Isaac Darrow, Jr.: Civil War Veteran and Mapleton Farmer

Isaac Darrow, Jr.'s Family Background

Isaac, Jr. was born in the Town of Owasco, Cayuga Co., New York on 29 July 1845, the son of Isaac Darrow, Sr. and Sarah Anne Sharpe. Sarah was the daughter of Jacob and Clarissa Sharp who lived in the towns of Venice and Scipio, Cayuga Co., New York in Sarah's youth. (Note:  Use of a terminal "e" on Sharpe is variable in this family.) The antecedents of Isaac Darrow, Sr. have not been identified.

The 1850 census does not reveal the whereabouts of the Darrow family, but in 1855 the family was censused in the adjacent Town of Niles, Cayuga Co., New York. They had moved to the Town of Sennett, Cayuga Co., New York by 1860 and returned to Owasco by 1863 as shown by Isaac Darrow, Sr.'s Civil War Draft Registration there during June of that year.

Isaac Darrow, Jr. in the Civil War

111th Infantry Regiment, New York Volunteers Formation and Early Battles

Isaac enlisted as a Private in the 111th Infantry Regiment, New York Volunteers at Owasco on 23 February 1864 at the age of 18. The 111th Regiment had been organized in Wayne and Cayuga counties during the summer of 1862 for service of three years after mustering into federal service at Auburn, Cayuga Co., New York on 20 August 1862 (1) (2). By the time of Isaac's enlistment, the 111th had experienced the humiliation of being surrendered at Harper's Ferry in September 1862, shortly after the regiment went into service, but had returned to participate in the momentous Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863. The 111th Regiment's subsequent engagements during 1863 and early 1864 occurred in Virginia and included Fall's Church, Lewinsville, Auburn, Bristoe Station, Blackburn's Ford, the Mine Run Campaign (Robertson's Tavern), and Morton's Ford (2) so Isaac was joining a battle-tested unit.

Battle of the Wilderness

Isaac joined Company A of the 111th Regiment following his enlistment (3). He would have traveled from Auburn to his unit's encampment, probably in Virginia. The 111th was not involved in any battles for several months following Isaac's enlistment. Isaac thus had time for training and gaining knowledge of combat from hardened veterans before being thrust into action. That action came with the Battle of the Wilderness, which began on 5 May 1864 (2). Isaac survived the first day of the battle but was seriously wounded in action on 6 May (3), presumably during the fighting on the Plank Road. Records show that Isaac was missing from the 30 June and 31 August 1864 muster rolls, apparently hospitalized from his injuries.

Capture and Prisoner of War

Military records show that Isaac had returned to duty with the 111th Regiment by late October 1864. During his absence, the 111th Regiment had participated in the battles of Spotsylvania Courthouse, North Anna, Totopotomoy, and Cold Harbor; the Assault of Petersburg; and the battles of Weldon Railroad, Deep Bottom, Strawberry Plains, and Ream's Station through 25 August 1864 (2). Isaac was transferred from Company A to Company G of the 111th Regiment as a Private on 29 October 1864 and had the great misfortune of being captured by Confederate forces the following day (3).

The details of Isaac's capture are not known. The 111th would not see significant action until the Battle of Hatcher's Run on 8-10 December 1864 (2). Thus, Isaac must have been captured while in a minor skirmish or perhaps while on picket duty or a detail away from other troops. Military records show that Isaac Darrow, Jr. was a prisoner of war until 10 April 1865, the day after Lee's surrender following the Battle of Appomattox Court House. Isaac was fortunate to survive the deprivation and disease prevalent in Confederate prison camps, but he may have been in poor health as a result. Isaac had not yet appeared on the muster roll of Company G, 111th Infantry Regiment by 30 April 1865. On 4 June 1865, Isaac was transferred to Company (Battery) G of the 4th Regiment, New York Heavy Artillery while noted as being absent sick from Company G, 111th Regiment since 27 May.

Isaac Darrow, Jr.'s Civil War Service came to an end on 30 June 1865 when he was mustered out of service at New York City.

Isaac Darrow, Jr.'s Life After the Civil War

Farm Work in the Town of Owasco and Town of Throop

The New York State census of 1865 shows Isaac's parents in Owasco and lists Isaac as a member of the household although at the time of the census (20 June 1865) Isaac had not yet been mustered out of the Army. As far as known, Isaac returned to his parent's household in early July 1865. The family had removed to the Town of Throop, Cayuga Co., New York by 1870. Isaac was in his father's household there, and both were listed as Laborers (probably doing farm work).

