullivan Co., Pa., October 28, 1861, a son of Andrew R. and Matilda (Lawrence) Jackson, the former born in Berwick, Columbia Co., Pa., January 2, 1819; the latter in Upper Augusta township (near Sunbury) Northumberland Co., Pa., and removed to this county in 1867, locating at Terrytown, on the Susquehanna river, on a portion of the Dodge property. Andrew Jackson resided on this place until he died, November 22, 1885, at the age of sixty-six years. He was a good citizen and a worthy resident of the town; his children number seven, two by first marriage, who are both living, and five by second marriage, three of whom grew to maturity, and are now living. The subject of these lines was reared and educated in Terry township, having come with his father when very young, and always confined himself to farming, at which he is adept. At the age of twenty-four, March 25, 1886; he married, at West Terry, Miss Agnes I., daughter of Peter and Margaret Layman, and there was born to them one child, Edith L., now aged three years. Mr. Jackson is a prosperous, industrious general farmer; some of his stock are registered, and very fine; he is a member in good standing of the Presbyterian Church, also of the P. of I.; politically he is an Independent.
E. J. JACOBY was born May 12, 1834, at Mehoopany, Wyoming Co., Pa., and is the third in the family of seven children of Leonard and Judith (Williams) Jacoby, natives of this State, of German and Welsh extraction. He was orphaned at the age of eighteen, and being thus thrown early upon his own resources, he commenced business at the mason trade, having received instructions from his father. At about the age of twenty he had several severe attacks of hemorrhage of the lungs, and for more than a year fears were entertained that he would be a victim of consumption, but he finally recovered, and resumed business, doing a great deal of mason work by contract, and employing a number of men. On May 17, 1860, he was married to Julietta Aumick, of Eatontown, Wyoming Co., Pa. In 1861, he moved to Auburn township, Susquehanna Co., and was there drafted, in November 1863, and reported at Scranton, January 14, 1864, but was exempted by paying $300. On February 6, 1865, his wife died, leaving one child. Mr. Jacoby dealt speculatively in tobacco and other commodities; also in real estate to some extent. In 1866 he became a resident of Bradford county, and December 31, 1867, he married Maria L., fourth daughter of Rev. D. Trumble, of Liberty Corners, and there have been born of this union, six children, as follows: Carrie E., born March 3, 1869; Alice C., born April 20, 1871; Arthur B., born October 16, 1875; Olin D., born December 2, 1880; Ralph B., born January 10, 1887; Stanley L., born September 16, 1889. In the spring of 1881 Mr. Jacoby purchased and moved on the farm where he now resides in Asylum township; in 1885 he erected a commodious farm house, a fine country residence. He is a prominent and successful farmer, a member of the Masonic Fraternity and the Farmers’ Alliance. Politically, he was a Republican previous to 1872, since when he had voted with the Democratic party. He has never been an office-seeker, but has been several times elected to the offices of his town.
S. ATWOOD JAKWAY, retired farmer, P.O. Windham Centre; was born in Washington county, N.Y., December 22, 1818, and is a son of Frederick and Betsey Atwood, also natives of New York. The father died in 1840, and the mother in 1861; they had six children, of whom Samuel A. was the fifth. The family were agriculturists, and our subject became a farmer, and prospered well and when he retired from active labors he owned a fine farm of seventy acres. He came to Bradford county in 1861, and located in Windham township. He was married, in Saratoga county, N.Y., to Miss Delia, daughter of Thomas and Eliza Ellis, natives of Vermont, and to this marriage three children were born, as follows: Francis, Fredrick, and Albert. The mother of these children died in 1859. Mr. Jakway married again, taking as his second wife Mrs. Eliza E. Spencer, daughter of William and Ann Grimley, a family of English descent, and in their family of six children Eliza was the third. She grew to womanhood in Windham township, and first married Joseph G. Spencer, by whom she had one child, James A. Mr. Spencer died in 1864. Mr. and Mrs. Jakway have no children; they are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He served his country one year, and was in the Army Construction Corps. In political affairs he affiliates with the Republican party.
F. H. JARVIS, principal of the Wyalusing schools, Wyalusing, was born in Orwell township, this county, December 22, 1862, and is the only child of John K. and Nancy Maria (Atwood) Jarvis, the former of whom, was a teacher of instrumental and vocal music, died October 3, 1870. The ancestry of our subject, on his father’s side, originally came from England and settled in Norwalk, Conn. His grandparents removed from Norwalk to Fairfax County, Conn. His grandparents removed from Norwalk to Fairfax county, Conn., whence they came to Pennsylvania about 1848, settling in Bradford county. He is a descendant of William Jarvis, who in 1738, was one of the forty-two signers from Norwalk of the "Ernest Memorial" addressed to the General Assembly for the propagation of the Gospel in foreign parts. The 600, all over sixteen, embraced the members of England, living in His Majesty’s Colony of Connecticut." William was one of the three of the Jarvis line, Samuel Jarvis (father of the eminent and distinguished Bishop of Connecticut) and Samuel Jarvis, Jr., the others who broke away from the standing order and helped extend the church, finally giving the Bishop of Connecticut, the Rev. Dr. Samuel Farmar Jarvis. The ancestry of F. H. Jarvis, on his mother’s side, is as follows: He is grandson of Silas H. Atwood, he being son of Reuben Atwood, who was born in Ridgebury, Conn., and was the tenth of the thirteen issues of Mary (daughter of Dr. Henry Skelton) and Elisha Atwood, the latter born April 27, 1745, and died May 24, 1825. He was also the third son of Oliver and Louis (Wheeler) Atwood, their marriage taking place November 12, 1740.
Oliver, born Mach 11, 1717, died January 30, 1810, was the last child of Dr. Johnathan, who emigrated from England to Northbury, and was among the early settlers. His father, Capt. Thomas Atwood, was, tradition says, for a time captain of a company under Oliver Cromwell. He was a physician of much note, and died in 1628. The name of Atwood has been one of some consequence on both sides of the Atlantic, sixteen different families have entered their coats of arms in the Herald office, and ten of the same had graduated at different colleges prior to 1853.
