Extracted From
Middletown Upper Houses
a history of the north society of Middletown, Ct.
from 1650 to 1800
with genealogical and biographical chapters
on early families.
Charles Collard Adams
New York: Grafton Press, 1908.
[transcribed by Liz Matthews]
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SIXTH GENERATION 95 Moses6 Ranney (Thomas Stow5, Jeremiah4, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. May 14, 1799, Brentwood, N. H.; m. Jan. 26, 1826, North Newport, Me., Hannah Reed Steward, b. July 22, 1805, Norridgewock, Me.; d. June 30, 1892, Stetson, Me., dau. of Thomas Steward and Nancy Bicknell. Farmer; Rep.; Univ. He d. June 15, 1877, Stetson, Me. Children:
216 Moses Hook, b. June 27, 1830. 217 Stephen Steward, b. Jan. 30, 1833. Nancy Steward , b. Jan. 30 , 1833, unm. Res. Bangor, Me. Hannah Jane, b. July 26, 1839; m. Henry Johnson; d. Dec. 22, 1870. No children. 218 Laura Albina, b. Mar. 12, 1846; m. Chas. W. Crockett. ___________________ 96 Hannah6 Ranney (Thomas Stow5, Jeremiah4, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. Sept. 4, 1801, Brentwood, N. H.; m. Sept. 6, 1821, Stetson, Me., Samuel Stetson, b. Jan. 12, 1793, Randolph, Mass.; Whig; farmer. He d. 1853, Stetson, Me. She, Baptist, d. 1876, Stetson, Me. Children:
219 Rebecca, b. Sept. 13, 1824; m. Henry V. French. Nancy, b. May 23, 1827; m. (1) Dr. J. H. Turner; (2) F. O. Howard Samuel Ranney, b. Apr. 5, 1834; d. -----, Augusta, Me. ___________________ 97 Thomas Stow6 Ranney (Thomas Stow5, Jeremiah4, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. Dec. 7, 1810, Brentwod, N. H.; m., 1836, Stetson, Me., Sarah Allen, b. Nov. 3, 1812, Stetson, Me.; dau. of Thorndike Allen and Sarah Cole. Rep.; Univ. He d. Mar. 19, 1868, Winn, Me. She d. Sept. 18, 1890, Winn, Me. Children:
Hannah Hook, b. 1842. 220 Irene Stetson, b. Mar. 13, 1856; m. Wm. E. Young. Res. Portland, Me. 220a Thorndike Allen, b. Oct. 28, 1857. ___________________ 98 Nathan6 Ranney (Nathan5, Jeremiah4, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. Apr. 27, 1797, Bethlehem, Conn.; m. Oct. 31, 1827, St. Louis, Mo., Amelia Jane Shackford, b. July 26, 1809, Portsmouth, N. H.; d. Feb. 18, 1882, St. Louis, Mo., dau. of John Shackford and Jane Smallcorn. He d. Aug. 21, 1876, Montreal, Canada, while on a visit there. At sixteen years of age he enlisted in the war against England against the remonstrance of his friends and refused a discharge which his uncle, Lieut. Col. Stephen Ranney of the 4th U. S. Infantry, offered to obtain for him. This desire of serving his country in battle was soon gratified for he "was one of three hundred Americans who cut their way through a greatly superior British force near Plattsburgh, and was one of the forlorn hope who crossed the Saranac river under the range of a British battery to a thick underbrush of dry pine. He was severely wounded in this gallant exploit; but in a little while after, wishing to distinguish himself by an act still more daring, he took twenty choice men, and in the dead hour of the night successfully surprised a town in possession of a large British force, and carried off three prisoners of rank, without the loss of a single man. "The gallant bearing of young Ranney soon won for him the respect of his commanding officers, and he was quickly promoted, first as sergeant, and afterwards as provost marshal; and his conduct throughout the whole war showed that patriotism alone influenced his services, and not a love for military promotion. A few years after leaving the army, desirous of making for himself a name and fortune, he came to St. Louis in 1819 and commenced commercial pursuits. "In the year 1827, two important events occurred in his life, and which have greatly administered to his happiness - he married in that year Miss Amelia J. Shackford - and became likewise wedded to the Presbyterian Church. His marriage has been blessed with a large family of children, and in the church of which he is such an efficient member, he has long been an elder. "Though born in an Eastern state, and under a cold clime, General Ranney is neither a Northern nor a Southern maniac, but a conservative man, and his heart is as warm as a summer's sun. In 1836, General Ranney was appointed by Governor Dunklin, Brigadier-General in the Missouri Militia. In 1842, he was president pro tempore of the Board of Alderman [of St. Louis] and for years president of the board of Public Schools. In 1851 he delivered an eloquent address at Burlington, Iowa, declaring himself a Union man. In 1855, he addressed the convention of the soldiers of 1812 at Philadelphia. In 1856, he spoke at a large American meeting in St. Louis; and there are very few his equal in a stump speech. In 1857, when the financial panic caused the money of other states to be refused, he called a meeting of merchants, and restored confidence in foreign currency, and thereby saved many frightened individuals from falling a prey to the money sharks, who, on such occasions, are always ready to make a glorious feast. "In his military career General Ranney showed himself ready and fearless in action, patriotic in his aims, and kind and sympathizing as a soldier and as an officer. In political life he is never violent, but while he is firm and frank in the expression of his principles, he is at all times courteous to all holding opinions differing from his own. In the civil positions which he has filled he has been marked for his attention, his industry, and his clear and discriminating judgment; and any office he holds, he never makes it a sinecure, but holds it as a responsible trust, and attends, with the most scrupulous exactness, to its minutest details. As a friend he is confiding and generous; and as a merchant, his present affluence, gathered amid uncertain fluctuations of commercial life, is an evidence of the possession of the requisites adapted to that respectable but precarious pursuit. "With the exception of Mr. Henry Vou Phul, senior, General Ranney is the oldest merchant in St. Louis now living, and the store and warehouse of Shackford and Ranney were, for a long time, the only buildings of the kind on the levee, consequently, he has been a resident of St. Louis from its infancy, and his exertions and example have helped its growth and assisted its advance. Though upward of threescore years of age, from his regular life he is still hale and vigorous, and is now the cashier and general agent of the St. Louis, Cairo and New Orleans Railroad line of steamers, and is always to be found, during business hours giving his attention to the important position he knows so well how to fill. He is president of the Missouri Bible Society, and in all of the relations of his diversified life there is not a stain resting upon his character." - From Edwards' "Great West." He was one of the founders of the Missouri Historical Society, 1866, and its second president from 1869 to 1872. Children:
Ann Augusta, b. Aug. 24, 1830; d. June 28, 1831. Louisa Jane Hawthorne, b. Feb. 17, 1832; m. James H. Goodman. Julia Kingsbury, b. Sept. 2, 1834; m. James R. Garniss. 221 Maria Kerr, b. Nov. 14, 1836; m. Chas. W. Hale. John Shackford, b. Nov. 13, 1838; d. April 5, 1839. Nathan William, b. Feb. 27, 1840; d. June 17, 1845. John Shackford, b. July 22, 1842; d. July 22, 1842. Ann Amelia Shackford, b. Dec. 12, 1843; m. James H. Wallace. 222 Charlotte Ella, b. Nov. 24, 1845; m. George J. Cochran. Howard, b. Sept. 12, 1848. Gertrude, b. Dec. 13, 1850; m. James F. Armstrong. Res. Crawbrook, British Columbia. John Mudgett, b. Oct. 16, 1853; d. Sept. 20, 1866. Cornelia Shackford, b. Feb. 17, 1856; d. July 25, 1856. ___________________ 99 Nathaniel Cole6 Ranney (Nathan5, Jeremiah4, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. -----; m. Minerva Merritt, dau. of Peter Merritt of Fair Haven, Vt. He rem. 1831, to Angelica, N. Y. Thence about 1861 to Marshall, Mich. Children:
Harrison Dayton, b. -----. Res. Weston, Ohio.
