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FACTORS IN COLUMBIA COUNTY
HISTORY
From
Columbia County at the End of the
Century
Volume II
Published and Edited Under the
Auspices of the Hudson Gazette
The Record Printing and Publishing
Co.
Hudson, New York
M C M (1900)
"Wi-Wr" SURNAMES
These biographies in Part III begin after page 132
of Volume II beginning with page 3.
Abbreviations used: p. o. = post office

Click on the Photo to see the
person.
Page 260:
WILBOR, Frederick M., p. o. Old
Chatham, N. Y., was born in Old Chatham, September 8, 1849. His
father, Edward G. Wilbor, was born in Old Chatham in 1807, and was by
occupation a farmer, but prominent in the public life of the town and
county, serving as State Senator in 1866-67. His wife was Louisa
Phelps, by whom he had these children: Winthrop P., deceased 1860; Eva
(Wilbor Dorr, Lieut. George F., who served through the Civil War and died in
1867; Henry A., who died in 1879; Edward G., Jr., and the subject of this
sketch. Edward G. Wilbor, Sr., died in 1869, survived by his widow
until 1895. Frederick M. Wilbor was educated in the common schools, at
Fort Edward and Champlain Academies, and Eastman's Business College at
Poughkeepsie. He fitted himself as a civil engineer, and was engaged
in building the Lebanon Springs Railroad, the Ridgefield Branch Railroad,
Southern Westchester Railroad, and assisted in laying out the streets in the
northern part of the city of New York. He then went to Peru, S. A.,
and for eight years was engaged in railroad work, public works in Lima, and
silver mining; he was also in Japan on railroad business for a short time.
He was the pioneer engineer for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, Utah
division, and was Deputy United States Mineral Surveyor in Utah and Nevada.
He went thence to Central America on railroad business, and became a part
owner of gold mines at San Sebastian, Salvador, C. A. In 1887 he
returned home. For ten years he was inspector of election; in 1897 was
elected justice of the peace, and in 1898 was appointed postmaster at Old
Chatham. In 1889 he was married to Frances Cressy Gambrill.
Page 261:
WILCOX, Edgar M., p. o. Chatham, N.
Y., was born in Canaan, N. Y., October 17, 1850. His father was
Valentine J. Wilcox, a native of Canaan, born in 1814; he was married to
Susan, daughter of Martin and Mary Vanderburgh, who bore him three children:
Martin V., born in 1842, died in 1863, while serving in the Union army;
Emily A., and Edgar M. He was a farmer by vocation, and later a dealer
in real estate, and for a time managed and owned half of the opera-house in
Chatham village. He served as assessor of Chatham and town clerk in
Canaan a number of years, and died in 1878. Edgar M. Wilcox was
educated in the common schools and at Fort Edward Institute. He has
always been notably prominent in public and business affairs; was part owner
and manager of Cady's Opera House for several years in Chatham
village; has served as deputy sheriff and sheriff's clerk of Columbia
county; was appointed assessor in 1897 of the town of Chatham and elected to
the same office in 1898; has been trustee of the village of Chatham and one
of the directors of the Columbia County Mutual Fire Insurance Company, and a
member of its committee on risks and adjustment of losses, and a director of
the Co-operative Building Bank of New York. He was married October 25, 1899,
to Mary, daughter of Stephen Miller.
Page 262:
WILCOXSON, John, was born in
Kinderhook in 1825, and engaged in the mercantile business for about eight
years, then went to Stuyvesant and engaged in the freight business. In
1853 Mr. Wilcoxson married Anna Pruyn, and their children are Anna H. and
Charles. Mr. Wilcoxson died in 1891 and his wife in 1887. He was
director of the Union Bank and one of Kinderhook's representative business
men.
Page 262:
WILD, Nathan P. was born in Valatie,
N. Y., in 1860. His father, Charles Wild, is a native of Columbia county,
and is the head of the Wild Manufacturing Company, manufacturers of print
cloths; he married Mary Grant, who has borne him these children:
Laura, William H., Nathan P., Mary, Charles, Jr., and Howard G. Nathan
P. Wild is a Mason, holding membership in Lodge No. 362. His wife was
Julia Seeny; they have four children: George W., Marion, Kathryn, and
Julia.
