Westfield

HENRY M. BABCOCK was born in Westfield, in 1824, and has retired from active business. In 1848 he married Miss Frances H. Stockton. She died in 1868. In 1874 he married Fidelia Chambers, of Westfield, by whom he has had three children, one of whom is now living.

MRS. BETSEY BLACKMER was born in Michigan. In 1846 she married John Holmdren, of Pennsylvania, by whom she has two children living, and who died in 1855. In 1861 she married Ephraim Blackmer, also of Pennsylvania, but formerly of Whitehall, N. Y. They have one child living. They located on their farm in 1865. Mr. Blackmer died there in 1873.

ELAM C. BLISS was born in Chenango county, November 13^th, 1802. In 1826 he married Maria Harmer, of Westfield. His present wife was Maria Caner, of Warsaw, N. Y., whom he married in 1858. He has one child living and lost two in the late war. He came to the town in 1819 and articled land east of the village. He has lived on his present farm since 1832. He has been postmaster and assessor nine years each. At the State fair held at Buffalo in 1858, he received a premium for having the second best cultivated farm in the State. He is a breeder of fine stock and his cattle have often taken the first premium.

AMOS BOWEN was born in Athal, N. Y., September 18^th, 1828, and came to Westfield in 1840. February 16^th, 1848, he married Rebecca J. Van Vlack, who came from Athal, N. Y., in 1835. They have had three children. One daughter only survives. She married Delos Hiller in 1875. Mr. Bowen is master of Silver lodge, No. 757, F. & A. M., which was instituted July 8^th, 1875. He and his wife have been members of the Methodist church since 1858, and he has been steward and class leader. He is a mechanic and has been foreman in the Excelsior Bran Duster shop for fourteen years.

ALEXANDER C. COCHRAN was born in Ripley, in 1822. He began farming for himself, on shares, in 1852. In 1853 he rented a farm. In 1856 he bought his present farm and moved on it in 1859. In 1860 he married Ellen Howard, of Ripley, who died in 1864. In 1866, he married Rachel Cochran, of Ripley. He was once a member of a militia company. His parents were Robert and Mary Jane Cochran.

JOHN A. COCHRANE is a son of Hugh and Jane Cochrane and was born in 1826. In 1862 he married Parmelia Goodrich, of Westfield. They have one child. His father and mother were natives of Ireland and came to America in 1815. At the age of twenty-one John began to work his father's farm on shares. At the death of the latter it was willed to John and his brother William. Subsequently John bought William's interest.

WILLIAM N. COCHRANE is a son of Hugh Cochrane. He was born in 1829, in Ripley. In 1855 he married Nancy Johnson, of Westfield. They have three children. At the age of twenty-one he began to work his father's farm on shares. Two years later he bought it and lived on it until in 1875, when he removed to Westfield village. He was assessor in Ripley. He and his wife are Presbyterians.

WILLIAM W. COCHRANE, son of Robert and Jane Cochrane, was born in Westfield, on the farm where he now lives, June 29^th, 1830. He has spent three years in Wisconsin. In 1866 he bought the farm of his father. It contained 178 acres. He has since added 125 acres.

MRS. ABBY COUCH, daughter of Arnold Russell, was born in Madison, N. Y., in 1801. She came with her parents to Fredonia, in 1811. In 1820 she married William Couch, of Fredonia, who died in 1831, aged thirty-eight. Her father was born in New Haven, Conn., in 1777, was fife major during the war of 1812, and died in 1859. Her mother, Hannah Stanley, was born in Ashford, Conn., in 1780 and died in 1850.

MRS. THYRZA CRUMP, daughter of Chauncey Stanley, was born in Westfield, and was married in 1860. Her father was born in Leicester, Vt., August 20^th, 1806, and died in Buffalo in 1846. Isaac Sweet, her grandfather settled in Westfield in 1808, coming from Massachusetts. He died in 1845.