Marriage to Josephine Maine

Isaac Darrow, Jr. and Josephine Maine (Note:  Use of a terminal "e" is variable in this family) married on 23 September 1874. The location of the wedding  has not been found but may have been in the Town of Scipio, Cayuga Co., New York. Josephine was censused in Scipio in 1870 in the household of George G. Barnes, and her parents, Ephraim B. Main and Caroline L. Sharp, resided in the same town. Josephine was born in the Town of Aurelius, Cayuga Co., New York, most likely on 20 November 1853 (dates vary), making her 21 years old when she married. Caroline L. Sharp was a sister of  Isaac's mother, Sarah Anne Sharpe, which made Isaac and Josephine 1st cousins. Josephine was a great-granddaughter of Revolutionary War veteran, William M. Main.

Farm Work in the Town of Fleming and Town of Venice

Isaac and Josephine Maine were censused in the Town of Fleming, Cayuga Co., New York in 1875. Isaac was listed as a Farmer. He was not a landowner at this time but rather was a farm laborer or perhaps tenant farmer as evidenced by his later moves and identification as a laborer. Nearby landowners included Peter V. Wyckoff and Thomas Plunkett, which place Isaac and Josephine in the southeast corner of the town, probably on Lot 98 near Wyckoff Station on Owasco Lake.

By 1880, Isaac and Josephine are living in the Town of Venice, Cayuga Co., New York with three children:  Clarence (age 5), Martha (age 3), and Emma (age 1) - who later would appear both as Imogene and Jennie and went by the latter as an adult. Isaac is listed as a Laborer. His family appears in the census adjacent to that of Achsah Ulter whose residence can be found on the 1875 map of Venice in Lot 66 on present-day Lyons Road.

Scipio Landowner

The 1892 census places Isaac and his family in Scipio on the Fleming-Scipio Town Line Road at its intersection with present-day Cork Street, a short distance south of the hamlet of Mapleton in the Town of Fleming. This location can be found on the 1904 map of Scipio in Lot 2. Isaac was still listed as a Laborer in 1892 but presumably already owned the house shown on the 1904 map.

By 1900, the children had left home. Isaac and Josephine were homeowners at the location that they occupied in 1892, and Isaac was employed as a Farm Laborer. We know that Isaac was working for John H. Payne in 1904. The exact location of Payne's farm has not been found but seems to have been in the vicinity of present-day Walters Road in Scipio in the vicinity of Lot 13.

WAS BADLY BRUISED. Isaac Darrow, employed by John Paine [NOTE:  This name was given as John H. Payne in other sources - R. A. Post], of Scipio, met with a peculiar accident Wednesday. He was working on the load while hay was being unloaded by means of a horsefork. While a huge forkful was being drawn toward the roof of the barn the car broke and hay, tackle, fork and all came tumbling down on top of Darrow. He was badly bruised but no bones were broken. Dr. Frank C. Smith attended him. 

-- Thomas Tryniski (scan), Roger Post (transcriber), Was Badly Bruised (Auburn, Cayuga Co., NY, Auburn Weekly Bulletin, Friday, 29 July 1904), Old Fulton New York Post Cards http://www.fultonhistory.com

Isaac listed himself as a self-employed Farmer in 1910. He was then about 65 years old (listed as 67 in the census). One can only imagine Isaac's and Josephine's struggles and perseverance to achieve a modicum of independence over more than 30 years, which may have paled, however, when compared to Isaac's experiences as a prisoner of war in a Confederate prison. Isaac continued to farm through 1920, still living south of Mapleton, as shown by census data.

Reunions of the 111th Infantry Regiment, New York Volunteers

Veteran Isaac Darrow, Jr. of the 111th Infantry Regiment, New York Volunteers, seems to have regularly attended reunions of his regiment as the number of veterans dwindled with time. One memorable reunion occurred in 1910, hosted by General and Mrs. MacDougall on the grounds of their home on South Street in the City of Auburn, Cayuga Co., New York. Several hundred people attended this event. Isaac was listed among the veterans from Southern Cayuga County, along with Captain Marcus Wellington Murdock of Venice and Benjamin F. Gould and Morton M. Palmer of Scipio.

Possibly the most moving reunion of the 111th Regiment for Isaac was their trip to Gettysburg in 1913. Gettysburg was fought before Isaac joined the regiment, but he was surely schooled on the details of the battle by his fellow veterans.

