The Truman Family

Including the family of

Lyman Truman and Lucy Barlow of Candor, Tioga Co New York

Biographies of Truman Family, Tioga Co., NY,  by LeRoy Wilson Kingman, Early Oswego, Owego Gazette Office, Owego, NY, 1907, contributor unknown, but may be found also at U.S. Genweb, contributed by Debbie Rover.

They had three children as follows:

While living in northern New York he enlisted in the light infantry, and in 1797 was promoted to lieutenant. In 1802 he was promoted to captain. He resigned his commission in 1804.

The children of Shem and Lucy "Remington" Truman were as follows:

Lucy was born February 19, 1786 at Granville, Hampden Co Massachusetts, was a daughter of Edmund and Sybil (Root) Barlow, and a descendant of Edmund Barlow of Malden Massachusetts. She married Lyman Truman on January 31, 1809 at Granville and the marriage was also recorded at Candor, Tioga Co New York. She died on January 25, 1859 at Candor and both she and Lyman were buried in the Evergreen Cemetery, Owego, Tioga Co New York.

The following were the children of Lyman and Lucy 'Barlow' Truman:

Stephen S. Truman, born 28 April, 1816, in Candor.   Married Cordelia Belknap, 02 November 1843.
He died 25 April 1895, at Auburn, California and she 29 June 1902, at Salt Lake City, Utah.

Stephen S. Truman, William P. Stone, and Benjamin L. Truman were all Owego merchants.
Stephen S. Truman left his father's farm in 1837, the year following the setting off of Chemung County from Tioga, and worked in the Tioga county clerk's office copying the records of lands lying in Chemung county for use in that county, in company with William P. Stone, Dr. John Frank, and others. He was afterward a clerk in Henry Camp's store, and later in General John Laning's store. In 1840 he went into partnership with his uncle, Asa H. Truman and Asa's son Edward D. Truman, in the mercantile business. Particulars of this partnership have already been given in these articles. In February, 1855, he retired from the firm and opened a dry goods and grocery store in T. P. Patch's block, which stood on the west side of Lake street on the ground now occupied by the L. N. Chamberlain block.

Sybil Truman, born 23 November 1812, in Candor, NY.   Married William P. Stone 05 November 1836.  He died 28 June 1890, at Owego, and she 04 August 1900.

William P. Stone was born at Stillwater, Saratoga county, N. Y., June 26, 1810. In 1817 his father, Luther Stone, came to Tioga county with his wife and seven children and lived in a log house on Colonel David Fleming's farm at Flemingville. In 1823 they settled on a farm at Park settlement. In 1830 he left the farm to travel about the country selling clocks, which were manufactured at a factory which stood on the east bank of the Owego creek, about two miles north of this village. In 1834 he began a general mercantile business in Owego with Sheldon Osborne in a wooden store which stood east of the bridge in Front street on the ground where Truman & Jone's produce store now stands. They were unsuccessful in the business. In 1837, after having finished his work for about a year copying the records of Chemung county lands in the Tioga county clerk's office, he entered his uncle, Asa H. Truman's, store as a clerk. In 1839 he went into the general mercantile business in company with Lucius Truman. The firm of Truman & Stone occupied a store which stood on the south side of Front street on the ground where Frank M. Baker & Son's hardware store now stands. Their store was known as "The Empire Store." Charles L. Truman was afterward received into the partnership. Later Mr. Stone purchased his partner's interest in the business which he transferred to his nephew, Ezra S. Buckbee. The firm of Stone & Co. was subsequently composed of Messrs. Stone, Buckbee, Stephen S. Truman, and Benjamin L. Truman and occupied the block of two stores opposite Ahwaga hall, then known as the Empire block. When the block was burned in March, 1869, the firm occupied the store now occupied by Buckbee, Peterson, Wood & Co. The Trumans had withdrawn from the firm February 1, 1860, and Stone & Buckbee continued in business until 1874 when Mr. Stone sold his interest in the store and retired from active business.

Upon their withdrawal from the firm of Stone & Co., S.S. and B.L. Truman formed a new partnership and began the mercantile business in the store now occupied buy Henry C. Ripley as a shoe store. In 1868 B. L. Truman retired from the firm and S. S. Truman and his son John B. Truman, continued in the business three years. In 1876 S. S. Truman removed to Nevada and thence in 1880 to Auburn, California, where he died April 25, 1895.

