Born in Duchess county, New York, July 27, 1812; removed to Monroe county in 1836. He settled on the farm which he at present occupies when it was a dense forest with neither roads nor schools. The town was first organized with but three houses in the village of Dundee. He was compelled to get his grinding done at Monroe. Through his untiring efforts he now has a fine farm and is blessed with every comfort of life. He was married in Monroe county, Mich., May 18, 1843, to Catherine Slayton, born in Pennsylvania, March 8, 1828, and daughter of Ebenezer and Betsy (Steel) Slayton, who in 1836 removed to Monroe county. S. Adee is the father of Betsy A. born March and died August 28, 1847; Eleanor A. died February 28, 1848; Nathan W. died February 28, 1848; Lysander born February 15, 1848 resides in Dundee township; Rosana M. born December 25, 1850, resides with parents; Ebenezer, September 15, 1861. Mr. Adee's son, William, served one year in the War of the Rebellion. He died at Nashville, Tennessee, age twenty-two years. Samuel Adee, residing in Dundee township is engaged in farming. Address, Dundee, Michigan.

The only son on the late Hon. Daniel T. Arbuckle, County Judge and Surrogate, is today, at the age of twenty-six years, one of the most prominent men in the town of Delhi, where he is conducting a large coal business, in the owner of a flour and feed mill and an elevator, and is an extensive retail dealer in grain and feed. His entire life has been spent in this vicinity, his birth having occurred in Delhi, April 23, 1868. 

His grandfather, Nathaniel Arbuckle, a native of Scotland, emigrated to America at the age of eighteen, and for a few years worked upon a farm in Canada. From there he came to Delhi, where he purchased a partially cleared tract of land, and engaged in farming pursuits. He married, and reared a family of six children, namely; Margaret, who married Henry

Rice, a farmer of Delhi; William B.; James N.; Daniel T.; C.J.; and Peter B. He rounded out a full period of seventy-five years; and his wife, who died at the home of her son Daniel, lived to the age of threescore and ten years. Both were faithful members of the Presbyterian church of Delhi. 

Daniel T. Arbuckle obtained his elementary education in the district schools of Delhi, and was fitted for college at the Delaware Academy. He entered Union College, and, after being graduated from there, began the study of law with Colonel Robert Parker, of Delhi, an uncle of Judge Amasa J. Parker, of Albany. After his admission to the bar he began the practice of his profession in his native town, where he soon had an extensive clientage, and continued in active practice until 1883, when he was elected to the branch of the County court. Judge Arbuckle retained this honored position until 1888, when by reason of continued ill health he retired from aciive life. His death occurred on March 9, 1894, at the age of fifty-seven years. In memory of his distinguished services as jurist and citizen the Delaware County bar passed resolutions of respect and sympathy, rightly speaking of Judge Arbuckle as "having discharged his duties in all the various relations in life, not only in his professional, but in his judicial career and in the ordinary walks of life, with great care, credit, honor, and honesty"; paying a tribute to "his unswerving integrity, his devotion to the interests of his clients and the discharge of public duties, his painstaking methods of business, his uprightness of chatacter, and purity of heart"; attesting "his ability as a lawyer, his fairness as a judge, and his worth as a citizen"; deploring his early removal "at a time in life when there appeared to be many years of usefulness before him, and the future for him looked bright and promising. A good man has passed away; a wise counsellor has gone to his reward; a kind and devoted husband and father has been called to his eternal rest; a noble, upright, conscientious citizen has joined the great majority." 

Judge Arbuckle married Elizabeth J. Peters, who was one of six children born to John and Jane (Blakeley) Peters, of Bloomville. Mr Peters, who is a hale and hearty man, well advanced in years, has been engaged in agricultural pursuits during his life, having been the owner of a good farm in Bloomville, and also carried on a brisk trade in buying and selling butter. His wife long since passed to the better world. Judge and Mrs. Arbuckle reared three children, two daughters and a son. The eldest, Agnes, who was graduated from Vassar College, is a teacher of rare ability. Jennie, the other daughter, is an able assistant to her brother, the subject of this sketch, in the extensive business, having entire charge of the books and accounts, and representing him in his absence. 

John N. Arbuckle was the first child born to his parents. He received a practical education, attending primarily the village school, and later the Delaware Academy. At the age of eighteen years he entered the post-office as a clerk under Henry Davis, remaining there three years. This not being a sufficiently active calling for one of his wide-awake and alert business proclivities, he established himself as a dealer in coal. In 1891, in company with Mr. Penfield, he purchased a mill, and shortly afterward built the elevator and storehouse, and in conjunction with his coal business dealt extensively in grain and feed. In September, 1893, Mr. Arbuckle purchased the interest of his partner, and has since continued in business alone. In politics Mr. Arbuckle is a steadfast Democrat. Religiously, he belongs to the Presbyterian church, of which he is a Trustee, and of which his mother is also an esteemed member. 

These three children are to Mrs. Arbuckle a great help and comfort, each and all doing everything possible to make her pathway a pleasant one. The family residence, which is beautifully situated upon an eminence overlooking the village, indicates in all of its appointments the exercise of cultivated taste and ample means. 

Theophilus was born on January 30, 1830, on the family estate where he now lives. His grandfather, Pardon Austin, was of English descent and a native of Rhode Island. where he was a skilled tanner and shoemaker. Purchasing a tract of one hundred and forty-seven and one half acres of land in Delaware County, he established a tannery near Arkville, still following also for about twenty years his other trade of shoemaking. He bought the frame of a grist-mill on White Brook and built a house, and also put up the first frame barn in Middletown. He afterward moved to the Carter farm and eventually to Erie County. Pennsylvania, where he died, in his eighty-third year. He was a Whig, and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. His wife, Jane Stanton. lived to be eighty-three years old, and was the mother of eight children: Pardon, Alexander, Jane, Laura. Malinda. Rhoda, Henrietta, and Freeman.

Alexander Austin was born at the old homestead on April 5, 1798. Having grown to manhood, he bought the farm and, dropping the tannery, went on with the improvement of the place. He also bought and cleared one hundred and thirty acres more, making his home here till his death, when sixty- three years old. At the age of twenty-one, on December 19, 1819, he married Deborah Dean who was born August 16, 1804, a daughter of William and Mary (Mott) Dean. Mr. Dean was a Delaware farmer, and conducted a carding factory. Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Austin, namely: Alfred L., February 11, 1822; William D., August 16, 1823; Adaline, December 23, 1826; Henry M., December 1, 1828; Julia, August 12, 1832; Clarinda, October 6, 1835; Huldah, born February 5, 1838; Polly D., March 4, 1843; Theophilus G., January 30, 1830. Mr. Austin was a Republican, and served his town as Postmaster. His wife, who was a member of the Baptist church, lived to the age of seventy-two years.

Theophilus G. Austin was educated in the district schools, and continued during his youth and early manhood to work with his father, putting the farm into a high state of cultivation, and was thirty years of age when the estate came into his possession. He won the heart and hand of Miss Huldah Allison, one of Middletown's maidens, and the child of Jefferson T. and Margaret (Paul) Allison. Mr. Allison was a mason and farmer in prosperous circumstances, on the stream known as Platter Kill. Mrs. Austin had five brothers: James F., William T., Andrew B., Hiram H., and Amos. The children of the marriage of Theophilus Austin and Miss Allison were: Margaret, born December 1, 1870; Deborah. March 19. 1873; William T., born March 23, 1879; and Alfred L., born on August 8, 1882.

The old house of his ancestors has been entirely remodeled since Mr. Theophilus Austin came into possession of it : and he has built a new barn, wagon-house, and other outbuildings. Five thousand rods of stone wall lately built have greatly enhanced the value of the farm, which has an exceptionally fine location, being on the U. & D. K Railroad, within two miles of Margaretville, and one mile distant from Arkville. Mr. Austin is liberal in his religious views, believing that Christianity is embodied in the practical application of the Golden Rule rather than in formulated theology. His wife is a member of the Methodist church. He is a Republican in politics. A beautiful home, happy domestic relations, and the esteem of his contemporaries are the rewards of his well-spent years.

Hamilton Bishop (deceased); born at Malta, New York, January 3, 1818, son of Samuel and Mary Bishop, natives of Saratoga County, New York. He grew up on a farm and came west in 1847, and settled in Peoria. For one year he lived at Peoria and carried on his trade of shoemaker, but later moved to Dunlap, where he resided about a year. Returning to Peoria he engaged in the livery business, which he carried on till his death, April 3, 1897. He was a very liberal business man and had a host of friends. January 3, 1843, he married Mary Spiers in Columbia County, New York. Four children were born to this union; Clara M., Mrs Thomas Mills; Eva., Mrs. L. Fred Oaks; Charles E. of Peoria; and Jerusia, who died in infancy. Mrs. Bishop is the daughter of Joseph and Jerusha (Taylor) Spiers, and granddaughter of General Solomon Taylor, whose parents emigrated from Holland and settled in New York. She is also a great-granddaughter of Dr. Spiers, an Englishman, who settled with the Shakers in New York, where he was prominent.

