Who Was Homer Lane?
#PWHS #Article #HomerLane
Those who have followed PWHS for a while will know I have several wrestlers which interest me a great deal more than others from the early days of professional wrestling. One of them is Homer Lane. A figure whose importance in the early development of professional wrestling, including the national touring expansion by the Northeast based wrestlers. Putting together his story has been a constant up-and-down ride like an ole proverbial rollercoaster ride with great periods of frustration and the occasional find that ignites motivation and excitement to pulling together the pieces of the puzzle.
This time around it is I've certainly made progress, just not necessarily in the manner I expected to. I decided to do some new searches in the various newspaper archives out there in case by some chance something new had been added to their archives. After all, surely some day an obituary must pop up for him. How can a multiple time wrestling champion, once considered the best Collar & Elbow wrestler in America by many, just disappear? If he his path had gone into obscurity for some time, it would not be so weird. That is not the case though, he had a match in 1894 at, he was over sixty years old when it took place and seemed to still be good friends with other wrestlers and sports personalities up until that time. Yet there is still no further information on his life after that show.
Although I'd also checked both Archives.com and FindAGrave before, with no real faith anything new would be discovered I still took a quick look-see if anything new had been updated; nothing. About to resign to another period of no hope for ever finding anything out about the actual man that was Homer Lane, I threw my hands up in the air with a sigh and closed all the websites I'd left open during the last useless two hours.
At that moment I remembered I had seen that Homer had a brother or possibly it was his brother, who was an important figure in Lowville, Lewis County, New York, where they were both born. Which had been the extent of my knowledge on Homer's personal life, oh, and that he was born somewhere between 1830 and 1840 with 1834-1836 seeming quite likely. So, I just threw up a quick Google search for information on Curtis G. Lane. Some family history for him actually started to appear, with a couple of dates and new names to look into from a book called, "A History of Lewis County" I decided to give the document archives another shot.
While I did not find out what his date of death was, I did find out some pretty interesting things about his families history. There may very well be other notable events in other branches of the tree than I have gone through, but I have tried to keep it all as relevant to Homer as I could without neglecting anything that is a necessary or interesting part of his families history.
The story that can be told today starts in England. It was in that jolly ole place that William Lane was born around 1625. It's unclear whether he was sent over to America as a child in 1635 or if he came across later on in 1850. As there's no sign of his parents in America, I'd guess the latter. His first wife was Mary Kelway, she was born circa 1630 and married William during 1651 in Boston, Massachusetts.
As Boston was founded as a city just prior to 1630 it means William and Mary were fairly early to arrive in that area. Mary was a member of the first Church of Boston and died at a young age on May 2, 1656 while in labor with the couples third child, Mary. William re-married just over a month later to a lady named Mary Brewer. She was the sister of Sarah (Brewer) Webster who was the ancestor of the famous American Statesman, Daniel Webster.
For the purposes of this article, William's first born holds the most interest. Born on January 23, 1651 in Boston Samuel Lane married Sarah Dickinson nee Foote. Sarah was the grand-daughter of Nathaniel Foote, listed as the first explorer and one of, if not the most important founding fathers of Wethersfield, Connecticut. According to Foote Family Association there are over 1,000,000 descendants from Sarah's grandparents in the USA today. Some of them are actually rather well known, so I thought it would be best to include them although there are more people of fame from that bloodline: Amelia Earhart, the famous pilot; Sarah Jessica Parker, of Sex and the City fame; and lastly Hugh Heffner, the owner of Playboy.
Five children came from Samuel & Sarah's marriage. By the time Samuel passed away in 1690 he and his family were living in Suffield, Connecticut. Once again, this Lane was one of the first guys to make Southfield, as it was called at the time, his families home. I was quite surprised to find that Sarah actually re-married on February 22, 1691. Her Husband, Martin Kellogg's mother was Joanna Foote the sister of Sarah's mother, Frances Foote.
Martin, like Sarah had been married before and already had two children, Sarah had five children from Samuel, then with Martin she had another four children. They settled in Deerfield, Connecticut which was soon in a war with the French and Native North Americans. On February 29 over 300 of the enemy invaded the town with an intense raid that left 22 men, 9 women and 25 children dead. One of the children was their son, Jonathan.
Over 112 men, women and children were captured and forced to March around 300 miles to a base in Quebec, Canada. Sarah, Martin and their children Rebecca, Joanna, Joseph and Martin Jr. survived. The two boys returned home a few years after being released and worked as interpreters throughout their lives. Joanna married the Chief of the Cahnassaga tribe of the Mohawks and stayed with them for life.
Rebecca married a part-Ouaquaga tribesman. It may seem strange to us that they would unite with someone who took them rather than returning home with the rest of their family, however, it was a fairly common practice by the Natives to try and integrate the children they captured on such raids to replace their own young that they had lost. They lived with the tribe for some time, but Rebecca did return home.
She, like her brothers, often worked as an interpreter and go-between between the Ouquaga tribe and the English settlers they had been at war with. Her connection with the tribe was so strong they bestowed the nickname "Wausaunia" upon her. It roughly translates to "The Bridge" with obvious reason. One final notable event happened in her life and that was becoming the first documented and thus known white woman to inhabit Broome County in New York.
Once again though it is the first born male we are looking for to move on down the generations to Homer, and of course the father was Samuel Lane, Sarah's first husband. He named his first born after himself when the young Samuel was brought into this world in 1680 at Hadley, Massachusetts. Sarah and Samuel Sr. had, as I'm sure you have guessed, were among the early settlers there. Sarah's grandfather, Nathaniel Dickinson, was actually the first settler in Hadley.
This Samuel Lane does not seem to have much a side-story to his life, but he married Abigail Hovey on October 6, 1709 and then lived for a further 60 years giving her five children during those years. Although he was born in Hadley, he and his wife lived most of their life's in Suffield. Like his father, Samue Lane, this Samuel Lane also called his first born son, Samuel Lane. The younger Samuel Lane spent his whole life in Suffield, married Elizabeth Adams and they had three children together; Phenix, Gad and Dan. Husband and wife both died relatively young compared to the other Lane's we've looked at.
Gad was born on August 31, 1744, he like his father, was born and died in Suffield, Connecticut. His first wife, however, was from Attleboro, Massachusetts. He and Olive Tree married on October 25, 1772. All of Gad's children were through Olive even though he did re-marry during 1797. Five children of theirs have been recorded. All of them played a part in building the county of Lewis in New York. None of them were founders of any villages or towns in the county they were just among the first settlers, accepted members of the new-born communities. These two were the grandparents of Homer Lane.
Again it is the first born male, Gad, that we're looking at. By the age of 25 he had left home, left the town of Suffield, made his way to a community just founded at the turn of the century and married Polly Gould. Not only could he be classed as a pioneer of the land, he was one of the original twenty-five shareholders in the first school in the locality which still exists today, it has been known as the Lowville Academy since it's opening, even if the name has changed a little over time.
Exactly when he arrived there is not known as the first census of Lowville was not held until 1807. Ten years later he had built himself and his family a farm though. Gad and Polly had their first child on September 4, 1806. They named him Curtis Gould Lane and he would be an integral member of the Lowville community up until his passing in mid-February 1882.
After Curtis nine more children followed for Gad and Polly ending in 1828 with the both of our esteemed wrestling champion, Homer Lane. Several of the children died young mainly through illnesses like diphtheria which was only just dying down in the New England areas, the land had been plagued with sickness since the 17th century and had suffered for nearly a hundred years with mass deaths from smallpox.
The full list of children in order of birth is as follows: Hamet, Samuel, Daniel, Daniel, George, Julia, Marcellus, Charles and finally Homer. There was also an Andrew Lane who appears to be an additional son who is not included in most family trees, but he is in one rather detailed account. He was either their first born child in 1803 or their third born child in 1810.
As I mentioned above Curtis is the most noteworthy of all the children, other than Homer, for his central role in the building of Lowville over the years, but also, because he is the only Lane who Homer appears to have kept in contact with over the years. Initially Curtis took over the farming business from Gad and kept this up until August 1, 1870 when he sold the land and bought a small house for himself and his second wife, Eliza Brewer.
