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974.301 

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1909957 


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ALLEN  COUNTY  PUBLIC  LIBRAI 


3  1833  02231  9484 


BIOGEAPHICAL  AND  HISTORICAL    :W'> 


CYCLOPEDIA 


OF 


WESTMORELAND    COUNTJYil 


PENNSYLVANIA. 


,       ;  '  -■ 


Compiled,  Edited  AND  Published  BY  "^  '<■:>     '. 

:.-  r  '■■      ■■■      ■  ■■';.n,r#. 

JOHN  IVI.  GRESHA]VI_&  CO.,      ;.  .$ 

j..     ^  SAMUEL    T.    WILEY,    V   'r'-,/  : -■  ^^■''   f!*^^^^ 

•'  ■"'  CHIEK    ASSISTA.NT.       . -.    ./  '       ■•.■  '  '  '.  ■     V' 


Nos.  1218  and  1220  Filbert  Street,  Philadelphia.  »,^  w '     "  ... 


:.y 


1890.  •  :'^0^?^^ 


1^03957 


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PRESS 

®  DUNUnP   &    CliARKE,  (J) 

PHIUHDELiPHIA. 


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•^I^IOGRAPHY  is  the  basis  of  all  historical  structures,  and  the  history  of  any 
^iil  country  resolves  itself  into  the  bio'graphies  of  its  earnest  and  representative 
''"^  citizens.  History  is  the  <;reatest  tlieine  wliich  can  claim  the  attention  of  man, 
and  the  biographies  of  those  whose  deeds  and  utterances  have  made  it  open  to  the 
reader  the  great  treasure-house  of  the  past  in  which  those  departed  heroes  live  again 
for  the  benefit  of  the  present  generation  and  for  the  satisfaction  of  posterity.  A 
cyclapedia  of  biographies  presents  the  only  satisflictory  means  of  handing  down  in 
permanent  form  ancestral  history  and  is  the  only  reliable  method  of  keeping  the 
records  of  society  by  the  perpetuation  of  the  intlividual  memoirs  of  those  who  make 
it.  In  the  Centennial  year  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  by  joint  resolution, 
recommended  to  the  authorities  of  the  States  tliroughout  the  Union  the  importance 
of  taking  immediate  steps  toward  the  collection  and  preservation  of  the  history  and 
biograpliies  of  their  prominent  and  useful  citizens. 

After  the  lapse  of  thirteen  years  the  publislier  of  this  volume  became  the 
pioneer  of  biographical  works  of  this  nature  in  the  great  Commonwealth  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. In  AVestmoreland  ((unity,  as  in  all  other  counties,  the  present  generation  is 
largely  dependent  on  tradition  to  furnish  what  should  be  authentic  history ;  and 
especially  is  this  true  of  ancestral  history,  whose  ^■alue  cannot  be  over-estimated. 
When  history  takes  the  form  of  biographical  sketches,  it  is  exceedingly  valuable 
and  interesting  to  the  present  generation,  and  will  be  of  incalcuble  value  to  genera- 
tions yet  to  come.  Our  liiilure  to  know  anything  of  our  ancestry  is  inexcusable 
ignorance.  Present  attention  and  intelligent  action  upon  tlie  part  of  public-spirited 
citizens  of  Westmoreland  county  ha\e  enabled  us  to  give  an  excellent  history — past 
and  present — of  the  representative  men  and  leading  families  throughout  the  county, 
and  have  prepared   the  way  I'nr  future  generations  to  profit  by  ibrmer  negl(,'ct  of  the 


IV  PREFACE. 

l)resent  one.     In  endeavoring  to  secure  the  life-record  of  some  of  tlie  prominent  and 

useful  men  of  the  county,  we  were  compelled  to  regret  the  paucity  of  their  personal 

history  and  were  pained  to  find  that  time  has  drawn  the  \eil  of  ohlivion  o^■er  many  of 

their  progenitors  and  family  genealogy.     'We  have  labored  to  give  to  Westmoreland 

county  the  established  record  of  those  who  have  been  instrumental  in  making  it  one 

of  the  most  important  counties  in  the  Commonwealth,  and  by  brief  and  attractive 

sketches  of  men  who  were  worthy  to  be  imitated  as  examples,  we  have  sought  to 

awaken  the  aspirations  of  our  youth  to  noble  achievements.     The  same  care  and 

attention  has  been  given  to  the  preparation  of  this  work  that  has  been  bestowed 

upon  preceding   ones    which    we    have    published    in    this    and   other    States. 

The  mechanical  work  of  this  "^'olurae  is  all    tliat  was    promised  and  is  of 

standard  excellence. 

THE  PUBLISHER. 

Philadelphia,  June  17,  1890.  ... 


aDaDDDODDDDaD 


e  O  /N   T   E  M   T  S 


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DDDDDDDDDDDaa 


^ 


GREENSBURG. 

PAfiE 

Ackerman,  Hon.  H.  S 39 

Allshouse,  E.  E 40 

Alluine,  Samuel 40 

Annbrust,  L.  F 41 

Arter,  Dr.  D.  A 42 

Bair,  E.  H 43 

liarnhart,  A.R 44 

Barnliart,  C.  T 4-5 

Ik-acum,  Hon.  J.  S 45 

licll,  A.  H iC 

Ilriuiilt,  Junies 47 

liosl,  J.  D i8 

Jiierer,  Z.  P .51 

liiiTor,  Samuel 62 

Black,  Col.  J.  A 53 

Blank,  (i.  A 54 

llMtl,  I,.  W (A 

Bniwn,  W'm 65 

Biiinot,  II.  J 5ti 

Bu^li,  C.  L 58 

llyiTH,  II.  I' r,H 

(al.hvill,  .S.  W 59 

<.'nnii)lii;ll,  E.  U GO 

Chambers,  Eli 63 

Claw.son,  Lucian G5 

Clawson,  O.  J 66 

Condon,  Patrick 66 

Cojie,  0.  P 67 

Cowan,  Senator  Eilgar 68 

Cowan,  J.  B.  0 69 

Crawford,  Dr.  J.  L VO 

Cribbs,  Christopher 73 

Culbertbon,  Dr.  Georire 74 


PAOE 

Curns,  E.  J 75 

Datz,  G.  W 76 

Davidson,  J.  L 77 

Deemer,  A.  P 78 

Desmond,  Wm 79 

Detar,  George 79 

Dick,  Ed.  K 80 

Dieflenbacher,  Rev.  C.  B 80 

Donohoe,  Thomas 81 

Dorn,  John 82 

Dorn,  George 82 

Doty,  Ju.lge  h.  W 8.! 

Dunhill,  John 85 

Ehalt,  C.  F 85 

Eicher,  Alexander 80 

Folk,  CharlcB 80 

Fisher,  II.  II 87 

KricH,  Jacob 87 

Gay,  F.  C 88 

George,  J.  B .' 80 

Gill,  J.  I) 90 

Gnuv,  Hr.  'I'.  J HO 

Gregg,  C.  II .' 91 

GrilHlh,  W.  A 92 

llacke.  Rev.  N.  P 93 

Hammer,  Dr.  K.  B 93 

Harvey,  Dr.  J.  ^V 94 

Huber,  J.  H 95 

Hun;  Col.  G.  F 90 

Hun;  w.  A 100 

Hunter,  Judge  J.  A 101 

Johnston,  Gov.  W.  F 102 

■Tohnston,  J.  J 102 

uoues,  G.  M 103 


PAGE 

Kamerer,'Dr.  J.  W.  B 103 

Keck,  Leonard ^^* 

Keenan,  E.  W 10" 

Keener,  W.  A lOS 

KeHer,  H.  L 10«< 

Keffer,  J.  C 109 

kenley,  E.  B HO 

King,  D.J Ill 

Kline,  S.  A 112 

Kline,  A.  B H" 

Knlms,  G.E H*^ 

Kunkle,  Daniel  H'^ 

Laird,  Hon,  H.  V ll'» 

Laird,  J.  M 120 

Latta,  Hon.  John 121 

Launer,  I.E 122 

Levernian,  Kev.P '23 

Lomison,  Dr.  H.  G 12-1 

Long,  C.  T 12''> 

Long,  J.  K 125 

Marchand,  J.  A 120 

Marks,  Sul 127 

McCuUough,  Hon.  Welty 35 

McAfee,  Hon.  J.  R 128 

McCormick,  Dr.  John 128 

McCurdy,  J.  A 129 

McFarland,  J.  E 131 

McFarland,  J.  R 132 

Mctiuaid,  J.  B 133 

Meanor,  M.  R 133 

Meche.sney,  Andrew 134 

Mensch,  John 135 

Milligan,  Dr.  J,  D 130 

Moore,  Col.  J.  W 139 


Morris,  D.  C HI 

Musick,  Darwin 1-12 

Keubauer,  J.  il H3 

Nicewonger,  J.  F 1-14 

Oniitt,  Dr.  L 1-14 

Ogden,  D.  C 146 

Oppenlieim,  Isaac 146 

Ormlorf,  Dr.  A.J 147 

I'arkH,  Thoman MS 

IVilly,  J.  iM 148 

riilnter,  M.  L 14'.) 

Pierce,  E.  C 150 

Porter,  Dr.  C.  C 151 

Potts,  S.J l.Vi 

Probst,  G.W 15:; 

Kankin,  K.  A 154 

Eask,  Dennett 155 

Eeamer,  Daniel 155 

Reed,  J.  C 156 

Kial,  John 156 

Robinson,  J.  C 157 

Senibower,  II.  S 158 

Shaw,  S.  W 158 

Shearer,  Frank ICO 

Shields,  J.  A 161 

Shields,  J.  C lOli. 

Singer,  K.  W 162 

Snyder,  O.  R 163 

Spiegle,  J.  R 164 

Stark,  C.  H 165 

Stark,  H.  F 166 

Steck,  Amos 167 

Steel,  J.  1! 1G8 

TaUcr,(icorgo Illy 

Thompson,  S.  G 170 

Turney,  Hon.  Jacob 171 

Vugle,  B.  F 172 

WalkiiiKl.aw,  II.  \V 173 

Wmigaiiiaii,  Dr.  Z.  L 174 

Weaver,  D.  li 176 

Welty,  A.  D 175 

Wertz,  II.  M 176 

Williams,  V.  E 177 

AVirsiiig,  Capt.  J.  J 178 

Wo.ids,  J.  Y 17V 


CONTENTS. 

PAOE 

Young,  J.  M 180 

Zahniser,  R.  M.  J 183 

Zahuiser,  Dr.  F.  R 184 

MT.  PLEASANT. 

Adams,  J.  Q 189 

Andrews,  J.  B 189 

Bowers,  William I'.'O 

Brcclibill,  ('.  P l'.)l 

CoUUmith,  J.  li 191 

Galley,  CM 192 

Gibbs,  J.  E 192 

Gilson,  II.  A 193 

Graul,  C.  A 193 

Harkins,  Dr.  James 194 

Hitchmau,  Col.  W.  J 185 

Husband,  S.W 194 

Jordan,  Capt.  W.  N 195 

Kelley,  S.  C 195 

Kuhn  C.  L  196 

Kuhn,  M.S 199 

KyLe,  J.  L 199 

Leonard,  J.  D 200 

.Lewy,J 201 

Loar,  Dr.  J.  A 202 

Long,  Z.  T 202 

Marsh,  Dr.  F.  L 203 

McCaleb,  J.  D 204 

McElwee,  E.J 204 

Myers,  Dr.  A.  II 207 

Ncel,  W.  B 208 

Neel,  Samuel 208 

Plotncr,  W.  S 213 

Ramsay,  Bobert 214 

Ramsay  Morris 215 

Ruth,  J.  L 215 

Shields,  J.L 216 

Shope,  J.G 216 

Sliupe,  O.  P 217 

Simpson,  W.R 218 

Stevenson,  J.  A 218 

Strang,  A.  R 211) 

Tiustman,  II.  0 220 

Tiustman,  1^.  S 221 

Treber,  Frcacrick 2;i 


Weimer,  G.  W 222 

Wcrkraan,  J.  P.,  Jr 223 

Zuok,J.R ~ 223 

SCOTTDALE. 

Anderson,  D.  G  ..  225 

Armstrong,  J.  A 226 

Auitman,  S.  D 226 

Best,  II. C 22'J 

Jiott,  II.  F 230 

Brinker,  Z 231 

Byrne,  Hon.  J.  R 232 

Callaghan,  Hon.  Edward 233 

Campbell,  W.S 234 

Cunningham,  A.  H 235 

Eicher,  J.  K 235 

Ferguson,  Samuel 236 

Frets,  J.S :i39 

Garrett,  Robert 239 

Gay,  R.N 240 

Geyer,  J.  C 240 

Grantham,  J.  W 243 

Grazier,  Clark 244 

Green,  J.  11 245 

Herbert,  W.  K 240 

Humphries,  E.  A 249 

Jarrelt,  C.  M 250 

Jones,  J.  H _. 250 

Keister,  A.  L 251 

Kenney,  T.  C 251 

Loueke,  J.  S 2;)3 

McCullogh,  Joseph 253 

McDowell,  Dr.  W.  J 254 

Miles,  N 254 

Morrow,  J.  C 257 

Overholt,  B.  F 261 

Owens,  J.  P 262 

Parker,  J.S 262 

Pool,  J.  II 265 

Rogers,  J.  1 2(i6 

Rogers,  Dr.  A.  J 266 

Sewell,  Maj.G.H 267 

Smitts,  Dr.  W.  F 268 

Skemp,  Hobert 269 

Sjiiitli,  Nathan 269 


COyTE.\TS. 


ypriiiKir,  II.  J -JTO 

f?luiicr,  I>.  1" 273 

Siaii/Rr,  C,  \V 274 

Kiriikler,  Dr.  A.W 274 

Teiiiiaiit,  K.J 275 

Walters,  Jolm 270 

Wultliour,  S.  L 270 

Wedaie,  Dr.  E.  P 279 

AVik-y,  II.  T 2S0 

Zcarlev,  .S.  J 2S1 

WEST    NEWTON. 

Itcrwirtli,  F.  II 289 

Uruwn,  C.  C 2'.l0 

Brown,  Robert 2110 

Hyf5iite,T.  A 2'Jl 

Carothers,  Jolui 2tll 

Coldsmith,  Samuel 292 

Collins,  J.  W 293 

Crousliore,  Henry 282 

Dkk,  A.  M 293 

Gallagher,  AV.  C 294 

Getchey,  B 295 

Goodman,  Solomon 295 

Hamilton,  D.  E 296 

Hamilton,  James .- 297 

Hamilton,  J.  F 297 

Hamilton,  Hon.  A.  C 298 

Humi-s,  K.  I) 299 

King,  A.  B 300 

Latimore,  K.  H 301 

Lawhead,  Dr.  J.  H 302 

Luiglity,  Hon.  E.  C 302 

Liilz,  Dr.  M.  11 303 

JIarkli',  S.  B.,  Jr 304 

Milliron,  John 305 

Moreland,  Alex 305 

Kahar,  Leonard 306 

Newman,  John 307 

Obley,  John 307 

Obley,  II.  A 308 

Orr,  Dr.  A.  AV.. 809 

I'litlerson,  J.  J 310 

Koseu,  D.  F 310 

Sanders,  C.  AV 31] 


Schoaf,  Jaeob 311 

Schcill,  M.  F 312 

Schioyer,  J.  M 313 

A'andyke,  Dr.O.  M 313 

A^ankirk,  J.  Z 314 

AVasliabaugh,  George 315 

Wasliabanyh,  G.  AA' 315 

Zifgler,  J.  C 316 

LATROBE. 

Albert,  (J.  C 317 

liair,  G.  A 317 

Beam,  J.  C 318 

Bussart,  U.S....' 319 

Bossart,  M 319 

Brindle,  K.  L 320 

Burchtield,  Dr.  S.  E 321 

Coughenour,  John 322 

Dale,  AVm 322 

Donnelly,  Dr.  H.  L 323 

Donnelly,  II.  G 325 

Donohue,  J.  T 320' 

Eisemaii,  Dr.  R 326 

Evans,  Dr.  J.  D 327 

Geiger,  C'apt.  B.  F 328 

Golde,  Jolm 329 

Harr,  D.  1' 329 

Hartman,  J.  W.... 330 

llarlman,  Dr.  J.  A 331 

Hoke,  L.  A 332 

Horrell,  I.  N 333 

Hughes,  Dr.  J.  AV 333 

Keepers,  Dr.  .V.  C 331 

Lemmon,  Dr.  J.l^l 335 

Lovely,  C'ollis 336 

MacMiUan,  AV.  C 337 

Mellon,  W.  L 338 

Metzger,  Fred 339 

McC'onaughy,  Dr.  D.  A\' 340 

McKeever,  Rev.  Edward 341 

Wilier,  Dr.  II.  J 341 

iMurray,  M.  B 342 

Newinghain,  D.  K 343 

O'Brien,  AVm 344 

Peters,  Jas 344 


I'ottlu.li;  II.  B .546 

Seanor,  H.  F 346 

.Shields,  T.  W 347 

Shuwalter,  W.  A 347 

Shumaker,  A 348 

Story,  J.  A 349 

Ulerich,  AV.  AV 350 

AVeber,  Louis 351 

JEANETTE,     MANOR    AND 
PENN. 

Beamer,  Jacob 352 

Bouquet,  Col.  Henry 353 

Brinker,  l\  R 353 

Byerly,  R.  S.. 354 

Cort,  J.  T 355 

Davis,  Morris 356 

Dewalt,  J.A 350 

Eberhart.  A.  A 357 

Fry,  F.  L 358 

Goehring,  Martin,  Jr 359 

Good,  Paul,  Sr 359 

Good,  A.  J 360 

Greer,  J.  C 360 

Griffith,  Dr.  M.  E 361 

Heintzleman,  J.  AV 362 

Henry,  Hugh 363 

Hoey,  A.  M...^ 363 

Jackson,  J.  F 264 

Jones,  AV.  S 365 

Kautlman,  M.  D 365 

Keister,  David 360 

I.andis.  J.  F 306 

Lauller,  II.  I' 367 

Lauder,  Isaac 368 

Laullijr,  H.  A 368 

Leyda,  Dr.  I.N 369 

Lutz,  J.  F 370 

McKeever,  Henry 3i0 

Miller,  J.  M 371 

Moore,  G.  IC 371 

Morrison,  Dr.  J.  AV 372 

Mathias,  Joseph 373 

Morrow,  Dr.  J.  K 374 

Oakley,  H.C 374 


CONTENTS. 


OiT,  K.  M 375 

Kiilic,  II.  A 370 

.Sinister,  W.  (i 370 

.Skelly,  Dr.  C.J 377 

SliuUi-r,  \V.  II 378 

Smith,  L.  C 378 

Smith,  J.  B 379 

Smith,  0.  R 380 

Seitz.  Capt.  J.  A.  M 3S0 

Sullivan,  D.  B 381 

Sutton,  Dr.  G.  S 381 

Theobald,  Joseph 382 

Vinton,  E.J 3S3 

Wiilthour,  B.  K 383 

Weslbrook,  L.  C 384 

Walthour,  Samuel 384 

"Weaver,  S.  II 385 

AVurzel,  George 380 

IRWIN  AND  NORTH  HUNT- 
INGDON. 

Blackburn,  J.  0 388 

Brown,  George 385 

Carroll,  W.  II 380 

Caruthers,  W.  F 390 

Clohessy,  M 391 

Fink.G.W 391 

Foster,  Hon.  H.  1) 392 

Giiut,  C.  W 393 

Hamilton,  S.  D 394 

Ilodgik-n,  F 394 

Howell,  J.0 395 

Jrwin,  Henry 396 

I.iinghiim,  John 390 

Leiihart,  J.  li  397 

I,in.U-l)Uui,  M.  K 398 

Lommel,  M 398 

Long,  S.  C 399 

Mctlellan,  Dr.  R.  P 399 

McFarlane,  A.  L 400 

McKtcver,  J.  L 401 

Miller,  S.  B .402 

Over,  J.  H... 403 

Painter,  T.  W 403 

Palmer,  C.L 404 


Parkinson,  Margaret 404 

I'a.r,Jacol> 405 

Pool,  A.  II 400 

Re^d,  J.  1) 40(i 

Ronwljerg,  S.  C 407 

Ringer,  Dr.  J.  II 408 

Rol.bins,  Hon.  E.  F 409 

t^chade.A 410 

Sowash,  Dr.  M.  F 411 

Speis,  G.  A 412 

SpringLr,  J.  F 412 

Taylor,  L.  H 413 

Thompson,  R.  F.... 414 

Thresclier,  J.  H ' 414 

^VhitL■lR•:ul,  Peter 415 

DERRY,  MT.  PLEASANT,  ST. 
CLAIR  AND   UNITY. 

Allison,  A.  J 417 

Aiikeniiiui,  Joseph 418 

Aukerraan,  J.  R 418 

Austraw,  G.  F 419 

Banks,  Dr.  C.W 420 

Earnett,  J.  W 420 

Barnhart,  Akx 421 

Baruhart,  David 422 

Itarr,  Samuel 423 

Bash,  J.  II 423 

Beutty,  John,  Jr 424 

Beistel,  II.  F 425 

Bennett,  (apt.  Wm 420 

Bemielt,  O.  M 427 

Boyer,  W.  H 427 

I'.iadiii,  \V.  D 428 

Blinker,  Dr.  T.  II 429 

Briiiker,  \V.  F 430 

Brooks,  II.  F 430 

Brown,  Dr.  J.  L 431 

Burd,  S.  K , 432 

Burkley,  George 433 

Carpenter,  D.  L 434 

Caven,  Amos  0 434 

Cease.  J.  R 435 

Chambers,  Preston 430 

Coad,  Wm 439 


TAOE 

Cochran,  A.  C  139 

Cochran,  W.  H 410 

Cook,  1).  R 441 

Connor,  Timothy 441 

Coughenour,  D.  R.  &  Co 412 

Dunlap,  W.  R 443 

Fausold,  M.  h 444 

Fausold,  H.  F 445 

Fetter,  J.  W 440 

Findley,  Hon.  Wm 446 

Fisher,  C.  B 447 

Fisher,  J.  W 448 

FLsher,  Jacob 448 

Fiaher,  S.  B 449 

Foster.  R.  A 450 

Fowler,  J.  J 451 

Fry,  George 451 

Fry,  John 452 

Fulton,  Dr.  J.  A 453 

Gaut,  Dr.  R.  F 453 

George,  Isaac 454 

Gorgas,  S.  L 458 

Graham,  Richard 459 

Gress,  Jacob 400 

Grillith,  Joshua 401 

Guthrie,  Doty 401 

(julhrie,  Joseph 402 

Hackett,  C.  C 403 

Hamilton,  Rev.  J.  M 403 

Haiiiill,  Herman 404 

Harding,  Janus 405 

Ilarman,  A.  D 405 

Hartzell,  G.  M 400 

Henderson,  John 400 

Horn,  J.  J 407 

Horner,  Lsaac 408 

Hughes,  J.  J 408 

Hugus,  G.  R 409 

Hull,  H.  D 470 

Hunter,  Samuel 471 

Junkins,  Isaac 471 

Johnston,  A.  A 472 

Johnston,  Col.  J.  W 475 

Keck,  J.  M 470 

Keller,  John 479 


'M' 


CONTENTS. 


Keeley,  Henry 4>i0 

Kelly,  Dr.  J.  H 480 

Kiiily,  David 481 

Keimey,  (i.  W 4S2 

Kinkead,  Wm 483 

Kiiiinjcll,  Jacob 483 

Ullerly,  Dr.  J.  II 484 

Ijiird,  Thos 485 

Lauglilin,  J.  W 4x6 

Leiiimoii,  James 480 

Lewis,  Wilson 487 

Lobingier,  J.  S 488 

Macliesney,  Jackson 489 

Maxwell,  S.  F 490 

McConnell,  Rev.  S.  D 4'JO 

AlcCurdy,  Dr.  R.  C 493 

McCarlliy,  J.  J 494 

Megary,  G.  W 494 

Miller.  Dr.  J.  S 495 

Milcliell,  II.  W 496 

Muhlenberg,  Chas 496 

Murphy,  Owen 497 

Musick,  Samuel 497 

Newill,  Jo.shua 498 

Palmer,  Michael 499 

Pearce,  J.  A 499 

Peebles,  Dr.  J.  E 500 

Poorman,  J.  K 501 

Potts,  Rev.  A.  D 502 

Pounds,  Joseph 503 

Reed,  O.  C 504 

Robb,  Shannon 505 

Runiliaiigh,  John 505 

KuinljaiiKJi,  Michael 5ll(! 

Rush,  J.  T 507 

Sarver,  Ezra 507 

Seemann,  J.  H 508 

■  Siiearer,  G.  M 508 

Shupe,  L.  B 509 

•Shape,  D.  W 510 

■  Simp.son,  David 511 

Smith,  J.  11 512 

Smith,  AVni.,  >Sr 512 

Smith,  R.  M 513 

Smith,  Dr.  L.  T 514 


!   Smiih,  C.  H 515 

I   Snodgrass,  W.  B 515 

Springer,  W.  J 510» 

Steel,  John 51U 

Stouffer,  A.  M 617 

Strohm,  Samuel 518 

Tarr,  A.T 518 

Thomas,  N 519 

Tlioma,s,  O.  M 519 

Townsend,  Rev.  D.  W 620 

Trauger,  George 521 

Walkinshaw,  J.  C 622 

Weaver,  D.  G 523 

Welty,  R.  S 524 

Williams,  G.  W 525 

Wimmer,  Rt.  Rev.  B 525 

Wright,  Wm 523 

COOK,      DONEGAL,      FAIR- 
FIELD   AND   LIGONIER. 

Ambrose,  Dr.  J.T 529 

Blackburn,  Dr.  E.  W 530 

Boucher  (family) 530 

Covode,  Hon.  John 532 

Frank,  J.  H 533 

Graham,  R.  M ,  534 

Hargnett,  Hon.  John 535 

Hendricks,  Gov.  William 536 

Horner,  Moses 537 

Hubb,  John 638 

Huston,  Dixon 538 

Keck,  M.  L 639 

Keller,  J.  W 540 

King,  Rev.  Franklin ._. 640 

Lenhart,  LuilwicU 541 

Marker,  Hon.  X.  M 542 

Matthews,  W.  H 543 

McCaskey,  Dr.  C.  A 543 

McColly,  Bales .544 

MiUhotr,  H.  M 645 

Murphy,  S.  D 646 

Murphy,  Capt.  G.  H 549 

Myers,  A.  B 550 

Seawright,  William 550 

St.  Clair,  Maj.  Gen.  Arthur 551 


PAGB 

Senft,  George 653 

Smith,  Francis 554 

Stairs,  J.J 557 

Taylor,  Dr.  James 557 

Ulery,  Frederick 558 

Walker,  Clark 559 

Walter,  William ! 559 

Whitworlh,  Dr.  R.  S 560 

EAST  AND  SOUTH  HUNT- 
INGDON, ROSTRAVER  AND 
SEWICKLEY. 

