Cohocton New York Family Sketches

Transcribed by Lynn Tooley

Cohocton New York Family Sketches extracted from Landmarks of Steuben County, by Hon. Harlo Hakes, 1896.

Adair, W. E.

W. E. Adair — The first of the Adair family to settle in Steuben county was John Adair, who was born in Ireland, April 19, 1828, son of William Adair, and came to America about 1844 and settled in Cohocton. He was a carpenter and wagonmaker by trade, at which he worked until his death in 1883. In 1861 he enlisted in Co. I, 164th New York Infantry as private, and was promoted first lieutenant. In politics he was a Republican. He was a member and trustee, also local preacher of the Methodist church, and was a strong temperance man. He was a charter member of Liberty Lodge No. 510, F. & A. M. Mr. Adair married Catherine De Revere of Westchester county, N. Y., and they were the parents of three children: John, William E. , and Emma V., now Mrs. F. A. Tobias, all of Cohocton. William E. was born in Cohocton. January 13, 1860. After completing his schooling he was employed in the Cohocton Times office for several years. Having early manifested a taste for music, in 1830 he went to New York city and entered the Conservatory, and after a course of study there he returned to Cohocton, where he has since been engaged in teaching music, and in the sale of musical instruments. He has com- posed and arranged considerable music for piano, bands, etc. In 1888 he, with others, engaged in the milling business, and in 1894 he became sole owner and proprietor of the Model Roller Mills at Cohocton, and was an extensive manufacturer of buckwheat flour, etc., selling out in July, 1895. He is an active member of the Republican party, was elected town clerk in 1883, and was president of the village two terms, in 1894-96. He is a member of Liberty Lodge No. 510, F. & A. M., and has been a member ot the Cohocton Band since 1876, and for the greater part of the time leader of Adair’s Band, a well-known amateur organization, which has filled engagements all over Central and Western New York.

Adams, Asa Family Sketch

Adams, Asa, was born in the town of Boston, Erie county, N. Y., February 6, 1815, and is a son of Aaron, whose father, Aaron Adams, sr., was a native of Vermont and one of the first settlers of Utica, N. Y., and was captain of a company in the Revolutionary war. Aaron Adams, jr., came from Vermont in 1808 and settled in Erie county, N. Y. He served in the war of 1812. He married Sylvia Cary. Asa Adams attended the common schools and in 1841 entered the Western Reserve College at Hudson, Ohio, where he spent his freshman and sophomore years, and then entered Union College at Schenectady, N. Y., graduating in 1843. The following year he entered the Auburn Theological Seminary, from which he was graduated in 1847. He was licensed by the Presbytery and was called to Cohocton, where he was pastor of the Presbyterian church for three years, during which period he read law with C. J. McDowell of Cohocton, and in 1850 was admitted to the bar. In 1851 he removed to North Cohocton and began the practice of law, and in-1869 he settled at Bloods (now Atlanta), and engaged in the mercantile trade, selling out in 1876, and engaged in the drug business for about eight years, and then retired. He has been largely interested in real estate, and has erected many buildings in Atlanta and North Cohocton. He is a Republican, and was appointed postmaster at North Cohocton in 1853 under President Pierce, which office he held until 1871, when through his efforts the post-office at Bloods was established, and he was appointed postmaster there, holding that office until 1875. Under the old school system he' was town superintendent several years ago. He was elected justice of the peace in 1858, and held that office for twenty years, and was one of the charter members of Liberty Lodge, No. 510, F. & A. M., and the I. O. O. F. In 1844 he married Margaret Lindsley, who died in 1850. In 1851 he married Mary Raymond, and they are the parents of three children: Lindsley; Maria (Mrs. George Fowler) of Cohocton; and Luella (Mrs. Arthur Symonds) of Curtis, N. Y.

Beecher, Fary B. Family Sketch

Beecher, Fary B., was born in Fremont, Steuben county, N.Y., June 2, 1856, a son of Randall F. Beecher, deceased. The family is of English descent, the ancestors having come to America in the Mayflower in 1620. Of the next generation there were three brothers: Hezikiah, Linus, and Lyman. Among the direct descendants of Lyman Beecher were the Rev. Henry Ward, Thomas K. Beecher, and Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe. From Hezekiah Beecher is descended Fary B. Beecher. Randall F. Beecher came from Madison county, N. Y., to the town of Fremont in 1840, where he engaged in farming, and was also a licensed veterinary surgeon. He was born in Madison county, N. Y., June 2, 1814, and died November 12, 1876. He was three times married, first to Serepta Cass, by whom he had three children: Andalusia, Nason, and William Henry. For his second wife Mr. Beecher married Weltha Donahe, by whom he had one son, John D. He then married Statira Sanford and they had eleven children, ten of whom grew to maturity: Weltha, Orin H., Eunice C., now Mrs. Lewis B. Ward; Mark H., Fary B., Luke A., Menzer J., Murray C., Scott M., and Gertrude C. Fary B. Beecher received his education in the common schools and Rogersville Union Seminary, following which he taught for several years. He studied law with the late O. S. Searl of Cohocton, and was admitted to the bar in 1891, settling at Atlanta, where he has since practiced in his profession. He is a staunch Democrat and is an active member of the party. He is a member of Kanawha Lodge, I. O.O. F., of Atlanta, and has held nearly every office in the lodge. He has taken the past official degree in the district Grand Commandery and the Grand Lodge degree at Buffalo in 1893. In 1881 Mr. Beecher married Miss Emma E. Johnson of North Cohocton, N. Y., to whom has been born four children, two sons, Don L., and Dana C., and two daughters, Una M. and Marion.