F. H. Jarvis received his early education in the common schools of Orwell township, and at LeRaysville Academy. He entered the Collegiate Institute at Towanda in the fall of 1882, and was graduated therefrom June 10, 1886. He taught his first term in 1882-83, and was attending school then until after graduation. In the fall of 1886 he came to Wyalusing and took charge of the schools in that place, being at the head of the profession in this part of the county. On July 19, 1888, Mr. Jarvis received a life certificate from the Department of Public Instruction of Pennsylvania. In the oratorical contest of his class he received favorable mention. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Wyalusing, in which he fills the office of steward, and is assistant superintendent of the Sabbath-school; is also chorister of the church. He has excellent musical talent, and has taught vocal music successfully. He is secretary of the Bradford County Mutual Musical Alliance, and was an officer of the committee on permanent certificates, elected by the teachers of Bradford county. In politics he is a Republican, and was census enumerator for Pike township in 1890.
MOSES JEFFERS, JR., proprietor of the "Ulster House," Ultser, was born November 2, 1834, at Albany, N.Y., a son of Moses and Mary (Davis) Jeffers, natives of New York. His father was of Irish and his mother of Dutch extraction; in their family were seven children, four of whom are living. The family migrated to this State in 1859, locating in Susquehanna county, afterward in Carlisle, where the father died at the ripe age of four scores and four. The son attended the common schools of Ulster county, N.Y., receiving an average education; on leaving school he was apprenticed to learn the trade of carriage-making, serving three years. He enlisted in Company A., One Hundred and Forty-first Regiment, P.V.I., August 7, 1862, and was discharged at Bailey’s Cross Roads, Va., May 28, 1865, having served over three years, and participated in twenty-six battles, the most important of which were Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. The total loss of hearing in his left ear was caused during the service by the explosion of a shell and exposure. He is a member of Jackson Post, No. 74, G.A.R., of Wyalusing. Mr. Jeffers was united in marriage with Sarah, daughter of John and Sallie (Whitney) Rosencrans, and two children were born to them, John C. and Sallie, latter of whom died in infancy. Mr. Jeffers, Jr., came to Ulster, November 26, 1886, and purchased the "Ulster House," which he now controls. His health was sacrificed in the army, and he has been unable to work at his trade since; he is one of Bradford county’s successful citizens, and, in politics is a Republican. The family worship at the Presbyterian Church.
CHARLES E. JENNINGS, dealer in groceries,, provisions, etc., is a native of Herrick township, this county, born December 21, 1850, a son of Richard and Sally (Coe) Jennings, natives of New Jersey and New York respectively. They came to this county when young, and married here. Richard Jennings is a farmer, and resides in Standing Stone township. The paternal grandfather, Ira Jennings, who was a native of New Jersey, resided in this county twenty-five or thirty years, and died in Michigan. Charles E. Jennings is the fifth in order of birth in a family of twelve children, of whom ten are now living. He was reared in Herrick township, and received an academic education at Camptown; taught district school seven terms, and farmed in Standing Stone township until the spring of 1889, when he removed to Canton, and engaged in his present business. He was married in Canton, in 1881, to Isadore, daughter of Gilbert and Adaline (Cront) Lathrop, natives of Wyalusing township. Gilbert Lathrop is a farmer, and resides in Armenia township. Mrs. Lathrop died in 1888, in her sixty-second year. Mrs. Jenning’s, grandfather, Lawrence, was a solider in the War of 1812. She is the eldest in order of birth in a family of six children, and was born in Herrick township in January, 1857. To them have been born three children: Daisy, Franklin and Laura. Mrs. Jennings is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Politically he is a Republican. Our subject’s brother, George, was in the War of the Rebellion, and was shot through right lung in the second day’s fight, battle of the Wilderness; lay on battlefield nine days, at expiration of which time he was carried twelve miles in an ambulance wagon, a portion of the road being corduroy; but he survived all this, and is living at the present day, but has been in very poor health ever since. Mrs. Jennings’ grandfather, Lathrop, was a minister of the Gospel for over forty years; had three sons in the Civil War, all of whom lost their lives there. Grandfather Cronk enlisted in the Civil War, also five sons, all of whom returned.
HENRY W. JENNINGS, farmer, of Granville township, P.O. Windfall, was born in Troy township, this county, January 17, 1829, and is a son of Ebenezer and Hester (Miller) Jennings, natives of Vermont and New York, respectively, who settled in Troy township in 1825, and cleared and improved a farm on which they lived and died. Their children were eight in number: Rachel (Mrs. Alphonzo Mott); Mary (second wife of Alphonzo Mott), Laura (Mrs. Volney B. Taylor); Sara (Mrs. Morgan Brown); Armelia (Mrs. Valentine Saxton); Emma (Mrs. Selley Lasher), Henry W. and Edwin. Henry W., the subject of this sketch, was reared in Troy township, and lived on the homestead of his father until 1866, when he removed to Granville township, where he has since resided. In September, 1854, he married Terressa, daughter of Thomas and Isabel (Wilson) Case of Canton township, and has two sons: Frank and Fred. Mr. Jennings is a popular citizen and enterprising farmer; he is a member of the Free-Will Baptist Church, and in politics is a Republican.
S. H. JEWELL, of the firm of Ingham & Jewell, dealers in clothing, gents’ furnishings, boots and shoes, Canton, is a native of Troy, where he was born October 28, 1863; his parents are E.S. and Armitta M. (Davidson) Jewell, natives of Vermont and Ithaca, N., respectively. E. S. Jewell is a retired merchant of Troy, for a number of years a member of the firm of Jewell & Pomeroy. Our subject, who is the younger of the two children, received his early education in the borough schools of Troy, and entered the Pennsylvania Military Academy of Chester, in the fall of 1879, graduating from there in the spring of 1883. On April 1, 1884, he returned home, and engaged in his present business in Canton. He was married in Canton, in March 1889, to Anna B., daughter of James and Charlotte (Lindley) Ingham, natives of this county; she is the younger of two living children, and is a member of the Presbyterian Church; politically Mr. Jewell is a Republican.
