My Genealogy Hound

Below is a family biography included in Book of Biographies: Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens, Cortland County, New York published by Biographical Publishing Company in 1898.  These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary.  Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more.  There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.

* * * *

ALFRED B. RAYMOND for a long time past has been a representative resident of Little York, Cortland County, N. Y. Though born in the town of Marathon, his business life, for many years given over to the development of the dairy interests of Central New York, took him into many different places. He has, however, the benefit of a long experience among men and their affairs, and is to-day rated in the list of old Cortland’s most prosperous and worthy sons.

Mr. Raymond is a son of Dyar and Lois (Harrison) Raymond, and was born August 18, 1838. The Raymonds are of pure English blood, our subject’s grandfather, Samuel Raymond, having been born in the Old Country. This progenitor of our subject learned the blacksmithing trade in England, then crossed the Atlantic, and found a home at New London, Conn. In search of a better field of Work, he after some time moved to Norwich of the same state, where he stayed until 1820, in which year he came through to Solon, Cortland County, and settled down. He only lived a few years in his new home, dying in 1827 at the age of sixty. Mr. Raymond at one time in his career, while living in Connecticut, used his talents to great advantage in behalf of his adopted country. He was a practical blacksmith and an expert worker in other branches of iron working and manufacture. Previous to the War of 1812, the United States Government entrusted him with an extensive contract for building gun carriages and gun-carriage trimmings for the use of the army. This work he undertook, and so became the employer of a large force of men. His work proved very satisfactory, and splendid returns came in to him. As his prosperity increased, he enlarged his facilities, but the sudden termination of the war found him heavily over-stocked, and the savings of his hard work melted away. After he came to Solon, he continued at his trade and carefully reared the family, which his true wife, Elizabeth (Allen) Raymond, bore him. These children were: William S.; Dyar, father of our subject; and Elizabeth, who was the wife of Elinus Randall of Iowa. All the above are now deceased. Mr. Raymond after the death of his first wife married a second time, and became the father of one child, Lucius Raymond, who died in Marathon.

Dyar Raymond, father of Alfred B., was born in New London, Conn., March 20, 1812. He was a lad of eight summers when the family came into Cortland County. Naturally of a studious nature, and a lover of books, he easily assimilated all the learning attainable in the common schools of his youth. At the age of sixteen, he began learning the trade of a distiller, a trade of much use and importance in those days. He kept in this line until he was twenty-six years old, when he decided to embark in farming. He forthwith settled on a farm in Marathon, and later moved to Minnesota where he spent all the rest of his life as a tiller of the soil, dying April 24, 1885, at Northfield, at the age of seventy-three. He was in the latter part of his life one of the most extensive and prosperous farmers of Minnesota, having at one time over 700 acres of land under his control, of which a large amount was in cultivation. Dyar Raymond married into one of the foremost American families. His wife, Lois Harrison, was a daughter of John Harrison, who was a cousin of William Henry Harrison, the hero of Tippecanoe, and President of the United States. John Harrison was wedded to Lydia Hubbard of Richmond, Mass., January 13, 1813, by the Rev. Silas Churchill. The certificate of that event is a valued document, now in the possession of the subject of our sketch. John Harrison came from Massachusetts to Cincinnatus, this county, in 1812, and died there at an advanced age. Lois B., the mother of our subject, was born at Cincinnatus in 1813, and lived until the year 1884. Dyar Raymond’s family consisted of nine children, namely: John, now of St. Cloud, Minn; Alfred B., our subject; Mary, the wife of Mr. Stewart of St. Cloud; Clay L., husband of Ella Baker, and a resident of the State of Minnesota; Fannie A. died in the above state; Franklin S. died in the Black Hills; and Lydia, who died in infancy.

The subject of our sketch was reared at Marathon until he reached the age of eighteen. In the year 1864, he began making potash at Union Valley, Cortland County, and continued in that occupation for two years. He then learned the cheesemaking business in Herkimer County, and at Cuyler, this county, took charge of a factory, which he ran with perfect success for thirteen years. He worked on a salary for seven years, and then managed a factory of his own at Preble for six years. After the loss of the latter plant by fire, he came to Little York, and purchased his present property, and opened the Raymond House, a summer resort, which has few equals among the hostelries of its class in the country.

Mr. Raymond is a very active and well liked member of the Republican party. He has served his townsmen twenty terms in the capacity of constable, an office which he is at the present writing still occupying. He has always been devoted to the equal rights of mankind, and is a great admirer of the life and work of noble John C. Fremont. In the memorable campaign of ‘56, no young man of the time was a more ardent supporter or a more faithful worker for the new party than our subject. He is an exceedingly well informed man, and is influential in his support of school matters, being “attendance officer” of the Little York schools. On January 3, 1866, Mr. Raymond wedded Perleyett Albro of Cuyler, but of this marriage there has been no issue. Mrs. Raymond was a daughter of Philan R. Albro, who was killed at the battle of Salem Church in 1864. Mr. Albro was a member of Co. L, 10th Reg., N. Y. Vol. Inf.

* * * *

This family biography is one of numerous biographies included in Book of Biographies: Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens, Cortland County, New York published in 1898. 

View additional Cortland County, New York family biographies here: Cortland County, New York Biographies

View a map of 1897 Cortland County, New York here: Cortland County, New York Map

Use the links at the top right of this page to search or browse thousands of other family biographies.