Boone, C. E. Family Sketch

Boone, C. E. — Jacob Boone, the pioneer of the family in Steuben county, came from the Hudson River country about 1800 and settled at Rikers Hollow in the town of Prattsburg. His sons were George, who settled in Quincy, Mich.; Cornelius, William, and Charles, settled in the town of Prattsburg, where they engaged in farming; and James, who lived at Jackson, Mich., none of whom are living. Rodney Boone was born in 1814, and until 1872 resided in the town of Prattsburg, where he was engaged in farming. In that year he settled at Bloods and engaged in the grain and produce business, which he carried on until 1882. He was a staunch Democrat, taking an active part in politics, and was a member of the board of assessors in both Prattsburg and Cohocton. Mr. Boone was twice married, and his first wife was Susan Brown, and their children were Henry, who settled in Michigan; Adelaide, wife of Burr Edmonds of Cohocton; De Witt C.; Edgar, who died in early manhood; Charles E.; Nida, deceased; and Daniel, deceased. For his second wife Mr. Boone married Sarah M. Welch. He died in 1885. Charles Boone was born in 1853, and has always followed farming. He is an active member of the Democratic party, and is a member of Kanawah Lodge, I. O. O. F., of Atlanta, and the K. O. T. M. In 1877 he married Florence, daughter of Herman Clark of Cohocton, and their children are Jesse, Harry, Grace, and Carlton. De Witt C. was educated at Naples Academy, and studied medicine with Doctors Patchin and A. L. Gilbert, and in 1870 was graduated from the Buffalo Medical College. He immediately located in Wallace, where he remained until 1875, when he located in Springwater, where he practiced his profession until 1892. He was a strong Democrat and took a very active part in political affairs, being twice elected supervisor of Springwater. In 1892 he settled at Atlanta, where he resided until his death, which occurred June 29, 1894. He married Jennie Parks, who survives him.

Bush, W. L. Family Sketch

Bush, W. L. — The pioneer of the Bush family was Conrad Bush, who came from Germany in an early day, and settled at Pompey, Onondaga county, N. Y. He served in the Revolutionary war, and had twelve children, as follows: Susan, William, Conrad, jr., John, Ellick, Thomas, Jacob, Elias, George, Lyman, Charles, Polly. John Bush, son of Conrad, served in the war of 1812. He was one of the early settlers of Cohocton, and came from Onondaga county and took up 100 acres on the River Road, there being but only one house between there and North Cohocton. He made his first clearing on the corner where the Bush school house now stands, sowed it to wheat, returned to Onondaga county, and the following spring brought back his family. He built the first frame house in the town and brought in the first hay rake, and became a prosperous farmer. He was for several years in the mercantile business in Cohocton. He married Martha Case for his first wife, by whom he had twelve children: Mary, who married Lewis Kimball, and settled in Cohocton, N. Y.; Martha, who married Simon Smith, and settled in Naples; Aurelia, who married Darwin Kimball, and settled in Cohocton; Lyman, who married Lucinda Sutton, and settled in Pompey, N.Y.; John, deceased; Morris, in Cohocton; Elias, who settled in Butler county, Iowa; Thomas, deceased; Minerva, wife of William Miller, of Cohocton; Juliette, who married Robert Perry, and settled in Decatur, 111.; Wesley, who served four years in the Rebellion and afterwards married for his first wife Minerva Wilson, and settled on the homestead, and for his second wife he married Mary Lowell; and Jane, who married Ira Stillman, of Onondaga county. For his second wife John Bush married Mrs. William Wing, by whom he had two children: Celeste, who married Hiram W. Hatch, of Cohocton; and Lois, who died unmarried. Norris Bush was born in Cohocton, in 1829, and has always followed farming. In 1865 he settled in the town of Naples, near the Cohocton line. He married Helen Lee, by whom he had three children: Mary J. (Mrs. J. R. Wetmore) of North Cohocton; Wheeler L., a farmer of Cohocton; and Elizabeth (Mrs. Ellwyn Briggs).