Prior to his marriage with Eliza, Curtis had been married to Prexepta Allyn, she died young though after a battle with illness it seems which means Prexepta and Curtis never had any children together. With Eliza he had three children, but unfortunately only one of their children lived to see thirty years old.
The reason Curtis was so important to the history of Lowville is that he had more stints serving as the town's supervisor. Not by a short amount either. These are the years he had terms int he role: 1843, 1845, 1846, 1848, 1849, 1950, 1851, 1852, 1854, 1855, 1858, 1859, 1860, 1861, 1868 & 1870.
After selling the farm he and Eliza moved in to 71 Dayan Street a house that stills stands in Lowville until this day. When Curtis died his entire estate went to Eliza and their one remaining son, Daniel Webster. The below article was printed in the local Lowville newspapers about Curtis just after his death:
"At a regular communication of Lowville Lodge. No. 134, F. and A.M., Friday evening, Feb. 17th, the following preamble and resolutions were adopted:
Another link has fallen from the fraternal chain of our mystic order; another burning taper has been extinguished by the chilling breath of death; another friend and brother taken hence to be no more seen upon earth.
Brother Curtis G. Lane has been called to the celestial lodge above, and his seat among us is vacant. By his death we are again reminded that the all-devoting scythe of time continues its sad and ceaseless havoc among the craft, from the fatal sweep of which none can escape, and that ere long we also shall be gathered into the land where out fathers have gone before. Brother Lane has labored with us faithfully and long, and now leaves his working tools untarnished for another. Be it therefore -
Resolved, That by the death of Brother Curtis G. Lane, this lodge has lost a worthy and esteemed member, his family a kind hearted and indulgent husband and father, the community an intelligent and respected citizen, and the county of Lewis a man whose integrity and worth has often been acknowledged in the most signal and encouraging manner by the people he served.
Resolved, That to the bereaved widow and only son and other relatives of our departed brother, we tender our warmest sympathy in this their affection, and as a tribute of respect to the deceased, our lodge rooms wear the habiliments of mourning for a period of thirty days.
Resolved, That these resolutions be engrossed upon the records of this lodge, and a copy thereof presented to the family of the deceased, and that the same be published in our village papers.
Geo. J. Mager
H.A. Phillips
Horace Bush
Com."
Their son Daniel Webster worked in the dry goods & clothing industries owning a shop with CH Bateman, which had been established years before and then sold to them when the owners retired in 1881. Webster left Lowville soon after, he had been suffering from illness on and off, and it may have been due to those issues that he left as he had gone on retreats to help him regain strength before. Before he left he totally renovated the interior of the Dayan Street property for his mother. At some point his life in Lowville had provided him with a wife, Jennie Boshart, daughter of James, and the two had a child together who would go on to be known as James Henry Lane. As far as I can tell they left Lowville with him.
After finding success in real estate at his new home in Minneapolis, Minnesota he again found himself in poor health and returned to Lowville to visit his mom, Eliza. On September 24, 1901 they sold number 71 so as that they could both leave the village and move to Shoshone, Idaho on a sheep ranch. Eliza passed away during 1907. Her remains were returned to Lowville to be buried with the family grave plots. At the time Webster was said to be in a sanitarium at Colorado Springs, the move to Shoshone had not been beneficial in the long run. The next year Daniel Webster Lane died while under care in Phoenix where he had been since the last quarter of 1907. James Henry returned his father's body to Lowville. Jennie was not mentioned even though she lived until 1944 whereupon she passed away in Los Angeles, California.
At least one newspaper article shows confusion as to the family situation and refer to Curtis as the father of Homer, this is likely because Curtis would have been 22 by the time Homer was born, a big gap between brothers. Nonetheless, on July 14, 1928 Homer Lane first saw light in this world. What's unfortunate about Homer is he only appears on one census for certain. That is the 1850 one where he is still living and working on the family farm.
According to Lane in later interviews he claimed to have wrestled for a circus at the age of 17 in 1851. As we know he was actually 22 or 23 in 1851, he then went on tour of New York and Pennsylvania throughout the 1850s. It's not until after the civil way in the 1860s that any regular mentions of him wrestling start to be frequently found though. That's nothing unusual as sports in general didn't really gain regular coverage until after the civil war anyway.
There are actually two census entries for a Homer Lane in 1870. One for the 2nd District, 15th Ward, New York City and the other for the 12th District, 15th Ward, New York City. The former is listed as working as an iron moulder while the latter is a lightening rod. While it is possible that this is the wrestler and in both the age used is the same as what the wrestler claimed to be (35-36), he had been wrestling in Michigan earlier in the year and was already considered one of the best wrestlers in the Northeast. Not only that, but this Homer Lane who appears to be the same Homer Lane in both entries - one was taken in July the other December - has a wife called Carrie or Caroline. There is record that the wrestler ever had a wife.
In June 1880 Homer Lane appears on another census. Again his age corresponds with the wrestlers claimed age, plus we know that he was in California, most likely San Francisco, at the time it was taken. There are few matches for him listed during this time period, so it is hard to track exactly where he was, but the job listed in the census is that he keeps a livery stable. The wrestler had worked at Harry Hill's (wrestler and promoter) stables back in New York, so it stands to reason that this entry is actually the wrestler. It lists him as single, not widowed or divorced, but single.
He moved back to New York in the 1880s and continued wrestling fairly regularly until 1890. As explained at the beginning of this he wrestled his last match in August 1894 and then disappears. If I had to guess, I would point my finger towards him retiring in California, but of course, that is purely speculation.
Having explored the history of his family in North America I feel that his path as a traveling wrestler seems to fit right in with the rest of them. Besides the two generations, each generation moved and explored lands new to them. In some cases brand new to English settlers, or at least freshly settled. Homer may not have been a founder of any new towns, but he certainly was a huge part of building the foundations of a national touring circuit for professional wrestlers to come.
Through his name and associations he helped cement both Colonel James Hiram McLaughlin and John McMahon as two stars within the Collar and Elbow style of wrestling. It could be argued that without Homer Lane having his fingerprints all over the American Collar & Elbow Championship that it would never have felt as important as it did. Being billed as Harry Hill's protege early on his career really set Homer Lane up for life and he just kept passing on the rub he got from hill to many stars over the years, the two aforementioned being the most important.
We may never know what happened to the severely under acknowledged pioneer of professional wrestling, but at least now we have a bloody good idea on where he came from and how his ancestors passed down to him the desire to explore and pave the way for all of those who followed in his footsteps.
This time around it is I've certainly made progress, just not necessarily in the manner I expected to. I decided to do some new searches in the various newspaper archives out there in case by some chance something new had been added to their archives. After all, surely some day an obituary must pop up for him. How can a multiple time wrestling champion, once considered the best Collar & Elbow wrestler in America by many, just disappear? If he his path had gone into obscurity for some time, it would not be so weird. That is not the case though, he had a match in 1894 at, he was over sixty years old when it took place and seemed to still be good friends with other wrestlers and sports personalities up until that time. Yet there is still no further information on his life after that show.
Although I'd also checked both Archives.com and FindAGrave before, with no real faith anything new would be discovered I still took a quick look-see if anything new had been updated; nothing. About to resign to another period of no hope for ever finding anything out about the actual man that was Homer Lane, I threw my hands up in the air with a sigh and closed all the websites I'd left open during the last useless two hours.
At that moment I remembered I had seen that Homer had a brother or possibly it was his brother, who was an important figure in Lowville, Lewis County, New York, where they were both born. Which had been the extent of my knowledge on Homer's personal life, oh, and that he was born somewhere between 1830 and 1840 with 1834-1836 seeming quite likely. So, I just threw up a quick Google search for information on Curtis G. Lane. Some family history for him actually started to appear, with a couple of dates and new names to look into from a book called, "A History of Lewis County" I decided to give the document archives another shot.
While I did not find out what his date of death was, I did find out some pretty interesting things about his families history. There may very well be other notable events in other branches of the tree than I have gone through, but I have tried to keep it all as relevant to Homer as I could without neglecting anything that is a necessary or interesting part of his families history.
