Asa Bishop (1752 - 1813)

Ancestors

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Biography

Family Sketch of Asa Bishop From Landmarks of Tompkins County, NY

BISHOP, Asa, came in the year 1810 from Marbletown, Ulster County, to what is now called Tompkins County and purchased several hundred acres of land. A portion of said purchase passed into the hands of his son, John BISHOP. The latter moved from Ulster County to occupy the land (something over a hundred acres) now lying n the vicinity of Caroline Depot, Tompkins County, then called the town of Catharine, County of Tioga. John BISHOP and his family made the trip by means of an ox team and wagon. The farm which had come into their possession was in the midst of a pine forest. There, on the banks of a small stream, they immediately set about building a log cabin (the ruins of which may still be seen). There they lived about two years when a new and more commodious log house was built on another portion of the farm. In about the year 1834 they erected a large frame dwelling house, which still stands but a few rods from the ruins of the old log cabin built in 1811. The family of John BISHOP then consisted of John BISHOP, wife and three children. Seven others were afterwards born to those two early settlers of Tompkins County.

Emeline BISHOP, one of the ten children of John BISHOP, has given us many an interesting incident of the early years of the present century. She could distinctly remember when Ithaca was almost in the heart of a huge pine forest. I well remember hearing her tell of the one little store the town of Ithaca possessed in the year 1816. Can remember her telling how she walked from her home through the forest, some six miles, in order to make some purchases from Ithaca's only store. This daughter of John BISHOP finally came into possession of the old homestead, where she lived until about two years since, dying at the advanced age of eighty-five years. Her life was a most industrious one. It might be said of her "that she knew no rest." She was often found at break of day busy about some household care, having toiled the whole night through. She was ever busy weaving or spinning, baking and brewing yet ever ready to lend a helping hand to the sick and needy. As she commenced in the pioneer days, so she toiled on active and energetic till almost the last day of her life. She married James MILLER in the year of 1840, and widowed by his death in 1885, she continued to live at the old homestead until her death two years since. Two sons survive her, one, Dr. C. D. MILLER, now living in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., the other, H. L. MILLER, into whose possession has fallen what remains of the old homestead, which entered the family, some eighty-four years ago. Of John BISHOP's large family but one remains, Mrs. Delight SCHUTT, nearly eighty-four years of age.^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ Landmarks of Tompkins county, New York: by Selkreg, John H.