Joshua Markham Biography

Biography for Joshua Markham (3^nd Great Grandfather)

Photograph of Joshua Markham from History of Dayton, NY, book.[1]

Joshua was born April 8, 1789, in Tyringham, Berkshire, Massachusetts.[2] He died May 9, 1878, in Dayton, Cattaraugus, New York.[3] He was 89 years old. Joshua’s home for many years was in Dayton. He is buried in Markham Cemetery in Dayton.[4]

Gravestone for Joshua Markham.

His parents are Benjamin Markham and Mercy Bentley. Benjamin was born on July 14, 1752 in Stafford, Tolland, Connecticut. His death date and location are unknown. Mercy was born August 7, 1756 in Norwich, New London, Connecticut. Her death is also unknown, but was likely after March, 1806 and before 1810, in Tyringham.

Joshua and Anna Dowd were married about 1814 in Occanum, Broome, New York.[5]

Joshua and Anna had the following children:

Henry Markham, born January 1, 1815, Windsor, Broome Co, NY; died September 18, 1896, Markhams Crossing, Cattaraugus Co, NY.
Calvin Markham was born and died in 1816 in Windsor, Broome County, NY. Twin to Caroline.
Caroline Markham was born and died in 1816 in Windsor, Broome County, NY. Twin to Calvin.
Orsman Markham, born 1818, Windsor, Broome, New York, United States; married Mercy Merrill, February 14, 1841, Dayton, Cattaraugus, New York, USA; died September 7, 1899, Wallula, Leavenworth County, Kansas, USA.
John (Joshua) Markham, born July 18, 1819, Windsor, Broome Co, NY; married Sophia Holt, December 11, 1873, Fredonia, Chautauqua, New York, USA; married Orissa Almanzo Parker, about 1845; died August 6, 1903, Jamestown, Chautauqua, New York, USA.
Julia Ann Markham, born about 1829/30, Conklin, Broome, New York, USA; married Leonard Metzker, 1868, New York; died March 20, 1904.
Emeline Markham, born January 6, 1832, Windsor, Broome County, NY; married Gorham P Dart, about 1857, Dayton, Cattaraugus, New York; died October 13, 1911, Spokane, Washington.

Joshua was born in Tyringham, Berkshire, Massachusetts. His father, Benjamin, was a farmer who also owned a saw mill and a grist mill. Benjamin was also the town Constable when Joshua was young. It is likely that Joshua worked with his father on the farm and in the mills. He would later be in the lumbering business himself. In 1806, at the age of 17, he signed as a witness on two deed records where Benjamin was selling some land and his saw mill.[6]

By about 1814 Joshua was in Broome County, New York. He married Anna Dowd in Occanum and then bought land in Windsor (only a few miles apart). Their first child was born January 1, 1815. In Windsor Joshua engaged in the lumbering business with Henry Dusenbery. He afterwards moved to Binghamton, still continuing lumbering. In 1831 or 1832 he moved to Conkling where he hired a large farm and did a $6000 lumbering job.[7]

In February of 1824 Joshua was a juror on two court cases.[8] This was at the Court House in Chenango, in Broome County. Then in June of 1829 he was a juror again at the same Court House.[9] In September of 1835 he was a witness for the plaintiff in a court case named Daniel Evans.[10] The timing of this is interesting as Joshua had already moved to Dayton. It must have important for him to make the trip back to Chenango for this.

In the fall of 1832, he rode 210 miles on horseback in four days, going to Cattaraugus County, New York. Joshua moved his family to Dayton in April of 1833. He bought several pieces of land here, built a house and lived here the rest of his life. The area of Dayton he lived in became known as Markham’s Corners, later as Markham. He operated a tavern for over 30 years.[11] Joshua was always a farmer, owning about 300 acres of land. About 100 acres were improved for farming, 200 or so were unimproved. The location of Joshua’s land can be seen on an 1869 map of Dayton.[12]

Joshua’s initial land purchases in 1835/36 in Cattaraugus County were from the Holland Land Company (HLC). The HLC was formed by a group of Dutch investors, who in 1793 bought over 3 million acres of land in Western New York from Robert Morris (who was at that time the richest man in the U.S.). They sold this land until about 1840.[13]

In October of 1845 Joshua was a juror on various cases for three days, the 8^th, 9^th and 10^th. The court session was held at Ellicottville in Cattaraugus County.[14]

In the June 26, 1851 edition of the Cattaraugus Chronicle, there is this: “At an adjourned meeting of the inhabitants of the Towns of Dayton and Persia in the County of Cattaraugus, and the Towns of Cherry Creek and Villenova in the County of Chautauqua held at the inn of Joshua Markham in Dayton on the 21^st day of June 1851…”[15]

In 1862 Joshua is on the U.S. IRS Tax Assessment List. He has a two-horse buggy valued at $80.00 and was taxed $2.00.[16] In 1865 he is listed as having a carriage and was taxed $1.00.[17]

In 1874 Joshua sold a small piece of land, 66 feet by 771 feet, to the Buffalo & Jamestown Railroad.[18] This railroad was the second to go through Dayton. The first was the New York & Erie Railroad, which opened in 1851. The Buffalo & Jamestown Railroad opened in 1875. This railroad went through Markham’s Corner where there was a train station.