The story that can be told today starts in England. It was in that jolly ole place that William Lane was born around 1625. It's unclear whether he was sent over to America as a child in 1635 or if he came across later on in 1850. As there's no sign of his parents in America, I'd guess the latter. His first wife was Mary Kelway, she was born circa 1630 and married William during 1651 in Boston, Massachusetts.
As Boston was founded as a city just prior to 1630 it means William and Mary were fairly early to arrive in that area. Mary was a member of the first Church of Boston and died at a young age on May 2, 1656 while in labor with the couples third child, Mary. William re-married just over a month later to a lady named Mary Brewer. She was the sister of Sarah (Brewer) Webster who was the ancestor of the famous American Statesman, Daniel Webster.
For the purposes of this article, William's first born holds the most interest. Born on January 23, 1651 in Boston Samuel Lane married Sarah Dickinson nee Foote. Sarah was the grand-daughter of Nathaniel Foote, listed as the first explorer and one of, if not the most important founding fathers of Wethersfield, Connecticut. According to Foote Family Association there are over 1,000,000 descendants from Sarah's grandparents in the USA today. Some of them are actually rather well known, so I thought it would be best to include them although there are more people of fame from that bloodline: Amelia Earhart, the famous pilot; Sarah Jessica Parker, of Sex and the City fame; and lastly Hugh Heffner, the owner of Playboy.
Five children came from Samuel & Sarah's marriage. By the time Samuel passed away in 1690 he and his family were living in Suffield, Connecticut. Once again, this Lane was one of the first guys to make Southfield, as it was called at the time, his families home. I was quite surprised to find that Sarah actually re-married on February 22, 1691. Her Husband, Martin Kellogg's mother was Joanna Foote the sister of Sarah's mother, Frances Foote.
Martin, like Sarah had been married before and already had two children, Sarah had five children from Samuel, then with Martin she had another four children. They settled in Deerfield, Connecticut which was soon in a war with the French and Native North Americans. On February 29 over 300 of the enemy invaded the town with an intense raid that left 22 men, 9 women and 25 children dead. One of the children was their son, Jonathan.
Over 112 men, women and children were captured and forced to March around 300 miles to a base in Quebec, Canada. Sarah, Martin and their children Rebecca, Joanna, Joseph and Martin Jr. survived. The two boys returned home a few years after being released and worked as interpreters throughout their lives. Joanna married the Chief of the Cahnassaga tribe of the Mohawks and stayed with them for life.
Rebecca married a part-Ouaquaga tribesman. It may seem strange to us that they would unite with someone who took them rather than returning home with the rest of their family, however, it was a fairly common practice by the Natives to try and integrate the children they captured on such raids to replace their own young that they had lost. They lived with the tribe for some time, but Rebecca did return home.
She, like her brothers, often worked as an interpreter and go-between between the Ouquaga tribe and the English settlers they had been at war with. Her connection with the tribe was so strong they bestowed the nickname "Wausaunia" upon her. It roughly translates to "The Bridge" with obvious reason. One final notable event happened in her life and that was becoming the first documented and thus known white woman to inhabit Broome County in New York.
Once again though it is the first born male we are looking for to move on down the generations to Homer, and of course the father was Samuel Lane, Sarah's first husband. He named his first born after himself when the young Samuel was brought into this world in 1680 at Hadley, Massachusetts. Sarah and Samuel Sr. had, as I'm sure you have guessed, were among the early settlers there. Sarah's grandfather, Nathaniel Dickinson, was actually the first settler in Hadley.
This Samuel Lane does not seem to have much a side-story to his life, but he married Abigail Hovey on October 6, 1709 and then lived for a further 60 years giving her five children during those years. Although he was born in Hadley, he and his wife lived most of their life's in Suffield. Like his father, Samue Lane, this Samuel Lane also called his first born son, Samuel Lane. The younger Samuel Lane spent his whole life in Suffield, married Elizabeth Adams and they had three children together; Phenix, Gad and Dan. Husband and wife both died relatively young compared to the other Lane's we've looked at.
Gad was born on August 31, 1744, he like his father, was born and died in Suffield, Connecticut. His first wife, however, was from Attleboro, Massachusetts. He and Olive Tree married on October 25, 1772. All of Gad's children were through Olive even though he did re-marry during 1797. Five children of theirs have been recorded. All of them played a part in building the county of Lewis in New York. None of them were founders of any villages or towns in the county they were just among the first settlers, accepted members of the new-born communities. These two were the grandparents of Homer Lane.
Again it is the first born male, Gad, that we're looking at. By the age of 25 he had left home, left the town of Suffield, made his way to a community just founded at the turn of the century and married Polly Gould. Not only could he be classed as a pioneer of the land, he was one of the original twenty-five shareholders in the first school in the locality which still exists today, it has been known as the Lowville Academy since it's opening, even if the name has changed a little over time.
Exactly when he arrived there is not known as the first census of Lowville was not held until 1807. Ten years later he had built himself and his family a farm though. Gad and Polly had their first child on September 4, 1806. They named him Curtis Gould Lane and he would be an integral member of the Lowville community up until his passing in mid-February 1882.
After Curtis nine more children followed for Gad and Polly ending in 1828 with the both of our esteemed wrestling champion, Homer Lane. Several of the children died young mainly through illnesses like diphtheria which was only just dying down in the New England areas, the land had been plagued with sickness since the 17th century and had suffered for nearly a hundred years with mass deaths from smallpox.
The full list of children in order of birth is as follows: Hamet, Samuel, Daniel, Daniel, George, Julia, Marcellus, Charles and finally Homer. There was also an Andrew Lane who appears to be an additional son who is not included in most family trees, but he is in one rather detailed account. He was either their first born child in 1803 or their third born child in 1810.
As I mentioned above Curtis is the most noteworthy of all the children, other than Homer, for his central role in the building of Lowville over the years, but also, because he is the only Lane who Homer appears to have kept in contact with over the years. Initially Curtis took over the farming business from Gad and kept this up until August 1, 1870 when he sold the land and bought a small house for himself and his second wife, Eliza Brewer.
Prior to his marriage with Eliza, Curtis had been married to Prexepta Allyn, she died young though after a battle with illness it seems which means Prexepta and Curtis never had any children together. With Eliza he had three children, but unfortunately only one of their children lived to see thirty years old.
The reason Curtis was so important to the history of Lowville is that he had more stints serving as the town's supervisor. Not by a short amount either. These are the years he had terms int he role: 1843, 1845, 1846, 1848, 1849, 1950, 1851, 1852, 1854, 1855, 1858, 1859, 1860, 1861, 1868 & 1870.
After selling the farm he and Eliza moved in to 71 Dayan Street a house that stills stands in Lowville until this day. When Curtis died his entire estate went to Eliza and their one remaining son, Daniel Webster. The below article was printed in the local Lowville newspapers about Curtis just after his death:
"At a regular communication of Lowville Lodge. No. 134, F. and A.M., Friday evening, Feb. 17th, the following preamble and resolutions were adopted:
Another link has fallen from the fraternal chain of our mystic order; another burning taper has been extinguished by the chilling breath of death; another friend and brother taken hence to be no more seen upon earth.
Brother Curtis G. Lane has been called to the celestial lodge above, and his seat among us is vacant. By his death we are again reminded that the all-devoting scythe of time continues its sad and ceaseless havoc among the craft, from the fatal sweep of which none can escape, and that ere long we also shall be gathered into the land where out fathers have gone before. Brother Lane has labored with us faithfully and long, and now leaves his working tools untarnished for another. Be it therefore -
Resolved, That by the death of Brother Curtis G. Lane, this lodge has lost a worthy and esteemed member, his family a kind hearted and indulgent husband and father, the community an intelligent and respected citizen, and the county of Lewis a man whose integrity and worth has often been acknowledged in the most signal and encouraging manner by the people he served.
Resolved, That to the bereaved widow and only son and other relatives of our departed brother, we tender our warmest sympathy in this their affection, and as a tribute of respect to the deceased, our lodge rooms wear the habiliments of mourning for a period of thirty days.
