WHO'S WHO IN POTTER COUNTY
Brief Biographies of Many of the Prominent Residents of Potter County,
Pennsylvania
And A Brief Review of the History of Potter County
By Marie Schadenberger and Sylvia Wilson
F. A. Owen Pub. Co., Dansville, NY; Copyright 1947
Transcribed & Submitted by Sheri D. Graves
In the early 1800's there came to the area now called Potter County the first permanent settlers believed ever to have inhabited this area. To the unbroken forests of pine and hemlock and cherry, men brought their axe and sawmill, their flocks of migratory workers and their hardier ambitious settlers who remained to make the land their home. Many of the present-day residents of Potter County are descendants from the pioneers who chose to take up permanent abode here.
White men seem to have been the first permanent inhabitants of Potter County. The wooded hills apparently held no allure as a home for the Indians. They preferred, for permanent camping grounds, the lands which were less densely forested where they could grow their crops. However, they frequently passed through this area while hunting, as remains of their temporary encampments testify. The Indians who hunted in this area were members of the Delaware tribe.
With the exception of a few explorers and missionaries, white men did not come to Potter County until after it, and neighboring counties, were purchased from the Indians in 1784.
Originally, the landowners were wealthy men who lived elsewhere and large land companies. An agent for lands in Potter County who did much for the development of the county was John Keating, for whom Keating was named. Later, Mr. Keating purchased lands from William Bingham, for whom Bingham was named, and employed Francis King to explore the region and plan townships and towns. Roulette was named for one of Mr. Keating's partners, John S. Roulet.
In 1804, the country was created by the state legislature and was named in honor of General James Potter, an Irish-born commander who served under Washington during the Revolution.
Settlement of the county began soon after this. William Ayers is considered the first settler in the county and Major Isaac Lyman who built one of the first roads was the second. Many of the present citizens of the county are descendants from Major Lyman. Another famous settler was John Peet who came to the county in 1811.
But prior to this, towns had been surveyed and named, Shinglehouse takes its name from a house built of shingles by M. Generet, a Frenchman, in 1806. Coudersport was surveyed in 1807 and was named in honor of John Coudere, head of the financial backers of John Keating.
It is difficult to understand in these days the trials and hardships which the early settlers were forced to endure. The woods were dense and not easily cleared for farming. The sources of supply of food and other necessities were far distant, the distance made difficult by the lack of transportation. Little by little, roads were built, then occasional bridges, grist mills, sawmills, tanneries and other industries were eventually, and slowly, brought to the area, making unnecessary the arduous supply trips through the forest to more settled areas.
The panther, the wolf, the bear and the violence of frozen winters were a constant menace to the early settlers, of whom there were 186 by 1820. But the pioneers were a hardy lot and gradually won their battles against the elements.
Today Potter County makes a comfortable home in which the beautiful forests and rolling farms are man made, a triumph over the devastation which was wrought by the lumbering business.
The logging industry was for a number of years the main source of revenue of the county. First the white pine was cut and sent down the rivers to distant sawmills. Then sawmills were built within the county. Perhaps the first sawmill was built about 1815. Francis King and Major Lyman also were interested in the lumbar business.
After 1880, the pine timber had been almost exhausted. Some cherry had been cut also, especially by A.G. Lyman of Sweden Valley who specialized in cherry lumber. But in 1873 there had begun to be a market for hemlock bark. This became a thriving business, the bark being used in the tannery industry. Tanneries were built in several locations within the county. The one at Coudersport was built in 1880 and it is still in operation today. For the builder William Gale the town of Galeton was named.
Among the many noteworthy settlements of the county was that by a group of Seventh Day Baptists who began settling in Hebron Township in 1831. German immigrants, seeking freedom in the new world, first settled in Roulette and later a group of them came to Sweden Hill. It was later that Germania was founded by many Germans who were refugees from the European war of 1848. In about 1842, Martin Moran came to Potter County. He founded the Irish Settlement in Genesee Township. This settlement had what was probably the first church to be built in the county. Ole Bull, the famous violinist, tried valiantly to found a settlement of Norwegians in the county. However, sadly enough, it was a failure, due to the fact that the Norwegians did not seem to have the necessary physical stamina and also Ole Bull was the victim of a land swindle, losing tens of thousands of dollars on his venture.
During the years, Potter County grew, her industries became large and profitable. Railroads and highways were built and her citizens took an active part in National affairs. During the Civil War, the primary sentiment of the county was anti-slavery and the underground railroad functioned in the area. Potter County's young men have gone ardently to the defense of their county in every war, including World War II.
Churches and schools have been built and improved through the years, giving the county necessary cultural advantages. An unusually large number of residents of the county are Masons. It is one of the smallest districts in which the number of Masons is sufficient to be qualified to have a Consistory. Coudersport Lodge of perfection was established July 17, 1896, and the first meeting was held December 8, 1896.
Today Potter County stands as a monument to her early settlers, to the
contributors to her history, the men who planted new forests and reclaimed
the wasted land, and who, with ingenuity and ambition, made the region
important in the oil and gas industry, in farming and in dairying and potato
growing. The editors wish to express thanks to all the residents of Potter
County who have helped makethisbook possible.