Mrs. Bishop was born January 6, 1824, at Clifton Park, New York, where her father was a farmer. She is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, which she joined in 1838.

John P. Blakely, a prominent farmer of Kortright, was born in this town, June 18, 1845, son of James G. and Susan (McAuley) Blakely, both of whom were natives of the town. The father was born January 12, 1810, and the mother July 23, 1813. James G. Blakely was a son of William, who was born in Washington County, and moved to the town of Kortright in 1808, when quite a young man, purchasing a farm of about nine hundred acres. At the time of his advent in the town it was in a very primitive state, most of the land being covered with timber, requiring the expenditure of much energy and time to bring it under cultivation. This Mr. Blakely successfully accomplished. In addition to his farm he also kept a tavern, which was the first one in the town. He raised a family of nine children, all of whom grew to maturity, one Mrs. Sarah Mitchell, being alive at this time. William Blakely died on the homestead, aged seventy-four. In politics he was a Democrat. James G. Blakely was educated in the district schools of Kortright. He was a successful farmer and dairyman, owning a farm of three hundred acres, part of the old homestead. He and his wife Susan, had eight children, five of whom are now living, namely: Mrs. Agnes Thomas, widow of John Thomas, residing in the town of Stamford; William, Jennie M., and John P., all of Kortright; and Rebecca S., who resides at home. Mr. James G. Blakely died April 15, 1882.

John P. Blakely was educated in the district schools of Kortright and at the Stamford Academy, and then engaged in teaching for two terms. He afterward devoted his attention to general farming, also making a specialty of dairying, owning fifty head of cattle. Mr. Blakely is a man of progressive ideas, and has remodelled and improved the farm buildings until the estate is second to none in the county. He is a member of the West Kortright Presbyterian Church, and in politics is a Democrat. He has never been prominent in politics, neither has he ever sought any public office. He is a man of great popularity with his fellows, and the type of an honest, intelligent, industrious, and well-to-do farmer.

The son of David and Zeruiah (Skinner) Blish, Aaron was born 21 Oct 1768, at Glastonbury, Conn. He married Roxanna Webster, and she was born 29 July 1774.

Their children:

Frances born 22 Nov 1792 in Glastonbury, Conn.
Novatus born 03 Ap 1795
Aristarchus born 21 Mar 1797
Roderic Skinner born 21 Jul 1800
Henry M. born 30 Oct 1802; died 21 Apr 1827
Sophia L. born 11 Mar 1805; married Burr Gould
Sally T. born 13 Sep 1807; married Sellick Gould
Almira S. born 15 July 1811; married Harrison French
Lewis J. born 01 Mar 1813; died 04 Aug 1834
Emily born 02 Jun 1816; married Bethuel Sutherland

After his marriage, Aaron Blish removed to New York State. He first settled on the river by the flouring mill below Kortright. He remained there for twenty years or more; then sold out and went into Genesee Valley, near Rochester, intending to settle there, but hearing of the new Ohio country, he went out prospecting. While in Ohio he contracted fever and ague, and soon repented his venture. He returned to Genesee Valley, but finding his ague no better there returned to Delaware county, and bought land on Rose's Brook, where he remained until his death. He was a farmer all his lifetime. He was a large man of commanding appearance and of sterling character.

The exact date when he left Connecticut is not know, but it must have been early, as only one entry is found in the Town records of Glastonbury mentioning his name: "1792 Dec 10 - John Case, Samuel Stratton 3rd., George Hunt, Roger Hollister and Aaron Blish chosen collectors of Town taxes."

Novatus M. Blish , of Stamford, is a great-grandson of David Blish, a native of Connecticut, and a lineal descendant of Abraham Blish, who settled in Duxbury, Mass., in 1637, buying a farm of twenty acres at what is known as Eagle's Nest. In 1640 Abraham removed to Barnstable, Cape Cod, where he was among the first settlers, residing in the western part of the town, which is known as Great Marshes; and this property was owned by the Blish family for over two hundred years. July 17, 1658, Abraham Blish purchased for seventy-five pounds a farm called the Dolar Davis place, situated in the eastern part of the town, which was known as the common field, and since that period has been called Blish's Point. He was an active, energetic man, prominent in all town affairs, and died September 7, 1683, leaving a numerous family. Many of his posterity took an active part in the Revolution and the War of 1812, some also in the French and Indian War.

Aaron Blish, son of David, was born in Connecticut and married Roxie Webster, of the same State. In 1790 they moved to Stamford, Delaware County, where he purchased two hundred acres of wild land, which he cleared and improved, building a log house. He belonged to the State militia, and was well known as Colonel Blish. He was an active member of the United Presbyterian church at South Kortright, was a Whig in politics, and held the office of Justice of the Peace. Disposing of his first farm, he purchased one at Rose Brook, where he and his wife passed away, both having reached the age of seventy-five years. Of their ten children, three are still living: Mrs. Sally Gould, of Stamford: Mrs. Elmira French, of Otsego County; and Mrs. Emily Sutherland, of St. Paul, Minn.

Their son, Novatus Blish, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Litchfield, Conn., but grew to manhood in the town of Stamford. He learned the blacksmith's trade, which he followed for some years, and then purchased a farm and adopted a farmer's life. Moving to Roxbury, he kept a general store for about five years, selling it at the expiration of that time, and returning to Stamford, where he became possessor of a farm of one hundred and fifty acres and a store. These he operated for twenty-one years, adding land from time to time to his original purchase, until at his death he owned two hundred and fifty acres. He was a practical and successful business man, a Democrat in politics; and he and his wife were members of the Presbyterian church at South Kortright. He came to his death at the age of fifty-seven years by falling from a scaffold. He married Mrs. Mary Mapes Barlow, of Albany County; and she died at the old homestead when seventy-four years of age, leaving two children by her first husband and six by Mr. Blish, namely: Joseph Barlow, a resident of Ripon, Wis., and his sister, Mrs. Harriet Silliman, wife of A. G. Silliman, of Hobart; Mary, who died when sixty-one years of age, the wife of William S. Foot, of Hobart; Novatus M., the subject of this biography; David P., who lives at Atchison, Kan., and is engaged in the wholesale hardware business; Alonzo, who died at the age of seventy-five; Aaron, who passed away when sixty years old; and Henry, a resident of Broome County.

Novatus M. Blish was born in Roxbury, July 16, 1828, and grew up in the town of Stamford, attending the district school, and later the Hanford Academy at Hobart. When nineteen years of age, after the death of his father, he assumed the charge of the old homestead, and settled his father's business affairs. He then purchased the home farm and the store, operating the latter until 1861, when he sold it. Until 1892 he occupied the old home, but then moved away to make room for his son. He increased the extent of the farm land to four hundred and thirty acres, making it one of the largest and most productive farms in the town. Here he operated a dairy, in which industry he was very successful.

On September 22, 1849, Novatus M. Blish married Miss Marietta Cowan, who was born in Stamford, December 13, 1830, a daughter of John and Nellie (Grant) Cowan. Mrs. Blish passed away March 25, 1893, at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Griffin, having been the mother of four children: Charles A., born in 1852, and at present the General Agent of the Portland Insurance Company in San Francisco, Cal., where he resides with his wife and four children; Helen, who was the wife of Bruce Chisholm, but has passed away; John C., who is married, has one child, and lives on the old homestead; Mrs. Etta Griffin, wife of Thomas Griffin, and mother of two children Bruce B. and Kenneth B. Mr. Blish is a Presbyterian and a Republican, having held the office of Justice of the Peace for twelve years and Justice of the Session for two terms. He has now retired from active business, and lives with his daughter, Mrs. Griffin. An upright, trustworthy man, he holds an exalted position in the regard of all who are fortunate enough to claim his acquaintance.

Note: Laid to rest at South Kortright Cemetery

Miles Bramley, favorably known in the town of Walton as an enterprising farmer, is the proprietor of a fine homestead pleasantly situated on the river road about three miles from the village. The place of his birth was in the town of Bovina, Delaware County; its date, December 19, 1831. Mr. Bramley is the worthy representative of an old New England family, his paternal grandfather, who was a Revolutionary pensioner, having been a life-long resident of that part of the Union, and one of its respected farmers.

Henry Bramley, the father of Miles. was reared to manhood in his New England home, but after his marriage removed to this part of New York, and, settling in the town of Bovina, bought the farm on which his youngest son, Girard Bramley, now lives. There he toiled early and late, and by unremitting labor improved a good homestead, where he and his faithful wife and helpmate spent their remaining years, he passing away at the age of fourscore and four years, and she living to celebrate her eighty-fifth birthday. Her maiden name was Betsey Wright, and she was a life-long resident of Delaware County. She bore her husband twelve children: namely, Mary Ann, Phebe Ann, Sylvanus, William, John, Amanda, James, Susan, Charles, Miles, Alexander, and Girard. Of this large family five sons and two daughters are still living. The mother was a practical Christian woman, and was identified with the Methodist church, to which she belonged for many years.