"ON TO GETTYSBURG. . . . It was a jolly bunch of veterans of the Civil War who left  Auburn Saturday night for the battlefield of Gettysburg to enjoy a reunion of the Yanks and Johnny Rebs who participated in that bloody struggle which commenced just 50 years ago tomorrow and which was the deciding battle for the preservation of the Union in the great conflict of '61 to '65. . . . The following took the trip via the Lehigh Valley road from Auburn. . . . Isaac Darrow of Mapleton. . . ."

-- Thomas Tryniski (scan), Roger Post (transcriber), On To Gettysburg (Auburn, Cayuga Co., NY, The Auburn Citizen, Monday, 30 June 1913), Old Fulton New York Post Cards http://www.fultonhistory.com

Isaac is known to have attended a reunion of the 111th in 1916. He is not recorded as attending further reunions until 1923 although he likely did so. In 1918, Isaac was named as one of the surviving Civil War veterans in the local area. Veteran numbers had dwindled so much by that time that the veterans required assistance to carry out their traditional ceremonial duties on Memorial Day and at other times. Accordingly, the Sons of Veterans was formed in the local G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic) meeting rooms on Exchange Street in Auburn. By 1923 only 22 veterans of the 111th Regiment were able to attend their reunion at the G.A.R. rooms. Isaac Darrow was listed among them.

Retirement to New York State Woman's Relief Corps Home (aka Soldier's Home) at Oxford, Chenango Co., New York

Leaving Scipio

Isaac's health was failing in 1923, and he was nearly blind. He applied for admittance to the Woman's Relief Corps (W.R.C.) Home at Oxford, Chenango Co., New York for himself and his wife on 29 August 1923. Isaac listed among his assets a Civil War pension of $72/month, a small place with 3 acres of improved land worth $500, Josephine's small place where they lived worth $700, and a small bank deposit. Isaac and Josephine were approved for admittance to the W.R.C. Home.

Death of Josephine Maine Darrow

Josephine died at the W.R.C. Home on 29 July 1924, 11 months after she and Isaac had applied for admittance. Her funeral occurred at the Gross & Mosher Funeral Parlor on Lincoln Street in Auburn on 1 August 1924. Josephine is buried in the Fleming Rural Cemetery, not far from her former home in Scipio.

Remarriage of Isaac Darrow

On 23 March 1926, Isaac married Mary Zerua Burlison at Norwich, Chenango Co., New York. Mary had been twice married to Harvey Woods and Sherman L. Wade. Isaac and Mary determined to occupy their own home on Green Street in Oxford; therefore, Isaac left the W.R.C. Home.

Death of Isaac Darrow, Jr.

Isaac died on 29 January 1927, less than a year after he married Mary Z. Burlison. He must have returned to the W.R.C. Home in his final days because the Home is listed in his obituary as his place of death. No record has been found of Isaac's funeral. It may well have occurred at Norwich or Oxford before his remains were brought to Fleming Rural Cemetery for burial on 2 February 1927. Isaac was survived by his second wife and her children, his daughter Martha Ann Darrow Strang, and his son Clarence Darrow. His daughter, Imogene (aka Jennie) Darrow Baker, predeceased him in 1911.

Selected References

(1) Hall, Henry. The History of Auburn. Auburn, New York: Dennis Bro's & Co., 1869. (see pp. 429-435)

https://archive.org/details/historyofauburn01hall/page/428

(2) Phisterer, Frederick. New York in the War of the Rebellion. Volume 4. Third Edition. Albany, New York: J. B. Lyon Company, State Printers, 1912.  (see pp. 3305-3306)
https://archive.org/details/phisterernewyork04fredrich/page/3304

(3) New York State Adjutant General Office. Rosters of the New York Infantry Regiments during the Civil War. Albany, New York: New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs, New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center, 2010. 

http://dmna.ny.gov/historic/reghist/civil/rosters/Infantry/111th_Infantry_CW_Roster.pdf

NOTE:  Additional uncited information was obtained from a commercial genealogy website and newspaper items.

Account of John Konklin (probably John Marcus Concklin) in the Tannery Ledger of Jacob Post, Sr.