ANDERSON M. CULVER is a son of Joseph and Lucinda Culver, and was born in Worthington, Mass., February 18^th, 1825. His parents located in Westfield in 1826. At the age of eighteen he purchased his time of his father for $300. He was a mason and worked at his trade for some time and has also been engaged in buying horses and cattle. He moved to Westfield village in 1853. He has been constable twenty-six consecutive years and is serving his sixth term as street commissioner. June 24^th, 1846, he married Zerniah Dixon, of Westfield. They have two children.

ALFORD CURTIS, farmer, was born in Wellington, Conn., June 7^th, 1809. His parents were William and Mary Curtis. In December, 1831, he married Eunice Rider of his native place. They have had six children, only one of whom is living. He has lived at Barcelona since 1836, and for a time was in government employ, improving the harbor. He began farming on the Tupper farm, which he rented. In 1855 he bought a portion of it. He died December 2^nd, 1878. Mrs. Curtis is a member of the Westfield Baptist church.

MRS. CLARA U. DRAKE is a daughter of Isaac and Lucy Utley, and is postmistress of Westfield. She married Rev. J. Clinton Drake in 1852. He was born in Herkimer county in 1824, and graduated from the Theological University of Rochester, in 1852, and was ordained a minister of the Baptist church. In 1858 he was called to the Baptist church of Westfield. In 1861 he enlisted as captain of Company G, 49^th New York State volunteers. In 1862 he was promoted to colonel of the 112^th regiment. In 1863 he was placed in command of a brigade. June 1^st, 1864, he was killed at the battle of Cold Harbor.

DANIEL M. FARRINGTON, farmer, was born in Fishkill, Dutchess county, November 20^th, 1795. In the fall of 1831 he came to Westfield, and has been a successful farmer there since. In 1823 he married Maria Ernigh, of Dutchess county. His present wife was Jane E. Hulbert, whom he married in 1859.

CLEVELAND FITCH, saw-mill proprietor, was born in Oswego county, June 29^th, 1831. In 1848 he located in Westfield and built a saw-mill in the village, where he has since done business. In 1854 he married Roxie Stanton, of Westfield, by whom he has four children.

JOHN S. FOSDICK, son of Solomon and Anna Fosdick, was born in Rensselaerville, N. Y., March 3^rd, 1817. He removed to Erie county in 1820, and from 1843 to 1869 was a teacher in the public schools of Buffalo, excepting during two years, when he was superintendent of the schools. In 1869 he came to Westfield and was principal of the Westfield school until 1878. Since then he has been farming. In 1841 he married Eunice Anderson, of Brimfield, Mass., and in 1845 Maria Blair, of Buffalo. He has one child by his first marriage and two by the second.

DANIEL, son of George and Amos Fuller, was born in North East, Pa., March 7^th, 1828. While a child he accompanied his parents to Ripley. In the spring of 1850 he removed to Westfield. In August, 1850, he married Mary Ann Simden, of Ripley. They have five children.

JOSEPH C. GIFFORD, M. D. S., was born in Ellery, September 26^th, 1826. January 19^th, 1848, he married Rachel R. Messenger, of Freehold, Pa. In 1852 he came to Westfield village. In 1856 he began to practice dentistry, and was awarded a diploma as master of dental surgery by the Dental Society of the State of New York, in June, 1870.

SYLVANUS B. GRIFFITH, son of John and Betsy Griffith, was born in Rutland county, Vt., in 1828. He removed with his parents to Collins, Erie county, in 1836. In 1855 he went to McHenry county, Ill., where he lived three years. He returned to Erie county, and in 1871 removed to Leon, Cattaraugus county. In 1876 he removed to Westfield, where he is a farmer. In 1848 he married Elmira M. Cook, of Collins, Erie county. They have six children.

J. M. HARVEY was born in Upper Canada, in 1820. He learned the machinist's trade. In 1843 he went to Auburn, N. Y., where he worked as a millwright, and in 1844 married Maria L. Screvner. In 1855 he went to Michigan. In 1856 he came to Westfield, and is engaged in the manufacture of agricultural implements.

CHRISTOPHER HILL is a son of Eleazer and Betsy Hill. He was born July 10^th, 1813, and married Parthenia Forsyth, of Ripley, January 11^th, 1843. They had one son, who died January 14^th, 1872, aged twenty-six. Mr. Hill came to Westfield from Ripley with his parents in 1817. He is a carpenter and joiner. He helped to construct the Lake Shore Railroad from Erie to Silver Creek, and helped to build most of the railroad buildings at Dunkirk.

