Articles

John Ash

A Revolutionary War veteran with ties to Cattaraugus County.

Service & Settlement: Served as a private in the Rhode Island Continental Troops. He likely settled in Conewango, Cattaraugus Co.

Pension: Granted a pension from Genesee County, N.Y., on May 17, 1833. At the time of his application, he was 71 years old and received $47.77 per annum.

Major Adam Hoops

Known for being a prominent Revolutionary War officer and the founder of Olean, NY. 

Biographical Overview

Born: January 9, 1760, in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Died: June 9, 1846, in West Chester, Pennsylvania (Aged 86).

Burial: North Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia.

Military Career

Major Hoops served extensively during the American Revolution and beyond:

William E. Jones was born in 1838 in Wales, Great Britain. His family came to the United States in the early 1850s and settled in the Village of Sandusky, Town of Freedom, where there was a sizable Welsh community. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Jones was 23 years old and apprenticed to a wagon maker in Elma. He enlisted on Aug. 26, 1862, in the Town of Freedom, joining the 154^th NY, one of the so-called “Welsh Boys” of Co. F. He fought in the Battle of Chancellorsville and was captured on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg.

The following information was already compiled and presented in brochure form and on the St. Bonaventure Archives website - Archives.sbu.edu/buildings/statue_mobile. On the Archives website, you can explore the history of even more sites on campus or look for an additional walking tour of the buildings of St. Bonaventure and the plantings. There is also great information on the people, the athletics, the folklore and the collections of The University on the Archives website. They can be reached by calling 716-375-2322.

Anna Botsford Comstock, born Anna Botsford on September 1, 1854, was early contributor to, and leader of, the Nature Study Movement. The Nature Study Movement was a push toward encouraging outdoor, first-hand observation and study of plants, animals, insects, etc. rather than through just reading books. Anna was born in Otto, NY in Cattaraugus County. Anna’s early years were spent observing the natural world with her mother around the family farm. Her mother taught her the names of flowers, plants, constellations, and more.

The following article was found written by someone in the Portville Historical Society.  Content of the article indicates that it was written in the year 2011.

Stage Coach Mary was born into slavery in TN and named Mary Fields. Her slave master was a Judge. Mary was a 6 ft, 250lb woman who knew how to shoot, carried a pistol and rifle on her at all times, drank whiskey, smoked cigars, didn’t take shit from anyone, and was extremely hard working, loyal  and intellegent.