Resolved, That these resolutions be engrossed upon the records of this lodge, and a copy thereof presented to the family of the deceased, and that the same be published in our village papers.
Geo. J. Mager
H.A. Phillips
Horace Bush
Com."
Their son Daniel Webster worked in the dry goods & clothing industries owning a shop with CH Bateman, which had been established years before and then sold to them when the owners retired in 1881. Webster left Lowville soon after, he had been suffering from illness on and off, and it may have been due to those issues that he left as he had gone on retreats to help him regain strength before. Before he left he totally renovated the interior of the Dayan Street property for his mother. At some point his life in Lowville had provided him with a wife, Jennie Boshart, daughter of James, and the two had a child together who would go on to be known as James Henry Lane. As far as I can tell they left Lowville with him.
After finding success in real estate at his new home in Minneapolis, Minnesota he again found himself in poor health and returned to Lowville to visit his mom, Eliza. On September 24, 1901 they sold number 71 so as that they could both leave the village and move to Shoshone, Idaho on a sheep ranch. Eliza passed away during 1907. Her remains were returned to Lowville to be buried with the family grave plots. At the time Webster was said to be in a sanitarium at Colorado Springs, the move to Shoshone had not been beneficial in the long run. The next year Daniel Webster Lane died while under care in Phoenix where he had been since the last quarter of 1907. James Henry returned his father's body to Lowville. Jennie was not mentioned even though she lived until 1944 whereupon she passed away in Los Angeles, California.
At least one newspaper article shows confusion as to the family situation and refer to Curtis as the father of Homer, this is likely because Curtis would have been 22 by the time Homer was born, a big gap between brothers. Nonetheless, on July 14, 1928 Homer Lane first saw light in this world. What's unfortunate about Homer is he only appears on one census for certain. That is the 1850 one where he is still living and working on the family farm.
According to Lane in later interviews he claimed to have wrestled for a circus at the age of 17 in 1851. As we know he was actually 22 or 23 in 1851, he then went on tour of New York and Pennsylvania throughout the 1850s. It's not until after the civil way in the 1860s that any regular mentions of him wrestling start to be frequently found though. That's nothing unusual as sports in general didn't really gain regular coverage until after the civil war anyway.
There are actually two census entries for a Homer Lane in 1870. One for the 2nd District, 15th Ward, New York City and the other for the 12th District, 15th Ward, New York City. The former is listed as working as an iron moulder while the latter is a lightening rod. While it is possible that this is the wrestler and in both the age used is the same as what the wrestler claimed to be (35-36), he had been wrestling in Michigan earlier in the year and was already considered one of the best wrestlers in the Northeast. Not only that, but this Homer Lane who appears to be the same Homer Lane in both entries - one was taken in July the other December - has a wife called Carrie or Caroline. There is record that the wrestler ever had a wife.
In June 1880 Homer Lane appears on another census. Again his age corresponds with the wrestlers claimed age, plus we know that he was in California, most likely San Francisco, at the time it was taken. There are few matches for him listed during this time period, so it is hard to track exactly where he was, but the job listed in the census is that he keeps a livery stable. The wrestler had worked at Harry Hill's (wrestler and promoter) stables back in New York, so it stands to reason that this entry is actually the wrestler. It lists him as single, not widowed or divorced, but single.
He moved back to New York in the 1880s and continued wrestling fairly regularly until 1890. As explained at the beginning of this he wrestled his last match in August 1894 and then disappears. If I had to guess, I would point my finger towards him retiring in California, but of course, that is purely speculation.
Having explored the history of his family in North America I feel that his path as a traveling wrestler seems to fit right in with the rest of them. Besides the two generations, each generation moved and explored lands new to them. In some cases brand new to English settlers, or at least freshly settled. Homer may not have been a founder of any new towns, but he certainly was a huge part of building the foundations of a national touring circuit for professional wrestlers to come.
Through his name and associations he helped cement both Colonel James Hiram McLaughlin and John McMahon as two stars within the Collar and Elbow style of wrestling. It could be argued that without Homer Lane having his fingerprints all over the American Collar & Elbow Championship that it would never have felt as important as it did. Being billed as Harry Hill's protege early on his career really set Homer Lane up for life and he just kept passing on the rub he got from hill to many stars over the years, the two aforementioned being the most important.
We may never know what happened to the severely under acknowledged pioneer of professional wrestling, but at least now we have a bloody good idea on where he came from and how his ancestors passed down to him the desire to explore and pave the way for all of those who followed in his footsteps.
Unique content strictly for the Professional Wrestling Historical Society.
Who Was Homer Lane?
Author: Jimmy Wheeler.
Published: December 15, 2016.
Article: #157.
Editor: Jimmy Wheeler.
Who Was Homer Lane?
Author: Jimmy Wheeler.
Published: December 15, 2016.
Article: #157.
Editor: Jimmy Wheeler.
Additional Family Tree Information
William Lane
Born: 1625 in England
Died: Jun 22, 1868 in Boston, MA
First Wife: Mary Kelway
Born: Circa 1630
Died: May 2, 1656 (Childbirth)
William Lane & Mary Kelway Married on 1651 in Boston, MA
Their Children:
Samuel Lane (Born 1651)
John Lane (Born 1654)
Mary Lane (Born 1656)
Second Wife: Mary Brewer
William Lane & Mary Brewer Married on Jun 21, 1656 in Boston, MA
Their Children:
Sarah Lane (Born 1657)
William Lane (Born 1659)
Elizabeth Lane (Born 1661)
Ebenezer Lane (Born: 1666)
Samuel Lane
Born: Jan 23, 1651 in Boston, MA
Died: 1690 in Suffield, CT
Father: William Lane (Born 1656)
Mother: Mary Kelway (Born 1630)
Brother: John Lane (Born 1654)
Sister: Mary Lane (Born 1656)
Half Sister: Sarah Lane (Born 1657)
Half Brother: William Lane (Born 1659)
Half Sister: Elizabeth Lane (Born 1661)
Half Brother: Ebenezer Lane (Born 1666)
Sarah Dickinson
Born: 1656 in Wethersfield, CT
Died: Feb 11, 1931-2 in Suffield, CT
Father: John Dickinson
Mother: Frances Foote
Samuel Lane & Sarah Dickinson Married on Dec 4 or 11, 1677
Their Children:
Elizabeth Lane (Born 1680?)
Samuel Lane (Born 1680)
Sarah Lane (Born 1680?)