Miles Bramley assisted his father in opening up his farm, and made his home with his parents until he was twenty-five years of age. He then purchased land in Bloomville, in the town of Kortright, and for two years was employed in the labors of husbandry. The following year he spent in Bovina, coming thence to Walton, when he bought a farm on which he has since resided. He raises hay and grain, but pays especial attention to dairying, sending his milk directly to the city of New York.

Mr. Bramley has been twice married. His union with Abigail Nicholas, the daughter of Elijah and Amanda Nicholas, members of the farming community of Bovina, was solemnized on January 6, 1857; and their happy wedded life lasted twenty-five years. Mrs. Abigail Bramley was a Methodist in religion. She died at fifty-five years of age, leaving two children - Ella A. and Frances A. Ella is the wife of Hubert Sewell of Walton. of whom a sketch appears on another page of this volume. Frances married Charles Sabin, a banker residing in Susquehanna, Pa. On March 20, 1890, Mr. Bramley formed a second matrimonial alliance, with Elizabeth H. Blair, a daughter of Peter and Margaret (McCune) Blair, the former of whom was born in Scotland, and the latter in Bovina, but of Irish parentage on the maternal side.

The paternal grandfather of Mrs. Bramley, William Blair, emigrated from Scotland, bringing his family with him, and took up his abode in Delhi, where he bought land, and engaged in agricultural pursuits, carrying on farming in conjunction with blacksmithing, a trade which he had followed in his native country. The father of Mrs. Bramley began his career as an independent farmer in the town of Bovina, where he met and wooed the fair woman who became his bride; and on the homestead in that town, which he improved, both afterward lived until their departure from this world, he passing away at the age of sixty-seven years, and she at threescore years. They were both esteemed members of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian church. Eight of the ten children born of their union grew to maturity; namely, Nancy, Mary, William, Samuel, James, Margaret, Elizabeth H., and Jane S. Of this number Mrs. Bramley and one son are the only ones now living. Mr. Bramley uniformly casts his vote with the Republican party, and in all respects is a citizen deeply interested in the welfare of his county and community. Both he and his wife are members of the Methodist church.

Of Summerfield township, was born in Niagra county, NY, Feb. 7, 1838. In 1840, with his parents, he came to Dundee township. In 1862 he settled in Summerfield township. He enlisted in the 1st Mich. Engineer and Mechanic Reigment, Co. F., July 1, 1863 and was mustered out Sept. 22, 1865. He is a member of Morgan Parker Post, No. 281. He was married Nov. 22, 1861, to Amelia Richland, who died in 1872. His present wife is Phila Ludrick, whom he maried in 1878. Their children are: Mary E., born Nov. 12, 1872; Harriet, born May 19, 1882, and Benjamin, born Nov. 4, 1884. Mr. Breningstall is a farmer. His post office address is Petersburg.

Of Petersburg, Summerfield township, a broom-handle manufacturer, was born in Dundee July 18, 1843.  His parents were Seth and Lucy (Hobart) Breningstall.  Horace remained in Dundee until 1852, when he came to Raisinville township, where he remained until the breaking out of the war of the Rebellion. 

He enlisted May 20, 1861, in Co. A, 4th Mich. Inf., as corporal, remaining with the regiment until it was mustered out of service June 30, 1864.  He re-enlisted on March 21, 1865, in Co., I, 5th U.S. Vet. Vol., as private, and was mustered out March 21, 1866.  Through exposure he contracted rheumatism; he participated in the battles of New Bridge, Hanover Court House, Mechanicsville, Gaines Mill, Savage's Station, Antulaus, White Oak Swamp, Gainesville, second Bull Run, Malvern Hill, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Wilderness, Spottsylvania and several other engagements.  He is a member of Morgan Parker Post, No. 281, G.A.R., of which is is commander. 

He was married July 11, 1868, to Elizabeth Main.  Three children were born to them: Reuben, born March 31, 1869; Susan A., born Nov. 18, 1873, and Phila Addie born March 14, 1880.  He is a Republican in politics, and has held several township offices and postmaster.  He is also a member of the Masonic Order.

A resident of Summerfield township, removed with his parents, Jonas and Ann (Warner) Brown, to Monroe county in 1836. He was born in Berkshire county, Massachusetts, December 7, 1829. He has been twice married. His first wife, Mary E., was a daughter of Benjamin and Ann Hunter. Her children are: Annie J. born August 10, 1862; and Russell W., March 27, 1864. Mr. Brown was married August 12, 1869, in Petersburg, to Ellen, born in Monroe county, March 14, 1850, and daughter of Morgan and Rosetta C. (Brenningstall) Parker, settlers of Monroe county in 1841. Her children are: Mary R. born May 9, 1870; Nellie, June 14, 1875; Fannie, January 19, 1878, Ida, born July 20, 1881. George R. is engaged in farming. Address, Petersburg.

Simon Bolivar Champion (Aaron), born 7 September 1825, in East Worcester, N. Y. ; married in Charlotteville, N. Y., 'S April 1857, the Rev. J. Hiram Champion (99) officiating, Mary Louisa McCollum, daughter of Reuben and Patty (Smith) McCollum, born 21 March 1829, in Bloomville, N. Y.

Simon Bolivar Champion, so named by his uncle Reuben who had just finished reading the life of the famous South American, was the first grandson born to the East Worcester Champions. He attended the district school until September 7, 1840, when he went to Cooperstown, N. Y., to learn the printer's trade. He served a six-year apprenticeship with the Hon. John H. Prentiss in the Freeman's Journal office, and' then acted as foreman in the same office for nine months. In the fall of 1847 he went to Prattsville, Greene County, and became a partner with John L. Hackstaff in the publication of the Pratteville Advocate, a Democratic newspaper. Here Mr. Champion first introduced the local department under the caption of "Home Matters," an example soon imitated by nearly every country paper. He claims the pioneership of that progressive kind of journalism. For nearly two years he labored industriously with the pen : then hi* health began to give way, and his physician ordered him to seek higher land and cease close indoor work. Accordingly, in 1849, he went to Bloomville, Delaware County, a village of only two hundred inhabitant«, where he and his father bought a dwelling house, gristmill and saw-mill While attending to the mill he kept his pen busy as correspondent for several papers, especially the Albany, Aryus) which he had read all his life. Ho was also often called to assist the printers in Delhi, the county scat, which was only eight miles distant.

In the spring of 1S51 he was called to Schoharie, by "W. H. Gallup of he Republican, who desired a vacation and wanted a man to take charge of the paper. Young Champion introduced a local department and reported a noted arson case, which gave new life to the paper ; and induced the proprietor on his return to buy new type for it. While dumping the cases of old type Champion suggested buying some of it to take home. Mr. Gallup told him to take what he wanted, and he made up a small font of only a dozen pounds. Soon after his return to Bloomville, a neighbor desired some labels printed. Champion thought of the old type, made cases, obtained a quire of printing paper, a piece of composition and a few ounces of ink, made a wooden stick and chase, covered a square block of wood for a press, and began work. One day a squirrel hunt took place, and the next a special election was held for a state senator, to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of Democratic senators on account of Canal troubles.

When making up an account of these happenings for several papers, the thought occurred to him, that he could print the little slips and save using the pen. He succeeded, and mailed the printed slips containing the election returns and an account of the hunt. Next day there was a call for the slips, as he had shown a copy to some friends, so he again started his press of . planer and mallet, after adding the returns of two towns, he thought it would look better to have a newspaper caption, so he set up Bloommlle News and took proof. It did not suit, so he changed it to Bloomville Mirror. He gave the copies away. The miniature paper " took like wild fire," .and his friends urged him to start a paper ; but the printer said he had no capital to buy a press. In about a week he issued another slip containing only local items. Applications for it began to come in by mail ; he filled the orders, but as yet no price had been fixed. After several numbers had been issued and about 1000 names entered, he fixed the price at twenty-five cents a year. Here was a problem. If he commenced taking pay he would have to furnish the paper. He found an old "Ramage" press in the garret of the Prattsville Advocate which Colonel Pratt gave him; bought a case of old brevier type, and fitted up a room in the mill for an office. Voluntary subscriptions began to come in and lie soon had money enough to buy a few fonts of new type. On July 1, 1851, the law came into effect by which papers were allowed a free circulation in the county where they were published. This did away with paying postage and opened the door of success to the little sheet. It was about the size of a sheet of common note paper, and contained home news and a list of its subscribers, which made it a special favorite with the boys.