AMOS JILLSON, retired carriage-maker, Warren, was born there September 14, 1832, a son of Richard and Lydia P. (Robinson) Jillson, natives of Connecticut and English descent. Richard Jillson followed the sea for many years of his life, prior to the War of 1812, when he enlisted as a volunteer, and served the three years of that war. In 1825, in Norwich, Conn., he married Lydia P., a daughter of Patrick Robinson, and the young husband and wife came to Bradford county, where he resided until his death, in July 1874; his widow died January 3, 1888. They reared nine children, of whom Amos, who was the fourth, spent his young days on his father’s farm in this township. In September, 1864, he enlisted in Company I, Forth-fifth P.V.I., and went directly to the front with the Ninth Corps of the Army of the Potomac, of which his command was a picket regiment, and under fire daily, and exposed to the constant hazards of war. At a place called "Fort Hell", he was detailed to level the terraces between the picket-line and the fort, preparatory to a charge on the enemy, and while thus employed was under severe fire all the time, and at /fort Rice was with the alarm guard, and exposed to heavy firing of shot and shell, continuously. These are but samples of the service he was in, and some of his severe exposures. He was stricken with sickness in front of Petersburg, the effects of a severe cold, and was sent to the Ninth Corps Hospital, at City Point, where he was confined six weeks, and his slow recovery showed that his constitution was shattered, and every indication was that he would never wholly recover, but he joined his regiment, returned to Washington, was in the grand review, and was discharged at Harrisburg, In June, 1865, when the long and cruel war was over. He returned home, and, as soon as physically able, engaged in his trade of carpentering, but was not strong enough to do the heavy work, so changed to making carriages, and purchased a factory and operated it with entire success. He was married in Orwell to Helen M., daughter of Burton and Sally (Elsworth) Russell, natives of Connecticut, and of English and Scotch descent. Mr. Jillson is a Freemason, and has passed all the degrees of the Blue Lodge. While he is prematurely old, from much exposure in the cause of his country, he is at peace with all mankind, and grateful to the country for which he fought and suffered. He draws a pension of $17.00 per month.
ALFRED JOHNSON, drayman, Tory, was born in Columbia township, this county, February 1, 1853, a son of Simon and Eliza (Babcock) Johnson. His father was a native of Vermont, and in early manhood settled in Troy Borough, where he worked at his trade of carpentering. He was a member of the Baptist Church, and died in 1858; his wife was a daughter of Vincent Babcock, a pioneer of Bradford county; by her he had the following children: Betsey, Martha (Mrs. Charles Howland), Lucy, (Mrs. N. J. Steward), Reuben, Willard and Alfred, the subject of this sketch, who was reared in Troy township, educated in the common schools, and after attaining his majority, worked as a farm hand until 1879, when he embarked in the dray business in Tory, in which he has since successfully continued. He was married, September 27, 1877, to Amy, daughter of Fred and Malvina (Berry) Kerrick, of Grover, Pa., and by her he has two children: Bessie and Harry. Mr. Johnson is a member of the Baptist Church, served as constable of Troy one year, and in politics he is a Republican.
FRANK E. JOHNSON, farmer and stock-grower, P.O. Potterville, was born March 7, 1841, in the house he now occupies, a son of Joel and Sophronia (Benham) Johnson, the former of whom, a son of Asahel and Beula (Hitchcock) Johnson, natives of Connecticut, was born May 18, 1799; and was the first white male child born in Orwell township; his wife was born in Connecticut, and is now in her eighty-seventh year. Asahel Johnson was married March 3, 1788, and had the following named children: Lydia, born September 11, 1788, died February 12, 1802; Artemus, born June 24, 1790 (was twice married and had two families of children; lived many years in Orwell, but removed to Clearfield county, Pa., where he died, April 21, 1857);Simeon, born February 27, 1792 (married Lydia Benham, and removed to Illinois where he died December 15, 1878); Amanda, born May 24, 1794 (married Amisa Bowen and removed to Illinois, where she died September 15, 1865); Charlotte, born June 27, 1796 (married Chauncey, son of Capt. Josia Grant, removed to Illinois and died May 2, 1840); Joel, born May 18, 1799, died November 6, 1860; Wealthy born January 15, 1801 (married Lorin Brown and removed to Canada; she died September 15, 1825); Julia, born May 22, 1804 (married Henry Johnson, and removed to Cincinnati, Ohio, died August 22, 1832); Clarissa, born May 30k, 1806 (married Roswell Wilson, removed to Illinois and from there to Iowa, where she died in 1860); Lydia, born May 8, 1808 (married Harry Wilson, and died in South Warren); Nelson, born May 25, 1810 (married Olive Fletcher, and died in LeRaysville); Mary, born May 6, 1812, died in Clearfield County, Pa. Joel Johnson married June 1, 1820, and had the following named children: Asahel, born March 16, 181 (was twice married, first to Ann Bowen, and then to Fannie Graham; he died October 23, 1862); Amanda, born November 13, 1822 (married William Browning); Jehial, born October 5, 1825 (married Caroline Bosworth, and died April 7, 1863); George W., born September, 1827, died at the age of nine years; Harriet, born September 12, 1829; Emeline, born in October, 1832,(married John Russell); Avery, born August 7, 1834, died age three years; George N., born September 14, 1838 (married Alice Chaffee, and resides in LeRaysville); Frank E.; Charlotte S., born November 20, 1834 (married Lyeurgus L. Maynard, who she survives). Joel Johnson, who was among the foremost of the pioneers of this section, was born in the wilderness, and from his infancy he was inured to toil and hardships. As soon as he was able to wield the ax, he commenced his conflict with the wilderness, and has cleared and cultivated many a broad acre. His father settled on 3,000 acres of land, and built his first cabin close to where the Conklin homestead now stands. Joel took a portion of his father’s land upon reaching his majority, and, with the exception of a short time passed in the "Phalanx", at LeRaysville, spent his life on the farm now owned by his son, Frank E.; he was a man of sterling integrity, noted all over the new county for his hospitality. A large portion of his life was spend in lumbering, and he probably operated the first sawmill every built in that section of the township; he was one of the early stage drivers on the route from Towanda to Montrose, and made the trip, a distance of forty miles, every day from 1847 to 1851. Frank E. Johnson was born and reared on the old homestead, received a common-school education, and upon reaching his majority adopted farming as an occupation, which he has continued to follow. He owns 115 acres of the old homestead; having the same well improved, and under a high state of cultivation, being also well stocked with cattle, sheep and horses. He was married, December 21, 1865, to Julia Hutchinson, and had the following named children: Avery, born October 7, 1866 (married Mary Barton, Susquehanna county, Pa.); Alice J., born February 11, 1869 (married C. L. Wilmot). The mother of these children dying November 7, 1871, Mr. Johnson married February 6, 1872, Bertha, daughter of Albert and Julia (Ward) Chaffee, of Potterville, this county, who had a family of ten children, of whom Mrs. Johnson is the sixth. By this union there is one child, Louie M., born March 20, 1874. She was educated in the common schools, and at Rome Academy, and is a teacher by profession, having taught two terms in this county. Mr. Johnson is a Republican in politics and has held several offices in Orwell township. He has upheld the name of the family for hospitality and interest in public improvement, and ranks among the prominent farmers of the county.
