Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutJournal_Adaline_HosnerTOMPKINS COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY Na v i ga 7 v n c ;A Sua Oy R n s ou r (:n s Title: Author: Call number: Publisher: Pioneer Clevelands :from the journal Adaline Cleveland Hosner and the family records preserved by her granddaughter Mrs.Jessie Agard Hosner,Adaline Cleveland LH 920 CLEVELAND Ithaca,NY :DeWitt Historical Society of of Tompkins County,1956., Owner: Assigned Branch: Collection: Ithaca -Tompkins County Public Library Ithaca -Tompkins County Public Library (TCPL) Local History (LH) Material type:Book Number of pages:60 pages Note:The History Center in Tompkins County,who owns the copyright,gave TCPL permission to digitize this book, October 2009. Digitization of this material was made possible with a 2009 grant from the Park Foundation r^ O) LD CM CD in m <r LH-REF 9 20 Cleveland Hosner,Adaline Cleveland , 1809-1882. Pioneer CI eve lands:from the -journal of Adaline Cleveland For Reference Not to be taken from this room Tompkins County Public Library Ithaca,NY The Pioneer Clevelands Edited by William Heidt,Jr. from the Journal of Adaline Cleveland Hosner and the family records preserved by her granddaughter Mrs.Jessie Agard 1956 DeWitt Historical Society of Tompkins County,Inc. Old Courthouse Ithaca New York tc.v.?:c:ns c:u:::y runic library 312 NORTH CAYUGA STREET ITHACA,NEW YORK 14850 Introduction When newly wed Josiah Cleveland and Fanny Lathrop of Con necticut in 1798 looked to the future,they looked to "the West."To them,Central New York was West,and it was a wilderness from which the Indians had been driven a scarce twenty years before by General Sullivan's expedition.His re turned campaigners pictured it as a section of great promise to cultivators of hard-scrabble acres in the older states to the east. Through advertisements,these favorable reports were greatly enhanced by claims of land speculators,and the military tract of twenty-eight townships was opened for settlement.Imagina tions were fired.Young people and old treked westward.The great American migration was thus touched off,and before it ceased the Pacific was reached within a half century. The young Clevelands came to exploit the wilderness and im prove their lot in life.They came not in search of vast riches but for a place in which to rear a family and provide a competence for their old age.On the way,they tarried a few years in Dela ware County,made a sojourn in Herkimer County,then came to Tompkins County about 1810.At Updike Settlement,now known as District 15,in the Town of Ulysses they found the earth so good that it became their final resting place. While they came after the first settlers had located in the town,they arrived when its population was only 927 notwith standing Ulysses then included the present-day towns of Ithaca and Enfield.They came early enough to be numbered among the pioneers who dwelt in log cabins while they determinedly hewed out farmsteads from virgin forests. A daughter kept a journal for more than a half century,and the Bible entries carry the family record back to 1742.Between this date and that of the daughter's death in 1882,we have 140 years of family history during an era when this section of the state emerged from its pioneering stage. 6 The Pioneer Clevelands The journal was kept by Adaline Cleveland (1809-1882),who married Isaac Hosner January 23,1833,in the house that her father built.The first frame house in District 15,it still stands. The journal comprises two notebooks made of sheets of rag paper sewn together,a homemade product.The first is of four teen pages,the second of more than sixty.Of the latter,sixty pages are extant and for the most part are decipherable although faded and frayed.Two fragments held by the binding indicate at least four early pages are missing,and a break in the record evi dences loss of two final pages.The smaller journal is devoted to the Cleveland family,particularly stressing the deaths of three members in a typhoid fever epidemic of 1825.Later,this mate rial was printed in a modest pamphlet which is reprinted in this volume. The first date in the remaining pages of the second notebook is 1838.As she married five years previously and went to live in a log cabin in the Town of Hector,this volume marks the begin ning of her married life.Its final entry was made a few months before her death in 1882. The first entries are made by a quill pen dipped in iron ink; later,the steel pen displaced the quill.Throughout,the penman ship and the thoughts recorded reflect the strong character and literacy of Adaline Cleveland Hosner.They indicate,too,that she was a well-informed,militant church member.Early in her youth she joined the Baptist church and remained a devoted sis ter to the last.In later years,she was greatly annoyed by grow ing deafness that denied her the satisfaction of hearing her pastor from the pulpit. A fundamentalist,the Bible was her daily companion and last resort when trials beset her,as they often did.On one occasion, a family dissension at the breakfast table sent her to the barn to seek the answer in her beloved Bible.She believed firmly in meeting-going.Her husband did not.For a period of several years before one son became old enough to drive her to church, she determinedly walked the two miles. Also,she believed in daily family prayer and Bible-reading. Again,her husband did not,and this was a cross that she bore not too patiently,she ultimately confesses for forty years.But The Pioneer Clevelands 7 with the help of her grown children,who were meeting-going Baptists,her strong will prevailed.Her husband was converted. After his conversion,she watched him closely lest he become a backslider.However,to her unbounded joy,he remained stead fast,and she buried him as one who had been saved.Notwith standing the considerable victory,the journal bears evidence of feeling that she had failed to do as much for the church as she should have. Mrs.Hosner lived tensely and took her family responsibilities no less seriously than she did those of her church.However,in later years she confided to her journal that,perhaps,she had been too zealous,and left some words of advice on the point to the newly married. All through the record both Christian and family names are variously spelled:Cleveland,Cleaveland;Julia Ann,Juliann; Ervin,Ervan,Irvin;Adaline,Adeline;Hosner,Hausner.To save the reader confusion,the most frequent spelling has been adopt ed.In the case of Hosner,this form has been followed;in the family Bible.The name,originally Hasner,is Dutch. Entries in the journal furnish suggestions for several topics pertaining to the social history of Tompkins County and neigh boring areas during the middle years of the nineteenth century which span the close of the pioneering era and the flowering of agriculture in the region.The brief entries have been expanded so as to present a fuller picture of life of the time,with its successes and failures,its struggles and rewards. Adaline Cleveland Hosner's long-kept journal is in the hands of a granddaughter,Mrs.Jessie Agard of Trumansburg R.D.3. Not only did Mrs.Agard make the journal available,but she gave generously of her time to search out and provide details not encompassed by the original source.This editor and his readers are indebted to the grandmother and her granddaugher,the one for recording and the other for conserving,so much community history. Ithaca,N.Y.,October,1,1956.W.H.,Jr. Church Follows Cabin Scarcely had the first frail wisps of smoke from the scattered pioneers' cabins begun to commingle with the haze over the primeval forest than three Methodist missionaries appeared in the Town of Ulysses.They came as early as 1795.These circuit riders held classes at several settlements,but it was not until 1824 that the Methodist church was built in Macktown.Subse quently it was sold,but seven years later the Methodist Episco pal Church of Trumansburg was organized. Next in order of appearance came a Presbyterian minister in 1800.Three years later an organization was perfected,and in 1811 a 30x40 log edifice was erected jointly by Presbyterians and Baptists in District 15,then known as Updike Settlement. But the denomination that most concerned Adaline Cleveland Hosner was the Baptist church of which she became a member in 1815.For the remainder of her seventy-three years she not only maintained that affiliation but was a devoted churchgoer and active worker. This church was organized in 1819 in the log meetinghouse in the settlement.There were twenty-six members,brought to gether by the Rev.Oliver C.Comstock,who had held a series of revivals in the neighborhood during the preceding winter and spring.The next year her father,Josiah Cleveland,became one of the three deacons. Known as the Second Baptist Church of Ulysses,worship was held alternately in the log meetinghouse and in John McLallen's barn in Trumansburg.Elder Comstock remained as pastor until 1827,when the church had 108 members.Three years before,a large edifice had been erected ;twenty years later a still larger church was built in Trumansburg.This building burned in 1849 and was succeeded by the present building,dedicated in 1851. The early churches were fundamentalist,and emotionalism played a leading part in conversions at revivals.Perhaps this is 8 The Pioneer Clevelands 9 the reason for the appeal they made to women,as there were far more conversions among women than among men and fewer backsliders as well.There seemed to be no overt rivalry among the three church groups.While the journal contains but a single reference to the Presbyterians and that expressing sympathy for the pastor against whom some unpleasant charge had been preferred there are several references that indicate the Baptist and the Methodist groups co-operated. These two bodies joined in revivals,and when one or the other pulpit was vacant,the congregations worshipped jointly in the church with a pastor.Some members of Mrs.Hosner 's family were Methodists,but no asperity tinged her statement of the fact. Mrs.Hosner's journal is less a diary than a record of the devel opment of her Christian philosophy.Local events are entered primarily,it would seem,to indicate the nature of problems that were causing her anxiety at the time.Since these were often widely spaced not infrequently three or four years elapse be tween entries these intervals serve the useful purpose of matur ing her thoughts.In turn,she candidly admits revisions and softenings of early harsher conclusions. Her journal is largely devoted to discussion of her problems; the search for the guidance she found in the Bible;with her fear of weakening before the world and her struggle to maintain her Christian way of life;with her prayers and discussions of those answered and those that went unanswered.For this reason the journal has not been printed in*toto:few readers other than spe cialists would persevere to the end. Health Hazard of Pioneer Not the least challenge of the wilderness was the suscepti bility of the pioneer to injuries and illness.Medical science,as primitive as the environment,could offer but little more skill than that of the mothers and grandmothers who treated many cases unassisted by a physician. Inherent in the work connected with forest removal and land clearing were many dangers.These ranged from being crushed 10 The Pioneer Clevelands by falling trees,gashes from deflected axes,broken bones, and sprains to severe burns.There were drownings and sun strokes.Excepting crushings and drownings,the women of the household were about as able to treat accidents as were the doctors. But diptheria and the fevers typhoid,scarlet and malarial were beyond their skill,and mostly beyond those of the doctors. Smallpox,cholera morbus,cancer,consumption,and appendi citis were so little understood that the combined efforts of medical science and home treatment could save but pitifully few of the many who were stricken. Fortunately pneumonia,then known as congestion of the lungs,was far less common than might be supposed from the fre quent overexposure to wet and cold to which the pioneer was inevitably subjected.This circumstance was due to the prompt treatment by the wives and mothers who resorted to sweats and poultices in attacking chest colds.Herbal teas,hot and liberally imbibed,and mustard plasters applied to the chest,while the patient rested in bed,averted pneumonia and thus limited the number of fatalities. But many a sturdy pioneer succumbed to inflamation of the bowels,as appendicitis was then termed.Surgery in his era had scarcely progressed beyond bonesetting and tooth extraction. Vital statistics were the private information of doctors,who kept mostly a mental record of cases