Vital Records, Norwich, NY, March 17 & 24, 1869

 Chenango Union, Norwich, NY, March 17, 1869

Marriage

In Oxford [Chenango Co., NY], March 2d, by Rev. J.O. Ransom, Mr. Calvin H. Whitney, to Miss Nevada M. Seeley, both of Oxford.

Deaths

At the Spaulding house, in this village [Norwich, Chenango Co., NY], March 10th, Capt. William Sage, aged 37 years, late of Company L., 20th, N.Y. Cavalry.

At the residence of E.B. Barnett, in this village [Norwich, Chenango Co., NY], March 13th, Joanna [Chamberlain], Widow of Dea. Elijah Chamberlain aged 84 years.

In this town [Norwich, Chenango Co., NY], March 7th, Sarah Washburn [Wade], wife of Henry L. Wade, and daughter of Dr. Wm. G. Sands, of Oxford [Chenango Co., NY], aged 27 years.

In Guilford [Chenango Co., NY], March 10th, Mrs. Alice Cady, aged 75 years.

In Sherburne [Chenango Co., NY], Feb. 22d, Asa Lamott [Tracy], son of William and Susan Tracy, aged 2 years and 7 months.

In South New Berlin [Chenango Co., NY], Feb. 22d, Mary Louisa [Hunt], daughter of Daniel and Emma Hunt, aged 4 years.

In Plymouth [Chenango Co., NY], Feb. 28th, Mrs. Manetta Merrill, widow of Thomas Merrill, aged 63 years, 7 months.

In Smithville [Chenango Co., NY], March 5th, Mary [Seeley], youngest daughter of Abel and Adaline Seeley, aged 20 years.

In Greene [Chenango Co., NY], March 4th, Mr. Alonzo Covert, aged 43 years.

In Coventry [Chenango Co., NY], March 5th, Miss Mary S. Beals, formerly of Greene [Chenango Co., NY], aged 76 years.

In East Jeffrey, N.H., March 3d, Mrs. Frank M. Reynolds, wife of Rev. A.E. Reynolds, aged 26 years.  Deceased was a sister of C.J. Tucker, of this place [Norwich, Chenango Co., NY].

Death of Sherwood S. Merritt, Esq.

In this village [Norwich, Chenango Co., NY], on Tuesday morning, March 16th, of disease of the stomach, Sherwood S. Merritt, Esq., aged 52 years.

In the death of Sherwood S. Merritt, which occurred at his residence in this village [Norwich, Chenango Co., NY], on Tuesday morning, March 16th, at 4 o'clock, our citizens have sustained a severe loss, which will be realized more and more, as they recover from the shock his sudden death has occasioned, and as time shall more fully develop the important relations he bore to the social and business interests of this community.

Mr. Merritt was born in North Norwich, about the year 1817, and while quite young selected the law as his profession, which he has practiced continuously, in this village, from the time of his admission as an attorney, about the year 1840, up to a few weeks previous to his death.  His disease was an organic affection of the stomach, which, until about two weeks since, was not considered as threatening his life.

One of the ablest lawyers of the State, he was always courteous and obliging, and relied upon sound argument rather than cunning for success in his profession.  His tastes inclined him rather to the hard work of an office, than to any attempts at display in the courts.  He was a truthful and matter-of-fact man; and whether as a lawyer or a man, was always honest and upright; and we follow his quiet, unobtrusive example, and express the feeling of our heart, when we say, " And he was a good man."

The irreparable loss which his family and relatives have sustained in his death, we do not feel competent adequately to express.  As there will hereafter doubtless, be written a more complete notice of his life and character, and as the few moments we have to pen this notice prevents our collecting the material facts, we shall not at this time attempt anything more than this brief and imperfect sketch.

The funeral will be held at the late residence of the deceased, on East Main Street, on Thursday at 2 o'clock, P.M.

Chenango Union, Norwich, NY, March 24, 1869

Marriages

In Preston [Chenango Co., NY], March 10th, by Rev. D.C. Shepard, Mr. Arva Hopkins of Carmel, Putnam Co. [NY] to Miss S. Adelaide Chace, of the former place.