Allen,  David  B.  H 562 

Aultman,  William  D 565 

Aultman,  Christopher  D 565 

Au.sburn,  Robert 566 

Bair,  David 567 

Bescnberg,  Gotfred 608 

Biglcy,  Nicholas  J.,  Jr 568 

Blackburn,  Hon.  Geo.  P 668 

Blackburn,  .\.  Byram 570 

Boyd,  James  M 570 

Bronson,  Anion 571 

Budd,  Benjamin 572 

Byars,  William  A .^. 572 

Covert,  Rev.  William  R..' 575 

Daugherty,  .Samuel 678 

Dick,  Gen.  M.  M 561 

Dusenbery,  Lieut.  Wm.  C 57S 

Errett,  David 579 

Ewig,  Charles  11 580 

Felger,  John  G  681 

Finley,  Nebemiah 581 

Fisher,  John  G 1 682 

Flanagan,  John  C 582 

Fox,  David  F 583 

Fox,  John  C 534 

Freeble,  Thomas  D 585 

Frick,  Favid  C 585 

Frye,  Dr.  James  P 586 

Fullcrton,  John 587 

FuUerton,  Nathan  N 587 

(iilmore,  Franklin 588 

Grace,  Samuel  Hibbert 689 

Ilahn,  Ja;ob  P 589 


CONTENTS. 


lliisson,  Samuel  T o'JO 

llainilton,  Joseiili  001 

Henclertflin,  James o91 

IleiH-y,  William  1' r,'.f2 

lliKl.lKigei,  Al.rai.i    K rm 

lliglilieigor,  Simon o'Ji 

irixi-nhaiigh,  N 5'J4 

liulienshell,  George 595 

Hough,  Daviil  W 595 

Jioiigli,  Joseph  D 590 

Hough,  Paul 599 

Housphold,  William 599 

Jlowell,  William  B GOO 

Hunter,  Archibald  B 001 

Hyde,  John  Winter 002 

Jones,  Clarence  M 003 

Keck,  Michael 603 

Keefer,  Samuel 004 

Kelley,  Geo.  W 604 

Krepps,  Jesse 005 

Lash,  Christian 000 

Latta,  Ephraim 000 

Limbaugh,   Peter 007 

Linn,  Jiimes  S  608 

Lovo,  Kobert  T 60S 

Luce,  Leonard  E 609 

Lynn,  John 010 

Markle,  Joseph 610 

Markle,  Geo.  W (Ill 

Meredith,  William 612 

Me(iufley,   Kobert 613 

Mc-Mahan,  Alex 614 

Milligan,  AIct:.  S Oil 

MilliKuii,  Jam.s  M t;l5 

Mitchell,  Wm.,  Sr (116 

Monmyer,  Albert 617 

Morgan,  William  F 617 

iN'ftflin,  William  C i;kS 

Norcross,  John 619 

Osbiirn,  Matthew 619 

Overholt,  Abraham  0 620 

Patlerson,  James  !M 621 

Patterson,  Israel 022 

Piitteison,  John  S 622 

Pnllon,  Dr.  Kobert  0 023 


Patton,  Dr.  N.  W 024 

Paul,  Morgan  S 624 

Penney,  Albert 024 

Pinkerton,  James 025 

Poole,  William  A 020 

Porter,  <Jliver 020 

Reeves,  John  S 027 

Rhodes,  Louis  S 628 

Robertson,  Andrew 029 

Robertson,  Jat  ob  Edmu  nd 629 

Rossell,  Charles 630 

Rufl;  Quincey  A 631 

Sampson,  Thomas 031 

Sampson,  Benjamin  L 632 

Scholl,  William  L 033 

Sliawly,  Benjamin  F 633 

Shelar,  Dr.  Joseph  W 634 

Shepler,  Philip 635 

Shepler,  Isaac 635 

Shepler,  Lewis 636 

Shepler,  Davis 636 

Sherriok,  Dr.  Albert  S 037 

Smith,  Louis  L 037 

Smith,  George  W 633 

Smith,  Samuel 639 

Smoek,  Finley  C 040 

Springer,  Everell  F 040 

Sterrett,  John 041 

Stautrer,  John  F 642 

Stone,  Samuel (i42 

Timms,  William  P 643 

Tomer,  Jacob 0  li! 

Vogel,  John 614 

Weaver,  Levi ,....  (i45 

Williams,  Daniel  F 045 

Wilson,  Taylor 646 

Wilson,  Presley 046 

Wilson,  William  D 647 

Zundel,  John  S 04S 

Zundel,  Jacob 048 

Zundel,  William 649 

FRANKLIN,    HEMPFIELD, 
LOYALHANNA   AND  SALEM. 

Agnew,  J  amea 650 


All^hollse,  John  W 

Armbrust,  J.  W 

Barnhart,  William  R 

Barnharl,  Samuel 

llauman,  I!ev.  J.  Xevin 

Black,  John 

Blank.  Michael  G 

Brown,  John  H 

Buchanan,  James 

Croushoie,  Geo.  W 

Dible,  Geo.  F 

Ellwood,  John  Kelley 

Emmens,  Dr.  Stephen  Henry. 

Ewing,  Dr.  James  Rcss 

Fox,  Levi 

Fry,  William  G 

Gongaware,  P.  J 

Hume^,  James  G 

Ilackley,  Ah.is 

Hall,  Jacob  C 

Hall,  William  J 

Hill,  Philip 

Harvey,  Josiah 

Haymaker,  Michael  K 

Hillis,  William 

Hissem,  Thomas 

Hihsem,  David  K 

Hugus,  M.aj.  William 

Hugus,  Marion ., 

]    Jones,  John  A !... 

I    Keck.  Henry 

I    Keister,  Elijah  N 

I    Kil'er,  Mhhael  B 

Kilgore,  Je^se 

I    Kuhus,  Jacob  H 

Lute>,  William  C 

I.tH'iiiH,  llcrnian 

M c.V lister,  A le.\ander 

Mcljuaid,  Samuel  D 

McWiUiaius,  Robert  H 

Miller,  Joseph 

Mimroe,  William  J 

Grr,  James 

Patterson,  David  K 

Phillips,  Enoch  B 


651 
652 
655 
656 
050 
057 
65S 
658 
659 
660 
661 
661 
662 
603 
604 
065 
066 
666 
667 
6GS 
66S 
609 
069 
670 
671 
671 
072 
673 
674 
674 
675 
076 
676 
677 
678 
679 
079 
(iSO 
681 
681 
082 
083 
084 
684 
085 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Wegley,  Abmhain  II 70'J 

■\Voiro,  A.  Tlu.uii«m 710 

ALLEGHENY,     BELL,      BUR- 
RELLS  AND  WASHINGTON. 

Alter,  Dr.  David 712 

Alter,  Jacob 713 

Alter,  Samuel  L 714 

Arnold,  Robert  P 714 

Barber,  John 715 

Baxter,  Charles  W 715 

B,.al,  John  C 7IG 

Butler,  Jesse 710 

Bu^h,'Dr.  A.  A 717 

C'aniiibell,  Benjamin  li 713 

C'lianibcrs,  James  II 718 

Clements,  Jesse  A 720 

Copeland,  Samuel 720 

Dinsniore,  Ivoliert  S 721 

Dougall,  James  1 722 

Faulk,  Simon  I' 722 

Gardner,  Samuel 723 

Graham,  James 724 

Gosser,  Albert  M 72'4 

Hawk,  Joseph  S 725 

Hunter,  John 720 


Remaley,  Henrv 080 

Rings,  Jacob OSO 

Robinson,  Edward  T 080 

Rugh,  John 08!) 

Ruff,  Samuel 690 

Sell,Eli 003 

Sell,  Jacob 003 

Shefller,  Israel  T 094 

Sliuey,  Conrad 095 

Shuster,  Cyrus  J fci5 

Shruni,  John  090 

Smeltzer,  Cyrus  F 097 

Stanton,  James  F 698 

Stark,  John 099 

Steel  Kbenezer 0'.i9 

Stewart,  Francis  L. 700- 

Snyder,  Rev.  Jacob  F 701 

Snyder,  Jolin 703 

Stahl,  Daniel  P 704 

Tarr,  Jacob 704 

Thomas,  M;ij.  Cjrus 705 

Thompson,  Rev.  Jacob  L 700 

Ulery,  Daniel  R 707 

Warden,  Clark  F 707 

Waugaman,  John,  Sr 709 


PAGE 

Kier,  Thomas  C 726 

Kunkle,  Israel 727 

Logan,  Alexander  A 727 

Leslie,  James 728 

Metzgar,  Hiram  T 729 

McGeary,  John  E 729 

McKean,  John  S 730 

McKean,  James  L 731 

McKean,  Frank  S 731 

MuWiUiams,  William 732 

Miller,  Robert 733 

Miller,Rev.  O.  n 734 

Nelson,  Samuel  N 735 

Parkin,  Charles 736 

Reed,  Rev.  Robert 737 

Rowe,  Ilezekiali 737 

Ross,  George  W 738 

Rubright,  Jeremiah 739 

Shaner,  Solomon 739 

Shcjjard,  Henry 740 

Swank,  William  M 740 

Walker,  William  T - 741 

Watt,  John 742 

WyUe,  John 742 

Young   Rev.  .Mexani-ler 743 


.»»  ,  .1,  tV.  ^   . 


^.^  .  :i.? 


« 


SK 


ILLUSTRATIONS  .r 


■■:^>^-U^^ 


h 


Best,  J.  D .....; 48 

Chambers,  Eli : 63 

Crawford,  Dr.  J.  L 70 

'Cribl;JB,  Christopher 73 

Huff,  Col.  George  F 96 

Kline.  S.  A  .....^^ 112 

,  MeCulIoUgh,  lion.  "Welty 35 

Moore,  Col.  J.  W 139 

Musick,  Darwin 142 

Keck,  Leonard 104 

Young,  J.  M 180 

Hitchiuan,  Hon.  W.  J 185 

Kuhn,  C.  I. ll'O 

McElwee,  E.  J 204 

Keel,  W.  B 20.S 

Neel,  Siimuol 'JO'.i 

IK'sl,  in: 229 

Frets,  J.  S 235 

Grantham,  J.  W 243 

Humphries,  E.  A 249 


■;h'--  ■  ^'-  ."  w  ■;/-:■..: 

.-m.^-  ■■■',:'■■*-. ■■■'~i  ■.■;  ,  ;■ 

McDoweil,'Dr:  W.  J '. .',  254  • 

Morrow,  J,  C ; "257  , 

Parker,  J,  g.... „  262' 

Springer,  H.  J 270 

Weddel,  Dr.  E.  P ....,.,;.  279 

C'roushore,  Henrv ^  .283 

Crou&hore,  Mr3.  E.  J ...."..  284 

Cochran,  A.  C ,439v, 

George,  Isaac 454 

Johnston,  A.  A ■; 472 

Keck,  J.  M .;.,:;.'...,."476-' 

Maxwell,  S.  F .7..., ;..'..,...' 490 

Miiriiliy,  S.  D 510. 

Smith,  Francis 554  ^: 

Dick,  Gen.  M.  M 562 

Covert,  Kov,  W.  K 575 

llousohold,  William C. 699 

Armbrust,  J.  W 652. 

Eugh,  John .- 689  ■. 

Sell,  Jacob 693. ' 


m 


w 


■m 


■.i^s^^'f¥*"' '-""^i. 


'"''t'' 


.jS- 


"'V'^i 


'W ,-; 


--v^l 


Historical  Sketch 

TAAestmoreland  County 


"THE  STA-R   OF  THE  WEST" 


§OUNDARIES  and  areas.  Prehistoric 
races.  Anglo-saxon  pioneers.  Forbes' 
expedition.  Battle  of  Bushy  run.  Early 
settloments.  County  formation.  Revolutionary 
war.  Lochry's  and  Crawford's  expeditions. 
Burning  of  Ilannastotvn.  St.  Clair's  defeat. 
Whiskey  insurrection.  War  of  1812.  Pikes. 
Mexican  war.  First  railroads.  Great  civil 
war.  Connellsville  coke  region.  Murrysville 
natural  gas  field.  Recent  and  phenomenal  de- 
velopment. Townships  and  boroughs.  Political 
history.  The  press,  churches,  schools  and  banks. 
Census  statistics. 

On  account  of  the  nature  and  plan  of  this 
work  it  is  impossible  to  do  justice  to  the  history 
of  this  grand  old  county  ;  yet  the  publisher  has 
decided  that  it  is  most  essential  that  a  brief 
chronological  record  of  its  important  historical 
events  should  be  made  before  proceeding  to 
record  at  length  the  biographical  sketches  of 
the  county's  leading  citizens. 

WESTMORELAND  COUNTY,  Pennsyl- 
vania, is  situated  between  the  seventy-ninth  and 
eightieth  meridians  of  west  longitude  and  the 
fortieth  and  forty-first  parallels  of  north  latitude. 
It   is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Armstrong;  and 


Indiana  counties,  from  which  it  is  separated  by 
the  Kiskiminetis  and  Conemaugh  rivers ;  on  the 
east  by  Laurel  Hill  Ridge,  which  divides  it  from 
Cambria  and  Somerset  counties ;  on  the  south 
by  Fayette  county,  from  which  it  is  partly 
separated  by  Jacob's  creek,  and  on  the  west  by 
Washington  and  Allegheny  counties.  It  is 
thirty-seven  miles  long  by  twenty-nine  miles 
wide,  and  its  computed  area  is  one  thousand 
and  four  square  miles.  It  is  the  eleventh  county 
of  Pennsylvania  in  order  of  age,  and  was  the 
last  provincial  county  of  the  "Keystone  State." 
Its  geographical  center  and  center  of  population 
are  supposed  to  be  not  very  far  apart,  and  both 
but  a  short  distance  from  the  county  seat. 

The  present  territory  of  Westmoreland  county 
was  a  part  of  the  following  counties  for  the  re- 
spective times  specified : 

Chester,  from  1682  to  May  10,  1729. 

Lancaster,  May  10,  1729,  to  January  27, 
1750. 

Cumberland,  January  27,  1750,  to  March  9, 
1771. 

Bedford,  March  9,  1771,  to  September  26, 
1773. 

Westmoreland  county  was  created  by  Act  of 
Legislature  on  February  20, 1773,  and  was  taken 


18 


HISTORICAL   SKETCH    OF 


from  Bedtbid,  and  in  1785  a  part  of  the  pur- 
chase  of  1784  was  added  thereto.  It  was  named 
after  Wcstmorehmd  county  in  England,  and 
embraced  nearly  all  of  Pennsylvania  west  of 
the  Allegheny  mountains.  From  1781  to  18r)0 
■  the  following  sixteen  counties  were  taken  from 
its  territory,  the  first  five  direct,  and  the  other 
eleven  indirect : 

Washington,  March  28, 1781.  Fayette,  Sep- 
tember 26,  1783. 

Allegheny,  September  24,  1788.  Armstrong, 
March  12,  1800. 

Indiana,  March  30, 1803.  Greene,  February 
9,  17[»G. 

Beaver,  March  12,  1800.  Mercer,  IMarch 
12,  1800. 

Butler,  March  12,  1800.  Erie,  March  12, 
1800. 

Venango,  March  12,  1800.  Warren,  March 
12,  1800. 

Crawford,  March  12,  1800.  Clarion,  March 
11,  1839. 

Forest,  April  11,  1848.  Lawrence,  Marcli 
20,  1850. 

Westmoreland  county  is  in  the  second  or 
southeastern  region  of  the  third  topographical  or 
western  bituminous  coal  district  of  Pennsylvania. 
Portions  of  the  county  are  in  the  upper  and 
lower  coal  measure,  and  it  has  five  coal  basins, 
of  which  only  one,  the  second  or  Connellsville, 
ia  in  the  upper  measures.  The  first  coal  basin 
is  in  the  Ligonier  valley;  the  second  or  Con- 
nellsville coke  region  lies  along  the  western  base 
of  Chestnut  ridge;  the  tliird  basin  extends 
through  the  center  of  the  county ;  the  fourth  or 
Sewickley  is  west  of  the  center,  and  the  fifth 
coal  basin  is  in  Allegheny  and  Burrell  town- 
ships. 

The  county  is  divided  into  two  physical  divi- 
sions :  The  Eastern  highlands  and  the  Western 
tablelands.  Its  general  slope  is  toward  the 
northwest,  and  it  is  drained  by  the  Monongahehi 
and  Allegheny  river  systems.  I'rof.  Arnold,  in 
1872,  gave  tiie  average   temperature   of  West- 


moreland county  as  follows :  Summer,  seventy 
degrees  ;  winter,  thirty ;  yearly  average,  fifty, 
and  recorded  its  annual  rain-fall  at  thirty-six 
inches. 

Prchisloria  Races. — The  aborigines  of  North 
America  were  undoubtedly  the  Mound  builders. 
Their  seat  of  empire  was  in  the  Mississipjji  and 
Ohio  valleys,  and  their  sentinel  outposts  were 
never  planted  further  eastward  than  the  crest 
of  Laurel  Hill  ridge.  Clear  and  unmistakable 
traces  of  this  lost  race  were  discovered  by  the 
early  settlers  of  the  Ligonier  valley,  but  it  seems 
that  they  confined  themselves  to  that  particular 
section  in  their  occupation  of  this  county. 
'Whence  they  came  or  where  they  went  none 
can  tell. 

They  were  succeeded  in  the  proprietorship  of 
the  soil  by  the  Indians,  whose  origin  is  as  fruitful 
a  theme  for  speculation,  as  the  problem  of  the 
Mound  builders  fate  has  been  an  unsatisfactory 
topic  for  investigation.  The  Indian,  like  the 
Mound  builder,  seems  to  have  never  made  a 
permanent  home  in  the  county,  and  used  it 
chiefly  for  hunting  purposes.  The  Six  Nations 
exercised  sovereignty  over  it,  and  the  Delawares 
and  Shawnees  were  their  tenants  upon  its  hunting 
grounds.  There  were  two  great  Indian  trails 
through  the  county  ;  the  main  one  was  the  Ca- 
tawba war-path,  that  crossed  Jacob's  creek,  and 
passed  northward  through  the  Ligonier  valley, 
and  towards  the  Sus([uehanna  river.  It  ran  from 
the  Carolinas  to  New  York  ;  the  other  was  a 
trail  running  from  the  Ligonier  valley  to  the 
Forks  of  the  Oiiio.  The  Indians  had  but  few 
villages  within  the  present  limits  of  the  county; 
they  were  of  a  temporary  rather  than  a  perma- 
nent character,  and  were  abandoned  by  the  time 
that  the  first  English  settlers  made  their  ap- 
pearance in  the  country  west  of  the  Alleghenies. 

Anglo-saxon  Pioneers. — The  first  white  men 
who  came  into  Westmoreland  county  were  hunt- 
ers and  Indian  fur  traders.  Christopher  Gist, 
and  a  few  Virginians  settled  in  17.')2  at  ISFount 
Braddock,  in   what  is  now   Fayette  county.  Pa. 


WESTMORELA ND  CO  UNTY. 


19 


They  were  sent  out  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Ohio  Company  and  in  the  interests  of  Virginia, 
who  aimed  to  acquire  title  to  the  Ohio  valley  by 
right  of  occupation.  The  French  had  already 
taken  possession  of  the  coveted  territory,  and 
in  1754  they  broke  up  Gist's  settlement  and 
captured  Fort  Necessity.  The  next  year  the 
French  and  Indians  ambuscaded  and  slaughtered 
Braddock's  army,  at  the  battle  of  the  Monon- 
gahcla,  drove  the  English  settlers  east  of  the 
AUeghenies,  and  for  nearly  three  years  re- 
mained in  undisputed  possession  of  the  entire 
Ohio  valley. 

Forbes'  Expedition. — In  1758,  Gen.  John 
Forbes,  with  an  army  of  seven  thousand  men, 
was  sent  by  England  to  regain  what  Braddock 
had  lost  and  to  capture  Fort  Duquesne.  Wash- 
ington urged  Forbes  to  take  old  Braddock  road, 
but  Col.  Bouquet  prevailed  upon  Forbes  to  cut 
a  new  road  from  Bedford,  Pa.,  through  what  is 
now  Westmoreland  county,  to  Fort  Duquesne. 
Bouquet  led  the  advance,  and  in  September  made 
his  camp  on  the  bank  of  Loyalhanna  creek, 
where  his  engineers  erected  a  stockade  which  he 
named  Fort  Ligonier,  in  honor  of  Sir  John 
Ligonicr,  under  whom  Bou([uet  served  in  Eu- 
rope. On  the  eleventh  of  September,  Bouquet 
sent  Maj.  Grant  with  eight  hundred  men  to 
reconnoitre.  lie  drew  up  in  order  of  battle  be- 
befure  Fort  Duquesne,  on  September  13,  where 
he  was  attacked  and  his  force  routed,  Avith  the 
loss  of  three  hundred  men.  The  French  and 
Indians,  fourteen  lumdred  strong,  marched  from 
Fort  Duquesne  after  defeating  Grant,  and  on 
the  twelfth  of  October  made  two  attacks  on 
Bouquet,  at  Fort  Ligonier,  but  were  repulsed 
and  retreated.  The  English  lost  twelve  men 
killed  and  fifty-five  wounded.  In  November, 
Forbes  arrived  with  the  main  division  of  the 
army,  and  Washington  was  sent  forward  to  open 
the  road  to  Fort  Duipiesne,  which  was  cut  out 
past  the  sites  of  llannastown  and  Murrysville. 
On  November  24,  Gen.  Forbes  captured  Fort 
Duquesne  and  the  soil  of  Westmoreland  county. 


and  the  Ohio  valley  passed  into  the  hands  of  the 
Anglo-Saxon  race. 

Battle  of  Bushy  Run. — The  country  was 
garrisoned  by  the  English  from  1758  to  17G3, 
In  that  year  Pontiac  led  the  Indian  tribes  north 
of  the  Ohio  against  the  English  forts,  from, 
Detroit  to  Ligonier.  Col.  Bouquet  was  dis- 
patched to  the  relief  of  the  forts  of  Westerni 
Pennsylvania.  He  raised  the  siege  of  Fort 
Ligonier,  and  marched  for  the  relief  of  Fort 
Pitt,  with  a-force  of  five  hundred  Scotch  high- 
landers  and  Colonial  volunteers.  On  August 
5,  17(53,  near  the  site  of  Harrison  city,  West- 
moreland county,  he  was  drawn  into  an  Indian 
ambuscade.  Darkness  saved  his  army  from  ter- 
rible defeat,  and  on  the  next  day  by  masterly 
strategy  he  drew  the  Indian  force  into  an  am- 
buscade, by  a  feigned  retreat,  and  finally  routed 
them  with  great  slaughter.  This  battle,  so  nearJy 
lost  on  the  first  day  by  the  carelessness^jand  ^o 
brilliantly  won  on  the  second  day,  by  tKtej 


terly  generalship  of  Col.  Henry  Bouqueij'^is 
classed  by  Parkman  (the  historian),  as  one  of  the 
"decisive  battles  of  the  worhl,"  for  mighty  Pon- 
tiac's  grand  dream  of  Indian  empire  was  wrecked 
when  his  warrior  hosts  were  crushed  and  scattered 
at  Bushy  Run. 

Early  Settlements. — With  the  army  of  Forbes- 
came  the  first  settlers  of  Westmoreland  county. 
Many  of  them  located  at  Fort  Ligonier,  without 
any  legal  right  to  the  soil  but  tiiat  of  possession, 
and  were  reinforced  tiie  next  year  by  quite  a 
number  of  Forbes'  soldiers,  who  settled  by  mili- 
tary permit.  One  of  the  earliest  settlements  in 
the  county,  after  the  one  at  Fort  Ligonier,  was 
made  by  Andrew  Byerly  (see  sketch  of  C. 
Cribbs,  in  this  volume)  in  1759,  on  Bush  creek,^ 
now  in  Penn  township.  His  military  permit 
was  for  two  hundred  and  thirty-six  acres.  As 
to  who  was  the  first  settler,  history  is  silent  and 
tradition  fails  to  supply  the  name.  The  earliest 
settler  of  whom  we  can  find  any  trace  was 
Joseph  Hill,  who  settled  in  llostraver  township^ 
in  1754.     Among  those  who  came  in  1758    were- 


20 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


George  Wendell  and  his  son  Peter  Wendell. 
In  1759,  Andrew  Byerly  and  Robert  Ilanna 
were  west  of  Fort  Ligonier.  Among  those  who 
settled  from  17G1  to  1709,  were  Matthias  Cowan 
and  Abner  Gray,  17G1 ;  John  Pomeroy,  1702  ; 
James  Wilson,  1763 ;  Gen.  Alexander  Craig 
and  Capt.  John  Shields,  1766;  James  Pollock, 
Robert  Campbell,  Richard  AVallace,  Frederick 
Roher,  and  Capt.  James  Christy,  between  1766 
and  1769.  On  April  3,  1769,  the  Pennsylvania 
land  office  was  opened  to  receive  applications  to 
take  up  land  in  what  is  now  known  as  West- 
moreland county.  Many  tracts  of  land  were 
taken  and  settlers  came  in  rapidly,  until  1768, 
when  Pontiac's  war  drove  them  into  the  forts, 
and  stopped  further  settlement  until  1765.  For 
the  next  decade  settlers  came  into  every  section 
of  the  county,  and  then  the  westward  tide  of 
emigration  received  a  second  check  by  the 
opening  of  the  war  of  the  Revolution. 

naty  Formation. — Westmoreland  county 
treated  by  an  Act  of  the  Legislature  on  Feb- 
ruary 26,  1773,  and  was  described  as  having 
been  "  that  part  of  Bedford  county  lying  west 
of  the  Laurel  Hill."  The  new  county  began 
"where  the  most  westerly  boundary  lino  of  the 
Youghiogheny  crossed  the  boundary  line  of  the 
province ;  thence  down  the  eastern  bank  of  the 
river  till  it  crossed  Laurel  Hill,  which  it  fol- 
lowed north-eastward  till  it  runs  into  the  Alle- 
gheny mountains ;  and  these  it  followed  along 
the  ridge  dividing  the  Susquehanna  from  the 
Allcheny  river  to  the  purchase  line  at  the  head 
of  the  Susquehanna  river ;  from  the  same  due 
west  to  the  limits  of  the  province ;  and  by  the 
same  to  the  place  of  beginning."  The  territory 
of  the  new  county  before  it  was  stricken  oft'  from 
Bedford  was  included  in  eight  townships:  Arm- 
strong, Fairfield,  Ilempfield,  Mount  Pleasant, 
Pitt,  Rostraver,  Spriughill,  and  Tyrone.  The 
first  court  of  Westmoreland  county  met  at  Han- 
nastown,  on  April  6,  1773,  and  created  three 
additional  townships :  Donegal,  Huntingdon 
and    Manillin.       Mississiniwa     township     was 


erected  March  16,  1847,  and  was  annulled  in 
1850.  The  county  now  contains  twenty-three 
townships  and  twenty-four  boroughs.  The 
courts  were  held  at  Ilannastown  until  it  was 
burned  by  the  Indians  in  1782,  and  then  for 
five  years  at  Robert  Ilanna's  house.  Ilannas- 
town had  a  round  log  jail,  a  whipping  post  and  a 
pillory.  In  1787,  Newtown  or  Greensburg  be- 
came the  county-seat. 

Public  Buildings. — The  first  court-house  was 
at  Ilannastown  ;  the  second  court-house  was  a 
one-story  brick  house  at  Greensburg.  The  next, 
or  the  "old  court-house,"  was  a  two-story  brick 
building,  erected  about  1795  or  '96,  and  was 
torn  down  in  1854  to  make  room  for  the  present 
stone  and  brick  court-house,  which,  in  connec- 
tion with  a  jail,  cost  about  §100,000,  and  has 
been  occupied  as  a  temple  of  justice  since  1856. 
The  first  jail  at  Greensburg  was  small  and  insig- 
nificant ;  the  next  one,  a  plain  two-story  brick 
building,  was  not  much  of  an  improvement  on 
its  predecessor,  and  stood  until  late  years,  when 
it  was  torn  down  to  make  room  for  its  successor, 
the  present  fine  brick  architectural  structure, 
which  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  many  thousand 
dollars,  and  is  one  of  the  finest  jails  in  the  State. 
The  first  poor  house  was  erected  in  1850,  on  a 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  eight  acres  of  land, 
which  was  bought  of  William  Snyder,  of  Hemp- 
field  township,  for  §6,000.  It  was  a  brick 
building,  cost  §9,000,  and  was  destroyed  by  fire 
on  August  20,  1862.  It  was  rebuilt  at  an  ex- 
pense of  §(5,000,  and  in  its  turn  was  destroyed 
by  fire.  The  present  county  poor-house  is  a 
fine  and  tasteful  three-story  brick  structure.  It 
was  built  near  the  site  of  the  old  one,  and  is 
two  and  one-half  miles  south  of  Greensburg,  at 
County  Home  station  on  the  South-west  railway. 