Clark, James P. Family Sketch

Clark, James P., was born in Fleming, Cayuga county, N. Y., October 5, 1822, son of Rev. Henry R. Clark (deceased), a Baptist clergyman. The family is of English ancestry, the pioneer of this branch being one of three brothers, who came to America prior to the Revolutionary war and settled in Westchester county, N. Y. Thomas Clark, the grandfather of James P., was a soldier in the Continental army during the Revolutionary war. James P. came to Livingston county when a boy and lived with an uncle for several years, and in 1836 they removed to South Dansville, N. Y., where he built a saw mill and engaged in that business for several years, and at that time pine lumber brought only $2.50 per thousand. In 1847 Mr. Clark sold out and went to Ohio, where he purchased a farm of Charles C. Paine, from whom the town of Painesville, O., took its name. Three years later he removed to Wisconsin, and in 1854 returned to Steuben county and purchased a farm in the town of Wayland, near Loon Lake, and about 1867 he purchased a farm on the west side of the river in Cohocton, where he settled. He also purchased 1,000 acres of timber land in the western part of the town, and became one of the foremost farmers and business men, and at about this time engaging in the buying and shipping of hay and straw, soon extending his business to grain and potatoes. He shipped the first carload of produce ever sent from Cohocton. In 1879 his son, A. H. Clark, became a partner, and has since been a member of the firm, and they are very largely engaged in farming and potato growing. Mr. Clark is an active Republican, and was supervisor of the town of Wayland in 1868, ’64, ’65 and 1868 was elected supervisor of Cohocton. He is a member of Liberty Lodge, F. & A M., of Cohocton. He married Eunice Colton, and they were the parents of seven children: Sarah (deceased), who married H. C. Pierce; Albert H.; Lydia, who died young: Huldah, wife of Orange McKay; Jennie, who married Charles Oliver; W. H., and one that died in infancy.

Cornish, Thomas J. Family Sketch

Cornish, Thomas J., was born in the town of Bingham, Pa., June 24, 1833, son of Francis, whose father, Joseph Cornish, came from England to America and settled at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., and later in Potter county, Pa. Francis Cornish, born in 1810, learned the hatter’s trade at Delhi, N. Y., when a young man. He settled in Potter county, where he lived until 1847, at which time he removed to Steuben county, settling in the town of Wheeler, and soon after to Prattsburg, where the remainder of his life was spent. He married Hannah Monroe, by whom he had ten children: Jane, Thomas J., Louise, James, Albert, Mary, Elisha, Sarah F., Coleman, Joseph. Thomas J. was educated in the district schools and Franklin Academy, of Prattsburg, after which he taught school for three terms. In 1866 he engaged in the mercantile trade at Italy Hollow, and three years later settled at Atlanta and engaged in the dry goods and grocery trade, being at this time the only merchant in the place. From small beginnings, by untiring industry and honorable business methods, he has built up an enviable reputation as a business man. In 1858 Mr. Cornish married Olive N. Bardeen, of Italy, N. Y., by whom he had four children: Hattie (Mrs. E. N. Jenks) of Black River, N. Y.; William T., who is in the mercantile trade at Atlanta, and was appointed postmaster at Atlanta, under Harrison, which office he held for five years; Collins C., deceased; and Satie.

Finch, Henry Family Sketch

Finch, Henry, was born in Cohocton, N.Y., December 21, 1853. Daniel, his father, was a son of Philetus Finch, who came from Orange county, N. Y., at an early day and settled at Benton, Yates county, and served in the war of 1812. In 1830 he removed to Cohocton and settled in the east part of the town. He was a shoemaker and also followed farming. He married Elizabeth Pettis, and they were the parents of seven children: Cornelius, who was a farmer of Cohocton and removed to Atlanta, where he engaged in the produce business, and died in 1894; Edward and Silas, who settled in Cohocton, where they died; William, who located at Atlanta; Thomas, who located at Adrian, Mich., where he died; Daniel; and John, who settled at Atlanta. Daniel Finch, who is a farmer in Cohocton, married Mahala Showers, and their children are Harriet (Mrs. Mary Barney) of Cohocton; Lois (Mrs. Norman Crawford) of Wheeler, N. Y.; Henry; Silas, a resident of Cohocton; and Charles, who is in the produce business at Wallace, N.Y. Henry Finch has always lived in Cohocton, and was in the grocery business for about eight years. In 1891 he opened a meat market, which he has since conducted. He is a strong Democrat, and a member of Liberty Lodge No. 510, F. & A. M. In 1893 he was he was elected town clerk. He married Angeline Fronk.

Fowler Family Sketch

Fowler.— Among the early settlers of Cohocton should be mentioned the name of Adijah Fowler, who was born in West Winfield, N. Y., March 12, 1782, and was a farmer at Bridgewater, Oneida county, N. Y., until 1816, when he moved to North Cohocton, Steuben county, N. Y., and engaged in farming, and the renting of oxen, cows and sheep, of which he rented to the early settlers of Cohocton and all the neighboring towns. He was a friend to the needy, and an enterprising man in building up the town, at which place he died in January, 1849, leaving a family of seven children of which Samuel G. F owler was the only son who spent his life in York State; who lived at North Cohocton the whole of his life, with the exception of the years from 1864 until 1872 when he lived in Lima, Livingston county, N. Y., where he went to educate his children. He was a farmer and owned some 600 acres of land and was an active business man, and contributed liberally to erect the M. E. church edifice in 1846 and was an active member of said church; and was a trustee of the Union School when the school building was erected in the year 1874; and was justice of the peace for a number of years. He died in the year 1877, and left a family of four children: Noyes K., Franklin C., George S., and Benjamin A., of whom Noyes K. and George S. are the only sons residing in York State, both being farmers; the former residing at North Cohocton and the latter at Atlanta, N. Y. Franklin C.’s home being in Spartanburg, S. C., and Benjamin A.’s home in Chicago, 111. All these children of Samuel G. are honorable citizens and held positions of public trust in the town; Noyes K. being the present justice of the peace, which position he has held for a number of terms.