lost.Here and there,how ever,one comes upon fuller recordings of some doctors who practiced in the early 1800s,and from them something of the state of medicine and health is learned.Here and there,too,are found journals that record family afflictions and furnish details the doctors omitted.Dr.Lewis Beers of Danby left such a medi cal record and Adaline Cleveland Hosner 's journal describes poignantly one such tragedy under her parental roof. Dr.Beers moved into Danby in 1797 to begin farming,but not to practice medicine.However,there was so much sickness in the sparsely settled region that he was prevailed upon to treat the ill.This development he recounts in his memoir compiled in 1847 from his collected memoranda.He reports that the coun try was rapidly filling up with settlers and that many of them The Pioneer Clevelands 11 suffered from "swamp fever." Today,this would be malaria. His treatment was a rugged one,but he reports that during one epidemic he lost "not a while the nearest doctor,at Genoa,was not so fortunate.All in all,Dr.Beers was a godsend to a sprawling section of what is now Tompkins County,albeit his preparation for practicing medicine and surgery comprised a six-month apprenticeship to a Connecticut practitioner and the study of thirty medical volumes. Dr.Beers brought a few medical supplies with him for use in his family and party.When he decided to resume practice,he learned of a source of supply in Catskill.It may be assumed that as long as he continued practice,stagecoaches over the Catskill Turnpike brought his drugs in promptly. Until 1852,typhoid fever was considered a form of typhus.In that year,however,it was pathologically determiend to be a dis ease of quite different origin.It was correctly establised as a result of insanitary living conditions.Even at that late date few doctors were prepared to cope with typhoid fever in rural sec tions,but by end of the century they had made vast strides in its conquest. In her early journal,Adaline Cleveland Hosner recounts a visi tation of "typhus" in her father's family.She says:"New Year's Eve [1825],having invited some Christian friends in,we had a pleasant visit.After supper,we had a prayer meeting;our minds became seriously impressed that we should not all meet again. "That evening Gordon was taken sick;medical aid was em ployed,but about the fourth day he became deranged.His disease wore the threatening aspect of the fever which is typhus,and continued to rage until but little hope was left of his recovery. ...The ninth day he became rational.He made inquiries respect ing his sickness,how long he had been sick,what his complaint was,and whether hope was entertained for his recovery.. .It was told him that it was doubtful whether he would get well "It was a trying scene for us.We had hitherto enjoyed almost uninterrupted health.Mother,on this occasion,was not stupid or insensible 'for all,a mother's soul was She had years before been called to give up her babes;but when this,her oldest son upon whom rested the hope of her declining years ...was 12 The Pioneer Clevelands called for,it was deeply distressing.Yet she uttered not a murmuring word.About midnight [Jan.10,1825]he left this He was 23 years old. A fortnight later,a sister,Julia Ann,was taken with a high fever that ended fatally February 27.She was 22.Then one after another the family came down with the fever until six lay under the doctor's care.These included the mother and a married son, John.All recovered except this son,who succumbed April 17 at the age of 21. Once again typhoid fever claimed a member of Adaline Cleve land Hosner's family.On Jan.1,1865,she opened her journal dolefully:"During the past year,death has entered our family circle.Lovina's husband has been carried away by death.The disease was congestion of the lungs and typhoid fever.He left a wife and an infant son three weeks This son-in-law was Albert R.Tucker who had married Lovina Hosner July 21,1863. Typhoid fever wrought its greatest havoc among those under 25 years of age,medical records indicate.Cholera morbus carried off infants of two years and younger.Diphtheria and scarlet fever were the scourges of childhood.Carrie Manning of the Kline School District,writing in her diary as late as 1869,gives an account of her scarlet fever attack.She mentions others in the area as afflicted at the same time and notes several deaths. As to the cause of the deaths,the inference in plain. Elder Swick Wins Vindication While the journal indicates that women were active members of the church of the pioneers,they could be troublesome to the elder.Under an entry of Feb.21, 1841, Mrs.Hosner tells of the charges brought against Elder Swick by a sister,and how a trial terminated in his favor.Mrs.Hosner's account: "The church met for a special meeting to investigate the sub ject of Sister Garrison's complaint against Elder Swick.She had absented herself from the church for about a year when the brethren appointed a committee to wait upon her.The commit tee was Deacons Cleveland, Owen, Sears and Dr.Georgia. "She stated that her reasons for neglecting the church were as follows :For his baptizing her daughter against her wishes ;for The Pioneer Clevelands 13 indecent conduct toward her in her house,and for abusing her on account of their boy's quarreling. "At the meeting,it was voted that Dr.Georgia should make a statement of their labors in trying to reconcile Sister Garrison with the In replying to the first charge,Elder Swick said that he saw a reluctance on the part of Elizabeth to do her duty,but he had gained evidence that she was a Christian.He urged her to be baptized,as it was his practice,with no desire to offend Sister Garrison,thus does the journal record the elder's reply. "The second charge,which represented indecent conduct,ter minated in this," Mrs.Hosner continues."He went to her house,the family was around the table;he entered into conver sation with her,and while talking put his hand through the slats of the chair and punched her on the back to call her atten tion.The last charge was dropped." Then a vote was taken on the question :Has Sister Garrison substantiated her charges against the elder?Mrs.Hosner con cludes her account briefly : "It was voted she had not.She was excluded from the Elder Swick had won an important victory for himself and church discipline.There is no mention in the journal of commu nity reaction,an absence that indicates calm was restored and the good elder was permitted to get on with his work unhamp ered by the loose tongue of Sister Garrison. Fires Another Source of Woe As the Clevelands pioneered in the West that was New York State so did their sons and daughters pioneer in a new West,that of Wisconsin.Fires destroyed the homes and death took the children of the first generation.This pattern of woe was the in heritance of suffering that befell the second generation as well. Mrs.Hosner's brother Nelson (1815-18)and her sister, Fanny Belinda (1820-1853)were pioneers in Wisconsin.The brother had gone first,and the sister,who had married Samuel Rowland,came later.Mrs.Hosner tells of their tragedies in her next entry. 14 The Pioneer Clevelands "April 28,1845.We had heard distressing news from the West. Nelson's house was burned.They saved their tablecloth and bed but had $300 in a trunk upchambers which was burned.It took fire when the men were absent.Samuel and Belinda were living with them and lost part of their effects.Some were in boxes out doors,and these were saved. "Their friends here are making efforts to retrieve their loss: boxes of clothing are to be sent.May heaven send a favorable breeze to waft them safe Nor was this all of the distressing news out of the West to feed Mrs.Hosner's anxieties.A short time later another letter came to convey the sad information that the Nelson Clevelands had lost their little daughter Antoinette.The child had taken a cold the day of the fire.Whooping cough followed,and within six weeks she was dead. Obviously,pioneering was a rough path whether in Tomp kins County or in Wisconsin.The vicissitudes of fire and death were facets of a life in which only the fittest survived. Rural Justice Has Its Turns Searches through dockets of justices of a century ago indicate that these agents of the state were not overworked.Suits for un paid bills and for recovery on notes appear to have been the causes which kept the wheels of rural justice in motion.Never theless,now and then a case of more serious consequence went before the county court.Under date of Jan.19,1840,Mrs.Hos ner recounts one such trial which involved her family.It may be noted that the primitive Tompkins County courthouse was the hall of justice at the time. "More than three years ago,during my absence one afternoon, a man entered our house and stole money.He was arrested and proved to be one Lewis Van Waggoner.He was sentenced to state prison for three years,went and served his time,and is now at liberty.My husband came across him one day and conversed with him i/b(a calm way. "In a few days he took the liberty to come to our house;he appeared to be intoxicated.When he became sober,I had a plain talk with him.He did not deny but what he had threatened us The Pioneer Clevelands 15 and made every acknowledgment and showed signs of penitence. My mind became easy for the time being." But her mind was at ease for the time being only.Mrs.Hos ner was not one to temporize :a conclusion must have attained finality before she accepted it and went on living.Up to this point her judgment was in abeyance,so she consulted friends and a brother.She writes of these consultations : "When conversing with my friends upon the propriety of his remaining a while with us until he could go to work,as he was quite unwell,my brother replied that,if he had an enemy,he should not wish to make him an inmate of his house but should want him as far off as possible." To Mrs.Hosner,this did not sound Christianlike,notwith standing the dubious character of the visitor.She was sorely perplexed as she indicates in the remainder of her entry. "That night I could not sleep.The next morning I earnestly entreated my husband to send the man away.He replied that he was not at all afraid of him.While my mind was distressed and agitated with a thousand fears,I took my Bible and sat down and read it,as was my daily practice,not expecting to find any thing to meet my present case.The first words I saw were these: 'Why trouble ye her?She hath wrought good work on me,for the poor ye have with you always;that whenever ye will,ye may do them " What may have happened after that episode,is left to one's imagination.Mrs.Hosner dropped the matter there.But the biblical quotation and the abrupt closing of the account imply that the wanderer was permitted to tarry under the Hosner roof. Horse Kicks Up Trouble Until motorized vehicles forced horses out of the rural picture, "hoss" cases were prominent in the courts of the justices of the peace.Their comedy often broke the rustic tedium and made a holiday for the neighbors."Hoss jockeys" of the day had a way of pepping up an old nag and then selling or trading him with another practitioner of the art.Occasionally an unsuspecting per son became the victim,but the jockeys preferred dealing with 16 The Pioneer Clevelands each other since there was small satisfaction in besting the un initiated.But to get the better of a fellow jockey was an accom plishment to be boasted of long and hilariously. Mrs.Hosner's journal refers to a horse case of serious conse quences.Taken to court before Justice Ralph,the final result was not what the Hbsners had substantial reasons for believing it should be.Under an 1857 date,she presents her account some what in detail. "In the year 1857 began our troubles with Mr.Kelsey.In the fall [of 1856]their horse broke into our fields and killed a young horse worth $100.We tried to have the matter settled without a lawsuit;offered to leave it to men;offered to throw off one- half.But no reasoning or any arguments could move them.My husband was then compelled to sue them." Here Mrs.Hosner pauses in her account to explain the use of the word "them.""I say them because the family seemed as interested as Mr. K."That was to be expected for,in those days, a man's home was his castle and its occupants his liegemen and defenders. Then she explains further developments : "After waiting a suitable length of time,he commenced suit and had it tried before Esq.Ralph,who brought in verdict that Mr.K.should pay my husband $100.He refused to pay and the suit was carried Before the second round came up,another Hosner horse died under suspicious circumstances.Mrs.Hosner's journal supplies the details. "New Year's Day one of our boys started to go to the mill. He had got but a