Wyoming County PA Biographies
Miles Avery
Miles Avery was born December 28, 1791, at Tunkhannock, Pa. He was the eldest son of Cyrus Avery, who came from Norwich, Conn., to Pennsylvania about 1790, and there married Lydia Marcy, a daughter of Colonel Zebulon Marcy, whose father came from Dover, Dutchess county, N. Y., as early as 1770, with the Connecticut colony, and is said to have built the first cabin at Pittston, near Old Forge, in 1772. This claim he sold to Ebenezer, his brother, who came the same year to Tunkhannock, and aided in organizing Putnam Township and allotting it to the Connecticut settlers. Zebulon raised here a family of eight children, all of whom became prominent.
Prior to the Wyoming massacre he moved his family to Forty Fort, and there his daughter Sarah, who married John McCord, was born June 4, 1778, nine days before the slaughter of the settlers by the British and Indians. After this event the family returned to Dutchess county, N. Y., using a cow as a beast of burden: as well as a milk-giver during the journey. A few days before the massacre, while Marcy and a few others were scouting for British or Indians, an English Tory's wife discovered them, and called to her husband, "Shoot, Adam, shoot!" That worthy fired and struck a tobacco box in Marcy's pocket, which box is now in Porter Marcy's family at Tunkhannock. The return fire wounded Adam, and he died soon after.
As soon as safety was insured Zebulon returned and settled on the farm where Porter Marcy resides, and resided there until his death, September 2, '34. After the marriage of Cyrus Avery and Lydia Marcy they settled on 500 acres at the confluence of the Tunkhannock and Susquehanna, on the south and east sides of the respective rivers; and later inclosed "Avery Mountain".
On this farm all their children were born - Miles, December 28, 1791; Zebulon, May 12, 1793; Zebulon (second), July 7, 1794; Solomon, July 28, 1796; Nicholas, September 19, 1797; Jerusha, December 3, 1798; . Sally, February 5, 1801; Cyrus H., November 14, '05; Humphrey, November 14, '05; Lydia, March 5, '08; Abel M., July 29, '11; Punderson, July 31, '14, and Joseph C .. June 9, '17.
Miles Avery married Elizabeth, daughter of Jonathan Smith, July 26, '12. He died April 28, '48, and his wife followed him May 16, '49, both being buried in Cyrus Avery's cemetery at Tunkhannock. After their marriage they bought of Joseph and Samuel Dailey 196 acres in Falls township, Wyoming county, Pa., six miles south of the mouth of the Tunkhannock on the east side of the Susquehanna, where their twelve children were raised. He was a farmer, but speculated in lumber, work cattle and real estate, at one time owning over 5,000 acres in the county and also a saw mill and foundry at La Grange. At the age of sixteen he joined a military company, and held every office from corporal to brigade inspector, the latter for seven years; was commissioned justice of peace by Governor Ritner and served twelve years, and was generally known as "Colonel" or "'Squire" Avery.
The children of Miles Avery are named as follows: Lydia, Ann, born May 1, '13; Ziporah, October 28, '11-, died at Neponset: Ill.; Solomon, September S, '16, died April 6, '39; Esther. May 17, '18, died July 30, '83, at South Eaton, Pa,; :Major Cyrus, :March 8, '21; Miles, ,June 3, '23, died October 10, '84; Humphrey, July 4, '25, a resident of Penn township; Elizabeth, May 15, '27, died July 24, '29; Samuel G., May 3, '29; Hannah, November 4, '32, died November 14, '32, and Courtney, July 18, '34, died May '13, '36.
Humphrey Avery, fourth son of Col. Miles and Elizabeth (Smith) Avery, was born July 4, '25, in Wyoming county, Pa.; received his primary education there and completed his studies at Madison Academy, Abingdon Centre, Luzerne county, Pa. After his father's failure in '43, Mr. Avery was thrown upon his own resources. At this time he was afflicted with the old-fashioned ague, which kept his purse down at low water-mark. He followed the fortunes of the North Branch Canal-running through Wilkesbarre and Pittston for several months, at the same time that the late president Garfield is said to have worked on it. Subsequently he was employed in Boukley & Prices' coal mine, and about this time received, by some accident, the first $100 he ever called his own.
He was boarding at Pittston, and found on the street a purse containing over $5,000 in cash and notes. Searching for the owner, he found him in the person of George F. Knapp, of Carbondale, who pressed the $100 on the delighted young Avery. Mr. Knapp's mother proved to be an old friend of Col. Miles Avery, and insisted on a promise from the young man that he would invest the money in lands on which to make a home for himself. This promise was made and carried out. Mr. Avery purchased at sheriff's sale one hunched acres in his own county for ninety-one dollars, which he sold at a profit, and that $100 and the profits arising from its original investment, are in the pleasant home and farm which he owns today in Stark county.