Page 262:
WILDERMUTH, Peter, was born in
Germany, October 8, 1847, and was educated in the schools of his native
place. He learned the blacksmith's trade, which he followed until
1865, when he came to America, coming direct to his brother's in
Mellenville, for whom he worked two years. From there he went to
Linlithgo, then to Glenco Mills, from there to West Taghkanic, and from
there to Churchtown, where he stayed two years. Next he bought a place
in Mellenville, which he kept for two years and then sold it to his brother,
and in 1876 came to Hollowville, where he has since remained. October
22, 1868, Mr. Wildermuth married Catherine Plumb, a native of Germany, who
came to this country at the age of ten and made her home with her aunt in
Glencoe; they had a family of nine children, as follows: Frank, born
June 27, 1870; Libbie, born April 28, 1872; Homer, born January 11, 1874;
William, born October 18, 1876; Lottie, born October 25, 1878; John, born
August 14, 1880, died June 23, 1894; Mary L., born July 6, 1882; George,
born April 18, 1886, and Everett, born July 11, 1891.
Pages 262 & 264:
WILKINSON, Hiram F., ws born in Sand
Lake, N. Y., February 28, 1831, a son of Benjamin and Mary (Miller)
Wilkinson. He received his early education in the public schools and
the academy. His first business career was in a hosiery mill in his
native village, operated by James Aken, where he was employed until 1862,
when he came to Philmont and was engaged by Nelson P. Aken as bookkeeper in
the Aken Mills. After a time, by strict attention to business, he was
made superintendent and still later general manger, which position he held
until the organization of the Aken Knitting Company. On February 1,
1888, he was elected treasurer of the company, and held that position until
his death. On September 5, 1866, Mr. Wilkinson married Fannie M.,
daughter of John and Elizabeth (Riphenburgh) Michael, who bore him three
children: Carrie M., born June 15, 1867; Lizzie May, born January 5,
1874, who died January 21, 1874; and Mattie B., born July 20, 1875.
Carrie M. married Charles L. Spoor, of Coxsackie, and has three children:
John Franklin, born March 9, 1891; Ruth L., born December 19, 1894; and
Marion R., born November 14, 1896.
Pages 375 & 376:
WILLIAM, Edwin Mather, was born in
Canaan, in 1889. His father was Edwin B. Williams, born in 1819, whose
death occurred in 1890, and who married Carrie P. Blinn of Canaan, in 1883,
daughter of Aaron Carter Blinn (whom see). The father of Edwin B. was
Uri Williams, born in 1774 and died in 1865, who came to Canaan from
Torrington, Conn., in 1783, with his father, Jacob Williams, who had been a
soldier in the Revolutionary War, and his mother, Elizabeth Merrill.
Uri married, in 1796, Naomi Mather, a direct descendant of Timothy Mather, a
brother of Rev. Increase Mather, who has been aptly styled "the father of
the New England clergy." It is from this Timothy that all who now bear
the name of Mather trace their lineage through an unbroken line of male
descent from Rev. Richard, the emigrant, who settled in Dorchester in 1635.
Tradition states that the founder of this branch of the Williams family came
originally from Rhode Island, where there was an entailed estate from eldest
son to eldest son, all hope of which he, being the sixth son, relinquished
and thus lost communication with his family. Edwin Mather Williams is
now the only living representative of the line in Canaan, and is also the
last of Uri's descendants who bears the family name. He, with his
mother, occupies the old homestead there, which has been in the possession
of the family for about one hundred years.
Pages 264 & 266:
WILLIAM, M. Parker, of Hudson, N. Y.,
was born in Belfast, Maine, February 24, 1826, and came from sturdy
Revolutionary stock on both the maternal and paternal side. His
father, Captain John Williams, was a prominent ship owner and sea-captain of
his time, largely engaged in the East India and Liverpool trade; he died in
1831, when the subject of this sketch was five years old. His mother,
Sarah Parker, was the oldest daughter of Mighill Parker, Esquire, a
magistrate who performed valuable service to his country during the War of
1812-14, and was prominent in negotiating the peace which followed in 1815,
and granddaughter of Captain John Parker, commander of the "Minute Men" at
the battle of Lexington. His father was a lineal descendant of William
Williams, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Like
most successful journalists in this country, Mr. Williams is a self-made
man. He was thrown upon his own resources when quite young, but, aided
by a strong will, indomitable perseverance, and industrious habits, he
mastered the practical and many of the intricate branches of education.
