TOWN OF WHEELER. 



441 



pany with his father, Daniel Marshal (then a widower), to 

 New York, in 1799, whence they removed to Utica, in 1801, 

 and thence to the town of Wheeler, on the 22d of February, 

 1810, settling on a farm purchased by the senior Mr. Marshal 

 of Valentine Bear, of Bath, in the year 1805. Gen. Marshal 

 is a farmer by occupation. He has always been interested 

 in public aiFairs, and a strong advocate, both in theory and 

 practice, of a judicious and economical management of the 



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same. He has held at diiferent times various town offices, 

 among them those of supervisor, justice of the peace, and 

 assessor. He served his county as superintendent of the 

 poor at different times, beginning with his first appoint- 

 ment, in 1835. He represented his district in the State 

 Legislature in 1847. He was a commissioner of deeds many 

 years, appointed postmaster in 1837, and now holds the ap- 

 pointment of notary public. He was an interested and 

 prominent member of the military organization of the 

 State. He was corporal in 1810, and has held every office 

 in the regular line of promotion from that position to the 

 rank of major-general, to which office he was commissioned 

 June 29, 1832, and the duties of which he faithfully dis- 

 charged until he resigned, April 9, 1845. He was present 

 as a commissioned officer at the execution of Robert Doug- 

 lass, in Bath. He is a member of the Presbyterian Church, 

 in which society he has been elder and trustee many years. 

 He now lives on the same farm where he first settled, at the 

 age of eighty-six, surrounded by the fruits of his labor. 



His children are Eliza Ann, Sarah D., Frederick, Prancis, 

 and F. J., the last of whom now lives with his father on 

 the same farm. 



He has always taken an active interest in the agricul- 

 tural aiFairs of his county and State, and has held places on 

 important committees in the agricultural organizations of the 

 county and State. 

 56 



George Renchan came from Albany County at an early 

 day, and settled on the north part of the J. H. Wheeler 

 property, known as the Renchan farm. He built a log 

 house on the flat west of the Prattsburgh road. Afterwards 

 a house was built on the same road. At one time an Indian 

 camp stood just north of Renchan's house, on the flat. 

 Their relations with the Indians were always friendly. Mr. 

 Renchan's experience with wild animals was frequent and 

 troublesome. Mr. Renchan died in the service of his 

 country, in the war of 1812, on his way to the front, leav- 

 ing: his widow to encounter alone the difficulties of her 

 pioneer home. 



J. C. Overhiser came from Otsego County, in 1811, and 

 settled on West Creek, where Chester A. Overhiser now 

 lives. He saw his farm cleared up and improved. He was 

 a farmer by occupation and a member of the Methodist 

 Church. He died in the town of Wheeler, May 13, 1871, 

 in the ninetieth year of his age. He was the parent of 

 the following eighteen children, all of whom are now living : 



James L., born April 7, 1815. 

 Mary, born Oct. 3,1816. 

 Harry, born Jan. 29, 1818. 

 Manilla, born Sept. 16, 1819. 

 Chester A., born Feb. 27, 1821. 

 Andrew P., born Aug. 14, 1822. 

 William S., born April 14, 1824. 

 Seth A., born June 9, 1825. 

 Micha S., born Nov. 26, 1826. 



Sabra E., born Feb. 19, 1828. 

 John C, born Aug. 19, 1829. 

 Joseph S., born Nov. 6, 1831. 

 Abram T., born Oct. 9, 1832. 

 Sluman D., born April 4, 1834. 

 Catherine, born Jan. 18, 1836. 

 Martha A., born Oct. 9, 1837. 

 Levi B., born Feb. 12, 1840. 

 Sarah A., born March 4, 1843. 



The following were old settlers in the north half of the 

 town of Wheeler, formerly part of Prattsburgh. Mr. 

 Lakin settled the place now owned by B. Y. Lewis ; George 

 Raymond where Carl Stickney now lives. In " Mutton 

 Hollow," Jenks Young, Thomas Cuming (father of the late 

 Mrs. John French) settled. Philip Beemer was a resident 

 there in 1810. Uriel Chapin settled on the place after- 

 wards bought by Col. Grattan H. Wheeler. He was a 

 son-in-law of Capt. Joel Pratt, and kept the first school in 

 Wheeler. He was a large dealer in stock, having a farm 

 of three hundred and twenty acres, now owned by the heirs 

 of Grattan H. Wheeler. 



William Rowley settled on the north part of the farm 

 now owned by George Renchan, and lived there in 1810. 

 The farm was then owned by his father-in-law, Daniel Ray- 

 mond. 



On the west hill lived Andrew Harris, on the farm now 

 owned by George Bull. Noah Stephens was an early set- 

 tler on the farm now owned by Isaac D. Noxon, and John 

 Clark on the farm now owned by Jesse Merritt. 



Capt. Silas and Grattan H. Wheeler built a saw-mill in 

 the south part of the town, on the farm now owned by J. 

 Butts, about 1809. They afterwards sold to Gen. George 

 McClure, and he sold to Dugald Cameron, and Cameron to 

 Geo. W. Taylor, his brother-in-law, who established there 

 a grist-mill, distillery, and ashery, and operated for some 

 considerable time with success. Taylor was a man of much 

 enterprise. He was at one time a prominent merchant of 

 Bath. 



In the south part of the town, formerly lying in the 

 town of Bath, Reuben Montgomery was an early settler 

 (about 1806), on the farm now owned by the widow of S. 

 H. Rose. 