Boundary  Troubles. — The  Revolutionary  war 
not  only  checked  emigration,  but  it  also  arrested 
a  struggle  between  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania 
for  civil  supremacy  over  the  territory  of  West- 
moreland county  that  threatened  to  end  in 
bloodshed.      Virginia    claimed    all    of    Western 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


Pennsylvania,  and  in  177G  embraced  it  in  lier 
counties  of  Ohio,  Monongalia  and  Youghioglicny, 
which  she  created  in  that  year.  Often  the  same 
tract  of  land  was  in  dispute  between  two  rival 
claimants,  one  armed  with  a  Pennsylvania  war- 
rant and  the  other  holding  a  Virginia  certificate. 
The  noted  John  Connolly  attempted  several 
times  to  take  possession  of  liannastown  and  the 
surrounding  country  as  a  part  of  Youghiogheny 
county,  Va.,  but  was  foiled  and  defeated  in  every 
instance  by  Gen.  Arthur  St.  Clair.  The  Revo- 
lution engaged  the  attention  of  both  provinces 
to  the  exclusion  of  everything  else,  and  in  1779 
Pennsylvania  and  Virginia  commissioners  met 
at  Baltimore  and  settled  the  claim  of  disputed 
territory  by  establishing  Mason  and  Dixon's 
line  as  the  boundary  between  their  respective 
colonies,  which  gave  the  territory  in  contest  to 
the  "  Quaker"  colony. 

Settlers'  Forts. — In  1774  Dumore's  war 
alarmed  the  settlers,  and  petitions  containing 
four  hundred  and  thirty  names  were  sent  from 
Westmoreland  to  the  Governor  of  Pennsylvania 
asking  for  aid.  The  following  forts  and  block- 
houses were  built  in  the  county  from  177-1  to 
1778:  Forts  Shippen,  Allen,  Wallace,  Barr, 
Palmer,  Walthour,  McDowell  and  Miller;  block- 
houses, Rughs,  Williams,  Carnahans,  Shields, 
Teague  Island  and  Markles. 

Revolutionary  War. —  The  rifle  shots  on 
"Lexington  Common"  awoke  patriotism  in  the 
hearts  of  the  Westmoreland  pioneers,  whose  an- 
swer WHS  cmiihatically  given  in  tiie  liannastown 
Declaration  of  Independence.  It  was  made  on 
the  16th  of  May,  1775,  and  in  the  form  of  reso- 
lutions condemned  the  system  of  English  tyranny 
imposed  on  Massachusetts,  and  declared  that 
Westmorelanders  "  would  oppose  it  with  their 
lives  and  fortunes."  The  inhabitants  of  West- 
moreland at  this  general  meeting  also  resolved 
to  form  themselves  into  a  military  body,  to 
consist  of  several  companies,  and  to  be  known 
as  the  "Association  of  Westmoreland  county." 
This   regiment   of  Westmoreland   Associations 


was  organized  under  Col.  Proctor,  and  most  of 
its  members  afterwards  served  in  different  Penn- 
sylvania regiments,  and  fought  in  nearly  all  the 
battles  of  the  Revolution.  \Yestraorelanders  were 
with  Arnold  amid  the  snows  of  Canada,  sufiered 
untold  privations  at  Valley  Forge,  were  with 
Washington  at  Trenton  and  Princeton,  won  im- 
perishable renown  at  Saratoga  under  Arnold  and 
Morgan,  fought  with  Wayne  at  Stony  Point, 
and  were  at  Yorktown.  Six  companies  were 
enlisted  in  Westmoreland  county  for  the  Con- 
tinental army.  Their  captains  were :  John 
Nelson,  William  Butler,  Stephen  Bayard,  Joseph 
Erwin,  James  Carnahan  and  Matthew  Scott. 
Seven  of  the  eight  companies  of  the  Eighth 
Pennsylvania  were  raised  in  the  county.  This 
regiment  was  organized  in  July,  1776,  to  pro- 
tect the  western  frontier,  but  in  three  months 
was  called  to  the  front,  served  under  Wash- 
ington and  Gates,  and  in  1778  were  sent  to  Fort 
Pitt  for  the  defense  of  the  western  frontiers. 
Gen.  Arthur  St.  Clair  was  the  leading  character 
of  Westmoreland  county  in  the  Revolutionary 
war,  while  prominent  among  her  many  brave  sons 
in  that  great  struggle  were  :  Lieut.  John  Hardin, 
afterwards  Gen.  John  Hardin,  of  Kentucky, 
Capts.  Van  Swearingen  and  David  Kilgore. 

Lochry's  Expedition. — In  the  spring  of  1781 
Gen.  Rogers  Clarke  proposed  to  lay  waste  the 
Ohio  Indian  country,  and  thus  protect  the  fron- 
tiers of  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia.  The  Penn- 
sylvania authorities  ordered  Col.  Archibald 
Lochry  to  raise  fifty  volunteei"s  in  Westmore- 
land county  and  join  Clarke's  forces.  Lochry 
collected  one  hundred  and  seven  men  at  Car- 
nahan's  block-house,  eleven  miles  northwest  of 
liannastown.  He  had  two  companies  of  rang- 
ers, commanded  respectively  by  Capt.  Thomas 
Stokely  and  Capt.  Samuel  Shearer,  and  one 
company  of  horse  under  Capt.  Charles  Camp- 
bell. On  July  25,  1781,  Col.  Lochry  departed 
to  join  Clarke  at  Wheeling,  then  Fort  Henry. 
Arriving  there  he  found  Clarke  gone,  and  ac- 
cording to  orders  left  by  the  General,  proceeded 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


down  the  Ohio  river,  but  did  not  overtake  him. 
Gen.  Chirke  had  failed  to  receive  troops  from 
Kentucky,  and  was  corapelled  to  push  rapidly 
down  the  Oiiio,  as  his  men  were  (ieserting  in 
considerable  numbers.  Locliry's  force,  wiicn  it 
arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kanawha  river,  was 
nearly  out  of  provisions  and  needed  ammunition. 
Lochry  sent  four  men  in  a  boat  to  overtake 
Clarke  and  notify  him  of  their  condition.  The 
Indians  captured  these  men,  learned  from 
Lochry's  letter,  which  they  carried,  of  his  des- 
titute condition,  and  made  preparations  to  at- 
tack him.  On  the  24th  of  August  Lochry 
landed  at  the  inlet  of  a  creek  on  the  Ohio  river, 
some  nine  miles  below  the  mouth  of  the  Muskin- 
gum. He  was  here  attacked  by  the  Indians,  and 
a  desperate  encounter  ensued,  in  which  Lochry 
and  forty-two  of  his  men  were  killed  and  the 
remainder  of  his  command  taken  prisoners. 
The  Indians  held  these  prisoners  until  1783, 
when  they  were  ransomed  by  the  British  in 
Canada  and  exchanged.  But  more  than  half 
of  Lochry's  command  never  returned  to  Penn- 
sylvania, and  Westmoreland  county  lost  over 
fifty  of  her  bravest  sons  by  that  unfortunate 
expedition. 

Crawford's  Expedition. — In  May,  1782,  Col. 
William  Crawford  led  an  expedition  of  four  hun- 
dred and  eighty  men  against  the  Ohio  Indians. 
In  May,  1782,  his  force  was  attacked  on  the  San- 
dusky plains  by  the  Indians  and  badly  de- 
feated. Col.  Crawford  was  captured  and  burned 
at  tiio  stake.  His  men  were  from  what  is  now 
Fayette  and  Washington  counties,  and  his  home 
was  near  the  site  of  Connellsville,  Pa. 

Burning  of  Hannaitotvn. — From  1781  to 
1783  was  the  midnight  period  in  the  early  his- 
tory of  Westmoreland  county.  It  seems  that  in 
the  summer  of  the  latter  year,  that  the  British, 
in  Canada,  projected  an  expedition  against  Fort 
Pitt,  in  which  they  were  joined  by  a  considerable 
force  of  Indians  and  a  large  number  of  Tories. 
A  report  of  reinfoi'cements  at  Fort  Pitt  deterred 
them  from  an  attack  on  that  place,  and  several 


small  bodies  were  detached  from  the  main  force 
against  defenseless  points  along  the  western 
frontiers.  One  of  these  detachments,  numbering 
about  one  hundred,  and  composed  of  Tories  and 
Indians,  was  sent  against  Ilannastown.  On 
Saturday,  July  13,  1782,  this  mongrel  band 
arrived  at  Michael  Iluflnagle's,  about  one  and 
one-half  miles  north  of  Ilannastown,  where  the 
settlers  had  gathered  on  that  day  to  cut  Iluff- 
nagle's  harvest.  The  Indians  were  discovered 
in  time  for  the  settlers  to  make  good  their  escape 
to  the  fort  at  Ilannastown.  Tradition  has  sug- 
gested, but  history  is  silent,  as  to  who  the  leaders 
of  the  Tories  and  Indians  were.  By  the  time 
the  renegades  and  Indians  arrived  at  Ilannas- 
town, the  court,  which  was  in  session  that  day, 
and  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  town,  were  safely 
within  the  palisades  of  the  fort.  The  exas- 
perated enemy  set  fire  to  Ilannastown,  which 
consisted  of  about  thirty  log  houses  and  cabins. 
All  the  buildings  were  burned,  except  Robert 
Ilanna's  and  another  house,  which  stood  close  to 
the  stockade.  Within  the  fort  were  twenty  men, 
who  had  only  nine  guns ;  without,  one  hundred 
savages  and  Tories,  who  were  well  armed. 
Foiled  in  their  attempt  to  surprise  the  place, 
they  invested  the  stockade,  and  sent  out  a  party 
of  forty  or  fifty,  who  surprised  and  captured 
Miller's  block-house.  Burning  the  block-house 
and  surrounding  cabins,  they  returned  with 
several  prisoners.  None  of  the  inmates  of  the 
stockade  fort  were  killed  or  wounded  by  the 
desultory  fire  of  the  force,  except  Margaret 
Shaw,  who  lost  her  life  in  rescuing  a  child 
which  was  crawling  toward  the  stockade  pickets 
(see  sketch  of  S.  W.  Shaw).  In  the  evening  the 
enemy  fixed  their  camp  in  the  Crabtree  hollow, 
where  they  killed  one  prisoner  and  made  the 
others  run  the  gauntlet.  During  the  night 
thirty  men  from  George's  station  succeeded 
in  approaching  and  entering  the  Ilannastown 
fort.  Capt.  Matthew  Jack  and  David  Shaw 
risked  their  lives  in  notifying  the  settlers  outside 
the  forts.     Toward  morning  the  Indians  became 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


23 


apprelicnsive  of  tlieir  retreat  being  cut  oil"  by 
forces  from  Fort  Ligonier,  and  tied.  Tliey  killed 
Capt.  Brownlee  and  several  of  their  captives 
during  llioir  retreat.  'J'liey  crossed  the  iviski- 
4iiinetiis  near  the  site  of  Apollo,  and  distanced 
the  pursuit  of  the  whites.  1'liey  took  about 
twenty  prisoners,  and  killed  over  one  hundred 
head  of  cattle,  with  a  loss  of  only  two  warriors, 
who  were  shot  at  Ilannastown.  The  Indians 
traded  their  scalps  and  prisoners  to  the  British 
in  Canada.  The  prisoners  were  afterward  ex- 
changed and  returned  to  Westmoreland  county. 
Ilannastown  made  the  first  protest  against 
British  tyranny,  and  was  really  the  last  battle- 
field of  the  Revolution. 

ITarmar's  Defeat. — From  1782  to  1784  the 
settlers  west  of  Chestnut  ridge,  in  AVestmore- 
land  county,  planted  no  crops  and  were  gathered 
into  the  frontier  forts  and  block-houses.  From 
1784  to  1790  was  a  period  of  peace  in  West- 
moreland, and  many  settlers  came  into  the 
county.  In  1790  Gen.  Ilarmar  collected  one 
thousand  one  liundred  and  thirty-three  militia, 
and  marched  from  the  site  of  Cincinnati  toward 
Miami  to  punish  the  Indians  for  their  continued 
depredations  in  Ohio.  In  October  he  was  at- 
tacked and  badly  defeated,  with  a  loss  of  two 
hundred  men  and  half  his  horses.  One  of  his 
bravest  ollicers  was  Col.  Christopher  Truby,  of 
(ircensljurg. 

Saint  ('lair's  Defeat. — Tho  next  year  Gen. 
Saint  Clair  set  out  with  two  thousand  men  to 
r<Urii>vo  llarniar's  failure,  but  at  tho  battle  of  the 
Wabash,  on  Noveudior  4,  1791,  he  siilVereil  a 
.terrible  defeat  at  tho  hands  of  tho  Indians,  by 
which  he  lost  over  seven  hundred  men  and  his 
artillery.  One  company  of  Westmoreland  mi- 
litia was  in  his  army  and  fought  very  creditably 
in  this  disastrous  battle. 

Last  Indian  Trouldcs. — Tho  success  of  the 
Indians  in  Ohio  emboldened  the  tribes  along  the 
Allegheny  river,  and  the  northern  part  of  West- 
moreland county  was  frequently  raided  by  war 
parties  from  1790  to  1795.     During  this  period 


ranger  and  militia  companies  were  stationed  at 
the  forts  and  blockhouses  through  the  northern 
parts  of  the  county.  In  179-  a  party  of  Corn- 
planter  Indians  came  into  Derry  township, 
where  they  killed  Mrs.  Mitchell  and  took  her 
son  Charles  prisoner.  In  the  same  year  they 
captured  Massy  Harbison,  whose  captivity  and 
sufl'erings  have  so  often  been  related  in  the  his- 
tories of  the  frontier. 

Wayne's  victory  at  the  battle  of  the  Fallen 
Timbers  forever  broke  the  Indian  power  and 
gave  peace  to  the  Westmoreland  frontier. 

Whiskey  Insurrection. — The  first  rebellion 
against  the  United  States  Government  was  the  . 
Whiskey  Insurrection  of  1794.  It  was  confined 
to  Fayette,  Washington  and  Allegheny  counties, 
Pa.,  and  Monongalia  and  Ohio  counties,  Va. 
(Now  West  Virginia.)  As  early  as  1785  Graham 
the  excise  collector  for  Westmoreland  county, 
was  driven  out  of  Greensburg,  and  in  June, 
1794,  John  Wells,  who  was  serving  in  the  same 
capacity,  was  captured  and  escorted  beyond  the 
county  line.  'William  Findley  and  many  other 
citizens  of  Westmoreland  were  prominent  in 
this  insurrection,  that  died  for  want  of  military 
leaders.  Its  undeveloped  elements  of  strength 
were  such,  that  Alexander  Hamilton  said  that 
it  endangered  the  foundations  of  the  newly  es- 
tablished republic,  and  that  Washington  pur- 
posed leading  in  person  against  it  an  army  of 
fifteen  thousand  men,  whose  divisions  were  com- 
manded by  his  ablest  generals  of  the  llevolution- 
ary  war.  On  October  22,  1794,  a  meeting  was 
hehl  at  Greensburg,  and  resolutions  were  passed 
by  the  citizens  present  to  yield  (jbedieiico  to  tho 
laws  of  the  country.  The  insurgents  dispersed 
before  the  United  States  army  arrived,  and  all 
of  the  guilty  participants  were  eventually  par- 
doned by  the  Government. 

War  of  ISIJ. — On  May  12,  1812.  Governor 
Snyder  directed  the  organization  of  tiie  I'enn- 
sylvania  militia  on  a  war  basis.  Westmoreland 
county  was  included  in  the  Thirteenth  Division, 
which  was  commanded  by  Major  General  David 


24 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


Marchand.  Westmorelanders  served  with  credit 
along  Lake  Erie,  at  Baltimore,  and  around 
Washington  city  ;  but  the  soldiers,  who  had  the 
opportunities  and  reflected  glory  upon  the 
county,  were  those  who  fought  under  Harrison, 
"  whose  trumpets  never  sounded  the  notes  of  re- 
treat." The  Greensburg  Rifle  Company,  com- 
manded by  Major  John  B.  Alexander,  distin- 
guished itself  at  Fort  Meigs,  where  one  day  it 
defeated  a  body  of  Indians  commanded  by  the 
mighty  Tecumseh  in  person.  It  also  fought  at 
Fort  Sandusky,  against  Proctor  and  Tecumseh. 
The  Westmoreland  troop  of  cavalry,  commanded 
by  Capt.  Joseph  Markle,  fought  gallantly  under 
Gen.  Harrison,  who  regarded  them  for  behavior 
and  military  appearance  as  the  first  troop  of 
United  Suites  volunteer  cavalry  in  the  North- 
western army.  Maj.  Alexander's  company  was 
forty- four  strong  And  Capt.  Markle's  numbered 
thirty-five.  There  were  other  soldiers  from 
Westmoreland  who  served  under  Harrison  be- 
sides those  in  these  two  companies,  but  their 
names  and  companies  could  not  be  secured  at 
this  writing. 

Pikes. — The  first  main  road  through  the 
county  was  the  Forbes'  military  road,  on  which 
was  built  Hannastown  and  Ligonier.  From 
1773  to  1782,  many  roads  had  been  cut  in 
different  parts  of  the  county.  In  1785  an  Act 
of  Assembly  was  passed  for  the  "State  Road," 
which  passed  through  the  villages  of  Ligonier, 
Youngstown,  Greensburg,  Adamsburg,  and  just 
south  of  the  site  of  Irwin.  This  road  with 
slight  variations  became  u  part  of  tiie  Harrisburg 
and  Pittsburg  turnpike,  which  was  created  by  an 
Act  of  Assembly  on  February  24,  1806.  This 
pike  was  the  great  road  of  the  county  until  the 
era  of  railways ;  it  is  generally  known  as  the 
Greensburg  turnpike.  The  "  Northern  turn- 
pike "  was  projected  but  was  never  made.  Its 
course  was  to  be  nearly  over  the  old  Frankstown 
road,  which  ran  through  New  Alexandria,  New 
Salem,  Newlandsburg  and  Murrysville. 

Pennsylvania  Canal. — In  1826  the  Legisla- 


ture provided  for  the  construction  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania canal  at  the  expense  of  the  State.  In 
1831  the  main  line  of  the  public  works,  from 
Philadelphia  to  Pittsburg,  was  completed  at  an 
expense  of  over  thirty-five  millions  of  dollars. 
The  Kiskiminetas  was  slacked,  and  in  1834  canal 
boats  ran  from  the  Quaker  to  the  Iron  city. 
Along  its  route  sprang  up  the  most  of  the  fol- 
lowing villages  of  Conemaugh,  Nineveh,  Flor- 
ence, Lockport,  Bolivar,  Blairsville,  Bairdstown, 
Livermore,  Saltsburg,  Leechburg  and  Freeport. 

Mexican  War. — When  war  was  declared 
against  Mexico  over  one  hundred  of  Westmore- 
land's favorite  sons  enlisted  in  the  armies  of 
their  country,  and  over  one-third  of  them  never 
returned  from  the  land  of  the  Montezumas. 
The  Westmoreland  Guards  were  raised  and  com- 
manded by  Capt.  J.  W.  Johnson.  They  became 
Co.  E,  second  reg..  Pa.  Vols.,  and  were  en- 
gaged in  all  the  battles  from  Vera  Cruz  to  the 
City  of  Mexico.  They  entered  the  service 
ninety- four  in  number  and  were  mustered  out, 
forty-four  men  all  told,  July  14,  1848.  Among 
the  noble  sons  of  Westmoreland  who  fell  fighting 
in  Mexico  were  Capt.  Simon  II.  Drum  and 
Lieut.  Richard  Johnson.  Six  natives  of  the 
county  served  in  the  Duquesne  Grays,  and  one 
of  the  number  was  Richard  C.  Drum,  now  Ad- 
jutant General  of  the  LTnited  States  army. 
Isaac  George  was  one  of  the  soldiers  in  Doni- 
phan's wonderful  march.  (See  sketch  of  Mr. 
George.) 

Early  Railroads.— On  April  18,  1846,  the 
Pennsylvania  Railroad  was  chartered,  and  on 
December  10,  1852,  the  first  train  ran  through 
from  Philadelphia  to  Pittsburg  by  way  of 
Greensburg.  This  road  runs  55.3  miles  through 
Westmoreland  county,  and  along  it  have  been 
built  the  towns  of  Derry,  Latrobe  and  Manor, 
and  a  score  of  prosperous  villages.  The  second 
railroad  in  tlie  county  is  the  Pittsburg  and  Con- 
nellsville  railroad,  which  was  opened  from  Lay- 
ton  station,  in  Fayette  county,  Pa.,  to  West 
Newton  on  May  7,  1855,  and  was  afterwards 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


continued  to  Robbins'  station,  wliere  it  passed 
into  Allegheny  county.  The  third  railroad 
■which  was  completed  in  Westmoreland  county 
is  the  Western  I'ennsylvania,  wliich  was  char- 
torud  February  U,  18iJ3,  as  tho  Northwestern 
Pennsylvania  railroad,  and  was  to  run  from 
Blairsville,  Indiana  county,  to  Freeport,  Arm- 
strong county.  Pa.,  by  nearly  the  route  of  the 
Pennsylvania  canal  along  the  northern  border 
of  Westmoreland  county.  The  company  build- 
ing the  road  failed  and  a  new  company  completed 
it  in  18G5,  as  the  Western  Pennsylvania  rail- 
road, under  a  charter  approved  March  22,  1860. 
The  opening  of  the  first  two  roads  and  the 
projection  of  the  third  inaugurated  a  new  era  in 
the  history  of  the  county,  whose  progress  was 
arrested  for  a  decade  of  years  by  the  breaking 
thunders  of  the  greatest  civil  war  of  modern 
times. 

The  Great  Civil  War. — One  week  after 
President  Lincoln's  call  for  troops  the  "  Old 
eleventh  regiment  Pennsylvania  Volunteers" 
was  organized,  and  in  it  were  two  companies, 
I  and  K,  which  were  recruited  at  Greensburg. 
In  the  eleventh  Pa.  Reserves  were  the  following 
Westmoreland  companies :  C,  recruited  at  La- 
trobe ;  E,  at  Latrobe  and  Ligonier ;  F,  at  Salem ; 

I,  at  Greensburg,  and  K,  at  Youngstown  ;  com- 
panies II  and  I  of  the  fortieth  regiment  were 
raised  in  the  county;  Co.  C,  eighty-fourth 
regiment,  was  recruited  in  the  Ligonier  valley ; 
Co.  E,  one  hundred  and  fifth  regiment,  was 
raised  in  tho  county,  besides  several  other 
companies,  which  are  given  below: 

The  following  companies  were  entirely  raised 
or  partly  recruited  in  Westmoreland  county  : 
Co.  I,  eleventh  regiment,  commanded  by  Capt. 
Richard  Coulter,  promoted  to  Brigadier-General, 
and  Capt.  W.  R.  Terry ;  Co.  K,  eleventh,  W. 
B.  Coulter,  II.  L.  Donnelly ;  Co.  C,  eleventh 
Reserves,  J.  J.  Bierer,  Absalom  Schall,  W.  S. 
Ellis  ;  Co.  E,  eleventh  Reserves,  J.  C.  McCurdy, 

II.  B.  Piper,  J.  J.  Briggs;  Co.  F,  eleventh 
Reserves,  D.  M.  Cook,  E.  II.  Gay,  J.  T.  Chal- 


fant;  Co.  I,  eleventh  Reserves,  G.  N.  Gribbs, 
J.  N.  Thomas,  A.  G.  Hopper;  Co.  K,  eleventh 
Reserves,  J.  B.  Keenan,  promoted  to  Major, 
John  Reed,  J.  B.  Lauffer;  Co.  G,  fourteenth; 
Co.  B,  twenty-eighth,  Robert  Warden,  W.  N. 
Jordan,  W.  C  Armor,  promoted  to  Major ;  Co. 
H,  fortieth,  D.  Kistler,  L.  A.  Jordan,  B.  A. 
Job ;  Co.  I,  fortieth,  T.  Spiers,  Eli  Wauga- 
man ;  Co.  F,  forty-first,  A.  G.  Oliver,  Chill  W. 
Ilazzard ;  Co.  K,  fifty-third,  W.  B.  Coulter,  G. 
C.  Anderson,  D.  B.  Wineland  ;  Co.  C,  sixty- 
fourth,  J.  J.  McCullough,  R.  D.  Martin,  N.  J. 
Ilorrel,  promoted  to  Major;  Co.  D,  sixty-fourth, 
George  II.  Covode,  promoted  to  colonel,  J.  T. 
Peale,  D.  P.  Smith,  J.  C.  Paul,  promoted  to 
Major ;  Co.  E,  sixty-seventh ;  Co.  F,  seventy- 
fourth,  G.  A.  McLain,  John  Kintner ;  Co.  C, 
eighty-fourth,  J.  M.  Logan,  J.  J.  Wirsing ; 
Co.  M,  one  hundredth,  D.  A.  Leckey,  pro- 
moted to  Major,  A.  B.  Campbell,  J.  L.  Mc- 
Feeters ;  Co.  B,  one  hundred  and  first,  W. 
S.  Ilarah  ;  Co.  E,  one  hundred  and  fifth,  Mingo 
M.  Dick,  promoted  to  Major,  J.  W.  Green- 
await,  C.  M.  Markle ;  Co.  F,  one  hundred 
and  thirty-fifth,  G.  C.  Mahon ;  Co.  B,  one 
hundred  and  thirty-sixth,  S.  S.  Marchand; 
Co.  B,  one  hundred  and  forty-second,  J.  G. 
Andrews,  D.  S.  Wilkins;  Co.  F,  one  hundred 
and  forty-eighth,  John  Markle ;  Co.  II,  one 
hundred  and  sixty-eightli,  J.  T.  Fulton;  Co.  I, 
ono  hundred  and  sixty-eighth,  James  Ilitch- 
man ;  Co.  K,  one  hundred  and  sixty-eiglith, 
J.  B.  Lauffer ;  Co.  I,  two  hundred  and  fourth, 
J.  C.  Hawk ;  Co.  E,  two  hundred  and  sixth, 
John  T.  Fulton,  promoted  to  lieutenant-colonel, 
C.  L.  Brant,  J.  S.  Coulter ;  Co.  E,  two  hun- 
dred and  eleventh,  AV.  Walter ;  Co.  II,  two 
hundred  and  eleventh,  M.  B.  V.  Harding ; 
Co.  I,  two  hundred  and  eleventh,  J.  W. 
Graham ;  Co.  K,  two  hundred  and  eleventh, 
J.  Henderson ;  Co.  II,  two  hundred  and 
twelfth,  M.  Leslie.  Besides  the  men  in  these 
companies  we  have  account  of  soldiers  from 
Westmoreland    in   the  western  armies,  and  in 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


thirty-seven  other  Pennsylvania  regiments  serv- 
ing in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  The  county 
furnislied  tlie  Union  armies  with  one  major- 
general — Jolin  W.  Geary  ;  two  brevet  brigadier- 
generals,  Kiciiard  Coulter  and  Tliomas  F.  Gal- 
highcr,  and  the  present  adjutant-general  of  the 
U.  S.  A.,  llichard  Coulter  Drum.  It  also  gave 
to  the  navy  Com.  John  Bonnett  Marehand  and 
many  gallant  seamen.  In  1862  the  county  fur- 
nished Governor  Curtin  with  four  companies  of 
militia,  which  were  used  in  guarding  the  State 
against  Lee's  threatened  invasion  of  that  year. 
In  1863  Westmoreland  raised  two  cavalry  and 
seven  infantry  companies  to  aid  in  repelling 
Lee's  threatening  invasion  in  the  east  and  to 
assist  in  the  capture  of  Morgan's  raiders  in 
Ohio.  The  companies  that  served  against  Morgan 
aided  materially  in  his  capture.  It  is  estimated 
by  those  who  know  that  two  thousand  soldiers 
of  the  late  war  were  from  Westmoreland  county, 
Pa.  Her  sons  fought  amid  the  clouds  on  Look- 
out Mountain,  and  were  with  Sherman  ii^  his 
"  ]\Iarch  to  the  Sea."  They  served  amid  the 
hills  of  West  Virginia  and  along  the  "  Southern 
Gulf,"  and  helped  to  capture  Morgan  and  his 
bold  raiders  in  Ohio.  Hundreds  of  them  joined 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  were  with  it  from 
Cedar  Mountain  until  the  sun  of  the  "  Great 
Hebellion"  went  down  at  Appomatto.x  Court- 
House,  when  Leo's  war-worn  veterans  grounded 
arms  to  the  "  Silent  Man  "  from  Galena. 