GEORGE N. JOHNSON, furniture manufacturer, LeRaysville, was born in Orwell township, this county, September 14, 1838, a son of Johnson, who was the first male white child born in Orwell township, in May, 1799; he was a son of Asahel Johnson, a native of Connecticut, and was the first settler in Orwell township; he took up and cleared a claim, and followed farming the balance of his life. Joel attended school until his nineteenth year, then engaged in farming and manufacturing furniture, principally, bedsteads, which were in great demand at that time, many of which are still in use. He discontinued that business in 1846, gave all his time to farming, and has held various town offices; was a New Churchman. He married Sophronia Benham and had ten children, viz.: Asahel, deceased, Amanda, wife of William Browning; Avery, deceased; Wellington, deceased; Jehiel; Harriet, deceased; Emaline, wife of John Russell; George N.,; Frank and Lottie, wife of L. Maynard. George N., the subject of this sketch, attended the district school until his seventeenth year and high school two winters, then learned the furniture trade. In August 1862, he enlisted in Company D., One Hundred and Forty-first P.V.O., and mustered out January 28, 1863; then purchased the old shop in which he learned his trade, and started in business $1,500 in debt. In 1870 he moved to LeRaysville, and erected a building, the tower part of which he has since used in conjunction with his furniture business; in 1887 he moved his old building to where it now stands, put on an addition, and has since used the whole as a finishing department, and has followed undertaking. He has been generally successful. Mr. Johnson is a Republican, and has been borough councilman twelve years, and school director six years; he is a member of LeRaysville Lodge, No. 471, F. & A. M., and of G.A.R. Post No. 33. He was married in December, 1861, to Alice, the second of three children of Luther and Julia (Waterman) Chaffee, and they have had eight children, viz.: Scott W., born in Orwell township, November 15, 1862; Annie born in 1864, married to J. B. Keeler; Cora born in 1866, married to F. H. Pierce; Willie, born 1868, died in infancy; Nellie born in 1872; Julia, born in 1876; Arthur, born in 1878; Mattie, born in 1881. Of these, Scott W. attended district school until his eighteenth year, then went to work in his father’s furniture factory. In his twenty-first year he was taken into partnership under the firm name of Johnson & Son, and has continued since; he is W. M. of LeRay Lodge No. 771, F. & A. M.; is a member of Post, No. 232 Sons of Veterans, and of the Methodist Episcopal Church; politically he is Republican. He married, in 1885, Sadie Averill, and they have had one child, Day, born July 1, 1887.
H. F. JOHNSON, attorney, Athens, was born in Greene township, Chenango Co., N.Y., January 19, 1837, a son of H. F. and Ester A. (Frisbie) Johnson, natives of Connecticut, the latter of Litchfield county. The father was a farmer, born in February, 1795, and died in Maine, Broome Co., N.Y., in 1871; the mother was born in August 1800, and died in 1866. Gradfathers Johnson and Frisbie served in the Revoluntionay War, one as captain, and the other as a non-commissioned officer; the ancestors on both sides of the house came across in the "May Flower". The subject of these lines is a distant relative of Col. Dick Johnson, who killed Tecumseh. He is the fourth in a family of five children, and was reared on a farm, completing his education in Athens Academy, attending about six terms. He removed to this county in February, 1849. He bought a farm in Litchfield township, but had to quit farming on account of his health. He began reading law in November, 1879, under Evans & Maynard, was admitted to the bar in December, 1881, and began the practice of his profession in January 1882. He enlisted in August, 1864, in Company H. Fifteenth New York Engineers, was in charge of the pontoon train, and served in the infantry; was mustered out July 1, 1865. He was married in Owego, N.Y., March 11, 1860, to Miss Euphemia D., daughter of Samuel P. and Lydia (Bidlack) Wolcott, natives of this county. Her grandmother was Col. John Franklin’s last wife. Samuel P. Wolcott died in Litchfield township in January 1882, in his seventieth year, and Mrs. Wolcott died in September, 1881, in her seventieth year. Euphemia D. Johnson is the second in a family of eight children, of whom six are living, and was born in Litchfield township, this county, October 18, 1837. To Mr. and Mrs. Johnson were born two sons, as follows: Oscar (married to Ada Munn, daughter of Rowen Munn, Oscar is a store-keeper in Litchfield Center); and Warren W., law partner with his father (he was admitted to the bar in 1889, at the age of twenty-one, and subsequently married Miss Aaronette B. Spear, daughter of Henry F. Spear, who died in Guatemala, Central American). Mr. H. F. Johnson is a member of the G.A.R., Perkins Post, No. 202; is a Democrat, and was nominated by his party as their candidate for the Legislature in 1878, and although the county had at that a regular Republican majority of about four thousand, he was defeated by less than one thousand votes.
