Biography

Gideon Pitts, of Richmond, aged 81, one of the most prominent and highly respected citizens of Ontario county, died at his home in Honeoye last week and concerning him a correspondent writes as follows: The town of Richmond, Ontario county, has just lost by death its most distinguished citizen, Gideon Pitts.

On the 20th day of May, 1788, two brothers driving two yokes of cattle arrived at the foot of Honeoye Lake and pitched their tent for the night. They were Gideon and William Pitts, sons of Capt. Peter Pitts, of Taunton, Mass., who had served as a soldier through the Revolutionary war. the next day they found patches of land that had been cleared by the Indians and they at once hitched on to plows they had brought with them and commenced turning over the rich soil for corn. Here they settled, and when the time came to erect counties and townships the section where they lived was named Pittstown, and so remained for years, when it was gradually divided and changed to the towns of Richmond, Canadice, Livonia and a part of Conesus. The elder brother, Gideon, raised a family of nine children, of which his namesake, just deceased, was the second, being born in 1807. He always lived in his native town, was a farmer and raised a family of five children, all of whom came home and remained during the closing hours of his life. He had but one son, Gideon, now a lawyer and banker in Alton, Kan. His oldest child, Mary, became the wife of Frederick Douglass, of Washington, a few years ago.

Her father was originally a Whig, then an early, original Abolitionist, supporting James G. Birney in 1844. He was foremost in enterprise, public spirit and intelligent citizenship, at the same refusing all official positions. He was the first man to introduce fine wool merino sheep into his town. Of the original family of nine children, Hiram the oldest, now eighty-five years of age, is the only survivor. He was appointed during Lincoln's administration to a position in the treasury department in Washington, which he still holds, hale and energetic after a quarter of a century of constant service. He attended his brother Gideon's funeral on Wednesday last, which was held at the old family residence in the village of Honeoye.