After the circulation reached 1000, a Smith hand press was purchased, and as business increased so was the size and price. In 1856 the circulation reached 2000, and an office was erected mid a power press put in operation—the first one in Delaware County. The little sheet was well filled with county news and pithy correspondence from all over the country. At the breaking out of the Civil War the Mirror had a voluntary list of 3000 subscribers. In 1870, owing to the daily mail service being reduced to three times a week and there being no railroad or telegraphic communication, and in view of the opening of a railroad from Rondont to Stamford, Mr. Champion sold his property in Bloomville, both of his parents being dead, and in September bought two acres of land in Stamford, erected an office, and changed the name of his paper to the Stamford Mirror. The Mirror is issued weekly. It has twenty-eight columns, is printed with modern machinery, and has a circulation of 2000 copies.

Mr. Champion is probably the oldest editor in the Empire State. He learned short-hand of Sherman Croswell of the Argus, and has served as editor for. over thirty-eight years consecutively on one paper. In 1858 he was unanimously elected a member of the State Assembly, but declined on account of his literary work. On January 31,1861, he was chosen one of the delegates from the Second Assembly District of Delaware County to the " Peace Convention " at Albany. In 1868 he was Presidential Elector for Delaware and Otsego Congressional Districts. In 1870 he was Democratic candidate for County Treasurer, but although leading his ticket by 400 votes was defeated as was nearly every Democrat at that time. In that year he took the census of Davenport, Meredith and Kortright. He has also acted several times as delegate to various conventions. In Bloomville, where he resided twenty-one years, he was postmaster, school trustee, etc. At Stamford, he has been deputy-postmaster for several years, trustee of the village school, and a member of the Board of Education of Stamford Seminary. He has been High-priest of the Royal Arch Masons and is the present secretary of that order.

Children: Amasa Junius born 10 Apr 1858, in Bloomville, NY and married Mary E. Rexford; Elmina Brown, born 30 July I860, in Bloomville and married John D. Church; Aaron Clifford, born 13 Aug 1860, in Bloomville and is foreman in the Mirror office in Stamford, N Y; Lucy Brown, born 18 Oct 1809, in Bloomville and died 31 Dec 1873, in Stamford; and Nellie, born 27 Jan 1873, in Stamford. 

One of the wealthy and worthy farmers of Walnut Grove township is he who is under consideration and discussion in this review. He was born in Schenectady county, New York, July 22, 1845, had rural training of mind and body and was a son of Sylvester Chrisler. The latter came to maturity in the same county and state and was married there to Mary Vine. This union was productive of William J., of Freeport, Illinois; Roland O., of Clarion, Iowa, and Henry M. The mother died in 1850 and the father married a second wife, who bore him a son, John Chrisler, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Sylvester Chrisler died in 1876 at sixty-five years of age.

At the age of eighteen years Henry M. Chrisler began learning the carriage manufacturing business and when he had mastered the trade he built a factory in the city of Sehnectady and was engaged in its operation eight years. About this date his father died and the son found it necessary to suspend, or close out, his own affairs to attend to those of his father’s estate. He closed it up successfully and about this time (1888) was married to Miss Jennie Knowlton, a New York lady, who survived only a comparatively short time. Being again alone and having a desire to see the west he took a trip to the central western and northern states of Iowa and Minnesota, and finally to Kansas, reaching the last named state in 1890. He was captivated by the climate of the west and by the country itself, and incidentally by one of its fair inhabitants, and he decided to locate here.

He returned to New York and in the early spring of 1891 returned to Kansas where he was married June 4, 1891, to Miss Lenora V. Bright. Mrs. Chrisler was born in Freeport, Illinois, September 30, 1867, and was the daughter of Hiram and Hulda Ann (Tisdale) Bright. Her father was one of the noted men of Illinois, being a member of congress from one of the districts of that state when Lincoln and Douglas were stumping the state on their famous debating tour. He was chairman of their meeting at Freeport, was widely known over the state, was a good lawyer and was always a prominent figure in politics. He died in 1883 at the age of fifty-nine years. His wife survived him till 1884 when she died at fifty-four years of age. Their three daughters still survive, viz., Mrs. E. H. Pond, of Denver, Colorado; Mrs. H. M. Chrisler, and Mrs. Marvin, of Freeport, Illinois. In 1880 Orlando Tisdale, uncle of Mrs. Chrisler, came to Kansas and bought a half section of land. At his death in 1893 this beautiful farm became the property of Mrs. Chrisler, the uncle having no more favored heir. This farm is near the center of Walnut Grove township and is one of especial beauty and fertility. Here our subject makes his home, surrounded by all the comforts and many of the luxuries of life. Biennially he and his wife make a trip to Mr. Chrisler’s New York home where he has large real estate interests, in both the country and city of Schenectady. As a farmer Mr. Chrisler is an extensive operator, combining the cultivation of the soil with the raising of fine road horses, he owning some of the best in the state.

Two children have come to Mr. and Mrs. Chrisler to bless their union, viz., Lucia Allen and Hornold Bright. Republican principles are espoused by Mr. Chrisler in political controversies and while he has no record as an active worker or an enthusiast he defends the faith when his belief is personally attacked. Neosho county is fortunate in the possession of a man of Mr. Chrisler’s character and integrity, adding as it does, to the high moral tone of the county and to its standing as one of the solid and wealthy counties of the state.

In the spring of 1902 Mr. Chrisler leased his farm and returned to Schenectady, New York.

Note: Henry, his 1st wife, Sarah J. "Jennie" (Knowlton), and his parents Sylvester and Mary (Vine) were laid to rest at Vale Cemetery in Schenectady, NY.

Hector Cowan, who died on July 4, 1878, at his home in the town of Stamford, New York where he was an influential and valued citizen, was born here on October 2, 1824. His father, John Cowan, who was a Scotchman, was born in the old country on June 4, 1798; and his mother, Helen Grant Cowan, was born two years later, September 15, 1800, in Stamford.

John Cowan's father, whose name was Hector, came to America with his wife at the beginning of the century, while John was only two years old, and settled in Stamford, on what is now known as the old Cowan farm, which he reclaimed from the wilderness, building a frame house, wherein he resided till his death, at ninety-three years of age, in 1843. The children of the emigrant Hector were as follows: James Cowan, born June 29, 1794; William, on August 3, 1796; John, in 1798; Isabella, on June 14, 1800- all before the emigration. Afterwards, in Stamford, came Mary, March 12, 1803; Agnes, July 1 1805; Andrew, December 13, 1808. Grandfather Cowan was an Elder in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian church in South Kortright. Politically, he was a Whig. He lost his wife when she was sixty years old, nearly thirty years before his own demise.

John Cowan grew up on his father's farm, and attended the district school, his educational opportunities being, however, very meager. In the course of years he purchased the homestead from the other heirs, and added thereto so largely that finally he owned six hundrend acres, and stood at the head of the agriculturists of this neighborhood. Not only was he his father's successor as a farmer, but as an Elder in the Kortright Parish. His marriage to Helen Grant took place on New Years's Day, 1824; and Grandfather Hector Cowan was greatly pleased the next autumn, when they named their first child after him, Hector. On September 18, 1826, came a sister Ann Eliza, and on December 11, 1830, another sister, Marietta; but all three have joined "the innumerable caravan," Ann Eliza on February 21, 1843, the same year with her grandfather, as above mentioned. Hector died in 1878, and Marietta in April, 1893.

Young Hector went to the local school, like his father before him, and likewise worked on the home farm, devoting himself wholly to agriculture. In 1851, November 5, at the age of twenty-seven, Hector Cowan married Helena Jane Rich, who was born on the Rich family homestead at South Kortright, the daughter of James and Helena (Marshall) Rich; and more particulars concerning her family may be found in the sketch in the volume of Mrs. Sarah Rich. Like his progenitors, Mr. Cowan took an active part in church affairs, and succeeded them as an office-bearer, holding the position of Ruling Elder. As they had been Whigs, so was he in sentiment, and cast his first vote for Taylor and Fillmore; but a few years later the Republican party arose, and he at once joined its fortunes. He was also influential in town affairs. At his death he left a widow and eleven children, eight of whom are still living.

The eldest of these, John A. Cowan, born in 1854, is a Stamford farmer and an Elder in the Presbyterian church in Hobart. Helena Cowan, born in 1856, married Dr. F. H. McNaught, of Denver, Colorado. Of James Rich Cowan more will be said presently. Robert F. Cowan, born in 1860, is a Stamford farmer. Hector William Cowan, born in 1862 amid our Civil War, and named for his father and great- grandfather, is a Presbyterian clergyman in Lawrence, Kansas.

Henry Marshall Cowan, born in 1864, resides on the ancestral acres. Charles Cowan was born in 1868, and lives in Stamford, unmarried; and so does Frank B. Cowan, born in 1870. The children no longer living in this world are: Thomas Rich Cowan, who died at the age of twelve; Stephen, at age seven; Annie, at four. Since the death of their father the large farm has been carried on by his widow who owns it. Of course she is aided by her efficent sons, but is herself a very capable manager, as well as a bright and intelligent woman. She is especially proud of her son, the Hon. James Rich Cowan, who bears her own family name.