T. B. JOHNSON, M. D., Towanda, A prominent member of the medical fraternity of the place, is a son of Alexander T. and Jane (Cuddeback) Johnson, and was born May 14, 1844, in Orange county, N.Y., of which place his parents were also natives, of French and Dutch descent. The father was a school teacher, county superintendent of schools, and latterly a farmer; he was a man of prominence and influence in his native place. His family comprised four children, viz.: Dr. W. E. of Waverly; Blandena E., married to B. F. Dunning; Dr. T. B., and Lyman H., who died in 1885. The subject of this brief sketch grew to manhood in his native place, Port Jervis, received a good education and clerked in a drug store in Port Jervis, practicing the study of medicine at the same time. In 1864 he entered the army, and served two years in the capacity of hospital steward, in the U.S.A.; in the latter part of the term he was under Maj.-General Thomas, and had charge of the medical store of the Army of the Cumberland. He was mustered out after the close of the war, in 1866, and returned to his home. He then attended lectures at Bellvue Hospital Medical College, New York City, was graduated March 1, 1868, and April 5, following, arrived at Towanda, where he has made his permanent home, and has enjoyed an extended practice. He is a member of the county Medical Society, and has served as its president, and is also a member of the State Medical Society; he has taken a deep interest in the public schools, and served as president of the board; is a Sir Knight Templar, and of the Scottish Rite Degree, and is an Independent in politics. In 1871 he was married, in Towanda, to Miss Henrietta Barstow, a native of Towanda, and daughter of the late D. F. Barstow. This happy union has been blessed with three children as follows: Carrier B., Alexander T. and T. B., Jr. The family worship at the Episcopal Church, and the Doctor is a member of the vestry. In social life of the town this is one of the prominent and much respected families.
CHARLES F. JONES, merchant, Stevensville, was born in Pike, this county, November 10, 1848, a son of Edward W. and Arabella B. (Bosworth) Jones, the former a native of Connecticut, of Welch and English origin. Edward W. was a lawyer and farmer, was also engaged in the mercantile business; when he first came to Pennsylvania he taught school at Bailey Hollow, where Scranton now is, and received a school order, but there was no money in the treasury, so he traded his order for a pair of oxen, and refused an offer of a large tract of land for the oxen, and afterward saw the land become worth many millions. In his family were thirteen children, of whom Charles F. was the tenth. He was reared on a farm, educated in the common school, and at Holland Patent Academy. He began life at twenty-one and clerked in a store in Stevensville for six years; then engaged in farming two years, after which he was in the business of shipping hay and grain for six years. In 1871 he was ckerk in the store of Ross & Stevens, and in 1887 was admitted as a third partner. Mr. Jones married, October 8, 1888, Miss Nellie, daughter of Henry A. and Sarah U. (Stevens) Ross. Mr. and Mrs. Jones are consistent members of the Presbyterian Church; he is a member of the I.O.O.F. Lodge, at Camptown, and in politics he is a Republican; has been collector of the taxes in Pike township two years, and town clerk five years.
HENRY JONES, farmer, carpenter and joiner, Pike township, P.O. LeRaysville, was born at St. John, Quebec, Canada, June 16, 1832, a son of John and Elizabeth (Jones) Jones, natives of Neath, South Wales, who came to this country in 1832. Their ship, bound for New York, was driven by storm, and they landed in Quebec. Henry was born the day after landing, and when six years old went to live with John Williams, at Neath, Pa., where he resided until twenty-one; then learned the carpenters and joiner’s trade, which he followed fifteen years. In 1865 he purchased his present home, and has since worked chiefly at farming. April 28, 1866, he married Jane S., daughter of Philip and Gweny (Davis) Philips, native of South Wales, and their children were as follows: Mary E., Alfred M. (deceased), Achsah M., Alice R., Sarah G., Hattie Belle (deceased), Samuel P., William U., and Gorner R. Mr. Jones is a member of the Farmers’ Alliance, and is a Republican.
HENRY USTICK JONES, farmer, and a dealer in agricultural implements, Stevensville, was born May 15, 1841, a son of Edward Wadsworth and Arabella (Bosworth) Jones, former of whom was a relative of James W. Wadswworth, who was governor of New York and a brigadier-general in the Civil War, a member of Congress, and also of the Capt. Wadsworth "Charter Oak" fame. In Edward Wadsworth’s family there were thirteen children: Norval Wadsworth, a member of the bar of Baltimore who died in Washington in 1863; Sarah Louise, educated in the common school, and female seminaries of Frederick county and Geneva, N.Y. (she has taught in many different places, and in 1877 returned to Stevensville, where she has since made her home with her brother Henry U.); Frances Arabella, married to William Chassell; Theodore Vernon, who died in infancy; Dr. Edward Salmon, in the Treasury Department at Washington; Helen Susan, married to Levi Wells, a farmer in Tuscarora township, died in 1887; Henry U.; Harvey Whittlesey, enlisted in 1862, at the age of eighteen, was mustered out in 1866 (he was engaged in various pursuits in many parts of the United States, returned to Washington, where he died in 1873); Julia Bosworth , married to A. B. Cummings of Washington; Frederick William died in 1888, in Iowa, Charles F.; Lynds Flavius, a graduate of Georgetown Law School, employed in the Census and Interior Departments, admitted to practice law in Washington (he died January 18, 1878); the youngest of this large and influential family is Mary Electra, who married Joseph Kalbfus.
Henry Ustick Jones, the subject proper of this biographical memoir, was reared on the farm, educated in the common school, LeRaysville Academy, and Fort Edward Collegiate Institute, Washington county, N.Y.; began teaching at seventeen, in Luzerne county. He enlisted at Towanda, August 134, 1862, in Company B. One Hundred and Forty-first Pennsylvania Volunteers; was made First Lieutenant, May 23, 1863; was wounded at Petersburg, June 18, 1864, while on the staff of Gen. Madill; was detailed quartermaster of the regiment till 1864, and was then made quartermaster of the brigade, until the close of the war. Returning to Stevensville he went from there to Iowa, where he purchased a farm, and remained two years; then returned to Pennsylvania one year, and was then in the United States Signal Service, he purchased his present home in 1887. The family worship at the Episcopal Church, and they are Republicans. Israel Jones, the grandfather of Henry U., was colonel in Connecticut regiment in the Revolutionary War; he married Lois Wadsworth; they had a family of twelve children, of whom Edward Wadsworth was the youngest.