John Marcus Concklin

Jacob Post, Sr. made a single debit entry in his Tannery Ledger in November 1828 for a person inscribed as John Konklin. Although the identity of "John Konklin" cannot be known with certainty, examination of federal census data for towns with reasonable access to Jacob's tannery in the Town of Fleming, Cayuga Co., New York shows that a John M. Concklin (aka Conklin) was present in the Town of Owasco, Cayuga Co., New York in both 1820 and 1830. Jacob's tannery and John's farm were on the west and east sides of Owasco Lake, respectively, which might seem a considerable impediment to trade. On the other hand, many of the families of Owasco and Fleming had strong ties via intermarriage, frequently a shared Dutch ancestry and membership in the Reformed Dutch churches of Owasco and of the Owasco Outlet (Sand Beach Church), and a common trading center at Auburn, Cayuga Co., New York.

It would not be too difficult for John M. Concklin to make a side trip of about 3.25 miles (each way) from the Owasco Outlet to Jacob's tannery during one of John's occasional trips to Auburn. Another alternative was to cross Owasco Lake in a boat, but perhaps that would have been a cold and rough prospect in November.

John Marcus Concklin Family

John was the son of Matheus Concklin and Sarah Valentine. He was born in Dutchess Co., New York on 15 January 1772 and baptized there on 8 March of the same year. The existing Reformed Dutch Church records appear to group two churches, Poughkeepsie and Rhinebeck Flats; therefore, it is not clear in which of the two churches John's baptism occurred. John married Diantie (aka Deanty, Blandina, and Blondean) Ostrum (aka Oostrum), on 10 February 1793 in Dutchess Co.

Owasco census data from 1855 show John as a resident of the town for 45 years; therefore, he presumably came in with his family ca. 1810. In 1820 his household contained 5 younger males and 4 younger females in addition to John and Diantie. By 1830 this number was down to 2 younger males and 3 younger females, the older children presumably having established their own households by then. A second generation appeared to be present in the household in 1840, probably John and Diantie's son Henry's family, with whom John was censused in 1850 and 1855. Diantie died in 1849 and John in 1856. They are buried in Concklin Farm Cemetery #147 in the Town of Niles, Cayuga Co., New York.

Image of John Marcus Concklin's Account in Jacob Post, Sr.'s Tannery Ledger

Debit Page (3A) for John Marcus Concklin's Account at the Tannery of Jacob Post, Sr. - Fleming, Cayuga Co., New York

Note that Jacob Post, Sr. did not make a credit page for John Concklin's account.

Transcription of John Marcus Concklin's Account

John Konklin (probably John Marcus Concklin)		Debit
Date	Description	₤	S	d
November 1828	To one Side of harnis [harness] Leather wt 9 3/4 lb	1	12	9
NOTE: Amount in pounds, shillings, and pence: 12 pence (d) = 1 shilling (s), 20 shillings (s) = 1 pound (₤)

John Marcus Concklin's Purchases and Credits

John purchased one side of harness leather weighing 9 3/4 pounds in November 1828 for a price of  1 pound, 12 shillings, and 9 pence. The lack of a credit page for this account presumably indicates a one-time purchase that was paid by cash or other means at the time of the transaction. Jacob Post, Sr. X'd out John's debit indicating that the account was settled or written off.

Harness leather doesn't appear as often as sole leather and upper leather in the Tannery Ledger. It's purpose is self-evident from the name. The following quotation shows its characteristics.

Harness Leather is a steer hide vegetable tanned leather that is dyed in drums and stuffed with oils and tallows. Harness is produced with strength being the #1 priority, which means it is subjected to fewer waxes and oils than other leathers to preserve the strength of the fibers.

-- Corter Leather & Cloth  https://corterleather.com/pages/materials

Charles Eugene Selover, Sr.: From Niles Farm Boy To New York City Banker To San Franciso Importer - Part I

Family History of Charles Eugene Selover, Sr. in Cayuga County, New York

The ancestry of Charles Eugene Selover, Sr. in Cayuga County, New York extends back to the earliest settlement of the area around Owasco Lake by families of Dutch ancestry in the last decade of the 18th Century. Charles would represent the 4th generation of his family in Cayuga County.

Isaac Selover (1760-1843), Mary McGee Selover (1769-1831), and Mary Young DeWitt Selover (1774-1852)

Isaac Selover removed from Middlesex Co., New Jersey where he had been born in 1760 and settled in the Town of Sempronius east of Owasco Lake in 1793. This was only a year after the earliest settlers (e.g., the Brinkerhoff family) had arrived, and Sempronius was then part of Herkimer County, New York. Sempronius next became part of Onondaga County in 1794, finally coming to rest in Cayuga County when it was formed in 1799. The portion of Sempronius in which Isaac settled became the Town of Niles, Cayuga Co., New York in 1833.