The Honorable James R. Cowan was born on May 22, 1858. He was educated in the local school, like two generations of his ancestors, and then went to Stamford Seminary. He lived at home till his majority, and did not give up farming till the year 1891, having six hundred acres under his control. Like other farmers in the region, he gave special attention to cattle, having from seventy-five to one hundred. In politics he has been active being commissioned a Justice of Peace. In 1889 he was made Town Supervisior by the Republican party, and acting as chairman of the board the latter part of the time. In 1891 he was elected to the State Assembly, and served a term at Albany. The same year he was chosen President of the National Bank of Hobart which has a capital of fifty thousand dollars; and this place he still fills, the Vice-President being Oscar I. Bennett, and the Cashier J.A. Scott. Mr. Cowan is still unmarried, and gives his main time and attention to finance. In religion, as well as politics, he retreads the inherited foorsteps, and ia a member of the United Presbyterian church in South Kortright. The Cowan homestead is a noble old place, the house standing amid fertile fields not far from the village of Hobart.

Peter Munson Doty was born in Schenectady, March 25, 1846. His parents were Munson Smith and Eliza (Knowlton) Doty. He was educated in the Union school, after which he took up railroading and served as fireman for five years, after which he became an engineer on the New York Central Railroad. Leaving railroading he took a clerkship in the hat business with Van Horn & Son, and remained with them until 1875, after which he was a traveling salesman for Cottrell & Leonard of Albany, for one year. He owned a bakery on the corner of Union and Jay streets, Schenectady, for three years, after which he embarked in the hat business on his own account and, after twenty years of successful business, retired in 1900.

In 1874 Peter M. Doty married Lavinia Diment of Schenectady, N. Y. They have three children, namely, Daniel K., born in 1875 ; Bessie, born in 1879, and Leila, born in 1883. Mr. Doty is a descendant of Edwin Doty, who came over to America in the Mayflower in 1620.

Mr. Doty is a prominent Mason and is Past Master of St. George's Lodge No. 6, F. and A. M., Schenectady. He is also a member of Apollo Chapter No. 48, R. A. M., Troy, N. Y.; Bloss Council No. 14, Troy, N. Y., and Apollo Commandery No. 15, K. T., Troy, N. Y.; also of Delta Lodge of Perfection, Delta Council Prince of Jerusalem, Delta Chapter Rose Croix, Troy, N. Y.; Albany Sovereign Consistory and the A. A. O. N. M. S., Troy, N. Y., and of the Masonic Veterans' Association. He is also a member of Champion Lodge No. 554, I. O. O. F., Schenectady, N. Y.; is an ex-assistant chief engineer of the Fire Department, and a member of the Exempt Firemen's Association. He served as Police Commissioner from 1882 to 1894, inclusive.

Knowlton - Descendants of John and mary of Saratoga Co., New York

Edwin was born in Cambria, Niagara county, New York, November 20th, 1822. His father, Timothy B. Goff, was born in Massachusetts, April 25th, 1790. When a boy, he learned the printers' trade, at Royalston, Massachusetts, where he worked until his health failed him, when he turned his attention to farming. About the year 1820 he moved from Massachusetts to Niagara county, New York, and purchased a farm. In 1827 he emigrated to Michighisan, and settled in Palmyra, Lenawee county, on the south-west fraction of section thirty-six, containing two hundred and two acres. It was very heavy timbered land, but he worked hard and faithful to subdue the wilderness, until his death, September 17th, 1843. During his residence here he served as a county judge. January 22d, 1815, he married Miss Sally Wait, of Royalston, Massachusetts, by whom he had eight children, six sons and two daughters, Edwin being the sixth child and fourth son. Mrs. Sally Goff was born in Coos, Vermont, November 10th, 1789, and died in Palmyra, August 11th, 1851.

Edwin A. Goff came to Michigan with his parents when he was but four years old, living with his father until he died, and lived on the old farm until his mother died. After this time, he "worked out" by the month, until 1855, when he purchased a part of the old homestead, where he now resides. Since he came into possession of the farm, he has built a frame house, and two barns, built new fences and drains, set out a good orchard, and now has a comfortable home and a productive farm. He also owns a good house and lot in the village of Blissfield, but has always lived on the farm.

September 20th, 1855, he married Miss Melissa S. Hill, daughter of Horace and Amelia Hill, of Summerfield, Monroe county, Michigan, by whom he has had three children, all sons, as follows: Sumner E., born July 27th, 1856; Herbert W., born August 2nd, 1862, died September 24th, 1865; Howell H., born November 8th, 1868. All of the children were born in Palmyra. Mrs. Melissa S. Goff was born in Isle Lamont, Vermont, November 25th, 1832, and came to Michigan with her parents in 1833. Her father, Horace Hill, was born in Vermont, and died in Summerfield, Monroe county, Michigan, in October, 1876. Her mother, Mrs. Amelia Hill, was born in Shurzee, New York, in 1807, and died in Summerfield, Monroe county, in 1835.

Note: Horace and Amelia were laid to rest at the Old Petersburg Cemetery (Headstone Photos)

George Hale is a native of Somerset County Maine, and was born May 12, 1836. At the age of fourteen, he moved to Brighton, Mass. We came to California in 1857, and after residing in different parts of the State, returned East, and again coming to California in 1859, and settling at Columbia, where he now lives.

In the Fall of 1879, Mr. Hale erected his new sawmill, on the south fork of the Stanislaus River, and on the ranch once owned by the notorious Jim Lyons. The mill is 24 x 100 feet, has two circular saws, and its capacity is twenty thousand feet of lumber in twelve hours. There is also a shingle machine in the mill, which turns out forty thousand shingles per day. The prime industry of the region where Mr. Hale’s mill is located is the manufacture of lumber. The pine forests of this part of the county are extensive, and for the three decades men have been plunging into their depths and utilizing those stately trees. Steadily, with the growth of the county, the business has increased, until it stands to-day a prime factor on the commercial catalogue. Millions of feet are cut annually and the source seems practically inexhaustible.

Justice of peace of Petersburgh, was born in England Dec. 21, 1822, and came to America in 1839. He settled in Petersburgh in 1843. He was married to Esther Breningstall. Their children who are now living are: Ansel V. born March 4, 1857; George T., born Feb. 12, 1854, and Edwin E., born March 7, 1856. Mr. Heath is a shoemaker by trade. he has held the office of constable, village treasurer, clerk, postmaster and justice of the peace. He is a member of the M.E. church; post office address, Petersburgh.

Hiram S. Holmes. The appeal of the soil is very strong to some men, who return to farming as a means of livelihood after years spent in other pursuits, believing that in this vocation they can find a greater measure of success than any other. In this they are not far wrong if they are possessed of the knowledge and ability to follow agricultural pursuits, and some of Monroe county's most successful men are those who have taken up farming after spending years in another line of endeavor. In this class is Hiram S. Holmes, owner of Macon Lawn Farm, a fine tract of land located in Milan township, one and one-half miles southwest of the village of Milan. Mr. Holmes was born in Oneida county, New York, August 21, 1842, a member of an old and honored New England family, his father being Albert Holmes. John Holmes, the great-grandfather of Hiram S., was a soldier in General Washington's army during the Revolutionary war, and when his son, Jabez Holmes, marched away in defence of his country during the war of 1812-14, he carried the same powder horn that his father had used. This interesting old horn is now in the possession of Mr. Holmes, and is one of his most valued heirlooms. Albert Holmes married Miss Calphurnia Cooley, who was born in New York, daughter of Darius Cooley, a native of New York, and a soldier of the War of 1812. Albert Holmes and his wife came to Michigan in 1869 and settled near Petersburg, where the father died at the age of seventy-six years and the mother when sixty-five years of age. They were both honored and respected by all who knew them, for their many kindly qualities of mind and heart. For a number of years Mr. Holmes was a boatman on the Erie Canal, but from the time that he came west was engaged in agricultural pursuits In politics he was a Democrat. He and his wife had two children: Hiram S., and Mrs. Margaret Rice, the latter a resident of Juniata, Michigan.

Hiram S. Holmes received a common school education in the Empire State, and when he was only thirteen years of age began walking the tow-path, driving mules on the Erie Canal. As the years went by he was promoted from position to position until he eventually was made captain of a boat, in which capacity he acted until accompanying his parents to Michigan. For a long period he had the run on a steamboat between Syracuse and Albany, and was well known to old boatmen on the canal, who still remember him as a faithful comrade and efficient officer. Mr. Holmes was married at thirty years of age to Miss Sarah L. Comstock, who was born in Monroe county, Michigan, daughter of Walter Comstock, Jr., whose father Walter Comstock, Sr., was a native of England. Walter Comstock, Jr., married Sarah Ostrom, and she died at the age of eighty-six years, but he survived her for a long period and died at the remarkable age of ninety-seven years. They had a family of three children, namely: Betsy, living at Toledo, Ohio; Esther, of Monroe county, Michigan; and Sarah L., who married Mr. Holmes. Mr. and Mrs. Holmes have seven children: Bertie C., Gertie S., Lulu, Walter H., Albert F., Hiram,and one deceased.