Albert Dayton. Res. Blue Hills, Nev. Harrison W. Res. Kansas City, Kan. Mary A., m. ----- Hobart. Res. Riverton, Neb. Edwin C. Business, 27 Pearl St., N. Y. City. Harriett Elizabeth, m. ----- Langley. Res. Bayonne, N. J. Florence Minerva, unm. Res. Bayonne, N. J. 223 Julius Merritt, b. Jan. 26, 1842. ___________________ 100 Caleb Barnes6 Ranney (Nathan5, Jeremiah4, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. 1807, Whitehall, N. Y.; m. Charlotte Kittredge, b. Salem, Mass., dau. of Oliver Kittredge and Mary Hamilton. Farmer.
Children:
Children:
Albert Reuben, b. May 31, 1900. Children:
Herbert K, b. -----; m. Emily Knight. Res. Wayland, Mass. Charles M, b. -----; unm., lawyer. Res. Boston, Mass. Fred Oliver, b. Nov. 22, 1872; m. Sept. 1, 1901, Annie Lacey, b. 1874. Rep.; Meth.; I. O. O. F.; farmer. Res. Windsor, Vt. Arthur Edward, b. -----; unm. Res. West Windsor, Vt. ___________________ 101 Martha Patty6 Ranney (Solomon5, Jeremiah4, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. Apr. 15, 1786, Bethlehem, Ct.; m. Aug. 13, 1804, Harvey Davis, b. Apr. 28, 1780; d. Feb. 6, 1861. She d. Mar. 6, 1876, Kortright, N. Y. Children:
John, b. Feb. 4, 1808; d. Sept. 20, 1880. Eliza, b. July 4, 1812; d. Apr. 18, 1838. Jacob, b. Nov. 10, 1814; d. Apr. 28, 1838. 224 William, b. Jan. 1, 1817. Solomon, b. Sept. 4, 1819. Catherine, b. Aug. 13, 1821. Harvey, b. May 2, 1824; d. Sept. 23, 1897. Ferris, b. Aug. 24, 1826; d. -----, 1892. 225 Andrew Jackson, b. Nov. 24, 1828. Stephen, b. Aug. 4, 1832; d. Dec. 18, 1891; m. Oct. 9, 1856, Ellen Aitkin. ___________________ 102 Jeremiah Ranney6 (Stephen5, Jeremiah4, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. Jan. 15, 1786, Bethlehem, Conn.; m. Jan. 1, 1810, Susan Beach, b. Feb. 7, 1787; d. Oct. 27, 1821, near Jackson, Mo. He was a farmer residing at Bethlehem, Conn.; Hartwick, N. Y.; and d. Mar. 18, 1855, Jackson, Mo. Children:
Susan Beach, b. Feb. 20, 1812; d. -----, 1855. 227 Johnson, b. Jan. 15, 1814. Jeremiah, b. Feb. 27, 1816. Asahel Beach, b. Sept. 20, 1818; d. -----, 1855. ___________________ 103 Johnson6 Ranney (Stephen5, Jeremiah4, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. Dec. 19, 1789, Litchfield, Conn.; m. (1) June 21, 1832, Mary Carter Gayle, b. Aug. 7, 1808; d. Apr. 6, 1833; m. (2) June 11, 1835, Emily Neale, b. May 15, 1810. He was appointed an ensign in the 4th U. S. Infantry May 19, 1812, and accepted from Salisbury, Conn., June 7, 1812; was promoted to the grade of second lieutenant, same regiment, May 30, 1813; first lieutenant of the same regiment, June 28, 1814, and was honorably discharged the service June 15, 1815. In the same year he went to Jackson, Mo., and began the practice of the law, but there was prejudice even then, against him as a "Yankee." By economy, diligence, hard study and natural ability he accumulated what was considered a fortune in those days. While not an orator he had a thorough knowledge of law, an analytical turn of mind, a faculty for questioning a witness. He stood with Greer Davis, Gen. English, Gen. Nathaniel Watkins (half brother to Henry Clay), Gen. Buckner, of Indiana and Thomas H. Benton, of Mo. Gen. Buckner on returning to Indiana said to Gen. Stephen Ranney of his son Johnson, "He is the best lawyer in Missouri except myself." His courage was shown in defending a penniless negro charged with murder - and liable to be mobbed for so doing. In his personal appearance he was unprepossessing, amounting to ugliness. It is related of him that while going on horseback from Jackson, Mo., to New Madrid, Mo., to attend court, he was hailed by a lady who without ceremony began to relate her troubles. As soon as he discerned the tendency of her remarks he informed her that she should speak to Judge Cook of the Circuit Court. "Why," she said, "you are Judge Cook." "No, madam, I am Johnson Ranney." "Well," she replied, "I was told to watch the road this morning for the ugliest man I ever saw and you are that man." He was somewhat negligent of his attire and while arguing an important case before the Supreme Court one of the judges reprimanded him for disrespect to the court in appearing before it in such slovenly attire. The next morning Mr. Ranney appeared in court dressed like a dandy. "May it please the court" he said as he resumed the argument, "before proceeding I should like to know if the fastidious taste of the court interposes any obstacle to my recognition." Eccentric and peculiar in many of his ways he was an affectionate husband and father and after his own father's death in 1827 he cared for his younger brothers as though they were his own children. In politics he was a Whig. He died Nov. 11, 1849, Jackson, Mo. Children:
Thomas Neale, b. Sept. 19, 1837; law student at Harvard, 1860, killed, 1865, by Federal troops after he had surrendered. 229 Mary Gayle, b. Jan. 7, 1840; m. John Beardslee. Warren Davis, b. Dec. 31, 1841; d. Apr. 24, 1842. Ellen Davis, b. Sept. 12, 1844; d. Jan. 29, 1845. ___________________ 104 Hannah Cooper6 Ranney (Stephen5, Jeremiah4, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. Jan. 11, 1811, Litchfield, Ct.; m. Willis McGuire. She d. in Jackson, Mo.; he in Chico, Texas. Child:
Children:
John Ranney, Robert Lee. Res. Chico, Texas. 105 William Caton6 Ranney (Stephen5, Jeremiah4, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. Feb. 20, 1815, Whitehall, N. Y.; m. Dec. 10, 1846, Maplewood, Mo., Elizabeth Giboney, b. July 11, 1818, Maplewood, Mo., dau. of Robert Giboney and Ann Dunn. Robert Giboney had been granted a large tract of land near Cape Girardeau by the Spanish government because of the fact that he was a blacksmith. Wiliam Caton Ranney came from Jeffersonville, Ind., in 1825 to Jackson, Mo., locating on a farm one and a half miles north of that place. He secured a good common school education, which was supplemented with a course at St. Mary's College in Perry County, Mo. When twelve years of age he secured a position in the office of the Circuit Clerk and when fifteen years of age was appointed Deputy Circuit Clerk of Cape Girardeau County which he held for a number of years, after which he read law with his brother Johnson Ranney. Was admitted to the bar about 1840. First located at New Madrid, Mo., remaining there about a year. He then located at Benton, Mo., remaining there about two years, when his brother Johnson offered him a partnership which he accepted, holding it until his brother's death in 1848. Continued his practice of his profession, attending all Courts in Southeast Missouri, going from one County to another on horseback, then almost the only means of travel here, until the establishment of the Cape Girardeau Court of Common Pleas of Cape Girardeau County by act of the Legislature of 1852 when he was named as the first Judge and which office he continued to hold by successive election until the outbreak of the Civil War. His first vote was cast with the Whig party and his last before hostilities began between the States was cast for Bell and Everett. He was strenuously opposed to secession, but after being robbed of his property and imprisoned in the dark cellar of the Court House in which he had presided, by the party with which he affiliated, he joined the Democratic party, and as such was elected in 1871 to the State Senate to fill a vacancy caused by the death of Senator George H. Green, making the race against two Democrats and one Republican, and winning out by a good majority. After the expiration of his term in the Senate his friends insisted on his becoming a candidate for Representative and to this he was elected and served one term. He was made a member of St. Mark's Lodge, F. A. M. in 1848. He died Feb. 28, 1898, Cape Girardeau, Mo. She d. Jan. 9, 1900. Children:
230 Robert Giboney, b. Dec. 15, 1849. 231 William Alexander, b.l Dec. 23, 1852. 232 Herbert Hathorne, b. Nov. 14, 1855. ___________________ 106 John Hathorne6 Ranney (Stephen5, Jeremiah4, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. Feb. 5, 1818, Charleston, Ind.; m. Mar. 25, 1847, Benton, Mo., Clarissa Waters, b. Nov. 12, 1831, Tywappity Bottoms, Mo., dau. of John Waters and Laura Ann Spear. She d. Mar. 8, 1848, Benton, Mo.; m. (2) Aug. 8, 1850, Caroline Wall, b. Apr. 15, 1821, Cape Girardeau, Mo.; d. May 20, 1902, Commerce, Mo. At the age of seven his father removed to Jackson, Mo. From the age of nine on his father's death he lived with his brother, Col. Johnson Ranney, and learned the trade of a tanner at the "Old Tan Yard" near Jackson. When he reached his majority he started a tan yard. In a few years he removed to a farm near Kelso, but at the outbreaking of the Civil War he removed his family for safety to Jackson, returning to the farm in 1865, where he remained till death. He was a man of firmness and character, with many virtues. Returning with a friend one night from a cider mill, they saw some ghosts in the cemetery. His companion fled. He walked up to the ghost and as he raised a bottle of cider to strike the ghost cried out, "Don't strike, John, Don't Strike." At the outbreak of the Civil War a gang of outlaws went to his house to murder him. One ball grazed his scalp. He grabbed an axe and charged the gang and put them to flight. On one occasion a candidate for office seeking his support said to him, "Mr. Ranney, you have known me all my life," And the answer was, "Yes, and that is the reason I won't vote for you." He d. Jan. 14, 1884, Kelso, Mo. Child by 1st marriage:
Children by 2d marriage:
234 Amelia, b. Sept., 10, 1852, m. Reese G. Applegate. 235 Caroline Wall, b. Oct. 13, 1854; m. Wm. McKnight. 236 James Parham, b. Feb. 17, 1857. Elizabeth, b. -----; d. infancy. Charles, b. -----; d. infancy. David, b. -----; d. young. ___________________ 107 Polly6 Ranney (Julius5, Jeremiah4, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. Sept. 14, 1790, Bethlehem, Conn.; m. Jan., 1809, Bethlehem, Conn., Iram Hawes, b. Sept. 20, 1786; d. Oct. 20, 1869, Cleveland, O.; Rep.; Presby.; farmer in Danby, N. Y. till 1836, when he rem. to Chester, O.; rem. 1860 to Cleveland. She d. Feb. 14, 1859, Chester, O. Children:
Isaac, b. Sept. 24, 1811; d. Dec. 21, 1811 Hannah, b. Oct. 5, 1812; m. Edward Kingman. Jerusha, b. July 28, 1814; m. John Packard. Cornelia, b. Nov. 6, 1816; d. July 30, 1838. Oliver, b. Jan. 20, 1819; m. Sarah Bassett. Susan, b. Feb. 20, 1822; d. 1901; m. Geo. W. Lynde. Polly, b. Feb. 23, 1827; d. Feb. 14, 1859; m. Wm. Backus. 237 Harriet Palmer, b. June 27, 1832; m. James T. Wilson. ___________________ 108 Lucy6 Ranney (Julius5, Jeremiah4, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. July 19, 1794, Warren, Conn.; m. Dec. 22, 1811, Warren, Conn., Rev. Urban7 Palmer (Ezekial6, Samuel5, Samuel4, Samuel3, Jonas2, Walter1), b. July 7, 1787, Kent, Conn. He entered the ministry and settled in Danby, New York, in 1812. Went to Western Reserve, O., for the Society of Evangelization, finally settled in Chester, O., where he d. Nov. 3, 1847. She d. Nov. 16, 1838. (See Palmer Groups). Children:
Harriet, b. May 10, 1815; d. June 23, 1831 Jerusha, b. Feb. 2, 1818; d. Oct. 10, 1819. Chalmers, b. Oct. 12, 1821; d. July 16, 1826. Julius Ranney, b. Feb. 11, 1827; d. Feb. 25, 1830. Julius Chalmers, b. July 9, 1829; d. Feb. 25, 1830. Emeline, b. Apr. 10, 1831; d. May 12, 1832. Edward Payson, b. Sept. 16, 1833; m. Delia Green. ___________________ 109 Oliver6 Ranney (Julius5, Jeremiah4, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. September 16, 1796, Bethlehem, Conn., m. Sept. 7, 1820, Chester, O., Lynda Adams, b. May 23, 1800, Genoa, N. Y.; d. Oct. 7, 1887, Chester, O., dau. of Samuel Adams and Amy Bosworth. Rep.; Presby.; farmer. He rem. 1819 to Chester, O., where he died Sept. 19, 1876. The following was printed at the time of his death: "Died at Mulberry Corners, Geauga County, Ohio, Sept. 14, 1876, Mr. OLIVER RANNEY, in the 80th year of his life, leaving a widowed companion, with whom he had walked in loving and helpful companionship for fifty-six years; leaving also one son and two daughters, having gathered them about his bed to receive his dying and Christian benediction; leaving also grandchildren, who now will have to say, 'We had a grandfather who feared God for many years, and who, dying, asked us all to meet him in heaven'; leaving also a community in which, for a period of 58 years, he has been an upright, worthy and leading citizen, now bereft of another of its pioneers; leaving a church to mourn him, with whose interests he has, for forty-four years, been identified." Children:
Children:
Thomas Stow Ranney, Frances Melissa, Frances Eliza, Tertius Cornelius, Ernest Chalmers, Elmer Morris, Clara Theresa, Elsie Ada, Alice Louisa, Elgin Osmer, Celia Allen. Jerusha Alice, b. Mar. 18, 1840; unm. Res. Chesterland O. ___________________ 110 Thomas Stow6 Ranney (Julius5, Jeremiah4, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. Aug. 22, 1802, Bethlehem, Conn.; m. (1) Aug. 23, 1827, Maria Gager, b. Oct. 5, 1808; d. Rangoon, India, 1857; m. (2) Dec. 14, 1858, Mrs. Mary E. Whittaker, b. Nov. 1, 1829, Calcutta, India; widow of Rev. Daniel Whittaker and daughter of Rev. Cephas Bennett and Stella Kneeland. He d. May 13, 1886, Homer, N. Y. Widow d. 1906. His portrait at eighty-two years of age is a given herewith. His obituary as printed by his pastor follows: "Thomas Stow Ranney was born in Bethlehem, Conn., August 22, 1801. His mother was a widow at the time of his birth, his father having died about six months previous. His mother was left with small means, and the support of her babe and other dependent children fell heavily upon her lone hands. Being a woman of health and energy, she sought a western home, and purchased a piece of land in the then wilderness woods of Danby, Tompkins County, N. Y. Of early childhood Mr. Ranney always spoke tenderly. By the industry and economy of his mother, poverty was kept from the home, and early childhood with him was a happy period. While the early Christian instructions of his mother made a deep impression upon his life and character, and had much to do in making him the man he was, it was not till many years after, as a man in married life, about forty years of