Vital Records, Chenango County, NY, May 1876 (continued)

 Chenango American, Greene, NY, May 4, 1876

Marriages

At the M.E. Parsonage in this village [Greene, Chenango Co. NY], April 18th, by Rev. W.H. Gavitt, Mr. Wilson Butler to Miss Mary E. [Nicholson] daughter of Mr. J.T. Nicholson, all of Greene.

At the residence of the officiating justice -?- Olmstead in Whitney's Point [Broome Co. NY], April 1-th(?), William Vanderburg of Whitney's Point to Miss Esther E. Drake of Colesville [Broome Co. NY].

At Whitney's Point, April 19th by Rev. Wm. Gates, Mr. L.D. Spencer of Lisle [Broome Co. NY] to Miss Rosena Youngs, of Nanticoke [Broome Co, NY].

Deaths

In this town [Greene, Chenango Co. NY], April 29th, Mr. Lorenzo Hayes aged 49 years, 5 months.

In Binghamton [Broome Co. NY], April 27th, Mr. James Kelley aged 38 years, formerly of Oxford [Chenango Co. NY].

Sherburne News, Sherburne, NY, May 6, 1876

Deaths

Mr. John Williams received a letter this week, announcing the death of Mr. Robert O. Williams, a younger brother of his, a resident of Moscow, Russia, which occurred in the town of Chur, Switzerland, on the 4th of March.  Deceased had been in this country but once, about fifty years ago, when he came to this village [Sherburne, Chenango Co. NY] on a visit to his brother.  When he left here he was a practical engineer and returned to Russia for the purpose of engaging in that capacity on one of the principal railroads in Russia.  Subsequently he was engaged extensively in railroading and the owner of the great railroad between Moscow and St. Petersburgh, and sometimes had over one thousand men employed in his great railway carriage factory near St. Petersburg.  He also owned extensive iron works in the suburbs of Moscow.  John and Robert had never met since the visit paid by the latter in this village, though they have been in constant correspondence.  Deceased leaves a wife and six children.  His estate left, probably counts up among the millions.

Waterville, Oneida Co. NY:  On Wednesday of last week a lad aged about 12 years, son of Mr. Miller who resides on the turnpike half a mile east of Noble Clark's tavern, died of smallpox.  A sister of the deceased is now suffering from the same malady, as have two other members of the family prior to the death of the lad.  Several neighbors in the vicinity are also quarantined, we are informed.  Dr. Medina Preston, Jr. has had charge of Mr. Miller's family, but whether physicians from Bridgewater or elsewhere have been called in the neighborhood, we have not learned.

Bainbridge Republican, Bainbridge, NY, May 6, 1876

Deaths

WAKEMAN:  In Sidney [Delaware Co. NY], April 30th, 1876, Moses Wakeman aged 67 years and 6 months.

DOTY:  In Unadilla [Otsego Co. NY], May 2d, 1876, Mrs. Esther A. Doty, wife of Joseph B. Doty, aged 19 years and 3 months

Chenango Telegraph, Norwich, NY, May 4, 1876

Death of the oldest man in the State

On Thursday of last week, Dalle Villeman, [the oldest man in the] county, and probably the oldest man in the State, died [April 20th at his residence] in Pharsalia [Chenango Co. NY] at the age of one hundred and twelve years and eleven days.  He was born is Les Ayan, Canton De Lure, Department De La Haute, Saute, France on the 9th of April 1764.

In early life this subject of venerable longevity was employed, like thousands of other peasant boys of France, in caring for the stock of the -?- and the usual drudgery of those in his position.  He married at the age of twenty-two and with the wife of his early manhood he lived thirty-four years, she dying without issue.  During most of his married life he worked as a hod carrier for brick layers and masons.  He was at one time, a soldier in the army of Napoleon I, but not until the fortunes of that ambitious -?- were on the decline.  Villeman was one of the soldiers at Mayence and was [also] in Fort Huningue where the soldiers fought and --- with a desperate courage and was there when the news spread that Napoleon had surrendered his claims to the throne of France and Italy.  On his discharge from the army, Villeman claimed to have been stricken down with an illness during which he lay forty days "without eating or drinking a mouthful," but he finally recovered.  He remained a widower two years after the death of his first wife and then married at the age of fifty-eight.  By this wife he had five children, two of whom died in France.

At the age of eighty-two he acted on the philosophy of Horace Greely, "Young man, go west" and came with his family to America, landing in New York without money, or even goods, for he had been robbed by a sharper in Paris.  His first residence in this country was Utica [Oneida Co. NY].  One of the incidents of the then old man's life was the running of a foot race in that city.  A race had been arranged between a Yankee and a Frenchman.  When the time came, the Frenchman had a sprained ankle, and wanted to be let off, but the race was for a stake of $50, and his opponent would not consent without a forfeiture.  Villeman proposed to run in his place, which was finally agreed to, the man of eighty-two winning the race and receiving half the money.

From Utica he moved to Earlville [Madison Co. NY] from that to Otselic [Chenango Co. NY] and finally to Pharsalia, where he spent the remainder of his remarkably long life.  He was present at our county fair last fall and appeared to be a feeble old man of 75 or 80 years.  He was then afflicted by a cancer in one eye, but we do not understand that this death was caused primarily on that account.  The very compact, rugged machinery had worn out, and would no longer perform the necessary functions and he sank quietly to rest.  His name will be placed among those who have been remarkable for his length of days.