Benjamin L. Truman, born 23 June 1822, in Candor.   Married Maria Dean 15 November 1852.   She died 30 May 1882.
He married second Susan Sophronia Long 28 February 1884.   He is the only survivor of the family and is still living in Owego. --at the time of this writing--

Benjamin L. Truman in March, 1855, formed a partnership in the dry goods business with Gurdon G. Manning, who had been a clerk in Stone & Co.'s store, and C. E. Schoonmaker, who had been a clerk in E. D. & S. S. Truman's store, and E. D. Truman under the firm name of E. D. Truman & Co. Three years later this partnership was dissolved. From 1878 to 1900 he conducted a grocery business in Front street.

When Aaron Truman came in 1804 from the town of Sparta to Owego he came to teach school. The next year he married Capt. Thomas Park's daughter. 

Their children were as follows:

Lyman Park Truman, born 2 March, 1806, at Park settlement.    Married Emily M. Goodrich, daughter of Aner Goodrich, of Goodrich settlement, 10 January 1838.
He died 24 March, 1881, at Owego, and she 9 April, 1896.

When Aaron Truman died, in 1823, his eldest son, Lyman P. Truman, was 17 years of age.
Aaron Truman's farm of sixty acres was so encumbered as to almost preclude any possibility of retaining it. With the remarkable energy which characterized him through life Lyman P. Truman set himself resolutely at work and through hard labor and the greatest economy he finally liquidated every claim against the farm. He confined his attention almost exclusively to raising potatoes which he shipped down the river in arks, and it was from this product that he realized, during his management of the farm, a sum sufficient to pay all debts and leave a handsome balance with which to begin a mercantile business.

In 1830 he came to Owego and entered the general country store of his uncle, Asa H. Truman, as a clerk, to learn the mercantile business. Three years later he formed a partnership with John M. Greenleaf and began a general mercantile business in a store which stood on the east side of Lake street on ground now occupied by the Owego National Bank building. This partnership continued three years.

Having established himself securely in business here he brought three of his brothers, Orin, Francis, and George Truman, to Owego and in May 1837, established the firm of L. Truman & Brothers, which existed nearly thirty years. The brothers conducted an extensive mercantile and lumber business. In 1839 Lyman P. Truman purchased the ground on the south side of Front street where Wicks & Leahy's shoe store now stands, the third store west of Lake street, where he built a wooden store, into which the firm removed its stock of goods from Lake street. When the store was burned in the fire of 1849 it was immediately replaced with the present brick store, where the brothers continued the mercantile business until 1865. In 1852 Lyman Truman and Gurdon Hewett, Jr., made large investments in lands in the state of Illinois, from the sale of which they made a large amount of money.

Mr. Truman was active in public life. He held various town offices-constable, commissioner of highways, etc., and was supervisor in 1849 and 1857. He was a village trustee in 1835. In 1857 he was elected state senator and was re-elected in 1859 and 1861.

After the great fire of 1849, which swept away all the stores in Front and Lake streets, there was a great depression in the business community. Many of the insurance companies failed and the loss to many property owners was a total one. Mr. Truman was one of the most active men in rebuilding the business portion of the village. It was largely through his efforts that the Ahwaga house was built. In recognition of his public spirit and enterprise a dinner was given in his honor at that hotel in the evening of July 6, 1852, at which many of the prominent citizens and their wives were present on which occasion a silver pitcher was presented to him. Mr. Truman was president of the old bank of Owego and of its successor, the First National Bank of Owego from 1856 until his death.

Charles E. Truman, born 11 November 1807.   Married Harriet Webster 16 May 1836.   He died 21 July, 1897, at Flemingville, and she 21 October 1887.

While his brothers went into mercantile life in Owego, Charles E. Truman remained on the farm all his life. He served twenty-eight years as a justice of the peace and was also for many years and until his death postmaster at Flemingville.

Orin Truman, born 17 February 1811.   Died 30 Sepember 1885, at Owego.   Unmarried.

Before coming to Owego Orin Truman taught school. From May 1880, until his death he was cashier of the First National Bank.

George Truman, born 16 June 1816, at Owego. Married Eunice A. Goodrich, daughter of Erastus Goodrich 19 November 1842.
He died 14 F ebruary 1907, at Owego, and she 06 October 1897.