Fox, Christopher, sr. Family Sketch

Fox, Christopher, sr., was born in Prussia in 1823, son of Christopher and Katherine (Wergley) Fox, with whom he came to America in 1842. His father settled in the town of Wayland, where he engaged in farming. He was one of the founders of the Lutheran church at Perkinsville. His children were Nicholas, who settled in Indiana, where he died; Katherine, wTho married Nicholas Drum of Cohocton; Elizabeth, who married Christopher Folts, and settled in Wisconsin; Jacob, who settled in Wayland; Adam, who settled Wisconsin; and Christopher, who has has always followed farming, settling first in Wayland in 1869, thence to Cohocton, where he has since lived. He married Catherine Fogal, by whom he had seven children: Christopher, who settled in Cohocton and engaged in farming; Sophia, who married Charles Cross, of Dansville; Caroline, who married Christopher Fox, of Naples; Catherine, who married Henry Woodward of Cohocton; Barbara, who married John Weaver, of Cohocton; Conrad, who settled in Naples, and married Elizabeth Pritting; and George, who is unmarried.

Fox, James Family Sketch

Fox, James, was born at Palatine, Montgomery county, N.Y., October 11, 1844, and is a son of Jesse Fox, and grandson of Daniel R. Fox, the family being of German descent. Daniel R. served m the wav of 1812. In his native country he was a brickmaker, and also kept hotel, and in 1842 he came to Bath, N. Y., where he kept hotel for two years, and then removed to Illinois. Jesse Fox came to Steuben county in 1855 and settled in Avoca, where he engaged in farming. He married Elizabeth Saltsman, and their children were Andrew, who married Catherine Wagner, and is a farmer in Avoca; Ann, wife of John A. Wagner of Avoca; Catherine, who married E. R. Brigleir and settled at Orleans, N. Y.; Mary, wife of August Hoeffner of Newark, N. Y.; James, and Fannie, wife of George W. Mark. James Fox was educated at Franklin Academy, Prattsburg, graduating in 1868, from which time until 1874 he was engaged in teaching, after which he engaged in the drug trade at Cohocton, and from 1875 to 1884 he taught school, and in the latter years he again engaged in the drug business, continuing it until 1895, when he retired from trade. Politically he is a Democrat and was elected town clerk in 1888. He took an active part in seuring the incorporation of the village and was a member of its first board of trustees, and has been a member of the school board since 1891. He is a member of Liberty Lodge No. 510, F. & A. M. In 1885 he married Mrs. Louisa McDowell of Cohocton, and they have two children: Jessie C. and Fannie F.

Graser, Valentine Family Sketch

Graser, Valentine, was born in Buffalo, N.Y., June 11, 1854. His father, Valentine Graser, sr., was a native of Germany, who came to America about 1840, and settled at Buffalo. Valentine Graser, jr., learned the cigarmaker’s trade when a boy. He spent twelve years in St. Louis, and in 1878 came to Cohocton, where he has since resided. He entered the employ of S. H. Leavitt, and later the T. R. Harris Cigar Company. He was one of the organizers of the Cohocton Valley Cigar Company, of which he was vice-president and director. In 1888, with several others, he organized the Cohocton Cigar Company. Mr. Graser is a member of Kanawha Lodge, I. O. O. F., of Atlanta, and of Wayland Encampment. He is also a member of the Maccabees and the E. K. O. R. In 1879 he married Emma Wagner, of Cohocton, by whom he had three children: Jessie M., Lottie L., and George W. The first of the Wagner family to settle in Steuben county was Jacob, son of Lewis Wagner, of Prussia. Jacob came to America in 1837 and settled in the village of Dansville. He was a cabinetmaker and cooper by trade, and in 1841 he removed to Patchinsville, in the town of Wayland, where he resided until 1853, when he purchased a farm in the town of Cohocton, west of the village, and engaged in farming until 1866, when he settled in Cohocton village, where he died in 1871. He married Maria Grob, by whom he had eleven children, two of whom died in infancy: Mary (Mrs. Jacob Hart) of Cohocton; Elizabeth (Mrs. William M. Cridler) of Fremont; Catherine (Mrs. H. C. Tripp) of Cohocton; Emma M. (Mrs. Valantine Graser) of Cohocton; Nicholas J., who enlisted in August, 1862, in Co. I, 161st N. Y. Vols., and served until the close of the war, was wounded at Sabine Cross Roads April 8. 1864; Jacob, a farmer of Cohocton, who enlisted in 1864, in Co. G, 189th N. Y. Vols., and served until the close of the war; Wallace, who is a carpenter by trade; and George E., who has been engagedin the produce business at Cohocton since 1877. Nicholas J. and Jacob are both charter members of R. E. Harris Post, G. A. R., of Cohocton.