Connellsville  Ooke  Region. — In  1865  the  sol- 
dier WU.S  lost  in  the  citizen,  and  peace,  the  "glad- 
ness-giving (juecu,"  reigned  supreme  throughout 
the  land.  After  the  war  the  people  of  West- 
moreland county,  while  not  neglecting  their  great 
agricultural  resources,  yet  turned  their  attention 
largely  to  the  development  of  their  immense  coal 
beds  in  the  Connellsville  coking  belt.  In  1873 
the  Southwest  Pennsylvania  railroad  was  com- 
pleted from  Greentiburg  to  Scottdale,  and  from 
that  time  until  the  present  the  coke  industry  has 
increased  with  wonderful  rapidity.  The  num- 
ber of  coke  ovens  in  the  county  has  increased 


from  a  few  hundred  in  1873  to  many  thousands 
in  18'J0.  These  ovens  produce  the  typical  coke 
of  the  world. 

Murrysville  Natural  Gas  Field. — The  nat- 
ural gas  wells  in  the  Murrysville  and  Grapeville 
districts  are  conceded  by  geologists  to  be  the 
greatest  on  the  globe.  These  wells  have  given 
no  sign  of  failure  for  over  ten  years,  and  supply 
Pittsburg  and  many  towns  over  thirty  miles 
away.  The  abundance  and  cheapness  of  this 
gas  has  brought  steel,  iron  and  glass  works  to  the 
county,  and  has  increased  three-fold  its  volume 
of  business.  It  has  led  to  a  building  boom  in 
all  the  main  towns,  and  led  to  the  founding  and 
growth  of  Jeannette,  "  the  magical  city  of  glass," 
that  in  one  year  after  being  laid  out  numbered 
two  thousand  people. 

Recent  and  Phenomenal  Development. — To- 
day Westmoreland  is  one  of  the  most  prosperous 
and  rapidly  progressive  counties  of  the  State. 
Its  great  agricultural  resources,  its  large  bodies 
of  timber  and  vast  mineral  wealth  of  gas  and 
coking  coal,  iron,  rock  and  natural  gas,  have 
been  wonderfully  developed  within  the  last  de- 
cade. In  the  race  of  future  competition  West- 
moreland county  will  lead  and  be  in  the  front 
rank  of  the  progressive  counties  of  the  United 
States.  The  mineral  development  of  the  county 
and  the  growth  in  the  number  and  size  of  its 
vast  manufacturing  establishments  have  been 
marvelous  and  phenomenal.  From  1870  to 
1880  the  population  increased  20,000,  and  during 
the  last  decade  competent  authorities  estimate 
that  the  county  has  increased  from  75,000  to 
150,000  in  population. 

Towmhips. — The  eight  parent  townships  in 
1778  were:  Armstrong  (now  included  in  terri- 
tory of  Armstrong  county),  Fairfield,  Ilempfield, 
Mount  Pleasant,  Pitt  (Allegheny  county),  llos- 
traver,  Springhill  and  Tyrone  (now  in  Fayette). 
On  April  6, 1773,  three  townshi[)3  were  formed: 
Donegal,  Huntingdon  and  Manillin  (Fayette 
county.)  Since  then  the  following  townships 
have  been   erected:    Derry,   1775;    Wheatfield 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


(Intliuna  county),  1770;  Wharton  iind  Franklin 
(Fayette  county),  1781  ;  Franklin  and  Suioni, 
between  1785  and  1790;  Unity,  1789;  South 
Huntingdon,  1790;  Allegheny,  1795;  East 
Huntingdon,  1798;  Ligonier,  1822;  Loyal- 
haniia,  18;i3;  Sewickley,  18155;  Mississiniwa, 
1847,  and  disannulled  1850;  Burrcll,  1852,  and 
sub-divided  into  Upper  Burrell  and  Lower  Bur- 
rell,  1879;  Bell,  1853;  Cook,  1855;  Penn, 
1855  ;  and  Saint  Clair,  1856. 

Fairfield  Township. — One  of  the  sub-divi- 
sions of  Bedford  county  was  Fairfield  township, 
and  wlicn  it  became  a  part  of  Westmoreland 
county,  in  1773,  it  embraced  the  greater  portion 
of  the  Ligonier  Valley.  Out  of  its  original  ter- 
ritory has  been  carved  part  of  Ligonier  and  all 
of  Saint  Clair  township.  Fairfield  is  an  agri- 
cultural township.  Its  population  at  each 
census,  from  1810  to  1880.  has  been  as  follows: 
1,542,  1,757,  2,1 8U,  2,320,  2,560,  1,760,  1,797, 
and  in  1880  was  1,611,  including  Bolivar,  378  ; 
Fairfield,  119,  and  Lockport,  104.  In  1835 
there  was  seven  schools ;  now  the  township 
contains  thirteen  schools  with  five  hundred 
pupils. 

Jfcinpjiehl  township  is  situated  in  the  central 
part  of  the  county,  and  contains  a  large  amount  of 
farming  and  coal  land.  Its  early  settlers  were 
mostly  German  Lutherans.  Its  census  popula- 
tion from  1810  to  1880  has  been  as  follows: 
3,444,  3,885,  4,565,  4,772,  5,935,  5,668,  5,819, 
and  in  1880  was  6,286,  including  East  Greens- 
burg,  53;  (IrapcviUu,  !>2  ;  I'aiadise,  110;  Stan- 
ton, 118.  It  i.s  traversed  by  two  railways,  and 
among  its  promising  towns  are :  Paintersvillc, 
Middletown  and  Aroma.  The  township  has 
thirty-eight  common  schools  with  an  enrollment 
of  over  eijjhteen  hundred  pupils. 

Mt.  Pleasant  township  lies  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  county,  and  is  one  of  the  richest 
coke  townships  in  the  State.  It  was  early 
settled  and  has  always  been  wealthy  and  pop- 
ulous. Its  population  by  decades  from  ISIO  to 
1880  has  been:    1,780,   2,060,    2,381,  2,123, 


2,576,  2,690,  3,266  and  4,224.  It  has  nineteen 
seliools  with  about  twelve  hundred  pupils. 

Rostraver  township  is  the  extreme  south- 
western township  of  the  county,  and  the  name 
was  first  written  Rosstrevor.  It  is  a  fine  agri- 
cultural and  mineral  township,  and  its  farmers 
are  thrifty  and  prosperous.  Its  first  white  set- 
tler was  Joseph  Hill,  who  located  in  1755. 
Gen.  La  Fayette  was  highly  pleased  with  the 
reception  given  him  at  Lebanon  school  house, 
in  this  township,  in  1825.  The  population  from 
the  third  to  the  tenth  census  has  been  :  1,786, 
1,679,  1,721,  1,880,  2,087,  2.450,  2,786  and 
3,231.  The  township  had  six  school  houses  in 
1835,  but  now  has  seventeen  schools  and  about 
nine  hundred  pupils  enrolled. 

Donegal  township  is  the  southeastern  town- 
ship of  the  county,  and  originally  included  a 
portion  of  Fayette  county  and  Cook  township. 
The  chief  employments  of  its  people  are  agri- 
culture and  lumbering.  Its  population  at  the 
last  eight  census  has  been  :  2,147,  2,564,  2,052, 
2,261,  2,527,  1,389,  1,277  and  1,242.  It  has 
eleven  common  schools  with  an  enrollment  of 
over  four  hundred  pupils. 

Huntingdon  township  is  now  known  as  North 
Huntingdon  township,  and  is  the  parent  town- 
ship of  East  and  South  Huntingdon  townships. 
It  is  a  wealthy  and  populous  township.  It  is 
traversed  by  three  railways  and  contains  several 
important  towns.  At  the  last  eight  census  its 
population  has  been  :  2,345,  2,217,  3,170,  1,878, 
2,570,  2,798,  3,326  and  6,341.  Its  twenty- 
five  schools  have  an  enrollment  of  over  fifteen 
hundred  pupils. 

Den-g  toivnship  is  the  first-born  of  the  town- 
ship erected  by  Westmoreland,  and  is  situated 
in  the  nothcrn  part  of  the  county.  It  is  rich  in 
agricultural,  mineral  and  timber  lands,  and  is 
the  largest  and  most  populous  township  in  the 
county.  It  has  four  boroughs  and  a  large 
number  of  towns  within  its  borders.  Its  census 
population  since  1820  has  been :  2,380.2,301, 
3,890,  3,722,  5,567,  4,703,  5,264  and  6,909. 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


1;>. 


It  has  tliirty-two  schools  in  operation  with  an 
enrolhnent  of  over  fourteen  hundred  pupils. 

Franklin  township  is  in  the  western  part  of 
the  county,  and  contains  tho  wonderful  Murrys- 
villo  natural  gas  district.  The  township  waa 
settled  as  early  as  17G9.  At  each  census  from 
1810  its  population  has  been  as  follows  :  1,542, 
1,757,  2,1G8,  2,320,  2,560,  1,7G0,  1,797  and 
1,704.  It  has  thirteen  schools  and  over  five 
hundred  pupils  enrolled. 

Salem  township  is  north  of  Hempfield  town- 
ship, and  its  pioneer  settlers  were  of  English, 
Scotch-Irish,  German  and  Yankee  ancestry.  It 
is  heavily  underlaid  with  veins  of  coal.  Its 
population  by  decades  since  1810  has  been : 
1,518,  1,965,  2,294,  1,892,  2,065,  2,551,  2,578 
and  1,851.  Its  fourteen  schools  have  an  enroll- 
ment of  nearly  six  hundred  pupils. 

Unity  township  is  east  of  the  center  of  the 
county.  It  contains  vast  mineral  wealth,  and  is 
one  of  the  best  wheat  and  corn  producing  dis- 
tricts in  the  State.  The  Pennsylvania  R.  R. 
runs  through  it,  and  coke  plants  are  numerous. 
Its  population  by  the  last  eight  census  reports 
have  been  as  follows:  2,174,  2,436,  2,990,  8,003, 
4,152,  3,700  and  3,925.  In  its  twenty-seven 
schools  are  enrolled  over  one  thousand  pupils. 

Washington  township  is  one  of  the  three 
northwestern  townships.  Its  citizens  are  chiefly 
engaged  in  agriculture.  Heavy  veins  of  coal 
exist  in  the  central  and  southern  parts.  Tho 
census  reports  give  its  population  from  1810  to 
1880  «a  follows:  1,695,  1,478,  2,153,  2,004, 
2,076,  1,389,  1416  and  1,604.  Its  eleven 
schools  have  an  enrollment  of  about  five  hun- 
dred pupils. 

South  Huntingdo7i  township  is  in  the  south- 
western part  of  the  county,  and  contains  a  vast 
amount  of  coking  coal  besides  excellent  building 
stone  and  some  very  good  farming  lands.  By 
the  last  eight  census  its  population  has  been : 
1,656,  2,004,  2,294,  2,793,  1,470,  2,264,  2,210 
and  3,005.  Over  eight  hundred  pupils  are  en- 
rolled in  its  fifteen  schools. 


Allegheny  toivnship  is  in  the  extreme  north- 
west. The  northern  p;irt  abounds  in  coal,  and 
the  remainder  of  its  territory  is  specially  adapted 
to  agricultural  purposes.  Its  population  by  de- 
cades from  1820  has  been  :  1,888,  2,058,  2,642, 
3,329,  1,888,  1,710  and  2,050.  Its  fourteen 
schools  have  an  enrollment  of  nearly  six  hundred 
pupils. 

East  Huntingdon  township  is  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  county.  Its  surface  is  varied.  It 
is  entirely  underlaid  with  bituminous  coal.  Its 
pioneer  settlers  were  Scotch-Irish,  who  were 
succeeded  by  Germans  in  1790.  The  popula- 
tion of  the  township  by  the  last  eight  census 
has  been:  1,267,  1,383,  1,516,  1,776,  1,873, 
1,915,  2,134  and  4,404.  Its  schools  number 
sixteen  with  an  enrollment  of  over  one  thousand 
two  hundred  pupils. 

Ligonier  township  lies  between  Chestnut  and 
Laurel  Hill  ridges  in  the  historic  valley  of  the 
same  name.  It  is  pierced  by  the  Ligonier  rail- 
road, and  its  inhabitants  are  chiefly  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits.  Its  population  by  decades 
since  1830  has  been:  1,916,2,204,2,582,2,730, 
2,434  and  2,640.  Its  twenty-two  schools  enroll 
nearly  eight  hundred  pupils. 

Loyalhanna  township  is  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  county.  Coal  exists  in  abundant  quan- 
tities, and  its  inhabitants  are  chiefly  engaged  in 
farming.  Its  population  since  1840  has  been  as 
follows:  1,130,  1,258,  867,  814  and  848.  Its 
four  schools  enroll  nearly  two  hundred  pupils. 

Scwickh'y  township  is  in  tho  southwestern 
part  of  Westmoreland,  and  was  settled  at  an 
early  date.  Its  inhabitants  are  engaged  in 
mining,  manufacturing  and  farming.  Its  popu- 
lation by  decades  since  1840  has  been  :  1,573, 
1,689,  1,936,  2,372  and  3,457.  It  has  six 
schools  in  which  about  two  hundred  and  fifty 
pupils  are  enrolled. 

Burrell  township  is  now  divided  into  Upper 
and  Lower  Burrell  townships.  They  both  con- 
tain coal,  and  the  chief  occupation  of  their  people 
is  agriculture.     In  1860  Burrell  had  1,779  and 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


in  1870  1,819  of  a  population.  In  1880  Upper 
lUirrell  lunl  a  population  of  714  anil  Lower 
Burrell  of  940.  Tiie  former  has  six  schools 
with  nearly  two  hundred  pupils,  and  the  latter 
numbers  seven  schools  with  over  two  hundred 
pupils. 

Bell  township  is  in  the  northwestern  part  of 
Westmoreland,  and  was  settled  about  1769.  It 
contains  several  extensive  coke  plants  and  several 
large  brickyards  for  the  manufactureof  fire-brick. 
Its  population  in  18G0  was  901 ;  in  1870,  810 ; 
and  in  1880,  2,064.  It  has  seven  schools  and 
nearly  three  hundred  pupils. 

Cook  towniliip  is  situated  between  Ligonier 
and  Donegal  townships.  It  was  originally  a 
part  of  Donegal,  and  is  chiefly  adapted  to  farm- 
ing and  grazing.  Its  population  in  1860  was 
1,043;  in  1870,  878;  and  in  1880,  1,256.  It 
has  nine  schools  with  nearly  four  hundred  pupils. 

Penn  township  is  west  of  the  center  of  the 
county,  and  ranks  as  one  of  the  most  fertile 
portions  of  Pennsylvania.  It  contains  heavy 
bituminous  coal  veins  and  numerous  natural  gas 
wells.  Its  population  in  1860  was  2,109;  in 
1870,  2,424 ;  and  in  1880,  2,798.  In  its  nine- 
teen schools  are  enrolled  over  eight  hundred 
pupils. 

St.  Olair  township  is  in  the  extreme  north- 
eastern part  of  Westmoreland  county,  and  con- 
tains coal  and  building  stone.  It  is  the  last 
created  and  smallest  township  in  the  county. 
Its  population  in  1860  was  956 ;  in  1870,  777  ; 
anil  in  ISSO,  781!.  It  has  four  schools  with  an 
cnrolluu'iil  of  nearly  two  huinhcil  pupils. 

Boroayhs. — There  are  twenty-live  boroughs 
within  the  county. 

Greensburg  is  the  oldest  borough  in  the 
county,  and  is  noted  for  its  many  fine  and  costly 
churches.  It  was  established  by  an  Act  of  As- 
sembly passed  March  13,  1785.  In  1810  it 
had  685  of  a  population ;  in  1820,  770 ;  in 
1830,  810;  in  1840,  800;  in  1850,  1,051  ;  in 
1860,  1,388;  in  1870,  1,642;  in  1880,  2,500; 
and,  by  a  late  directory,  in  1890  it  had,  includ- 


ing East  Greensburg,  Bunker  Hill,  Ludwick 
and  other  suburbs,  a  population  of  8,003. 

Latrobe  borough  was  laid  out  in  1851  and 
incorporated  May  24,  1854.  In  1860  it  had  a 
population  of  758;  in  1870,  1,127;  in  1880, 
1,813;  and  is  now  estimated  to  have  between 
3,000  and  4,000  inhabitants. 

West  Newton  borough  was  incorporated  Feb- 
ruary 26,  1842,  and  in  1850  had  a  population 
of  771;  in  1860,  949;  1870,  819;  1880,  1,475. 

Irwin  borough  was  laid  out  in  1853,  and 
incorporated  November  14,  1864.  Its  popula- 
tion in  1870  was  833,  and  in  1880  numbered 
1,444. 

Scottdale  borough  is  one  of  the  most  flourish- 
ing and  progressive  railway  towns  of  south- 
western Pennsylvania.  It  was  laid  out  by 
Jacob  S.  and  Peter  S.  Loucks,  and  was  named 
in  honor  of  Col.  Thomas  A.  Scott.  It  was 
incorporated  February  5,  1874,  and  six  years 
later  contained  a  population  of  1,278.  It  now 
has  in  the  neighborhood  of  5,000  inhabitants. 

Mt.  Pleasant  borough  was  laid  out  by  Alex- 
ander McCready,  August  28,  1797,  and  was 
incorporated  by  an  act  of  Assembly  February 
7,  1828.  In  1840  it  had  554  population;  in 
1850,  534;  in  1870,  717;  in  1880,  1,197. 

Ligonier,  while  not  the  oldest  borough,  yet  is 
the  oldest  settled  place  in  Westmoreland  county. 
It  was  made  a  borough  by  an  Act  of  Assembly, 
April  10,  1834,  and  in  1878  became  the  eastern 
terminus  of  the  Ligonier  Valley  Railroad.  Its 
population  in  1840  was  294  ;  in  1850,  878;  in 
1870,  317;  in  1880,  635. 

Penn  borough  was  laid  out  in  1859  by  J.  II. 
Oliver,  and  was  incorporated  May  16,  1865. 
In  1870  it  had  a  population  of  820,  and  in 
1880,  604. 

Ludwick  borough  adjoins  Greensburg,  and 
was  incorporated  February  17,  1859.  Its  pop- 
ulation in  I860  was  299;  in  1870,  533;  in 
1880,  603. 

New  Florence  borough  was  laid  out  by  Judge 
Robert  Givens,  and   first  applied  for  incorpora- 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


tion  in  1805,  and  was  incorporated  prior  to 
1870,  when  it  contained  333  inhabitants.  In 
1880  it  had  a  population  of  532. 

I'arnasxus    l/orouc/h   was    I'lmndod    in    185lJ, 
'       and  incorporated  by  an  Act  of  Assembly,  April 
9, 1872,  and  eight  years  later  its  population  was 
520. 

New  Sidem  borough  was  laid  out  March  3, 
1811,  by  Thomas  Wilson,  and  was  incorporated 
by  an  Act  of  Assembly,  April  8,  1833.  The 
postoffice  is  designated  Delmont.  In  1840  the 
population  was  204  ;  in  1850,  299  ;  in  1870, 
448;  in  1880,  460. 

Bolivar   borough  was    a    canal  village,    and 
afterwards  became  a  railway  town.     It  was  in- 
corporated November  25,    1863.     In  1870  its 
population   was  298,  and   ten   years  later   had 
1/      increased  to  378. 

i  New   Alexandria   borough   was  laid   out   by 

Alexander   Denniston,  and   became   a  borough 

by  an  Act  of  Assembly,  April  10,  1834.     In 

.  ■       1870    its   population    305;    and   in    1880   was 

•      335. 

Youngstown    borough    is    one   of   the    oldest 

villages  in  the  county,  and  was  incorporated  by 

I      the  Assembly  by  Act  of  April   2,  1831.     Its 

population  in  1870  was  301;   and  in   1880  was 

394. 

North  Belle  Vernon  borough  was  founded 
many  years  ago,  and  became  a  borough  by  an 
Act  of  Assembly  passed  March  5,  1841.  In 
1850  its  population  was  263;  in  1870,  229; 
and  iu    1880,  199. 

JUadison  borough  is  in  Ilompfiold  township, 
and  was  incorporated  October  3,  1876.  In 
1830  its  population  was  199. 

Donegal  borough  is  one  of  the  old  towns  of 
the  Ligonier  valley,  and  was  incorporated  Sep- 
tember 20,  1867.  In  1870  its  population  was 
155,  and  in  1880,  183. 

Livermore  borough  was  laid  out  in  1827,  and 
named  for  John  Livermore.  It  was  incorporated 
February  13,  1865,  and  its  population  in  1870 
was  211;    In  1880,  164. 


Since  1880  the  following  five  boroughs  have 
been  established: 

Derry  borough  was  incorporated  October  15, 
1881,  and  had  a  pojmlation  of  777  in  1H80. 

Banker  Hill  borough  adjoins  Greensburg,  and 
had  a  population  of  327  in  1880. 

Cokcville  borough  is  in  Derry  township,  and 
had  a  population  of  566  in  1880. 

Jeannette  borough  was  laid  out  in  1888,  and 
its  population  is  now  between  three  and  four 
thousand. 

The  following  villages  are  returned  in  the 
census  of  1880,  with  the  following  population: 
Bridgeport,  635;  Webster,  560;  Westmoreland 
city,  527 ;  Suterville,  403 ;  South  Side,  484 ; 
Ilahntown,  432 ;  Texas,  410 ;  Wardentown, 
359;  Shafton,  343;  Paintertown,  299;  Pleasant 
Unity,  298  ;  Harrison  city,  247  ;  Saint  Clair, 
221;  Gibsonton,  180  ;  Salina,  172;  West  La- 
trobe,  159;  Spring  Garden,  153;  Millwood, 
147;  Circleville,  149;  Jacksonville,  132;  Grim- 
town,  129;  Fairfield,  119;  New  Stanton,  118; 
Paradise,  110;  Lockport,  105;  Kelleytown, 
99  ;  Grapeville  92  :  Paulton,  90  ;  Murrysville, 
81;  East  Greensburg,  53;  Stewardsville,  44 ; 
Ragentown,  33  ;  Perryton,  29  ;  Blairsville  Inter- 
section, 61  ;  Cooperville,  144  ;  New  Derry,  184. 

Political  historg. — The  political  history  of  a 
county  is  always  recorded  in  the  vote  cast  for 
presidential  candidates,  and  we  give  this  vote 
from  1828  to  1888,  excepting  eight  election  re- 
turns which  we  could  not  obtain. 
1828.  Democratic,  Andrew  Jackson,  8,419 
Nat.  Rep.,  John  Q.  Adams,  629 

1832.    Democratic,  Andrew  Jackson,         3,419 
Anti-Mason,  William  Wirt,  819 

1852.    Democratic,  Franklin  Pierce,  5,509 

Whig,  Winfield  Scott,  3,203 

1864.    Democratic,  Geo.  B.  McClellan,     5,683 
Republican,  Abraham  Lincoln,        4,084 
1868.    Democratic,  Horatio  Seymour,        6,360 
Republican,  Ulysses  S.  Grant,        5,285 
1872.    Republican,  Ulysses  S.  Grant,        5,412 
Dem.  and  Lib.,  Horace  Greely,      4,719 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


1876.    Democratic,  Samuel  J.  TilJen,        7,466 
Rep.,  Rutherford  B.  Hayes,  6,217 

1880.  Dem.,  Winfield  S.  Hancock,  7,975 
Uepublicaii,  James  A.  GarKold,      7,113 

1884.    Democratic,  (Jrovcr  Cleveland,        8,348 

Republican,  James  G.  Blaine,  8,340 

1888.    Republican,  Benjamin  Harrison,    0,927 

Democratic,  Groyer  Cleveland,        9,602 

The  greenback  voto  has   been:    1876,  Peter 

Cooper,   265 ;    1880,  James   B.  Weaver,   899 ; 

1881,  Benj.  F.Butler,  516;   and  18S8,  Alson 
J.  Streeter,  147. 

The  prohibition  has  been :  1884,  John  P.  St. 
John,  307,  and  1888,  Clinton  B.  Fisk,  430. 

The  following  residents  of  Westmoreland  have 
represented  the  district,  of  which  the  county  has 
been  a  part,  in  Congress:  William  Findley, 
democrat,  elected  in  1791,  1793,  1795,  1797, 
1803,  1805,  1807,  1809,  1811,  1813  and  1815. 
George  Plummer,  elected  in  1820,  1822,  1824. 
Richard  Coulter,  democrat,  elected  in  1826, 
1828,  1830  and  1832.  Albert  G.  Marchand, 
democrat,  elected  in  1840  and  1842.  Henry 
D.  Foster,  democrat,  elected  in  1844,  1846  and 
1870.  Joseph  II.  Kuhns,  whig,  elected  in  1850. 
Augustus  Drum,  elected  in  1852.  John  Covode, 
whig  and  republican,  elected  in  1854,  1856, 
1858,  1860,  1866  and  1868.  Jacob  Turney, 
democrat,  elected  in  1874  and  1876.  Welty 
McCullough,  republiean,  elected  in  1886. 

We  have  gathered  from  many  sources  the 
following  list  of  members  of  the  Legislature  of 
Pennsylvania  from  Westmoreland  county. 

Meiiibirs  I'cnnsylvania  House  of  Iieprescnt- 
atwes.—  lli)0,  William  Findley.  1791-93, 
Christian  Lobeinger.  1812-18,  George  Plum- 
mer.    1816-19,  Richard  Coulter. 

From  old  papers  we  get  the  following  mem- 
bers: 1830,  J.  C.  Plummer.  1831,  James 
Findlay.  1834,  James  Findlay  and  John  B. 
Alexander.  1844-47,  J.  M.  Burrell.  1848- 
50,  H.  P.  Laird.  1850,  L.  L.  Bigelow.  1851- 
52,  L.  L.  Bigelow  and  Joseph  GutTey.  1853- 
54,  W.  A.  Cook  and  Benj.  Byerly. 


From  Smull's  Legislative  Hand  Book  we 
compile  the  folowing  names  of  members  :  1860, 
J.  W.  Coulter  and  J.  R.  McGonigle;  1861, 
James  Taylor  and  J.  R.  Mclionigle;  1862-63, 
Richard  (.Jraliaiii  and  S.  Wakefield;  1864,  John 
W.  Riddle  and  John  Hargnett ;  1865-66,  J.  R. 
McAfee  and  James  McElroy ;  1867-68,  T.  F. 
Gallagher;  1869,  A.  C.  Hamilton  and  James 
A.  Hunter;  1870,  J.  F.  Kreps  and  A.  M. 
Fulton;  1871,  A.  M.  Fulton  and  11.  B.  Piper; 
1872-73,  A.  Greenawalt  and  John  Latta;  1874, 
James  L.  Toner;  1875,  Thompson  McLean  and 
H.  B.  Piper;  1877-78,  W.  J.  K.  Kline,  William 
Donnelly  and  John  Ilugus ;  1879-80,  E.  C. 
Leighty,  J.  S.  Warden  and  A.  M.  Marker; 
1881-82,  R.  S.  Robinson,  James  S.  Marshall 
and  II.  C.  Akerman  ;  1883-84,  Joseph  Smith, 
J.  A.  Bennett  and  J.  J.  Bierer;  1885-86,  T. 
J.  AVilliams,  Mingo  M.  Dick  and  Robert  Dudley; 
1887-88,  James  S.  Beacom  and  Edward  Calla- 
ghan  ;  1888-89,  George  P.  Blackburn,  A.  H. 
Mcchesney  and  John  G.  Foight.  Surprising  as 
it  may  seem,  Smull's  Hand  Book  makes  many 
glaring  mistakes,  and  some  of  the  above  names 
and  dates  may  be  wrong. 

We  do  not  give  lists  of  judges,  sheriffs,  etc., 
as  they  are  to  be  found  in  Dallas'  History  of 
Westmoreland  county.  At  the  present  time 
Westmoreland  county  is  in  the  Twenty-first 
Congressional  District  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
constitutes  the  Tenth  Judicial  and  the  Thirty- 
ninth  Senatorial  District.  Tiie  county  has 
ninety-four  polling  precincts  and  cast  19,676 
votes  in  1888. 

The  Press,  as  an  institution,  when  it  falls  into 
the  hands  of  men  competent  to  make  it  discharge 
its  duty  fully  and  properly,  is  a  most  important 
factor  in  the  advancement  of  any  county.  The 
pioneer  of  the  Westmoreland  county  press  was 
the  Fanner's  Rei/istcr,  which  was  established  at 
Greensburg,  in  1798,  by  a  man  by  the  name  of 
McCorkle,  and  edited  by  John  M.  Snowden. 
It  was  democratic.  The  first  federalist  paper 
was    the    Greensburg    Gazette,    established    in 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 


1818.     From  the  first  named  paper  the    We8t- 
.moreland  Democrat  (sec  sketch  of  B.  F.  Vogcl) 
traces  its  history,  and  from  the  otlier  the  Tribune 
and  Herald  traces  the  history  of  its  press. 