REV. JOHN D. JONES, pastor of the Welch Congregational Church at Neath, was born October 7, 1857, and reared on a farm near Carmarthen, South Wales, a son of Evan and Jane (Davis) Jones, in whose family there were eight children, of whom John D. is the second. After some time spent in the common and preparatory schools, Mr. Jones entered Carmarthen College, where he was graduated in 1882; he came to American and entered the Theological Seminary at Yale, and was graduated from there in 1885, since which time he has filled his present position, where he is greatly esteemed by his congregation, which numbers about 200. Mr. Jones was married, October 26, 1885, to Mrs. John L. Jones, daughter of William and Sarah (Thomas) Davis, natives of Aberavon, South Wales, and three bright children bless this happy union, viz.: Clifford, born February 4, 1887; Jane Olive, born September 21, 1888, and grace, born January 6, 1891.
JOHN F. JONES, merchant, Stevensville, was born in Middletown, Susquehanna Co., Pa., July 21, 1855, a son of William E. and Betsy M. (Pierce) Jones, natives of Pennsylvania. In his father’s family there were eight children, of whom J. F. is the fourth. At eighteen years of age he was given the management of the Henry Lacey mill, where he remained one year, then was successively engaged in milling at Monroeton one year, Rushville two years, Monroeton six years, Great Bend one year, Apalachin one year, Stevensville four years; at the end of this time he engaged in his present mercantile business. He was married, January 14, 1880, to Carrie M., daughter of Joseph and Mary Ann (Neiley) Swartwood, natives of Pennsylvania, and of Holland origin. They have four children: Georgiana, born December 2, 1880; Joseph W., born September 18, 1882; Martin L., born January 24, 1885, and Frances May, born January 27, 1887. Mr. Jones is a member of the Knights of Honor, at Monroeton, and is a Republican.
LEONARD W. JONES, liveryman, Tory, was born in Canton township, this county, March 15, 1851, a son of John B. and Betsey (Crandall) Jones. His father came to Bradford county about 1818, and located in Canton township, where he cleared and improved a farm and died there. He reared a family of eleven children as follows: Lewis, Vincent K., Ellen (Mrs. George Streeter), John, Leonard W., Andrew, Rosette (Mrs. Sniffin Vermilyea), Josephine (Mrs. Frank Whiteman), Merrick, Alice and Mary (Mrs. Charles Rodebaugh). Leonard W. was reared in Canton township, and after attaining his majority engaged in farming, until 1890, when he located in Troy, and embarked in the livery business as a member of the firm of Steele & Jones, which he continued seven months, since which time he has conducted a successful business alone. In 1879 he married Ella L., daughter of Edward and Josephine (Wright) Rodebaugh, of Canton, and they have two children: Walter and Helen. He is a member of the Church of Christ; in politics he is a Republican.
S. O. JONES, farmer and stock-grower, Wyalusing township, P.O. Wyalusing, was born in Tunkhannock, Wyoming county, August 19, 1843, and is a son of Joseph Benson and Elizabeth (Sharps) Jones, the former of whom was a native of New York, and the latter of Pennsylvania. The father was a teacher, carpenter and finally a merchant of Centre Moreland, Pa., where he died in 1856, aged thirty-three, leaving a family of two children: S. O., and Carrie E., who married Harry E. Chamberlain, a merchant of Mansfield, Ohio and died in 1879. Our subject’s boyhood was passed in Tunkhannock, Centre Moreland and Dallas, Pa., attending public school at these places and at Wilkes-Barre. In 1859 he became clerk in the recorder’s office at Wilkes-Barre, and remained there until October, 1862, when he enlisted in Company G., One Hundred and Seventy-seven P.V.I., and served with honor until August, 1863, expiration of term. During service he spent most of his time at Deep Creek, Va., building a fort and supporting a battery, after his return he was in the recorder’s office a short time; then about three years was engaged as book-keeper for a lumber company in Wilkes-Barre. Mr. Jones traveled through the Western states for five years, and upon his return served about eighteen months in an insurance office, and afterward served as assistant city clerk and as the city clerk of Wilkes-Barrre, for a period of twelve years. In the spring of 1886 he came to Wyalusing andpurchased a farm on Lime Hill, and now resides on Vaughn Hill; he has 170 acres of well improved farm land, and has his farm well stocked with horses and cattle. He was united in marriage, September 13, 1875, with Florence E. Barnes, daughter of Albert Barnes, of Wilkes-Barre, and this union has been blessed with the following children: Carrie E., Grace M., Benson S., Olin A., Robert S., and Agnes V. Mr. Jones is identified with the Democratic party; he has made his own way in life and has always been successful.
WILLIAM H. JONES, foreman of the Franklin Blue Stone Quarry, Sushequin township, P.O. Quarry Glen, and was born in Ulster county, N.Y., May 19, 1842, and is a son of Ezekiel D. and Rachel (Place) Jones, natives of Ulster county. His parents had seven children; the father now resides in Sheshequin township, in the employ of the Franklin Blue Stone Company; the mother is dead. William spent his boyhood in his native place, and received his education, and began life as a teamster; then went to work in the quarries and learned the stone’cutter’s trade, and worked there until he enlisted in the army, September 15, 1863, in Company B, One Hundred and Seventy-sixth N.Y.V., and served until May 26, 1866. He participated in the battles of Winchester, Cedar Creek, and numerous minor engagements, and was wounded in the battle of Cedar Creek in the right shoulder, by a musket ball, which struck him on the side, close to the shoulder blade, and ranged backward and lodged under the shoulder blade; he still carries the ball in his body. He was sent to Chestnut Hill Hospital, Philadelphia, and was there four months; after leaving the hospital he returned to his regiment. On leaving the army, he returned to his former place, and went with J. D. Morris, where is at present. He was married, July 2, 1867, to Ellen daughter of Jacob H. and Sarah (Sheltus) Moore, natives of Ulster county, N.Y., and to them were born three children: Carrier, Walker R., and Ira. The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of Hornbrook. Mr. Jones is also a member of G.A.R., Watkins Post, No. 68, Towanda, and is officer of the guard; he is a member of the I.O.O.F., Valley Lodge, No. 446, and is a Republican.