Gray, Clarence G. Family Sketch

Gray, Clarence G., was born in Dansville, N. Y., December 17, 1857, son of Jesse Gray, whose father, Mahlon Gray, came from New Jersey and settled in Livingston county, and about 1840 came from Conesus and settled in the town of Dansville. Jesse Gray settled first in Dansville and later in Fremont, and still later at Wayland f where he is engaged in farming. He married Hannah Faulkner, by whom he had six children: William, Clarence G., Robert E. (deceased), Herbert J., Sadie B. (deceased), and Bernica H. Clarence G. settled in Cohocton in 1886, on the Wayland Road, and is one of the enterprising farmers of the town. He is a member of Liberty Lodge No. 510, F. & A. M., also of North Cohocton M. E. church. He married Ida E., daughter of Lyman Shepard (deceased), by whom he had four children: Jessie, Franc, Lyman, and Sadie V.

Haag, Nicholas Family Sketch

Haag, Nicholas, was born in Avon, N. Y., November 9, 1856, son of Matthias Haag, a native of Germany, who came to America about 1855 and settled at Avon, where he was in the employ of the Erie Railroad Co. as section foreman until 1861, when he came to Cohocton and in 1874 purchased a farm west of the village, where he lived until his death, which occurred in March, 1894. He was a prosperous farmer and a prominent member of St. Pius R. C. church of Cohocton. He married Catherine Geiger, by whom he had one son, Nicholas, who is a successful farmer, a strong Democrat, and a member of St. Pius R. C. church. He married Margaret, daughter of Peter Shults, deceased, of Cohocton.

Harter, Leonard Family Sketch

Harter, Leonard, was born in the town of Howard, September 25, 1826, and is a son of Adam, and grandson of Jacob Harter, who was a resident of Herkimer, N. Y. Their ancestors came from Holland at an early day and settled in the Mohawk Valley, and several of Jacob Harter’s brothers served in the Revolutionary war. About 1820 Adam Harter came to Steuben county and settled in the town of Howard, where he engaged in farming, and in 1855 he took up 170 acres, at $5 per acre, in the southwestern part of Cohocton. He married Matilda Helmer, and their children were Jacob, who settled in McKean county, Pa; Mary A., deceased; John A., deceased; Leonard; Lavina, wife of Mr. Van Wormer; Salome, who married Gilbert Glover and settled in Wayland; James H., who married Julia Clark, and located in Cohocton, and later in Avoca; Samuel, who migrated to Wisconsin, and later to Dakota; and Solomon J., who was a farmer by occupation and died in 1894. Leonard Harter resides on the homestead and has always followed farming. September 1, 1864, he enlisted in Co. G, 189th N. Y. Vols., and served until the close of the war. He is a member of R. E. Harris Post, G. A. R., No. 240, of Cohocton. He married Sarah J. Ragey, and their children are David H., who is a farmer of Fremont; Ertane, a resident of Wayland; Dilla, wife of Harvey Teed of Wayland; Harriet, who married Henry J. Bill; May, and D. P. Mrs Harter died in 1892.

Hatch, Hiram W. Family Sketch

Hatch, Hiram W., was born in the town of Cohocton, January 9, 1846. His father was Sylvanus Hatch, who was a son of Matthew Hatch, the pioneer of the family in Steuben county. Matthew Hatch came from Whitehall, N. Y., in 1812, settled in Bath, and the following year took up a tract of land on Lent Hill (then in the town of Prattsburg), to which place he removed, his being the third family to settle in that section. He married a daughter of Abram Lent who was the first settler on Lent Hill and from whom it took the name. Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Hatch were the parents of five sons and one daughter; Sylvanus, Philip, Barnabas C., Matthew, Hiram, and Cerissa (Mrs. William Hyatt). Barnabas C. Hatch settled in Michigan, where he was a man of considerable note, holding the office of county judge and member of assembly. The other sons settled on Lent Hill and were respected and thrifty farmers. Sylvanus Hatch married Emily A. Peck, by whom he had one child, Hiram W. Hiram W. Hatch was engaged in farming until 1870, and during that year he settled at Atlanta (then Bloods), and engaged in the hardware trade, in which business he continued until 1881. In 1871 he engaged in'the produce business which he has carried on until the present time. He is also extensively engaged in farming. In politics he is a staunch Republican, and has held numerous offices in the town, among which was supervisor for two terms. December 31, 1866, he married Celestia E. Bush, of Naples, by whom he had three children: Hyatt C., Minnie L. (Mrs. C. Gilbert Lyon), and Mary E. Hyatt C. Hatch is an active member of the Republican party, and was elected supervisor in 1893, and re-elected in 1894 for two terms of two years. In 1893 he became a partner with his father in the produce business, under the firm name of H. W. Hatch & Son. This firm is known as one of the most extensive dealers in produce in Western New York.