short distance from home when one of the horses was taken sick,and he came back to tell his father.When they got to the sick mare,she was dead.We thought she had been poisoned. "The next day we had her opened.Doct.Miller and Doct. Fish examined her.As they said they were not much acquainted with the effects of poison,they advised Mr.Hosner had better take the stomach to Ithaca to Doct.Monell's.Doct.Parker lived close by,and he would give it a chemical On reaching Ithaca,the plot began to thicken.By what he The Pioneer Clevelands 17 learned,Mr.Hosner must have been no little encouraged in be lieving that he was close on the heels of the miscreant.Mrs. Hosner continues her account : "He did so,and learned that a few days before a man had been there to buy poison.Doct.Parker examined the stomach and found poison.Mr.K.denies being in the drugstore within five years". Of course,when confronted with these findings,Mr.K.de nied everything and refused to budge. Mrs.Hosner continues the account:"Mr.Hosner prosecuted Mr.K.for the mare,and had him tried before Esq.Drake [Jus tice Caleb B.Drake].Mr.Purdy testified that about the last days of December he saw Mr.K.come into Doct.Monell's drugstore and ask for arsenic,and wanted it put into a bottle.They told him it must be put up in paper and labeled.Mr.Howland testi fied that in the last few days of December he was going to Doct. Monell's drugstore and met Mr.Kelsey coming out.Doct.Parker testified that during the last days of December he was in Mon ell's drugstore and saw a man come in and ask for poison.He resembled Mr.Kelsey more than anyone else in the Although the evidence seemed conclusive,the decision was not what she expected.Mrs.Hosner closes the account tersely: "It was expected by those who knew Mr.Drake that he would find a bill against him,but it seems did On that note of disappointment,another horse case passed into history.No other reference is made to Mr.K.in the journal, but it is known that friendship among members of the two fam ilies was ultimately restored.However,viewed in the retrospect of a hundred years it may seem that justice was lame whatever the condition of the mare previous to her decease. Civil War Brings Anxiety As rebellion loomed,farmers felt uncertain.There was scarce ly a family but what had its misgivings about manpower for army and farm.Yet when war opened in April,1861,and a call came for 75,000 volunteers,it is estimated the nation responded with four times that number.Another call came in July for 18 The Pioneer Clevelands 500,000 volunteers and again the country responded without undue worriment in farm families. However,when in July,1863,conscription became effective, there was just cause for alarm.The new act conscripted every effective male in the North between ages 18-4jf5,and specified that those in the 23-35 age group would be called first to meet the draft of 300,000 men.Violent riots and bloodshed ensued in New York City but rural areas kept calm,and worried. Something of the nature and of the importance of this concern is reflected in the inner thoughts of Mrs.Hosner.It should be noted that Adaline Cleveland,upon her marriage in 1833,had moved into the Town of Hector and this town had been annexed to Schuyler County at its formation in 1854.However,Hector differed from its former sister townships in Tompkins County in civil matters only;its economy and mode of thinking were unchanged. On July 2,1862,she recorded some wartime thoughts:"The Lord is still merciful.While many are deprived of their homes, I still enjoy mine.Many hearts have been wrung with anguish for their dear sons that have been slain on the battle fields;others have lost their husbands,in the war,upon whom they depended for the support of themselves and their children. My husband and children are with me,but when the demand came for 300,000 more that were needed,my faith began to fail." As her anxiety turned to more personal matters,she recorded her thoughts on August 2 of the next year: "The draft has been made.My two sons and sons-in-law are all drafted.On learning the fact,I was terribly struck,not knowing that money could be raised for paying the draft;but money is plentiful,so that gives them a chance.It is said that any man,when drafted,by paying $300 is secured from going three years or during the war.With this money,the government hires foreigners.So my mind rests for the moment." To one who has read scores of thoughts Adaline Cleveland Hosner committed to her journal during almost thirty years of harsh pioneering in Hector while her philosophy matured,this statement appears wholly out of character.Always stern and resolute,fear and uncertainty seem to have laid a hold upon her. The Pioneer Clevelands 19 Yet one should be charitable and attribute it to the months of strain through which the nation had gone rather than to a threat to the family's prosperous state.She shared the anguish of neigh borhood mothers who had lost husbands and sons.Still she persists in this mood,for she wrote a fortnight later: ' 'I feel a good deal of care with regard to my sons and sons-in- law in paying their money.Some say that procuring a substitute is safer than paying the money,but the notice reads like this: 'Persons furnishing a substitute or paying the above sum of money shall be discharged from further liability under the draft.'" The burdens of a matriarch are heavy,especially in wartime, one must conclude.Yet charity may thin,for others are as un certain as she about the workings of the draft,and upon those less prosperous families its impact will be tragic.But Mrs.Hos ner was following the letter of the law.She was in character: she had lived by the written word;she would go on doing so and worrying about its ultimate interpretation. The military records of the Town of Hector show that twenty- seven of those drafted obtained substitutes.That four of these were members of her family,the journal makes clear. On Sept.3,1863,she wrote:"My sons and sons-in-law have all been able to pay their draft,for which I am truly thankful, for money bears no comparison to their having to go to These thoughts sound strange.If they had not been set down in Adaline Cleveland Hosner's own handwriting,one would doubt they were her sentiments.Since the beginning of her jour nal,she had been a dutiful Christian citizen,but these wartime entries indicate that her patriotic ardor had not been aroused. Her zealous regard for the welfare of four male members of her family is understandable,yet when she expresses satisfaction that each has escaped the dangers of military duty and someone else is risking his life in their stead,a trait emerges.She is cog nizant of it for throughout the journal she bemoans the fact that she is not the Christian she desires to be.Comments in connec tion with the draft may indicate that she recognized a selfish thread in her moral fiber.That she recorded her honest feelings is,of course,greatly to her credit. 20 The Pioneer Clevelands It is not to be gainsaid that countless thousands of mothers were troubled by like thoughts.Since they did not keep journals, their reactions have perished while those of Mrs.Hosner live on as a record of her convictions.Certainly,she is to be com mended for lack of fear to have them read by those seeking a clearer delineation of life in a rural community of her day. Two entries in 1865 indicate that her solicitude for her sons had not waned with the war's approaching end.On July 5 she wrote:"We expect the rebellion has been put down,and my dear sons have been Another entry later in the month but undated reads:"My sons have not been called to the battlefield." Family Undergoes Smallpox Scare Included in the journal is a long entry that further illustrates her anxiety arising from parlous wartime.It tells what hap pened but omits to record the reason.The entry appears under a Feb.21,1864 date. "George [a 25-year-old son]started for Washington December 8.I advised him the best I could not to go;I was afraid he might get the camp fever or some terrible disease.Still he was anxious to go and I said no more about it.I had but little anxiety about him;we often heard that he was well.Two weeks ago today Chancey Beaman,the young man who went to Washington with George,came home sick with something similar to smallpox.I felt some anxiety about my son.One week and a half passed since we had heard from him where before we had heard twice a week.We now felt almost assured that he was sick in the hos pital.We telegraphed and heard he was well.Still I had some fears. "Yesterday,we heard that George had come as far as Odessa, sick with smallpox.In a little while he came.Glad to see him, and I soon learned it was nothing but the measles.He told us that he did not feel very well when he started and on the way he broke out.There [Elmira,presumably]to Odessa the stage driver was afraid it was smallpox and dared not let him ride any farther.He started on foot,walked two miles and a half when he was overtaken by a man and rode to Crome's tavern.Then he hired Mr.Crome to bring him home. The Pioneer Clevelands 21 "It seems almost a miracle that he could walk and ride that distance all broken out with measles and not have them strike in and make him very sick.But he does not seem to have received any injury." This episode is concluded under a brief entry of March 6:"My dear son is gaining;he is able to walk What these young men were doing in Washington is conjec tural.Mrs.Hosner's reference to "camp fever" and "the hospi seems to indicate employment in a military hospital. War Effort Changes Rural Ways When the Civil War broke out in 1861,Tompkins County and its neighbors were stabilized under an agricultural economy. Farming was a leading industry and had been for the thirty years since the pioneering era had closed.The war brought the first disturbance of major proportions to the region in calling for manpower and increased production. To meet the demand for more production of farm staples,the county was in a favorable position.Two-thirds of its area was arable and forest lands occupied one-sixth.Under pressure of urgency,both areas were ripe for immediate exploitation.With a population of 28,709 and neither large centers nor any large- scale industrial employment,the farms possessed the manpower, experience and fertility to fulfill their responsibility. With statistics available,sheep raising and wool production afford a reliable yardstick for measuring the accomplishments and the disruption to established ways of farming in the county. Since the military forces would require unprecedented quantities of wool for clothing,attention was immediately turned to sheep. In 1855,there were 47,197 sheep in the county;nine years later, when the wartime demand was at its peak,there were 66,359; the next year,67,679.The war over,demand vanished,and in the next decade the sheep population dropped to 27,288 but a little more than half of what it was twenty years before. The sum total of the drop in the sheep population and the quarter-million-pound wool crop in each of the last two war years was not wholly due to a falling off in military demands. Substitutes played their part.As an example,fleece-lined under- 22 The Pioneer Clevelands underwear was developed to conserve wool,and it displaced the customary woolen wear for civilian use.But its production did not halt with the war's ending.Made from cotton,a cheaper substance than wool and sold at much lower prices,it invaded the civilian market and eventually displaced the red-flannel standbys of the pioneer. Another important change war production wrought upon rural life was the introduction of factory-made goods.Country crafts rapidly gave way and store stocks expanded.Knitting,weaving, spinning,hatmaking,milling slowly succumbed.But the boot- and shoemaker was quickly changed to a cobbler by an influx of manufactured footwear.Under this impact,the farmer discarded his high leather boots and his wife ceased making his pants and shirts.She and members of the family increasingly became attired in ready-made garments.Another change that affected rural life was the introduction of factory-canned tomatoes,a process that was developed to supply the soldiers.The tomato and condensed milk were the forerunners of today's packaged foods. These changes Mrs.Hosner passed up without any recorded comment.She could well have agreed that they made life on the farm a more enjoyable one.Perhaps the "world of the flesh" in the comparatively lush postwar days was so much of a chal lenge that she had no time for other observation. Although she did not live to experience its full impact on the agriculture of her native region,a sweeping change was in the making at her death in 1882.The railroads began pouring a stream of