Mary Lane (Born 1684)
John Lane (Born 1686)
Captain Martin Kellogg
Born: Nov 22, 1658 in Boston, MA
Died: Oct 5, 1732 in Suffield, CT
Father: Lieutenant Joseph Kellogg (Born Circa 1626)
Mother: Joanna Foote (Born Circa 1628)
Sister: Elizabeth Kellogg (Born 1651)
Brother: Joseph Kellogg (Born 1653)
Brother: Nathaniel Kellogg (Born 1654)
Brother: John Kellogg (Born 1656)
Brother: Edward Kellogg (Born 1660)
Brother: Deacon Samuel Kellogg (Born 1662)
Sister: Sarah Kellogg (Born 1666)
First Wife: Anna Hinsdale
Born: Feb 23, 1666 in Medfield, MA
Died: July19, 1689 in Deerfield, MA
Captain Martin Kellogg & Anna Hinsdale Married on Dec 10, 1684 in Hadley, MA
Their Children:
Martin Kellogg (Born 1686)
Anna Kellogg (Born 1689)
Second Wife: Sarah Dickinson - Formerly Lane
Martin Kellogg & Sarah Dickinson Married on Feb 22, 1691 in Deerfield, MA
Their Children:
Joseph Kellogg (Born 1691)
Joanna Kellogg (Born 1693)
Rebecca Kellogg (Born 1695)
Jonathan Kellogg (Born 1698)
Third Wife: Sarah Huxley
Born: May 8, 1675 in Hartford, CT
Died: Nov 10, 1750 in Suffield, CT
Samuel Lane
Born: 1680 in Hadley, MA
Died: 1769
Father: Samuel Lane (Born 1651)
Mother: Sarah Dickinson (Born 1656)
Sister: Sarah Lane (Born 1680)
Sister: Elizabeth Lane (Born 1680)
Sister: Mary Lane (Born 1684)
Brother: John Lane (Born 1686)
Half Brother: Martin Kellogg (Born 1686)
Half Sister: Anna Kellogg (Born 1689)
Abigail Hovey
Born: 1682
Samuel Lane & Abigail Hovey Married on October 6, 1709
Their Children:
Sarah Lane (Born: 1710)
Samuel Lane (Born: 1712)
Enos Lane (Born: 1715)
Abigail Lane (Born: 1716)
Ithemer Lane (Born: 1720)
Samuel Lane
Born: Sep 27, 1712 in Suffield, CT
Died: 1748 in Suffield, CT
Father: Samuel Lane (Born 1680)
Mother: Abigail Hovey (Born 1682)
Sister: Sarah Lane (Born: 1710)
Brother: Enos Lane (Born: 1715)
Sister: Abigail Lane (Born: 1716)
Brother: Ithemer Lane (Born: 1720)
Elizabeth Adams
Born: Jun 5, 1715 in Suffield, CT
Died: Mar 18, 1758 in Suffield, CT
Father: Jacob Adams (Born 1702)
Mother: Mercy Gillett (Born 1702)
Samuel Lane & Elizabeth Adams Married on Jul 4, 1740 in Suffield, CT
Their Children
Phenix Lane (Born: 1741)
Gad Lane (Born: 1744)
Dan Lane (Born: 1748)
Gad Lane
Born: Aug 31, 1744 in Suffield, CT
Died: Nov 27, 1833 in Suffield, CT
Father: Samuel Lane (Born 1712)
Mother: Elizabeth Adams (Born 1715)
Sister: Phenix Lane (Born: 1741)
Brother: Dan Lane (Born: 1748)
First Wife: Olive Tree
Born: Dec 10, 1746 in Attleboro, MA
Died: 1790
Father: Beriah Tree (Born 1707)
Mother: Hannah Chub (Born 1709)
Sister: Mary Tree (Born 1737)
Sister: Hannah Tree (Born 1741)
Sister: Phebe Tree (Born 1744)
Sister: Margaret Tree (Born 1749)
Brother: Benjamin Tree (Born 1751)
Brother: John Tree (Born 1754)
Brother: John Tree (Born 1758)
Brother: Caleb Tree (Born 1761)
Gad Lane & Olive Tree Married on Oct 25, 1772
Their Children
Hosea Lane (Born 1778)
Gad Lane (Born 1780)
Comfort Lane (Born:1783)
Ashbel Lane (Born 1785)
Zebina Lane (Born 1788)
Second Wife: Margaret Ferry
Gad Lane & Margaret Ferry Married in 1797
For this next generation there is additional information on all of Gad Lane's children.
They were the aunts and uncles of Homer Lane.
Hosea Lane
Born: Sep 11, 1778 at Suffield, CT
Died: Lowville, NY
Father: Gad Lane (Born 1744)
Mother: Olive Tree (Born 1746)
Brother: Gad Lane (Born 1780)
Brother: Comfort Lane (Born 1783)
Brother: Ashbel Lane (Born 1785)
Brother: Zebina Lane (Born 1788)
Sybil Winchell
Hosea Lane & Sybil Winchell Married in 1799
Their Children:
Hosea Lane
Chauncy Lane
Charles Lane
Achsa Lane
Gad Lane
Born: Dec 27, 1780 in Suffield, CT
Died: Mar 3, 1860 in Lowville, NY
Father: Gad Lane (Born 1744)
Mother: Olive Tree (Born 1746)
Brother: Hosea Lane (Born 1778)
Brother: Comfort Lane (Born 1783)
Brother: Ashbel Lane (Born 1785)
Brother: Zebina Lane (Born 1788)
Polly Gould
Born: Sep 25, 1788
Died: Sep 28, 1872
Gad Lane & Polly Gould Married in 1805
Their Children:
Curtis Gould Lane (Born 1806)
Hamet Lane (Born 1809)
Andrew Lane (Born 1803 or 10)
Samuel Lane (Born 1811)
Daniel Lane (Born 1814)
George Lane (Born 1817)
Julia Lane (Born 1820)
Marcellus Lane (Born 1823)
Charles Lane (Born 1825)
Homer Lane (Born 1828)
Comfort Lane
Born: May 26, 1783 in Suffield, CT
Died: Sep 21, 1828 in Suffield, CT
Father: Gad Lane (Born 1744)
Mother: Olive Tree (Born 1746)
Brother: Hosea Lane (Born 1778)
Brother: Gad Lane (Born 1780)
Brother: Ashbel Lane (Born 1785)
Brother: Zebina Lane (Born 1788)
Betsey Sikes
Born: Mar 17, 1786 in Suffield, CT
Died: Dec 24, 1865 in Akron, OH
Comfort Lane & Betsey Sikes Married on July 15, 1807
Their Children:
Samuel Alanson Lane (Born 1808)
Comfort Vanderson Lane (Born 1810)
Henry Leander Lane (Born 1811)
Samuel Alanson Lane (Born 1815)
Lorenzo Lane (Born 1817)
Julius Lane (Born 1822)
Betsey Maria Lane (Born 1824)
Julius Meeker Lane (Born 1829)
Ashbel Lane
Born: Jun 13, 1785 in Suffield, CT
Died: Mar 2, 1866 in Suffield, CT
Father: Gad Lane (Born 1744)
Mother: Olive Tree (Born 1746)
Brother: Hosea Lane (Born 1778)
Brother: Gad Lane (Born 1780)
Brother: Comfort Lane (Born 1783)
Brother: Zebina Lane (Born 1788)
Anne Stennard
Ashbel Lane & Anne Stennard Married on Jan 2, 1811
Their Children:
Norman Lane (Born 1812)
Octavia Anna Lane (Born 1814)
Caroline Elizabeth Lane (Born 1817)
Newton Lane (Born 1819)
Emeline Lane (Born 1825)
Zebina Lane
Born: Feb 1, 1788 in Suffied, CT
Father: Gad Lane (Born 1744)
Mother: Olive Tree (Born 1746)
Brother: Hosea Lane (Born 1778)
Brother: Gad Lane (Born 1780)
Brother: Comfort Lane (Born 1783)
Brother: Ashbel Lane (Born 1785)
Polly Sykes
Born: Jan 3, 1792 in Hartford, CT
Died: Aug 3, 1858 in Copenhagen, NY
Zebina Lane & Polly Sykes Married in September 1814
Their Children:
Horace S Lane (Born 1815)
Julia M Lane
Zebina Lane (Born 1818)
Betsy A Lane (Born 1821)
Emiline Lane (Born 1824)
Francis Lane (Born 1826)
James Riley Lane (Born 1828)
Edward J Lane (Born 1831)
Last, but certainly not least, Homer and his siblings.
Curtis Gould Lane
Born: Sep 4, 1806 in Lowville, NY
Died: Feb 1882 in Lowville, NY
Father: Gad Lane (Born 1780)
Mother: Polly Lane (Born 1788)
Brother: Hamet Lane (Born 1809)
Brother: Andrew Lane (Born 1803 or10)
Brother: Samuel Lane (Born 1811)
Brother: Daniel Webster Lane (Born 1814)
Brother: George Lane (Born 1817)
Sister: Julie Lane (Born 1820)
Brother: Marcellus Lane (Born 1823)
Brother: Charles Lane (Born 1825)
Brother: Homer Lane (Born 1828)
First Wife: Prexepta Allyn
Born: Dec 27, 1800
Died: July 1, 1843
Curtis Gould Lane & Prexepta Allyn Married in November 1830.
