Clinton W. Scriven |
Scriven, Clinton W., was born in the town of Grafton, NY July 16, 1870. He is a son of John H. and Pamelia J. (Ives) Scriven, his father having been born in the same town, September 13, 1840 and his mother in the town of Poestenkill, NY, July 15, 1843. He was reared in the town of his nativity and educated in the public schools and the Troy Business College. For the past eight years, he has been bookkeeper of the J. A. Scriven Company's Shirt Factory of Grafton.
He is a Republican in politics and a member of the Rensselaer County Republican Committee, and was a delegate to the State Conventions of 1893, 1895 and 1896. Mr Scriven is leader of the Grafton Centre Corner Band and a writer and publisher of band music. Numbered among his compositions are the "Town Talk Polka", "Argo Schottische" and
the overture "Grand Central".
His father, John H. Scriven, was at one time a merchant and a manufacturer of shirts. He was a Republican and was postmaster of Grafton for eight years. He was in partnership with his brother, J. A. Scriven of New York City, at the time of his death, August 19, 1886.
The grandfather of the subject of this sketch was Caleb W. Scriven, who was born in Grafton April 5, 1805, and he was a son of James Scriven, also born in the same town. His wife was Mercy Scriven, who also was born in Grafton. As a result of this union, thirteen children were born, eleven of whom grew to maturity. He spent most of his life in Grafton, where he was a hotelkeeper and a merchant and engaged in the manufacture of shirts. He brought the first sewing machine into Grafton. He was supervisor of the town for three years, which office he held at the time of his death, which occurred July 27, 1868. His widow is living and is quite hearty and strong at the ripe old age of eight-five years.
NOTE FROM THE SUBMITTER: The Scriven Record, based on 1899 letters from Mrs. Mercy Scriven of Grafton to her cousin Mrs. Tacy Scriven Bigelow of Hartfield, NY, has no mention of ancestors who seemingly match either of these men. Mercy Scriven reports that her grandfather William Scriven, who died in about 1818, aged 99 years and 7 months in Grafton, was one of three brothers who came from England about 1776. He married twice and had 14 children. However, records from Westerly, Rhode Island appear to show that this William was born there 6 June 1727 to the Quaker preacher James Scriven and Alice Knowles.