Macon Lawn Farm is one of the handsome properties of this part of Monroe county, having a fine lawn, surrounded by shade trees, in the center of which is located Mr. Holmes' nine room modern home. A large barn, 32 x 44 feet, graces the premises, and fine water for the stock and fields is secured from Macon Creek which flows nearby. The credit for the high state of development that this land has been brought to belongs to Mr.Holmes, who has been untiring in his work to make this one of the ideal country homes of this part of the state. That he has succeeded in his efforts is evident at first glance, and while he has been advancing his own interests he has also forwarded those of his community, in the estimation of whose citizens Mr. Holmes holds an enviable position.

Mrs. Holmes' parents were Walter Jr. and Sarah (Ostrom) Comstock. The father was a native of New York state and the mother was born at Port Trent, Canada. Mrs. Holmes' grandfather, Walter Comstock Sr., was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, and participated in the battles of Sackett's Harbor and Lake Champlain, and had seen Generals Washington and Burgoyne, as well as the traitor, Benedict Arnold. Five of Mrs. Holmes' uncles were soldiers in the Civil war. Her uncles Tobias and Richard (the last was an uncle by marriage) were prisoners in Libby Prison, and her uncle Tobias died soon after he was liberated from the prison pen, from the terrible ordeal he passed through while incarcerated.

Mrs. Holmes has faithfully performed her part as a sincere and loving wife and devoted mother in the establishing of their home. She received good educational training in the public schools and her comfortable home and cheerful fireside is her haven.

A prominent and influential citizen of this county since 1848, and who resides on section 3, Center Township, is an importer and breeder of fine horses. He was born in Sussex, England, March 12, 1827, and of a family of five children, was the fourth in order of birth. His parents, John and Sarah (Green) Hopkins, were also natives of Sussex and in that vicinity the father engaged in farming for many years. Accompanied by his family he left his land in 1834, when James was but seven years old, and crossing the broad ocean became a resident of Canada. He located in Durham County, in the Province of Ontario, where he followed agricultural pursuits until the year 1848. He then came to Rock County, Wisconsin, where he purchased 320 acres situated on sections 3 and 10, Center Township, at $6 per acre. He became one of the leading farmers of the county and engaged in the cultivation of his land until 1853, when called from this earth by death at the age of seventy-seven years and seven months. His excellent wife survived him until 1876, when she too passed away, dying at the age of eighty-seven years and three months. The father never was an active politician, preferring to devote his time and attention to his business interests. Religiously, he was a member of the Episcopal Church, to which his family also belonged.

Of his family, John is now married and is engaged in farming in Canada; William is married and resides in Union Township, Rock County; Sarah, now Mrs. Bowman, is living in Canada; James [photo] is the next in order of birth; George, who came to Rock County in 1846, making it his home until 1868, when he removed to Eden County, Michigan, died in that county in 1876, leaving a family.

The subject of this sketch was reared to farm life and in a little log house - one of the district schools of Canada - laid the foundation of his future career. He assisted his father in the cultivation of land until 1848, when he started out in life for himself, and emigrating to Rock County, Wisconsin, purchased a farm of 320 acres in Center Township twenty-five acres of which had been broken, while the only other improvement upon the place was a little log cabin. With characteristic energy he began the work of developing a farm, and to the original purchase he has added until he is now the owner of 440 acres of fine arable land, which is highly improved and cultivated. The buildings upon the place, both the residence and the outbuildings, are of a substantial and handsome character, and it is chiefly owing to his own industry and good management that he is the possessor of such a fine property. Like all pioneers his earlier years in this county were spent in a log cabin, but as his financial resources increased, he erected the fine brick residence, which is now his home and which cost over $6,000. Other improvements to the amount of $6,000 have been made and the farm is one of the best in the county. Of late years he has given considerable attention to the breeding and raising of fine horses, including English Shire, Cleveland Bays and Yorkshire Coach. He makes his own purchases, going to England for that purpose, and the past year, 1888, made two importations. At his stables in Janesville, he has some very fine horses of specially high pedigree, and probably no man in the county has done more to advance the grade of stock than he. His office is with Mr. Holt in the city, and he also has a branch stable near the depot in Doe's Addition to Janesville. In connection with the breeding of horses he also makes a specialty of shorthorn cattle. He has lately erected a very large barn in Janesville, where he will keep most of his imported stock. In the cultivation of tobacco he is quite largely engaged.

In this county in the year 1854, Mr. Hopkins was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Adee [photo], a native of the town of Andes, in Delaware Co., N.Y., and a daughter of Joshua and Elizabeth (Peters) Adee, who were also born in that state. Her father was a farmer by occupation and resided in New York until his death, which occurred in 1841. His wife departed this life in 1851. The household circle of our subject and his wife was completed by the birth of three children - John R., who is married and is now engaged in farming in Sanborn County, Dakota; Amanda E., now Mrs. Stevens, of Center; and Sampson J., who makes his home in Janesville. He is connected with his father in stock business and is an energetic and enterprising man. In politics, Mr. Hopkins is a Republican and served his township as Side Supervisor. He bore a prominent part in the organization of the school districts and has always been in favor of any movement which is for the benefit of the community or is calculated to elevate the tone of society in general.

Andrew J. Jenne has served three years as justice of the peace and one year as highway commissioner. His parents, Samuel and Elizabeth (Squires) Jenne, settled in Monroe county in 1834. He was born in Cayuga county, New York, February 5, 1829. His wife, Eliza, was born in that county, January 1, 1831, and married in Monroe county, Michigan, November 24, 1853. Her daughter, Effie, was born June 12, 1859, resides with parents. Mrs. Jenne is a daughter of Enos and Elizabeth (Wikerson(Kent, who in 1832, removed to Monroe county. Asa S. Jenne, a brother of Andrew J. served one year in the late war; was a member of the 17th Regiment Michigan Volunteer Infantry. He was twice wounded and was imprisoned at Libby. Mr. Jenne resides in Dundee township; is a farmer, address, Dundee, Michigan.

Born in Raisinville township, Monroe county, March 18, 1844. His parents, Joseph and Mary (Ferris) Jones, reside in Jackson county, Michigan. He was married in Summerfield township, Monroe county, December 1, 1868, to Jane Ann Russell, born in Summerfield township, April 23, 1844, daughter of James I. and Hester M. (Curtis) Russell, settlers of Summerfield township in the year 1830. Mr. Jones' children are: Hester May, born August 31, 1869; Estella L., December 24, 1872 Isman R., January 13, 1854. Thomas Otis Russell, a brother of Mrs. Jones, was a soldier of the war of 1861, a member of Heavy Artillery. He died of chronic disease of the bowels, in the year 1861, at New Orleans. Mr. Jones resides in Ida township. He is a physician and surgeon, and attended lectures in Ann Arbor, beginning in 1866, ending in 1867, and taking a course again in 1872. He is preparing to enter the drug business, in connection with his practice. Address, Ida, Monroe county, Michigan.

Removed from New York to Monroe county, in 1843. Berlin township was not then organized. He helped to erect the first school-house and the first Protestant church in the township. He has been a member of the M.E. Church twenty-eight years. His parents, Samuel and Sarah (Peters) Knight, are deceased. He was born in Seneca county, New York, April 5, 1818, and married in Ontario county, New York, August 30, 1843, to Julia A., daughter of Mathias and Anna (Deviss) Snook, deceased. She was born in Essex county, New Jersey, June 30, 1813. Her two children are: Sarah E., born August 25, 1845, and Adelia C., April 8, 1847. Henry Knight, a brother of Ebenezer, and a soldier of the late war, was a member of the 2nd Michigan Cavalry. He enlisted at Lowell, Michigan; served three years and was honorably discharged at the close of the war. Mr. Knight is a farmer of Berlin township. Address, South Rockwood, Michigan.

The Rev. William Mc Auley was born in the North of Ireland about the year 1765. At the usual age he repaired to the University of Glasgow, the institution in which most of the North Irish young men of that day, who intended to enter one of the learned professions, received their education. While a member of the University, Mr. McAuley gained very high distinction. He was regarded by his fellow students and the Professors as a youth of singular promise, and was the special favorite of Prof. Anderson, one of the most eminent scientific men of that time, and the founder of the Andersonian University of Glasgow. Having completed his academic course, he at once began the study of Theology under the well known and venerable John Brown, of Haddington, the Professor of Theology to the Associate Burgher Synod of Scotland, and was one of the last class of students taught by that great and good man.

