Wellsboro Agitator - January 26, 1886 - page 3

Notes From Chatham Death of an Old Resident - Some of His Pioneer Experiences - A Post Sociable. Correspondence of the Agitator.
"The Late Lovel Short, who died at his son's residence in Chatham on the 8th instant was born in Tioga Co., NY, in 1801. His father moved to that place from R.I. in 1807 the family moved into this county and settled on the Cowanesque river on the farm known as the old Bulkley Farm where they stayed a few years. They then moved to Chatham. Young Lovel Short took charge of the family after his father died. He was about 18 years old and feeling the need of a helpmate, in 1819 he returned to the valley of the Cowanesque and married Eleanor Clark. From this marriage 5 children were born, when Mrs. Short died in 1830 Mr. Short married Miss Thankful Hackett, a sister of Mr. Seth Hackett of Middlebury and from this marriage twelve children were born. Of this large family only 9 are now living, the first wife's children all being dead and 3 of the last wife's. In 1859 Mr. Short was again left a widow. He remained upon his farm most of the time some one of his children living with him until a few years ago when the house was burned. After that time he lived among his children alternately until his death.

Furnished by Helen Swart Heyart.

Some Family History

Hacketts and Shorts Have Many Descendants In Tioga County
Lovell Short, who died Jan 8, 1886, was born Aug. 22, 1801. His father moved from Rhode Island in 1807 to Chatham township, Tioga county, Pa. Lovell Short married in 1830 Thankful Hackett, youngest child of John and Betsy McFarland Hackett. She was born June 9, 1814; 12 children were born to them, eight living in 1835, Mr. Short moved upon the farm which he owned at his death, which was at that time nearly all a wilderness. Game was very plentiful and he killed eleven panthers during his hunting days.
One time riding a three-year-old colt through the woods near the Winthrop Beach place, a panther leaped upon his horse and inflicted a severe wound upon his hip and flank. Mr. Short was unarmed but by putting his horse in its upmost speed, he succeeded in reaching some log heaps which were burning. The fire light frightened the panther, and Mr. Short thus escaped. He kept that colt until it was 34 years old, when it died.
This panther had lost one of its feet, having been caught in a trap. This saved Mr. Short's life. Mr. Short tracked the panther many times but a thaw or snow storm obliterated the tracks. Later the animal was killed in a trap on Pine creek by Mr. Furman, who was a great hunter. Mr. Short offered Mr. Furman $ 50 bounty which was paid by the State at that time. He also offered to buy the hide but Mr. Furman refused to sell it.
Lovell Short made his first payment on his land in bounties on wild animals, panthers, Lennox, wildcats and wolves.
During the years when deer were very plentiful he killed two deer at one shop nine times, taking 18 deer with nine shots. At Kettle Creek, Clinton county, he trapped eleven muskrats and one mink and caught many a string of trout. Thus the old landmarks are passing away. Surviving him are 8 children. His wife Thankful died March 11, 1858. - Clipping from an 1886 issue of the Agitator.
Lovell Short Sr., of Rhode Island removed to Chatham township Tioga county Pa., with his wife Olive Short, and their son, Lovell Short, Jr. He was born Aug. 22 1801, died Jan. 8, 1886. He married Thankful Hackett, born June 9, 1814, daughter of John Hackett and his wife, Elizabeth, usually called Betsy MacFarland Hackett.
Betsy MacFarland was born in Worcester, Mass., and died at Shortsville Tioga county, Pa., Sept. 30, 1858 aged 73 years. She was a daughter of James MacFarland who served as town officer in Worcester, Mass., for 43 years, served also at the time of the Revolution. His descendants therefore are eligible to join the D. A. R. or the sons of the American Revolution on his record for patroitism.
His wife was Elizabeth Moon, born with her arm off at the elbow with only a thumb there and a little finger. Tradition days she was born on the ocean.
Lovell Short Jr., and his wife had 12 children, 8 living at the time of his death.
The aforesaid clipping was given me by Olive Short Burrell born Aug. 33, 1835, died Feb. 10, 1919 on the farm in Chatham township, Tioga county, Pa., where her grandmother on coming from Locke, Cayngo county, N. Y., was a pioneer settler which is still in the possession of his son, Wallace Burrell. Olive Short married Jas., Burrell. She cut the clipping from the Agitator and preserved it all these years. Lovell and Thankful Short were her parents. She gave me the clipping for my Edward Hackett descendants genealogy, which I have for years made a research of, and expect to have published.
