My Genealogy Hound

NORMAN BABCOCK.— Thoughts for his fellow-man, feelings for the needy, aspirations to be useful, and a determination to win deserving and enduring success; these were the materials out of which Norman Babcock built his active and honorable life. He was the youngest son of Samuel and Polly (Cleveland) Babcock, and was born at Forestville, in the town of Hanover, Chautauqua county, New York, April 19, 1838. Samuel Babcock was a descendant of one of five Babcock brothers, who, according to tradition, came over in the “Mayflower.” He was born at Mansfield, Connecticut, October 31, 1793. In 1795 his parents removed to Bridgewater, near Woodstock, Vermont, where he was reared and received a good education. In early life he came to central New York and afterwards was engaged in teaching in Montgomery, Monroe, Allegany and in this county, of which he was one of the pioneer teachers. After a residence of some years at Ellington and Forestville he removed, in 1841, to Silver Creek, where he resided until his sudden death in 1882. In his thirty-fourth year he learned cabinet-making in which he soon became a skilled workman. He followed making cabinet furniture for several years at Silver Creek, after which he resided with his children. In 1825 he married Polly Cleveland, who was a native of Windsor county, Vermont, and died in 1867. Their children were: Pamelia, Alpheus (see his sketch), Martha, Laura and Norman. Mr. Babcock and his wife were both members of the Presbyterian church. On Sunday afternoon June 11, 1882, while taking; his accustomed walk around the depot, he stepped from the right-hand railroad track to let a train pass and in attempting to cross the other track was struck and instantly killed by a west-bound train. He was a constant reader and was well informed in political and religious affairs and in philosophy and literature. He was popular with the employees of the Eureka works who attended his funeral in a body and the Silver Creek Local, in an extended account of his life said, “He has taught us by his sunny temper ‘How far the gulf stream’ of our youth may flow into the Arctic regions of our lives.’”

Norman Babcock was reared from four years of age at Silver Creek, where he attended the public schools and received a good business education. Leaving school he went into his father’s shop where he first learned to handle tools. He afterwards entered the iron foundry of Hawkins & Greenleaf, learned the trade of pattern-maker and followed that business for several years, during which time he was foreman of a large shop in Erie, Pa. In January, 1864, he formed a partnership with his brother, Alpheus Babcock, who had been engaged for some time in the manufacture of a smut and separating machine, and whose successive improvements developed into the present justly celebrated and widely known Eureka smut and separating machine, whose history is given in the sketch of the late Alpheus Babcock. In July, 1883, Norman Babcock withdrew from the firm of Howes, Babcock &, Ewell, then owning and operating the Eureka Smut Machine works. From that time on until his death he was not engaged in any line of business.

On March 2, 1865, he married Ursula Record, a native of Cattaraugus county, and a daughter of Israel and Mary (Gardner) Record, natives of Dutchess county, N. Y. To Norman and Ursula Babcock were born two children — Cleveland, born in 1873 and now attending Exeter college in New Hampshire; and Grace, who was born in 1876. Mrs. Babcock still resides in her beautiful and well-appointed home at Silver Creek, to which is attached sixty-five acres of productive land.

Norman Babcock had served once as president of his village but resigned as his time was chiefly needed for his work, although he was never too busy to assist a friend or relieve the distress of the needy. As a member of his firm he had special charge of the mechanical department, and like his other partners always favored in dull times enough machines to keep all the hands fully employed. About 1881 he had an attack of hemorrhage of the stomach and continued in ill-health until Christmas, 1883, when a series of hemorrhages commenced which proved fatal on the next day at ten o’clock. On the succeeding Sabbath his funeral occurred which was attended by the employees of the Eureka works in a body and after simple but very impressive funeral rites his remains were entombed in Glenwood cemetery. Fitting tributes to his memory appeared in the newspapers of western New York, one of which said, “Few men have ever died whose departure has called forth such universal expressions of deep regret, or caused so much sorrow in so many breasts.” One who knew him intimately for forty years bore testimony of him in the wish that “we had more like him with as many virtues even if they had to have more faults.”

The swift-flying years as they grow full-orbed and wane and die in the future, may sweep from human sight the sculptured marble that stands in memory of Norman Babcock, but the mighty and slow-rolling ages of time will preserve his name and perpetuate his virtues as long as knowledge or memory of Silver Creek shall exist in history, or be repeated in tradition.