The  Penmylvania  Argus  was  established  in 
1831  (see  sketch  of  James  M.  Laird). 

Frank  Cowan's  Paper  ran  from  May  22, 
1872  to  1875. 

The  Greensburg  Press,  a  weekly  Republican 
paper,  and  the  Evening  Press,  a  daily  Indepen- 
dent paper,  were  established  respectively  May 
18,  and  June  16,  1881.  This  consolidation  is 
under  the  editorial  management  of  James  B. 
Laux.  The  Greensburg  Daily  and  Weekly 
Record  was  established  in  1886,  by  Darwin  Mu- 
sick  and  D.  P.  Stahl  (see  their  sketches).  In 
1888  the  Greensburg  ludependent  was  founded 
by  L.  F.  Armbrust  (see  his  sketch). 

The  first  paper  at  Mount  Pleasant  was  the 
Democratic  Courier,  which  was  started  in  1843, 
and  the  present  paper  at  that  place  is  the  Journal. 

The  Latrobe  Inquirer  was  issued  in  1861, 
■was  succeeded  by  the  Latrobe  Advance,  which 
was  started  August  6,  1873,  and  is  now  edited 
by  G.  B.  Fink.  Another  paper  is  the  Home 
News. 

The  Irwin  Spray  was  founded  August  20, 
1875.  Its  successor  was  the  Irwin  Chronicle, 
which  was  issued  in  1881.  The  present  paper 
is  the  Irwin  Standard. 

The  first  newspaper  of  West  Ncwtoii  was  The 

Weekly  Cycle,   which  was   published  in    1855. 

Tiic  ne.\t  paper  was  the    West  Newton   J'ress. 

'   Its  present  paper  is  the    Youghioylieny    Times. 

The  newspapers  of  Scottdale  are  the  Labor 

Tribune,   established   December  22,    1880  (see 

sketch   of  Hon.  J.   11.  Byrne),  and   the  Inde- 

,  ^   pendent,  founded  September  10,   1888,  by  W. 

L.  Kelley. 

^  ,^        The  Newsiiihn  name  of  a  sheet  published 

at   New    Florence.     The    jjresent  press   of  the 

,_;    county    comprise    three    dailies    and    fourteen 

weeklies. 

Churches. — Among  the  oldest    religious  de- 


nominations in  Western  Pennsylvania  is  the 
Presbyterian.  The  oldest  Presbyterian  church 
organization  in  Westmoreland  county  is  the  Mt. 
Pleasant  church,  whicli  was  organized  in  1775, 
and  the  first  Presbyterian  Sunday  school  was 
organized  in  1817,  at  Greensburg.  On  April  1, 
1889,  the  Presbyterian  church  membership  in 
the  county  was  five  thousand  two  hundred  and 
ten,  and  four  thousand  scholars  were  enrolled  in 
their  Sunday  schools. 

Reformed  Church. — The  first  church  was 
Ilarrold  congregation,  organized  in  Revolu- 
tionary days.  In  1881  there  were  twenty-five 
congregations  with  a  membership  of  three  thou- 
sand and  thirty-six. 

Evangelical  Lutheran  Church. — Their  first 
organization  was  Zion's  church  at  Harrolds, 
about  1772.  In  1881  there- were  twenty-six 
congregations  and  three  thousand  eight  hundred 
communicants. 

United  Presbyterian  Church. —  Their  first 
church  was  organized  between  1775  and  1793. 
In  1881  they  had  twenty-five  congregations  and 
over  two  thousand  communicants. 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  —  The  first 
Methodist  preaching  was  at  "Falls  Settle- 
ment "  in  Rostraver  township  in  1785.  Among 
the  early  ministers  were :  Revs.  Isaac  Conway, 
Valentine  Cook  and  John  Casper  Wirsing,  the 
latter  a  Iiighly  educated  and  famous  local 
preacher.  In  1881  there  were  sixteen  stations 
and  circuits  within  the  county. 

United  Rrcthrun  Church  was  established  prior 
to  1800,  and  eighty-one  years  later  numbered 
seventeen  churches  with  a  membership  of  one 
thousand  two  hundred  and  ninety-five. 

Mennonite  Church  has  declined  in  numbers 
since  its  early  introduction,  and  its  membership 
is  in  East  Huntingdon  township. 

Baptist  Church. — Salem  Baptist  church  was 
the  fourth  church  of  that  faith  organized  in 
Western  Pennsylvania,  and  its  first  meeting 
house  was  built  in  1792.  In  1881  there  were 
seven  strong  churches  in  the  county. 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


Cii/holic  Church. — Catholicity  was  fouiuled  at 
an  ciirly  diiy  in  \Vestern  Ponnaylvania,  and  in 
1787  five  Gcriiiaii  Catholic  families  settled  near 
Ori't'iisbury.  In  1881  there  were  ten  parishes 
in  Westmoreland  county  witli  a  meuibcrship  of 
llireo  thousand  eight  hundred  and  two. 

J'rotfstant  F/nncopal  Church  was  founded  at 
(in-oiislmrg  in  1818,  and  at  Latrobe  in  18rj2. 

The  dhurch  of  God,  at  Centre  Bethel, 
Stoiierville,  this  county,  was  organized  in 
November,  1831),  by  Elder  John  llickcrnell. 
•  I>iscijile  Church  was  organized  at  Greensburg 
in  1  ■''^'.l,  and  is  under  the  jiastoral  care  of  Rev. 
A.  M.  llarvuot. 

The  A.  M.  E.  Church  was  organized  at 
Greensburg  about  187ii. 

Hrhools  — The  old  subscription  schools  of  the 
county  were  as  good  as  any  of  their  class  in  the 
State,  but  to  provide  for  a  higher  education 
than  they  afforded  select  schools  and  academics 
were  founded  at  an  early  date.  In  these  acade- 
mies many  men  of  natural  ability  and  fine 
scholarship  taught  languages  and  the  higher 
brunches.  Greensburg  Academy  was  built 
in  1810,  and  Westmoreland  College  was 
founded  in  1849,  and  in  1871  was  incor- 
porated as  The  Western  Pennsylvania  Classical 
and  Scientific  Institute.  AVhen  the  common 
school  system  was  first  introduced  into  the 
county  it  met  with  considerable  opposition,  but 
it  soon  became  popular.  The  creation  of  the 
county  superiutendency  was  bitterly  denounced 
by  uiany,  but  all  now  realize  its  importance. 
We  give  below  the  names  of  those  who  have 
been  elected  to  that  office  in  Westmoreland 
county. 

Coutdy  Superintendents.     1S54-1S90. 

1851.  Rev.  Matthew  McKinstry,  West  New- 
ton. 

1855.  James  I.  McCormick,  North  Hunting- 
don township. 

1857.  J.  R.  McAfee,  Latrobe. 

18G0.   S.  S.  Jack,  rieasaiit  Unity. 


1863.  S.  S.  Jack,  Pleasant  Unity. 

18G6.  Joseph  S.  Walthour,  Greensburg. 

1869.   Henry  M.  Jones,  Salem  township. 

1872.   Henry  M.  Jones,  Salem  township. 

1875.  James  SiUiman,  East  lluntingilon 
township. 

1878.  Jacob  R.  Spiegel,  Greensburg. 

1881.  Jacob  R.   Spiegel,  Greensburg. 

1884.   George  H.  Hugus,  Salem  township. 

1887.   George  H.  Hugus,  Salem  township. 

The  first  teachers'  institute  was  the  "  West- 
moreland county  Teachers'  Association,"  which 
met  on  December  24, 1862,  at  New  Alexandria. 
The  "  Westmoreland  County  Teachers'  Insti- 
tute"  has  met  annually  since  1859.  Of  the 
number  of  common  schools  in  the  county  since 
1854  we  have  the  following  : 

1866,280;  1869,  312.;  1871,  321;  1873, 
329;  1875,  342;  1881,  398,  and  in  1888, 
464  ;  taught  by  265  male  and  205  female  teach- 
ers. The  schools  of  Westmoreland  are  in  a 
fiourishing  condition.  Greensburg,  Latrobe, 
Irwin,  ^Vest  Newton,  Mount  Pleasant,  Scott- 
dale,  and  Ligonier  have  fine  graded  schools  and 
excellent  courses  of  study. 

From  the  subscription  and  common  schools 
and  academic  institutions  of  Westmoreland 
county  have  gone  forth  many  distinguished 
ministers,  jurists,  politicians,  soldiers,  and  emi- 
nently successful  business  men. 

Banks. — There  is  but  little  account  pre- 
served of  the  early  financial  history  of  the 
county.  The  earliest  bank  of  which  we  find 
any  trace  is  the  "Bank  of  Westmoreland  "  at 
Greensburg.  It  occupied  the  site  of  the  present 
Barclay  Bank  and  did  business  as  early  as 
1816.  The  present  banks  of  Greensburg  are 
the  Barclay  Bank,  founded  in  1854  by  Thomas 
Barclay  ;  the  Greensburg  Banking  Company, 
which  was  organized  in  1874  by  Col.  George  F. 
Huff  and  several  others  ;  the  First  National 
Bank,  organized  in  1881,  and  the  Merchants' 
and  Farmers'  National  Bank,  which  was  also 
organized  in  1881.     The    First   National  Bank 


HISTORICAL   SKETCH   OF 


of  Mount  Pleasant  was  founded  in  18(34,  and 
tlie  Mount  Pleasant  ]5ank  was  organized  in 
1878  by  W.  J.  Ilitcliman  and  otiieis.  The 
Farmers'  and  Miners'  Deposit  Bank  of  Irwin 
came  into  existence  in  1877.  The  Citizens' 
Banking  Company  of  Latrobe  began  business 
in  1873,  and  the  Banking  House  of  \V.  S. 
Head  &  Son  was  organized  at  the  same  place 
in  1873.  The  Derry  Deposit  Bank  was  opened 
by  Amos  0.  Caven.  The  Banking  House  of 
M.  M.  Dick  was  established  in  18U7,  and  the 
bank  of  Jeannette  was  founded  in  1888.  Banks 
are  indispensable  to  business  men  and  essential 
to  the  progress  and   prosperity   of  any  town  or 


county.  The  fourteen  flourishing  banks  of 
Westmoreland  county  furnish  auiple  facilities 
for  the  transaction  of  the  immense  business  of 
the  county. 

C'enaiiS  Statistics. — The  total  population  of 
Westmoreland  county  at  each  United  States 
census  is  as  follows  : 

1790,  16,018;  1800,  22,726;  1810,  26,- 
392 ;  1820,  30,540  ;  1830,  38,500 ;  1840, 
42,699  ;  1850,  51,726  ;  1860,  53,304  ;  1870, 
58,699  ;  1880,  78,036. 

The  population  is  now  estimated  between 
125,000  and  150,000  people. 

Samuel  T.   Wiley. 


1909957 

Biographies 
mXestmoreland  County 


Greensbarg 


1  re 


O  «  .1 


■rvON.  WELTY  McCULLOUGH,  a  man 
I  J  of  great  natural  ability,  of  superior  legal 
(i)  attainments,  of  earnest  convictions,  of 
rare  independence,  and  who  deservedly  won  and 
modestly  wore  the  high  honors  of  political  life 
was  the  gentleman  wliose  name  heads  this  sketch. 
Welty  McCullough,  with  rare  ability,  well  rep- 
resented the  Twenty-first  Congressional  District 
fruiii  1M87  to  188!t,  and  u|i()n  him  was  bestowed 
the  couipliiiient  of  being  the  hundsoiiiesl  man  in 
the  Fiftieth  Congress. 

Welty  McCullough  was  the  eldest  son  of 
John  and  Kliza  (Welty)  McCullough,  and  was 
born  ut  Greensburg,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa., 
October  10,  1847. 

The  McCulloughs  and  Weltys  were  two  of 
the  oldest,  wealthiest  and  most  highly  respected 
families  of  Greensburg.  The  McCullough  fam- 
ily was  planted  in  Eastern  Pennsylvania  prior 
to  the  war  of  the  Revolution  by  John  McCul- 
lough, who  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent  and 
emigrated  from  tlie  north  of  Ireland.  He  had 
tliree  sons:  William,  James  and  John.  Tiie 
eldest  son,  William  McCullough  (grandfather), 


was  born  February,  1774,  and  died  November, 
1824.  He  was  a  resident  of  Cumberland  county, 
this  State,  where  he  married  Sarah  McBride, 
who  was  born  October  y,  1782,  and  died  April 
4,  1834.  They  reared  a  family  of  nine  children. 
His  second  child  was  John  McCullough  (father), 
who  was  born  October  12,  1803,  near  Neville, 
that  county,  and  died  at  Greensburg,  February 
18,  1884.  Ho  removed  in  early  life  to  Pitts- 
burg, where  he  remained  but  u  short  lime.  Ho 
then  came  to  Greensburg,  and,  on  May  13,  1845, 
married  Eliza  Welty,  who  died  December  18, 
1S82.  They  had  si.x  children,  of  whom  three 
arc  living.  Eliza  (Welty)  McCullough  was  the 
eldest  daughter  of  Jacob  Welty,  a  prosperous 
merchant,  who  was  born  September  lUth,  1791, 
and  whose  wife  was  Jane  Brady,  a  daughter  of 
James  Brady,  first  sheriff  of  AVestmoreland 
county,  and  one  of  the  old  and  honored  pioneer 
settlers  of  Western  Pennsylvania. 

Welty  McCullough  received  his  elementary 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  Greensburg, 
was  prepared  fur  college  at  Elder's  ridge  and 
Cannonsburg    acadamies,    entered    Washington 


3C 


BIOGRArUIES  OF 


and  Jeft'orson  college,  wliere  lie  reiuaiiieil  from 
18GG  to  ISGL),  an<l  then  went  to  Prineetoii  col- 
lege, from  which  fur-faiiieil  luiil  time-lionoreil 
iiiMtitiilioii  lie  was  gnuliiateil  in  .June,  1870. 
At  college  he  was  a  diligent  student,  made 
rapid  progress  in  his  studies  and  won  the  esteem 
of  his  professors  and  fellow-students  by  his  man- 
liness, generosity  and  kindness  of  disposition. 

lie  read  law  with  Judge  James  A.  Logan  and 
W.  II.  II.  Markle,  of  Greensburg,  was  admitted 
to  the  Westmoreland  county  bar  in  May,  187-, 
and  shortly  afterwards  to  the  bar  of  Allegheny 
county,  Pa.  After  admission  he  rapidly  built 
up  an  extensive  practice,  and  the  thorough 
knowledge  of  law  which  he  possessed,  and  the 
consummate  skill  which  he  displayed  in  con- 
ducting important  cases  soon  placed  liim  in  the 
front  rank  of  the  distinguished  lawyers  of 
Western  Pennsylvania.  He  was  in  partnership 
with  W.  11.  II.  Markle  at  Greensburg  from 
1872  to  1883,  and  in  1889  he  admitted  John  B. 
Steel  into  partnership  with  him,  which  lasted 
until  his  death.  He  had  a  large  practice  in 
Pittsburg,  acted  as  solicitor  for  the  Baltimore 
and  Ohio  railroad  company,  held  a  directorship 
in  several  other  railroads,  and  was  retained 
counsel  for  nearly  all  of  the  large  coal,  coke, 
and  manufacturing  companies  of  Westmoreland 
county. 

His  political  career  was  short  but  liigldy 
honorable.  In  188(i  lie  was  elected  to  Congress 
from  the  'I'wenly-lir.st  district,  then  composeii  of 
tiie  counties  of  NVe.stmoreland,  Fayette  and 
Green.  He  had  the  honor  of  being  the  only 
republican  who  ever  carried  that  strongly  dem- 
ocratic district,  and  served  in  the  Fiftieth  Con- 
gress with  satisfaction  to  his  constituents  of 
all  parties,  and  with  honor  and  credit  to  him- 
self At  the  expiration  of  his  term  in  Congress 
he  returned  to  Greensburg  and  resumed  his  law 
practice. 

On  the  13th  of  June,  1872,  he  united  in 
marriage  with  Ada  B.  Markle,  of  Greensburg. 
They  were  the  parents  of  two  children  :    Harry 


Markle,  now  preparing  for  college  at  Media,  Pa., 
and  Eliza,  wiio  is  three  years  of  age.  Mrs. 
McCullough  is  a  daughter  of  W.  II.  H.  Markle, 
who  was  born  near  Millgrove,  this  county,  Feb- 
ruary 3,  1823,  an<l  died  from  paralysis  at  the 
Girard  Hotel,  Philadelphia,  December  18,  1883. 
He  came  of  distinguished  ancestry,  of  a  sturdy 
stock  that  has  made  its  mark  in  the  county  and 
State.  (See  sketch  of  the  Markles.)  He  was.  a 
son  of  Jacob  and  Catharine  (Painter)  Markle, 
and  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Covode  Goodwin, 
and  when  he  died  left  one  child,  Ada  B.  (Mar- 
kle) McCullough.  He  read  law  with  Senator 
Cowan,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1847,  and 
was  successively  a  law  partner  of  Judge  Clark, 
Judge  Logan  and  Hon.  AVelty  McCullough. 
He  served  as  district  attorney  and  collector  of 
internal  revenue,  and  was  a  man  of  integrity, 
geniality  and  kindness. 

Welty  McCullough  had  won  his  way  into 
public  confidence  by  his  honorable  and  useful 
labors  in  Congress,  but  in  the  very  prime  of  life, 
with  the  certainty  of  a  distinguished  political 
career  before  him,  he  was  stricken  down  by  the 
hand  of  death.  On  the  morning  of  the  thirty- 
first  day  of  August,  1889,  in  his  forty-third 
year,  between  midnight  and  day-dawn,  standing 
on  the  margin  of  the  river,  lie  wrapped  his  man- 
tle about  him  and 

'  Willi  till.-  silent  boatman 
Cnissod  til  ihootlioi ■^lllll•l.■." 

His  remains  were  entombed  in  the  St.  Clair 
cemetery,  and  from  the  elociuent  and  impressive 
funeral  discourse  pronounced  on  that  sad 
occasion  by  the  Rev.  Morehead  we  extract: 
"  Welty  McCullough  was  endowed  by  his  Crea- 
tor with  a  strong  physique,  a  handsome  face,  and 
talents  of  a  high  order.  Few  indeed  have  been 
more  highly  favored.  He  would  not  feign  a 
friendship  he  did  not  feel,  nor  climb  to  place  and 
power  on  the  shoulders  of  people  whom  he  de- 
spised. He  was  honest  in  his  expression  of  opin- 
ion and  had  been  more  popular  had  he  been  less 
sincere.     The  circle  of  his  friends  was  not  very 


i  .1 


.    \ 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


wiile,  but  those  who  were  in  it  were  most 
devoteil.  A  sun  has  set  at  noon-day.  One 
whose  infancy  and  youtli  wore  crowned  with  as 
strung  and  tender  a  niotiier-iovo  as  ever  fell 
upon  a  human  heart — whose  manhood  was 
blessed  with  the  love  it  sought  and  all  that  do- 
mestic happiness  which  grew  out  of  it,  and  one 
whom  the  world  was  pleased  to  honor  now  lies 
all  unconscious.  Into  this  Gethsemane,  where 
whitened  lips  drink  grief's  bitter  cup,  may  the 
love  of  Christ  come  to  help  them  say  '  Thy  will 
be  done.'  " 

The  bar  of  Allegheny  county  passed  highly 
eulogistic  resolutions  of  the  worth  and  merit 
of  Welty  McCuUough,  and  the  Westmoreland 
county  bar  recorded  its  tribute  to  his  memory 
in  warm  and  glowing  terms  of  admiration  and 
respect.  The  press  of  this  county  spoke  in 
appropriate  terms  of  his  honorable  and  success- 
ful career.  The  great  Commonwealth  of  Penn- 
sylvania has  never  been  lacking  in  eloquent 
orators  to  speak  at  the  bar,  in  the  pulpit  and 
through  the  press,  of  the  virtues  and  services 
of  her  prominent  and  distinguished  sons,  and 
this  duty  was  willingly  rendered  and  well  per- 
formed for  Welty  WcCullough,  who  in  high 
official  place  worthily  maintained  the  ancient 
renown  and  the  lofty  faith  of  Pennsylvania. 


■fS  ON.  HENRY  S.  ACKERMAN,  ex-mem- 
|S^  ber  of  the  Pennsylvania  House  of  Repre- 
resentatives,  a  leading  music  dealer  of 
Greensburg  and  a  popular  citizen  of  this  county, 
was  born  in  Unity  township,  Westmoreland 
county,  Pa.,  April  9,  1845,  and  is  a  son  of 
Henry  and  Catherine  (Smith)  Ackerman.  His 
paternal  grandfather,  Philip  Ackerman,  came 
from  Germany  to  Westmoreland  county,  where 
he  married  Christina  Reed  and  settled  in  Unity 
township,  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  his  grand- 
son, Philip  Ackerman.  His  father,  Henry 
Ackerman,  was  born  on  his  fatlicr's  iiirm,  Feb- 
ruary 2,   18U1.     His  occupation  wa.s  farming. 


in  which  he  met  with  good  success.  He  was  a 
life-long  democrat,  cast  his  first  presidential 
ballot  for  General  Jackson,  never  desired  office, 
but  scrveil  onco  as  school  director.  He  was  a 
constant  member  of  and  fre(juently  served  as  a 
local  oiiicer  in  the  Lutheran  church  at  Youngs- 
town.  He  OAvned  a  good  farm,  enjoyed  the 
respect  of  his  neighbors,  and  lived  to  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  eigiity-four  years.  His  death 
occurred  April  5,  1885.  In  1828  he  married 
Catherine,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Smith,  of 
Derry  township.  They  were  blessed  with  nine 
children,  all  of  whom  are  living  in  Westmore- 
land county,  except  one  daughter,  who  resides  in 
Kansas. 

Henry  S.  Ackerman  attended  the  common 
schools  of  Unity  township.  He  left  the  farm 
and  agricultural  pursuits  and  learned  the  trade 
of  carpenter,  which  he  followed  for  nine  years. 
In  LsT'J  he  opened  a  music  store  opposite  the 
Zimmerman  House,  at  Greensburg,  this  county, 
and  has  built  up  a  large  trade  in  Westmoreland, 
Fayette  and  Indiana  counties.  He  has  four 
men  constantly  in  the  field  canvassing  for  his 
excellent  pianos,  fine  organs  and  other  first-class 
musical  instruments.  Mr.  Ackerman  also  hand- 
les the  White  sewing  machine. 

He  was  married  on  January  15,  1880,  to 
Mollie  C.  Weaver,  who  is  a  daughter  of  William 
Weaver,  of  Mt.  Pleasant  township,  this  county. 
They  have  no  children. 

Henry  S.  Ackerman  has  always  been  an  active 
democrat,  and  is  recognized  as  an  energetic  and 
efficient  worker  for  his  party  and  its  success. 
In  1880  ho  was  nominated  by  the  democrats  of 
Westmoreland  county  as  a  candidate  for  the 
Legislature  and  was  elected.  His  course  of  ac- 
tion while  serving  in  the  Legislature  was  straight- 
forward and  highly  honorable.  He  neither 
neglected  the  interests  of  his  constituents  nor 
was  unmindful  of  the  needs  of  the  State.  He 
introduced  some  measures  of  a  political  character 
which  was  promptly  voted  down  by  the  repub- 
lican majority.     Mr.  Ackerman  is  a  member  of 


40 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


tlio  Lutlieriui  cliuich.  lie  is  genial,  accom- 
inoUating  ami  popular.  His  remarkable  energy 
is  a  large  and  prominent  factor  of  his  signal 
success  in  business. 


^  E.  ALLSIIOUSE,  an  attorney-at-law,  is 
fe)]*  a  great-grandson  of  Henry  Allshouse,  who 
was  a  native  of  the  province  of  Alsace- 
Loraine,  a  much  disputed  territory  lying  be- 
tween France  and  Germany,  and  by  right  of 
con(juest  and  treaty  at  various  times  it  was  an- 
nexed to  both,  but  at  that  era  was  under  the 
dominion  of  France,  although  the  language  and 
customs  were  those  of  the  Germans.  He  came 
to  America  and  settled  in  New  Jersey  prior  to 
the  Revolutionary  war,  in  which  heroic  struggle 
for  liberty  and  independence  he  served  as  a 
soldier  throughout  almost  the  entire  contest ; 
having  been  carried  to  England  a  prisoner,  he 
effected  his  escape  and  returned  to  witness  the 
success  of  the  Colonists,  and  to  see  their  efforts 
crowned  with  victory  and  independence  in  the 
cause  of  right.  He  then  came  to  Pennsylvania, 
settled  in  this  county,  and  purchased  a  large  tract 
of  landjustnorth  of  the  presenttown  of  Jeannette. 
Here  he  resided  and  became  prominent  in  the 
county  and  a  conspicuous  figure  in  politics,  being 
elected  to  the  State  Legislature,  term  after  term, 
for  upwards  of  twenty  years.  He  was  twice 
married,  his  first  ivife's  name  being  Truxel, 
from  whom  sprang  several  children,  one  of 
whom  was  Isaac  Allsliouso  (gnuidl'alhcr).  After 
a  life  well  speut  he  died  at  the  ago  of  eighty- 
eight  years.  Isaac  Allshouse  followed  the  vo- 
cations of  tailoring  and  teaching  school.  His 
wife  was  Margaret  Miniam,  a  lady  of  French  ex- 
traction, beautiful  and  refined,  and  much  es- 
teemed in  her  neighborhood.  To  this  union 
were  born  four  sons  and  five  daughters.  Isaac 
Allshouse  died  at  tho  age  of  sixty-eight  years, 
but  his  wife  lived  to  the  ripe  old  age  of  ninety 
years.  Henry  Allshouse  (father)  was  born  in 
Ilempfield    township,    October   29,   1816.     Ar- 


riving at  his  majority,  he  pursued  the  occupation 
of  a  farmer  till  187'J,  when  ho  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business  at  Ludwick.  In  religion 
he  was  a  Lutheran  and  a  member  of  the  First 
Evangelical  Lutheran  church  of  Greensburg, 
and  in  politics  an  ardent  adherent  to  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Republican  party.  His  wife  was 
Elizabeth  Kunkle,  daughter  of  John  Kunkle,  a 
highly  respected  farmer  of  Ilempfield  township 
and  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  the  county. 
Her  mother  was  Sarah  Williams,  whose  parent^ 
Avere  likewise  pioneers  of  the  county.  To  this 
union  were  born  twelve  children ;  Lovina,  wife  of 
J.  J.  Croushore ;  William,  who  for  many  years 
was  an  oil  operator  is  now  engaged  in  the  mer- 
cantile business ;  Sarah,  wife  of  George  W. 
Croushore,  a  successful  tanner  of  Grapeville 
station  ;  John,  husband  of  Elizabeth  McCutch- 
eon,  of  Franklin,  Pa.,  and  engaged  in  the  oil 
business;  Mary,  wife  of  D.  S.  Keefer ;  Eliza- 
beth, wife  of  George  Ilantz  ;  Catharine,  wife  of 
John  D.  Stall! ;  Charles  E.,  student-at-law  ; 
Elmer  E.,  attorney,  and  Harriet  S.,  wife  of 
Joseph  H.  Weaver. 

E.  E.  Allshouse  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  and  Greensburg  seminary,  taught  school 
for  two  years,  after  which  he  began  the  study  of 
law  in  the  office  of  McAfee,  Atkinson  and 
Peoples,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  December, 
1887,  and  since  then  lias  been  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession. 


fAMUEL  ALLWINE  was  born  on  his 
father's  farm  in  Salem  township,  West- 
moreland county.  Pa.,  February  27, 
1820,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Catharine 
(Smith)  Allwine.  His  paternal  grandfather  was 
born  near  Lebanon,  Pa.,  where  he  followed  the 
occupation  of  farming  all  his  life.  Jacob  All- 
wine  (father)  was  born  in  Lebanon  county.  Pa., 
in  1771,  and  came  to  Westmoreland  county  in 
early  days,  when  Ihinuastown  was  yet  tho 
county-seat.     He  followed  agricultural   pursuits 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


and  distilled  some  in  winter.  lie  believed  in  the 
principles  of  the  Democratic  party  and  was  a 
faithful  and  devoted  member  of  the  Catholic 
church.  Ho  married  Catharine  Smith,  by  whom 
ho  had  seven  children.  After  her  death  he 
married  a  Miss  Stevenson  in  1835,  but  to  this 
union  no  children  were  born.  Jacob  Allwine 
departed  this  life  at  the  age  of  ciglity-three 
years  in  1854. 