GEORGE W., son of Elijah and Mary E. Holt, was born in Buffalo, November 25^th, 1818. In 1863 he married Amelia Harrington, of Westfield. They have two children. Mr. Holt is engaged in the transportation business.

JOHN L. HUTCHINS, son of Benjamin and Elizabeth Hutchins, was born in Portland, November 17^th, 1809, and is a blacksmith. In 1838 he married Jane Ludlow, of Ripley. They have five children. His father was born in Vermont, and after living in Otsego county removed to Portland in 1805. At the age of fourteen John L. began to learn his trade. His shop is on St. Paul street, Westfield.

HON. CHARLES P. INGERSOLL, son of Peter and Lois Ingersoll, was born in Ellington, March 7^th, 1841. In 1876 he came to Westfield village, and is a dry goods merchant. He was elected member of the Assembly from the 1^st district of Chautauqua county in 1878 and re-elected in 1879.

JAMES C. JONES was born in Westfield, August 23^rd, 1842, and is a son of Alanson and Mahala Jones. January 17^th, 1871, he married Elizabeth Hassey, of Westfield. They have one child, Nellie, born August 8^th, 1873. Mrs. Jones died April 10^th, 1875. Mr. Jones holds the office of assessor.

ERASTUS LEFFENGWELL is a son of Erastus and Sybil Leffengwell, and was born in Westfield in 1832. In 1861 he married Frances Scott, of Westfield. He has two children. He has always been a farmer. In 1875 he bought the Vorse farm in the west part of the village the one taken up by James McMahan in 1802.

JEDIAH LOOMIS was born in North East. Pa., May 1^st, 1806. In 1815, when his father bought a farm in Westfield, he began a farmers life in which he has since continued. In 1841 he married Margaret Corcheron, of Ripley. They have four children, are grown up and married. Mr. and Mrs. Loomis are members of the Presbyterian church of Westfield.

JAMES MCCLURG, son of Joseph McClurg, was born in Ireland in 1785. About 1798 he came to America and located in Philadelphia. He afterwards lived with his parents in Pittsburgh, Pa., where his father was engaged in iron manufacture, and about 1801 he came to Chautauqua county and took up a large tract of land, part of which is covered by the present village, which he laid out and platted. In 1821 he built the first brick house in the town, still standing near the centre of the village. He married Miss Eason about 1801 and had four children, only one of whom, now Mrs. Edward Joseph Moore, is living. Mr. and Mrs. Moore were married in 1851 and have a son living. Mr. McClurg died in 1872.

S. G. MCEWIN, printer, was born in 1819 and is a son of George and Betsy McEwin. His native place was Hinesburg, Vt. October 2^nd, 1842, he married Janet A. Higgins of Orwell, Vt. By that marriage they have two sons now living. In 1850 they located in Clymer, where Mr. McEwin was justice of the peace four years. In 1864 they removed to Westfield, where he has served four years as assessor.

HARVEY MEEDER is a son of Daniel Meeder, and was born in Vermont, in 1813. About 1830 his parents removed to Fredonia. In 1836 they came to Westfield. In 1836 Harvey bought a farm. In 1844 he built a saw-mill on his farm, now known as the Bailey mill. In 1852 he sold the property and bought another farm. In 1878 he retired from business and removed to the village. In 1843 he married Sarah Ellwood. By that marriage there are four children living. Mrs. Meeder died November 20^th, 1864. In 1873 Mr. Meeder married Elizabeth Ellwood of Chenango county. Mr. and Mrs. Meeder are members of the Methodist church.

SAMUEL NIXON was born in County Down, Ireland, in 1827; came to America in 1845, locating in Westfield in December, 1847, engaged in the marble business, with a partner, under the firm name of Smith & Nixon; in 1850 he succeeded to the entire business; in 1855 he married Maria E. Johnson, by whom he had two sons; he died November 23^rd, 1876.