He early manifested a literary taste, and commenced writing for prominent
periodicals before reaching his eighteenth year, and from this source
received a considerable income, much of which came from "good old Father
Norris" (as he was familiarly called), editor of the Boston Olive Branch,
then one of the leading literary journals of the country, and who took
special interest in encouraging and developing literary ambition in the
young people of that period. In 1848, at the age of twenty-two, Mr.
Williams became editor of The Gazette, at East Thomastown (now the
city of Rockland), Maine; but, aiming for a larger field of labor, he
removed to Boston in 1850 and was connected with The Daily Herald of
that city until 1852, when he was called to Philadelphia on the staff of
The Daily Register, and later to The Daily Times. On the
7th of September, 1857, he purchased the plant of the Hudson (N.Y.)
Gazette, which was a old established paper (dating from 1785), in
decaying condition. He built it up to a paying basis, and on the 26th
of May, 1866, established the Hudson Daily Register. In this
connection he purchased a franchise in the "Associated Press of the State of
New York," which was a bold venture, but with his experience in journalism,
and the facilities at his command, the success of the new journal was
assured at the outset, and the result did not disappoint his sanguine
expectations. For many years he was a member of the executive
committee of the "Associated Press" and regarded as an authority on the news
service in the State. Under his lead rural journalism in this section
greatly improved in every department; and no small degree of the advanced
enterprise and public spirit in the city of Hudson within thirty years may
be attributed to the influence of The Daily Register under his
exclusive management. An active and leading politician for more than
forty years, Mr. Williams never sought or accepted public office, although
often solicited to do so. In 1886 he was tendered the unanimous
nomination for Congress by the Democratic convention of the Sixteenth
district, comprising the counties of Columbia, Dutchess, and Putnam, which
honor he respectfully declined, saying that his business interests would not
permit him to accept the nomination, even if accompanied by a certificate of
election. Under urgent pressure, as a local public duty, he served on
the board of health of the city of Hudson for six years, 1890-1895, under
the administration of four successive mayors. On the 16th of February,
1860, Mr. Williams married Mercy Ann Brigham, at Plymouth, Mass., a
descendant of Pilgrim stock, who at this writing enjoys remarkable activity
at the age of seventy-one. Her society is much sought by bright young
ladies, who delight to call her "Aunty," and are anxious to learn how she
preserves her age and vivacity. Her reply is, "Keep the heart young."
On the 1st of February, 1896, having reached the age of seventy, and after
fifty years of incessant journalistic labor, Mr. Williams concluded the
period had arrived when he was entitled to recreation and rest, and sold his
valuable newspaper properties to "The Record Printing and Publishing
Company." He has since devoted his time to quiet and congenial
literary pursuits.
Page 376:
WILLIAMS, Wesley S., of Copake, was
born in the town of Copake, N. Y., on the farm where he now lives, August
18, 1845, son of Samuel and Louisa (Wolcott) Williams, who were the parents
of four children, as follows: David S., Ward, Wesley S., and Orilla,
wife of Langdon Curtis. Samuel Williams was a son of David and Sophia
Williams; his grandfather settled on the homestead in the northeastern part
of the town, and it has remained in possession of the family ever since,
nearly two centuries, and is the birthplace of four generations.
Wesley S. Williams lost his father by death when he was three years old; he
attended the common schools, and remained with his mother until her death in
1888. In 1885 he became the owner of the homestead of 165 acres and
follows general farming. In 1868 he was married to Emma E., daughter
of William and Clara Curtis; they have four children, namely: Raymond
J., S. Jordan, D. Edward, and Emil E. He is a member of the Episcopal
church, and is active in school and church work.
Page 267:
WILLIAMSON, James, p. o. Stuyvesant,
N. Y., was born in Scotland, October 17, 1835, son of James and Margaret
(Burnet) Williamson, who arrived in this country on June 6, 1847, and
settled on Staten Island, N. Y. They later removed to New York city,
where they lived two years, and then removed to Rockland county, N. Y.,
where the father purchased land. James (the subject of this notice)
received his education in Scotland before coming to the United States.
He resided with his parents until he was about nineteen years of age, when
his mother died, and he started out in life for himself. His first
employment was as a laborer for the Ulster Ice Company. In 1850 he was
in the employ of John Camp, and later was for a time engaged as a ship
carpenter at Rockland. In 1857 he began the ice business on his own
account, running two wagons in New York city, which he continued until 1900,
when he sold his business and equipment to the American Ice Company, and now
confines his attention solely to the wholesale trade. In 1857 he
became a member of the New York volunteer fire department and served until
1865. In 1860 he was married to Bridget, daughter of Patrick and Mary
O'Neil. In 1880 he removed his family to Stuyvesant, where he has
since resided, a respected and trusted citizen, a thorough business man and
a valuable addition to the town's population.