On April 27, '54, Mr. Avery arrived at Toulon with $530 in gold. For the first year he made his home with his brother, Samuel G. Avery, who had come hither five years prior to '54. In the fall of '54 he purchased forty acres of land in Osceola township, and in '56 he bought the east one-half of the northeast quarter of section seven, in Penn township. On August 8, '58, he married Miss Emma J., daughter of Chauncey W. and Eliza E. (Wheeler) Davison, both of whom are noticed in other pages. After this marriage.Mr. Avery commenced the improvement of his farm in Penn township, engaging in agriculture and stock-growing, was elected constable the same year, which office he held for two years, when he resigned and went westward, in company with thirty men and thirteen teams, to the Rocky Mountains for his health. At Denver the company dispersed, Mr. Avery and a few others going to California Gulch, on the present site of Leadville, where they passed six months.
On returning to Stark county he resumed farming, in '68 purchased 115 acres in section one, Toulon township, which is said to be underlaid by a vein of fine coal four and a half feet in depth. In '86 he sunk a double shaft to this vein, which is fifty-two feet below the surface, and introduced machinery of a capacity of 1,000 bushels per day. In '70 he purchased a store-building and lot at Castleton, and in '76 a lot adjoining. The former he rented out until '78, when he established his mercantile house there. This he carried on for three years in connection with his farm. During this time he served as justice of the peace. In' 82 he sold his business interests at Castleton to Ackley & Loper, and has since devoted his attention to agriculture and coal-mining
The children of Mr. and Mrs. A very are named as follows: Clinton, born December 5, '59; Etta May, May 7, '62; Sherman, .May 25, '64, died May 6, '65; Milo, April 30, '68; Viola Virginia, July 9 '72; Lorance, December 21, '74, and Myron, August 7, '79, died September 9, '80. The eldest daughter, Etta May, married Daniel Bolt, of Castleton, January 5, '83, and is now a resident of Wyoming, Ill.
Samuel Gates Avery, fifth son of Col. Miles Avery, was born in Falls township, Wyoming county, Pa., May 3, '29, completed his education at Madison academy, Luzerne county, Pa.; in '49 came to Stark county and soon after purchased the southeast quarter of section five, Penn township. As stated in the marriage record he married Miss Marrietta Day, October 23, '51. This lady was born at Niles, Mich., January 9, '31. Mr. Avery served as supervisor of Penn township, has been connected with the County Agricultural Society since its organization, and was for several years marshal of that society. In '68 he moved to Lamar, Barton county, Mo., where he is now extensively engaged in agriculture. His children are Alivilda, born July 20, '52, now Mrs. ,W. L. Mack; Udella, born January 31, '54, now Mrs. George T. Parry; Gates, born December 12, '55, married Mary Hazelette, all of Lamar, Mo.; Jerome, born August 21, '57, married Ellen Little, who died soon after marriage, and for second wife, Rosa Pringle; George, born July 29, '60, married Emma Webb; of Lamar, Mo.; Minnie H., born September 5, '62; Lillie G., who married Ernest A. Reed, November 1, '82, at Carthage, .Mo., a son of I. C. and Luna A. Reed, born at Toulon, October 26, '59, as noted in other pages; Bertrand, born July 1, '67; Beatrice, born July 14, '69, and Tallyrand, born July 30, '73.
Joseph C. Avery, brother of Zebulon and Col. Miles Avery born June 9, '17, came from Tunkhannock, Pa., to Stark county, Ill., in '39, and here married Martha Marsh, a half-sister of the late Mrs. James Holgate, with whom she came to this part of Illinois, as stated in the general history. Here Mr. Avery purchased the east half of the southwest quarter of section five, Penn township, built a house and barn, then considered among the best improvements in the township, and a few years later, in '45, moved beyond the mountains to Oregon, where he died at Corvallis, November 18. '78. He was a surveyor and was engaged in this work here during his short stay in the county. -- Documents And Biography Pertaining To The Settlement And Progress Of Stark County, Illinois, Containing An Authentic Summary Of Records, Documents, Historical Works, And Newspapers Relating To Indian History, Original Settlement, Organization, And Politics, Courts And Bar, Citizen Soldiers, Military Societies, Marriages, Churches, Schools, Secret, Benevolent And Literary Societies, Etc. Together With Biography Of Representative Men Of The Past And Present. Written From Records and Personal Reminiscences, By M. A. Leeson. Chicago: M. A. Leeson & Co. , 1887, Biography And Reminiscences Of Penn 'Township, Page 617-619-- Transcribed by Nancy Piper
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