BIOGRAPHY: Stephen Rockwell, Cato, Cayuga co., New York transcribed and submitted by: Ann Anderson (ann.g.anderson at gmail.com) ========================================================= Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ny/nyfiles.htm ========================================================= BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW THIS VOLUME CONTAINS BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF THE LEADING CITIZENS OF CAYUGA COUNTY NEW YORK BOSTON BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW PUBLISHING COMPANY 1894 STEPHEN ROCKWELL, one of the original settlers of the town of Cato, Cayuga County, was born April 22, 1771, being a son of Joseph Rockwell, a resident of Saratoga County. He came here with his family when this entire region was an almost pathless wilderness, following the track marked by blazed trees; and he and his sons, David and Samuel, bought land, and began the improvement of the homestead, where his grand-daughter, Mrs. Grant, now lives. Here he passed his remaining years, dying at the age of sixty-nine. He married for his first wife Phebe Clinton, and for his second wife Sarah Wood, who survived him, living to be upward of ninety years of age. They were people of correct moral principles, and were valued members of the Church of the Disciples. Samuel Rockwell was born during the residence of his parents in Saratoga County, the date of his birth being September 17, 1796. He was reared on a farm, and in 18i6 accompanied his father to this county, where in the improvement of a homestead he did his full share. Buying one hundred acres of heavily timbered land, he labored with toilsome perseverance in winter's cold and summer's heat to place it under cultivation, enduring the usual hardships and confronting the dangers and difficulties of pioneer life. Wild turkeys, venison, and bear's meat furnished the settlers of that early day with their principal food until they had cleared sufficient land to raise a few potatoes and some corn. Albany was the nearest market; and their produce had to be hauled across the country, oftentimes a dangerous as well as a tedious trip. On his homestead, containing one hundred acres of fertile land, and being one of the best farms in this locality, he built a block house, in which he and his family lived for many a day. Mr. Rockwell married Anna Rhoades, who was born in Milton, Saratoga County, October 26, 1804, the ceremony that made them one being solemnized December 25, 1822. Their long and pleasant wedded life was fraught with more happiness and less sorrow than often falls to mortals here below; and on Christmas day, 1872, they celebrated their golden wedding, receiving the congratulations and best wishes of a host of sincere friends. Both lived several years after this happy occasion, Mr. Rockwell passing away on the second day of April, 1881, and his estimable wife the following year, dying May 9, 1882, they having lived fifty-eight years with no death in their home. They reared six children, all of whom were born on the homestead; and all are now living, their names being as follows: Mrs. Phoebe A. Rockwell Grant; Mrs. Mary Cowell, of Cato; Mrs. Minerva Knapp, of Butler, Wayne County; Mrs. Emma Putnam, of Jordan; Samuel Clinton Rockwell, who lives on the home farm; and David J. Rockwell, a resident of Council Bluffs, Iowa. Phoebe Ann Rockwell, daughter of Samuel and Anna (Rhoades) Rockwell, was born on December 3, 1824, in the town of Cato, on the homestead which she now owns and occupies. On the 12th of October, 1843, she was united in marriage with William Grant, who was also a native of New York, his birth having occurred in Saratoga County on November 9, 1820. When he was a small lad, his parents removed to Cayuga County, his father, Abijah Grant, buying a farm in the town of Cato and living there many years. William, taking advantage of the facilities afforded him for pursuing his studies, became a well-educated man, graduating from Cazenovia Seminary with honors. After leaving school he turned his attention to farming in the western part of this State. He there carried on general agriculture in a most prosperous manner, being the larger part of the time in the town of Brockport in Monroe County. In 1863 in response to his country's call for volunteers, Mr. Grant enlisted in the One Hundred and Fortieth Regiment, New York Infantry, in Company H, and did gallant service in several engagements. Being captured, he was conveyed to Andersonville prison, and after untold sufferings was removed to Florence, S.C., where he died October 20, 1864, when forty-four years of age. Mrs. Phoebe A. Grant, who also lives on the old Rockwell homestead, owns one hundred acres of land, and has one of the most beautiful and attractive homes in the vicinity. Her residence is a unique and quaint structure, built of cobblestones, and was erected by her father, Samuel Rockwell, in 1846. She is a woman of intelligence and refinement, everywhere respected and esteemed for her many noble traits of character, and is a valued member of the Church of the Disciples.