George Redington- St.Lawrence Co.,NY
HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE CO.,NY
The Hon. George Redington, the subject of this sketch was born in the city of Vergennes, in the state of Vermont, Nov.23, 1798. He was the second son of Jacob Redington, a Revolutionary soldier, who emigrated from Vermont into the country of St. Lawrence, NY in the year 1800, which was known at that time in Vermont as "The West". After innumerable hardships, coming from Vergennes by way of Montreal, he finally located himself and family upon the banks of the St. Lawrence, not far from where the village of Waddington now stands. With the exception of a few earlier immigrants, the southern border of the St. Lawrence was one wild wilderness, stretching far back to the settlements upon the Mohawk and Hudson. It was here that his father struck the first blow in the forest, and made a home , and, in conjuction with the best of mothers, raised a large family, who have had more or less to do in moulding the county to its present just influence in the State. Young George was scarcely two years of age when he was brought from Vermont to these new acenes. In a very early period of his life he manifested great activity both of body and mind. Unfortunately, when about five years of age, after a severe sickness, for some unexplainable cause, he lost the use of one of his legs. For this reason he was crippled for life, and was under the necessity of using crutches. In the year 1813 his father moved from Madrid (now Waddington) to Potsdam, and remained there three years, during which time George received a good academical education at the St. Lawrence academy, under the tuition of the Rev. James Johnson. From thence, in the year 1816, he moved to Montreal for a temporary residence, and took his son George with him. While there he was engaged in teaching school, and was earnest and industrious in his duties. In the year 1819 he entered the law office of Hon. Gouverneur Ogden, at Waddington. While prosecuting his studies, there was a young man in the same office, already admitted to the bar, of brilliant attainments, able and eloquent. Between them sprung up a friendship, and from him he received much assistance in the attainment of his profession. Allusion is here made to the Hon. Henry Vining, a nephew of Mrs. Gouverneur Ogden. Mr. Redington, upon the completion of his studies, began the practice of his profession in Waddington, which he followed, in connection with a manufacturing business,until 1831-32, at which time he gave more attention to the purchase and sale of real estate throughout the country, gradually relinquishing the practice of the law. He was also land agent for several proprietors of land residing in New York and elsewhere. He erected several mills, and engaged largely in the manufacture of lumber and square timber, finding his principal markets in Montreal, Quebec, Albany, Troy and New York, and giving employment to large numbers of men. He was an active, energetic business man of great capabilities, accomplishing much more then many others with the advantages of robust health and sound bodies, and was most highly esteemed for his upright, straightforward,honest dealings with his fellow men. Judge Redington received a religious training from a pious mother of Puritan stock and Calvinistic to the strictest letter, though charitable to all and in loving fellowship with all Christians. Before he became a member of the church he respected it, and was an habitual attendant upon divine worship. But in 1840, while in the full tide of business, his mind was more particularly directed to the importance of the subject of idenifying himself with the Christian church and becoming one of its members. He therefour, about this time, joined the Congregational church at Waddington and took deep interest even after in the support of the gospel. He was mainly in strumental, by his influence and money, in the erection and completion of the present Presbyterian house of worship, a neat and commodious structure in Waddington. The form of the government of the church has been changed since his death. Politically he was a stanch Democrat. In 1848 he became a member of the Free-Soil party, and voted for Martin Van Buren.