The United States census of 1790 records the name of Martinus Stover as the head of a family living in Rensselaerwick, Albany county, New York. At that time he had three children over sixteen years of age. Whom he married or where he came from is not a matter of record, nor are the names of his sons. Tradition has it that the family name was Stauffer, and that one of the three brothers who came from Germany may have been the founder of the Stover family of New York. One of the brothers did found the Pennsylvania family, but they were Stauffers for many generations, the name being changed to Stover in recent generations, by act of the Pennsylvania legislature. There is no connection between the Pennsylvania and New York families of the Stover name. The family no doubt were original New England settlers who removed to Westchester county, New York, where they intermarried. The strong probability is that Martinus Stover, previously mentioned, was father of Martin Stover, with whom this history begins.
(I) Martin Stover was born July 15, 1758, died September 14, 1845. He was a weaver and worked at his trade in the Mohawk Valley, and later became a farmer, also owning land in Rensselaer county. He was also proprietor of a wayside inn at Grant's Hollow, in that county — a place of accommodation for travelers — where he gained a reputation for hospitality and kindliness of heart, and where he lived until death. He married there Elizabeth Drake, of English ancestry, born February 3, 1755, died March 8, 1825. She is believed to be of the numerous family of that name in Westchester county who served so prominently in the revolution, particularly in the Third Regiment of Westchester militia. There were also George and Neche Stover, enlisted men in the continental line, First New York Regiment, but whether they were brothers of Martin is unknown. Children of Martin and Elizabeth (Drake) Stover, probably all born in Rensselaer county: Jacob S., of whom further; Sarah, Jerardus, or Gaudes; Mary, Elizabeth, Hannah, Martin, Phoebe and Peter. All these children married and reared families.
(II) Jacob S., son of Martin and Elizabeth (Drake) Stover, was born either in Pittstown or Grant's Hollow, Rensselaer county, New York, November 29, 1784, died September 5, 1848. He married in that county, where he cultivated a farm, and also kept an inn. He was religious, as was his wife, who was a strong advocate of temperance, both publicly and privately, and not in sympathy with her husband dispensing liquor to his guests, as was the custom of the day. They brought up their children carefully, and their sons grew up good men and citizens. Children:
- Harriet, married De Witt Halstead, a teacher and farmer; child, Frank Halstead, of the firm of Young & Halstead, Troy, New York.
- Jane C., married Sanford Bovies.
- Margaret E., married Irwin Graves.
- Elizabeth, never married.
- Mariah, married Joseph Wiley.
- Jacob, married (first) Catherine E. Haner, (second) Christana Eycklesymer.
- John, married (first) Sallie Snyder, (second) Mary Buckley.
- George, married (first) Ella Q. Canary, (second) Anna Barr.
- Rev. Martin J., see forward.
(III) Rev. Martin J. Stover, youngest child of Jacob S. Stover, was born in Pittstown, New York, February 1, 1807, died in Amsterdam, New York, November 27, 1893. He was educated at the Hartwick Seminary, and for over sixty years was a member of the Hartwick synod of the Lutheran church. For fifty-nine years he was in active ministerial work, only retiring a year previous to his death. During that year he but filled charges temporarily for his brethren of the ministry. He filled many important pulpits in the state, among them being Dansville, Waterloo, Cobleskill, Sharon, Sand Lake, Stone Arabia, West Amsterdam, Bearytown and Woodstock, Ulster county, which was his last charge. He was continuously engaged in the work of the Hartwick synod except from 1856 to 1862. Four of these years he was pastor of the Danville (Pennsylvania) congregation, and two years at Galion, Ohio. While at the latter place the war of the rebellion broke out, and he was offered a chaplaincy in the army by Governor Tod, of Ohio, but declined, as his older sons were serving in Ohio regiments, and his duty lay at home. He was a devout Christian, and an earnest, conscientious minister of the gospel. The sacrifices of his early life, rendered necessary by his determination to secure an education and fit himself for the ministry, developed his character and made him the friend of every one struggling toward better conditions. He was the friend of weak churches, and accepted calls from such, giving to their service all his energy and talent. His work was for his Master; not for personal gain or advancement. He was a church builder, and many beautiful and costly edifices stand as monuments to his faithful labors. He was beloved of his congregations, and served some for many years. He married, August 24, 1837, Lydia Ann Hartman, born November 4, 1817, died August 8, 1898. She was a woman of strong character and a worthy helpmeet. Both are buried in Green Hill cemetery, Amsterdam. Children:
- Jacob Hartman, born October 4, 1838, died August 21, 1840.
- James H., June 28, 1840, died in 1891; served through the civil war as private in the One Hundred and First Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry; at the battle of Stone River he was captured and confined for a long time in Libby Prison, thence sent to a military hospital, and near the close of the war was discharged on account of disability. He was broken in health, and was never strong afterward. He married, in 1868, Mattie Coleman; children: Irving, Kent, Howard and Florence.
- Sarah J., March 18, 1842, died June 18, 1845.
- Martin Luther, October 19, 1845, educated at Wittemburg (Ohio) College, and when but seventeen enlisted in the Seventeenth Ohio Battery, served out his full time, re-enlisted, and served until the close of the war. He saw much hard service, but escaped uninjured. He became a noted jurist, was supreme judge of the fourth judicial district of New York, and is now a leading lawyer of New York City and Amsterdam. He married, September 10, 1874, Helen Shuler, of an old Montgomery county family; children:
- Davis;
- John K., deceased;
- Anna, wife of William Godfrey, of San Francisco, California;
- Winifred and
- Elizabeth.
- George B., born October 4, 1848; superintendent of knitting mill, Amsterdam; married, October 23, 1872, Josephine Van Brocklin; sons: Edward J., Charles F., George B. (2d) and Raymond.
- Charles, see forward.
(IV) Charles Stover, M.D., youngest child of Rev. Martin J. and Lydia Ann (Hartman) Stover, was born February 28, 1851. He prepared for college at Seneca Falls, New York, and in 1871 entered Cornell University, where he remained two years. He then entered the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania, graduating with the degree of M.D. with the class of 1880. He located in Amsterdam, New York, where for the first three years he was a partner of Dr. William H. Robb, one of the oldest established physicians of the city. At the end of that period he began practicing alone, and is now one of the best known and most skillful physicians of the Mohawk Valley. He is connected with the city, county, state and national associations of his profession, has served in the county and state officially, in 1910-11 as president of the Medical Society of State of New York, and in 1908 and 1910 was a delegate to the American Medical Association at Chicago, Illinois, and St. Louis, Missouri. He is a Master Mason of Artisan Lodge, No. 84, of Amsterdam, has taken the chapter and council degrees, and is a Knight Templar of St. George Commandery, Schenectady. He is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of Amsterdam. His social clubs are the Fort Johnson and Antlers, both of Amsterdam. Dr. Stover takes an active interest in the affairs of his city and the benefit of his professional knowledge and experience is given to various institutions for the relief of suffering mankind. He is a member of the Amsterdam Board of Trade; trustee of New York State Hospital for Incipient Tuberculosis at Ray Brook, New York; is trustee and on the staff of the City Hospital as consulting physician, and professionally represents leading insurance companies of his city. He is unmarried.