Whether or not Isaac's wife, Mary McGee, and oldest child, Catherine, accompanied him from New Jersey in 1793 isn't clear. One source shows Isaac and Mary's second child, Abram, being born at Cranbury, Middlesex Co., New Jersey in the fall of 1794. It is possible that Mary and the children remained in New Jersey until Isaac had built suitable shelter in what was then the wilderness. Isaac and Mary eventually had at least eight children, all but Catherine and perhaps Abram born in present-day Niles.

Isaac was a member of the Reformed Dutch Church of Owasco, serving as a Deacon in 1810. Mary McGee Selover died in 1831. She is buried in Selover Cemetery #150 in Niles. Isaac then married (2nd) Mary Young DeWitt and lived until 1843. He also is buried in Selover Cemetery, as is his second wife who died in 1852.

William Selover, Sr. (1797-1862), Gertrude Duryee Selover (1798-1817), and Margaret Post Selover (1795-1880)

Believed to be the second son of Isaac and Mary McGee Selover, William Selover, Sr. was born 25 December 1797 in Sempronius. He married (1st) Gertrude Duryee (1798-1817), probably in 1814 or 1815. Gertrude bore a son, Isaac Selover, apparently before January 1816 based on Isaac's age at death, but she died about 2 years later on 16 November 1817. Gertrude also is buried in Selover Cemetery.

William married (2nd) Margaret Post 1818-1819. Margaret was the daughter of George Post and Anna Groom who had followed George's father, Christopher Post, from New Jersey to settle in the Town of Aurelius (later Fleming), Cayuga Co., New York on the western shores of Owasco Lake in May 1798. Margaret joined William on his farm near the southwest corner of Niles (Sempronius before 1833) where they lived through 1855. They were censused in the Town of Moravia, Cayuga Co., New York in 1860 living in the southern part of Moravia Village near the Cady residence. William and Margaret had four children:  George, Mary Ann, Gertrude, and William, Jr.

William Selover, Sr. died in 1862. He is believed to be buried in the Selover Cemetery. Margaret lived with her granddaughter, Eveline A. Thornton Calhoun, in the Town of Throop, Cayuga Co., New York and in the City of Auburn, Cayuga Co., New York before her death in 1880. Margaret also is buried in the Selover Cemetery.

William Selover, Jr. (1828-1920), Ann Elizabeth Welty Selover (1827-1866), Eliza M. Harris Selover (1842-1898), and Ella C. Hicks O'Donnell Selover (1857-1916)

Like his father, William Selover, Jr. began his career as a Farmer in Niles, a bit north of his father's farm. William married (1st) Ann Elizabeth (aka A. Elizabeth) Welty ca. 1851. Ann Elizabeth was the daughter of Philip Welty and Nancy Decker and a granddaughter of Adam Welty, Sr., an early settler of the Town of Owasco, Cayuga Co., New York who had come in from Pennsylvania by 1800. Adam Welty, Sr. was among the men who subscribed to the Building Fund for the "Meeting House of the United Congregation of the Reformed Low Dutch church at the Owasco Outlet," informally known as Sand Beach Church. His son, Philip, was closely associated Peter Bogart, his brother-in-law and a  son of another early settler of Owasco, Dr. Jacob Bogart.

William and Ann Elizabeth only had one child, Charles Eugene Selover, Sr., before Ann Elizabeth's death in May 1866. She was buried in the Auburn Section of Soule Cemetery in the Town of Sennett, Cayuga Co., New York. William seems to have removed from Niles to Moravia after the death of his first wife. One source states that William married (2nd) Eliza M. Harris in September 1869. She was a young School Teacher, daughter of William Harris and Elspy S. Douglas of Moravia. William and Eliza were censused together in Moravia in 1870. William's occupation at that time was Spoke Manufacturer. He later would be listed as Proprietor of the Selover Milling Company in Moravia, an operation that appeared under several other names over the years.

Eliza and William had a son, William Harris Selover, 21 years the junior of his half-brother, Charles Eugene Selover. Eliza died in 1898 and was buried in Indian Mound Cemetery in Moravia. William married (3rd) Ella C. Hicks, the widow of Fred O'Donnell, ca. 1902. They continued to reside in Moravia. Ella died in 1915 and also is buried in Indian Mound Cemetery. William had removed to Brooklyn, Kings Co., New York by 1917 where he resided with his son, Charles, until dying in 1920. William's remains were brought back to Moravia for burial in Indian Mound Cemetery.