Jackson, William W. Family Sketch

Jackson, William W., was born in the town of Avoca, April 23, 1835. His father, Joseph Jackson, came from the town of Seneca, Ontario county, about the year 1820, where he became a prosperous farmer; he was a native of Cranbrook, England, and came to America in the year 1799 with his father, William J. Jackson, who settled in Ontario county, N. Y. Joseph Jackson was a member and one of the founders of the Lyons Hollow Baptist church. He married Annis Holcomb, by whom he had seven children, all of whom lived to maturity; the first death occurred in the family when the youngest was fifty years of age. Alice, who married Rouse Hubbard and settled in the town of Prattsburg and later at Livonia, N. Y.; Margaret, who married Albert H. Hubbard, and settled at Galesburg, Mich.; Catherine, who married William Berner, and settled at Oxford Junction, Iowa; Ebenezer L. Jackson married Mary Ketch and settled in Battle Creek, Mich.; Hiram A. Jackson, who married Safronia Hatch; and George C. Jackson, who married Alice Lillie, who also settled in Oxford Junction, Iowa. William W. Jackson on arriving at manhood settled in the town of Cohocton where, with the exception of one year spent in the west, he has since lived, being one of the successful farmers of the town. In 1888 he settled in the village of Cohocton. He is a strong Democrat and takes an active part in party affairs. He was assessor for nine years, being elected to that office for three terms of three years each, and in 1890 was elected justice of the peace. In 1860 he married Nancy Ferris, by whom he had four children: Frank E. married Lottie Stanton; William F., married Mary Fairbrothers; Annis J. married John E. Miller; and Cora B. married Lewis Northrup, all being successful farmers and residing in the town of Cohocton, N. Y.

Ketch, Cyrus Family Sketch

Ketch, Cyrus, was born in the the west part of the town of Prattsburg, June 25, 1821, son of Hiram Ketch, who was a native of Vermont, and served as fife major in the War of 1812. He came from Vermont in 1818 and settled first at Italy, Yates county, N. Y., and the following year came to Steuben county and settled on Lent Hill, where, beginning empty handed, by his industry and frugal habits he acquired a competence. He was one of the founders of the Lent Hill M. E. church, and was for many years one of the trustees. Later in life he became a Wesleyan Methodist. He married Sally Peck, who died in 1892, by whom he had seven children: Harriet, wife of Joseph Billison; Aurelia, wife of Benjamin D. Wells; Cyrus; Lewis A., who married Caroline Phillips, and settled in Naples, where he was a farmer and carpenter, and where he died; Nancy J., who married Ebenezer Keeler, and settled in Avoca; Fanny L., who married Augustus Weld, and settled in Prattsburg; and Eleanor L., who married George A. Fox, and settled in Avoca. Mr. Ketch died in 1875. Cyrus Ketch settled on the homestead, where he has always lived, and is one of the prosperous farmers of his town. In 1864 he enlisted in Company A, 1st N. Y. Dragoons, and served until the close of the war. He married Mary Van Housen, by whom he had seven children: Stephen H., who enlisted in 18p2 in the 148th N Y. Vols., and died in the service in 1863; Louisa J., who died in 1867; Marcia L., who died in 1852; Buell, who died in 1851; Margaret E., who died in 1854; Julia E. (Mrs. Haskell Wilkinson); Hiram, who married Ada Lyke and settled in Howard. For his second wife he married Rosanna Wilkinson, by whom he had three children: Burton E., who married Emma Hatch and settled in Cohocton; Mary (Mrs. Seth Keeler); and Cyrus J., who married Ella Lake, and settled in Cohocton.

Kiefer, Charles Family Sketch

Kiefer, Charles, was born in Bavaria, Germany, January 28, 1841, and came to America in 1867, and first settled in Rochester, where he was engaged in the leather business until 1876, when he came to Cohocton and took charge of the tannery of Richard Trelemon, where he remained until 1885, when he purchased the property, and has since carried on a grist mill. He also carries on a harness shop and feed store. He is a member of St. Pius R. C. church and the C. M. B. A., and was for four years president of that organization. In 1872 he married Lena Wakeman, by whom he had ten children: Lena, Emma, Charles, Annie, Mary, Otto, George, Irene, Amelia and Helen.

Land, Fred Family Sketch

Land, Fred, was born in Prussia, in 1841, son of Michael and Caroline (Shurger) Land. Fred Land came to America in 1867 and settled in Cohocton, where he was for eighteen years employed in the mills of the late Thomas Warner. In 1886 he engaged in the wholesale beer business. He is a member of Zion Lutheran church of Cohocton, Liberty Lodge No. 510, F. & A. M., and Cohocton Council, E. K. R. O. In 1870 Mr. Land married Helen Stein, by whom he had seven children: Julia, Charles, Katie, Mary, Helen, Fred, and Frank.