WILLIAM HENRY JONES, miller, Pike township, P.O. Stevensville, was born in Middletown, Susquehanna Co., Pa., a son of William E. and Betsey (Pierce) Jones, natives of Pennsylvania, early settlers in this county. In their family there were nine children, of whom our subject is the fourth. He spent his boyhood attending the district school, and assisting his father in his mill, in this way learning the miller’s trade. In 1883 he located in his present place of business where he does a large milling trade, also ships and imports grain and flour. He was married, January 23, 1884, to Ida E., daughter of Shuble W. and Sallie D. (Farr) Garey, and they have one child, Theo W., born September 23, 1887. Mr. Jones is in sympathy with the Republican party.
CHARLES W. JORALEMON, farmer, P.O. Columbia Cross roads, was born in Sparta, Sussex Co., N.J., April 12, 1828, and is a son of John and Zuba (DeWitt) Joralemon, who settled in Columbia township, in 1843, locating on the farm now owned and occupied by our subject, and a part of which they cleared and improved, and died there. Their children were seven, as follows: Margaret (Mrs. Joseph VanKirk), John H., James L., Abram, Charles W., Edward and Joseph. Charles W. was reared in New Jersey, until fifteen years of age, when he removed with his parents to Columbia township, in 1843; has always lived on the old homestead since, to which he succeeded upon the death of his father, and which he partially cleared and improved. May 4, 1851, he married Lydia, daughter of George and Leefe (Kennedy) Wolfe, and granddaughter of Michael and Elizabeth (Furman) Wolfe, who settled in Columbia township. This union has been blessed with three children: Edward, Hosea, and Leitha (Mrs. Stephen Budd). Mr. Joralemon is one of the prominent farmers and citizens of Columbia township; in politics he is a Democrat.
JOSEPH JORALEMON, Troy, was born in Sparta, Sussex Co., N.J., in the year 1834, and is a son of John and Zuba (DeWitt) Joralemon. In 1843 he moved with his parents to Columbus township, this county. In 1859 he married Melissa Hall, and settled in Troy, where he kept a meat-market for a number of years, and during the war was proprietor of the "Bradford House," and at the same time had a contract with the Government to feed the invalid corps and drafted men. In 1864 he kept a clothing store at Troy, and from 1865 until 1871 was extensively engaged in lumbering in Orange county, N.Y., but at the latter date he returned to Troy with his family, which consisted of a wife and three children, namely: Mertin E., Lillian (Mrs. Dr. P.N. Barker) and Effie. Since 1871 he has been in the meat and oyster business in Troy, with the exception of 1876, when he kept a boarding house in Philadelphia.
H. D. JUMP, druggist, Sayre, is a native of Franklin, N.Y., and is a son of Willard and Mary (Howe) Jump, natives of New York, the former of whom, a farmer, died in Jefferson, Schoharie Co., N.Y., in 1865, in his thirty-second year. The mother survives, and resides in Sayre. The subject of his biographical memoir completed his education in the Delaware Literary Institute; then served an apprenticeship at the drug trade, in Franklin, N.Y., where he clerked six years. In this spring of 1886, he came to Sayre, and engaged in the drug business in the Wilber House block, where he carries a large and fancy stock of drugs, school-books, and stationery. He is a member of the Iron Hall Sexennial League, and Fraternal Guardian, and is a Republican in his political preferments.
PATRICK KANE, farmer, Standing Stone township, P.O. Rummerfield, was born in Londonderry, Ireland, November 16, 1827. His father, Hugh Kane, was born in the same place, a son of Owen Kane. Hugh Kane married Margaret McCloskey, and had six children, all of whom came to this country: John; Annie, wife of Augustus Connelly; Patrick; Katie, wife of Frederick Mall; Michael, Henry, and Mary, wife of Patrick Hart. Hugh Kane died in 1858, and his wife in 1873. Patrick, the subject of this sketch, first stopped at Philadelphia, and from there to Schuylkill county, where he remained until 1867, during which time he was in coal mining. He then came to Standing Stone, and began farming, and has followed it successfully ever since. In 1869 he purchased, from Henry Noble, 116 acres, and now has over 300 acres, all finely improved. He married, December 25, 18__, Bridget, daughter of James and Ella (McLoughlin) Kane, and had nine children, as follows: Unity M., born September 27, 1856; Maggie A., born April 6, 1858, married to James Moan; Ella, born August 13, 1861, wife of John Myers; Bridget, born in February, 1864, died in 1867; Agnes, born in August, 1866, died in 1867; Patrick J., born April 30 1866; Michael Henry, born June 4, 1868; James Christopher, born December 14, 1870, and Charles Francis, born March 20, 1874, and died August 24, 1886. Mr. and Mrs. Kane and family attend the Catholic Church; Mr. Kane and his brother Michael served thirty days in Company D., Eighth Regiment Pennsylvania Militia.
ALANSON LAFAYETTE KEELER, telegrapher, Standing Stone, was born in Wyalusing township, August 11, 1860. His father, Edwin Keeler, was a native of Connecticut, born November 5, 1824; he came to this State in his sixth year, with his mother and two elder brothers, Lafayette and William; he attended the district school, and learned cabinet-making, and followed this until his death, which occurred December 5, 1888. He married Ella Sill, a daughter of William and Mary (Butler) Keller, natives of Connecticut, and they had six children: Amelia, wife of William Brown; Lydia; Helen, wife of John McDonald; George William; Louisa and Alanson Lafayette; the mother died in 1862, and the grandmother Keeler in 1867. Alanson Lafayette Keeler attended the public school until his twentieth year, and in his twenty-second year he began an apprenticeship to his present business, and became thoroughly proficient herein; he then was employed by the Lehigh Valley Railroad as night telegraph operator, which position he held until March 1, 1890, when he was transferred to his present position, as day operator. He was assistant postmaster at Standing Stone four years; is a member of the Patriotic Order Sons of America; his politics are Democratic. He married, February 27, 1887, Mrs. Libbie Holman, widow of O. P. Holman, and daughter of J.J. and Lodema (Birdsall) Slyder. She died July 9, 1889, leaving one child, Cora Holman, who was born April 28, 1876.