PEREZ B. NOBLE was born in Royalton, Vt., March 17^th, 1793. In 1819 he removed to Warren, Pa., and engaged in farming and lumbering. In 1834 he located on the Sexton farm, in Westfield, and in 1859 he bought the farm on which he lives. Enlisting in Vermont, he saw service in the war of 1812. In 1829 he married Abigail Williams, of Warren county, Pa. They have had ten children, five of whom are living.

FREDERICK W. PAUSINSKI is a son of Clement and Dorothy Pausinski, and was born in Durkheim, Germany, October 29^th, 1835. In 1856 he came to America, and having learned the trade of jeweler, he secured a situation with a jeweler in New York city. In 1859 he came to Westfield, where he remained until 1866. He worked at his trade in Indiana three years, and in 1869 came back to Westfield, where in 1873 he opened a saloon and jeweler's shop. In 1862 he married Lydia Chambers, of Westfield.

STEPHEN, son of Hiram and Rosena Parker, was born in Westfield in 1847, on the farm where he lives. His father settled in the town about 1649 (sic), coming from Ohio. Stephen bought the homestead in 1874. In 1877 he married Fanny Hall, of Sherman. They have one child.

THOMAS A. PEACOCK is a son of Thomas and Alice Peacock. He was born in Barcelona, September 20^th, 1848, and is a well known and successful farmer.

EDWARD PECK was born at Mansfield, Montgomery county, in 1804. His parents were Gideon and Phebe Peck, and he is a farmer. He came to Westfield in 1826 and bought a farm of 60 acres, which by subsequent additions now comprises 186 acres. His first wife was Mary Ann Richmond, of Westfield. His present wife was Cornelia Marrot, of Westfield, by whom he has six children.

IRA PECK was born in Newtown, Conn., in 1790, and is a farmer. In 1817 he came to Westfield and took up 320 acres. He was accompanied by his wife and two children. They came with a two horse team and were three weeks making the journey. In 1833 he built the brick house where his son lives. He died November 13^th, 1852; his wife March 7^th, 1864. Franklin Peck, their son, was born on the family homestead, in Westfield, June 23^rd, 1827, and has always lived there. In 1853 he married Hannah S. Hewett, of Westfield, by whom he has one son and three daughters.

SAMUEL W. PERSONS, son of Orvis and Melva Persons, was born in Westfield, September 12^th, 1846. He has been a farmer and a sewing machine agent. February 9^th, 1872, he married Catharine Bellsborrow, of Prospect, Oneida county.

MARCUS L. PLATO is a farmer. His parents were Walton W. and Nancy Plato and he was born in Mayville in 1832. He lived with an uncle in Sherman from 1837 until 1852. In 1853 he married Julia R. Sterry, of Sherman. They have had three children, Nanna, born in 1856; Fred., in 1864 and Frank in 1865. In 1855 they removed to Westfield.

DE WITT C. PRATT, son of James and Phila Pratt, is a farmer and was born in Westfield February 24^th, 1838, on the farm on which he now lives. December 31^st, 1876, he married Alice Gibbs, of Chautauqua, by whom he has two children. He spent twelve years in the mines of Montana territory, returning to Westfield in 1878. In 1879 he took charge of his father's farm.

STEPHEN PRENDERGAST, son of Stephen and Elmira Prendergast, was born in Ripley in 1826 and died May 3^rd, 1871. While living in Ripley he was a farmer. Retiring from active business he removed to Westfield village in 1864. During that year he married Carolina A. Abbott, of Westfield, by whom he had one daughter, Mary L.

THOMAS M. PRENDERGAST, an old resident of the town, resides a mile and a half east of the village and is engaged in stock farming.

ROBERT REED, son of Robert and Mary Reed, was born in Ireland, February 9^th, 1829. In 1840 he married Mary Rogers, and they have six sons and two daughters. In 1850 he came to America and located in Westfield, where he was a farmer.

DELOS RIDDELL, son of Robert and Olive Riddell, was born in Westfield, August 12^th, 1836. He removed to Pennsylvania in 1851, but returned in 1852. In 1854 he again went to Pennsylvania, where he remained fourteen years. In 1868 he came back to Westfield, where he has since lived. In 1879 he bought the Kidder farm. Two of his sisters live with him.