wheat into the East that destroyed the market of the local product.Beef and pork production,standbys since early days,gave way to products of the West.There wartime needs had speeded activity,and the production was tremendous.An economic blight settled over eastern farms to linger long.It is well that Mrs.Hosner was spared the anxiety this economic eclipse would have caused her. As she made the last entry in her 60-year record,the faithful ox had been relegated to the lumber woods;the feeding cribs were all but vacant of beef cattle,and few sheep nibbled the grass on her familiar hills.The horse was in his prime and to remain so until motorization eliminated him.Paved roads and rural free The Pioneer Clevelands 23 delivery,the telephone and electric lights were unthought of in Hector as her record was concluded.Could she visit a modern farm home in Updike Settlement today,how interesting her journal entries would be! Late Spring Casts Its Gloom Farm folks have always been subjected to the vagaries of the weather.They could not do much beyond adjusting to it in Mrs. Hosner's lifetime.Lacking machinery,they were hard put to make up lost time.That is the way it was in the area in 1866,as she noted in her journal entry of May 26: "We have had a cold,rainy,backward spring.Our folks have just sowed their oats and part of their barley. There is not a peach,cherry or apple tree bloom out.Some have prophesied a famine;certainly we don't know what is ahead for There were always prophets of doom in rural areas.At a time before newspapers were widely circulated,prophets had a holi day propagating their individual opinions of dire events that lay just ahead.They were mostly wrong but who was there to dis credit them?That was left to time,or God,as Mrs.Hosner expressed it the next spring,when she commented: "Mar.22,1867.Although last spring looked so discouraging, the Lord gave us good crops and provided plentifully for She doesn't say what effect this turn of events had upon repu tations of the last year's prophets. Contrast Painful After Thirty-two Years On a pensive autumn day in 1865,Mrs.Horner cast a glance back down the vista of years to the time of her marriage thirty- two years before.She contrasted the world that she then knew in her father's home with that of her milieu and recounted prep arations for her married life.Then,in frank sentences she con fided to the journal her candid thoughts.She wrote October 18: "Thirty-two years ago I entered the marriage relation.I thought I had given the matter a candid examination.I knew it was not a small affair to leave mother and father,brothers and sisters,and all the endearments of home and at once enter upon the married life's uncertain voyage. 24 The Pioneer Clevelands "I knew little of the world.I knew that others complained of being disappointed.I believed that if I could only get in the right way I could find comfort.I trained my mind to moderate views of human life and human happiness.I did not strive for honors or riches of the world,but in my quiet,humble home I expected to find comfort. "In this I was disappointed;cases and difficulties came on apace.I then sought the joys of friendship,as the poet says, 'Friendship to every willing mind opens a heavenly treasure.' I was sincere'in my love,honest-hearted in profession.I desired the esteem of the virtuous,and my selections were from those I felt to be most worthy of my confidence.With all my precaution,I found it yielded only imperfect bliss. "So great has been the change in my mind that I can hardly believe that I see the same sunshine or breathe the same air that I did in the days of my youth.The cold indifference that I have felt in my intercourse with the world as against that affection ate confiding in the friends of the home of my childhood forms a painful contrast indeed." Experience Teaches Lessons Often Mrs.Hosner turned back the pages of her journal,read what she had written years before and added comment in the light of experience.She was in such an introspective mood early in June,1865,and referred to a previous entry in these words: "Twenty-seven years ago I wrote something like this:'By be ing united to one who loves not God and has a disposition to find fault with professors of religion,is a trial that only those that have similar ones know anything about.Sometimes a wife is unjustly censured with regard to household affairs and,anx ious to vindicate her cause,shows an un-Christianlike spirit.In such cases a woman had better submit her cause rather than to contend,for I had rather talk to the winds than to an unreason able,self-willed "These were the honest sentiments of my heart when I wrote this twenty-seven years ago,but I do not view him as that self-willed now.There certainly has been a change for the better The Pioneer Clevelands 2 5 either in him or in myself,or in both of us.There was a time when he professed religion,but he soon gave it up.He loves religion no better now than he did then. "The question is:Why do we get along better?Is it because we know one another's disposition better? "I would say to young married people:Be not too hasty in forming unfavorable opinions of your companions for it takes years sometimes to learn a person's disposition." A reading of her journal warrants saying this is advice Mrs. Hosner has distilled from a long,harsh experience. "Black Friday"Effects Long Felt Failure of Jay Cooke &Co.,brokerage house of Philadelphia, on "Black Friday" of 1873 produced repercussions that lingered long.Its effects were still felt in Hector seven years later,as in dicated in Mrs.Hosner's journal.There were many other com munities likewise affected,but their anguish has been lost be cause no one recorded it. On Mar.24,1872,Mrs.Hosner makes this entry:"My young est son moves into our house on our place near by;my other son talks of buying a place adjoining his father's farm."The last- referred-to son was Henry,then married two weeks. On Dec.8 she notes,"He got the farm and is living on it." But all was not to go well with the young farmer,notwithstand ing the auspicious start his mother suggests in her next entry. Aug.9,1872."Thursday afternoon [the day before]Helen Amack,Sarah Ann Tucker,Gusta [son Gillett's wife],Lovina and myself went down to make Henry's wife a visit.It seemed that I noticed more than usual their comfortable furniture,good carpets,lamps,looking glasses and pictures,and thought they had their house well furnished for young beginners.Little did I think that within thirty hours from the time we left that house would be in flames. '' My son Henry ' s house burned down,they not saving anything and barely escaping with their lives .Henry got so badly burned in getting out his mother-in-law that he is in the doctor's hands. His face is burnt all over and one hand and shoulder are burned. TCMP-'NS CCUMTY PU2UC LIBRARY 312 NORTH CAYUGA STREET ITHACA,NEW YORK 14850 26 The Pioneer Clevelands His face is covered with cotton and oil so that he doesn't look like himself." Now it is seven years later;Henry is in financial trouble,and his mother explains the situation. "Mar.16,1879.When I look back seven years to the time Henry bought that large farm and his father gave a mortgage on his farm to raise the money $2,500 for Henry to make the first payment it seems now that Isaac and myself were both more than insane.When Henry bought the farm,everything that could be sold brought the very highest price." This,of course,was during the inflationary period of the war boom.Everyone thought,as everyone did in the 1920s,that high prices would prevail forever.Continuing with Mrs.Hosner's comments on her son's impasse,we leat;n how the bubble burst. "In a short time,everything came down to less than half its former price.I do believe that had butter and grain kept up in value,he would have been able to keep his farm.I expect he will lose has farm;it is advertised to be sold.He worked so hard,it is The Jay Cooke failure contributed largely to the drop in prices for it stagnated business throughout the nation.It brought the war boom to an end and cost farmers heavily not only in the price of their products but in demand for them,and in land values.Young men who started as Henry had,when these land prices were at their highest pitch of inflation and had not had time to pay off their mortgages,were all but ruined. Prices Unsettled for Eighteen Years Unsettled commodity prices plagued the farmers of Hector and Tompkins County.Those who did not buy farms at inflated values and those who paid off or substantially reduced mort gages emerged in a favorable financial position.But the Henry Hosners were the victims of the postwar instability that his mother describes. During 1861,prices advanced about 20 per cent.Flour was $7.25 a barrel,pork lie a pound,sugar 9c,coffee 20c,eggs 15c a dozen.By mid-1863,flour was $15,pork 25c,butter 60c.The The Pioneer Clevelands 27 general average for other commodities was about double the prewar mark. The climax in the price rise came at the close of 1864 and con tinued for a few months in 1865,when the comparative price level stood at 217 per cent of the 1860 level.Early in 1865,flour sold at $22,sugar 33c,butter 75c,coffee had more than doubled, as had canned goods and tea.Pork had moved to $60 a barrel; coal was $19 a ton,kerosene 90c a gallon,cotton thread 30c,and muslins that sold for 6c or 7c a yard five years before were scarce at 75c But money was "plentiful,"Mrs.Hosner noted. But by April of that year prices were down 27 per cent.The next year there was a slight rise,but in 1869 a steady decline set in.A pause in this recession lasted through the panic years of 1871-74,then an upward trend lasted until 1878.As goods be came more abundant,prices fell,and the increases in population and wealth,matched by a return to specie payments,ended the soft-money era.The end was hard on the eastern farmer as it was then that western products were beginning to crowd him out of long-established markets. Oliver C.Comstock,Man of Talent and Action One man who early and effectively spread the gospel in Tomp kins and Seneca Counties was Oliver C.Comstock.A practi tioner of medicine in Trumansburg,he was elected to Congress for three terms,1813-1819.While a member of Congress,he was baptized in the Potomac River by the Rev.Obadiah B.Brown, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Washington.Mrs.Com stock is credited with her husband's conversion. Declining a renomination to Congress,Dr.Comstock resumed his medical practice in Trumansburg and began preaching.Un der his leadership,the Baptist Church in Ulysses was constituted Aug.26,1819.He preached there and at Farmer Village,Peach Orchard and at Ithaca where meetings were held in the original courthouse. A man of many talents and tremendous energy,Dr.Comstock was born in Warwick,R.I.,Mar.1,1781.He was a son Adam Comstock,a lieutenant colonel in the Revolutionary Army. 28 The Pioneer Clevelands Colonel Comstock removed to Saratoga County,N.Y.,and was elected to the Assembly for twelve successive years and then to the State Senate for four years. After attending schools in Greenfield,Saratoga County,and Schenectady,Dr.Comstock was graduated from the Medical Department of New York University.Later he studied law and was awarded an honorary degree.Beginning medical practice at Cayuga Bridge,he married Lydia Smith,daughter of Judge Grover Smith of Seneca County. In 1807,Dr.Comstock removed to Trumansburg,then in Sen eca County.Appointed first postmaster there,he served during 1811-13.He was a member of the Assembly from Seneca County in 1810-12;judge of that county in 1812,and first judge of the newly formed Tompkins County in 1817. In 1828,he was called to Rochester where the Baptist congre gation worshipped in a public hall after being denied further use of the courthouse.But under his vigorous leadership,the con gregation purchased a church erected by the Presbyterians.After his wife died in that city,Dr.Comstock resigned his pastorate and journeyed southward for rest and restoration of his health. At Washington,he was chosen chaplain of the House,serving one term.He next accepted a charge at Norfolk,Va. At Trumansburg,he turned his medical practice over to his son, Dr.Oliver C.Comstock,Jr.,who later moved to Marshall,Cal houn County,Mich.The father followed and became pastor of the First Baptist Church in Detroit for two years.He declined to accept other pastorates but supplied the church at Ann Arbor for five years and that at Springfield,111.,for a year. Dr.Comstock was a member of the Board of Regents of the University of Michigan during 1841-43,and Superintendent of Public Instruction in 1843-45.He represented Branch County in the State Legislature in 1849. Dr.Comstock died in Marshall