Second Wife: Eliza M Brewer
Sister: Maria Brewer
Sister: Anne Brewer (Born 1888)
Born: Sep 30, 1819
Died: Jul 2, 1907 in Shoshone, ID
Curtis Gould Lane & Eliza M Brewer Married on Dec 13, 1843 in Lowville, NY
Their Children:
Marcelluss Lane (Born 1844)
Edwin Lane (Born 1846)
Daniel Webster (Born 1852)
Hamet or Hannah Lane
Born: Feb 17, 1809 in Lowville, NY
Father: Gad Lane (Born 1780)
Mother: Polly Lane (Born 1788)
Brother: Curtis Lane (Born 1806)
Brother: Andrew Lane (Born 1803 or 10)
Brother: Samuel Lane (Born 1811)
Brother: Daniel Webster Lane (Born 1814)
Brother: George Lane (Born 1817)
Sister: Julie Lane (Born 1820)
Brother: Marcellus Lane (Born 1823)
Brother: Charles Lane (Born 1825)
Brother: Homer Lane (Born 1828)
Andrew Lane
Born: 1803 or 10 in Lowville, NY
Died: 1870 in New York
Father: Gad Lane (Born 1780)
Mother: Polly Lane (Born 1788)
Brother: Curtis G Lane (Born 1806)
Brother: Hamet Lane (Born 1809)
Brother: Samuel Lane (Born 1811)
Brother: Daniel Webster Lane (Born 1814)
Brother: George Lane (Born 1817)
Sister: Julie Lane (Born 1820)
Brother: Marcellus Lane (Born 1823)
Brother: Charles Lane (Born 1825)
Brother: Homer Lane (Born 1828)
Melinda Sloan
Born: 1815 in Vermont
Father: William Sloan (Born 1752)
Mother: Kexiah Tucker (Born 1773)
Their Children:
George(?) Lane (Born 1830)
Margaret Lane (Born 1838)
William Harrison Lane (Born 1841)
Walter B Lane (Born 1843)
Sarah S Lane (Born 1845)
Lynda Lane (Born 1847)
Walter Waterman Lane (Born 1850)
Samuel Lane
Born: Jul 11, 1811 in Lowville, NY
Father: Gad Lane (Born 1780)
Mother: Polly Lane (Born 1788)
Brother: Curtis Lane (Born 1806)
Brother: Hamet Lane (Born 1809)
Brother: Andrew Lane (Born 1803 or 10)
Brother: Daniel Webster Lane (Born 1814)
Brother: George Lane (Born 1817)
Sister: Julie Lane (Born 1820)
Brother: Marcellus Lane (Born 1823)
Brother: Charles Lane (Born 1825)
Brother: Homer Lane (Born 1828)
Daniel Webster Lane
Born: Jul 26, 1814 in Lowville, NY
Died: Jun 11, 1830
Father: Gad Lane (Born 1780)
Mother: Polly Lane (Born 1788)
Brother: Curtis Lane (Born 1806)
Brother: Hamet Lane (Born 1809)
Brother: Andrew Lane (Born 1803 or 10)
Brother: Samuel Lane (Born 1811)
Brother: George Lane (Born 1817)
Sister: Julie Lane (Born 1820)
Brother: Marcellus Lane (Born 1823)
Brother: Charles Lane (Born 1825)
Brother: Homer Lane (Born 1828)
George Lane
Born: Apr 30, 1817 in Lowville, NY
Died: Jun 28, 1849
Father: Gad Lane (Born 1780)
Mother: Polly Lane (Born 1788)
Brother: Curtis Lane (Born 1806)
Brother: Hamet Lane (Born 1809)
Brother: Andrew Lane (Born 1803 or 10)
Brother: Samuel Lane (Born 1811)
Brother: Daniel Lane (Born 1814)
Sister: Julie Lane (Born 1820)
Brother: Marcellus Lane (Born 1823)
Brother: Charles Lane (Born 1825)
Brother: Homer Lane (Born 1828)
Julia Lane
Born: Jul 14, 1820 in Lowville, NY
Died: Sep 19, 1822
Father: Gad Lane (Born 1780)
Mother: Polly Lane (Born 1788)
Brother: Curtis Lane (Born 1806)
Brother: Hamet Lane (Born 1809)
Brother: Andrew Lane (Born 1803 or 10)
Brother: Samuel Lane (Born 1811)
Brother: Daniel Lane (Born 1814)
Brother: George Lane (Born 1817)
Brother: Marcellus Lane (Born 1823)
Brother: Charles Lane (Born 1825)
Brother: Homer Lane (Born 1828)
Marcellus Lane
Born: Apr 11, 1823 in Lowville, NY
Died: Apr 23, 1837
Father: Gad Lane (Born: 1780)
Mother: Polly Lane (Born: 1788)
Brother: Curtis Lane (Born: 1806)
Brother: Hamet Lane (Born: 1809
Brother: Andrew Lane (1810)
Brother: Samuel Lane (Born: 1811)
Brother: Daniel Lane (Born: 1814)
Brother: George Lane (Born: 1817)
Sister: Julia Lane (Born: 1820)
Brother: Charles Lane (Born: 1825)
Brother: Homer Lane (Born: 1828)
Charles Lane
Born: Jun 12, 1825 in Lowville, NY
Died: Dec 23, 1835
Father: Gad Lane (Born 1780)
Mother: Polly Lane (Born 1788)
Brother: Curtis Lane (Born 1806)
Brother: Hamet Lane (Born 1809
Brother: Andrew Lane (Born 1803 or 10)
Brother: Samuel Lane (Born 1811)
Brother: Daniel Lane (Born 1814)
Brother: George Lane (Born 1817)
Sister: Julia Lane (Born 1820)
Brother: Marcellus Lane (Born 1823)
Brother: Homer Lane (Born 1828)
Homer Lane
Born: Jul 14, 1828 in Lowville, NY
Father: Gad Lane (Born 1780)
Mother: Polly Lane (Born 1788)
Brother: Curtis Lane (Born 1806)
Brother: Hamet Lane (Born 1809
Brother: Andrew Lane (Born 1803 or 10)
Brother: Samuel Lane (Born 1811)
Brother: Daniel Lane (Born 1814)
Brother: George Lane (Born 1817)
Sister: Julia Lane (Born 1820)
Brother: Marcellus Lane (Born 1823)
Brother: Charles Lane (Born 1825)
Picture Sources
1 - Homer Lane cabinet card from the 1880s, owned by Jimmy Wheeler.
Information Sources
1 - Archives.
2 - Archives.
3 - Newspapers.
4 - Chronicling America.
6 - Historic Deerfield.
7 - Genealogy Trails.
8 - NY Historic Papers.
9 - NY Mews.
10 - Find A Grave.
11 - Dunham Wilcox.
William Lane
Born: 1625 in England
Died: Jun 22, 1868 in Boston, MA
First Wife: Mary Kelway
Born: Circa 1630
Died: May 2, 1656 (Childbirth)
William Lane & Mary Kelway Married on 1651 in Boston, MA
Their Children:
Samuel Lane (Born 1651)
John Lane (Born 1654)
Mary Lane (Born 1656)
Second Wife: Mary Brewer
William Lane & Mary Brewer Married on Jun 21, 1656 in Boston, MA
Their Children:
Sarah Lane (Born 1657)
William Lane (Born 1659)
Elizabeth Lane (Born 1661)
Ebenezer Lane (Born: 1666)
Samuel Lane
Born: Jan 23, 1651 in Boston, MA
Died: 1690 in Suffield, CT
Father: William Lane (Born 1656)
Mother: Mary Kelway (Born 1630)
Brother: John Lane (Born 1654)
Sister: Mary Lane (Born 1656)
Half Sister: Sarah Lane (Born 1657)
Half Brother: William Lane (Born 1659)
Half Sister: Elizabeth Lane (Born 1661)
Half Brother: Ebenezer Lane (Born 1666)
Sarah Dickinson
Born: 1656 in Wethersfield, CT
Died: Feb 11, 1931-2 in Suffield, CT
Father: John Dickinson
Mother: Frances Foote
Samuel Lane & Sarah Dickinson Married on Dec 4 or 11, 1677
Their Children:
Elizabeth Lane (Born 1680?)
Samuel Lane (Born 1680)
Sarah Lane (Born 1680?)