CALVIN RUMSEY was born February 24^th, 1793, in Hubbardton, Vt., and is a son of David Rumsey. In 1816 he married Polly McWharter, of Warsaw, by whom he has had eight children. In 1814 he removed to Warsaw, N. Y., in 1833 to Buffalo and in 1834 to Westfield, where he engaged in mercantile business, and remained until about 1850. He died in Randolph, Cattaraugus county, in 1854. Two of his children Olive C., widow of Harvey T. Rumsey, and Loretta J., wife of Joseph Plumb and his widow are living in Westfield, the latter aged eighty-two.

J. FRANK SHAW, son of John M. Shaw, was born in Westfield, in 1843, and married Mary Morse in 1878. They have one child. His father came to Westfield from Vermont in 1823. While yet young Mr. Shaw taught part of the time in the Westfield union school. In 1871 he engaged in the furniture business, to which he has added trade in music. Mr. and Mrs. Shaw are members of the Methodist church of Westfield.

HORACE H. SHAW is a son of David and Sophia Shaw, and was born in Cayuga county, in 1820. In 1822 he came with his parents to Westfield. At the age of twenty-one he began working out by the month. In 1848 he worked a farm on shares. In 1849 he engaged in butchering. In 1852 he bought a small farm in the village. He lived in Ohio from 1862 to 1872 when he bought his father's farm, where he has since lived, farming and breeding fine stock. He has been tax collector. In 1849 he married Sophronia Chatsey, of Barcelona, by whom he has three children.

FRANKLIN SHELDON was born in Pollett, Vt., in 1808, and married Eliza Bingham, of Sheridan, in 1839. He removed to Chautauqua county in 1831, locating in Sheldon. In 1840 he removed to Westfield. He has always been a farmer and has held the offices of assessor and road commissioner of Westfield. His wife dying in 1866, he married Anna M. Bingham, of Sheridan, in 1869.

HON. AUSTIN SMITH has represented his district in the Assemb1y two terms, has been surrogate of Chautauqua county and has served as supervisor of the town of Westfield. He was born in Tompkins county March 16^th, 1804. September 17^th, 1828, he married Sarah A. McMahan, of Westfield, by whom he has four children living. He has resided in Westfield where he is a lawyer, since 1830.

DENNIS SMITH, son of Owen and Laura Smith, was born in Owego, N. Y., in 1815, and learned the machinist's trade. In 1836 he built the Brokenstraw foundry and machine shop at Youngville, Pa., and operated it six years. In 1842 he built the iron works at Booneville City, Mo. Returning to Pennsylvania he worked at millwrighting till 1867, when he came to Westfield. In 1879 he built the Glen Mills, of which he is proprietor. In 1835 he married Rebecca Arters, of Youngville, Pa., by whom he has five children. His present wife was Miriam O. Colt, of Westfield.

DAVID G. SPENCER, son of Jabez and Mary Spencer, was born in Cherry Valley, N. Y., in 1811. In 1842 he married Hannah Maria Walton, of Otsego county, by whom he has one son living John W. Spencer, of Oil City, Pa. In October, 1845, he settled in Mina. He subsequently lived at Mayville and in Sheridan, and in 1870 came to Westfield. He has been town clerk in Mina and assessor in Sherman.

LANSON P. STEPHENS was born in Westfield, January 2^nd, 1827, and married Eunice E. Whitshill, of North East, Pa., in 1847. Their children are Elizabeth, Philip L., Francis H. and George W. Philip Stephens, his father, was born in Schoharie county in 1787, and came to Chautauqua county in 1809. He died in 1861. His wife was Elizabeth Hale, who died in 1855. They had thirteen children.

ICHABOD THAYER was born in Milford, Worcester county, Mass., January 16^th, 1805. February 23^rd, 1835, he married Fidelia S. Ladue, of Westfield. They have five children. He removed to Mina with his parents in 1825. Retiring from farming in 1863 he moved to Westfield village, where he has been village trustee and excise commissioner. In Mina he was justice of the peace, road commissioner and assessor.