Page 372:
WILSEY, Zachariah, of Copake, was
born in the town of Ancram, N. Y., September 9, 1822, son of George L. and
Maria (Kisselbrack) Wilsey, who had eleven children, as follows:
George, Zachariah, Elsie, Maria, Lydia, Jacob, David, Eli, Levi, Peter and
Catherine. George L. Wilsey was a son of Conrad, who was a native of
Holland. When Zachariah was four years old his parents removed from
Ancram to the town of Livingston, where he was educated in the district
schools. He was associated with his father until he was twenty-four
years of age, when he went to Rensselaer county and was engaged in farming
for two years. He then returned to Ancram, where he lived three years,
and then for eleven years was associated with his father-in-law in
Taghkanic, at the end of which time he bought the farm of 182 acres he now
owns and operates. He is a member of West Copake Reformed church.
When about twenty-four he was married to Maria Wilkinson, who died in 1848,
leaving on son, George. In 1852 he was married to Erviett Sheltus, and
they have nine children: Frank, Ada, Henry, Arthur, Peter, Annie,
Herbert, Sarah and Ward.
Page 267:
WILSON, Jesse, was born in Greenport,
N. Y., November 1, 1847. He is the son of Henry Wilson, a native of
Albany, who settled in Hudson in 1833, and was one of the early
hotel-keepers in that city, conducting the famous old Wilson House. He
afterward purchased 1,000 acres of land on Mount Merino and devoted his
remaining days to agriculture. He was married to a daughter of
Abram and Catherine Livingston Morse. His ancestor, John Morse,
settled in Claverack in 1760, and was one of the founders of the Episcopal
Church in Albany. Jesse Wilson was educated in Hudson and was
graduated from St. Stephen's College in 1876. He was three years an
attendant of St. Francis Capuchin Monastery School in Berlin, Germany, and,
after spending five years in travel, returned home in 1884, and has since
been engaged in farming.
Pages 267 & 268:
WILSON, John, p. o. Valatie, N. Y,
was born in Ireland, December 11, 1848, son of John and Ann (Austin) Wilson.
John Wilson, Sr., came to Valatie in 1861, where he and his wife both lived
until their deaths. John Wilson, the son, after obtaining his
education in the district schools entered the baking business, which he has
since followed. He is a member of the Masonic and Odd Fellows orders,
and has served three terms as village trustee. His wife was
Isabella McDowell, who has borne him one son, Charles J., who is in business
with his father.
Pages 268 & 269:
WILSON, Thomas, M. D., of Hudson, was
born in Ireland, on the 22d of September, 1842. At the age of fourteen
he came to the United States and continued the studies he had begun in
Ireland in the schools of Dutchess county. In 1860 he went to
Charlotte, N. C., where he was engaged in the drug business until 1864, when
he was conscripted into the Confederate Army. Being utterly opposed to
serving the Confederate government under these circumstances, he effected
his escape by concealing himself in a box shipped on a blockade runner and
landed at Nassau, N. P. Securing a passage he finally arrived in New
York after undergoing the sufferings of shipwreck. In 1871 he
matriculated at the Albany Medical College, from which he was graduated in
1874, and immediately began practice in Albany, where he remained two years,
thence removing to Claverack. Here for twenty-four years he
successfully pursued the practice of his profession, winning friends and the
confidence of the people, not only as a physician, but as a citizen of true
worth and usefulness. About December 1, 1899, he removed to Hudson,
where he began as a specialist in the treatment of throat and lung diseases,
in which branch of his profession he has achieved a more than local
reputation. Apart from a busy life in his profession, Dr. Wilson has
been a factor for good in various ways. For twelve years he was
president of the board of trustees of Claverack College and Hudson River
Institute at Claverack, founded and organized the Claverack Free Library and
Reading-room with 2,000 volumes, and in every undertaking for the welfare of
the village or improvement of its people he was an active participant.
He is a member of the American Medical Association, the Columbia County
Medical Society, and the New York State Medical Association. He was
appointed manager of the Hudson House of Refuge for Women in Hudson in June,
1899, and at present is also serving as treasurer of the institution.