Jan.11,1860,aged 79. Soldier's Letter Reflects Aunt's Teachings Effects of Mrs.Hosner's religious teachings are reflected in a soldier's letter.It was written by Nathaniel Owen,a son of her sister Mehetabel.Slightly edited,the letter follows. The Pioneer Clevelands 29 Camp Douglass,Chicago,111.,Sunday,Oct.11,'63. Dear Aunt Adaline : Not having heard from you or any of your family for a great while,except a little news by a letter from Julia which said she had received a letter from you and that you were left almost alone as Adelia and Lovinawere married.Wishing,Aunt,to hear more fully from you and thinking a few lines from myself might be acceptable,I have concluded to write a few lines. I am here in camp,doing guard duty.I belong to the 81 Co.of the Invalid Corps,which is doing guard duty here.We expect to remain here this winter; Aunt,you know this is a great prison camp;there are now some 6,000rebel prisoners here.We have had considerable guard ing to do,but will have less to do,I think,after they complete the new plank fence.This will be twelve feet high,placed inside of the old fence and connected with the old.The new fence will be a platform on which the guards will walk.There will also be sentry boxes to shelter sentinels in the storm,so I trust we shall fare more comfortably. We are quartered in barracks as also are the prisoners.We have a plenty of good,light bread,but our other rations are quite ordinary in quality.Aunt,I am enjoying better health,I am happy to say,than at any time before and since I was wounded. This climate,cold,agrees with me very well. Aunt Adaline,this is the third Sabbath I have been here and I have had no opportunity to attend meetings,either for prayer or preaching.Last Sabbath there was preaching but I was on guard.We are not allowed to go into the city to church,it is close by.The rebels have preaching almost every day,and I think prayer meeting every evening,but we are not allowed to have anything to say or do with the prisoners further than guard ing them.I have spoken to our major about our privileges for meeting being limited and he gave me encouragement that we should have more. Aunt,the rebels here are well fed,and their friends South are sending them clothing many yet need new clothing very much.Many of the rebels areas gritty and brutish in their hatred 30 The Pioneer Clevelands of our government as ever.But I believe there are Christians among the rebels here,yet they are woefully deceived in their cause. Aunt,please answer this immediately and tell me how you all prosper.I hope you don't have to do your work all alone, your girls have left you.Let me know how you enjoy your health and how Uncle Issac gets along.Please inform me where Irvin, George,Adelia and Lovina are and how they get along.Please ask them to write to me.I hear that Irvin and George paid their exemptions and so remain at home. I should be happy to visit you all again.Bat cannot until dis charged,and I am afraid I shall not be able to get a furlough to go home even for a few days,but hope I may before January next. Direct to Camp Douglass,No.81 Co.,Invalid Corps,Chicago, 111. I trust,Aunt,you remember the soldier in your prayers,for we need the prayers of all Christians.I still try to remember my obligations to God and live as a Christian,but I am sorry to say I fail of doing as I should to a greater extent.My love to all. From your nephew,Nathaniel Owen. To Aunt Adaline. Fatherless Children Succeed in Life When Irvin Hausner died July 3,1873,he left a wife,Ruth Ann Smith;sons Clarence and Frank,and a daughter,Minnie. All the children were small.Mrs.Hosner commented on his death July 27 : "We are all well at present.July 3 my dear son Irvin departed this life.He had been for years troubled with rheumatism.For two years I had thought that,if we both lived till we had been married forty years,we would have all my children and grand children to celebrate our fortieth wedding day,which we did on January 23,and made a pleasant visit.When Irvin got up from the table that day,it was for the last time;he never ate at our house again. "Three or four years before he died,he wrote on a slate;for The Pioneer Clevelands 31 eight weeks before his death Irvin never sat up a minute,not even to be bolstered.Irvin felt so bad about leaving his wife and children that he wanted Ruth and Mary to pray for him." Mary was Mary Smith,a sister of his wife,Ruth. It would have been comforting to this distressed young father had he known how well Ruth was to do for them and how well they were to succeed in life.All three graduated from Star key Seminary,Eddytown,the mother conducting a boarding house for seminarians while her children were students there.These children were Minnie,Frank and Clarence. Minnie married Dr.William D.Clapper of Victor.Their chil dren are Ruth and Mildred . Ruth married Raymond Brewer of Victor.They have a son Donald,a daughter,Mrs.Dorothy Barr,and a granddaughter, Susan Barr.Mildred married Leslie Aldridge,who died in 1952. Their children are:Robert of Newark,William of Canandaigua, John of Denver,and Arlene,wife of Donald Parsons of DeRuyter. One son,John Allen,is deceased.There is one grandson,Gary Aldridge. Frank graduated from Cornell in 1900,a member of a brilliant debate team.In 1905,he was elected city judge in Corning.His widow,Mattie Smith Hausner,lives in Schenectady.Their chil dren are Ruth Stone of Schenectady;Robert,a member of the United Nations staff,and Mrs.Alice Ward of Mt.Vernon,O. Ruth Stone's daughter,Nancy,is a sophomore at Cornell. Clarence became a farmer and storekeeper at Odessa and served as assmblyman from Schuyler County.He married Florence Smith.Their survivors are two sons,Harold and Kenneth,and a daughter,Mrs.Ethel Lattin,a teacher in the Odessa Central School.Another daughter,Edna,also a teacher,is deceased. A History of the Cleveland Family Mrs.Agard has a modest twelve-page pamphlet which bears the above title but no author's name,imprint or date.However, by a letter quoted,it is established that the pamphlet was writ ten and printed after 1855-Mrs.Hosner's authorship is indicated by the initials A.H.at close of the text matter.Her authorship 32 The Pioneer Clevelands is indubitably established by the fact that a large part of the material is copied from her earlier notebook,also in Mrs.Agard's collection. Inside the front cover of the pamphlet is this inscription in Mrs.Hosner's penmanship:"Presented to Adelia Tucker by her mother,Adaline Hosner." Mrs.Agard is a daughter of Adelia Tucker. Save for breaking page-long paragraphs into shorter ones and inserting subtitles,the little pamphlet is reprinted in Mrs.Hos ner's words of a possible century ago. Deacon Josiah Cleveland was born 1774;when young his father was called to help fight his country's battles;his mother under went many privations incident to a new country involved in war. Father was plain-hearted,true to his friends,warm and affec tionate,honest in his deal,and had a sacred regard for the truth. Fanny Lathrop,daughter of Zechariah,or Connecticut,was born 1779;her mother was a christian;her father moral and of a pleasant disposition.When mother was young she came near embracing the belief that all would be saved.She fell in com pany with a pious young lady who did not know her feelings, that said "she believed there was an awful hell that awaited the sinner";the word so fitly spoken,went like an arrow to her heart,and she never rested till she found peace in Jesus.She united with the Methodists. In her 19th year she formed an acquaintance with Mr.Cleve land,which terminated in marriage.She soon left the paternal roof with all its tender associations,and they removed to the County of Delaware.Mother had a very pleasant disposition,which made her agreeable in her family,and enabled her to meet the pressing cares of life with patience and fortitude rarely to be found.After a fewyears they removed to Herkimer County.They remained there but four years,when they again removed to the town of Ulysses,County of Tompkins. The country was new and [had]but few inhabitants,and they joined together and built a log meeting house,in which was held reading,prayer,and occasionally preaching meetings.In a short time a Baptist Church was organized.My father began to The Pioneer Clevelands 33 see his lost condition.He had reached the meridian of life and he felt it was time to seek the Savior,and he was found of him to the joy of his heart.My mother believing the sentiments of the Baptist Church to agree with the Bible,she cheerfully gave up her former opinions,and with my father was buried in baptism, and they walked in the ordinance of the Lord blameless. Time had fled,and their four oldest children had come to the year s of accountability,viz :Gurdon,Julia,John and Mehetable. It was under the preaching of Eld.Thomas,who was not a man of learning,nor did he come to them "with enticing words of man's wisdom,but in the demonstration of the spirit and power declaring unto them the testimony of God," they were brought to see their lost condition;they were enabled to believe in Jesus and rejoice in his salvation. Gurdon First Typhoid Fatality They all,with the exception of Gurdon,followed the Savior, and were baptised and cast in their lot with the people of God. Gurdon did not have faith to believe,and still had to carry his burden of sin.He was gloomy,and never entered those scenes of amusement which so often captivate the young.About six years after there was a camp meeting in our neighborhood,in the fall of 1824;there the Lord poured out his spirit in a powerful man ner,and many were made to rejoice in God.Gurdon's convic tions returned;the meeting broke up;he came homewith a heavy heart. Julia had been much revived during the meeting,and Clarissa, John's wife,had been converted.We had a prayer meeting in an upper room.Julia was the first one that prayed;she was as one that had power with God and prevailed.The rest of the family came in and some of our neighbors;we had melting time before the Lord.It was near midnight,when Gurdon having known that his sister younger [than he]had found peace,that he felt to wrestle with more earnestness and felt he could not be left again, to bear his burden.He groaned and wept aloud,and soon the Savior came to his relief;he was very happy,and took delight in going to meeting. I have a letter that John wrote for Uncle Hill's folks,but did 34 The Pioneer Clevelands not send it,under date of 1825.He speaks of the camp meeting, and of Gurdon 's conversion.I will copy a few lines:"New Year's night we had a number of young religious friends with us.After supper we had a prayer meeting,and covenanted to live for God more this year,if he should spare our lives,than we ever have done.Gurdon was unwell that night.He said he would go to meeting.Father advised him not to go;he did,and overtook an intimate brother in Christ and told him his sickness.Brother Souls told him it was imprudent.Gurdon told him he felt anx ious to come out at once and thought it would be the last time, and said he should not live long;he did think that it was made known to him that he should not live the year out,or but a small part of it. "He took an active part in the meeting for the last time in this world.He came home without help,but was almost exhausted. He told his feelings and was doctored immediately.He was per fectly resigned and hoped it would be his last sickness.The third day he was taken deranged.The morning he died he came to himself,gave an account of some property ;told of his happiness, and requested Mr.Dodson,his Methodist preacher,to preach his funeral sermon,Hebrews 4, 9." About midnight he left this world.His dear remains were committed to the grave;written upon his tomb:In memory of Gurdon L.,son of Josiah and Fanny Cleveland,who died Jan. 19,1825,aged 23 years,7 months and 3 days. Farewell,dear parents,for a while, We soon shall meet again, With saints in Christ,the living vine, Beyond our present pain. Julia Ann Second to Succumb I have some more of John's writings which I shall copy. "Julia Ann Cleveland was born 1802.She had early impres sions;felt the need of a change of heart,and a preparation for death.These impressions were stifled by the pride of her heart, until the year 1818,when a reformation took place.She was humbled by the power of God.It appeared to her she would soon be in hell,and that was just and right. The Pioneer Clevelands 35 "After a struggle of four or five weeks,she found the Savior to the joy of her heart.She felt it her duty to unite with a chris tian church,and she was baptised by Elder Thomas,of Ovid. She has kept her place in the church;her walk,conversation and life has agreed with her profession. "The last five months of her life,her mind was remarkably drawn