McDowell, Asa Family Sketch

McDowell, Asa, was born in Marathon, Cortland county, N. Y., June 20, 1827, son of Jacob McDowell, whose father, George McDowell, came to America from Scotland during the Revolutionary war, and being pressed into the English service he deserted and enlisted in the Continental army and served until the close of the war. He was a weaver and settled at Albany, N. Y. His children were Thomas, Robert, Jacob, Alexander, Hugh, Lydia, and Margaret, all of whom settled in the counties of Cortland and Steuben. Jacob, who was a shoemaker in early life, served in the war of 1812, and upon coming to Steuben county purchased a farm near Loon Lake, and in 1834 he settled in Cohocton. He died in Pennsylvania in 1846. He married Abigail Smith, and their children were Jeremiah, who removed to Iowa; Josiah, who settled in Pennsylvania; Jonathan, who located in Iowa; Alexander; Jacob; Abraham, who settled in Cohocton and in 1846 removed to New York city, where he died; Asa; James; Elizabeth, wife of Jonathan Leach; Phoebe, who married Levi Leach; and Abigail, wife of Anthony Garwood. Asa McDowell has always lived in Steuben.county, and was engaged in tanning for many years at Patchinsville. and later purchased a farm at Loon Lake, and after a short residence there, in 1874, he purchased a farm one mile north of the village of Cohocton, and in 1892 he settled in Cohocton village. Politically he is a Republican, and has been supervisor of the town. He is a member of Liberty Lodge No. 510, F. & A. M. In 1851 he married Harriet, daughter of Jonathan Pierce of Naples, N. Y., and their children are Burr (deceased), Otis, James, Charles, Asa, and Hattie (Mrs. John Larrowe) of Cohocton. One of the prominent, men of the past in Cohocton was C. J., son of Robert McDowell. He came to the county about 1834, settling at Loon Lake, and was a shoemaker by trade. He studied law with Benjamin Harwood of Dansville, and upon his admission to the bar in 1843 settled at Cohocton, where he built up a profitable practice. He was a Republican, and was justice of the peace and supervisor for several years, also district attorney for years. He married Lucy A. Smith, and they wrere the parents of two children: WilliamH., of Adrain, Mich., and Maria (Mrs* John H. Butler) of Penn Yan. In 1875, for his second wife he married Louise Conley, by whom he had one son, Manly A. McDowell. Mr. C. J. McDowell died in 1877.

Maichle, Henry Family Sketch

Maichle, Henry, was born, in Syracuse, N. Y., September 10, 1859, son of Jacob Maichle, a native of Germany, who came to America in 1854 and settled in New York city, and a year later at Syracuse. He came to Steuben county in 1861 and settled at Cohocton. He is a carpenter by trade, which business he has always followed. He married Christine Klink,.who died in 1868, by whom he had two sons, Jacob and Henry. Mr. Maichle married for his second wife Pauline Hutte, of Rochester, by whom he had one daughter, Anna (Mrs. J. C. Miller), of Scranton, Pa. Jacob and Henry settled in Cohocton. In the spring of 1880 Henry Maichle, in company with O. A. Drake, engaged in the grocery and crockery trade at Cohocton; a few months later Henry Finch purchased Drake’s interest, and the firm existed until 1889, when Mr. Maichle purchased his partner’s interest and has since continued the business. He is a staunch Democrat, and takes an active part in party affairs. He was town clerk one year, and in 1888 was elected justice of the peace. He is a member of St. Pius R. C. church. December 21, 1881, he married Sybillia, daughter of William Becker, by whom he had five children; William H., Robert J., Clarence E., Francis E., Ida A.

Mehlenbacker, C. J. Family Sketch

Mehlenbacker, C. J., was born in the town of Wayland, September 18, 1850, son of Conrad Mehlenbacker, who came from Germany in 1846, and settled in the town of Wayland, where he engaged in farming. He married Christine Smith, by whom he had nine children: Christine, wife of Conrad Cornbau, of Bristol, Ontario county, N. Y.; Louis, who married Mary Cornbau, and settled on the homestead farm; Catherine, who married Jacob Wolfanger, and settled in Springwater; Charlotte, who married John Pragel, and settled in Dansville; Augustus, who married Hattie Holcomb, and settled in South Bristol, N. Y.; C. J.; Conrad, who married Ivy Daniels, and settled in Michigan; Jacob, who married Augusta Marvin and settled in Salamanca, N. Y.; and Henry, who married Alice Fidler, and settled in Grand Rapids, Mich. C. J. Mehlenbacker settled in Wayland and began life as a farmer. In 1888 he settled in Cohocton village, purchasing the Cohocton Hotel, of which he was the proprietor for nine years, and in 1892 he engaged in blacksmithing and carriage making. In 1876 Mr. Mehlenbacker married Hannah Fleischman, by whom he had five children: Bertha, Almina, Henry L., Alfred and Arthur.