Mr. McAuley was licensed by the Associate Presbytery of Armagh in 1789, and on this occasion a little scene occurred which showed the sort of stuff of which he was made. I had an account of it years ago, by a venerable parishioner of mine, himself a native of Ireland, and who happened to be present at the meeting and a witness of the affair. The Sermon and Lecture of the young candidate being under discussion, though better, I dare say, than many of the members of Presbytery could have preached, were most unmercifully criticized — according to the usage of Scottish and Irish judicatories of that day. Mr. McAuley endured the infliction as long as he could, but, at length, burning under a sense of the injustice done his productions, he arose, " bearded the lion in his den," demanded to be heard in reply, and then proceeded to give the astonished fathers and brethren a taste of the same sort of excoriation as that to which they had subjected him. The very sublimity of the impertinence, as it must have seemed to them, probably saved him from instant suspension. Certainly he must have been an uncommonly bold young man, who would venture, in that way, to face a Scottish or an Irish Presbytery in those times. In 1790 Mr. McAulay was ordained by the same Presbytery as Minister of the Associate Congregation of Tulliallan, and, during the four years of his residence in this charge, he performed his pastoral duties, in and out of the pulpit, with very great acceptance.

He came to this country in the summer of 1794, was received by the Associate Reformed Presbytery of Washington, (in the Synod of New York,) on the 2d of September of that year, and on the 25th of June he was installed by the same Presbytery in the pastoral charge of the United Congregations of Kortright, Harpersfield and Stamford, in the County of Delaware, N. Y. The new field into which he entered was then one of the " new settlements," on the confines of the unbroken wilderness, if not actually in it, and must have presented the greatest possible contrast to that which he had left, amid the verdant and cultivated hills and valleys of Ireland. To reach Delaware County in that day, whether one started from Albany or Catskill, a long journey through the wilderness was necessary, and when one arrived there, he would find himself in just such a " lodge " as Cowper longed for, " a boundless contiguity of shade."

The history of Mr. McAuley's pastorate in Kortright, though it extended over more than half a century, is soon told. His parish originally embraced two or three townships, but the number of his parishioners was small, and most of them were so poor that it was absurd to think of their supporting a minister. Their Pastor, while watching over their spiritual concerns, was obliged to depend mainly upon his own exertions for the supply of his own temporal necessities. In process of time, Mr. McAuley's family grew to be a very large one ; his salary hardly amounted to $300, and was irregularly paid ; while preaching on the Lord's day, he was compelled to labour as hard as any of his hearers on every other day, and so he toiled, year after year, until he was past middle life, amid difficulties, privations, the pinchings of poverty, and the anxieties incident to a large family, such as few ministers or missionaries experience now-a-days. Ultimately his labours were confined to Kortright, which, while the mother of three or four respectable congregations itself, grew to be one of the largest and most substantial churches in all that region. In 1810 the Stamford branch of his original charge was set off as a distinct parish under the care of the Rev. Robert Forrest. His settlement in this place proved a great comfort and blessing to Mr. McAuley. No two men, in many respects, could differ more than these two Pastors, who, for nearly forty years lived and worked together within some six. or seven miles of each other. They became the most endeared friends, and regularly twice a year they assisted each other at the dispensation of the Lord's Supper. There was no man whom Mr. McAuley loved more warmly than Mr. Forrest, and there was no man for whom Mr. Forrest had a profounder veneration as well as affection than Mr. McAuley. " Mr. Forrest, carried with him to the then wilds of Delaware County, a fine library. He was a lover of books, and having the means to do so, he made constant and valuable additions to his collection. His settlement, therefore, in Stamford was a double boon to Mr. McAuley, for it gave him the companionship of a dear friend and fellow-presbyter, and also the access to books from which his remoteness from town and his poverty had shot him out for years. He had the happiness to see sundry colonies going forth from the mother church peacefully, and with their venerable Pastor's blessing, and to welcome, as his colleague and successor, my esteemed friend, the Rev. Clarke Irving, the present minister of Kortright. But so long as he himself was able to ascend the pulpit, and even when blindness and other infirmities of advanced age made it necessary for others to assist him into it, there was no one whom his people so loved to see there, or to whose voice they listened with greater delight. His death took place on the 24th of March, 1851.

About the year 1810 or '12, an earnest effort was made by the old Associate Reformed Church of Albany, (now the 3d Presbyterian,) to induce Mr. McAuley to become its Pastor. But, as the congregation was, not a very strong one, and as his family had grown to be a large one, his friends thought that the risk involved in removal to a new sphere was too great for him in his circumstances to run, and the plan was consequently abandoned. The first time that I ever saw him was in my childhood. There was a meeting of Synod at Newburgh, and Mr. McAuley was a guest of my father's. I have a dim remembrance of the sermon he preached on the Lord's day afternoon, though the fact might have faded from my memory if I had not so often heard the circumstances attending it repeated by my father and others who were present on the occasion. The leading men of the church had asked the Synod to arrange the services of the Lord's day, expecting, of course, that only the " big guns " would be employed, — to use a cant phrase — knowing as they did that the church would be crowded. The day came, and greatly to the mortification of the Elders and others, they learned that the person chosen for the service was the plain looking and rather humbly attired Mr. McAuley, of Kortright, who had not once opened his mouth in Synod, and from whom, judging by appearances, only a very ordinary sermon was to be expected. However the thing was done and could not be changed ; they only hoped that there might be a thin audience, but in this too they were disappointed, for the church was as full as it could he. Mr. McAuley ascended the pulpit and began the service. The tone of his prayer surprised them a good deal, and they began to think, when it was ended, that they had possibly mistaken the man. He announced his text, I Peter i, 8. " Whom having not seen ye love," &c., and within five minutes he led the vast audience captive at his will. I have, as I said, a dim remembrance of that noble discourse, for I was only a child at the time, but I can never forget the profound stillness of the church, nor the delight with which I listened to his rich Irish voice. I need not mention that ever after, Mr. McAuley was a prime favourite in Newburgh, and that, on his occasional visits, necessity was laid upon him invariably to preach. As a member of Synod, the meetings of which he punctually attended until kept at home by the infirmities of age, he was one of the most modest and retiring of men. It was an exceedingly rare thing for him to take part in a discussion, although he was always in his place and a most attentive listener ; but when he did speak, it was to give in a brief, clear and simple way, his judgment and the grounds on which it rested. But by the fireside of a friend, or in his own house, he was as genial and accessible as a child, and wherever he was a guest, the little ones were sure to find the way to his lap.

His head was one which would have filled a phrenologist with delight, and no one could look upon it without suspecting at least that it was the home of a superior intellect ; and no one could look into his countenance without perceiving the traces of that love of humour for which his countrymen are generally noted. Indeed, I can well believe that in his earlier years, his native humour and wit often overflowed ; but when I first knew him, he was past the meridian of life, and he had been called to drink deeply of the cup of sorrow, and consequently his humour came out in a quiet way. On one occasion when the Synod was to meet at Kortright, a large coach load of the brethren reached the parsonage about 8 p. M. We were of course warmly weleomed, but when some one was expressing his fears that there might not be beds enough for so large a company, Mr. McAuley with a humorous twiukb of his eye, replied that in any case we would not be so badly off as he was the first night he spent in Kortright, when, said he, " we had to sleep fourteen in a bed," i. e., on the soft side of the floor. He was once called to marry the nephew of one of his neighbours, a worthy Covenanter of the old stamp, who was disposed to measure the value of religious services by their length. Mr. McAuley, as his habit was, made the marriage service quite short, and when, at the close, he pronounced the young couple husband and wife, — " Humph," said the uncle, — " they are nae mair married than they were before." Mr. McAuley overheard the remark, though it was not intended to reach his ear, but he did not notice it in any way. Some time afterward the uncle resolved to take to himself a wife, and as no minister of his own church could be got, he was forced, much against his will, to apply to Mr. McAuley, who cheerfully consented to " tie the knot " for him. When the evening for the marriage arrived and the parties had presented themselves, Mr. McAuley addressed the bridegroom (after a single word to the bride) in a discourse regarding his duties and responsibilities of such length that the poor man, fairly wearied out, was forced to take a seat, leaving the lady standing alone. Mr. M. thereupon closed the service, and, after the customary congratulations, he, with a significant smile, asked the worthy Covenanter, — " Do you think that you are married?" But I must bring these reminiscences to a close. My letter is perhaps longer than it should be, and yet I feel that it will give your readers who never knew him, a very imperfect idea of the venerable man whom I have attempted to portray. That he was not an ordinary man all I think will admit, who consider the angle fact that his " natural force " as a Preacher was considered as " unabated " by the grandchildren and the great grandchildren of those who seventy years ago or more settled in a wilderness, which, through their instrumentality, has been made to blossom as the rose. You can easily understand how a man of the most brilliant natural genius, if compelled to toil in the fields during the entire week, and to elaborate his discourses while following the plough, and to do this for ten years, would come to feel a positive distaste for the pen. It seemed to have been so with Mr. McAuley. His fellow-presbyters who knew his powers often tried to get some product of his pen that might be preserved. With this view he was appointed by the Synod to prepare a Testimony on an important doctrinal point, about the year 1833 ; but the habits of a life-time were too strong, and the document was unwritten. So that only the memory of his sermons, his piety, his pastoral work, remains. Stat nominis umbra. And yet I am persuaded that, in the central portion of Delaware County, there are thousands, who, though they never saw him, yet from what their fathers have told them, will cherish with affectionate veneration the name, William McAuley. I am affectionately yours, John Forsyte.