out for the welfare of souls;her mind was almost wholly on religion.She would sometimes pray three or four times in an evening for sinners,until Gurdon's illness.She was faithful in attending on him.She at times was almost overjoyed at seeing his composure and resignation,and thought we should envy his situation rather than mourn.After his decease,she felt herself almost worn out,and believed she would soon follow him by some remarkable dream.She had her health but a fortnight after Gurdon's death." Three or four days passed before any danger appeared.A doc tor was called;she had the typhus fever;she was perfectly re signed.When opportunities offered,she improved them to warn sinners to flee from the wrath to come.A day or two before her death she gave to her sisters her clothing.She then named the text for her funeral sermon:Rev."These are they that came out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb." Engraved upon her tomb:In memory of Julia Ann,daughter of Josiah and Fanny Cleveland,who died Feb.7,1825,aged 22 years,4 months and 26 days. When Gurdon died,'twas hard to say: ' 'Lord,let thy will be done;'' Now by his side I willing lay, Till Christ shall rouse our tomb. Six Stricken at Same Time John,having embraced religion when young,was guarded from the snares and temptations which are incident to youth, and led an exemplary life;enjoyed a steadfast faith in Christ, which promised he would be a comfort to his friends.After Julia Ann's death,we enjoyed our health but a short time.We 36 The Pioneer Clevelands were one after another taken sick,until six were under the doc tor's care. The most dangerous cases were our dear mother's and brother John's.It was found he was failing fast.As there was some hope left of mother's recovery,it was thought by some in case he should die,it would be prudent not to let her know anything about it.But this was impossible,as she would daily inquire about him.In the last stages of his sickness he was taken with the hickups which lasted some days;he was reduced so low that he was unable to speak;his last hours were calm;he died with out a struggle,and fell asleep in Jesus. In memory of John P.Cleveland,who died April 17,1825, aged 21 years,2 months and 23 days. At my right hand,my sister dear Lies low with me in dust; At hers a brother,thus we three Lie as we came at first. Composed by Elder Abbott,Baptist Minister. Mother,having understood that John was dead,wanted to be carried to his room to look upon his corpse.She laid her hands upon his face and bewailed her son,and could say with Job "Have pity upon me,Oye my friends."The funeral was preached by O.C.Comstock,from Job 5c,6 and 7v:"although affliction cometh not forth of the dust,neither doth trouble spring out of the ground;yet man is born unto trouble as the sparks fly Mother was supported through her trial and suffered no mate rial injury;she soon got her health. Adelina was born in 1817.She was blest with a pleasant tem per,and had the faculty of gaining the friendship of those around her.At an early age the spirit of the Lord strove with her.She felt that she was lost and undone without an interest in Jesus. She was enabled to cast her helpless soul upon the Savior,who did not send her empty away,but filled her soul with love.She was baptised and united with the church in 1834. Father exchanged his farm with Mr.More.He underwent the fatigue of building. The Pioneer Clevelands 37 Death Claims Mother,Daughter Adelia in her 19th year was married to Lewis Van Waggoner. She soon bid adieu to her home and friends and removed to Lyons, about 60 miles from us.The summer of 1837,mother was stricken sick;a doctor was called.Autumn came,she was no better,but wasting away with slow disease,the dysentery;the skill of dif ferent physicians could not cure.She was able to sit up a part of of the time,and felt thankful she was so comfortable.She never expressed any desire to get well,but said: ''Though worms my poor body may claim as their prey, 'Twill outshine,when rising,the sun at The forepart of the winter,Belinda went to stay a while with Adelia.The latter part of January we were under the necessity of sending for Belinda,as it was her request should mother get worse.Adelia wrote a letter and sent it to us by Belinda.I now copy it verbatim: ' 'Dear Parents and Friends,how can I take my pen in hand to write upon this painful subject?For my part it seems as though I cannot be reconciled never to see my dear mother again;never to speak to her once more.Oh!may the Lord spare her life that I may see her once more before she leaves this world.If not in this world,may we meet where parting shall be no more.Oh! how I want to see you all in this trying hour,but it seems as though it was designed otherwise,but may we put our trust in the Savior,and go to him with all our sorrows,and he has prom ised if we put our trust in him he will "not leave us in the sixth trouble,and in the seventh he will not forsake Remember me in your prayers.I remain your most affectionate daughter, "Adelia Van Waggoner." Mother,during this hour of trial,was composed,and could give up all into the hands of God,for she knew that the "Judge of all Earth would do The 17th of February,on Satur day,the children were sent for;they thought mother was dying. How calm,how quiet were her last hours.She had her senses, and did not seem to have much pain.About dusk we thought she would live but a few minutes.A smile was upon her counte- 38 The Pioneer Clevelands nance,but when she saw us weeping,she mingled her tears with ours.She was asked by Sister M.if Jesus was precious?She said yes.She lived through the night,and at daylight "she breathed her life out sweetly She has left a husband and eight children to mourn her loss. She was a faithful follower of Jesus;a loving and affectionate wife;a kind and tender mother.She believed in arraying herself in modest apparel.This she enjoined upon her daughters.If there were more such mothers our places of worship would not be filled with such foolish and needless ornaments,more becoming a theatre or ballroom than the house of God.She never would allow herself or family to speak evil of others. Eld.Shed preached the funeral sermon from these words: "Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord."Written upon her tomb:In memory of Fanny,wife of Josiah Cleveland,who died Feb.18,1838,aged 59 years,4 months and 3 days. My children dear,assemble here, A mother's grave to see; Not long ago I dwelt with you, And soon you will dwell with me. We return to sister Adelia.We received a letter that she had a son and had lost it.We answered it by informing her of moth er's death.The first of April we were looking for her,having heard that she was quite smart,and was coming to make us a visit.Already in imagination,were we gathered in the family circle.How unexpected then was the news of Adelia 's death. Arrangements were made to bring her dear remains to Father's. Eld.Shed preached the funeral sermon:"For me to live is Christ, and to die is She was buried with her friends.Upon her tomb was inscribed:In memory of Adelia,wife of Lewis Van Waggoner,who died April 15,1838,in the 22nd year of her age. My dear companion,you I leave, Though long and sorely you must grieve, This tomb contains your blooming wife, Let this teach you how frail is life. Having learned the particulars of her death from Lewis,it seems she did not gain sufficient strength to undertake the jour- The Pioneer Clevelands 39 ney.She was advised to apply to a root doctor.He commenced giving medicine;in three days she was a corpse;she bloated much;he was all the while flattering them she would soon be better;it was evident she was worse;he was discharged,and an able physician called.In this trial she was composed,and never cast any reflections upon the root doctor.She was willing to die and be with Christ,which is far better.Sunday morning,the 15th of April,she exchanged the sorrows of earth for the joys ofheaven. Belinda Marries and Goes to Wisconsin Belinda Cleveland was born 1820.The spirit of the Lord strove with her when young.She was led to see her lost condition.She sought the Lord,and found him,and united with the church.In her 22nd year she married Samuel Howland.She soon left the home of her childhood and removed to Wisconsin.She wrote to her friends that many were the tears she had shed to think she was so far from all her relatives.In two years Nelson with his family moved there.This was comfort to her.Samuel bought a farm;it is said it was a beautiful one;he might have taken com fort. I have a letter that Belinda wrote to Father,dated March 25, 1849.I will copy a few lines : "Dear Father,it is with pleasure that I address a few lines to you.My health and the children's is good.Samuel started for California the 6th of March,with tears in his eyes.I expect if you could see me you would ask me how I came to let him go, or ever consented to his going.I will tell you.It was nothing but California by day and by night.He could hardly eat,drink or sleep.I thought for one short year I could try and bear the burden of taking charge of the children.Samuel sold his place for $500;he bought two lots in Waupun,and intended to build this summer,but when the gold fever raged through here,his castle was blown topsy-turvy.I think I will stay here till fall, and then go back east and visit my friends.Give my love to all. "F.B.Howland." I received a letter from Belinda dated April 12th,1849.1 will copy a few words : 40 The Pioneer Clevelands "I feel almost like a widow.If I should never see him again,I could not blame myself in the least,for I did all I could to have him stay here contented.I shall strive to pass away my time as pleasantly as I can.I have changed my mind as it regards going back east.Mehetable is coming out here and that will make it much pleasanter.From your sister, "F.B.Howland." I have understood that Belinda was very industrious,and took good care of her children.Thus passed the four long years.Sam uel helped her to what money he could.I received a letter from Mehetable,dated Jan.16,1853. "Poor Belinda left us Tuesday,the 11th of this month,gloomy indeed was our parting;we sorrowed most of all because we never expect to see her again.She did not intend to go unless he came for her.He sent her money,and said it would cost so much for him to come,she finally made the great resolve 'live or die,sink or she would go.We had a prayer-meeting here Sunday. evening.Father said he felt almost as bad as though he had to bury her.We strove to commend her to the Lord.Belinda was quite composed. "Jan.29,last Sabbath,father was taken with a chill.I was some alarmed;it proved to be a sudden attack of cold and sore throat." I received a letter from M.,dated Feb.20,1853:"Father is very sick indeed with inflammation on the lungs.He did not get much worse from the time I wrote you last until the first of Feb. I doctored him all I could.The 8th of this month he consented to have a Botanic doctor called.He gave him an emetic and sweat him;he came the 11th and doctored him thoroughly; again the 15th.He steamed and vomited him until he had alarm ing symptoms;we thought he was dying.William said,'Father, do you know you are dying?' He said, 'No.' 