Hamlin Genealogy
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McKean County Miner
February 19,1980, Page 4
Online Newspaper archives at the Hamlin Memorial Library, Smethport, PA
Text of the Obiturary follows:

OBITUARY

DEATH OF O. J. HAMLIN, ESQ

Written for the Miner.

Died at Smethport February 18, 1880, Orlo J. Hamliln in the seventy-seventh year of his age.

The deceased was born at Sharon, Ct., the 2nd day of December 1803. He came with the other members of his father's family to Pennsylvania in 1814 and lived for several years in Wayne and Bradford counties. In the year 1894 he went to Towanda where he taught school for a short time, and at that place read law with Simon Kinney, Esq. He was admitted as a member of the bar ar Towanda in 189? . In taht year he came to Smethport. He started from Towanda with the intention of locating at Warren, PA., bu on his way met at Smethport with John King who had charge of the extensive land estate of John Keating & Co., with Johathan Colgrove, who was connected with the Ridgway lands with Solomon Sartwell who was doing a large mrecantile and lumber business, and with other then prominent in the affairs of McKean county. they urged him not to go farther but to locate here. He concluded to accept of their proffern of business and to remain. Hehas lived in Smethprot from that time to the day of his death.

In 1898 he was married to Orra L cogswell, also of Connecticut, but who was then in this county visiting her uncle, Johathan Colegrove. The result of this union was three children, Henry, John C., and Pauline, wife of Robert King. His wife survices him and she with their children above named, who are all married and have adult children, reside here.

The first court held in McKean county was in September 1896. At this term there were present Hon. Edward Herrick, President Judge, and Joseph Otto and Joel Bushop Associate Judges, with Timothy Newell, Prothonotary. The lawyers present were Ellis Lewis, William Garretmon and Peter R. Adams of Tioga county, Simon Kinney of Bradford county, Anson Parsons of Lycoming county, and Henry Bryan and Chauncey J. Fox of Cattaraugus county, N.Y. There was then no resident lawyer in McKean County. At the December term following , 18??, Orlo J. Hamlin and John W. Hume, of McKean county, were admitted as member of the bar. Of this number the only one now believed to be living is Hon. A.V. Parsons, who resides in Philadelphia, and is and octogenarian.

Mr Hamlin was a member of the legislature in 1882, and a deligate to the convention is 1886 and 1887 in which was framed the Constitution of Pennsylvania adoped in 1888. In 1887 he was compelled to resigh his seat in the Convention by reason if ill health. Hiram Payne was chosen to succedd him.

At that time a journey to Harrisburg had to be made on hreseback. the rout lay through Coudersport, and theron through newarly sixty miles of wilderness to Jersey Shore; and to traverse the whole distance required a full week of hard labor.

Mr. Hamlin possesed a weak physical constitution, and though well formed and five feet and ten inches in ehight, seldowm weiged above one hundred and ten pounds. After his retirement from the convention he partially recovered his stgrenght, and continued, with such interruptions as were caused by feeble health, to practice law until the fall of 1851, when he entirely broke down, and never came into court to do any business afterwards. The last cause of public importance he was engaged in was as counsel fo rthe prosecution in the trial of U?sa Robbins, who was convicted of murder in 1849. This trial took place in the Methodist church, the same building in which the courts are now held, and which was thern used as a court room for the same reason as now. It so happened that Mr. Hamlin was present at the first term of the court held in the CourtHouse now lately torn down, and delivered the fist address made in it to the court, and which turned out to be his last. In his room and on his bed he has lived to see an errection made of brick and stone which was considered enduring past away before his frail body. The judges before whome he practiced law have all been called to answer before their Judge, whose decrees are just and from which there can be no appeal.

Of the lawyers with whom eh had many hard contest for legal victory, ther only remains S. P. Johns, of Warren, C. B. Curtis, of Erie, and A. S. Diven of Elmira. The frailes of any has outlived them all, with the exeptions above stated, and these where his juniors in years.