Brief Biographies of
Many of the Prominent Residents of Potter County
[Written in 1946]
Deceased During Publication
George E. Carroll November 2, 1946
JJ. Morley, October 5, 1946
INDEX OF BIOGRAPHIES
NAME - ID Number
Abson, Floyd Edward 4
Akeley, Archibald P. 65
Allen, William D. 116
Baker, Archie Know 68
Baldwin, Addie G. (Wolters) 28
Barr, Eldon S. 37
Bartoo, A. Donald 95
Bartoo, Herbert R. 5
Berger, James Stanley 39
Blish, Frank M., Sr. 84
Buck, Lawrence 46
Burrous, C. Mat 58
Burt, Jessie (Lewis) 85
Burt, Mary Louisa (Sheldon) 31
Cane, Harry E. 19
Carroll, George E. 89
Cary, Wesley E. 86
Chapman, Norman 43
Chappell, Margaret (McGinnis) 23
Colcord, Edith (Haskell) 35
Covey, Katherine (Knox) 51
Cronin, Jeremiah Joseph 92
Crosetto, Michael John 75
Crowl, Perley E. 109
Curran, Michael Joseph 81
Curran, Nellie (Lacy) 120
Currier, William H. 104
Curtis, William Henry 96
Daily, Seward Wells 25
Deiterich, Florence (Fleshutz) 3
Devling, Clyde A. 113
Doane, Mary (Cook) (Faulkner) 44
DuBois, William Frederick 21
Edgcomb, Minnie C. (Tice) 2
Elliott, Harry E. 100
English, Joseph A. 127
Fenner, Eldyn L. 125
Fenner, H. Edgar 110
Fisher, Edward Douglas 137
Gallup, Clayton E. 71
Grabe, Birdella (Grant) 107
Grabe, George H. 32
Green, John Franklin 17
Grover, Carlton C. 121
Hall, Wrayburn B. 1
Hamilton, Dorothy (Cilley) 74
Hart, Henry D. 63
Harvey, Addie Cornelia (Douglas) 101
Haynes, Carrie (Grover) 64
Henderson, James L. 29
Herrick, Charles A. 73
Herrick, Collins Soloman 7
Hug, Fanny (Goetz) 20
Johnson, Victor E. 90
Kapp, Paul Raymond 40
Kazmierski, Robert Henry 98
Kelly, E. Leeta 134
Kelly, W.E. 48
Kendig, Frank Wilson 99
Kenyon, Howard G. 77
Kilbourne, Harry A. 102
Knechtel, Emil J., Jr. 128
Knight, Ella B. (Kinny) 9
Langworthy, Byron L. 11
Leete, Rosell H. 67
Lewis, Belle (Haskell) 61
Lewis, Robert Rathbun 34
Lilly, Morton H. 45
Lush, S. Lynn 88
Lyman, Kittie N. (Thompson) 80
Lyman, Robert Ray, Sr. 53
Mahaley, John W. 30
Martin, Mary Alice (Barnhart) 119
Mason, Victor Louis 133
Mastin, George A. 118
McGoey, Mary Jane (Kinney) 136
McLatchie, Arthur W. 97
McLaughlin, Robert S. 57
Meine, Philip A. 10
Michelfelder, Clella (Stevens) 42
Miles, Vernal C. 59
Miller, Mary Josephine 94
Moody, Donald Lee 22
Morley, James J. 103
Morton, Howard D. 130
Mosch, Herman Carl 26
Mulkin, Kenneth H. 87
Nanney, Thomas H. 122
Nelson, Almeron Taggert 8
Nichols, Ade F. 105
O'Connell, Francis M. 62
Patterson, Coletta D. (Dunn) 15
Pearsall, John S. 93
Perry, Eugenia Celina (Benson) 16
Pfeiffer, W. S. 112
Potter, Lettie (Gordnier) 60
Raub, Louis 124
Reese, Albert G. 6
Reese, Katherine J. 129
Rennells, Cora Elizabeth 14
Reynolds, Frank W. 24
Richards, Robert Wayne 35
Root, Katherine S. 131
Rosenbloom, S. Joseph 49
Rumsey, David Noah 36
Sawyer, Sheil Bond 12
Schadenberger, Frank H. 56
Shutt, Howard Neefe 114
Selt, Jenny (Dykeman) 47
Shear, William Albert 41
Simendinger, Raymond L. 72
Sinon, John T. 33
Smith, Howard R. 27
Spencer, Ada (Raymond) 76
Statham, Clair W. 123
Stevens, Lena E. 70
Stocum, Louis G. 18
Stone, John F. 91
Straley, Rudolph C. 54
Straw, Bert 108
Sullivan, James L. 66
Thomas, J. Philip 117
Todd, Chester Warren 115
VanDeBoe, Charles C. 79
VanDeBoe, De Grover 138
VanWegen, Mark L. 132
Voorhees, Lee Arthur 78
Wagner, Wilbur A. 82
Wallgren, Andrew Bennett 52
Weimer, Major 50
Wells, John Walter 38
Wells, Walter Pierre 111
Wentworth, Margaret (Schutt) 106
Wenzel, Gilbert Lee 83
White, Mark R. 13
Wood, Raymond B. 135
Woodard, Ina (Harlow) 69
Zeaman, Emil Andrew 126
Copyright © 1996-2005
Daniel C. Hyde