'You are growing He said,'Amen,bless God;I am ready to " I copy a few lines from a letter Belinda wrote to her friends after she started for California: "New York,Jan.12,1853. "Dear Friends,I take this opportunity in addressing a few The Pioneer Clevelands 41 lines to you.We are still alive and well,for which I am thank ful.I had a very pleasant journey,though not a very comfortable one.There were eleven of us inside a small stage,and I was obliged to carry Nelson on my lap all day and night.When we arrived at Chicago,the cars came in,and away we flew to reach Cleveland.When we passed Elmira,I thought of my dear friends in my own native land,but I heard the steamer Vanderbilt was going to start the 20th,and I must move on.You must excuse me for this time,for I want to lay down my weary bones.The children have stood the journey well.You will hear from me again if I live to get there.Give my love to all,especially father. Yours, F-B.Howland." It seems strange to think that Belinda could not take time to visit her friends when she came so near,but hurried on to meet the Vanderbilt.Solomon says,Ecclesiastes 9,12,"for man also knoweth not his time;as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare,so are the sons of men snared in an evil time,when it falleth suddenly upon them." I received a letter from M.,dated April 3d,1853: "Our dear father is no more.Three days ago last Thursday at 5 o'clock in the afternoon,the last day of March,he departed this life in full hope of life and immortal glory beyond the grave. He suffered much;he grew more distressed for breath;after I wrote you the 20th of Feb.we would have to blow him two or three hours at a time.For three days and nights he could not lie down on his bed.A month before he died,the doctor said he was filled with fluid.It collected in a swelling and discharged.Then it would relieve his lungs.He was anxious to hear from Belinda. He said if he could hear from her,he would be ready to die. "Eld.Case,a baptist minister,preached his funeral sermon; his text was:"In my father's house are many He wished to be buried with Nelson's children. "Father,the day before he died,said he did not dread death as he had done;he could look forward to those happy fields of pleasure;there be free of pain.I asked him what made his talk 42 The Pioneer Clevelands so thick.He said his tongue and jaws were stiff.I asked him if he did not wish to send some word to his children.He said yes, get your pen and ink,write to the girls to be sure and set good examples for their children,tell Alanson I want him to be sure he is in the right course and then pursue it. ' ' Belinda and Children Die in Shipwreck Another letter from M.,dated May 8th,1853: "I suppose you have heard the fate of our beloved sister Be linda,in the loss of the Independence,in which she sailed,the 16th of Feb.The Tribune states that she and her children were drowned and buried with the rest in the sand. "Dear child,I do not in the least doubt but she went happy and joyful through the flames,to the bright world of glory. "Her friends here advised her to take the money and buy the farm back that Samuel sold.She said she could not do that; she could not be happy here,living on her husband's hard earnings,when he wishes me to go.It was hardest for her to part with Father.They stood with eyes filled with tears,some time,holding each other by the hand,but neither gave vent to their feelings.How soon they STATEMENT OF CAPTAIN SAMPSON Editor of The Herald:I am under the painful necessity of re porting the loss of the steamer Independence,lately under my command,on her passage from San Juan del Sud to this port,and about one hundred and twenty-five lives were lost,consisting of the passengers and fifteen of the crew.She was lost on the island of Margarita,off the coast of Lower California. On the morning of the 15th of Feb.at fifteen minutes past five, just as day was beginning to break,she struck on a sunken reef of rock,about a mile from the shore.It was necessary,after the steamer struck,to use wood and boards for fuel in order to keep up steam until she struck on the beach,(for she was filling rap idly),when the water was so high as to stop the draft from the lower flues,which forced open the furnace doors and the flames The Pioneer Clevelands 43 rushed out and set the ship on fire.Every effort was made to get the fire under control,but of no avail The scene was perfectly horrible,and indescribable;men,women and children screech ing,crying and drowning." A letter from M.,dated August 13,1853 : "Poor Belinda's funeral sermon was preached on the 23d day of May.Elder Freeman preached an affecting discourse from these words :'In the day of prosperity be joyful,but in the day of adver sity, " I copy a few words from a letter written by Nelson to Alanson in 1855: "But of all that have left us none has left such an impene trable gloom as sister Belinda's death.I can scarcely bear the thought.To suffer four long years as she did,with the whole care of her family,and the anxiety for an absent husband,months often passing without any communication from him,then finally starting all alone with her young family for San Francisco;then, after enduring all the hardships of a long ocean voyage,to be herself and all her family drowned in the Ocean." To my dear friends,I will relate A short account of Belinda's fate; How strange the Lord has dealt with her, And brought her to fair Canan's shore. She and her husband they did go To Wisconsin as we all know; In those fair climes their lot to try, A pretty farm he then did buy. Three lovely boys to them were given, "To train them for their native heaven"; With health and vigor they were blest, No real care their hearts oppressed. Had Samuel been contented then, With what the Lord had given him; It was in an unguarded time, He left his home in search of gain. 44 The Pioneer Clevelands It was four long,long tedious years, She strove by day and night with tears, To feed and clothe her children too, While far away Samuel did go. A letter he sent to her then, He wished that she would come to him; She then prepared to brave the deep, Her loved companion there to meet. But see alas!what God can do, Which filled the husband's heart with woe; Near Margarita's Isle they steer The ship had struck a rock 'twas clear, The ship was filling fast they knew, To gain the shore they had in view; They strove to raise the steam yet higher; Which luckless set the ship on fire. What dreadful horror did then ensue, What groans and cries came from the crew; To 'scape the fire,a rush was made, Which drove many to a watery grave. Belinda and her children,too, Were drowned into the deep below ; But soon the waves sent them ashore, They were interred to be seen no more. There in peaceful slumbers lie, Till God shall raise them to the sky: Give them a seat at his right hand, In yon fair Canan's happy land.A.H. Recounts Father's Experience A letter from M.,dated April 29th,1855: "Father told me this experience a short time before his death. He was active in helping the neighbors build the log meeting house,so his family could go to meeting while he would stay at The Pioneer Clevelands 45 home and read infidel books,but he never stayed at home once, for he was soon converted. "He was plowing one day;he saw his children playing on the green grass;he began to boast to himself what a pretty family of children,what a good wife,how healthy and smart,what a beautiful farm,my property,I got it myself (he said).Some thing said,"no,you did not,the Lord gave it to He turned to see if any one was near that had said thus to him;he could see no one;he hitched his horses and went into the woods to pray.Oh,the burden and load of guilt he felt was inexpressible. "I think it was the same day mother was sweeping and opened the door and she thought she heard a rush,or something like this "eternity is hastening She,too,looked all around to see who had spoken to her.When she found no one,she said to her self:father or I must soon be called to die,and he has never heard me pray;this night I will ask him to let me pray for him. In the evening mother told father her impressions,and asked him if she might pray for him.He said no.She arose and walked the floor,her hand was to her face. *.,"When he saw the tears dropping from her wrist,he said to himself 'I ought to go to hell.I have been all day trying to pray for Finally he said,'Fanny,if you feel very anxious to pray,you may.She came and knelt by him,and such a prayer he never heard before.' "'Some days passed before he was converted;he then fell to praise the Lord both night and day.' Father always attended meetings,prayed in his family morning and evening,and main tained a godly These verses I met with accidently.I think they are beautiful: MY MOTHER'S BIBLE This book is all that's left me now, Tears will unbidden start; With faltering lip and throbbing brow, I press it to my heart. For many generations past, 46 The Pioneer Clevelands Here is our family tree; My Mother's hand this Bible clasped, She,dying,gave it me. My father read this holy book, To brothers,sisters dear; How calm was my poor mother's look, Who learned God's word to hear; Her angel face,I see it yet, What thronging memories come; Again that little group is met, Within the halls of home. Ah,well do I remember those, Whose names these records bear; Who 'round the hearthstone used to close, After the evening prayer. And speak of what these pages said, In tones my heart would thrill; Though they are with the silent dead, Here they are living still. Thou truest friend man ever knew, Thy constancy I've tried; Where all was false,I've found thee true, My counsellor and guide. The mines of earth no treasure give, That could this volume buy; In teaching me the way to live, It taught me how to die. Should this little work fall into the hands of any that have not a good hope in Jesus,I would earnestly and sincerely entreat of you to come to Jesus,lest God's wrath shall overtake you in one eternal storm. A History of the Hausner Family The following sketch of the Hausner Family was prepared in 1921 by the late Mrs.Alice D.Harris of Northport,L.I.It is not The Pioneer Clevelands 47 known whether this apparent early draft was more fully devel oped,but it is included as a basis of expansion by members of the family. In her introduction,Mrs.Harris writes that the name has had different spellings and lists Hausner,Horsner,Hosner and Has- ner among versions used by various member families.She cites as sources of her information records in the New York Public Library,Albany State Library,Dutchess County Records,Family Bible,and old family records and papers. By MRS.ALICE D.HARRIS The American ancestor of our family was Jacob Hasner,who was married Jan.19,1773,to Catherine Cozene,both of the Beek- man Precinct,Dutchess County,N.Y.I have been unable to find a record of his death,but his wife died Nov.17,1835,at Fish- kill,N.Y.My authority as to her death is from an old letter written by Martin Horsner,son of Jacob and Catherine,to Jos eph Secord Dec.11,1835,This letter is now in the possession of Charlie Johnson,Enfield,N.Y. The correct spelling of our name is Hasner,but different mem bers of the family have changed it.An 1835 map of Tompkins County spells Borden's name Hosner. The children of Jacob Hasner and Catherine,his wife,were as follows:Robert,John,Phoebe,Hannah,Maria,Amy,Mary, Borden and Martin. Robert married Rosella in or about 1844,and removed to Western New York.No further record of this family is found except that the name is quite |common around Rochester,N.Y. These people are probably descendants of Robert and Rosella. John Hosner married Pamela ,and about 1848 removed to Tompkins County,where he died and was buried in Mecklen burg,N.Y.,in an old cemetery overlooking the millpond and back of a house now occupied by Josh Hovencamp.After his death,his wife and children removed to Michigan.I have no further record of them. A daughter married Joseph Secord of Hector.I think her name 48 The Pioneer Clevelands was Phoebe but am not sure.Their descendants live in Hector. Hannah,another daughter of Jacob and Catherine Hosner, married a Spaulding in Schuyler County. Maria,another daughter,married a Van Wort.The family moved to a western state;I have no further record of them. I believe another daughter,Amy,married a Farrington and they were the ancestors of David Farrington,Perry City,Schuy ler County,N.Y.Granddaughters of David Farrington are Mrs. Ed.Curry of Mecklenburg and Mrs.Mahlan Curry of Watkins. David Farrington has many other descendants. I now come to the two sons of Jacob who are most intimately connected with the Hausner picnic. Borden,born 1781,died Mar.9,1856.Married in 1805 Lavina Brewer,who was born in 1787 and died June 2,1873.They were born in Fishkill,N.Y.,and died in Enfield.They were buried in Jones Cemetery,Hector,N.Y. Lavina Brewer was the daughter of Elias Brewer and Mary Yoemans,his wife.Her brother,Jonathan Brewer,married Samantha Barber of Hector.They lived and died in Bradford County,Pa.Another brother was William,who married Lucy,a sister of Samantha Barber Brewer.William and his wife lived in Bradford County.Their only child is Mrs.Huldah Jewel of Columbia Cross Roads,Pa.,but William and Lucy have many other descendants living in Bradford County,as well as have Jonathan and Samantha. Another brother of Lavina was 'Isaac Brewer,who lived near Dundee.I knownothing further of this family.A sisterof Lavina, Mary (commonly called Polly),married William Howe of Wap- pingers Falls,Dutchess County,N.Y.;descendants still live there. After the death of Mary Yoemans Brewer,Elias (father of La vina),married Sally Ann Fuller and they had two children: Abbie married Merritt Backer of Ithaca.A child of theirs was named Jesse Baker.A son of Elias and Sally was Elias Brewer, Jr.I do not know the name of his wife,but their children were Willis (now living in Elmira),Willard,and Phoebe who mar ried Ed Thompson of Ithaca,where their childern live. The Pioneer Clevelands 49 The children of Borden and Lavina Brewer Hosner were :Ma tilda,Isaac,Phoebe,Martha,Amy,Martin,Jacob,Henry,Oscar, James and Miranda. Matilda,born in 1806,married Nathaniel Ayres in 1832.They had no children.She died in 1844 and was buried at Trumansburg. Isaac,born in 1808,married Adaline Cleveland,who was born in 1809.Adaline was of the same family as Grover Cleveland. Isaac died in 1877 and Adaline in 1883.Their children were Irvin, George,Borden,Henry,Isaac,Gillette,Delia (Tucker)and Lavina (first Tucker,then Hubbel). Phoebe,daughter of Borden and Lavina,born about 1810, married John Updike in 1827 (the same night that her brother, James Hausner,was born).Married against the wishes of her parents,she leaped out of the window.The children of Phoebe and John Updike were Lyman,Louisa (unmarried),and Arminda (Morgan).Phoebe and John were buried at Trumansburg,N.Y. Their son,Lyman,was one of the thirteen survivors of the steam ship Lady Elgin that went down in Lake Michigan,three hun dred being drowned.Lyman swam three miles to shore. Martha (Patty,for short),born in 1813,married first Cornel ius Updike,second Cornelius Brower.Her Updike children were Levi,Cornelia (Wright),and Julia,unmarried.The Brower children were Albert,Andrew,William (a veteran of the Civil War),Cornelius,Charlie and Elizabeth (Harvey). Isaac,Matilda,Phoebe and Martha (died 1891),children of Borden and Lavina,were born in Fishkill,Dutchess County. About 1816 the family emigrated from Fishkill to Tompkins County.It was before the days of railroads,so they came in cov ered wagons and were about two weeks on the road. On the way from Fishkill,Amy was born.She married Hiram Cole and their children were William,Alfred,Elliott,Fred and Delphine (Updike).Amy is buried in Trumansburg. Martin,born in 1821,died 1897;buried at Mecklenburg. Married first Mary Burlew;they had one child,Decatur,who died unmarried.Martin married second Olive Harvey,third Imogene Doty (still living). 