The surname Horton, originally from a place name, is one of the oldest in England. The name is often spelled Orton.

(I) Thomas Horton was in Milton, Mass. as early as 1669, and was probably related to one or more of the early settlers of that surname. He married Sarah ____. He may have married (second), at Milton, Dec. 25, 1693, Susannah Keney.
Children, born at Milton:
Rachel, Aug. 6, 1669.
John, June 6, 1672.
Thomas, Oct. 3, 1677, mentioned below.
David, Oct. 14, 1679.
Solomon, Jan. 11, 1682, lived at Milton.

(II) Thomas (2), son of Thomas (1) Horton, was born at Milton, Mass. Oct. 3, 1677. The Rehoboth records show that he married, June 7, 1700, Hannah Garnzey. Another Thomas Horton married June 6, 1700 (the day before), Katherine Harrison, of Rehoboth.
Children of Thomas and Hannah:
David, Oct. 8, 1701.
Hannah, May 28, 1704.
Rachel, June 8, 1706.
Elijah, Feb. 17, 1708-09.
Experience, Oct. 28, 1710.
Hezekiah, mentioned below.

(III) Hezekiah, son of Thomas (2) Horton, was born about 1711, at Rehoboth. He married there, Mary Martin, Dec. 23, 1735.
Children, born at Rehoboth:
Isaiah, Jan. 19, 1737.
Mary, Dec. 9, 1738.
Hezekiah, mentioned below.
Stafford.
Nathan (?)
Thomas, about 1750.

(IV) Hezekiah (2), son of Hezekiah (1) Horton, was born at Rehoboth, about 1740. He settled before the revolution at Guilford, Vermont. He was a soldier there in Captain Comfort Starr's company, on the alarm of October, 1780. His brother Nathan was in the same company, and his brother Stafford was also in the service.
According to the first census taken in 1790, these three were heads of families in Guilford, all apparently about the same age. Hezekiah had a son under sixteen and three females in his family.

(V) Hezekiah (3), son of Hezekiah (2) Horton, was born in Guilford, Vermont, in 1791, and died at Massena, N.Y. in 1844. He settled on the farm in Massena now (1910) owned by Elon A. Horton. He lived for a time also at Ira, Vermont, and at Clarendon. He owned and operated a distillery in Vermont, but after he came to New York in 1840 he followed farming.
He married Anne Hutchinson, born in Vermont, in 1790, died at Massena, 1875. They had Ransom J., mentioned below, and eight other children, among them Jane and Elon, who grew up, but died unmarried.

(VI) Ranson Julius, son of Hezekiah (3) Horton, was born at Ira, Vermont, in 1824, and died on the homestead at Massena, Jan. 9, 1896. He received his early education in the public schools of his native town. He came with his parents to Massena when he was sixteen years of age and attended a select school there. He was of a mechanical turn of mind and patented several useful and ingenious devices, among them a fanning mill, of which he was also one of the manufacturers, and for which he was a traveling salesman for a number of years. He lived at Potsdam one year while his sons were in school, but the greater part of his life was spent in farming at Massena.
He was a skillful musician, and talented singer, and for many years he taught singing schools in this section. He was active in the church, and deacon of the Baptist church for many years and member of the board of trustees, and was one of the largest contributors to the building fund of the Baptist church in Massena.
In politics he was a Republican.
He married, Feb. 16, 1853, Harriet Russell, born at Peru, Essex county, N.Y., Sept. 7, 1830, died in Massena, March 29, 1909, daughter of John and Naomi (Horton) Russell.
Children:
1. Edwon J., born Feb. 11, 1854; educated in the public schools and the Potsdam Normal School, farmer at Massena; married Sarah J. Polley, daughter of Philemon Polley; children: Mark P. and Harlan R.
2. Elon A., mentioned below.

(VII) Elon A., son of Ranson Julius Horton, was born at Massena, June 26, 1859. He was educated in the district schools at Massena Center; the high school at Masena Village, and in the Potsdam School and Eastman Business College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., graduating in 1880. During his boyhood he worked on the old homestead farm. About 1883 he engaged in the carriage business, being a director of the Watertown Carriage company, now combined with the H.H. Babcock Company. He traveled as salesman for this conern for several years, selling carriages and wagons. For the past twenty years he has been in Massena dealing in horses, harness, carriages, sleighs, and all kinds of farm utensils and implements. He has a large store and carriage repository. He also conducts a large ice business under the name of Massena Ice Company, and a large wood business. He still owns the homstead at Massena Center where his grandfather Hezekiah settled, and has made extensive improvements in the buildings.
He is a Republican, was a member of the board of education and of the village board. He is a member of Massena Lodgbe of Free Masons; Massena Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; St. Lawrence Commandery, Knights Templar of Canton; and of Media Temple, Mystic Shrine of Watertown.
He is an attendant of the Baptist church and a trustee of the society.
Elon A. Horton married, March 22, 1888, Una Benson, born May 18, 1868, daughter of Samuel and Abigail (Riley) Benson, of Massena.
Children:
1. Hazel Harriet, born 1889; graduate of Rogers Hall, Lowell, Mass.
2. Floyd Elon, born 1891; educated at Massena high school and Phillips Academy, Andover.

RETURN TO INDEX

Have these webpages helped you?
Please let us know in the Guestook.

[ Read / Sign my guestbook ]

Get a free Guestbook