My grandfather and Olive's grandmother were brother and sister. I have made research back to our Revolutionary ancesters. Edward Hackett, many of his children, were pioneer settlers when Tioga county was a wilderness. He has hundreds of descendants in Tioga county. Nearly every family in Tioga are married and intermarried in the branches. The Hackets, Southworths, Ackleys, Booths, Chamberlains, Cummings, Hawleys, Niles, Shorts, Leachs, Guiles, Burrells, Carpenters, Rices, some of the Roberts, all pioneer descendants from him and many others to numerous to mention. Many of these younger generation are not aware they decend from a soldier of the Revolution with such a fine war record. I have the lineages of the various branches, I have quoted above almost to the present generation, who they married and their children and many branches down to the present generation. I am a genealogist and have given many of their lineages and filled out their applications for membership to the D.A.R.
Then too there are many of his descendants of his daughter, Thankful Booth who married Seth Booth of Dartmouth, Mass., who resided in Potter county. Her sons, Seth Booth and Samuel settled in Harrison Valley and Sweeden Valley. The Kibbie, Hamilton and Crittenton families descended through her daughter, Polly Pierce who settled in Ulysses. She married Alverious Pierce of Freetown, Mass. The Hacketts trace back their ancestry to Jabez Hackett, who removed from Lynn to Tanton, Mass., in 1644. William Hackett form Salisbury and Amsbury Mass., a famous ship builder is our ancestor. Letters from Congress authorizing him to build three vessels for the Revolution, are on file in the Hudson collection which is fireproof is in the 5th avenue and 42nd street Lennox Library in New York city. I saw them and saw his own signature in reply to the letters from Congress. He built the "America" which was commanded by John Paul Jones.
Betsy MacFarland married John Hackett. He went to Canada and died there. Betsy came with her seven children from Locke, N.Y., to Chatham township when it was a wilderness. Her husband, John Hackett was a son of Edward Hackett of Freetown, Mass., and Locke, N. Y.
Betsy MacFarland Hackett was the first doctor in Tioga county. She rode her horse hundreds of miles in the wilds of Tioga county. She brought 90 children into the world administering to the sick. She kept her horse "Nell" until she died. After she was too old to chew her food she cooked porrige for her. After her Dr. Harvey Leach her grandson was the first practicing physician of Tioga county. Betsy MacFarland Hackett brother Dr. James MacFarland was a practicing physician of Worcester, Mass.
She was a remarkable weaver and spun the flax they raised. Some of her weaving is still in the possession of the family; also her weaving stool and carding wheel, spinning wheels are in possesion of her great grandson, Wallace Burrell. She was the first woman to bring a carriage into Tioga county. The older generation spoke of her as a stately old dame.
Edward Hackett was a sergeant in the war of the Revolution. He enlisted and was at Freetown, Piece's Company of Minute Men and responded to the first call known as the Lexington alarm, and on this memorable occasion participated in the opening act of the bloody drama under the leadership of Capt. Abiel Pierce, also at Concord and Ticonderoga.
He also served in the ninth Regt. Albany Co., Militia, N. Y. He removed from Freetown to Locke N. Y., where he cleared and built a cabin. His son-in-law, Seth Booth accompanied him there. Six months later in 1799, they sent for their families, Thankful Hackett Booth, wife of Seth Booth and his son, John Hackett with his wife Betsy MacFarland Hackett and children. They traveled in ox teams from Freetown to Locke, which took two weeks. They brought a straight back rocker with them that Gen. George Washington sat in which is still in the family at Locke, N. Y., in possession of a great great great grandson, and I have the bible that Thankful Hackett Booth brought from Mass. on that trip which contains family records back to 1778.
The Hacketts were very prominet in the New England states and much is given in the histories of them.
Edward Hackett had 12 children most of them were pioneer settlers in Tioga and Potter counties. Many of the younger generation settled in New York state, also in Idaho, Arizona, Washington, Ohio, Iowa and many other states. Mrs. Mary R. Wolcott genealogist.

Typed as printed to preserve the integrity of the article, with obvious errors and differences in spelling.