My Genealogy Hound

T. C. TUNISON. The town of Covert, Seneca County, is the home of many well-to-do agriculturists who are exempt from any active participation in farm interests, by virtue of their advanced years and the accumulated results of the toil of former years. Of these, our subject is one, and his experience as a farmer was such as to enable him to spend his later years in comfort and elegance as one of the most prominent citizens of the county.

Mr. Tunison was born in this town, November 30, 1815, and is the son of Philip and the grandson of Bogardes L. Tunison, the latter of whom was born in New Jersey, whence he came to this state and county with horse and wagon over one hundred years ago. He at once chose the town of Covert for his future home, and never regretted having done so, as he was prosperous in all his undertakings from that time until his decease.

Philip Tunison married Miss Magdalene Covert, and to them was born a large family of children, including seven sons and three daughters. Of these, three are deceased. T. C., of this sketch, was permitted to attend the district school, where he gained a fair knowledge of the common branches taught, and afterward added to this a knowledge of farm work. In 1839 he was married to Miss Elizabeth Chandler, and they became the parents of the following six children: Harrison, Lydia and Mary, deceased; Rynear, Minor, and one who died in infancy.

The birth of our subject occurred on a little farm about a mile and a-third northwest of the village of Farmer. He remained with his parents until he reached the age of twenty-four years, and upon attaining manhood took charge of the homestead, which embraced about five hundred acres. This proved a splendid experience to him, as his father gave him the benefit of his years of farm life, so that when ready to engage in such work for himself he was thoroughly competent to do so.

Mr. Tunison occupied a part of the homestead proper, which comprised one hundred and forty-five acres, until 1890, when, with his son Harrison, he took possession of a tract of one hundred and three acres. He is now the owner of a tract of two hundred acres, which is well cultivated, and which is made to yield good crops by the splendid manner in which it is tilled. Although he still resides upon this estate, he does little else than to superintend its operation, as his advanced years prevent him from engaging in any arduous work, and, indeed, the results with which he has met do not make it necessary for him to do so.

The reader will doubtless think the biographer is writing in ignorance when he makes the statement that Mr. Tunison remembers when the town of Covert was little more than woods. This is true, however, and to him is given all honor for the unselfish manner in which he has given of his time and means toward its upbuilding and improvement. At that time the now thriving villages of Waterloo and Seneca Falls, which are connected by an electric railway, were very small and gave little prospect of their present flourishing condition. In politics our subject is a Republican.