The Ancestors of My Grandchildren

     John Sheldon Tiffany was born on 22 Apr 1822 in Pennsylvania.¹ He married Harriet Adelaide Whitney, daughter of Thaddeus Whitney and Thirza Washburn, in 1847.² He died in 1904³, and was buried in the Wheeler Hill Cemetery at Pleasant Mount.⁴

Other information:

John Sheldon Tiffany was a farmer.¹
     A biography: John Sheldon Tiffany, one of the leading and representative citizens of Mt. Pleasant township, Wayne county, was born there April 22, 1822, and belongs to one of Wayne county’s most prominent and honored families whose identification with her history dates from an early period in the development of the county. His grandfather, Capt John Tiffany, a distinguished officer of the Revolutionary war, came to this region from Massachusetts as early as 1791, and took up his residence in Mt. Pleasant township. He had previously married Ruth Clapp, a representative of a prominent English family, and they became the parents of six children, as follows: Chandler; John; Fanny Peckhorn, Gardener, Leonard and Ruth Hall.
     Of these, John Tiffany, the father of our subject, was a native of Attleboro, Mass., and accompanied his parents on their removal to Wayne county, where he grew to manhood. He married Miss Sally Bigelow, who was born in Connecticut a daughter of James and Mary (Graham) Bigelow, also natives of Connecticut and early settlers of Wayne county. To John and Sally Tiffany were born six children who reached years of maturity, viz.: Mary, wife of William Pickering, of Gibson, Susquehannia Co., Penn; Hiram, who died in Gibson in April, 1878; Sallie, wife of A. Wright, of Bromwell, W. Va; Minerva, a resident of Pleasant Mount; John Sheldon; and Oliver, deceased. The mother, who was a woman of great activity and devoted to her family, died at the age of sixtythree years, and the father departed this life at the age of seventy. Both were earnest and consistent members of the Baptist Church, in which he served as deacon for many years. He was always a great hunter, and was very successful in securing wild game.
     In a primitive old log school house John S. Tiffany secured his education, and upon the home farm was early taught habits of industry and honesty, which have done much toward shaping his career since attaining to man’s estate. He has cleared and placed under excellent cultivation 137 acres of wooded land, and in 1867 purchased the David L. Kennedy farm of 166 acres, which he soon converted into a valuable tract making many improvements that have added greatly to its attractive appearance.
     On February 17, 1847, Mr. Tiffany was united in marriage with Miss Harriet Whitney, who was born November 9, 1828, a daughter of Thaddeus and Thersa (Washburn) Whitney now deceased, both having died at the age of seventy two years. They held membership in the Methodist Episcopal Church, and were widely and favorably known. In political sentiment Mr. Whitney was a Whig. Their children, ten in number, were as follows: Julia Ann, Jane Maria, Joseph Edgar, Francis Marion, Harriet Adelaide, Henrietta Malvine, Freeman, Harland Stewart, Eliza Ophenline and Richmond. To Mr. and Mrs. J. S. Tiffany have been born nine children: Francis Rupert, who married Emma J. Peck, and resides in Mount Pleasant township; John Winfield, who married Bertha Alexander; Judson Emmour, who married Jennie Fulkerson, and was principal of the Pleasant Mount Academy for two years; Thaddeus Emory, who married Louise H. Noble, and lives in Mt. Pleasant; Hiram Burton, who married Emma Gillett, and makes his home in Gibson; Charles Henry, who married Ollie Kimble, and is now engaged in merchandising in Seattle, Wash; Minnie E., a resident of Binghamton, N. Y; Frederick Anson, who married Viola Howell, and with his wife and two children, Mildred Adelaide and Bernice Etta, resides on the home farm; and Orlena Adelaide, wife of Herbert A. Kishbaugh, of Herrick Center, Pennsylvania.
     Mr. Tiffany is a worthy and consistent member of the Baptist Church, being a trustee and deacon in the Maple Grove Baptist Church, and by precept and example has done much good in directing people in the way that leads to happiness and prosperity in this life and insures a reward in the world to come. He liberally supports all educational and religious enterprises, and it is safe to say that no man in Mt. Pleasant township is more honored by his fellow citizens than J. S. Tiffany.⁵

He is listed in the following census:
1830 Fed. census (1 Jun): Household of John Tiffany, Mount Pleasant Township, Wayne County, Pennsylvania. John Sheldon Tiffany was probably included in the Free Males 5-10 years of age.⁶
1840 Fed. census (1 Jun): Household of John Tiffany, Mount Pleasant Township, Wayne County, Pennsylvania. John Sheldon Tiffany was probably included in the Free Males 15 - 20 years of age.⁷
1850 Fed. census (1 Jun): Household of John Sheldon Tiffany, Mount Pleasant, Wayne County, Pennsylvania. Household consists of John Sheldon, his wife Harriet and their son Francis R.⁸
1870 Fed. census (1 Jun): Household of John Sheldon Tiffany, Mount Pleasant, Wayne County, Pennsylvania. Household consists of John Sheldon, his wife Harriet and their children John W., Judson E., Thaddeus E., Hiram B., Charles H., Minnie E. and Fred A.⁹
1880 Fed. census (1 Jun): Household of John Sheldon Tiffany, ED 3, Mount Pleasant Township, Wayne County, Pennsylvania. Household consists of John Sheldon, his wife Harriet and their children Judson E., Emery T., Burton H., Charles H., Minnie E., Fred A. and Orlena and his sister Sarah Wright. She is listed as a visitor.¹⁰
1900 Fed. census (1 Jun): Household of John Sheldon Tiffany, ED 121, Mount Pleasant Township, Wayne County, Pennsylvania. Household consists of John Sheldon and his wife Harriet.²