In Preston [Chenango Co., NY], March 9th, by Rev. M.L. Bennett, Mr. T.J. Rogers, of Ohio, to Miss L.J. Lewis, Preston.

In Zion Church, Greene [Chenango Co., NY], March 16th, by Rev. Dr. Rogers, Mr. John S. Winter, to Miss Eliza E. Harrington, all of Greene.

In East Greene [Chenango Co., NY], March 14th, by Rev. R.H. Spafford, Mr. William D. Wheeler, to Mrs. Lucina A. Day, both of Greene.

In New Berlin [Chenango Co., NY], March 16th, by Rev. G.E. Flint, Mr. Andrew Waterman, to Miss Isabelle Skinner, all of New Berlin.

In Clarence, Mo., March 2d, by Rev. S. Steed, Mr. Giles F. West, formerly of Pitcher [Chenango Co., NY] to Miss Virginia S. Doyle, all of Clarence.

Deaths

In Oxford [Chenango Co., NY], March 12th, of consumption, A. Leroy [Harrington], youngest son of William A. and Jane Harrington, aged 21 years.

In Sherburne [Chenango Co., NY], March 1st, from injuries received in battle, Mr. John G. Norton, late of the 176th Regt. N.Y.S. Vols. aged 46 years.

In Greene [Chenango Co., NY], March 14th, Janet [Hotchkiss], wife of William Hotchkiss, aged 64 years.

In North Fenton [Broome Co., NY], March 5th, Mr. John F. Miller, formerly of Greene [Chenango Co., NY], aged 86 years and 11 months.

In Lawrenceville Pa., Feb. 24th, Rev. Octavius Fitch, formerly of Oxford [Chenango Co., NY].

Shooting in Cortland

Chenango Union, Norwich, NY, March 17, 1869

The Democrat gives an account of the shooting of one Luke Van Hoesen, a young man who for some months past has divided his time about equally between the inside and the outside of the county jail, by Peter Hitchcock, on Friday morning last, about one o'clock.  Van Hoesen was intoxicated, and desired admittance into Hitchcock's house, which Peter refused.  Van would come in; burst open the kitchen door, and was kicking away at the sitting room door, when H. ordered him to desist, or he would shoot him. The intruder paid no attention to this threat and Hitchcock discharged a pistol in the direction of the door, the ball taking effect in the left side of Van Hoesen, inflicting a mortal wound.  Hitchcock was in jail, and the wounded man near his end, on Friday last.

The Cortland Homicide

Chenango Union, Norwich, NY, March 24, 1869

Luther Van Hoesen, who was shot by Peter Hitchcock, on the morning of the 12th inst., while attempting to enter the house of the latter, brief mention of which we published last week, died on the afternoon of that day.  On Monday, the case was brought before the Grand Jury, who found a true bill against Hitchcock for murder, and he stands committed for trial at the June term of the Court of Oyer and Terminer.  A man name Clark who accompanied Van Hoesen to Hitchcock's house, a place of ill repute, testifies to what took place there, and his evidence is damaging to Hitchcock.

The Oldest Mason

Chenango Union, Norwich, NY, March 24, 1869

Mr. Samuel McMinn, of Pharsalia [Chenango Co., NY], called at our office one day last week, and from a conversation which we had with him we learn that he is, undoubtedly, the oldest Free Mason in this section of the State, if not the State.  Mr. McMinn emigrated to this country, from Ireland, in the year 1806.  Before he left Ireland, he took the Degrees in Masonry as far as and including those of Knight Templar. The Master's Lodge, of which he was a member, was named Coranary lodge, number 561, and was located in the manor of Coranary, Cavan County.  He does not remember distinctly the year when he first became a Mason, but from his statement of his age and the year in which he left Ireland, he must have been a member of the Craft for sixty-four years at least.  Mr. McMinn is a venerable looking man, eighty-five years old, still hale and hearty, and retains his faculties almost unimpaired, attributable, no doubt, to his having strictly adhered to the tenants of this ancient and honorable order.