HomeMy WebLinkAboutBostwick, Jane Dey (Johnson)JANE DEY (JOHNSON) BOSTWICK
Jane Dey (Johnson) Bostwick was born in 1821 to Benjamin and Jane (Dey)
Johnson in either the Village of Ithaca or what is now the Town of Enfield formed
in early March of that year. Her father was considered an aggressive but honest
lawyer who served as President (Mayor) of the Ithaca Village in 1828.
Two years after her father died in 1848, in February 1850, Jane at the age of 29,
married Orson Bostwick (44) a widowed farmer with two young sons: William
(13) and Hermon (8). Orson’s farm was in the Northeast Quarter of Section 68, a
mile south of Enfield Center at what is now called “Bostwick Corners”. By all
definitions, Orson would have been considered a highly successful farmer—he
employed two live-in farm laborers and the farm, in 1860, was worth about
$700,000 (in 2020 $$).
When Orson Bostwick died in November 1868, he was buried in the Enfield
Village Cemetery with his first wife Sarah. By that time, the Bostwick family had
left a permanent imprint on the Town of Enfield. Not only was Orson a wealthy
and influential farmer, his son William, at the age of 21 was the Town Supervisor
in 1858. William would later hold positions in County, State, and Federal
governmental jobs with increased importance. The younger son, Hermon was
successful in his own right by being the owner and operator of a large cooperage
(barrel maker) in Ithaca employing several men.
Following Orson’s death, Jane moved into Ithaca to live in her younger brother
William Gordon Johnson’s home at 20 East Seneca St. William was an
accomplished estate garden planner, caretaker, and florist. He died in 1897 and is
buried in Ithaca City Cemetery.
Two years later, Jane died because of pneumonia. She also is buried in Ithaca City
Cemetery with other members of the Johnson family. The inscription on her
headstone reads: “Jane Dey, daughter of Ben and Jane Dey JOHNSON, widow of
ORSON BOSTWICK, January 16, 1821, February 2, 1899.