EZRA P. KELLER, farmer, Pike township, P.O. LeRayaville, was born in Brookfield, Conn., April 5, 1838, and is the fourth child of Barrett B. and Cynthia (Whitlock) Keeler, who came to Bradford county in 1845, and located on a farm in Litchfield township. Ezra assisted his father in clearing up a farm of 100 acres, and attended the district school until his fifteenth year. At the age of eighteen he began life for himself, working on a farm in Pike township; from 1859 to 1864 he worked at the harness-maker’s trade with G. N. DeWolf, at Brushville. On September 18, 1864, he enlisted, at Owego, N.Y., in the Fiftieth New York Engineers, and went to City Point, where he was transferred to Company M., Fifteenth New York Engineers; he was discharged at Fort Berry, Va., June 13, 1865, and mustered out at Elmira, N.Y. He then returned to Brushville, where he lived three years, and during the next four years he resided on a farm in Orwell township; then purchased his present home. Besides attending to his farm Mr. Keeler has worked at his trade of harness-making. He was married, March 25, 1856, to Martha I., daughter of Platt and Lydia (Chapel) Wood, and they have had three children, of whom Newell C., the only survivor, is a farmer near Binghamton, N.Y. Mr. and Mrs. Keeler are members of the Methodist Episcopal at LeRaysville; he is a charter member of Spalding Post, No. 33, G.A.R., and in politics he is a Republican.
JOHN G. KEELER, mechanic, was born in Wyalusing, April 12, 1834, and is a son of John and Elizabeth (Gregory) Keeler, of Litchfield county, Conn. His father was a mechanic, and came to this county in 1812, and manufactured the first sash and doors in this part of the county. He built a second factory at Keelerville, in 1836, where he remained until his death in 1876. Of their family of eight children six reached maturity: Henry, a lieutenant in Company B, One Hundred and Forty-First Regiment, P.V. I. (is now an attorney at Topeka, Kans.); Charles, a sergeant in Company K, Fiftieth Regiment, P.V.I., served nearly two years, and died one year after his discharge of injuries received while in service; Elilsh S., served nearly two years at the close of the war, having enlisted at the age of sixteen in Company A., One Hundred and Forty-First Regiment, P.V.I., now living in Topeka, Kans., a manufacturer of farming tools, Eliza, married to L. B. Silvara, farmer of Tuscarora, Pa.,; Adelia, married to C. B. Hollenback, and now resides in Wyalusing borough, and John G., the eldest of the family who passed his boyhood in this township, and received his education in the common schools and Wyoming Seminary. After completing his education he adopted his father’s business and followed it several years; then came to the village of Wyalusing and engaged in the drug business, which he sold to I. M. Allis in 1872, and in 1878 opened a Yankee notion store, which he continued until the spring of 1885, when he was appointed postmaster, and served four years. In 1856, he married Mary S., daughter of Elias Vaughan, Sr., of Wyalusing township, and has a family of three children: John V., the eldest, graduated from Lafayette College in the class of 1884, taking the degrees of A.M. and A.B., and is now principal of the LeRaysville Academy, which position he has filled for the past five years; S. Elizabeth (deceased), married to C. P. Wagner, of Wysox, Pa., and left one daughter, Iona, who now lives with her grandparents; and John G., who enlisted twice in the State militia, during the war, when the State was invaded by the Confederates. He is a prominent Freemason and a Sir Knight. In his political views he is a Democrat, and has held the various township and borough offices: is now a member of the borough council.
JOHN A. KEEN, farmer, P.O. Rummerfield Creek, is one of the leading and influential citizens of Bradford county, and in his social and home life is regarded by all as a most valuable citizen. By the congregation of the Keen Summit Church he is regarded as the foster father of that organization, and its fine church building and present prosperous congregation, as is well indicated by the corporate name of the institution, toward the building up of which he is the leading spirit. He was born in Sussex county, N. J., January 30, 1820, and is a son of William Keen, of German descent, who had five children by his first wife; Peter Abraham, George, Mary (wife of Richard Stull), and Lizzie (wife of George Emory); by his second wife, Rose, he had four children: William, Isaac, Aaron and Nancy. William Keen came to this State in 1847, bringing with him his wife, Elizabeth Huff, daughter of Peter Huff; they had a family of eight children: John A., Sarah Anne (wife of James Crawn), Joseph, Aaron, Polly, Theophilus, Peter, and Mary (wife of Sterling Dixon). William Keen died in September, 1880, and his wife in 1882.
John a. Keen attended the district school until his twentieth year, then worked on a farm. Coming to this county, in 1847, on a prospecting trip, he found employment in a lumber camp two years. In the latter part of 1847 he purchased the settler’s claim of E.R. Myer, and perfected the title by purchasing the land of Michael Mevlert (about 147 acres), and has added to this more or less acres nearly every year since; has built his residence and farm buildings, and made all general improvements, having now one of the best farms in the county. He is today a fine sample of what an American boy full of energy, honesty and hope can do for himself in this favored land. He married, in 1851, Sarah, daughter of Theodore and Maria (Crawn) Daugherty, natives of New Jersey. To John A. and Sarah Keen have been born fourteen children, of whom those now living are Aaron, Henrietta, John, Ada, Edie, Julia, Ella and Emma – a large family, but of that kind for which this world will always have plenty of room.
ROBERT KEEN, farmer, Towanda township, P.O. Towanda, was born October 19, 1844, and is a son of Andrew and Mary (Auble)
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