50 The Pioneer Clevelands Jacob,born 1821 and died 1897,is buried at Mecklenburg.He married Mahlah Sheldon;they had one child.Mahlah's father was the first deputy sheriff of Tompkins County and one of the earliest and most respected settlers of Ithaca. Henry,born 1823,died ,buried at Mecklenburg.Married first Henrietta Larcum,second Urania Rolfe Manning. No chil dren by either wife. Oscar,born 1826,died 1849,unmarried.He was buried in Jones Cemetery,Hector. James,born 1827,died 1898,buried at Mecklenburg.Married Sophia Soper of Rutland,Pa.Their children were Alice (first Griffen,then Harris),and Mark. Maranda,youngest child,born 1829,died 1911;buried at Mecklenburg.Married George Johnson.They had one son, Charlie. Of the above-name children of Borden and Lavina,all except five were born in Enfield,N.Y. Elias Brewer,father of Lavina,was a Revolutionary War sol dier.He outlived both of his wives,but I have not the record of his death;he is buried at Waterburg. All the children of Borden and Lavina are dead;the only sur viving grandchildren are Gillette,son of Isaac;Andrew and Elizabeth,children of Martha Hausner Brower;Delphine,Elliott and Fred,children of Amy Cole,and Charlie,son of Maranda Johnson. The descendants of the fourth,fifth,sixth and I think seventh generations are very numerous something over a hundred. Some Family Incidents Some incidents connected with the family might be of interest. Elias Brewer,father of Lavina Brewer Hausner,was a Revo lutionary War soldier,and an ancestor of his was the famous Annette Jans.This ancestor was the person named in the com plaint in the lawsuit brought by the heirs of Annette Jans against Trinity Church,one of the most famous lawsuits in American history. The Pioneer Clevelands 5 1 My grandmother,Lavina Brewer Hausner,told me that her mother said that during the Revolutionary War,they (her father and mother)melted up their pewter dishes to make bullets for the soldiers and that they were greatly afraid of the Indians. Lavina Hausner was of Quaker descent on her mother's side, and was noted for her hospitality and trim Quaker way of dressing. Both the Brewer and the Hasner families were of pure Dutch descent not German but Holland Dutch and we who are their descendants have reason to be proud that we belong to what is in history called the Knickerbocker families.I have been unable to find the record of when these [two]families came to America, but the Brewer family was among the first New York settlers.I believe Jacob Hausner was the emigrant of his family. Jacob Hausner was a Revolutionary War soldier,2d Dutchess Co.Volunteers,under Colonel Brinkerhoff.Jacob refused to sign the Articles of Association at the beginning of the war,but later on had a change of heart and enlisted. Jacob's wife,Catherine,was poisoned by a Negro at a house where she was visiting;she lived seven weeks but the poison was the cause of her death.Several members of the family died at the same time.Their name was Weeks. In 1921 Minnie Hausner and I drove to Fishkill and found the old Hasner House;the foundation walls are still standing.The place is now used by Dr.Rushmore for a summer home;his win ter home is in New York.The place is located about fifteen miles from Fishkill village at the foot of a mountain called Hausner Mountain. The record I have of Martin Hosner (as he spelled his name) and Polly,his wife,is very incomplete but can be easily com piled.I think Polly's name was Hurd.Her father was a Revolu tionary War soldier.Martin and Polly migrated from Fishkill about 1845.They were buried in Dix Cemetery near Odessa. Their children were : Charlie married first Baker,no children;second Emily Baker;children:Willis and Will who were twins. Jacob married Sarah Hill (still living).He is buried in 52 The Pioneer Clevelands dren," Mrs.Hosner wrote on Dec.5,1881.Then follows:"The names of my Grandfather and Grandmother,the names of their children and their births."Later listings have been supplied by Mrs.Hosner's granddaughters and great-granddaughters.The generations are indicated by a bold-face Roman numeral. I Josiah Cleveland b 1749 ml 776 Ruth Johnson b 1742 II Descendants of Josiah Cleveland and Ruth Johnson m 1776 1 Aaron Porter b 1766 4 Josiah B.b 1774 2 Sarah b 1768 m Norman Hills 5 Ruth b 1777 died young 3 Clarissa b 1771 m Jas.Compton 6 John b 1779 m Silvia Philips III Descendants of Josiah B.Cleveland and Fanny Lathrop m 1798 1 Gurdon Lathrop b 1801 d 1825 7 Sally b 1811 d 1864 2 Julia Ann b 1802 d 1825 8 William Johnson b 1813 d 3 John Porter b 1804 d 1825 9 Nelson Bliss b 1815 d 4 Mehetable b 1805 d 1862 10 Adelia b 1817 d 1838 5 Nelson b 1807 d 1808 11 Fanny Belinda b 1820 d 1853 6 Adaline b 1809 d 1882 12 Alanson Josiah b 1822 d IV Descendants of Adaline Cleveland m Isaac Hosner 18 33 1 William Gurdon b 1833 d 1837 6 Josiah Cleveland b 1843 d 1843 2 Irvin Morimer b 1835 d 1873 7 Henry Clay b 1844 d 1893 3 Fanny Adelia b 1836 d 1916 8 Bordon Josiah b 1847 d 1906 4 George Washington b 1838 d 1892 9 Gillette b 1846 d 1927 5 Sally Lovina b 1841 d 1906 10 Isaac b 1852 d 1860 Irvin Mortimer Hosner m 1860 Ruth Ann Smith 1 Minnie 2 Clarence 3 Frank Fanny Adelia Hosner m 1863 William L.Tucker 1 Carrie 2 Adelaide 3 Olive 4 Jessie Sally Lovina Hosner m 1863 first Albert R.Tucker second Charles Hubbell 1 Bert Tucker 2 Belle Hubbell George Washington Hosner m 1867 Elizabeth Culver No children Gillette Hosner m 1872 Augusta Morgan 1 Anna 2 Minnie 3 Emmett Henry Clay Hosner m 1872 Sarah Lodema Starr 1 Emma 2 Edith Bessie The Pioneer Clevelands 53 Cemetery.Children of Jacob and Sarah were Walter,Augusta and Emma (Carpenter). Borden married Mary Ann Wood.Children were Peter Wil liam,Elmer and Lettie,who married first Mark Hausner and second Daniel Griffen. Alonzo married first Wood,one son Fred;second Mary Randolph of Ithaca.Alonzo died in 1911. Ed,living at present in Michigan,is the only surviving child of Martin and Polly. Mary,daughter of Martin and Polly,married Stilwell and daughter Margaret married .Sons Almeric and Peter died young. Of the above-named sons of Martin and Polly,all except Ed (who was too young),were soldiers in the Civil War and served with distinction.Almeric and Peter gave their lives and all were wounded.They all were enlisted soldiers who did not wait for the draft.I've heard it stated by my mother and father that when the war broke out Polly said,"Go,boys!I wish I were a man so I could go, too." There spoke the blood of her father,a hero of the Revolution ! Genealogy of the Josiah Cleveland Family This Cleveland family early disappeared from the annals of Tompkins County.Three sons of Josiah Cleveland died without issue;the record of one is lost;two others were in the West be fore 1845.Alanson may have been in Iowa,but it is certain that Nelson was then in Michigan. Of the six daughters,Julia Ann died unwed.Mehetable mar ried William Owen and they were in Michigan by 1850.Fanny Belinda with her three sons was drowned at sea.Adelia 's death followed within a few days that of her only child.Sally and Adaline married and remained in their native East.Except for Adaline'sBordon,who went west early in 1870,her sons remained in their native habitat to establish the present-day Hausner line of Central New York. "I now write down the births of Father's and Mother's chil- 54 The Pioneer Clevelands Bordon Josiah Hosner m 1870 Clarinda Terry 1 Myrtie V Descendants of Irvin Mortimer Hosner and Ruth Ann Smith Minnie Hausner m William R.Clapper 1 Mildred 2 Ruth Clarence Hausner m Florence Smith 1 Harold 2 Kenneth 3 Ethel 4 Edna Frank Hausner m Mattie Smith 1 Ruth 2 Robert 3 Alice Descendants of Fanny Adelia Hosner Tucker Carrie m Frank Beardsley 1 Herbert 2 Mabel 3 Olive Adelaide C.unmarried Olive m John Rightmire 1 Delia Jessie m Arthur C.Agard 1 Merritt 2 J.William 3 Adeline Descendants of Gillette Hosner and Augusta Morgan Anna Hosner m Howard Bodle 1 Mary 2 Florence Minnie unmarried Emmett m Viola Brower No children Descendants of Henry Clay Hosner and Sarah Lodema Starr Emma m Fred B.Wilson 1 Mildred unmarried Edith Bessie unmarried Descendants of Sally Lovina Hosner Tucker,Hubbell Bert Tucker m Ida Lanning 1 Leon 2 Neva 3 Ursula Belle Hubbell m Bert Willis 1 Morris 2 Lucelia 3 Ruth 4 Francis VI Descendants of Minnie Hausner Clapper Mildred m Leslie Aldridge 1 Robert 2 William 3 John 4 Dean 5 Arlene Ruth m Raymond Brewer 1 Donald 2 Dorothy The Pioneer Clevelands 55 Descendants of Clarence Hausner and Florence Smith Harold Hausner m Edith Smith 1 Arthur 2 Robert 3 Donald Kenneth Hausner m Hilda n9\A.a/\yU^, No children Ethel Hausner m Claud Lattin 1 Jean 2 Edwin Descendants of Frank Hausner and Mattie Smith Ruth m Donald Stone 1 Nancy 2 SaUy 3 Susan Robert m Mildred Boles 1 Allan Alice m William Ward 1 Martha 2 Mary 3 Alice 4 William 5 David Descendants of Carrie Tucker Beardsley Herbert unmarried Mabel m C.Owen Carman 1 Frank 2 Charles 3 Robert Olive m Raymond Darling 1 Ruth 2 Stanley 3 Helen Descendants of Anna Hausner Bodle Mary m Merle Crippen 1 Robert 2 Edwin Florence m first Leland Shepherd,second Alexander Rau No children Descendants of Bert Tucker Leon Tucker m Bernice M.Conover 1 Charlotte 2 Doris 3 Evelyn 4 Juanita 5 Donald 6 Carol 7 Shirley Neva m George Laue 1 Harold 2 Ernst Ursula unmarried 56 The Pioneer Clevelands Corrections and Additions VI Descendants of Carrie Tucker and Frank Beardsley Herbert,deceased Mabel m C.Owen Carman 1 Frank 2 Charles 3 Robert Olive m Raymond Darling 1 Ruth 2 Stanley 3 Helen Descendants of Jessie Tucker and Arthur C.Agard Merritt m Maude Emma Hardenbrook 1 Carol 2 J.Richard J.William m Alice Vielie (deceased)m Marian LaRue 1 John William,Jr.2 Lee Bruce 3 Nan Wanda Adeline m Louis Tamburino 1 Michael 2 Larry 3 Jackie Descendants of Olive Beardsley and John Rightmire Delia m Elmer Wixom ~Ti(\<^C f~* 1 Shirley 2 Phyllis 3 Everett VII Descendants of Mabel Beardsley and C.Owen Carman Frank m Bernice Holland Charles m Beatrice Medlock 1 William 2 Bruce Robert m Gertrude Townsend Descendants of Olive Beardsley and Raymond Darling Ruth m Jack Halpin 1 John 2 Michael Stanley m Helen Couch 1 Tommy 2 Jackie 3 Martin Helen m Louis Wheeler 1 Douglas 2 Barbara 3 Deborah Descendents of Delia Rightmire and Elmer Wixom Shirley m William Shepard 1 Sharon 2 Kathy 3 Terry Phyllis m Jack Griffiths 1 Linda 2 Sheryl 3 Jackie Everett,in college The Pioneer Clevelands 57 Corrections and Additions VII Descendants of Merritt and Maude Emma Agard Carol m Edward Nunn 1 Edward,Jr.(Skip)2 Mary Ellen J.Richard m Beverly Shepard 1 Nancy 2 Martha Lynn Descendants of Leon Tucker and Bernice M.Conover Charlotte m first Thomas Sloneger 1 Janet Marie 2 Thomas James m second Peter Ricardo 1 Rita Ann 2 Peter Joseph,Jr. Doris m Gordon E.Willett 1 Sharon Jane 2 Richard Earl Evelyn m Arther H.Volbrecht 1 Ronald Leon 2 Lois Jean 3 Dale Arthur,deceased Juanita m John Wojtanik 1 John Francis 2 Drew Richard 3 Darla Jean Donald,unmarried Carol m Elmer K.Stickler 1 Marie Carole 2 Kathy Louise Shirley m Clair M.Boyd 1 Gina Lynn 2 Kevin Tucker 58 The Pioneer Clevelands Corrections and Additions