Though weak in body, the subject of this sketch was th fortunate possessor of a mind of great superiority. When a proposition was presented to him for his con????? or to present for the determination of others, he had the ????? and the power to analyze it in all its parts, ????????? its components into shreds, tracing each backward to a firm foundation , and building upward piece by piect, strengthening each by apt illustration and cogent reasoning.

In the year 1887 he submitted to the Constutional Convention a proposition to give each county of the State a representative in the legislature. This proposition be envorced with a speech of such powere as to draw ??????????? from John Bearg???, thaddeus Stevens and others of the ablest members of the convention who opposed it by reason of representing constituencies composed of dense population rather than areas of square miles of territory. The propsoition failed at that time, but was adoped in 1874, and its stron support was drawn from reproducing the argument made by Mr. Hamlin in 1887, to which special reference was made.

More than twenty years ago Mr. Hamlin gave up all h ope of ever again appearing in court. In order that what remaine of life might not be a blank he enterred upon what was to him a new ???? of studies, taking books of the French and German to learn their languages and following with careful studies of Astronomy, Geology, ?? calling his family to his aid in making observations of the planets and procuring ????? ????? of minerals, plants, insects, ???., for his examination. An incident which occurred some ten years ago will well illustrate his passion for mental pursuits. A life long, devoted frend, Dr. Keanting, of Philadelphia, who had often ???? professionaly consulted to ???? ????, called and after taking him warmly bhe the hand sat down at his bedside, expecting inquiry as to what could be done for his ailments. Instead of which the doctor was ?????? as well as astonished on hearing Mr. Hamlin say, "Welldoctor, I have been reading the Marsailles Hymn. I know you are a French scholar. I have it in the original and the trnaslation; now I want you to take it in the French and translate it slowly while I compare the transations to see whetehre the translator is right or whether I am." The doctor did as he was requestd. When he come down to the verse which gave him special anxiety his pupil said, "now please be accurate." When the reading of it was concluded a joyous smile lit up the face of the invalid as he exclaimed, "I thought I was right, now I have proved it. Now, doctor, tell me what you can do to make a sick man well."

Mr. Hamlin professed his faith as a christian in early manhood, while in Harrisburg, He was baptized by Rev. B. B. Bbbitt, and became a member of the Presbyterian church upon it organization in this place, about thrity-five years ago. His religious life was not one of emotion; but a firm trust in God sustaind and comforted him through life. To those who knew him best he often expressed his faith, and as he filet life's ????? slowly ebbing away desired and received Holy Communion, to his comfort and peace. There was not immediate or marked cause of death. It was simply the reqult of gradual weakening of his physical power, and he sank to his final rest peacefully and painlessly, having more than filled the alloted three score and ten.

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1860 census show Mary King, age 2 living at Hamlin Home
Also in the house at that time Sarah Housler, age 30, Domestic

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I am attaching an image of the Helen Crocker painting located these days in the MC Historical Museum. This is a remarkable window into pre-photographic Smethport because of its uncanny accuracy.

Several years ago I identified many of the structures including pioneer Orlo's residence and office. I used writings and descriptions from various sources to come up with these IDs. As I recall I came across an article discussing a (about 1929) fire at the original Orlo's home that had been moved at some point previous to the (1929) fire. The structure that burned was on the north side of Rt 59 somewhere out by Leonard Johnson's house (Gustufsan) property as I recall. But in the newspaper article the structure was identified as original Orlo's home that had been moved from its original location.

Based on this article and other descriptions that I don't remember right now I believe pioneer Orlo's home to have been west of Henry Hamlin house and perhaps on or just east of the site of Delano Hamlin (Blackberry Inn) with his office down near the dirt Main Street East-West highway (now Route 6 W. Main 800 block).

Also in this painting you can see the location of the original Greek Revival structure located on the east side of our property on Marvin Street.

Anyway, that's where I think Orlo's home was and that would explain why the subsequent Hamlin homes were built in that area. Orlo Sr. died in 1880 and D.R. Hamlin (son of Byron) home was constructed 1883

Now where did Asa live??

Ross Porter

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