The Gillette family is of French Huguenot stock, and upon coming to this country settled in Massachusetts, where John Gillette was born. There he grew to manhood and married. He reared a family of seven children, whose names are as follows: William, deceased; Mercy, who married Ansel Wilcox; Jerusia married a Mr. Burlingame, and they lived in the western part of the State of New York; Gersham, who died in Clarkson, Michigan, was an horticulturist; Annice lived in Auburn for a few years, then went to Michigan, where she died; John, who became a judge of Cortland County; and Horatio N. In 1790 his son John, best known as Judge, the uncle of our subject, came to this county and purchased a tract of government land on Cold Brook. After a few years he returned to his native state and brought his father and most of the family to this county, and they all settled on Cold Brook in 1805. It was then an almost unbroken wilderness, and they set about the difficult task of clearing it. They all became prosperous and well-to-do farmers. Our subject's grandfather lived only a short time after coming to Scott. Of the sons John, or as he was known, Judge Gillette, became one of the most prominent men in this section of the state. He was a member of the Democratic party and held many high offices. He was judge of the county for a number of years and was a Member of the Assembly. At one time he was a Presidential Elector, and was often a delegate to county, district, state, and even national conventions. He was for a number of years postmaster of Scott. In all of these positions he served faithfully and did much to advance the interests of the community. He was liberal in the support of his church and assisted in building the Baptist Church in his neighborhood.

    Horatio N. Gillette was born in 1799 and was a native of the State of Massachusetts. He followed farming in the northern part of Scott until 1836, when he bought a farm southeast of Scott, upon which our subject now lives. He lived there until 1847, and then went to Little York, where he engaged in the manufacture of wagons, also in wagon repairing. He took his two sons, Harley and George, into the business, and they worked under the firm name of Gillette & Sons. He finally retired from the business and took a trip to Missouri. After remaining there for two years he returned to his farm and lived with his son Charles the remainder of his life. He died in 1885, at the ripe old age of eighty-six years. He was united in marriage with Marilla Starr, by whom he had the following children: Albertus, deceased, was a farmer of Scott; Charles H., our subject; Mary, deceased, was the wife of James Northrup; George, who lived in Missouri, was a mechanic and carpenter; John, who died in childhood; John, second of that name, who also died at an early age; Frank, deceased, who was in the Civil War with Sherman during his memorable march through Georgia---after the war he came home, but later went to Illinois, where he taught school; and Harley, who lived in Missouri, and met death by drowning in the Osage River. Mrs. Gillette was seventy-three years of age when overtaken by death in 1873.

    Charles H. Gillette grew to manhood in his native town, and at the age of twenty-two went to Illinois, where he remained for one year. He then returned to Scott, and since 1848 he has lived on the old farm bought by his father. He is engaged in general farming and dairying. He has a fine farm of two hundred and seventy acres of well improved land, which is supplied with neat and substantial buildings. He has an attractive herd of thirty-eight good cows, which will compare favorably with any in the town.

    In February, 1852, Mr. Gillette was united in marriage with Martha J. Bacon, a daughter of Ansel Bacon, by whom he has had six children: Fred H., who is a jeweler of Fairfield, Ill.; Mary, wife of Lewis Van Patten; Ella (Mrs. Hoag); Emma, the wife of Martin Sheerar; Frank B. of Cortland; and Ada of Cortland. Mr. Gillette is a well educated man, having graduated from the University of Albany. He learned the profession of a civil engineer and followed it for a time, but does not now. In politics he is a stanch Republican and has held several offices; for twelve years he was assessor, also justice of the peace for several terms. He has been a delegate to county and district conventions. Socially, he is a member of Homer Lodge, No. 352, F. & A. M.; of the Homer Lodge, No. 99, I. O. O. F.; and of the Cortland County Agricultural Society. Mr. and Mrs. Gillette are active members of the Baptist Church of Scott.

Source: pages 123, 124, 127.

    His grandfather, Homer Greenman, was born in Albany, N. Y., and came to Cortland County on horseback, settling in the town of Solon, east of McGrawville. He was an industrious, enterprising citizen, with a love for work, and a capacity for achieving success in whatever he undertook to accomplish. He followed the pursuits of agriculture all his life in Cortland, and was respected by all men of character and position. His family consisted of six boys and four girls.

    His son, John M., was born in Cortland County in 1822, and he also followed the pursuits of agriculture throughout the greater part of his life. Two years prior to his death, which occurred in 1865, he took up merchandising, and was in the midst of a very successful career, when he was stricken low. His wife, Hannah H. Cowan, survives him and lives in Cortland with her son, W. J. The elder son, James, was killed in 1850 at the age of twenty-two, while assisting in the raising of a barn on the home farm.

    Mrs. Greenman, the mother of our subject, is a daughter of Judge Cowan, who was born in Scotland. When Judge Cowan was a lad of seven years, his father and mother came to the United States, settling in Delaware County, N. Y. They finally came to Cortland County in 1848, settling between McGrawville and Cortland. There Judge Cowan spent the remainder of his days, engaged in the peaceful and beautiful pursuits of husbandry. He was successful and prosperous to an unusual degree, and was the proud owner of a fertile farm of 255 acres, well improved and adapted to a very diversified and general system of farming. He was a soldier in the War of 1812, and for his services received a valuable land grant in the West, to which, however, he did not give much personal attention. He was a stanch Republican in politics, and served as judge of the probate court. Good judgment, executive ability, and a general spirit of enterprise and progressiveness were his striking characteristics. In the county he was most highly regarded, and his influence was wide-spread. His marriage with Miss Maynard, a sister of the father of the late Judge Maynard, of Delaware County, resulted in the birth of nine children, three sons and six daughters, all of whom grew to maturity.

    W. J. Greenman received his scholastic training in the institutions of his district, and in the Cortland State Normal School. His first work on his own account was as a traveling salesman for a clothing house. During the first term of President Cleveland, he became deputy postmaster of Cortland, but resigned his position when he determined to engage in his present business. This company, of which he was one of the leading spirits, was organized and incorporated under the State laws in 1885 with the following officers: Harvey H. Greenman, president; Ernest M. Hulbert, secretary; and W. J. Greenman, treasurer and vice-president. Upon the death of his uncle Harvey H. Greenman, in 1887, our subject became president of the concern. He also continued in his position of manager of the company, overseeing personally the getting out of the entire product. In the re-organization of the company, Edward Keator became treasurer; Ernest M. Hulbert was elected vice-president; and Theo. H. Wickwire became vice-president. The company has been accorded the pleasure and satisfaction of seeing the business increase in magnitude with a rapidity, that surely must be gratifying. When business is brisk, it is no uncommon thing to have upwards of one hundred men on the payroll, and engaged in the manufacture of wire screens and doors. The market is not entirely local in its nature, for shipments are made to all points of the United States and Canada. Much of this substantial success is attributed to our subject, who has held the direct control of the company for so long, and who knows the minutest points in all departments of the business.

    Mr. Greenman is a Democrat, and takes an active interest in politics, being chairman of the Democratic County Committee. On April 3, 1882, occurred an important event in his life, when he married Mary White of Jersey City, New Jersey. Mr. and Mrs. Greenman are well known in church and social circles of Cortland, and county many friends. They have two children, Bessie C. and John W.

Source: pages 452-455.