Mary Lane (Born 1684)
John Lane (Born 1686)
Captain Martin Kellogg
Born: Nov 22, 1658 in Boston, MA
Died: Oct 5, 1732 in Suffield, CT
Father: Lieutenant Joseph Kellogg (Born Circa 1626)
Mother: Joanna Foote (Born Circa 1628)
Sister: Elizabeth Kellogg (Born 1651)
Brother: Joseph Kellogg (Born 1653)
Brother: Nathaniel Kellogg (Born 1654)
Brother: John Kellogg (Born 1656)
Brother: Edward Kellogg (Born 1660)
Brother: Deacon Samuel Kellogg (Born 1662)
Sister: Sarah Kellogg (Born 1666)
First Wife: Anna Hinsdale
Born: Feb 23, 1666 in Medfield, MA
Died: July19, 1689 in Deerfield, MA
Captain Martin Kellogg & Anna Hinsdale Married on Dec 10, 1684 in Hadley, MA
Their Children:
Martin Kellogg (Born 1686)
Anna Kellogg (Born 1689)
Second Wife: Sarah Dickinson - Formerly Lane
Martin Kellogg & Sarah Dickinson Married on Feb 22, 1691 in Deerfield, MA
Their Children:
Joseph Kellogg (Born 1691)
Joanna Kellogg (Born 1693)
Rebecca Kellogg (Born 1695)
Jonathan Kellogg (Born 1698)
Third Wife: Sarah Huxley
Born: May 8, 1675 in Hartford, CT
Died: Nov 10, 1750 in Suffield, CT
Samuel Lane
Born: 1680 in Hadley, MA
Died: 1769
Father: Samuel Lane (Born 1651)
Mother: Sarah Dickinson (Born 1656)
Sister: Sarah Lane (Born 1680)
Sister: Elizabeth Lane (Born 1680)
Sister: Mary Lane (Born 1684)
Brother: John Lane (Born 1686)
Half Brother: Martin Kellogg (Born 1686)
Half Sister: Anna Kellogg (Born 1689)
Abigail Hovey
Born: 1682
Samuel Lane & Abigail Hovey Married on October 6, 1709
Their Children:
Sarah Lane (Born: 1710)
Samuel Lane (Born: 1712)
Enos Lane (Born: 1715)
Abigail Lane (Born: 1716)
Ithemer Lane (Born: 1720)
Samuel Lane
Born: Sep 27, 1712 in Suffield, CT
Died: 1748 in Suffield, CT
Father: Samuel Lane (Born 1680)
Mother: Abigail Hovey (Born 1682)
Sister: Sarah Lane (Born: 1710)
Brother: Enos Lane (Born: 1715)
Sister: Abigail Lane (Born: 1716)
Brother: Ithemer Lane (Born: 1720)
Elizabeth Adams
Born: Jun 5, 1715 in Suffield, CT
Died: Mar 18, 1758 in Suffield, CT
Father: Jacob Adams (Born 1702)
Mother: Mercy Gillett (Born 1702)
Samuel Lane & Elizabeth Adams Married on Jul 4, 1740 in Suffield, CT
Their Children
Phenix Lane (Born: 1741)
Gad Lane (Born: 1744)
Dan Lane (Born: 1748)
Gad Lane
Born: Aug 31, 1744 in Suffield, CT
Died: Nov 27, 1833 in Suffield, CT
Father: Samuel Lane (Born 1712)
Mother: Elizabeth Adams (Born 1715)
Sister: Phenix Lane (Born: 1741)
Brother: Dan Lane (Born: 1748)
First Wife: Olive Tree
Born: Dec 10, 1746 in Attleboro, MA
Died: 1790
Father: Beriah Tree (Born 1707)
Mother: Hannah Chub (Born 1709)
Sister: Mary Tree (Born 1737)
Sister: Hannah Tree (Born 1741)
Sister: Phebe Tree (Born 1744)
Sister: Margaret Tree (Born 1749)
Brother: Benjamin Tree (Born 1751)
Brother: John Tree (Born 1754)
Brother: John Tree (Born 1758)
Brother: Caleb Tree (Born 1761)
Gad Lane & Olive Tree Married on Oct 25, 1772
Their Children
Hosea Lane (Born 1778)
Gad Lane (Born 1780)
Comfort Lane (Born:1783)
Ashbel Lane (Born 1785)
Zebina Lane (Born 1788)
Second Wife: Margaret Ferry
Gad Lane & Margaret Ferry Married in 1797
For this next generation there is additional information on all of Gad Lane's children.
They were the aunts and uncles of Homer Lane.
Hosea Lane
Born: Sep 11, 1778 at Suffield, CT
Died: Lowville, NY
Father: Gad Lane (Born 1744)
Mother: Olive Tree (Born 1746)
Brother: Gad Lane (Born 1780)
Brother: Comfort Lane (Born 1783)
Brother: Ashbel Lane (Born 1785)
Brother: Zebina Lane (Born 1788)
Sybil Winchell
Hosea Lane & Sybil Winchell Married in 1799
Their Children:
Hosea Lane
Chauncy Lane
Charles Lane
Achsa Lane
Gad Lane
Born: Dec 27, 1780 in Suffield, CT
Died: Mar 3, 1860 in Lowville, NY
Father: Gad Lane (Born 1744)
Mother: Olive Tree (Born 1746)
Brother: Hosea Lane (Born 1778)
Brother: Comfort Lane (Born 1783)
Brother: Ashbel Lane (Born 1785)
Brother: Zebina Lane (Born 1788)
Polly Gould
Born: Sep 25, 1788
Died: Sep 28, 1872
Gad Lane & Polly Gould Married in 1805
Their Children:
Curtis Gould Lane (Born 1806)
Hamet Lane (Born 1809)
Andrew Lane (Born 1803 or 10)
Samuel Lane (Born 1811)
Daniel Lane (Born 1814)
George Lane (Born 1817)
Julia Lane (Born 1820)
Marcellus Lane (Born 1823)
Charles Lane (Born 1825)
Homer Lane (Born 1828)
Comfort Lane
Born: May 26, 1783 in Suffield, CT
Died: Sep 21, 1828 in Suffield, CT
Father: Gad Lane (Born 1744)
Mother: Olive Tree (Born 1746)
Brother: Hosea Lane (Born 1778)
Brother: Gad Lane (Born 1780)
Brother: Ashbel Lane (Born 1785)
Brother: Zebina Lane (Born 1788)
Betsey Sikes
Born: Mar 17, 1786 in Suffield, CT
Died: Dec 24, 1865 in Akron, OH
Comfort Lane & Betsey Sikes Married on July 15, 1807
Their Children:
Samuel Alanson Lane (Born 1808)
Comfort Vanderson Lane (Born 1810)
Henry Leander Lane (Born 1811)
Samuel Alanson Lane (Born 1815)
Lorenzo Lane (Born 1817)
Julius Lane (Born 1822)
Betsey Maria Lane (Born 1824)
Julius Meeker Lane (Born 1829)
Ashbel Lane
Born: Jun 13, 1785 in Suffield, CT
Died: Mar 2, 1866 in Suffield, CT
Father: Gad Lane (Born 1744)
Mother: Olive Tree (Born 1746)
Brother: Hosea Lane (Born 1778)
Brother: Gad Lane (Born 1780)
Brother: Comfort Lane (Born 1783)
Brother: Zebina Lane (Born 1788)
Anne Stennard
Ashbel Lane & Anne Stennard Married on Jan 2, 1811
Their Children:
Norman Lane (Born 1812)
Octavia Anna Lane (Born 1814)
Caroline Elizabeth Lane (Born 1817)
Newton Lane (Born 1819)
Emeline Lane (Born 1825)
Zebina Lane
Born: Feb 1, 1788 in Suffied, CT
Father: Gad Lane (Born 1744)
Mother: Olive Tree (Born 1746)
Brother: Hosea Lane (Born 1778)
Brother: Gad Lane (Born 1780)
Brother: Comfort Lane (Born 1783)
Brother: Ashbel Lane (Born 1785)
Polly Sykes
Born: Jan 3, 1792 in Hartford, CT
Died: Aug 3, 1858 in Copenhagen, NY
Zebina Lane & Polly Sykes Married in September 1814
Their Children:
Horace S Lane (Born 1815)
Julia M Lane
Zebina Lane (Born 1818)
Betsy A Lane (Born 1821)
Emiline Lane (Born 1824)
Francis Lane (Born 1826)
James Riley Lane (Born 1828)
Edward J Lane (Born 1831)
Last, but certainly not least, Homer and his siblings.