age, that he gave personal attention to religion and accepted Christ as a personal Saviour. At fifteen years of age he was apprenticed to learn the printer's trade, his term of apprenticeship closing on his twenty-first birthday. Not very long after he became foreman of the Albany Argus, which position he occupied about ten years and this brought him into associations with the leading statesmen and politicians of the day - DeWitt Clinton, Martin VanBuren, Ex-Governor Marcy and others of those times. On leaving the Argus, Mr. Ranney assisted in establishing the Dutchess Republican in Poughkeepsie, N. Y. In these positions he became very familiar with political thought, as well as the political tricks of the times. The Dutchess Republican was afterwards united with the Poughkeepsie Eagle, of which Mr. Isaac Platt was editor, with whom Mr. Ranney sustained a partnership most happily for ten years, and an intimate and cordial acquaintance up to the time of Mr. Platt's death, which occurred in 1872. "It was in Poughkeepsie, in the year 1840, that Mr. Ranney was converted, and both himself and wife were buried with Christ in baptism by Mr. Dickinson, and united with the Baptist Church. This most literally opened a new life to him and surrounded him with new influences. He himself says: 'My past political life became more and more distasteful.' Two years later, an offer coming from the American Baptist Missionary Union to go as a printer to Burmah in charge of the society's press, he accepted the offer, sailing in November, 1843. Arrived in Burmah, the first two weeks were spent in the home of Dr. Judson, the great pioneer missionary of the Baptist denomination; and a few years later, in the providence of God, it was appointed Mr. Ranney to attend Dr. Judson during his last sickness, and bury him in the ocean. "Mrs. Ranney's failing health required a visit to this country, during which time the Board thought it best to recall Mr. Ranney, intending when his wife should return to send him to Assam; but he, not understanding the object of the recall, decided to resign his connection with the Missionary Union, and upon doing so went to Rangoon, where he engaged in a private enterprise doing government and job printing. Here he met with financial success, and after a few years disposed of his office and business to the Missionary Union and returned to America to spend his remaining years. "For twenty-four years he has been a resident of Homer and a member of the Homer Baptist Church. He has been twice married. The first Mrs. Ranney having died soon after her return to Burmah, in due time he married Mrs. Mary E. Whitaker, daughter of the lately deceased Rev. Cephas Bennett, missionary printer, who succeeded him in the mission press at Rangoon. "As a citizen Mr. Ranney identified himself with whatever advanced and improved interests of our village. His counsel was sought and his presence welcomed in all councils. He was a faithful Christian, ready to bear his share of the burdens of the church, of which he was a member. Besides his neighbors and brethren in the church, who all sincerely mourn his loss, he leaves a wife and two daughters. Ripe in years and rich in experience, Thomas Stow Ranney has passed over the river, and 'his works do follow.'" ___________________ 111 William6 Ranney (William5, Thomas4, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. June 5, 1784, Westminster West, Vt.; m. June 28, 1810, Elizabeth Wells, b. -----; d. Mar. 28, 1874, Brookline, Vt.; farmer, Cong.; d. Dec. 16, 1863, Brookline, Vt. Children:
240 Rebecca, b. May 19, 1813; m. Jeremiah L. Perham. Orange, b. May 15, 1817; d. Dec. 15, 1832. 241 Achsah, b. Dec. 30, 1820; d. Mar. 10, 1861; m. Daniel Whitney. Fanny, b. Mar. 7, 1824; d. Nov. 18, 1841. Elizabeth, b. Mar. 15, 1826; d. Oct. 2, 1831. 242 Hannah, b. July 18, 1830; m. John Lamphear. ___________________ 112 Stephen6 Ranney (William5, Thomas4, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. Apr. 28, 1793, Westminster West, Vt.; m. Apr. 7, 1814, Salley S. Chandler, b. Oct. 23, 1793, Westminster; d. Feb. 19, 1864, dau. of Thomas Dow Chandler and Sarah Goold. Farmer; Cong.; Rep.; d. Sept. 5, 1871, Westminster West. Children:
244 Amaziah Thomas, b. Apr. 10, 1817. 245 Wm. Erastus, b. Mar. 18, 1819. 246 Otis Lorenzo, b. July 16, 1821. 247 Lorin Little, b. Sept. 26, 1823. Lydia Rosetta, b. Jan. 27, 1826; d. unm. Aug. 19, 1851 Sarah Maria, b. July 27, 1828; d. unm. Sept. 19, 1844. Eliza Serena, b. Mar. 29, 1831; d. unm. Dec. 28, 1902. ___________________ 113 Ephraim6 Ranney (Ephraim5, Ephraim4, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. Westminster West, Vt.; d. June 3, 1826, Westminster West; m. Mercy Clark; widow rem. to Coventry, Vt., where she d. Jan. 29, 1848. Children:
Elmerina, b. Aug. 6, 1804; d. Jan. 29, 1805. 248 Freeman, b. May 11, 1806. 249 Sullivan, b. Nov. 23, 1808. 249a Ephraim Fessenden, b. June 8, 1820. ___________________ 114 Lydia6 Ranney (Ephraim5, Ephraim4, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. Sept. 28, 1772, Westminster West, Vt.; d. July 20, 1859; m. Dea. Ebenezer Goodhue, son of a clergyman. Of their Children:
Elizabeth, b. -----; m. Elijah Bradford Ranney. ___________________ 115 Rebecca6 Ranney (Ephraim5, Ephraim4, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. Dec. 27, 1777; d. Aug., 1841; m. Jan. 20, 1799, Gideon Warner. Children:
Narcissa, b. -----; m. Russell Ranney. Octavia, b. -----; m. Newnan Perry. ___________________ 116 Calvin6 Ranney (Ephraim5, Epharim4, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. Nov. 25, 1784, Westminster, Vt.; m. Anna Root. Rem. late in life to Algona, Iowa, to live with a daughter where he d. Oct. 7, 1873. She d. Aug. 2, 1870, Westminster West. Children:
251 Rhoda Harlow, b. Mar. 29, 1809; m. Benjamin Clark. Charles, b. May 18, 1824; m. Maria Stearns of Danville, Vt. and d. June 9, 1862. ___________________ 117 Hiram6 Ranney (Ephraim5, Ephraim4, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. June 4, 1792, Westminster West, Vt.; m. Jan. 27, 1819, Lydia Chase, who lived to be a centenarian and was of the Chase family of the Mayflower. The young couple began the dairy farm life and sent the butter and cheese of 25 cows to the Boston market. Having signed notes to accommodate a friend he lost most of his property. Setting out in a covered wagon they went in Oct. 1834, to Oxford County, Lower Canada, and settled at Hagel's Corners. She was employed to teach, having gone on horseback through the woods to St. Thomas, where she was examined and authorized to teach. A log house was erected and she began with 60 pupils, some of whom were young men over 21. She was the first teacher in that county. It was not long before Mr. Ranney had 700 acres in one tract. She survived her husband. A Salford Globe paper, not dated, contained her portrait at 100 years and gave the following: "Mrs. Ranney has been a widow for the past thirty years and has outlived all her children. Her grandchildren still living are: Sullivan P. Ranney of Salford, Judson Harris of Ingersoll, Rev. E. J. Harris, B.A., of Toronto, Mrs. Wm. Craig of Toronto, Mrs. (Prof.) S. J. McKee of Brandon College and Mrs. (Rev.) G. B. David of Hagersville. "Mrs. Ranney has been a reader of The Globe since the days of the Hon. George Brown, whom she had the privilege of entertaining in her own home." ___________________ 118 Grant Willis6 Ranney, (Ephraim5, Ephraim4, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. Mar. 25, 1804, Westminster West, Vt.; d. June 14, 1871, Westminster West; m. May 23, 1805, Anna Matilda Campbell, b. May 23, 1805; d. Mar. 1891; dau. of Edward R. Campbell and Anna Norton. Children:
253 Mary Ann, B. July 20, 1828; m. Wm. B. Cutting. Homer, b. Apr. 17, 1834; d. May, 1835. Rhoda, b. Dec. 4, 1836; d. Aug. 21, 1862; m. Judge Henry S. Severance, succeeding Judge Wm. H. Taft. Alfred Homer, b. Ag. 22, 1843, res. Kalamazaoo, Mich. 119 Elijah6 Ranney (Elijah5, Ephraim4, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. Sept. 15, 1773, Westminster West, Vt.; m. Nov. 10, 1791, Lydia Crawford, dau. of James Crawford and Grace Carpenter, "a woman of great mental and physical energy." James Crawford was a soldier of the Revolution. At sundown he heard of the battle of Lexington. Before sunrise he had started to join the gathering forces, leaving a son of 9 years with the wife to clear the burnt field and sow the grain. In the autumn he obtained a few weeks on furlough to gather in the crops. When that son was 90 years of age he would say, "I chopped the wood and drove the steers, mother helped to load and we kept warm all winter." Like his father and grandfather, Elijah Ranney, Jr. was a deacon. It was written by the Rev. A. Stevens of him and of Ebenezer Goodhue, a grandson of Deacon Ephraim4, "the former was slow in his plans and execution the latter was hasty; both were good, determined men and did not easily give up a measure they had attempted to carry. The Scotchman's prayers was appropriate for them both: 'O Lord, keep me right, for thou knowest I cannot change.'" Dr. Stevens on his 40th anniversary as pastor at Westminster West, Feb. 22, 1883, said: "In the body pews at the right sat Deacon Ebenezer Goodhue, then Joseph Ranney, Esq., Deacon Elijah Ranney, Calvin Ranney, Elisha Berry, Sr., and Jr., and Edward Campbell." Dr. Stevens married Mary Ann Arnold, dau. of Seth Shailer Arnold and granddaughter of Esther5 Ranney. Their twelve children were alive when, the youngest being over 50, all sat for their portraits which through Dr. Mark Ranney were placed together in one group as they are seen in this book. Children:
255 Alfred, b. Dec. 29, 1794. Elizabeth, b. Mar. 11, 1797; m. Dea. Asahel Goodell. 256 Fanny, b. Sept. 12, 1799; m. Dea. Edward Hallett. 257 Russell, b. Feb. 20, 1802. 258 Mark, b. Apr. 17, 1804. 259 Lydia, b. May 10, 1806; m. Frederick Goodell. 260 Elijah Bradford, b. Aug. 4, 1808. 261 Lyman Crawford, b. Sept. 22, 1810. 262 George, b. Feb. 7, 1813. Charles, b. Aug. 20, 1816; m. Jane Gorham, b. Oct. 26, 1818; d. Aug. 23, 1872, dau. of Isaac Gorham and Rebecca Hall. Farmer; Rep.; Cong. Rem. to St. Johnsbury, Vt. where he d. Feb. 26, 1899. No children. 120 Joseph6 Ranney (Elijah5, Ephraim4, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. Dec. 25, 1779, Westminster West, Vt.; m. (1) May 8, 1800, Mercy6 Hamblen, b. Oct. 27, 1781, Yarmouth, Mass.; d. Feb. 13, 1812, Westminster West, dau. of Joseph5 Hamblen, (-----4, Isaac3, Eleazar2, James1) and Susan Hedge; m. (2) Mar. 11, 1813, Tryphena Hitchcock, b. May 28, 1779, Westminster; d. Sept. 19, 1823, aged 34 years, dau. of Heli Hitchcock of Brimfield, Mass., and Tryphena Goodell. (The father of Joseph6, Deacon Elijah5, married (2) the widow of Heli Hitchcock and so became stepfather to his own son. A son of Joseph remembered harnessing the horse of his grandfather, Elijah5, to go courting his maternal grandmother); m. (3) Mar. 11, 1824, Westminster West, Mrs. Priscilla Farnham Arnold, b. Oct. 26, 1789, widow of Ambrose Arnold and adopted daughter of Joel5 Ranney and Rebecca Hall. Joseph6 Ranney d. Mar. 1, 1845. He was of almost giant stature and strength, holding his three-year-old daughter on his open hand with his arm straightened before him. He was an original member of the militia company commanded by Capt. Ephraim Ranney, Jr. His son, Henry Porteus, resides on the farm cleared by Elijah5. Children by 1st marriage:
263 Aretas, b. Nov. 14, 1803. 264 Philetus, b. Jan. 8, 1806. Matilda, b. May 20, 1808; d. unm. July 18, 1824. 265 Ira Patterson, b. Oct. 3, 1810. Children by 2d marriage:
266 Timothy Emerson, b. Jan. 17, 1815. 267 Joseph Addison, b. Feb. 17, 1817. Infant, b. Sept. 5, 1818; d. Nov. 5, 1818. Heli Hitchcock, b. Sept. 5, 1819; d. Dec. 6, 1819. Samuel Root, b. Oct. 12, 1820; Feb. 24, 1821. Harvey, b. Nov. 26, 1821; d. Jan. 4, 1826. Children by 3d marriage:
269 Rollin Wallace, b. Nov. 29, 1826. 270 Henry Porteus, b. Jan. 30, 1829. Rebecca Priscilla, b. Jan. 21, 1833; d. Apr. 18, 1844. 121 Elizabeth6 Ranney (Elijah5, Ephraim4, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. -----, Westminster West; d. -----; m. Levi Harlow, son of Eleazar Harlow of Taunton, Mass., who, at age of 20, in 1758, rem. to help settle Westminster and m. Rhoda Alexander of Northfield, Mass. Children:
Achsahlana, b. June 13, 1799; m. (1) Barnabas Clark; (2) Elijah Clark. Roxalana, b. June 13, 1799; m. Jesse Button. ___________________ 122 Daniel6 Ranney (Daniel5, Ephraim4, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. Apr. 14, 1781, Chester, Vt.; m. Aug. 2, 1802, Stockbridge, Vt., Martha Holland, b. June 11, 1783. He was a mem. of the Legislature. Children:
Sarah, b. Dec. 9, 1806; m.l Dec. 15, 1830, David Avery, b. Oct. 22, 1801. Children:
Sarah Ranney, b. Oct. 4, 1842. 273 Silas, b. Feb. 21, 1810. 274 Reuben, b. Oct. 31, 1811. Moses, b. Nov. 1, 1813; d. July 19, 1843; m. June 27, 1843, New York, Sarah Rogers. 275 Martha Gile, b. Aug. 25, 1816; m. Africa Davis. 276 Lucinda Holland, b. Feb. 19, 1819; m. Chas. A. Thomas. 277 Jonathan Holland, b. June 2, 1822. 278 Joel, b. June 4, 1825. 123 Moses6 Ranney (Daniel5, Ephraim4, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. Mar. 28, 1783, Chester, Vt.; m. Nov. 11, 1813, Bridgewater, Vt., Prudentia Wood Osborn, b. Mar. 27, 1793, Ware, Mass.; d. Jan. 10, 1864, the sixth child of John Osborn of Woburn, Mass., and Elizabeth Clark. He d. Apr. 12, 1858. She d. ----. Child:
124 Mary6 Ranney (Daniel5, Ephraim4, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. July 26, 1791, Stockbridge, Vt.; m. 1810, Stockbridge, Vt., Jonathan Holland, b. 1785; d. Aug. 29, 1841, Stockbridge, son of Reuben Holland and Joan Cobb. He served in War of 1812, farmer; Univ. Ch. She d. mem. Cong. Ch. and d. Sept. 1, 1878, Stockbridge, Vt. Children:
Eunice, b. 1813; m. Thomas Hunt. Patty, b. 1817; m. Joseph Howe. 280 Sarah, b. 1821; m. Nathan Davis. 281 Lucy, b. July 3, 1825; m. Chas. Luther. 282 Jonathan J., b. 1829. 125 Joel6 Ranney (Daniel5, Ephraim4, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. May 9, 1805, Stockbridge, Vt.; m. Nov., 8, 1826, Rochester, Vt., Elizabeth T. Morse, b. 1800; d. July 18, 1858, Metamora, Ill., dau. of Capt. Parker Morse who rem. 1835, to Ill. Joel6 rem. 1838, to Metamora, Ill., Dea. Of Cong. Ch.; active in temperance matters, strongly anti- slavery, a man of ability and aggressiveness, d. Jan. 13, 1848, Metamore, Ill. Children:
284 Joel Alden, b. Oct. 18, 1831. Elizabeth Ellen, b. Oct. 18, 1831; d. May 31, 1832. 126 Waitstill Randolph6 Ranney (Waitstill5, Ephraim4, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. May 23, 1791, Chester, Vt.; d. Aug. 23, 1853, West Townsend, Vt.; m. (1) -----, 1811, Chester, Vt., Phebe Atwood, b. Nov., 28, 1789, Chester, Vt.; d. July 7, 1844, dau.of Jeremiah Atwood and Zilpha Willard; m. (2) Apr. 29, 1846, Mrs. Mary A. Cook. Waitstill Randolph Ranney, second child of Waitstill Ranney, was born in the village of Chester, Vt. His father removed to a 1000 acre farm, 3 miles from the village, and the two boys walked this distance to school for 12 weeks of the winter; yet at 16 years of age they were teachers. As a scholar he always excelled his classmates and showed at a very early age a strong desire for learning. He often told of passing Harvard College when a boy, driving to market some swine, and of seeing students in those enchanted grounds. A man of learning and of influence seemed to his young heart to be as much above the common herd as he above his drove, little thinking he was ever to stand on that high ground. But in after life he felt that his early training, its hardships, its self-denials, and even its temptations, helped form whatever was worthy in his character. At sixteen years of age his father took him to Charleston, N. H., to the Rev. M. Foster's High School, knowing but little of the time or money fully needed to educate him through a term of years. A literary course began, and with it a studiousness from twelve to fourteen hours a day. Instead of needing three years in preparation he had in one year mastered six books of Aeneid, four Orations of Cicero, and the four Evangelists in Greek. By an accident he was prevented from entering in the fall, but taught through the winter, and in the spring entered Middlebury College with the class of the former year. Leaving college at nineteen he taught for some months in the academy at Malone, N. Y., and returned to his Chester home where at the age of twenty he married Phebe Atwood. He studied medicine at Dartmouth College and then settled in West Townshend where at the age of twenty-two in 1814 he commenced the practice of his profession, and often remarked: "If I could live a hundred lives I would be a physician every time." In an address before Woodstock Medical College he said: "But there are men in the practice of medicine who stand unmoved by trials or temptations of gain - men of sensitive minds and conscientious hearts, who, as Philosophers and Philanthropists are an honor to their profession and the world, who are willing to sacrifice ease and comfort for the drudgery of professional life; who live to alleviate the sufferings of the distressed; to heal where it is possible; to support the dying head; to wipe from the brow the gathering damps of death, pointing the departing spirit to the painless realms above." Again: "Though Heaven and earth attest to his faithfulness and skill, yet upon him rests the responsibility to the patient - to the friends, and to God." In poverty and strong competition for eight years he struggled on with a family of children now numbering seven, relying alone on the income of his profession for support. The riding over those high hills and long roads, through rain and hail, and drifting snows, with no conveyance for the journey but a horse's back, and all with the miserable pittance then meted out for such services, might have made the stoutest heart quail. Yet, with an endurance seldom equaled, and a frugality, at this day hardly known, he supported his rapidly increasing family, and even laid by something for future investments. In 1822 he purchased a farm half a mile from the village and connected agricultural pursuits with professional duties. The indebtedness on the farm was paid; the nine sons were all well educated in the public schools; seven of them were prepared to enter the learned professions; four of them were sent to be collegiately instructed. In 1837 the farm was relinquished to a son and he removed to the center of the village of the town near the academy. His wife after a long illness from cancer died, July 6, 1844, and in 1846 he married Mrs. Mary A. Cook. In 1849 his health began to fail. In his sixty-third year he was gathered in, fully ripe for the harvest, clearly sensible of his condition, and all things made ready. Conspicuous in his death as in life; strong in faith; calm in his trust; childlike in his simplicity. He was interested in every philanthropic enterprise, active in the town, the church and the State. He was a member of a Constitutional convention, of the house of the General Assembly, three years in the State Senate, for two years Lieut.-Governor of the State, and came within one vote of being elected U. S. Senator. He presided on the summit of the Green Mountains when Daniel Webster gathered his many thousands to that wilderness, to urge them to save their country from corruption and disunion. He often lectured before literary institutions, agricultural and medical societies. As a statesman, he was far above all wire-pulling or office seeking. No enemy ever dared to assert that any corruption or bribery was ever practiced on him. Far removed from any similar purpose, he was selected and voted for by those who knew his abilities, and needed his services. The Legislative body that passed an act to appropriate the national surplus revenue to the use of Common Schools well remember his remarks on that occasion, it being an extra session. Many a scheme had been devised to turn these funds to internal improvement, banking purposes, etc., and the speakers were ready to urge through their plans, but they were all thwarted, and their schemes so effectually exposed, that no answer was made, and an adjournment as a compliment to the speaker was immediately carried. He was a man of wonderful physical vigor and endurance; he had a mind of a capacity far above the ordinary standard; his application and achievement in the varied departments of life, under all his embarrassments were almost incredible. As a Christian statesman he was a model politician; as a citizen he was upright, and a man of great usefulness; as a husband and father, devoted in his attachments, impartial in all his acts, and worthy of the highest love. As a Christian, consistent, active, faithful, prayerful, living his religion and dying in its full enjoyment. (The above is principally from "Lives of Eminent Americans.") The compiler of this work has in his possession a private letter written Sept. 1, 1879, by a son of Dr. Ranney to a distant cousin of whom he had till then not heard, the Rev. Timothy Emerson Ranney, from which the following is taken: "My father, considering his humble birth and limited opportunities in an obscure place, was a man of marked ability. He combined all the traits of character which make one a master of the situation. Of commanding affection, good address he was one to whom the world looked up as a leader in the affairs of town, church and Sate. As a physician he was an authority, as a successful financier in a small way he never had a peer. The rearing of thirteen children to manhood with no bad habits and with good education for those days at an expense of from eight to ten thousand dollars from a limited income and no capital to start with is a marvel the world now knows nothing of. As a politician he never resorted to chicanery, or irregular methods of vote buying. As an executor of trusts he never swerved an iota from the strict rules of right and justice. He was honored in town as a man of large ability in every position in the family or church or as physician, and in the offices he filled as representative, Senator and Lieut.