ROBERT THOMPSON was born in Butler county, Pa., in 1818. In 1834 he married Eliza Donaldson, of Painesville, Ohio, by whom he has two children. In 1836 he moved to Lake county, O., where he was a druggist. He came to Westfield in 1859, and is engaged in fruit farming. His son, Henry D. Thompson, was born in Madison, Ohio, in 1847 and came to Westfield with his father and is engaged in business with him. In 1869 he married Miss O. Smith, of Westfield, who died in 1872. In 1876 he married Libby Wing, of Westfield. They have one child.

JOSEPH TINNEY was born in Mansfield, Conn., August 20^th, 1802, and was a member of the cavalry company that escorted General La Fayette from the Massachusetts State line to Hartford, when he visited America. In 1831 he removed to Jamestown and in the following spring to Westfield. He introduced tin bake-ovens into the county and opened the first tin shop and the first hardware store in Westfield. The latter he sold in 1850.

He was operator on the first telegraph line extending west from Buffalo and on the line from New York through the southern tier of counties, and sent his first message September 11^th, 1850. He was trustee of the village under its first charter and of the Westfield Academy.

WARREN TYRER, son of Luther and Nellie Tyrer, was born in Collins, Erie county, in 1816, and was for some years engaged in lumbering and farming there. In 1863 he went to Wisconsin and worked in the lead mines nine years. In 1872 he came to Westfield where he carries on a lumber and planing-mill business. In 1838 he married Mary Washburn of Erie county, formerly of Massachusetts, by whom he has one child. She died in 1852. In 1858 he married Sarah Bartlet, of Erie county. He had two sons killed in the late war.

AUSTIN L. WELLS was born in Vermont in 1800. September 11^th, 1825, he married Fanny Russell, of Aurora, Erie county. They have one daughter, Mrs. James N. Matthews, of Buffalo. Mr. Wells was a hatter by trade and of a roving disposition. In 1821 he went to Geneva, N. Y., in 1824 to Aurora, N. Y., (where he first engaged in business for himself), in 1826 to Buffalo and in 1828 to Westfield where he, with a partner carried on business under the firm name of Rockwell & Wells. He has been town clerk, justice of the peace and assessor. He was engaged in the insurance business twenty-eight years. Although of a very tender age at the time, Mr. Wells saw service in the war of 1812.

SOLOMON V. R. WELLS was born at Sempronius, Cayuga county, January 29^th, 1815. In 1840 he married Caroline Hills, of Ripley, who bore him two children. He came to Ripley in 1834. In 1840 he went to North East, Pa., and remained till 1846. In 1853 he removed to Westfield; thence to Portland in 1857. In 1864 he returned to Westfield, and has since resided there. He is a general merchant, and proprietor of Hinckley Hall.

MRS. JANE WHIPPLE is the daughter of Alexander and Margaret Jarvis, from County Down, Ireland. They came to America in 1836, and lived in Westfield till 1856, when they went to Wisconsin. Mrs. Whipple married James Whipple, of Westfield, December 9^th, 1841. She has three children; two daughters live in Missouri. Her father died in 1859; her mother in 1869.

MRS. GEORGE WILSON is a daughter of Nathan Smith. She was born in Hanover. In 1870 she married George Wilson, of Westfield, who was born in Westfield in 1838, and admitted to the bar in 1861. He held the office of justice of the peace a number of years, and died February 24^th, 1879. Mrs. Wilson has one son, Newton S.

LAWRENCE, son of Nicholas Wolfe, was born in Germany, November 11^th, 1824, and married Catharine Hiddurg, a native of Holland, in 1851, by whom he has six children. He came to America in 1844, and lived in Buffalo till 1846, when he moved to Westfield and engaged in cooperage. In 1872 he added to his business the manufacture of staves. Mrs. Wolfe came to America in 1847.

The following named residents of Westfield also gave their support to this work: F. B. Brewer, Mrs. M. M. Cowden, Edward J. Moore, George W. Patterson, Margaret Peacock, C. C. Phelps, R. Walker and R. W. Walker.