Curtis Gould Lane
Born: Sep 4, 1806 in Lowville, NY
Died: Feb 1882 in Lowville, NY
Father: Gad Lane (Born 1780)
Mother: Polly Lane (Born 1788)
Brother: Hamet Lane (Born 1809)
Brother: Andrew Lane (Born 1803 or10)
Brother: Samuel Lane (Born 1811)
Brother: Daniel Webster Lane (Born 1814)
Brother: George Lane (Born 1817)
Sister: Julie Lane (Born 1820)
Brother: Marcellus Lane (Born 1823)
Brother: Charles Lane (Born 1825)
Brother: Homer Lane (Born 1828)
First Wife: Prexepta Allyn
Born: Dec 27, 1800
Died: July 1, 1843
Curtis Gould Lane & Prexepta Allyn Married in November 1830.
Second Wife: Eliza M Brewer
Sister: Maria Brewer
Sister: Anne Brewer (Born 1888)
Born: Sep 30, 1819
Died: Jul 2, 1907 in Shoshone, ID
Curtis Gould Lane & Eliza M Brewer Married on Dec 13, 1843 in Lowville, NY
Their Children:
Marcelluss Lane (Born 1844)
Edwin Lane (Born 1846)
Daniel Webster (Born 1852)
Hamet or Hannah Lane
Born: Feb 17, 1809 in Lowville, NY
Father: Gad Lane (Born 1780)
Mother: Polly Lane (Born 1788)
Brother: Curtis Lane (Born 1806)
Brother: Andrew Lane (Born 1803 or 10)
Brother: Samuel Lane (Born 1811)
Brother: Daniel Webster Lane (Born 1814)
Brother: George Lane (Born 1817)
Sister: Julie Lane (Born 1820)
Brother: Marcellus Lane (Born 1823)
Brother: Charles Lane (Born 1825)
Brother: Homer Lane (Born 1828)
Andrew Lane
Born: 1803 or 10 in Lowville, NY
Died: 1870 in New York
Father: Gad Lane (Born 1780)
Mother: Polly Lane (Born 1788)
Brother: Curtis G Lane (Born 1806)
Brother: Hamet Lane (Born 1809)
Brother: Samuel Lane (Born 1811)
Brother: Daniel Webster Lane (Born 1814)
Brother: George Lane (Born 1817)
Sister: Julie Lane (Born 1820)
Brother: Marcellus Lane (Born 1823)
Brother: Charles Lane (Born 1825)
Brother: Homer Lane (Born 1828)
Melinda Sloan
Born: 1815 in Vermont
Father: William Sloan (Born 1752)
Mother: Kexiah Tucker (Born 1773)
Their Children:
George(?) Lane (Born 1830)
Margaret Lane (Born 1838)
William Harrison Lane (Born 1841)
Walter B Lane (Born 1843)
Sarah S Lane (Born 1845)
Lynda Lane (Born 1847)
Walter Waterman Lane (Born 1850)
Samuel Lane
Born: Jul 11, 1811 in Lowville, NY
Father: Gad Lane (Born 1780)
Mother: Polly Lane (Born 1788)
Brother: Curtis Lane (Born 1806)
Brother: Hamet Lane (Born 1809)
Brother: Andrew Lane (Born 1803 or 10)
Brother: Daniel Webster Lane (Born 1814)
Brother: George Lane (Born 1817)
Sister: Julie Lane (Born 1820)
Brother: Marcellus Lane (Born 1823)
Brother: Charles Lane (Born 1825)
Brother: Homer Lane (Born 1828)
Daniel Webster Lane
Born: Jul 26, 1814 in Lowville, NY
Died: Jun 11, 1830
Father: Gad Lane (Born 1780)
Mother: Polly Lane (Born 1788)
Brother: Curtis Lane (Born 1806)
Brother: Hamet Lane (Born 1809)
Brother: Andrew Lane (Born 1803 or 10)
Brother: Samuel Lane (Born 1811)
Brother: George Lane (Born 1817)
Sister: Julie Lane (Born 1820)
Brother: Marcellus Lane (Born 1823)
Brother: Charles Lane (Born 1825)
Brother: Homer Lane (Born 1828)
George Lane
Born: Apr 30, 1817 in Lowville, NY
Died: Jun 28, 1849
Father: Gad Lane (Born 1780)
Mother: Polly Lane (Born 1788)
Brother: Curtis Lane (Born 1806)
Brother: Hamet Lane (Born 1809)
Brother: Andrew Lane (Born 1803 or 10)
Brother: Samuel Lane (Born 1811)
Brother: Daniel Lane (Born 1814)
Sister: Julie Lane (Born 1820)
Brother: Marcellus Lane (Born 1823)
Brother: Charles Lane (Born 1825)
Brother: Homer Lane (Born 1828)
Julia Lane
Born: Jul 14, 1820 in Lowville, NY
Died: Sep 19, 1822
Father: Gad Lane (Born 1780)
Mother: Polly Lane (Born 1788)
Brother: Curtis Lane (Born 1806)
Brother: Hamet Lane (Born 1809)
Brother: Andrew Lane (Born 1803 or 10)
Brother: Samuel Lane (Born 1811)
Brother: Daniel Lane (Born 1814)
Brother: George Lane (Born 1817)
Brother: Marcellus Lane (Born 1823)
Brother: Charles Lane (Born 1825)
Brother: Homer Lane (Born 1828)
Marcellus Lane
Born: Apr 11, 1823 in Lowville, NY
Died: Apr 23, 1837
Father: Gad Lane (Born: 1780)
Mother: Polly Lane (Born: 1788)
Brother: Curtis Lane (Born: 1806)
Brother: Hamet Lane (Born: 1809
Brother: Andrew Lane (1810)
Brother: Samuel Lane (Born: 1811)
Brother: Daniel Lane (Born: 1814)
Brother: George Lane (Born: 1817)
Sister: Julia Lane (Born: 1820)
Brother: Charles Lane (Born: 1825)
Brother: Homer Lane (Born: 1828)
Charles Lane
Born: Jun 12, 1825 in Lowville, NY
Died: Dec 23, 1835
Father: Gad Lane (Born 1780)
Mother: Polly Lane (Born 1788)
Brother: Curtis Lane (Born 1806)
Brother: Hamet Lane (Born 1809
Brother: Andrew Lane (Born 1803 or 10)
Brother: Samuel Lane (Born 1811)
Brother: Daniel Lane (Born 1814)
Brother: George Lane (Born 1817)
Sister: Julia Lane (Born 1820)
Brother: Marcellus Lane (Born 1823)
Brother: Homer Lane (Born 1828)
Homer Lane
Born: Jul 14, 1828 in Lowville, NY
Father: Gad Lane (Born 1780)
Mother: Polly Lane (Born 1788)
Brother: Curtis Lane (Born 1806)
Brother: Hamet Lane (Born 1809
Brother: Andrew Lane (Born 1803 or 10)
Brother: Samuel Lane (Born 1811)
Brother: Daniel Lane (Born 1814)
Brother: George Lane (Born 1817)
Sister: Julia Lane (Born 1820)
Brother: Marcellus Lane (Born 1823)
Brother: Charles Lane (Born 1825)
Picture Sources
1 - Homer Lane cabinet card from the 1880s, owned by Jimmy Wheeler.
Information Sources
1 - Archives.
2 - Archives.
3 - Newspapers.
4 - Chronicling America.
6 - Historic Deerfield.
7 - Genealogy Trails.
8 - NY Historic Papers.
9 - NY Mews.
10 - Find A Grave.
11 - Dunham Wilcox.
Other articles by Jimmy can be Read Here.