Samuel  Allwine,  after  leaving  the  subscrip- 
tion schools  of  his  youthful  days,  learned  the 
blacksmith  trade  in  Greensburg,  at  which  he 
worked  for  thirty-five  years,  at  the  same  time 
carrying  on  wagon  making.  He  then  engaged 
in  the  the  livery  business,  and  contracted  on  the 
S.  W.  1'.  R.  11.,  for  some  four  years.  He  pur- 
chased the  hotel  now  known  as  the  Zimmerman 
House,  which  he  enlarged  and  improved,  until 
it  is  now  one  of  the  best  hotels  in  the  county. 
Owing  to  industry  and  business  ability  Mr. 
Allwine  has  succeeded  in  amassing  considerable 
wealth.  He  is  a  stanch  democrat,  and  has 
served  twelve  years  as  burgess  of  the  borough 
of  Greensburg.  He  is  a  devout  and  useful 
member  of  the  Catholic  church  and  is  one  of 
the  substantial  citizens  of  the  county. 

Samuel  Allwine  was  married  June  22,  1813, 
to  Elizabeth,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Allshouse, 
and  they  have  had  si.x  children,  of  whom  three 
are  living :  Samuel,  a  baker  of  Greensburg ; 
Henry,  living  at  home  ;  and  Cordelia,  who  mar- 
ried B.  B.  Zimmerman,  for  many  years  pro- 
prietor of  the  Zimmerman  House. 


r5)EWIS  F.  ARMBRUST,  who  served  as 
y'  I  an  officer  in  the  late  civil  war  and  who 
has  been  connected  with  the  newspaper 
business  for  over  twelve  years,  is  now  the  pro- 
prietor and  successful  editor  of  the  Independent., 
one  of  Greensburg's  live  and  widely-read  papers. 
He  is  the  son  of  William  and  Margaret  (Gonga- 
ware)  Armbrust,  and  was  born  at  Adamsburg, 
Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  November  28,  1843. 


His  paternal  grandjiarents  were  John  and  Cath- 
arine (Shelter)  Armbrust,  who  emigrated  from 
Germany.  His  father,  William  Armbrust,  was 
born  in  Greensburg,  and  is  now  in  the  milling 
business  at  AVeaver's  Old  Stand.  (For  further 
ancestry,  see  sketch  of  J.  W.  Armbrust,  of 
Hempfield  township.) 

Lewis  F.  Armbrust  received  a  fair  common 
school  education,  and  at  nineteen  years  of 
age  entered  the  Union  army.  He  enlisted  in 
Co.  I,  lG8th  Reg.  Pa.  Vols.,'  on  the  16th  of 
October,  1862,  and  served  until  his  regiment 
was  discharged  at  Harrisburg,  Pa.,  on  July  25, 

1863.  Returning  home  he  assisted  his  father 
on  the  farm  and  in  the  flouring  mill  for  about  a 
year,  when  the  roar  of  cannon  came  louder  and 
nearer,  and  the  government  was  calling  for  more 
volunteers,  which  so  strongly  appealed  to  his 
patriotism  that  ho   again    enlisted,   August  31, 

1864,  as  a  corporal  in  Co.  E,  206th  Reg.,  Pa. 
Vols.,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war. 
His  regiment  helped  to  dig  Dutch  Gap  canal, 
on  the  James  river,  which  was  continually  shelled 
by  the  rebel  batteries  from  tlie  hill  above.  He 
also  helped  to  build  Fort  Brady,  which  was  fre- 
quently shelled  by  rebel  forts  in  close  pro.ximity, 
and  did  picket  duty  in  front  of  Richmond  the 
last  winter  of  the  war,  and  it  is  claimed  his 
regiment  was  the  first  to  enter  that  city  after 
its  surrender.  After  the  close  of  the  war  he 
was  discharged  with  his  regiment  at  Richmond, 
Va.,  June  26,  1865.  He  then  returned  home 
and  assisted  his  father  two  years  on  the  farm 
and  in  the  mill,  when  he  opened  a  store  at 
Weaver's  Old  Stand,  which  he  ran  for  two  years 
and  sold  to  his  brother.  He  then  went  to  Penn 
station  and  purchased  a  store,  which  he  con- 
ducted for  a  year.  Here  he  became  acquainted 
with  Miss  Nannie  Speer,  daughter  of  James  B. 
Speer,  who  then  resided  there.  They  were 
united  in  marriage  October  14,  1869.  Of  their 
marriage  have  been  born  :  Harrison  B.,  engaged 
in  printing  ;  Lilian  Frances  and  Mary  Edith, 
who  are  attending  school.     Shortly  after   mar- 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


riiige  lie  purcliasod  two  lots  at  Turtle  Creek, 
Ph.,  a  thriving  mining  town,  where  he  built  ii 
dwelling  and  store-room,  to  which  he  removed 
in  the  spring  of  1871.  lie  sold  his  store  and 
j)ro])erty  five  years  later,  ami  on  December  2'2, 
1877,  lie  printed  the  first  copy  of  the  Jr'evph's 
Independent,  a  six-column  four-page  weekly ; 
this  he  conducted  a  little  over  six  months;  about 
this  time  the  Greenback  party  was  organized 
and  he  was  appealed  to  remove  his  paper  to 
Westmoreland  county,  and  at  a  county  conven- 
tion of  the  Greenback  party  it  was  made  the 
official  organ  for  Westmoreland  county,  and  on 
May  15,  1878,  he  removed  his  office  and  family 
to  Greensburg.  The  paper  was  shortly  changed 
in  name  to  The  National  Issue,  which  he  con- 
ducte<i  and  edited  about  a  year  and  a  halt,  when 
be  sold  out  to  Col.  John  T.  Fulton  and  the  Rev. 
Uriel  Graves ;  they  managed  the  paper  a  short 
time,  when  they  sold  to  Brunot  &  Laux,  the 
present  owners  of  the  Press. 

In  1881  Mr.  Armbrust  removed  to  McKees- 
port,  where  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business 
and  contracted  in  house  building.  In  1882  he 
established  the  McKeesport  Tribune  and  Herald, 
which  he  published  until  Jaimary,  1890,  when 
he  consolidated  it  with  the  Greensburg  Inde- 
pendent,  which  he  had  founded  August  (J,  1887. 
It  is  an  eight-page  five-column  jiajier,  and  lias 
for  its  motto  "Devoted  to  the  interest  of  labor 
and  the  advancement  of  thought."  It  contains 
local.  State  and  national  news,  and  gives  much 
space  to  the  various  reform  movements.  It  is 
regardetl  as  a  champion  of  labor  and  political 
reform.  In  1888  he  erected  the  Independent 
building  at  Nos.  77,  79  and  81  West  Otterman 
street,  Greensburg,  Pa.;  it  is  a  very  large  and 
neat  structure,  which  is  well  adapted  for  a  news- 
paper office  and  dwelling.  In  July,  1888,  he 
removed  his  family  and  printing  office  from 
McKeesport  to  this  building,  not  yet  completed. 
In  1880  Lewis  F.  Armbrust  was  an  elector  on 
the  presidential  ticket  of  J.  B.  ^Veaver.  In 
1884,  while  residing  at  McKeesport,  ho  was  a 


candidate  for  the  Legi.slature  in  the  Fifth  Dis- 
trict of  Allegiutny  county,  being  nominated  by 
the  Prohibitionists,  Labor  i)arty,  and  endorsed 
by  the  Democratic  party,  and  jioUed  more  votes 
than  all  three  parties  combined  in  the  district 
for  other  candidates,  but  the  district  being  Be- 
publican  by  a  large  majority,  was  of  course  not 
elected.  In  188t)  his  friends  in  the  Labor  party 
again  nominated  him  for  the  Legislature,  but  was 
not  elected  and  did  not  expect  to  be.  In  1888 
he  was  a  presidential  elector  on  the  Union 
Labor  party  ticket  for  Hon.  A.  J.  Streetor. 

Lewis  F.  Armbrust,  upon  his  removal  to 
Greensburg,  was  made  County  Chairman  of  the 
Union  Labor  party,  which  position  he  is  still 
holding ;  lie  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church ;  Gen.  John  A.  Logan  Command 
No.  2,  Union  Veteran's  Union ;  Gen.  Geary 
Council,  No.  342,  0.  U.  A.  M. ;  Daughters  of 
Liberty ;  and  Master  Workman  of  Good  Will 
Asseuibly,  No.  0905,  Knights  of  Labor.  He 
detests  hypocrisy,  whether  found  in  the  church, 
in  political  or  social  life,  and  does  not  admire 
pride  anywhere.  He  does  his  own  thinking 
and  acts  from  his  convictions  regardless  of  what 
may  seem  ])ublic  opinion. 

As  an  editor  Mr.  Armbrust  has  won  an  hon- 
orable reputation.  He  made  labor  interests  and 
local  news  the  chief  features  of  the  Independent, 
and  its  success  and  permanent  establishment 
followed  as  fruits  of  his  enterprise  and  sagacity. 
The  Independent  is  a  power  to-day  in  the  labor 
and  grange  organizations  of  the  county.  Mr. 
Armbrust's  success  in  life  is  due  to  his  per- 
severance, energy  and  enterprise. 


/TX  ANIEL  A.  ABTER,  one  of  the  old,  suc- 
iPj  cessful  and  favorably  known  physicians 
of  Greensburg,  was  born  in  Salem  town- 
ship, Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  October  26, 
1828,  and  is  a  son  of  Col.  Simon  and  Elizabeth 
(Burger)  Arter.  I  lis  paternal  grandfather,  Abra- 
ham  Arter,  was  a   native  of  Maryland  and  of 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


Englisli  descent.  He  was  a  quiet  citizen,  a 
consistent  clnucli  member,  an  industrious  man, 
and  in  1802  removed  to  Columbiana  county, 
Ohio.  His  wife  was  Magdalena  llalin.  One 
of  his  sons,  Col.  Simon  Arter,  was  born  nijar 
Strusburj;,  Maryland,  and  was  reared  and  trained 
to  the  lite  of  a  farmer.  In  1802  he  removed  to 
Ohio,  engaged  in  farming  and  became  quite 
wealthy.  lie  was  an  active  member  in  the  Evan- 
gelical Lutheran  church  ;  was  elected  colonel  in 
a  militia  organization  ;  a  whig,  and  afterwards 
a  republican,  in  politics,  and  was  noted  for  being 
upright  and  liberal  to  the  poor  and  distressed. 
After  a  long,  useful  and  active  life  Col.  Simon 
Arter  passed  away  on  February  27,  1SS3.  In 
1824  lie  waa  married  to  Elizabeth  Burger, 
daughter  of  Daniel  Burger,  of  Bedford  county. 
Pa.  They  had  seven  sons  and  four  daughters. 
Mrs.  Arter  was  born  in  1800.  Iler  grand- 
father, Nicholas  Burger,  came  from  Switzerland 
to  Bedford  county,  and  in  1806  removed  to  what 
is  now  Columbiana  county,  Ohio. 

Dr.  Daniel  Arter,  after  attending  the  public 
schools  entered  New  Lisbon  academy,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1847.  One  year 
later  he  began  reading  medicine  under  the  in- 
struction of  Dr.  D.  Springer,  of  New  Lisbon, 
Ohio.  After  satisfactorily  completing  the  pre- 
paratory course  of  medical  study  with  his  pre- 
ceptor he  entered  the  Cincinnati  Electic  Med- 
ical college,  where,  with  commendable  zeal,  he 
soon  won  an  honorable  position  in  the  profession 
of  his  choice.  Dr.  Arter  began  practice  at 
Blairsville,  Indiana  county,  I'a.,  but  after  five 
months'  residence  there  he  removed  to  Lock- 
port,  which  was  in  the  spring  of  1851.  August 
2,  1851,  he  came  to  Westmoreland  county  and 
opened  his  present  office  at  Greensburg,  where 
he  has  been  in  continuous  active  and  successful 
practice  ever  since. 

In  1851  he  was  married  to  Mary  Jane, 
daughter  of  Samuel  McCune,  of  Blairsville, 
Pa.  She  died  in  1850  and  left  him  three  chil- 
dren, names  and  births  as  follows :     Charlotte 


B.,  March  3,  1852,  married  to  Charles  R.  Mil- 
ler, of  Greensburg  ;  Mary  K.,  October  15,  1854, 
wile  of  B.  W.  Stanley,  a  mechanic  of  Salem, 
Ohio,  and  S.  Marcus,  Novemlier  17,  1850,  mar- 
rieil  to  Sarah  I'l.  Loughrey,  and  is  a  clerk  in 
the  county  register's  office.  Dr.  Arter,  on  Oc- 
tober 15,  1857,  was  married  to  Caroline  A., 
daughter  of  Jacob  M.  Miller.  His  second  mar- 
riage was  blessed  with  two  children:  Elsie  B., 
born  October  22, 1858,  and  Anna  S.,  born  July 
11,  1803,  married  II.  S.  Serabower,  of  Union- 
town,  Pa.,  and  died  June  18,  1888. 

Dr.  Daniel  A.  Arter  is  a  self-made  man  in 
the  true  meaning  of  the  term.  Beginning  life 
without  anything  e.\cept  his  energy  and  deter- 
mination to  win,  he  has  accjuired  considerable 
money  and  real  estate.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
K.  of  H.,  Royal  Arcanum,  United  Workmen  and 
Philanthropy  Lodge,  No.  225.  In  politics  he  is 
a  rejtublican,  and  was  prominently  identified  with 
the  Republican  party  when  it  was  in  a  minority  of 
2100  in  the  county.  In  religious  matters  he  is 
an  unassuming  but  faithful  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church.  Ilis  life  has  been 
mainly  devoted  to  the  study  and  practice  of 
medicine ;  he  is  well  read,  is  skilled  in  the  med- 
ical sciences  and  is  a  useful  and  an  honorable 
gentleman. 

(^  DWARD  II.  BAIR,  one  of  the  progres- 
^[  sive  young  men  of  Greensburg,  who  gives 
promise  of  a  very  successful  business  ca- 
reer in  the  future,  was  born  at  the  village 
of  Congruity,  Salem  township,  ^Vestindrehind 
county.  Pa.,  March  0,  1859,  and  is  a  son  of  II. 
11.  and  Elizabeth  (Keener)^  Bair.  Henry  II. 
Bair  was  born  in  Manor  school  district,  Penn 
township,  February  2,  1825.  He  was  a  car- 
penter and  a  machinist,  lie,  with  his  brothers 
Isaac  and  Jacob,  were  the  inventors  and  manu- 
facturers of  a  tumbling  shaft  threshing  machine. 
It  was  an  invention  out  of  which  they  made 
some  money  as  well  as  fame.  He  was  an 
ardent    democrat,  but    never   aspired  to    office, 


19WI'    1W   ,fir 


BIOORAPHIES  OF 


and  never  would  serve  in  any  office  except  that 
of  school  director,  to  which  he  was  freijuently 
elected.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
New  Saleiii  Reformed  church,  in  which  he 
Hcrveil  as  a  deacon  till  his  death.  He  was  a 
prominent  Odd  Fellow  and  a  strong  advocate  of 
the  free-school  system,  and  died  January  14, 
1873,  from  the  effects  of  a  fall  received  in  re- 
turning from  a  school  visitation.  In  1845  he 
married  Elizabeth  Keener,  who  is  still  living. 
They  had  five  children:  Emma,  who  married 
W.  II.  Keck  and  died  in  1875,  leaving  one 
child,  Helen;  Anna  M.,  wife  of  W.  W.  Marts; 
Lizzie  J.,  who  married  W.  F.  Jackson  ;  E.  II. 
and  Jacob,  who  died  at  14  years  of  age. 

E.  H.  Bair  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  and  Delmont  academy.  He  taught  four 
terms  of  school  in  his  native  township,  was  prin- 
cipal of  New  Safem  schools  in  1881,  and  served 
in  1882  and  1883  as  principal  of  Scottdale 
schools.  He  resigned  at  Scottdale  with  the 
view  of  reading  law,  but  was  soon  urged  to  take 
and  accepted  the  principalship  of  Ludwick  pub- 
lic schools,  which  he  held  for  two  years.  Dur- 
ing the  summers  of  1882  and  1883  he  and  I. 
E.  Lauffer  (present  district  attorney)  conductep 
the  Delmont  Normal  and  Classical  institute. 
In  1884  he  was  principal  of  the  Scottdale  Nor- 
mal school,  and  in  1885  was  associated  with  J. 
K.  Speigcl  and  I.  E.  Lauffer  in  teaching  the 
tirccnsburg  Normal  school.  In  188()  he  (juit 
teiiching  to  embark  in  the  real  estate  bu.siness 
lit  (ireon.sburg,  and  becaino  u  partner  of  the 
present  well  known  real  estate  and  ins\irance 
firm  of  Gay  i:  IJair.  (For  full  description  of 
this  firm  see  sketch,  of  F.  L.  Gay).  They 
transact  a  large  amount  of  business  and  have 
branch  oflices  at  Jeannette  and  Penn  station. 

On  October  14,  1885,  he  was  married  to 
Esther  Suydam,  daughter  of  the  late  Joseph  L. 
Suydam,  of  Coatesville,  Pa.,  who  was  superin- 
tendent of  the  AVilmington  and  Delaware  Kail- 
road  at  the  time  of  his  death.  Their  union 
lias  been  Idessed  with  two  children  :     Paul  Suy- 


dam, born   May  20,  1887,  and   Kenneth   IK, 
born  June  25,  1889. 

In  politics  Mr.  Bair  is  a  democrat.  Ho  is  a 
member  of  the  Second  Reformed  churclL  and 
Secretary  of  the  Greensbuig  Homestead  Loan 
and  Trust  Company.  He  is  active,  enterprising, 
affable  and  popular,  and  is  a  fine  business  man. 


>OrDDIS0N  R.  BARNHART,  of  Greens- 
II  burg,  was  born  in  the  historic  village  of 
Hannastown,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa., 
January  26,  1805,  and  is  a  son  of  William  II. 
and  Mary  (Rumbaugh)  Barnhart.  The  Barn- 
harts  are  of  German  origin.  David  Barnhart 
(grandfather)  came  to  Westmoreland  county, 
where  he  followed  the  occupation  of  farming. 
He  married  Elizabeth  Hugus.  One  of  his  chil- 
dren was  William  II.  Barnhart,  who  was  born 
near  Mt.  Pleasant,  this  county.  He  was  a 
farmer,  and  for  some  years  engaged  in  the  patent- 
right  business.  Being  very  successful  he  ac- 
quired much  valuable  property,  and  for  a  number 
of  years  previous  to  his  death  he  lived  in  Greens- 
burg,  retired  from  the  active  duties  of  life. 
Politically  he  was  a  republican,  but  was  fair- 
minded  and  by  no  means  a  biased  partisan  ;  he 
was  a  useful  member  of  the  Reformed  church, 
in  which  he  served  many  years  as  a  deacon. 
William  II.  Barnhart  was  an  excellent  business 
man,  social,  intelligent,  of  good  judgement,  ami 
stood  high  in  the  estimation  of  all  his  friends 
and  acquaintances.  He  died  March  21,  1887. 
Mr.  Barnhart  was  married  to  Mary  Rumbaugh, 
a  daughter  of  James  Rumbaugh,  of  Mt.  Pleasant 
township,  who  bore  him  one  child,  a  son  named 
Addison  R.  Barnhart. 

Addison  11.  Barnhart  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  township  and  the  excellent 
schools  of  Greensburg.  He  is  yet  quite  a  young 
man,  and  proposes  to  soon  open  a  wallpa])er  and 
tile  mantel  establishment,  in  Avhich  it  is  safe  to 
predict  for  iiim  most  excellent  success,  as  he  is  a 
popular  and  energetic  gentleman.      In  jiolitics  ho 


WESTMORELAND   COUNTY. 


ia  a  republican,  and  is  active  and  useful  in  the 
party  to  wlioso  principles  lie  adiicrcs.  Mr. 
]krnhart  is  a.  pleasant  companion,  genial  and 
frank  ;  he  is  a  member  of  the  Second  Reformed 
church  of  Grcensburg;  of  Greensburg  Council, 
No.  82,  Jr.  0.  U.  A.  M. ;  and  of  Greensburg 
Commandery,  No.  2,  U.  A.  ^I. 


eYRUS  T.  BARNIIART,  one  of  Greens- 
burg's  leading  furniture  dealers,  was  born 
November  11,  1849,  in  llempfield  town- 
ship, Westmoreland  county,  I'a.,  and  is  a  son  of 
William  and  I'^lixabeth  (Hugh)  llarnhart.  His 
grandfather,  Joiiii  Barnhart,  was  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  lived  for  many  years  in 
llempfield  township,  about  four  miles  from 
Grcensburg.  His  lirst  wife  was  a  Miss  lirinkcr, 
and  after  her  death  he  niarrieil  a  widow  by  tlie 
name  of  Swartz.  One  of  his  children  was 
William  l^aridiart  (father),  who  was  born  in 
1819,  and  is  now  living  near  Mt.  Pleasant. 
All  his  life  he  has  followed  farming,  in  which 
he  has  met  with  excellent  success ;  he  believes 
in  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party,  is  a 
member  of  the  Reformed  church,  in  which  he 
has  held  all  the  various  offices.  lie  married 
Elizabeth,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Rugh,  of  near 
Grcensburg,  who  is  still  living,  and  they  have 
had  fifteen  children,  of  whom  ten  are  living. 

Cyrus  T.  Barnhart,  one  of  the  living  children, 
received  a  common  school  education  at  what  is 
known  as  Barnhart's  school  in  llempfield  town- 
ship. The  first  eighteen  years  of  his  life  were 
spent  on  the  farm  ;  he  then  learned  the  cabinet- 
making  and  carpentering  For  eighteen  months 
he  was  with  Henry  Rugh,  of  Grcensburg,  who 
was  accidentally  killed,  and  after  that  Mr.  Barn- 
hart followed  the  trade  of  carpentering  until 
1878,  when  he  opened  a  furniture  store  on  East 
Pittsburg  street,  Grcensburg,  where  he  remained 
three  years.  He  then  removed  to  his  present 
location  on  Pennsylvania  avenue.  In  1881  he 
erected  a  fine  building,  and  during  the  past  year 


(1889)  he  remodeled  it,  making  an  elegant  three- 
story  structure,  ilia  stock  of  furniture  is  largo 
and  complete  in  every  respect,  and  his  trade  a 
most  desirable  one.  He  is  a  republican  and  with 
his  wife  is  identified  with  the  First  Reformed 
church  of  Grcensburg. 

C.  T.  Barnhart  was  married  December  11, 
1879,  to  Emily,  a  daughter  of  Philip  Walthour 
(deceased),  a  resident  of  Grcensburg  and  a 
printer  by  occupation.  Mr.  Barnhart  belongs 
to  Centennial  Lodge,  No.  100,  A.  0.  U.  W., 
and  is  a  first-class  citizen,  upright,  industrious, 
enterprising  and  progressive. 


■pVON.  JAMES  S.  BEACOM,  ex-member  of 
1^1  the  House  of  Representatives  of  Pcnn- 
V»)  sylvania,  and  a  ])rominent  mend)er  of  the 
Westmorelan<l  county  bar,  is  a  son  of  Rev.  H. 
C.  and  Mary  A.  (Spear)  Bcacom,  and  was  born 
at  the  village  of  Merwin,  Washington  township, 
Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  December  9,  1853. 
James  S.  Beacom's  paternal  great-grandfather 
was  a  Westmoreland  county  farmer  whose  birth- 
place was  in  Ireland.  His  jKiternal  grandfather, 
James  Bcacom,  died  earl}"^  in  life.  His  maternal 
grandfather,  James  Spear,  was  a  resident  of 
Pittsburg.  His  father,  Rev.  H.  C.  Bcacom,  D. 
D.,  was  born  May  29,  1830,  in  the  northern 
part  of  Westmoreland  county.  In  youth  he 
manifested  those  distinguishing  traits  of  character 
that  have  so  honored  him  in  manhood.  From  a 
professional  school  teacher  he  passed  to  the 
ministry  and  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  in  1860.  In  1865 
he  became  a  regular  member  of  the  Pittsburg 
M.  E.  conference,  and  is  now  the  able  and  popu- 
lar pastor  of  the  Main  Street  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church.  West  End,  Pittsburg.  He  was 
chiefly  instrumental  in  erecting  one  oi  Jie  finest 
church  edifices  in  that  city.  On  December  2, 
1850,  he  was  married  to  Mary  A.  Spear, 
daughter  of  James  and  Margaret  Spear,  of  Pitts- 
burg.      Rev.  and  Mrs.  Beacom  were  the  parents 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


of  six  cliililruii,  lliree  sons  iuiJ  throe  duugliters : 
Athiline,  ilicd  in  int'ancy ;  Hon.  James  S. ; 
Angeline,  intermarried  Avitli  T.  F.  Hamilton, 
ussislaiit  siiperintcniU'tit  of  tlie  Oaiiticr  works, 
al  JolmstowM,  I'u.  ;  lUiny  (!.  .Ir.,  a  fanuir  of 
Johnson  county,  Iowa;  John  Wesley,  nianied 
to  Isabella  Fisli,  of  AUej^heny  city,  and  resides 
at  New  Brighton,  and  Eva  J. 

James  S.  IJeacom  received  his  elementary  in- 
struction in  the  common  schools  of  Pennsylvania, 
completed  his  academic  studies  at  Elderton,  this 
State,  in  1870,  and  after  six  years  spent  out  of 
school  he  entered  Washington  and  Jeft'erson 
college  in  1870,  and  was  graduated  with  high 
standing  in  the  class  of  1880.  In  1881  and 
1882  he  was  principal  of  Blaii-sville  academy, 
and  at  the  same  time  was  editor  of  the  '^Blairs- 
viUe  Enterprise."  In  1881  he  registered  as  a 
student-at-law,  read  with  W.  H.  Klingingsmith, 
of  Greensburg,  and  was  admitted  to  the  West- 
moreland county  bar  January  1-t,  18Sl.  In 
188G  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  of  Penn- 
sylvania as  a  member  of  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives, being  the  only  candidate  on  the 
republican  ticket  that  was  successful  that  year 
in  ^Vestmoreland  county.  He  served  creditably 
during  the  sessions  of  188G-7  and  1887-8,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  Committees  on  Judiciary 
General,  Constitutional  Reform,  Centennial  Af- 
fairs, Iron  and  Coal  and  Mines  and  Mining. 
In  1887  and  1888  he  served  as  chairman  of  the 
republican  county  committee,  and  conducted  the 
campaigns  of  those  respective  years  very  suc- 
cessfully, the  republican  ticket  being  successful 
both  years.  In  188U  he  was  nominated  by  the 
republicans  for  District  iVttorney  of  Westmore- 
land county  but  was  not  elected,  the  county 
being  democratic  that  year  by  a  majority  of  770 
votes  on  the  State  ticket.  Since  1884  Mr. 
Beacom  has  been  engaged  in  the  successful 
practice  of  law  at  Gr'eensburg. 

July  17,  1888,  he  was  married  to  Mary  II. 
Zimraers,  daughter  of  Jacob  Zimmers,  a  well- 
known   citi/en   of   Blairsville,    Indiana   county, 


Pa.  'I'iiey  have  one  child,  Robert  Zimmers  Bea- 
com, born  Sei)tember  10,  188'J.  Mrs.  Beacom 
was  educated  at  Blairsville  seminary,  and  was 
graduated  from  that  i'avorably  known  institution 
of  learning  in  the  class  of   IM78. 

James  S.  Beacom  is  an  active  and  earnest  re- 
publican leader  in  Westmoreland  county.  He 
is  a  fine  scholar,  an  influential  citizen,  a  good 
lawyer,  and  enjoys  a  fair  and  constantly  in- 
creasing practice  at  the  Greensburg  bar. 