-Governor. His memory has left to his children a sweet savor. The thirteen children, all married, survived him for many years, had many reunions at the old homestead in West Townshend, and in Chester, the town of his birth. His children and grandchildren there rehearsed the scenes of childhood and cemented more closely the family tie. There were nine sons, six of them physicians, one clergyman, one lawyer and one farmer. Most of them have been very successful in their business and esteemed as men. Five successful physicians in New York City, one a lawyer of large wealth, the brother clergyman graduating at Middlebury College, whom you knew, the other, one of the New York physicians whom you knew, had by successful practice accumulated quite a fortune. The sisters have all passed away. One married a lawyer after a successful career as teacher in Brooklyn, the other three married farmers, worthy men of means, respected and loved by all who knew them." The first reunion of the children at the old homestead was on June 1, 1846, to celebrate the father's fifty-sixth birthday. Three were held in his lifetime. The eighth was held in Chester in 1866, for four days, and its record is in a pamphlet of forty-eight pages. In 1855 a volume of "Reminiscences" was published, containing many letters addressed by him to his children at various times and under varying circumstances. They reveal his inner manhood. It contains his addresses to his children and grandchildren at the reunions. The following is from the address of his oldest son on May 28, 1851, when 23 children and 18 grandchildren were present: "We are all here! Father, mother, Sister, brother, All who hold each other dear. Each chair is filled, we're all at home. It is not often that around Our old familiar hearth we're found. Bless thus the meeting and the spot, For once be every care forgot; Let gentle peace assert her power. And kind affection rule the hour. We're all, all here!" Children:
286 Darwin Harlow, b. Dec. 13, 1812. 287 Stella Laurenza, b. July 4, 1814. 288 Alfred Atwood, b. June 24, 1816. 289 Henry Davis, b. Oct. 31, 1817. 290 Lafayette, b. Aug. 16, 1819. 291 Ambrose Arnold, b. Apr. 16, 1821. 292 Stephen Eleazer, b. Sept. 1, 1822. 293 James Waitstill, b. Sept. 23, 1824. 294 Helen Louisa, b. Feb. 10, 1826. 295 Frances Sophia, b. Jan. 25, 1828. 296 Martin Luther, b. Jan. 20, 1830. 297 Mary Angeline, b. Aug. 20, 1832. 127 Rev. Seth Shailer6 Arnold (Esther5 Ranney, Ephraim4, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. Feb. 22, 1788, Westminster, Vt.; m. (1) Ann House of Hebron, Ct.; m. (2) Mrs. Mary Grout of Ackworth, N. H.; Grad. 1812, Middlebury Coll.; studied theology with Rev. Dr. Breckenridge in Washington, D. C., and Rev. Sylvester Sage in Westminster. Pastor in various places. d. Apr. 3, 1871, Ascutneyville, Vt. Children:
Mary Ann, b. Nov. 16, 1817; m. 1846, Rev. Alfred Stevens, pastor at Westminster, Vt., for 40 years. Local historian. She d. 1857, he d. 1893. Sophia, b. -----; d. while student at Mt. Holyoke Sem. Caroline, b. 1827; m. 1850, Albert L. Waite. 128 Ambrose Tyler6 Arnold (Esther5 Ranney, Ephraim4, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. Nov. 19, 1790, Westminster, Vt.; d. Dec. 2, 1818, Westminster; m. Oct. 26, 1814, Priscilla Farnham, b. Oct. 26, 1789, Walpole, N. H.; d. Apr. 28, 1871, Westminster. She was the adopted daughter of Joel5 Ranney and m. (2) Mar. 11, 1824, Joseph6 Ranney as his 3d wife. Children:
299 Fenelon, b. Jan. 25, 1817. 129 Rev. Joel Ranney6 Arnold (Esther5 Ranney, Ephraim4, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. Apr. 25, 1794, Westminster, Vt.; m. Julia Arnold. Grad. Middlebury Coll., studied medicine then theology with Rev. Sylvester Sage and his brother, Rev. Seth Shailer Arnold. Settled 14 years at Chester, N. H. and many years in Colchester, Conn. Eleven children. ___________________ 130 James6 Ranney (Janna5, Ephraim4, Thomas3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. Apr. 20, 1790, Westminster, Vt.; m. May 22, 1811, Rebecca Parker, b. June 30, 1790, Springfield, Vt.; d. June 17, 1833, Delaware, Ohio, dau. of Isaac Parker and Elizabeth Walker. Prof. Of Languages; res. in Ohio; then in Ala; d. June, 1835, Claiborne, Ala. Children:
Lewis Phelps, b. July 10, 1814; d. Feb., 1817. 301 Lewis H., b. Oct. 18, 1817. 302 Isaac, b. Feb. 21, 1820. 130a George6 Andrus (Sarah5 Ranney, Willett4, Willett3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. Oct. 11, 1789; m. Aug. 16, 1810, Angelina Betts, dau. of Capt. Jesse Betts and Mary Jarvis of Norwalk, Ct. He was prominent in business life and had 12 children.
George8 Allen, b. Mar. 1, 1840, attended the Zion Ch. School. R. R. clerk 1864-1891. Since then with Citizen's Nat. Bank, Adams, N. Y. 130b Delia Ann6 Willis (Sybil5 Ranney, Willettt4, Willett3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. 1793; d. 1860; m. Sept. 15, 1816, Adams, N. Y., William Hart, b. 1786, Clinton, N. Y., d. Nov. 6, 1834, son of Amasa Hart and Phebe Roberts, who rem. from Bristol, Conn., to Clinton, N. Y. Children:
William Dwight, b. 1818; d. unm. 1898, Adams, N. Y. Georgie, b. -----; d. -----. Henry, b. -----; d. -----, age 28. Delia, b. 1828; d. Nov. 1859, Oswego, N. Y.; m. Naaman Hungerford. 302a John Jay, b. Mar. 13, 1831. 131 Willett Ranney6 Willis (bro. to Delia Ann), b. Feb. 22, 1799, Cayuga, N. Y.; d. Jan. 27, 1877, Adams, N. Y.; m. May 19, 1829, West Schuyler, N. Y., Mary Burch b. Oct. 27, 1800; d. Sept. 2, 1882, dau. of Robert Burch and Polly Spaulding. He was a woolen manufacturer for over 50 years. Was a noted abolitionist co-operating with Gerritt Smith in conducting a station of the underground railroad to Canada, a Republican and Presbyterian. Children:
Elizabeth, b. July 20, 1832; d. May, 1903; m. Thomas Coughlan; dau. is Mrs. James W. Taylor, N. Y. City. Robert Burch, b. Sept. 6, 1834; d. July 9, 1800. Isaac Burch, b. Aug. 27, 1836; d. Jan. 8, 1889; m. Feb. 15, 1865, Brooklyn, N. Y., Agnes Rebecca Smith, b. Mar. 27, 1841, Stamford, Ct.; dau. of Joseph Smith and Caroline Elizabeth Lockwood. He was a merchant, F. & A. M., Rep., Epis. Child:
Katherine, b. Jan. 20, 1842; m. G. W. Mackie, she res. Adams, N. Y. 132 Anson6 Ranney (Willett5, Willett4, Willett3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. Aug. 5, 1802; m. Sept. 13, 1832, Watertown, N. Y., Mary Ann Eliza Gasner, the adopted daughter of Olney Pearce, the officiating clergyman being the Rev. George S. Boardman. His death occurred Mar. 31, 1859. She d. Mar. 31, 1852, aged 39 years. As Anson Ranney had injured himself in the woods when a boy his father determined to make a business man of him. From a sketch of him by Mr. Joseph Fayel in the Watertown Daily Standard of May 19, 1906, it is gathered that Anson was naturally a very quick and studious boy and was also fond of reading all books that he could buy or borrow. While he was suffering under his infirmities kind friends would bring him text books, and by studious application he became a good English scholar. He mastered the intricacies of higher mathematics without a teacher, and was a fine and rapid penman. He became a clerk in the store of Olney Pearce in Watertown, a very prominent merchant and public spirited citizen, marrying his adopted daughter and becoming his partner in the business, which was established at Theresa. There were then but a few scattering houses there and the ashes gathered from burning the timber in clearing lands was about the only commodity the people had to sell in exchange for store goods. The ashes were manufactured into potash, then a valuable article of commerce. Mr. Ranney had a literary turn of mind and spent his evenings in congenial pursuits. He was a worker in the Presbyterian Church and was of the Henry Clay stamp in politics, very liberal in church schools and public affairs. He was the pioneer in improving the power at the falls on Indian River. In 1834 he constructed a dam and in 1838 erected a large flouring mill. Children:
Child:
Child:
Edward Ferguson, b. Jan. 22, 1838; d. Apr. 18, 1839. Edward Willett, b. July 31, 1840; d. Sept. 17, 1841. Olney Pearce, b. Sept. 1, 1842; d. May 30, 1869; m. Nov. 10, 1864, Annie E. Fernald who res. Washington, D. C. Philip, b. Oct. 23, 1845; d. June, 1905, N. Y. City. First Lieut. Co. K, 26th N. Y. Cav. Vols., mustered out at close of war; in lumber business in Lockport, N. Y.; Capt. 7th Separate Co. N. Y. S. N. G.; 1877 to Chicago; 1880-84 lumber business in St. Paul, later in gold mining. Anson, b. Oct. 1, 1847; d. Jan. 25, 1849. 133 John6 Ranney (Willett5, Willett4, Willett3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. Jan. 16, 1803, Rome, N. Y.; d. Aug., 1891, at the residence of his son, George in Cannonsburg, Mich.; m. Mar. 29, 1827, Lovina Bristol, b. Aug. 18, 1805; d. Mar 29, 1866. He was a farmer at Smithville, N. Y., then a pioneer in Greeley, Col. Children:
304 Willett Phineas, b. Sept. 1, 1830. 305 Daniel Bristol, b. Jan. 2, 1834. De Elbert, b. June 28, 1839; d. Feb. 7, 1887; m. 1869, Eva Chappell of Green Bay. Mary Butler, b. Sept. 1, 1841; m. June 16, 1872, James M. Hungerford. Res. Toronto, Canada. 306 Martha Cornelia, b. May 2, 1845. Emma Jeannette, b. Mar. 13, 1851; d. May, 1898; m. Julius Marx; dau. Edith, b. Oct. 1874. Res. Denver, Col. ___________________ 134 Sophronia6 Ranney (Willett5, Willett4, Willett3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. Mar. 31, 1807, Rome, N. Y.; m. Feb. 9, 1832, Redfield, N. Y., Reuban Drake, b. Jan. 15, 1801, Redfield, N. Y.; d. Feb. 5, 1895, Wabasha, Minn. He was app. By President Jackson postmaster at Redfield and held it for 30 years, then P. M. for some years at Beaver, Minn.; 1846, N. Y. Legislature; J. P. of Redfield for years. She was a mem. Of Disciples Ch. And d. Feb. 15, 1887, Beaver, Minn. Children:
308 Jeannette, b. Aug. 8, 1836; m. J. R. Martin. 309 Brayton, b. Nov. 18, 1838. 310 Margaret, b. Apr. 25, 1842; m. Wm Buckingham. 135 Mary6 Ranney (Willett5, Willett4, Willett3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. Feb. 1, 1809, Rome, N. Y.; d. May 20, 1899, Akron, O.; m. Jan. 25, 1832, Volney Chamberlain, b. Dec. 5, 1804, Redfield, N. Y.; d. Apr. 23, 1885, Stow, O., son of Ebenezer Chamberlain and Susanna Jones of Middletown, Ct. Children:
Children:
Charles V., b. Jan. 19, 1863; d. June 6, 1869. Marian Gertrude, b. Nov. 6, 1837; unm., res. Akron, O. Leora Esther, b. Oct., 1840; m. Oct. 2, 1866, Stow, O., John Deuble, b. Mar. 15, 1842, Canton, O.; d. Oct. 4, 1894; druggist; Q. M. S. and 2d Lieut. Co. H, 115th Reg., O. V. I., Aug. 12, 1862-June 22, 1865. Widow res. Akron, O. Children:
Children:
Willett Kennette, b. Nov. 10, 1903. James Willett, b. Oct. 6, 1843; m. Nov. 16, 1871, Emma Virginia Fay, b. Apr. 5, 1845, Akron, O., dau. of Nahum Fay and Lucia Cummings; Meth., D. A. R. He is mech. Engineer, Rep., Serg. Co. C, 115th O. V. I., Aug. 10, 1862-June 22, 1865; G. A. R.; res. Akron, Ohio. Charles Lester, b. June 28, 1846, Redfield, N. Y.; d. Aug. 20, 1899, Wabasha, Minn.; m. Nov. 20, 1870, Loretta Woodard, b. Sept. 27, 1846, of English ancestry; Rep., Cong., F. & A. M., lumber, active in public improvements. Widow res. Wabasha, Minn. Children:
Mary Gertrude, b. Aug. 5, 1877. Willett Ranney, b. Dec. 1, 1879; m. May 6, 1903, Etta Monroe, b. Dec. 25, 1878, of Scotch ancestry. Res. Wabasha, Minn. Child:
136 Jeanette6 Ranney (Willett5, Willett4, Willett3, Thomas2, Thomas1), b. Nov. 22, 1811, Smithville, N. Y.; d. Mar. 15, 1894, St. Paul, Minn.; m. -----, 1844, Dr. Sheldon Brooks, b. ----- son of -----. In 1856 ill health sent Dr. Brooks to the territory of Minnesota, where he built a home in the White Water Valley, laid out a town and named it Beaver. Minnesota was admitted as a State in 1868. He was a member of the second session of its legislature, making the journey to St. Paul, 30 hours distant by stage-relays up the frozen Mississippi. All that goes to make pioneer life Jeanette Ranney Brooks and Dr. Brooks experienced. They resided later at Minneiska and Winona, he dying in the latter place -----. The widow then resided with her children in St. Paul under her death. Children:
311 Lester Ranney, b. May 19, 1847. 312 Dwight Frederic, b. June 10, 1849. 313 Anson Strong, b. Sept. 6, 1852. ___________________ 137 Orville Willett6 Ranny (same as supra), b. 1814, Adams, N. Y.; m. 1851, Amelia E. Goodale, who d. Nov., 1903, Buffalo, N. Y., the daughter of Dr. Goodale of Watertown, N. Y. At 15 he was a clerk in his brother Anson's store. In 1835 he was with Carrington & Pratt of Oswego. In 1839 in Salina with McCarthy & Son. In 1844 he rem. to Buffalo and engaged in the salt trade with great success until the law of 1859 changed the current. Then he became a mfr. He d. 1883. Child:
Child:
___________________ 137a Lester6 Ranney (Bro. to Anson), b. Sept. 29, 1815; d. Apr. 10, 1887; m. Olive Mahala Wood, b. Aug. 21, 1821, d. Dec. 26, 1895. He bought all the other interests in the home farm and died on the old homestead. He dealt largely in neat cattle for years. The old homestead was for years the rallying place of the Willett Ranney clan. Children:
Orville Wood, b. Mar. 5, 1849, unm. Res. on the old homestead, dealer in neat cattle. Lester Brodner, b. Aug. 27, 1859; d. Apr. 22, 1874. |