In 1876 Dr. Wilson was married to Laura E., daughter of Michael Cummings of
Staatsburg, N. Y. The fruits of this union are son son, Edwin B.,
Wilson, a member of the class of 1901 at Yale, and one daughter Annah L.
Wilson. The term "self-made-man" is used so indiscriminately, and more
often than otherwise inappropriately, that to employ it in connection with
the career of Dr. Wilson smacks a little of the common-place, but no other
term can so comprehensively describe him. Coming to these shores when
but a boy, he has made his way without unearned assistance to the high plane
of social distinction and professional eminence he now occupies. Would
that we had more men, whose record, like his, might offer to the young men
of the day an inspiring example of what may be accomplished from modest
beginnings and by sheer force of character.
Page 269:
WISE, Andrew, of Greenport, son of
Joseph and Martha Wise, was born in Hudson, N. Y., June 8, 1857.
Joseph Wise was a native of Alsace-Lorraine, and came to Hudson about 1835;
he was the first manufacturer of baskets in Columbia county; he died in
1869. Andrew Wise was educated in the public schools, and, after his
schooling, for ten years was employed by George H. Macy. In 1900 he
erected the block that bears his name; he has served as assistant chief
engineer of the fire department, and is a member of the A. O. U. W. In
1883 he was married to Emma Gross; they have one son, Frank W. Wise.
Pages 269 & 270:
WOLVEN, Joseph C., was born in
Saugerties, Ulster county, N. Y., June 15, 1860, a son of Egbert A. and
Elizabeth A. (Teetsel) Wolven. He received his early education in the
district school and at the age of thirteen went to work in the store of J.
K. Merritt, where he worked for about a year and a half, working for the
small pittance of $1 a week and boarded himself out of that; he next was
employed by C. P. Shults at a salary of $2. a week. After a little he
returned home and attended school for a winter, then engaged with William R.
Hill, traveling on the road with garden produce, and after that spent three
years on a farm. In 1882 Mr. Wolven came to Mellenville and worked in
the mills three years, then was employed in the Vanderbilt House as a clerk.
On December 26, 1886, he engaged in business for himself in Mellenville,
starting in in the building now occupied by the post-office. He
remained in that location until 1892, when he bought the place he now
occupies. Mr. Wolven devotes a great deal of his time to the raising
of fancy fowls and has some of the best in the State, and at the county
fairs has carried off many of the best prizes. He is a member of
Cascade Lodge of Philmont, K. of. P. On March 6, 1894, Mr. Wolven
married Della Hagadon, of Mellenville, daughter of Peter and Amelia
(Poucher) Hagadon; they have one daughter, Lola E., born June 29, 1895.
Page 270:
WOOD, Cornelius J., p. o. Chatham, N.
Y., was born in the town of Hyde Park, Dutchess county, September 21, 1850.
Warren Wood, his father, was a native of Dutchess county, and a farmer; his
wife was Joanna Jones, of Columbia county, and their children are William,
Walter R., and Cornelius J. Mrs. Warren Wood died in 1895.
Cornelius J. Wood, after his school days, worked on a farm. In 1874 he
came to Chatham, where he was a salesman for a pork-dealing establishment.
Later he sold tobacco for a New York house, and also traveled for an Albany
firm. In 1881 he entered the employ of a New York wholesale grocery
house, Lewis De Groff & Son, and has remained in their service since.
He has been a trustee of Chatham village for two years. On March 1,
1886, he was married to Luella Dumond, daughter of John Dumond, of
Germantown. Their children are Warren J., born February 5, 1888; Lewis
D., born February 4, 1891, and Cornelius J., born September 12, 1895.
Pages 270 & 271:
WOODRUFF, Richard Allen, M. D., of
Claverack, was born in Pine Brush, Orange county, N. Y., January 8, 1864, a
son of William H. and Antoinette (Allen) Woodruff, one of a family of five
children, four now living. Dr. Woodruff's early education was obtained
in the public schools and the Brooklyn High School, from which he was
graduated in 1883; at that date he entered the Albany Medical College, from
which he was graduated March 3, 1886, and on March 15, 1886, he received a
diploma from the Bellevue Hospital Medical College. After completing
his studies he settled in Stottville, where he remained until April, 1889,
when he sold his practice to Dr. J. W. King and traveled in the great
Northwest for eight months, returning from his travels in December, 1889; at
that date he came to Philmont and resumed his practice of medicine there,
where he has since remained. He is medical examiner for the town of
Claverack and received his first appointment in 1890. Dr. Woodruff is
a Mason in high standing, is a member of Hudson Chapter No. 7 of Hudson,
Lafayette Commandery No. 7, Hudson Chapter No. 6, and a life member of the
Mystic Shrine, Cypress Temple, of Albany. He is also a member of
Arcadia Lodge No. 777, of Philmont, I. O. O. F., and Cascade Lodge No.