Miller, Robert Family Sketch

Miller, Robert, was born in Norfolk county, England, January 17, 1839, son of Robert Miller, who came to America with his family in 1843 and settled in the town of Seneca, Ontario county, and in 1850 removed to Steuben county, purchasing a farm on Lent Hill, where the remainder of his life was spent. He was a shoemaker by trade, which business he followed in his earlier years, 'and was afterwards a farmer. He was a leading member of the Lent Hill Wesleyan Methodist church. He married Martha Middleton, and they were the parents of five children: William, who married Minerva, daughter of John Bush, and settled on Lent Hill, where he has been extensively engaged in farming, and has been the minister of the W. M. church for many years; Martha, wife of William Caward, who settled in Seneca, Ontario county; Robert, Ann, and John, who settled in Cohocton, and was extensively engaged in the produce business for about twenty-five years, and married Celia Hatch. He died in 1890. Robert Miller, jr., settled on Lent Hill, where he has large farming interests, and has done much toward the clearing of that part of the town. Since 1875 he has been engaged in the produce business and for several years was the partner of his brother, John. Several years since he settled in Jersey City and is engaged in the produce business at NewYork city. He married Anna Bolles of Swains, N. Y.

Moore, H. D. and Robert S. Family Sketch

Moore, H. D. and Robert S. — The first of the Moore family to settle in Steuben county were Robert and Thomas, who came from Gorham, Ontario county, N.Y., in 1815, and settled near Ingleside, in the town of Prattsburg. Robert afterward settled on Lent. Hill, and with his stalwart sons did much toward clearing up and subduing that section. He married Christine Signor, by whom he had eleven children: Lucy, wife of Nicholas Johnson, who settled in Prattsburg; James, who married Christine Rice, and settled in Ingleside and later removed to Michigan; Stephen, who married Mary A. Drake, settling first in Ingleside and afterward in Michigan; Susan, wife of Robert Stanton, of Lent Hill; Jacob; Hiram, who married Hannah Stanton, and settled in Cohocton, where he died; Abigail, wife of Joseph Polmanteer, of Ingleside; Eli, who married Phoebe Drake, and settled in Cohocton; Daniel; Annie, wife of Nicholas Johnson, of Ingleside; and John, who married Savina Parks, and settled in Ingleside, and afterward in Michigan. Daniel settled in Ingleside and afterward in Cohocton, where he died. He married Catherine Polmanteer, by whom he had eight children: Clinton and Anthony, who served through the Civil war, and afterward settled in Steuben county, where they died; Patience, wife of Jonas Partridge; Hardin; Clark, who married Jennie Wilson and settled in Naples; Lester, who married Etta Beilis and settled in Cohocton; Chester, who married Addie Hatch, and settled in Cohocton; and Orlo, who died unmarried. Hardin settled in Cohocton, and is a thrifty farmer. He married Susan Robbins, by whom he had eight children: Diana (Mrs. Ray Gifford) of Avoca, Marguerite, Edwin, Stuart, Florence, Peter, Mabel, and Una. Jacob Moore was a farmer and spent his life in Cohocton and Prattsburg. He married Abigail Barber, by whom he had six children: Celeste, wife of Charles Cornish; Betsey, wife of Albert Cornish; Robert S.; Eliza, wife of Robert Riddle; John, a carpenter and builder, who settled in Cohocton; Matilda, wife of Albert Keeler. Robert S. enlisted in 1862 in the 161st N. Y. Inf., and served until the close of the war, after which he settled in the town of Cohocton, and in 1875 settled in Lyons Hollow, where he is engaged in farming. He married Hannah Townsend.

Moulton, Rice T. Family Sketch

Moulton, Rice T. — The pioneer of the family in Steuben county was James Moulton, who came from Saratoga county as early as 1815, and first settled on the road between Liberty and North Cohocton, and shortly after took up a farm on the Wayland road two miles west of North Cohocton, where he resided until his death, which occurred in 1843. He married Mary Crouch, by whom he had twelve children: Abbie, who married James Armstrong, and settled in Cohocton; Richard, who married Harriett Ellis, and came from Saratoga about 1818 and settled near his father; Rice, who married Annie Cameron, and settled in Cohocton, where he died; Theda, who married William Tyler, and settled in Naples; Nelson; Cynthia, who married Asahel Tyler, and settled in Cohocton; Warren, who settled in Michigan, where he died; Maria, who died unmarried; Thomas, who settled in Michigan, and later in Alabama; Eliza, who married L. Ashley, and settled in Springwater; Hiram, who married Betsey Haight, and settled in Cohocton; and Myron, who settled first in Cohocton and afterward in Michigan. Nelson Moulton settled in Cohocton and about 1852 removed to Tyrone, Mich., where he died. He married Triphenia Morehouse, by whom he had five children: Marilla, who died unmarried; Ireton, who died in early manhood; James, who married Mabel Van Wormer, and settled in Cohocton, where he died; Margaret, who married John Wheaton; and Rice T., who settled in Cohocton, where he is a successful farmer. He is a strong Republican, and was elected highway commissioner in 1893. He is a member of Kanawha Lodge, I. O. O. F., No. 566, of Atlanta. He married Elizabeth Wilson, by whom he had one son, James.