•^LBERT  II.  BELL,  a  member  of  the 
II  Westmoreland  county  bar,  was  born 
November  20,  1857,  in  Cedar  Rapids, 
Iowa,  and  is  the  son  of  John  R.  and  Margaret 
(Singer)  Bell.  David  Bell,  his  grandfather,  was 
a  native  of  Westmoreland  county,  where  he 
followed  school  teaching  most  of  his  life  ;  he 
was  a  brother  of  Judge  James  Bell,  one  of  the 
early  associate  judges  of  this  county.  In  poli- 
tics he  was  a  firm  democrat  and  did  much  for 
the  success  of  the  measures  of  his  party.  He 
married  Mary  Robinson,  a  native  of  this  county, 
and  a  daughter  of  John  Robinson,  one  of  the 
pioneer  settlers  of  "  old  Westmoreland,"  and  a 
soldier  in  the  Revolution,  whose  wife  was  Isa- 
bella Guffey,  a  sister  of  John  Guffey,  the  ances- 
tor to  the  numerous  Guffey  family.  John  R. 
Bell  (father)  was  born  December  17th,  1824, 
in  this  county,  and  he,  too,  was  a  pedagogue  for 
a  number  of  years  ;  he  was  also  for  years  a 
justice  of  the  peace  in  Donegal  township.  In 
187'J  he  was  elected  clerk  of  the  courts  of  West- 
moreland county  by  the  Democratic  [larty,  which 
position  he  filled  with  credit  for  three  years. 
Since  1883  he  has  been  living  a  retired  life, 
but  always  takes  an  earnest,  active  part  in  be- 
half of  the  njjynbers  and  principles  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party.  Mr.  Bell  first  married  Jlargaret 
Singer,  a  sister  of  R.  ^V.  Singer,  whose  family 
history  appears  in  this  volume.  They  had  three 
children  :  Mrs.  Emma  Lcnhart,  of  Greensburg  ; 
Albert    II.,    and    Jlrs.    May    M.    Cairns,    now 


M'ESTMOIiELA  ND   CO UNTY. 


dend.  After  tlie  ilcatli  of  liis  first  wifo  he 
imuricd  Margaret  Kal]),  by  wlioni  lie  had  three 
children,  one  of  whom,  James  E.  Bell,  is  living 
and  engaged  us  teller  with  (ireeusliurg  IJaiikiiig 
Co. 

Albert  II.  Bell  attended  the  public  and  select 
schools  of  Westmoreland  county  and  in  1877 
entered  Mount  Union  College,  and  pursued  his 
studies  two  years  in  that  well-known  institution. 
Following  in  the  footsteps  of  father  and  grand- 
father, he  entered  the  pedagogical  ranks,  taught 
seven  years  in  this  county,  and  conducted  a 
normal  class  one  year  at  Mount  Pleasant. 
From  1880  to  1883  he  was  deputy  clerk  of 
courts  under  his  father,  and  in  1870  served  six 
months  as  clerk  in  the  Prothonotary's  office.  In 
1880  he  registered  as  a  law  student  with  James 
S.  Moorehead,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
September,  1884,  since  which  time  he  has  been 
actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion. Mr.  Bell  is  an  active  and  useful  member 
of  the  U.  P.  Church,  of  Greensburg,  in  which  he 
is  an  elder.  He  is  a  diligent,  modest  and  pleasant 
gentleman,  careful  in  business,  affable  in  man- 
ner, intelligent  and  efficient  in  his  profession, 
and  is  a  worthy  descendant  of  an  excellent 
family. 

Albert  II.  Bell  was  married  March  19,  1885, 
to  Mary  C,  a  daughter  of  Judge  James  C. 
Clarke,  of  Greensburg,  by  whom  he  has  two 
children — a  son  and  a  daughter  :  James  Clarke, 
and  Mary  M. 


•fAMES  BENNETT,  one  of  the  most  suc- 
"f '  cessful  railroad  contractors  of  Pennsyl- 
(®/  vania,  and  senior  member  of  the  firm  of 
Bennett  k  Talbott,  general  contractors,  at 
Greensburg,  was  born  near  Cadiz  junction, 
Jefferson  county,  Ohio,  August  21,  1852,  and 
is  a  son  of  John  and  "Mary  (Nolan)  Bennett 
Ilis  paternal  granfather  was  a  physician  in  the 
vrest  of  Ireland.  His  maternal  grandfather, 
John  Nolan,  was  a  farmer  who  resided  in  county 


Limerick,  Ireland.  His  father,  John  Bennett, 
was  born  at  the  town  of  Escatin,  12  miles  <lis- 
tant  from  the  city  of  Limerick.  In  1846  he 
emigrated  from  Ireland  to  (^lebec,  but  immedi- 
ately left  there  and  came  to  Vermont.  His 
stay  in  that  State  was  short,  as  western  Penn- 
sylvania offered  hiui  superior  inducements  in 
his  line  of  business. 

He  received  and  completed  several  large  con- 
tracts on  railroad  work,  and  at  the  time  of  his 
death  had  an  important  contract  on  the  Ashtabula 
and  New  Lisbon  railroad  company.  He  was  soon 
afterwards  thrown  from  his  horse  and  died  from 
injuries  he  received.  He  was  intelligent  and 
well  educated,  a  strict  member  of  the  Catholic 
church  and  an  exemplary  temperance  man.  He 
never  drank  a  drop  of  licjuor  or  smoked  a  cigar 
during  his  life.  In  politics  he  was  a  democrat 
and  cast  his  first  presidential  ballot  for  James 
Buchanan.  He  married  Mary  Nolan,  a  resident 
of  his  native  county.  They  had  six  sons  : 
l^atrick  Henry,  a  contractor  in  Virginia  with 
Senator  Camden  ;  Daniel,  a  contractor  with  the 
subject  of  the  sketch  ;  James ;  John,  a  passenger 
conductor  on  the  New  Jersey  Central  railroad  ; 
Thomas,  a  promising  young  man  who  was 
killed  in  a  boiler  explosion  in  1880  at  Duke 
Center,  near  Bradford,  where  he  was  telegraph 
operator  for  the  Standard  Oil  Company,  and 
Joseph,  who  is  so  badly  crippled  as  to  be  unable 
to  work. 

James  Bennett  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio.  He 
elected  to  follow  his  father's  business  and  began 
when  sixteen  years  of  age  with  pick  and  shovel  at 
the  very  bottom  rung  of  the  ladder  to  work. 
Prompted  by  a  laudable  ambition  he  did  his 
work  so  well  that  he  was  promoted  in  three 
years  to  be  foreman  under  the  Mackay  Bros. 
After  this  he  was  engaged  by  different  contract- 
ors until  1880,  when  he  took  a  contract  under 
Booth  and  Flynn,  of  Pittsburg,  on  the  Somer- 
set and  Cambria  railroad.  He  built  the  branch 
road  from   Leisenrin;;  to  Vance's  Mill  for  the 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Pennsylvania  Railroad  company.  lie  also 
built  the  Ilecla  and  Mount  Pleasant  branch  of 
railroad.  He  next  built  2\  miles  of  the  Crab- 
tree  branch  in  \Vestnioreland  county.  After 
completing  the  last  branch  he  widened  his  field 
of  operations  and  removed  to  West  Virginia, 
where  he  built  eight  miles  of  the  Baltimore  and 
Ohio  railroad  from  Morgantown  to  Fairmont. 
Returning  to  Westmoreland  he  constructed  the 
branch  road  to  the  Central  coke  works,  for 
which  he  did  the  grading.  In  October,  1884, 
he  removed  to  Greensburg,  where  he  expects  to 
remain  for  life. 

In  1879  Mr.  Bennett  was  married  to  Addle 
Barrows,  daughter  of  Perry  Barrows,  a  farmer 
of  Athens  county,  Ohio.  Their  union  has  been 
blessed  with  two  children,  of  whom  one,  a 
daughter,  is  living  :  Mary  Eliza,  born  April  11, 
188-2. 

He  entered  into  partnership  with  Robert 
Talbot  in  tie  general  contracting  business  under 
the  firm  name  of  Bennett  k  Talbot.  From  the 
organization  of  the  firm  until  the  present  they 
have  taken  and  successfully  finished  many  large 
contracts  at  Greensburg  and  throughout  the 
county. 

In  politics  Mr.  Bennett  is  a  democrat.  He 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 


•f  AMES  D.  BEST,  of  Irish-German  descent, 
'f '  a  popular  citizen  and  the  present  favorably 
(zJ  known  clerk  of  the  courts  of  Westmoreland 
county,  is  the  fifth  child  of  Robert  C.  and  Anna 
(Bierer)  Best,  and  was  born  in  Ilompfield  town- 
ship, Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  July  K5,  1858, 
His  grandfather,  John  Best,  a  native  of  Ireland, 
was  brought  to  America  in  his  boyhood  by  his 
parents,  who  settled  in  Ligonier  valley,  this 
county.  There,  near  Bottsville,  young  Best  was 
reared  and  lived  to  an  advanced  age,  engaged  in 
the  pursuits  of  agriculture.  He  always  resided 
near  Bottsville,  where  at  one  time  nearly  all  the 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  were  Bests. 


Robert  C.  Best  (father)  was  born  in  Cook  town- 
ship, this  county,  in  1812  ;  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church,  a  life-long  democrat, 
and  lived  to  the  age  of  fifty-three  years.  His 
wife  was  Anna  Bierer,  a  daughter  of  David 
Bierer,  who  was  of  German  lineae.  They 
reared  a  family  of  nine  children,  of  whom  seven 
sons  are  living.  Mrs.  Anna  Best  was  born  in 
1830,  and  now  resides  in  Greensburg. 

James  D.  Best  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  and  the  normals  of  Greensburg. 
When  but  eight  years  of  age  his  father  died,  and 
for  the  next  seven  years  he  made  his  home  with 
his  uncle,  Capt.  John  Rinkey,  of  Stahlstown. 
In  1874  he  returned  to  Herapfield  township, 
where  he  worked  in  a  brick  yard  and  was  also 
engaged  in  mining  coal.  Being  industrious  and 
economical  he  succeeded  in  saving  some  money, 
attended  normal  school,  passed  an  examination 
in  1879  under  J.  R.  Spiegel,  then  county  super- 
intendent, and  taught  school  for  two  years  in  his 
native  township.  In  1881  he  became  a  fireman 
on  the  Pennsylvania  railroad,  and  five  years 
later  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  engineer, 
which  he  skillfully  and  satisfactorily  filled  until 
1888,  when  he  resigned  to  look  after  his  political 
aft'airs.  In  the  spring  of  that  year  he,  by  the 
solicitation  of  his  friends,  became  a  candidate  at 
the  democratic  primary  election  of  Westmore- 
land county  for  tiie  nomination  of  clerk  of  the 
courts,  and  was  successful  over  several  able  and 
worthy  competitors.  In  tlie  general  election 
held  tiie  following  November,  he  was  elected  by 
a  neat  majority,  being  the  onl}'  successful  can- 
didate on  the  democratic  ticket.  His  election 
was  secured  by  tiie  strong  support  he  received 
from  the  working  classes,  by  whom  he  was  well 
and  favorably  known.  His  services  thus  far  in 
the  important  office  which  he  fills  have  given  ex- 
cellent satisfaction,  and  a  continuation  of  his 
present  business  methods,  courtesy  and  genial 
manners  will  make  his  administration  of  the 
office  one  of  the  best  and  most  popular  in  the 
history  of  the  county.     For  a  young  man,  left 


fyb</u^^^ 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


without  a  father  at  the  tender  age  of  eight  years, 
anil  with  a  widowed  motlier  to  care  for,  Mr. 
Best  has  acliieved  enviable  distinction.  Couni- 
geous,  persevering,  and  possesseil  of  a  noble  ambi- 
tion he  has  pressed  onward  along  the  pathway 
that  leads  up  the  hill  of  life,  surmounting  difficul- 
ties and  overcoming  obstacles,  until  he  now  stands 
in  the  front  rank  of  the  young  men  of  the  county. 
lie  was  full  of  life,  vigor  and  energy,  of  excellent 
habits,  and  labored  and  studied 
"Oft  till  llie  star  that  rose  at  evening  bright, 
Towaril  IKaven's  descent  hud  sloped  his  westering  wheel." 

believing  implicity  in  the  old  saying, 

"  There  is  no  excellence  without  great  labor." 

James  D.  Best,  on  July  3,  1888,  was  united 
in  marriage  with  T.  May  Keltz,  of  Ligonier, 
Pa.,  and  they  have  one  chiM,  a  son  named 
Robert  Edward  Best. 

J.  D.  Best  is  a  prominent  member  of  Greens- 
burg  Council,  No.  82,  Jr.  0.  U.  A.  M.;  An- 
drew Carnegie  Lodge,  No.  325,  Brotherhood  of 
Engineers  of  Pittsburg;  Knights  of  the  Mystic 
Chain  and  the  Odd  Fellows.  lie  has  always 
been  a  democrat,  and  is  identified  with  the 
Evangelical  Lutheran  church,  of  which  his  wife 
is  also  a  member. 


ACHARIAII  POOL  BIERER  was  born 
September  7,  1832,  in  Greensburg,  West- 
moreland county.  Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  M.  and  Eliza  (Pool)  Bierer.  The  Bierer 
family  is  an  old  one,  and  traces  its  ancestry 
back  to  the  Kingdom  of  ^Vurtenlburg,  Germany. 
The  name  in  the  "fatherland"  was  Buehrer, 
but  it  has  been  Anglicised,  and  is  now  almost 
universally  written  Bierer.  In  Germany  most 
of  the  ancestors  were  farmers  and  merchants, 
though  some  of  them  were  prominent  in  the 
civil  and  military  afiairs  of  the  empire.  In 
May,  1804,  John  Bierer  (great-grandfather), 
with  his  family  took  shipping  at  Amsterdam  for 
the  United  States.  The  voyage  was  long  and 
tedious,  the  vessel  having  been  carried  by  storms 


to  the  region  of  the  West  Indies,  where  it  was 
becalmed  several  weeks.  During  these  weeks  a 
tropic  fever  carried  off  many  of  the  passengers, 
among  others  Mr.  Bierer.  About  the  first  of 
October  the  vessel  landed  at  Baltimore,  Md., 
and  his  widow  atid  her  three  sons  journeyed 
across  the  mountains,  settling  near  Greensburg, 
this  county.  One  of  these  sons,  John  M.  Bierer 
(grandfather),  was  about  eighteen  years  of  age 
at  that  time.  For  many  years  he  followed  the 
occupation  of  butchering,  but  later  purchased  a 
farm  upon  which  he  took  up  his  residence.  He 
married  Barbara  Iloltzer,  a  native  of  "old  West- 
moreland," by  whom  he  had  ten  children.  John 
M.  Bierer  (father),  one  of  these  children,  was 
born  in  Greensburg,  where  the  First  Lutheran 
church  now  stands,  October  24,  1807.  He  was  a 
successful  farmer,  and  in  18G8  was  elected  county 
commissioner,  serving  with  credit  for  three 
years.  lie  was  also  overseer  of  the  poor  for  some 
time,  and  after  the  erection  of  the  County  Home 
was  a  poor-house  director  for  two  terms.  He 
was  an  uncompromising  democrat,  and  one  of 
the  most  active  politicians  in  the  county.  For 
many  years  he  served  as  major  in  the  old  militia 
battalion  and  was  quite  elhcient  and  popular. 
He  was  married  to  Eliza  Pool,  a  daughter  of 
Zachariah  Pool,  who  came  in  early  days  from 
Maryland  to  this  county.  They  had  eight 
children,  of  whom  Zachariah  P.  is  the  third, 
and  Capt.  J.  J.  Bierer,  of  Latrobe,  who  has 
served  in  the  Pennsylvania  Legislature,  another. 
Zachariah  P.  Bierer  has  been  a  carpenter  and 
contractor  since  1849.  He  is  a  sound  democrat 
and  has  served  a  number  of  times  as  burgess  of 
Greensburg.  Although  active  in  political  mat- 
ters, bighearted  and  popular,  he  has  never 
sought  any  county  office.  When  "  Morgan,  the 
Raider"  was  spreading  consternation  throughout 
the  country  and  troops  were  needed  to  repel  or 
capture  the  bold  invader,  Mr.  Bierer  raised  and 
organized  Co.  C,  of  which  he  was  made  captain, 
and  gallantly  commanded.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  A.  0.  U.  W.,  the   K.  of  H.,  and  is  a  Royal 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Arch  Mason,  a  Knight  Templar,  and  a  Scottish 
Kite  degree  Mason,  having  reached  the  toi)niost 
rung  of  the  noble  Masonic  ladder. 

Zachariiih  P.  Bicrer  was  united  in  marriage, 
A])ril  17,  1850,  with  Juliu  A.,  a  daughter  of 
Jacob  Mclntyre,  of  Greensburg,  and  they  have 
had  eight  children,  five  of  whom  are  living :  11. 
Foster,  Jessie,  Mary,  Edward  K.  and  John  M. 
II.  Foster  IJiercr,  born  Se])tember  la,  18(il, 
was  married  to  Jenny  Colville,  and  is  engaged 
at  the  carpenter  trade.  Edward  K.  Bierer,  a 
P.  11.  11.  passenger  conductor,  is  married  to 
Margaret,  a  daughter  of  Prof  J.  S.  Walthour, 
and  they  have  one  child  named  Kichard.  John 
M.  Bierer,  following  in  the  footsteps  of  his 
father,  is  engaged  in  carpentry. 


fAMUEL  BIERER.  In  the  early  years 
of  the  present  century,  among  the  worthy 
and  reliable  families  who  came  from  Ger- 
many to  Westmoreland  county  was  the  Bierer 
family,  who  scattered  descendants  throughout 
the  Union  are  noted  for  intelligence,  patriotism 
and  usefulness.  One  of  these  is  Samuel  Bierer 
of  Greensburg.  He  was  born  on  West  Pitts- 
burg street,  Greensburg,  W^estmoreland  county. 
Pa.,  August  30,  1830,  and  is  a  son  of  Frederick 
and  Elizabeth  (Lafi'erty)  Bierer.  His  paternal 
grandparents,  John  and  Barbara  (Midler)  Bierer, 
were  natives  of  the  kingdom  of  W^irtemberg, 
Germany,  where  the  Bueher  (Anglicised  Bierer), 
family  hail  resided  for  several  centuries  back. 
The  Bierers  were  mostly  farmers,  tradesmen 
and  merchants,  thougii  some  of  them  were 
prominent  in  the  military  and  civil  annals  of 
Germany.  John  Bierer,  with  his  family,  started 
for  America  in  1804,  but  died  at  sea.  His 
widow  and  three  sons,  John,  Everhart  and 
Frederick,  landed  at  New  York  city  and  came 
to  Greensburg.  Frederick  Bierer  (father)  was 
born  in  17!U,  at  Monsheim,  in  tho  kingdom  of 
^Vurtemburg,  anti  ai'ler  his  arrival  at  (iieens- 
burg    he    worked    for    several    years    with    his 


brother  John  in  tho  butchering  business.  He 
then  removed  to  Connellsville,  Pa.,  where  ho 
was  engaged  in  butchering  for  many  years,  and 
owned  forty  acres  of  land,  which  included  the 
present  site  of  the  P.  R.  R.  (le[)ot.  lie  went 
to  Pittsburg  in  1817,  and  became  a  partner 
with  his  brother  Everhart  in  the  butchering 
business,  but  removed  to  Greensburg  in  1823, 
where  he  conducted  a  butcher  shop  until  1831. 
In  that  year  he  went  to  llannastown,  where  he 
owned  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-five 
acres,  and  was  engaged  in  farming  until  his 
death,  June  7,  1854.  At  his  death  he  owned 
nearly  five  hundred  acres  of  land,  was  con- 
sidered one  of  the  progressive  farmers  of  the 
county,  and  always  kept  very  fine  stock.  lie 
was  a  strong  democrat,  belonged  to  the  Ma- 
sonic fraternity,  and  was  a  strict  member  of 
the  Lutheran  church,  in  which  he  had  served 
as  deacon  and  elder.  He  was  a  man  of  large 
stature,  a  peaceable  citizen  and  a  popular  man 
in  his  neighborhood.  He  married  Elizabeth 
Lafferty,  daughter  of  James  LafTerty,  of  Con- 
nellsville, Pa.  They  had  twelve  children,  of 
whom  eleven  grew  to  manhood  and  woman- 
hood, and  seven  of  these  are  yet  living.  Mrs. 
Bierer  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church. 

Samuel  Bierer  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  and  learned  the  trade  of  cabinet-maker, 
which  he  followed  for  five  years.  He  then 
(185'J)  engaged  in  farming,  which  he  success- 
fully pursui-d  for  twenty-eight  years.  He  has 
been  a  resident  of  Greensburg  since  1884,  and 
has  recently  retired  from  farming  and  all  other 
business  jiursuits.  He  is  a  democrat  in  polities, 
has  always  voted  for  the  State  and  National 
nominees  of  that  party,  and  believes  in  an 
economical  administration  of  public  affairs  at 
the  county  seats  as  well  as  at  the  National 
capital. 

On  March  12th,  1H.';7,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Emily  \\.  Boice,  of  Greensburg.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.   Bierer  are  the   parents  of  five   children : 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


Clmrles  E.,  now  einployeJ  on  tlie  Methodist 
Jiccunhr,  oi^  rittslniif^,  Pa.;  D  Wclty,  a  telc- 
gnipli  operator;  S.  WakelieUl,  who  is  a  teacher 
and  secretary  of  the  Young  Men's  Cliristian 
Association  of  Greensburg;  and  Clara  E.,  wife 
of  W.  II.  Thomas,  wlio  is  a  manager  of  the 
scales  at  Rodebaugh  station.  Mrs.  Bierer  is 
a  daughter  of  Alonzo  II.  Boice  (originally  spelled 
DuBois),  a  native  of  New  York.  He  was  a  son 
of  Mark  Boice,  was  a  cabinet-maker  by  trade, 
and  came  to  this  county  in  1810.  He  married 
Elizabeth  Hardin,  a  daughter  of  Richard  Hardin, 
who  was  a  cabinet-maker,  and  came  from  Mary- 
land. He  served  one  year  in  the  war  of  1812, 
and  was  first  sergeant  under  Major  J.  B. 
Alexander. 

Samuel  Bierer  is  an  active  worker  in  the  tem- 
perance cause,  with  which  he  has  been  identified 
ever  since  arriving  to  manhood.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Greensburg  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
and  is  now  enjoying  in  his  neat  and  tasteful 
home  the  abundant  fruits  of  over  forty  years  of 
honest  labor. 


eOL.  JOHN  A.  BLACK.  But  for  the 
late  civil  war  the  military  ability  and 
daring  bravery  of  many  men  would 
never  have  been  known.  To  this  class  belongs 
Col.  John  A.  Black,  of  Greensburg,  who  rose 
from  the  .rank  of  private  to  the  command  of  his 
regiment  by  his  distinguisheil  services  and  gal- 
lantry on  many  bloody  fields  of  battle.  He  was 
born  in  Mercer  township,  Butler  county,  i'a., 
August  19,  1828,  and  is  a  son  of  Robert  C. 
and  Nancy  A.  (Kerr)  Black.  Col.  Black  is 
of  Irish  descent.  Mathew  Black,  (great  grand- 
father) along  with  three  (Jther  brothers,  James, 
John  and  William,  left  .Scotland  about  A.  D. 
ITS.'J,  and  came  to  Letterkenny,  Donegal  county, 
Ireland.  Mathew  Black  had  a  family  of 
four  sons  and  two  daughters.  His  son,  John 
Black,  was  born  1770,  and  came  to  America 
about  17i)r),  and  married  Jane  Criswell,  at  or 


near  Chambersburg,  Franklin  county,  Pa.,  when 
he  moved  to  tlie  headwaters  of  Slijipy  ]{ock,  in 
Mercer  townsiiip,  J3utler  county.  Pa.,  about 
1797.  He  reared  a  family  of  six  sons  and  four 
daughters,  and  died  October  2,  1882.  Jane 
Criswell,  his  wife,  was  born  September,  1775, 
died  February,  18('4.  Robert  C.  Black,  their 
son,  was  born  January  10,  1804,  and  married 
Nancy  A.  Kerr,  November  1,  1827,  and  died 
July  9,  1850.  Nancy  A.  Kerr  was  born  Octo- 
ber 27,  180(3.  Their  family  consisted  of  seven 
sons  and  four  daughters.  All,  with  the  mother, 
Nancy  A.  Black,  are  living  and  in  good  health 
at  this  date  except  their  second,  Thomas  K. 
Black,  who  died  of  typhoid  fever,  June  20, 
1851.  Robert  L.  Black,  fifth  son  of  Robert  C. 
Black,  was  born  January  27,  1835,  and  married 
Sarah  Hartley  about  January,  1850.  and  took 
the  old  farm.  He  has  reared  a  family  of  thir- 
teen children,  all  living.  But  one  death  has 
occurred  on  the  old  farm  where  the  three  gen- 
erations were  reared,  and  that  was  Robert  C. 
Black,  July  9,  1850. 

Col.  John  A.  Black  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  and  received  his  education  in  the  old  sub- 
scription schools  of  Pennsylvania,  when  they 
were  in  the  last  decade  of  their  existence.  His 
first  employment  was  farming  until  nineteen 
years  of  age,  after  which  he  was  engaged  from 
1847  to  1855  in  railroading  on  the  Portage 
road.  In  1855  he  returned  to  farming  and  was 
steadily  engaged  in  that  line  until  1801,  when 
he  was  rudely  summoned  from  his  rural  life  by 
the  sounds  of  battle  and  his  country's  call  for 
troops,  to  relieve  the  damaging  effects  of  Bull 
Run  and  crush  out  of  armed  existence  the 
spirit  of  rebellion.  As  an  obscure  private  ho 
passed  from  the  farm  to  the  tented  fields,  where 
he  was  to  win  promotion  and  honorable  men- 
tion. On  September  21,  1801,  Col.  Black  en- 
listed as  a  private  in  Co.  B,  Fifty-sixth  Pa. 
Vols.,  and  served  until  July  1, 18G5 ;  he  was  then 
honorably  mustered  out  of  service  with  the  rank 
of  lieutenant-colonel.      He   encountered  all  the 


BloaUAPIHES  OF 


lianlsliips  of  a  sdlilier's  lite,  ami  was  in  tiie  battle 
of  Ciottysbiirg  and  ninny  ollicr.s.  At  llio  battle 
of  Gettysburg  he  was  cajiturecl  by  the  Confed- 
erates on  the  fust  c-f  July  and  held  prisoner 
four  days,  when  his  captors  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  Union  forces  and  he  was  restored  to  his 
company.  For  gallant  conduct  he  was  pro- 
moted in  1863  to  second  lieutenant  on  October 
10,  and  became  captain  November  15  of  the 
same  year.  He  commanded  a  regiment  under 
Meade  and  led  it  through  the  "  Battles  of  the 
Wilderness,"  where  it  made  an  enviable  record 
for  bravery  and  faithful  service.  At  the  battle 
of  "North  Anna  River,"  on  May  23,  18G4, 
Col.  ])lack  had  his  left  arm  shot  to  pieces  in  the 
very  thickest  of  the  carnage.  His  shattered 
arm  disabled  him  from  active  service  until 
March,  1865,  ^yhen  he  was  promoted  to  major, 
and  on  the  next  day  commissioned  lieutenant- 
colonel  in  recognition  of  his  valuable  services 
and  distinguished  bravery  during  Grant's  march 
from  the  Rapidan  to  the  North  Anna.  He  re- 
mained in  command  of  the  Fifty-sixth  until  it 
was  mustered  out  in  July,  1865.  He  was  of- 
fered the  rank  of  colonel  by  brevet,  but  declined 
to  receive  it,  as  he  purposed  to  retire  from  mili- 
tary life  to  civil  pursuits.  After  the  close  of 
the  Avar  ho  engaged  for  several  years  in  butch- 
ering. June  18,  1877,  he  was  appointed  mail 
agent  on  the  Southwest  Pennsylvania  Railway, 
and  held  that  position  for  five  years.  From 
1881i  to  January  1,  1888,  lie  was  agent  of  Ad- 
ams Kxpress  Company  at  Grcensburg.  In  He- 
cember,  1888,  he  was  appointed  tipstaff  by  Judge 
Hunter. 

