My Genealogy Hound

THOMAS R. COVENEY, one of the older business men of Chautauqua county and the present postmaster of Sherman, was born in County Kent, England, June 12, 1824, and is a son of Thomas and Sarah (Relf) Coveney. His father, Thomas Coveney and maternal grandfather William Relf, were natives of England where the former, who was an Episcopalian in religious belief, married Sarah Relf, by whom he had four sons and two daughters, and followed farming; while the latter, who was a farmer and surveyor, came in 1830 from the Mother Country to the town of Mina where he and his wife, whose maiden name was Francis Ballard, both died and left four sons and three daughters, who survive them. Thomas Coveney, the father of Thomas R. Coveney, came in 1841, from England to the town of Mina, but afterwards removed to the northwestern part of Pennsylvania, where he died. He was a democrat and married Sarah Relf in England, who died at that place in 1839. Three sons and one daughter came with him to America, where he married for his second wife, Sarah Chambers, who bore him two children.

Thomas R. Coveney received his education in England, from which he came with his father, in 1841, to the town of Mina, where he became a clerk in a store of the village of Mina. He afterwards left Mina and went to Barcelona Harbor, where he was in the forwarding and commission business for several years. He then returned to Mina where he was engaged for six years in the general mercantile business, during which time he bought butter and cheese throughout the county, on joint account and commission. He came, in 1871, to Sherman where he has followed the produce and commission business ever since.

On January 27, 1850, Mr. Coveney married Rhoda A. Taylor, who died in February, 1891, aged sixty-one years. To their union were born eight children, three sons and five daughters: William R., married Rosalia Bly and is engaged in farming; John T., married Sadie Stukins and is an oil operator of Washington, Pennsylvania; Sarah A., wife of Edwin Ripley, of Sherman; James Alfred, a telegraph constructor, of Tacoma, Washington; Fannie; Louetta; Clara P., unmarried; and Delia Ann, married to Dr. C. H. Waterhouse.

Politically Thomas R. Coveney is a republican and served for quite a number of years as supervisor of the town and postmaster of the village of Mina. He was active during the late war in securing recruits for the Union armies. He is a member of Olive Lodge, No. 575, Free and Accepted Masons, and the Methodist Episcopal church of Sherman, of which he is steward and treasurer, and has been class-leader. In 1889 Mr. Coveney was appointed by President Harrison, as postmaster of Sherman, which is now a third-class post-office, with a salary of twelve hundred dollars per year. He has acceptably discharged the duties of the office to all interested in postal matters at Sherman.