197, K. P. September 1, 1897, Dr. Woodruff married Luella Smith
Harder; they have one son, Richard S., born August 18, 1899.
Pages 372 & 373:
WOODWARD, Jay, of Ancram, was born on
the farm where he now resides in the town of Ancram, N. Y., October 31,
1866, a son of James and Maryette (Griswold) Woodward, who were the parents
of five children: Rosa, Jay, and three who died in infancy, and a
grandson of of Alexander and Catherine (Yorker) Woodward. James
Woodward was a man who was looked up to by his townsmen, and was interested
in all public enterprise, especially school and church matters, to which he
gave freely of his time and means, serving the schools officially and the
church as trustee many years; he died January 11, 1893. Jay Woodward,
after attending the district schools, was associated with his father in the
conduct of the homestead until the death of the latter, when he took charge
of its 390 acres. He has since purchased another farm, containing 170
acres, and makes a specialty of dairying. Like his father, he is a
public spirited man, and a worthy citizen.
Page 271:
WOODWARD, William C., p. o. Chatham,
N. Y, was born in Lee, Mass., November 9, 1855. His father was Curtis
G. Woodward, a native of Stephentown, Rensselaer county, N. Y., where he was
a mason, and for a time a hotel-keeper. His wife was Mary Holmes, and
their children were Hattie (deceased), and Dora (deceased), Sophia, Agnes,
and William C. Curtis G. Woodward died July 10, 1894, and his wife in
December, 1892. William C. Woodward was educated in the common schools
and at a business college in Troy. For a time he was engaged at
farming, and later was employed as a clerk in a store. In 1880 he
established himself in mercantile business in Stephentown, where he
continued in trade sixteen years. In 1891-1892 he served as supervisor
of Stephentown. Disposing of his mercantile interests, he came to
Chatham, and, associated with M. C. Bailey, engaged in the manufacture of
shirts, which enterprise they now are conducting. He is a member of
Unity Lodge No.9, F. & A. M., of Lebanon Springs.
Page 373:
WOODWORTH, Rufus H., p. o. Flat Book,
N. Y., was born in the town of Canaan, N. Y., September 18, 1863, son of
Charles P. and Evelyn (Hewitt) Woodworth, whose other children were William
S., George H., and Florence, deceased. Charles P. Woodworth was born
at Flat Brook in 1835, and was engaged in mercantile trade there and in
farming; he was assessor for several years, and has held the office of
justice of the peace for the past seven years. His wife died December
9, 1898. Rufus H. Woodworth was educated in the public schools and at
a private academy. He taught school for five years, and went to
Chicago and engaged in railroading for two years. In 1892 he was
appointed a mail agent on the Boston and Albany Railroad, and holds that
position at the present time. He is a member of Wisdom Lodge, F. & A.
M., of West Stockbridge, Mass. His wife was Anna L., daughter of
William Warner, of Albany, N. Y.
Pages 271 & 272:
WOODWORTH, T. Floyd, M. D., was born
in Napanoch, Ulster county, N. Y., October 20, 1832, son of Theodore and
Sarah Woodworth. Dr. Woodworth was educated in the common schools and
Shaw Academy at Euclid, O. His father, Theodore Woodworth, was born
June 27, 1801, and died May 23, 1871; he was of English descent---of two
brothers that landed at Plymouth Rock from the "Mayflower." Dr.
Woodworth's mother was Sarah Wadsworth, a relative of Governor Wadsworth,
who hid the charter of Connecticut in the old oak tree. She was
married in 1828, and died December 17, 1837, survived by a husband, son, and
daughter: Dr. Woodworth, and Mrs. Clarissa W. Ackley, of Manasquan, N.
