The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-10-14
ANOTHER PIONEER GONE.


Catherine Chapman Hand, mother of
Judge Hand, of this city, died at Homes
dale yesterday in the ninety-firSt year OF
her age She was born February II, lSOS,
in Durham, Greene county y. Y, wdS
married to Ezra Hand in 1929, and with
him removed to HOnesdale at the time of
the opening of the Delaware and Hudson
canal They were among the pioneers
who first came to that village before The
laurels were cut away and there she has
lived continuously. She is the last of
those early immigrants and settlers who
were enticed by glowing promises of the
coal fields and the romance of the "BCach
Woods made famous by the daring VEN
ture of Maurice WGrtz and his rich com
panions and the genial presence of Wash
jnSton Irving. and who showed theii abid-
ing spirit and faith in the future of that
region and this, by at once erecting their
house and home on the spot. Honesdaie
was then united to Carbondale by the rail
road over which the first locomotive. the
"StOurbridgc Lion" Travelled on this con-
tinent 1T was united to New York by the
canal and the Hudson river. The subject
OF this sketch and her husband and first
son came on the slow moving canal boats
to their future home. Young and hand
some" as one of FER ardent flames an Old
resident of Scranton, once said to the
sprung as they were from Old and New
England stock, entered into the spirit of
pioneer life with happy zeal and worked
to live ana lived to work. Those were
the days when money was scarce and
over the store doors the sign of Cash and
Barter Store was placed to indicate the
absence of the first and the welcome TO
the second. 1t was "A time when stocks
and bonds were unknown to make the
nabob, and when to be land rich and
money poor. and to be the successful mec-
chant was to hold the place of honor and
influence. The birth and history of the
Delaware and hudson Canal company
was the birth into activity and the his
tory of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Car
bondale and Honesdale and what is now
LaCkawanna. and Wayne counties We're
indissolubly linked In commercial rela-
tiOnS, and both associated with New York
| rather than Philadelphia III business and
social relations. and 80 have remained.
The Penamite war made little diSturbu nee
| in its Cnmities in this region. il was most
! ly confined to the lower Of the "seven-
teen townships" but in its pacific aspect
Wayne county produced one of natures
noblemen IN the person OF Jason TOrrey
| with whose family that of the pioneer
whose life has just closed was linked by
marriage. Catherine CoChrane Chapman,
| the subject of this sketch, was descended
| from Robert Chapman, who emigrated
| from Hull, England. i'm 1856, with the col
| Ony that settled at Saybrook. Conn. It
| Is singular how in the early settlement Uf
| this county as the star Of empire moved
west the earlier settlers of New England
! from different localities were brought to-
| gether by marriage. William Torrey,
whose descendant laid the plot of Homes
| dale came from England in 1910 and set
| tied at Weymouth. Mass. Robert Chap
| man came in 1875 and settled at the mouth
| of the Connecticut river, John Hand
| came in l6ij and settled at South Iiamp-
| ton, Long Island. The descendants of
| these intermarricd. and two Of them. Tor
rev and Hand. still on the Connecticut
| title in Pennsylvania are located at Scran-
| ton fighting against and with each Otner
| in the legal profession trying to work out
! after the stumDS are cleared away the
| same kind of civilization their ancestor
! started when they made the stumps. Fv-
| cry student of history knows that In the
| early days of this country in New Eng
| land woman had much to do and mani
! Tested the deepest interest in all the So
| Cial, religious and political questions
| which came up to mould its civilization.
| In those days prccedcnts had to be made
| and through more or less of social con-
| flict which created men and womt n
! with convictions, life was moulded
! and settled by friction with the re-
| suit of strong and reliable charac-
| tcrS 1t may to some seem unfOr.
| tunate that those characters were formed
! under the influences of conflicting claims,
| rival religious views and settlement of
| personal rights, but ii nevertheless mad
| its merits and the results of good are
| reached by us today. The beautiful viii
| lage of Honesdale nestled in the valleys
| of the Dyberry and the LaCkawaNen,
| hemmed in with its Irving Cliff and
| graced with its poetic Lady Woods
! Lane" a name given by Washington lrv-
! ing i'm response to the toast which at
| taChed his name to the stern but grace
! iul cliff, was not free from the conditions
| which Providence uses or oVerrules TO
| bring out strength and beauty OF char
| aCteT. Here were rival claims. religious
! and social factions, now passed and gone
and TO the credit and grace of the COM
! munity passed and gone while most OF
| the contestants were living. Settlers
| gathered at Honesdale rapidly in its first
| beginning as they did here. They did not
| lind life the bed of roses at first which
| the hopeful ard youthful immigrant often
| pictures to himself, but nowhere was
more fruitful and successful work done
| TO make It soon the ideal place for social
| and beneficial influences.
| The subject of this sketch as she came
toward her ninetieth anniversary showed
| Visibly the waning OF her physical powers.
| Her memory, as often occurs. let loose OF
| the later things and ran back tenacious
| of the pleasant things OF olden times. she
was born of vigorous parentage. Her
| mother reached the age Of 90 years and
| like herself died without disease. The
| lamp of life tiickered out Those who are
| familiar with the history Of HOnesdale
will recall the places mentioned whore she
| lived First on the canal basin, then in
| the slab Castle" properly named. then
| IN her own home over the store, corner of
| ward on the corner of the same and Sec
| ond street. During her vigorous life the
| church in early days, the Sewing circle,
| afterwards the missionary society, always
| found her present, Her attendance at
| church was continued up to the very last
even when she could not walk, nor see,
l For many years the constant and sepa-