My Genealogy Hound

HON. HARVEY S. ELKINS, the son of Abiel A. and Mary (Nevins) Elkins, was born November 26, 1835, in the town of Poland, Chautauqua county, New York. His paternal grandfather was a native of Vermont, and was a cooper by trade. He died in his native town at the close of a long and useful life. His maternal ancestors were all natives of Ireland. Abiel A. Elkins (father) was born in Vermont and emigrated to the vicinity of Quebec, Canada. He came to Pennsylvania, and engaged in the lumber business, in which he was very successful. In 1845 he started to Pittsburgh on business and was never heard of afterwards. As he was known to have a large sum of money on his person at the time, it is supposed he was murdered. He married Mary Nevins, who was a native of Ireland, and by her he had eight children: William and Maria (twins); Robert and Ruby (twins); Edward and Edwin (twins); Mary and Harvey S. William, Robert and Mary are dead. Maria married Seth Haight and is now living at Kennedy, this county; Ruby is the wife of Eli Shultz and lives in Iowa; Edwin lives in Wisconsin; and Edward in Poland, this county.William entered the civil war as a volunteer in Co. G, 49th regiment. New York Infantry, August 1, 1861, took part in all the battles of the Peninsular campaign, and died at Point Lookout, Maryland, in October, 1862. Edwin was also in the civil war as a member of the 14th Wisconsin regiment. He served all through the war and took part in the battle of Pittsburg Landing; he enlisted as a private, and gradually rose to the rank of first lieutenant, serving for a time as brigade quartermaster. Edward entered Co. G, 49th New York regiment as a volunteer, but was rejected on account of physical disability.

Harvey S. Elkins received his education in the common schools of his native town. At the time of his father’s death the family was living in Jefferson county, Pa., but soon afterwards they went to New York, and the children were employed by various families in the neighborhood of their home. Harvey S. was taken by a citizen of Randolph, New York, but he became dissatisfied and ran away. When about eleven years of age he went to live with an uncle with whom he remained about four or five years, after which he returned to Pennsylvania and worked by the month. His mother came to Kennedy, this county, and he cared for her and other members of the family. He had earned enough money to buy a comfortable home for his mother which she occupied until her death in 1876. He next embarked in the mercantile business at Kennedy for five years, then became overseer of a large farm in the county and also did some farming for himself.

Hon. H. S. Elkins is a republican in politics and is at present superintendent of the poor for this county. He first took the office January 1, 1885, serving for a term of three years, when he was re-elected. In 1874 he served his party faithfully as a member of the General Assembly of New York. His is a striking example of what a man may accomplish by perseverance and industry despite the discouragements of the environments of his early life.

Mr. Elkins married for his first wife Maria Nichols, of Jefferson county, and after her death he married Jennie Stratton, of Jamestown.