J. In May, 1839, Theodore Woodworth, with his two children, went
aboard of a sloop at Rondout, sailing up the Hudson river to Troy, thence
via canal to Buffalo, thence by steamer to Cleveland, O. (this was the only
mode of public traveling at that time), to the home of his father, Luther
Woodworth, who, with his family, when the War of 1812 broke out, was living
at Black Rock, N. Y., and were ordered to Cleveland, O. He was sent up
the lake on the "Caledonia," a one-gun brig, on her way to Perry's victory,
and was landed thirty miles below Cleveland, then a wilderness. After
building a log house he traveled on foot to Cleveland, where he remained
until the close of the war. He built the stone lighthouse, which was
taken down a few years ago and a modern brick one built in its place.
Theodore Woodworth remained at home until of age, when he came to Hudson,
and served an apprenticeship as a cabinet maker. In January, 1860, T.
Floyd Woodworth went to California via the Isthmus of Panama, returning home
in September, 1863, and was graduated as an M. D., February, 1869, from the
Charity Hospital Medical College, Cleveland, O. He was interne in the
United States Marine Hospital for one year, and has been in active practice
since. Dr. Woodworth married Delia J. Schermerhorn, daughter of Walter
P. Schermerhorn, of Muitzeskill, and then moved to Oshkosh, Wis., where he
practiced until the big fire of 1873, then moved to Findlay, O., leaving
there in April, 1883, for Kinderhook, where he has since lived. Dr.
Woodworth is an honorary member of Wisconsin State Medical Society; past
secretary of Winnebago County Medical Society at Oshkosh; secretary and
treasurer of Columbia County (N. Y.) Medical Society; member of New York
State Medical Association; member of the American Medical Association; was
confirmed by Rt. Rev. Bishop Bedell, of Ohio, in Grace Episcopal Church,
Cleveland, O., in 1867; was active in forming the first Episcopal church in
Findlay, O., in 1881, and was the first senior warden of the church there;
is clerk of the vestry of St. Paul's church, Kinderhook; was made a master
Mason in Kenosha Lodge No. 49, in 1854, and took the order of knighthood in
Racine, Wis., in 1867, the degree of Scottish Rite in the valley of
Cincinnati in 1882, and the order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine in Mecca
Temple, New York, in 1889; is past master of Valatie Lodge No. 362, F. & A.
M.; past high priest of Kinderhook Chapter No. 264, R. A. M.; member of
Royal Arcanum and health officer of the town and village of Kinderhook.
Pages 272 & 273:
WRIGHT, Charles M., p. o. East
Chatham, N. Y., was born in Chester, Mass., June 21, 1856, a son of Lewis
Wright, who was born in the same town, January 3, 1808; he was a tanner and
farmer, and was married to Hilpah H. Alderman, March 12, 1828, who was born
July 19, 1806, and who bore him fourteen children: Charlotte P., born
January 17, 1829; Almon L., born December 19,1830, died May 17, 1871; George
D., born January 1, 1833, died February 15, 1891; Corinth E., born September
14, 1834, died February 18, 1842; Emma M., born March 18, 1836; Martha M.,
born March 29,1838, died February 3, 1890; Christopher C., born March 19,
1840, enlisted in United States Army, Company F., Twenty-eighth Regiment,
Connecticut Volunteers, died in Brazelia, Miss., May 22, 1863; Eliza E.,
born March 10, 1842; Stanley A., born May 25, 1844, died September 6, 1845;
a son born April 23, 1846, died April 25, 1846; Flora E., born August 6,
1849; Alfred D., born December 1, 1851, died March 2, 1852; Asher A., born
April 14, 1853, died May 10, 1885, and Charles M., born June 21, 1856.
Lewis Wright died February 28, 1897, and his wife died February 16, 1886.
Charles M. Wright was educated in the public schools in Chester and
Pittsfield, Mass., and entered the service of the Boston and Albany Railroad
Company, August 17, 1871, as section man, at Chester, Mass. He removed
to East Chatham, N. Y., in 1879, and was appointed telegraph operator and
baggage master at East Chatham station, November 14, 1881; appointed station
agent at Renfrew, Mass., and removed there September 20, 1882; transferred
to East Chatham, N. Y., as station agent and express agent, October 26,
1888, which position he still fills. He was married to Caroline F.
Wendell, of East Chatham, October 26, 1878. He was made a member of
Berkshire Lodge, F. & A. M., at Adams, Mass., October 3, 1887. He is
considered an excellent business man and an upright citizen.




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