Joshua died intestate on May 9, 1878, following the death of his wife two years before. The next month his son Orsman (who had moved to Kansas) filed a court suit against his siblings concerning 100 acres of Joshua’s land.[19] The request was to have the land partitioned to the heirs. The Supreme Court of New York decided that the land could not be fairly partitioned and directed it to be sold. Joshua’s son Henry (who stayed in Dayton his whole life) bought this land for $3900 at auction in June of 1879.[20] There is no specific mention of how this money was split out to the 5 siblings, it may have been split evenly giving each of them $780. But there was another issue concerning money that Orsman owed Joshua’s estate.

The probate process went on for 12 years, being finalized in 1890. Henry was the Administrator. The final account of administration was in January of that year. Joshua’s inventory was valued at $2289.29. After considering bad debts and various expenses, the net to be distributed to the 5 siblings was $1070.82 or $214.36 each. Orsman owed the estate $245.62 from a loan he received from Joshua on April 16, 1872. Henry and his lawyer said that Orsman was “old”, “insolvent” and “no good”. And Orsman was in Kansas while Henry and the probate process was in New York. So, they ended up just saying that any additional money could not be collected from Orsman and they just called it even. What happened to the earlier $780 from the land sale is not mentioned in the probate documents.[21]

A few weeks before he died, Joshua “sold” land to his daughters Emeline Dart and Julia Ann Metzger for $1. Why he did not have a will is not known, but this was his way of distributing some of his land. In the land transaction for Emeline, he said “one dollar and my love and affection”.[22] In the transaction for Julia Ann he said “one dollar and my love and affection I bear… and of her care and attention to me”.[23]

Joshua lived in the following places:

1789 – He was born in Tyringham, Berkshire, Massachusetts.

1790 – The family was on the Federal Census in Tyringham.[24]

1800 – The family was still in Tyringham.[25]

1810 – Still in Tyringham.[26]

1814 – Married in Occanum, Broome, New York.[27]

1815 – Joshua and Anna’s first child, Henry, was born in Windsor, Broome, New York on January 1 of this year. He bought his first piece of land in Windsor on October 21.[28]

1820 – The family remained in Windsor.[29]

1825 – Still in Windsor.[30]

1830 – Still in Windsor.[31]

1833 –Joshua moved his family to Dayton, Cattaraugus, New York in April of 1833.[32]

1835 – The family is in Dayton.[33]

1840 – Still in Dayton.[34]

1850 – The family remained in Dayton.[35] He is a farmer. His farm is valued at $6270 with farm implements and machinery valued at $98. His livestock is valued at $857. He has 100 acres of improved land, and 318 acres of unimproved land. He also had 3 horses, 7 milk cows, 2 working oxen, 27 other cattle, 21 sheep, 9 swine, 75 bushels of wheat, 300 bushels of Indian corn and 250 bushels of oats.[36]

1855 – Still in Dayton.[37] He had a framed house and is a farmer. His farm is valued at $6000; value of livestock is $650; value of tools and equipment is $20.[38]

1860 – Still in Dayton.[39] He is a farmer with a value of real estate of $6100 and personal estate of $2100. He had 100 acres of improved land and 150 acres of unimproved land. His farming implements and machinery were valued at $200. His value of livestock was $600. He had 2 horses, 4 milk cows, 18 other cattle, 26 sheep, 2 swine, 25 bushels of wheat, 10 bushels of rye, 4 bushels of Indian corn, 100 bushels of oats and 66 pounds of wool.[40]

1865 – Still in Dayton and is a farmer.[41]

1870 – Still in Dayton and a farmer. Their real estate value is $13,200, personal estate valued was at $1000.[42]

1875 – Still in Dayton.[43] He is shown to be a retired farmer. The value of his house is $600.

1878 – Joshua died in Dayton at the age of 86.

Joshua’s house in Markham’s Corner, Dayton; from History of Dayton, page 116.

Joshua’s house in modern times, picture taken June 2018 by Kem Marcum

The barn next to Joshua’s house, picture taken June 2018 by Kem Marcum