Duncan Mc Donald was elected sheriff of Delaware county in 1852. He was a son of John Mc Donald, one of the early settlers of the town. Mr. Mc Donald was a man of great firmness and determination, which made him very popular as an officer. John Mc Donald, another son of the pioneer, represented the second Assembly district of Delaware county in the Assembly. He held many public positions beside. He was one of the most popular officers of his day.

Son of William and Annie (Gillespie) Mc Lachlin, both deceased, was born in the town of Ayre, Ayreshie, Scotland, June 26, 1814. He was a member of the Legislature in 1875; served two years as supervisor, and is at present justice of the peace, he resides in Summerfield township; removed to Monroe county in November, 1847. He married Mary Jane Carpenter, born at Whitehall, Washington county, Februrary 6, 1817, died at Deerfield, March 13, 1859. Her children are: Augustin L. born January 1, 1837 at Whitehall, died June 13, 1878; Marion born July 3, 1839 at West Troy; William D., born March 2, 1841, at West Troy; Nathan C., born February 6, 1843, at Whitehall, New York; Henry Clay, born November 8, 1844, at Whitehall; George E., born August 7, 1855, in Summerfield township. Augustin L., William D. and Nathan C. were soldiers of the late war. Augustin L. was a member of the 6th Michigan Artillery; William D., of the 8th Michigan Cavalry; Nathan C., of the 11th Michigan Volunteer Infantry. The latter served three years and four months. Mr. McLachlin married his second wife, Lucy, January 11, 1865, in Milan, Monroe county, Michigan, the ceremony being perfomed by Rev. W.S. Taylor. She is a daughter of George and Hannah (Nelson) Taylor, settlers of Monroe county in 1844, and was born in Tecumseh, Lenawee county, Michigan, March 22, 1830. Mr. McLachlin is a lumber merchant and railroad contractor. Address, Petersburg, Monroe county, Michigan.

Born in Whitehall, Washington county, New York, November 8, 1844, and removed with his parents, Dyckes and Mary J. (Carpenter) Mc Lachlin, to Monroe county in 1850. He held the office of township clerk in the years 1872, 1873, and 1874; was president of Petersburg village in the years 1876, 1877, and 1880. He married Harriet A. Alshouse September 25, 1867, at Petersburg. They have two children: Ada C., born January 16, 1871, and Mary E., born July 16, 1877. Mrs. Mc Lachlin is a daughter of Daniel and Charity M. (Tinker) Alshouse, settlers of Monroe county in 1861. Henry's brothers, Augustin, William D., and Nathan C., served in the late war, Augustin was sergeant in the 6th Michigan Heavy Artillery; William D. was lieutenant in Company H, 11th Michigan Volunteer Infantry; Nathan C. was a private in Company K., 11th Michigan Volunteer Infantry. Mrs. Mc Lachlin was born at Defiance, Defiance county, Ohio, October 18, 1850. Henry C. resides in Summerfield township, and is a dealer in dry goods. Address, Petersburg.

Among the successful orange growers in the vicinity of Lindsay, Tulare County is Edmund McLees, a native of Ontario, his birth having occurred in Norwich, October 27, 1845. His father, James McLees, was a native of Dutchess County, N. Y., from whence the grandfather, Peter, removed to the vicinity of Norwich in 1811. He became a farmer and made that location his home until his death. James McLees followed farming on the old home place located by his father three miles from Norwich, the barn which was built in 1811 still standing and in good condition. In 1894 Mr. McLees retired from active life and in December of that year he came to California and made his home with his son, Edmund, until his death, which occurred August 24, 1904, at the age of ninety-four years six months and five days. Although so advanced in years, he yet remained hale and hearty up to the very last, retaining his faculties in a remarkable manner. For over sixty years he was a constant member of the Baptist Church. He was prominent in the affairs of his adopted country, during the Canadian rebellion in 1837 being a strong Mackenzie man and for his principles suffering imprisonment for a time. His wife, formerly Rachel Dennis, was also a native of Dutchess county, N. Y., and a daughter of John Dennis, who settled in Norwich as a pioneer farmer. Mrs. McLees died in Ontario at the age of seventy-three years, leaving a family of two sons and two daughters, of whom one daughter is now deceased.

On the old homestead in Ontario Edmund McLees was reared to young manhood, attending the common schools for a time. At an early age he became an active worker on his father's farm, where he remained until 1868, when he came to California via New York City and the Isthmus of Panama. Immediately after his arrival in San Francisco, May 28, 1868, he went at once to Solano County, where he found employment on a ranch near Vallejo. Later he was located in Napa County, and then purchased a farm near Milpitas, Santa Clara County, where he raised fruit and vegetables for three years. In March, 1898, he removed to Lindsay and bought an orange orchard of sixteen acres, all Washington navels, about ten or eleven years old, since which time he has continued in orange growing. In 1904 he put up a new residence in Lindsay and has made improvements in various ways on his property.

In Norwich, Ontario, May 21, 1873, Mr. McLees was united in marriage with Juliette Cornwell, who was born near that city. Her father, Martin Cornwell, was born in Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, N. Y., a son of Samuel, who came from England to New York and in 18 19 settled in Norwich, Ontario, as a pioneer. Fraternally he was a Mason and was also a prominent man in all local affairs. Martin Cornwell became a farmer in Ontario, where his death occurred at the age of seventy-six years and six months. He married Phoebe Young, who was born in New York, a daughter of William Young, the representative of Scotch-Irish ancestry, and an early settler of Norwich. He was an Orangeman politically and fraternally affiliated with the Masons. Mr. McLees was made a Mason and is still a member of Naval Lodge No. 87, of Vallejo, of which he is past master; is a member of Naval Chapter, R. A. M., of the same city, and now belongs to Visalia Commandery, K. T., and also Islam Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S. He is also identified with the Odd Fellows, and both himself and wife are demitted from the Order of the Eastern Star, of which he is a past officer. Mrs. McLees is a member of the Baptist Church. Politically Mr. McLees adheres to the principles advocated in the platform of the Republican Party.

See also: Photo of Margaret L. Noxon, niece of Thomas - age one (1872)

Rev. John T. Metcalf, merchant at Roscoe, was born in Fauquier County, Virginia, March 15, 1827. His father, Lewis Metcalf, a native of Virginia, having been a son of Asa Metcalf, who was originally of Scotland. Susan St. Clair, the mother of John T., was also a Virginian by birth.

The subject of this sketch was the oldest of five children. When he was sixteen years of age he accompanied the family to Howard County, Missouri, where he resided till 1850, then going to California, where he was engaged in mining and merchandising till 1853. In 1854 he located in St. Clair County, Missouri, and commenced farming. He now has a fine farm of 320 acres of land in section 30, and for the past five years he has been a prominent merchant of Roscoe. In 1856 he was elected assessor of the county, serving one term. In 1874 he was elected representative of the county and served in the legislature one term.

July 19, 1834, Mr. Metcalf was united in marriage with Miss Susan C. Marshall, a native of Virginia. They have six children: Lewis H., Martha A., Mary S., William T., Laura and Luther. Mr. M. is a member of the Masonic order. He has been connected with the Baptist Church for over thirty years, and has been a minister of that faith since his ordination in January, 1860.

A Union soldier, seved three years in Company K., 18th Regiment Michgan Volunteer Infantry. He took part in serveral battles, and was detailed by General Charles C. Doolittle to select musicians for a band, which was afterwards detailed to General R. S. Granger's headquarters, where he served the last year and a half until the close of the war. On the 29th of December, 1863, his fleet entered Decatur, Alabama, without provisions. His food from that time until January 6, 1864, consisted of corn which he gathered from the mud where the Rebels had fed their horses, which corn he parched on an old rough tin. He was born in Wayne county, Ohio, August 25, 1824 and removed to Monroe county in 1847. He is a resident of Summerfield township, and was married November 8, 1846, in Bedford township; is a son of Michael and Nancy (Naftzgear) Miller, settlers of Monroe county in 1857, the latter of whom died September 15, 1844. His wife, Harriet E. born in Fremont, Ohio, December 22, 1825, is a daughter of James Kirke, who settled in Monroe county in 1857, died May 6, 1877, and Melinda (Davis) Kirke, who died September 1850. Her children are: Marie E., an adopted daughter born November 6, 1849; Nancy Melinda, September 6, 1851, died January 7, 1854; Elli Feartima, February 22, 1853, died May 30, 1858; Ida Florence, July 27, 1858, died April 26, 1859. Mr. Millers business is farming and smithing. Address, Petersburg.

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