



Lansing D. Hodgman, son of Leonard and Jennette (Morey) 

 Hodgman, was born Nov. 11, 1815, in Stillwater, Saratoga Co., 

 N. Y. He is the eldest of a family of eight sons and one 

 daughter, of whom seven sons are living. Mr. Hodgman re- 

 mained at home on the farm until the spring of 1834 ; received 

 a classical education at Cambridge, N. Y., Bennington Academy, 

 Vermont, and finished his preparation for the occupation of a 

 civil engineer at the Polytechnic Institute, Troy, N. Y. In 

 the spring of 1834 he commenced engineering under Judge 

 Wrightj chief engineer of the Erie Eailway, in the preliminary 

 survey, and continued on the Erie until the spring of 1837, 

 when be engaged on the Erie Canal enlargement, eastern divi- 

 sion,- in Montgomery County, as assistant engineer, under Isaac 

 W. Crane and A, C. Powell, until November, 1840. He then 

 resumed duties on the Erie Railway in charge of a locating 

 party from Cuba, Allegany Co., west to the Indian Reservation. 

 In the spring of 1841 he was made resident engineer in 

 charge of the construction of the road from Hornellsville to 

 Friendship, and continued until the suspension of the Erie 

 Company in the fall of 1842. Thenceforward until the fall of 

 1843 he was agent for the assignees of the Erie Railway Com- 

 pany. 



In July, 1843, he came to Bath, as superintendent for Messrs. 

 Magee & Cook, in charge of the flouring-mill and books of 

 the firm, and of the men generally in their employ, in which 

 position he remained until Aug. 5, 1845. At this latter date 

 he was married to Abby C, only daughter of Hon. Constant 

 Cook, and commenced merchant milling for himself in Bath, 

 which he has continued until the present time (Feb. 6, 1879), 

 and also at Painted Post, in company with his brother, W. S. 

 Hodgman. They bought and operate the Erwin Mills and farm 

 of five hundred and eighty acres, having three flouring-mills, 



feed-mill, gang saw-mill, and plaster-mill ; they do a large amount 

 of business. In October, 1853, Mr. Hodgman bought out 

 Mr. H. H. Cook's interest in the store in Bath, and continued 

 mercantile business until 1873 ; also at Blood's Station from 

 1870 to the present time. 



Mr. Hodgman has taken an active part in all local interests. 

 As trustee of the village he rendered efficient service during the 

 period when most of the streets were graded. As one of the 

 vestrymen of St. Thomas' Church, and a member of the building 

 committee, it devolved upon him to superintend the erection of 

 the beautiful church edifice of that parish. In many other ways, 

 and especially as a member of the board of education during the 

 past twelve years, Mr. Hodgman has rendered himself useful to 

 the community. There is no subject in which he has taken a 

 deeper practical interest than in that of education, and, while 

 mindful of its general benefits to the community at large, he has 

 bestowed its advantages liberally on his own children, of whom 

 he has three sons and two daughters. 



In June, 1873, Mr. Hodgman was appointed by Governor 

 Dix one of the commissioners for the erection of the State 

 Reformation Prison at Elmira, and he remained for two years 

 in the discharge of the duties of that office. 



Mr. Hodgman is a man of positive character, having decided 

 opinions on all subjects. His energy and executive ability have 

 been fully exemplified in the large business he has successfully 

 managed both for himself and others. He had charge of all the 

 buildings erected by Mr. Cook on his Bath mill property, con- 

 sisting of dwellings, mills, hotel, etc., also of the building of the 

 flouring-mills on the Erwin property at Painted Post in 1853, 

 and in 1850 was consulting engineer in the location of the Buf- 

 falo, Corning and New York Railroad through the Cohocton 

 Valley. 