George Truman after the dissolution of the firm of L. Truman & Brothers continued the mercantile business in company with his son-in-law, A. Chase Thompson, until January 1873, when he retired from the dry goods trade. He succeeded his brother, Lyman P. Truman, as president of the First national bank in 1881 and held the position until his death. He was a trustee of the state hospital at Binghamton from June 1880, to March 1892.

Asa H. Truman lived at the time of his death in a house which stood on the north side of Front street, the third house east of Paige street. After his death his widow lived there until she died, in 1882. After her death the property was purchased buy Mrs. J. B. Stanbrough. The house was torn down and the lot on which it stood was added to Mrs. Stanbrough's grounds.

The children of Asa H. and Betsy 'Dean' Truman were as follows:

Lucius Truman, born 02 April, 1818, at Flemingville.   Married Mary P. Leach, daughter of Caleb Leach, Jr., 11 August 1840.
She died at Owego in July 1862. He married second  Mary D. Doumaux, of Charleston, in 1873.    He died 26 May 1890, at Wellsboro, Pennsylvania

Lucius Truman was seven years old when his father removed from Flemingville to Owego.  After leaving the Owego Academy he entered into the grocery business with his father in Rollin block. In 1840, the year of his first marriage, he formed a partnership in the general mercantile business with William P. Stone, who had been a clerk in Asa H. Truman's store under the firm name of Truman & Stone. Their store occupied the ground on the south side of Front street where Frank M. Baker & Son's hardware store is now and was known as the Empire Store." Charles L. Truman was afterward received into the partnership, and the firm of Truman, Stone & Co. continued the business until 1851, when it was dissolved. Lucius Truman removed to Wellsboro, Pennsylvania where he engaged in lumbering in company with John R. Bowen. When the civil was broke out he enlisted and was mustered into the service as first lieutenant of Co. E of he First rifles -old Bucktails- on May 15, 1861. Four years afterward, July 28, 1865, he was mustered out as quartermaster of the 109th regiment of Pennsylvania infantry. Then he resumed the lumber business. In 1883 he was appointed a United States deputy collector of internal revenue, and in 1887 he was elected county auditor. He died at Wellsboro May 26, 1890. Lucius Truman built the house on the south side of Main street, midway between Paige and Ross streets. The house was afterward for many years owned and occupied by S.S. Truman and later by Chas. C. Thomas, and is now owned buy James J. Walker.

Edward D. Truman, born 19 May, 1820, at Owego.   Married Eleanor M. Soule 10 November 1843.   He died 06 June, 1862, at Dixon, Illinois

Edward D. Truman, who was five years old when the family removed to this village, was a clerk afterward in his father's store. About the year 1840 Asa H. Truman took Edward D. Truman and his nephew, Stephen S. Truman into partnership in the general mercantile business, which partnership continued until the senior Truman's death in February 1848. Then E. D. & S.S. Truman continued the business until their store was burned in the fire of 1849. They resumed business after the fire in a wooden building which stood on the west side of North avenue. The front of this store was painted in diamonds of differing bright colors and the store was called the "Diamond Store." When a brick store was built on the ruins of the Front street store the new store also had a diamond front, similar to that of the North avenue store. E.D. & S.S. Truman occupied the new store until February 1855, when a new firm composed of E. D. Truman, Gurdon G. Manning, and C.E. Schoonmaker was formed under the firm name of E. D. Truman & Co. The name was changed later to Truman, Manning & Co. In 1857 E. D. Truman sold his interest in the business to his partners and removed to Dixon Illinois, where he died June 06, 1862.

Charles L. Truman, born 24 March, 1825, at Owego.
Married Anna Thurston Dexter, daughter of Stephen Dexter, of Exeter, Rhode Island, at Owego 12 July 1849.   He died September 20, 1863.

Charles L. Truman entered the volunteer service of the United States as a first lieutenant in the 18th regiment of infantry, March 06, 1862. He was brevetted captain September 19, 1863, for gallant and meritorious service in the battle of Chickamauga. He was killed in battle September 20, 1863.

William H. Truman, born 2 March 1842, at Owego.   Married Mary Palmer. She died 13 January 1873.
He married second Sarah Wild, of New York City, 21 March, 1877.   He died 05 September 1895, in New York.

William H. Truman, who was only six years old when his father died, was employed for several years by the United States express company. For several years previous to his death, in 1895, he had been collector of statistics of domestic receipts at the Produce Exchange in New York City.

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