On  December  25,  1851,  he  was  married  to 
Margaret  L.  Kerr,  daughter  of  Thomas  B. 
Kerr.  To  them  were  born  six  children,  of 
whom  five  are  living :  Willis  Morton,  who 
married  Aniui  Ha/.let,  and  is  an  engineer  on 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad;  Agnes  M.,  ivife  of 
J.  M.  Scott,  of  Delano,  Butler  county.  Pa. ; 
Carrie  R.,  Jessie  L.,  telegraph  operator  on  the 
West    Penn    railroad;    John   Audley,  clerk    at 


Greensburg,  and  Clarence  B.,  who  died  Decem- 
ber 13,  1865. 

When  the  National  Guards  of  Pennsylvania 
were  organized  he  became  successively  captain 
of  Co.  B.,  lieutenant-colonel  of  one  of  the  bat- 
talions and  colonel  of  the  Tenth  regiment.  He 
commanded  this  regiment  in  the  Pittsburg  labor 
riot  of  1877,  and  is  well  remembered  there  for 
the  firm  but  judicious  manner  in  which  he  dealt 
with  the  crazed  and  riotous  masses  that  block- 
aded the  streets  of  the  city.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Grand  Array  of  the  Republic,  Union 
Veteran  Legion,  and  the  Society  of  the  Aimy 
of  the  Potomac.  In  politics  he  was  a  democrat 
until  1863.  In  that  year,  because  the  demo- 
crats opposed  the  right  of  the  soldiers  to  vote, 
he  left  that  party  and  joined  the  republicans ; 
to  these  principles  he  has  since  adhered.  Col. 
Black  served  two  terms  as  justice  of  the  peace 
at  Livermore,  Pa.,  and  was  overseer  of  the  poor 
for  several  years  in  Indiana  county,  Pa.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  churcli. 


fEORGE  A.  BLANK,  one  of  Greensburg's 
prosperous  business  men  and  leading  gro- 
cers, was  born  in  Ilempfield  township, 
Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  October  5,  1853,  and 
is  a  son  of  Jonas  and  Charlotte  (liierer)  Blank. 
Jonas  Blank  was  born  in  Montgomery  county. 
Pa.,  and  has  always  been  engaged  in  farming 
until  lately,  when  he  retired  from  active  business. 
He  is  a  democrat,  a  member  of  the  Evangelical 
church,  in  which  he  has  held  all  the  local  offices, 
and  was  very  successful  in  business  while  en- 
gaged in  farming.  On  December  2,  1811,  he 
married  Charlotte  Bierer,  daughter  of  John 
Bierer.  They  have  had  eleven  children,  of  whom 
three  sons  and  two  daughters  are  living.  Mrs. 
Blank  belongs  to  the  same  church  as  her  husband. 
He  is  u  son  of  George  A.  Blank,  who  was  born 
in  Eastern  Pennsylvania,  but  removed  to  this 
county  when  Jonas  was  nine  years  of  age. 
George  A.  Blank,  an  early  settler,  was  engaged 


wi:stmori-:land  co  unty. 


55 


in  fiirming  and  was  a  strict  member  of  the 
Evangoliciil  Lutlioran  cliurcli.  llu  manicil 
Catliaiiiie  ShoUe  and  their  union  was  blessed 
witli  eleven  cliiblren. 

George  A.  JJlank,  a  grandson  of  the  al>ove 
mentioned  George  A.  Blank,  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools  of  llempfield  township. 
Leaving  school,  he  engaged  for  two  years  at 
Greensburg  in  the  piano  and  organ  business  and 
then  served  as  clerk  with  Bowman  iV  Sons  for 
about  seven  years,  until  1 883,  when  he  engaged 
in  the  present  grocery  business. 

On  February  11,  1883,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Kate  Roley,  daughter  of  Sarah  Roley, 
of  Greensburg.  They  have  had  four  children  : 
Margaretta,  Ralph,  Sarah  (deceased),  and  Irene. 

He  is  a  democrat,  a  member  of  the  Jr.  0.  U. 
A.  M.  and  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church. 
His  grocery  establishment  is  at  No.  137  Main 
street,  above  the  court-house ;  it  is  ample  in  size 
and  convenient  in  arrangement.  lie  carries  a 
large  and  well  assorted  stock  of  staple  and  fancy 
groceries,  especially  selected  and  well  suited  to 
the  wants  of  his  large  and  lucrative  patronage. 


i^OUIS  W.  BOTT,  a  contractor  and  builder 
y  j  of  Greensburg,  was  born  November  7, 
1848,  in  Donegal  township,  Westmoreland 
county.  Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of  John  C.  and 
JIagdalena  Bott.  lie  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Greensburg,  his  father  having  removed 
there  when  Louis  was  but  an  infant.  After 
leaving  school  he  engaged  in  surveying  on  the 
Allegheny  Valley  railroad  for  two  years,  but 
quit  this  to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he 
did  with  Ziegler,  Baker  &  Co.,  beginning  in 
18G8,  at  the  age  of  nineteen.  After  the  com- 
pletion of  his  apprenticeship  he  worked  as  a 
journeyman  until  1883,  when  he  took  the  con- 
tract for  the  erection  of  public  school  building 
No.  2.  During  his  first  year  as  a  contractor  he 
did  $40,000  worth  of  business,  which  is  con- 
vincing evidence  of  the  confidence  reposed  in  his 


skill  and  integrity  by  his  life-long  acciuaintances. 
Mr.  Bott  employs  from  forty  to  fifty  men  in  tlio 
various  lines  of  his  bu.siness,  and  is  well  known 
as  an  honest,  relialile  and  ollicient  contractor, 
builder  and  dealer.  He  is  a  man  of  high 
character,  decided  views  and  considerable  ability. 
His  political  principles  are  those  of  the  demo- 
cratic party.  He  is  a  member  of  St.  Glair 
Lodge,  No.  53,  A.  0.  U.  W.,  as  well  as  of  the 
Homo  Circle,  and  with  his  wife  is  identified  with 
the  Lutheran  church. 

On  January  '25,  1870,  Louis  W.  Bott  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Elvira  j\l.,  a  daui^hter 
of  Isaac  Wible,  of  Greensburg,  and  their  mar- 
riage has  been  blest  with  two  children  :  George 
W.,  born  January  4,  1877,  and  Mary  Elvira, 
born  December  8,  1884. 


ILLIAM  BROWN,  the  late  popular  and 
leading  druggist  and  proprietor  of  the 
oldest  drug  store  at  Greensburg,  was  a 
son  of  Dr.  Samuel  P.  and  Mary  J.  (Nichols) 
Brown,  and  was  born  at  Greensburg,  West- 
moreland county,  Pennsylvania,  October  10, 
1842.  The  Browns  are  of  Scotch-Irish  descent, 
and  in  Scotland  (their  original  home)  they  were 
Covenanters.  Dr.  Samuel  Potter  Brown  was 
born  in  Greensburg,  April  10,  1801,  where  he 
died  May  30,  18L)0.  He  was  a  son  of  Robert 
Brown,  an  early  merchant  of  GreensburiT.  He 
was  a  very  prominent  physician  in  his  day;  his 
field  of  practice  extended  over  Westmoreland 
and  into  adjoining  counties  He  was  a  demo- 
crat, a  ruling  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church 
of  Greensburg,  and  was  always  recognized  as 
a  warm  friend  of  the  educational  interests  of 
his  town,  where  he  served  for  years  as  a  trustee 
of  the  old  Greensburg  seminary.  In  1830, 
March  16,  he  married  Mary  Jane  Nichols, 
daughter  of  John  Nichols.  They  had  eight 
children,  of  whom  five  are  dead. 

William  Brown  was  educated  in  the  Greens- 
burg school  and  Jefferson  collcire  at  Cannonsburg. 


56 


BIOORAPHIES  OF 


His  college  attendance  was  diiring  the  palmy 
days  t)t' Jellerson,  when  it  received  a  large  niindjer 
ofstudeiits  from  the  lending  families  of  the  South. 
In  lSr)8  ho  lAsinned  charge,  us  proprietor,  of 
his  father's  drug  store,  and  has  continued  suc- 
cessfully in  the  drug  business  ever  since. 

On  January  28, 18(32,  he  married  Millie  Eyster, 
second  daugliter  of  llev.  Michael  Eyster,  who 
■was  pastor  of  the  Lutheran  church  at  Greens- 
burg  for  many  years.  They  have  two  children  : 
Samuel  Potter,  born  December  9,  18G2,  who 
married  Maggie  A.  Ilill  and  Millie  Eyster. 

William  Brown  was  a  democrat,  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church  and  was  superinten- 
dent of  its  Sabbath  School  for  many  years.  In 
18(19  he  erected  his  present  fine  business  build- 
ing on  No"tli  Main  street,  near  the  court-house, 
in  which  he  does  a  large  wholesale  and  retail 
drug  business.  His  establishment  is  neatly  and 
hamlsomely  fitted  up,  and  always  contained  a 
large  and  carefully  selected  stock  of  fresh  and 
pure  drugs,  together  with  all  standanl  proprietary 
medicines  and  a  choice  assortment  of  toilet  arti- 
cles. He  was  a  thorough  and  careful  pharma- 
ceutist, and  a  jirompt,  accommodating  business 
man.      He  died  in  March,  1890. 


■rv-IT-AltY    J.    RIUJNOT.      AVestmoreland 

I  J  cimiily  is  extremely  fdrliiiKile  in  (ho 
V$  niineral  wealth  and  agricultural  richness 
of  her  territoiy,  and  very  remarkable  for  theen- 
crgrlic  and  pnigi'essive spirit  ofiii'r  many  pmni- 
iiiciit  eiliz'iis.  Oui.'  ol'  ihiM  class  is  Hilary  J. 
liruncit,  a  leading  business  man  and  capitalist 
of  (ireensburg,  who  is  descended  from  one  of  the 
old  and  highly  honorable  families  of  France, 
and  who  has  had  to  do  largely  with  the  material 
development  of  the  Monongahela  valley,  and  is 
the  real  pioneer  of  the  natural  gas  region  of 
Pennsylvania.  He  was  born  in  the  Allegheny 
arsenal,  in  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  July  24,  1824,  and 
is  a  son  of  Lieut.  Hilary  and  Ann  Tankard 
(Ileville)  Brunot.     The  Brunot  family  is  one  of 


the  old  families  of  France,  which  firjt  came 
into  national  i)roniiiience  during  the  jjeriod  of 
the  religious  wars  in  that  country  in  the  si.\-  '  • 
teenth  century.  Major  Sanson  Hrunot  (great 
grandfather)  was  a  distinguished  oHicer  in  the 
French  army  and  had  a  coat  of  arms  (still  in  pos- 
sion  of  the  Brunot  family),  which  was  bestowed 
on  him  for  meritorious  conduct  on  the  field  of 
battle.  J  lis  son.  Dr.  Felix  Brunot  (grand- 
father), was  born  in  Parish  Morey,  France, 
January  9,  1752,  and  was  a  foster  brother  of  Gen. 
LaFayette.  He  was  originally  intended  for 
"orders  "  by  his  uncle,  a  Catholic  bishop,  but 
experiencing  an  aversion  for  that  calling  he  was 
permitted  to  enter  upon  the  study  of  medicine. 
After  graduating  from  one  of  the  first  medical 
schools  of  France  he  joined  Gen.  LaFayette  in 
his  espousal  of  the  patriotic  cause  in  America. 
He  came  to  this  country  in  1777,  was  appointed 
as  a  surgeon  in  the  Continental  army  under 
Washington,  and  rendered  invaluable  services 
at  the  battle  of  Brandywine  and  on  many  other 
battle-fields  during  the  Revolutionary  war.  At 
the  close  of  that  great  struggle  he  was  rocoiT- 
nized  as  one  of  the  most  successful  physicians 
and  skillful  surgeons  in  the  new-risen  Republic, 
in  whose  cause  he  had  patriotically  risked  his 
life,  and  with  whoso  destiny  he  had  unhesitat- 
ingly cast  in  his  fortunes.  No  warmer  hearted 
and  more  earnest  friend  of  freedoui  than  Dr. 
Brunot  ever  came  to  this  continent,  and  no 
man's  service  was  ever  rendered  in  the  cause  of 
.America n  Independence  more  devotedly  than 
his.  After  the  ileclaration  of  peace  between- 
Great  Rritain  and  the  "  Thirteen  Colonies," 
Dr.  Brunot  located  at  Annapolis,  Md.,  but  soon 
removed  to  Philadelphia,  where  he  enjoyed  a 
large  practice  and  remained  until  1797.  In 
that  year  he  came  to  Pittsburg  and  selected  his 
place  of  residence  on  a  beautiful  island  (now- 
known  as  "  Brunot's  Island  ")  in  the  (_)hio  river, 
a  short  distance  below  that  city.  At  liis  island 
home  he  entertained  his  foster  brother  and  com- 
rade   in     arms,    (Jen.    LaFayette    and    George 


]VFSTM0RI:{.A  .\D   CO  USTV. 


Rogers  Cliirkc  and  Kcnuaii  J^loniiciliassL't  and 
many  other  prominent  characters  of  American 
liistory.  He  subsequently  removed  to  Liberty 
Btrect,  ritlsbiirg,  wliere  lie  died  May  S-l,  188H. 
llewiis  a  public-spirited  c  li/eii,  ami  after  coming 
to  Pittsburg,  always  took  a  great  interest  in  the 
growth  and  prosperity  of  that  city.  Dr.  Brunot 
was  twice  married.  His  first  wife  was  a  lady  of 
Annapolis,  by  whom  lie  had  one  daughter,  who 
married,  but  died  without  issue.  His  second 
wife  was  Elizabeth  Kreider,  of  Philadelphia, 
whom  he  married  December  17,  1789,  and  by 
whom  he  had  six  sons  and  one  daughter.  Of 
these  sons,  two,  Breton  and  Casper,  were  physi- 
cians ;  one,  Sanson,  was  a  iirominent  minister 
in  the  Ejiiscojial  church  and  at  one  time  was  in 
cinirge  of  the  church  at  Cirecnsburg;  another, 
Hihiry,  served  as  a  Lieut,  in  the  United  States 
army,  and  the  other  two,  Felix  and  James  ^L, 
became  lawyers  and  settled  in  the  Suulliern 
States.  James  AL  Brunot  was  the  father  of 
Hilary  15.  Jirunot,  now  practicing  law  in  Pitts- 
burg.     Susan  Louisa  was  the  only  daughter. 

Lieut.  Hilary  Brunot  (fatlier)  was  the  fourtli 
son  and  was  born  July  14.  1795,  in  a  house  that 
is  still  standing  in  Philadelphia,  on  the  bank  of 
the  Schuykill  river.  When  quite  young  he  en- 
tered the  United  States  Military  Academy  at 
West  Point,  and  was  a  member  of  one  of  the 
early  classes  which  was  graduated  from  that 
institution.  After  graduation  he  was  com- 
missioned as  lieutenant  in  the  United  States 
regular  army,  and  Avas  wounded  in  the  sortie  at 
Fort  Erie  during  the  War  of  1S12  and  was  jiro- 
moted  to  First  Lieut,  for  gallantry  in  this  battle. 
After  the  close  of  that  struggle  he  was  stationed 
respectively  at  Fort  Snelling,  Mackinaw,  Green 
Bay  and  Newport.  From  the  latter  place,  in 
Kentucky,  he  was  stationed  at  the  Allegheny 
arsenal  in  Pittsburg.  In  1825  he  resigned  his 
command  in  the  army  and  was  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  white  lead  for  many  years.  His 
works  occupied  the  entire  square  upon  which  the 
Union  depot  in   Pittsbui-g  now  stands,     iiieiii. 


Brunot  retired  from  active  business  in  1850  and 
died  March  20,  1H7-.  He  was  an  earnest 
Christian,  a  man  of  great  force  of  character  and 
was  very  active  in  jiolitics.  He  was  a  whig  and 
later  a  republican,  and  served  for  many  years  as 
a  member  of  the  city  councils  of  Pittsburg. 
On  May  G,  181'J,  iie  married  Ann  Tankard 
lleville,  a  daughter  of  Ilandell  and  Margaret 
Keville,  of  Newport,  Kentucky.  The  Uevilles 
were  early  settlers  of  Somerset  county,  Mary- 
land. To  Lieut,  and  Mrs.  Brunot  were  born 
nine  children,  of  whom  two  are  living:  Hilary 
J.  and  Felix  11.  Brunot,  of  Pittsburg,  who  is 
one  of  the  most  noted  ])liilautliropists  of  the 
day. 

Hilary  J.  Ihunot  was  educated  in  Scwickley 
academy  and  ^Vestern  University  of  Pittsburg. 
Leaving  school,  ho  was  engaged  for  a  short  time 
in  the  white  lead  business.  In  1845  he  engaged 
in  civil  cngineeiiiig  and  assisted  Nathan 
McDowell  to  make  test  surveys  for  slackwater 
navigation  on  the  iMunongaliela  river.  in 
1849  he  went  with  a  I'ittsburg  company  to  Cali- 
fornia, where  he  remained  two  years.  In  1851 
he  returned  to  Pennsylvania  and  helped  locate 
and  survey  the  Allegheny  Valley  railroad.  In 
1854  he  resigned  from  the  engineer  corps,  went 
to  Indiana,  where  he  married  and  then  purchased 
a  stock-farm  in  Rock  Island  county,  Illinois, 
upon  which  he  resided  for  five  years.  In  1859 
he  removed  to  Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  and  speculat- 
ing in  coal  lands  until  1873,  when  he  came  to 
Greensburg.  Since  then  he  has  been  dealing 
in  coal,  oil  and  gas  lands.  He  was  one  of  the 
jiioncers  of  the  natural  gas  business,  and  with 
the  Haymaker  brothers  put  down  the  first  well 
at  MurrysviUe.  In  1883  he  started  the  Daily 
and  Weekly  Press,  one  of  the  leading  papers  of 
the  county,  which  now  has  far  more  than  a 
local  circulation. 

During  the  late  war  Mr.  Brunot  was  mus- 
tered into  the  service  of  the  United  States  at 
Camp    Howell  on    July    '1,     iMiu,  and    serveil 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


until  August  IG,  1863,  when  tlie  regiment,  the 
fifty-fourth  ]';i.  Vols,  wiis  disbanded  and  he  uas 
diseiiurged. 

Hilary  J.  Bruiiot  was  married  at  Boone 
Grove,  Indiana,  ui\  July  12,  1855,  to  Mary 
Bissell,  a  daughter  of  William  anil  Sarah  Bis- 
sell  of  that  [dace.  To  tliis  marriage  have  been 
born  ten  cliihhen.  Ann  Elizal)etli,  Mary 
Caroline,  wife  of  Dr.  I.  P.  Klingensmith,  of 
Blairsville,  Pa.;  Hilary  Sanson,  business  mana- 
ger of  the  Press;  Sarah  Louisa,  William  B., 
died  at  nineteen  years  of  age;  Felix  Reville, 
member  of  the  engine-building  firm  of  Ilenift'  k 
Brunot ;  Melesina  Cory,  James  Thompson,  at 
Annapolis,  Md.,  preparing  for  the  navy  ;  In- 
diana Traner,  who  died  in  infancy,  and  John 
Breton,  who  is  attending  school. 

Politically  Mr.  Brunot  is  a  stanch  and  ardent 
republican.  In  Masonry  he  has  passed  through 
lodge,  council,  chapter,  commandery,  temfile 
and  consistory,  and  is  a  Thirty-second  degree  or 
Scottish  Kite  Mason. 


L.  BUSH,  a  thorough  business  man  and 
one  of  the  leading  booksellers  and  sta- 
tioners of  Greensburg,  was  born  near 
Greensburg,  in  Ilenipfield  township,  AVestmore- 
land  county,  Pa.,  March  13,  1863,  and  the 
second  and  youngest  child  of  Jacob  and  Eliza- 
beth (Row)  Bush.  Jacob  Bush  was  born  in 
IIemi>tield  township,  where  he  resided  until  his 
deatli  in  1S(J6.  Mr.  liusli  seiecteil  farming  as 
an  occupation  and  was  successfully  engaged  in 
that  line  of  business  during  his  lifetime.  He 
believed  in  the  principles  and  practices  of  the 
democratic  i>arty,  was  an  active  working  mem- 
ber of  tiie  German  Reformed  Church,  in  which 
he  served  for  many  years  as  deacon  and  after- 
wards as  an  elder,  and  was  a  prominent  man  in 
his  community  and  township.  lie  married 
Elizabeth  Row,  daugiiter  of  Samuel  Row  of 
Ilempfu'ld  township.  Tlieir  marriage  was  blessed 
witii    live  children,  of  wlioiri  tlie  lliree   iolluwing 


are  living:  David  J.,  a  lawyer  residing  at  La- 
trobe,  ]'a.  ;  Sadie  and  C.  L.  Mrs.  Bush  was 
born  in  1825,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Evangeli- 
cal Lutheran  church.  Jacob  Rush  was  a  son  of 
Daniel  Ru.sh,  Sr.,  who  wasa  Westmoreland  county 
farmer  and  married  Marie  Smeltzer.  The  Smelt- 
zers  arc  a  numerous  and  widely  scattered  family. 

C.  L.  Busli  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  educated 
in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  township 
and  at  Greensburg  High  School.  At  seventeen 
years  of  age  he  began  business  for  himself.  In 
1880  he  learned  the  trade  of  paperiianger  in 
which  he  was  actively  and  successfully  engaged 
for  nine  years.  On  August  1,  1889,  he  pur- 
chased his  present  book  and  stationery  store 
from  A.  W.  McCoy. 

On  October  3, 1888,  he  married  Ida  F.  Naley, 
daughter  of  Eli  Naley,  of  llempfield  township. 
Mrs.  Bush  received  her  education  in  the  common 
schools  and  Greensburg  Academy,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  German  Reformed  Church. 

C.  L.  Bush's  book  and  stationery  establish- 
ment is  located  at  No.  141  North  Main  street, 
and  is  known  as  the  "  A.  P.  A."  store.  His 
room  is  commodious,  conveniently  arranged  and 
heavily  stocked  with  a  complete  assortment  of 
books,  stationery,  papers,  magazines,  window- 
blinds,  school  material  and  toilet  articles.  The 
book  department  represents  the  widest  range  of 
literature,  from  science  and  philosophy  to 
amusement  and  romance.  A  specialty  of  the 
establishment  is  the  wall-paper  department,  in 
wliicli  a  full  stock  of  jihiin  and  fancy  wall-paper 
are  always  kept  on  hand.  He  has  within  a  com- 
paratively brief  period  secured  a  large  and  pay- 
ing trade.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Jr.  0.  U.  A. 
M.  and  a  useful  member  of  the  German  Re- 
formed church. 


F.  BYERS,  the  late  popular  and  efficient 
sheriff  of  Westmoreland  county,  is  a  son  of 
John  H.  and  Mary  (Runnihaugh)  Byers, 
and  was  born  on  the  uld   Byers  homestead  near 


WESTMORELAND   COUNTY. 


Mt.  Pleasant,  Wcstinorolaiul  county,  Pa.  Jolin 
II.  IJycis  is  a  son  of  John  Byeis,  who  was  a 
furmer  and  distiller  of  Westmoreland  county. 
lie  is  a  comfortably  situated  farmer,  a  stanch 
democrat  and  a  leading  member  of  the  Reformed 
church,  lie  operated  the  P>yers'  distillery  prior 
to  the  late  civil  war.  His  tirst  wife  was  Mary, 
daughter  of  Abraham  Runnibaugh,  of  Mt. 
Pleasant  township.  She  died  and  left  five 
children.  His  second  wife  was  Charlotte  Miller, 
by  whom  he  had  two  children,  and  after  her 
death  he  was  married  to  Miss  Emily  Lynn. 

B.  F.  Byers  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  and  Mt.  Pleasant  academy ; 
leaving  school  he  began  farming,  which  he  soon 
relinquished  and  engaged  in  stock-buj'ing.  He 
was  later  engaged  in  the  livery  business  for  two 
years  and  then  became  a  partner  of  E.  II.  Fiscus. 
This  partnership  lasted  about  six  months.  iMr. 
Byers'  political  career  commenced  by  his  being 
elected  constable  of  Latrobe  borough.  After 
two  years  acceptable  service  in  this  position  he 
became  deputy  sheriff"  of  Westmoreland  county 
for  three  years  under  Sheriff  James  Boreland ; 
and  served  in  the  same  position  for  the  same 
length  of  time  under  Boreland's  successor,  Sheriff' 
Kethering.  At  the  e.xiiiration  of  Kcthering's 
term  he  was  employed  as  a  railroad  detective  by 
the  P.  II.  R.  company  and  remained  in  their 
service  two  and  one-half  years.  In  188G  he 
was  nominated  for  sheriff"  of  Westmoreland 
county  b}'  the  democrats,  and  after  a  heated  and 
excited  contest  was  elected  to  that  office.  The 
county  two  years  jjreviously  had  gone  republican. 
He  is  a  member  of  Philanthropy  Lodge,  No. 
225,  A.  Y.  M.,  and  is  a  shrewd  business  man. 
For  years  Mr.  Byers  has  been  a  leading  demo- 
cratic worker.  As  sheriff'  he  discharged  the 
duties  of  his  office  faithfully  and  eiliciently,  and 
in  all  iiis  business  relations  ho  is  pleasant  and 
obliging  to  all. 

As  a  judge  of  horses  Mr.  Byers  has  few 
superiors  in  Westmoreland  county  ;  and  his  judg- 
ment as  to  men  is  cijuuUy  good. 


AMUEL  W.  CALDWELL.  One  who  ha 
been  remarkably  successful  in  every  enter'' 
prise  he  has  undertaken  is  Samuel  W. 
Caldwell,  real  estate  dealer  and  insurance  agent, 
of  Greensburg.  He  was  born  at  Manor  Station, 
AV^estmoreland  county.  Pa.,  September  12,  18G3, 
and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Maria  E.  (Morrow) 
Caldwell.  His  paternal  grandfather,  William 
Caldwell,  was  born  in  1793.  He  was  a  farmer 
by  occupation,  a  democrat  in  politics  and  a  use- 
ful member  of  the  German  Reformed  church. 
His  maternal  grandfather,  John  Morrow,  was  a 
farmer  who  resided  near  Irwin  Station  (see 
sketch  of  J.  C.  Morrow).  His  father,  Samuel 
Caldwell,  was  a  grain  dealer  at  Manor  Station, 
where  he  died  October  5,  18(J3,  in  the  thirty- 
fifth  year  of  his  age.  He  was  a  conservative 
democrat  in  politics  and  a  useful  member  of  the 
UniteJ  Presbyterian  church.  He  was  a  success- 
ful and  influential  man  who  after  his  death  was 
much  missed  in  that  section  of  the  county.  In 
1850  he  married  Maria  E.  Morrow,  by  whom  he 
had  three  children,  two  sons  and  one  daughter  : 
William  B.,  in  the  real  estate  business  and  in 
charge  of  the  Jeannette  oflSce  of  S.  W.  Caldwell 
&  Co.;  Frances  E.,  wife  of  C.  W.  Seibold,  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  S.  W.  Caldwell  &  Co., 
and  Samuel  W.  Mrs.  Caldwell  resides  at  Manor 
Station. 

S.  W.  Caldwell  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  and  Murrysville  academy.  The  first 
commercial  enterprise  in  which  he  embarked  was 
the  general  mercantile  business  with  his  brother 
at  Manor  Station.  They  owned  and  operated 
the  Manor  store,  which  they  sold  in  188-4  and 
purchased  another  in  Greensburg  in  1885.  In 
1887  they  sold  their  store  and  embarked  in  a 
new  field  of  commercial  industry.  S.  D.  Cald- 
well formed  a  co-partnership  with  C.  W.  Seibold, 
under  the  firm  name  of  S.  W.  Caldwell  &  Co., 
and  engaged  in  the  insurance  and  real  estate 
business  at  Greensburg.  Their  office  is  in  the 
new  Press  building  on  West  Otterman  street. 
i  In  the  insurance  department  they  represent  tho 


60 


BIOGRArniES  OF 


following  well-known  companies:  The  Crecnwich 
File  In.suniiicc  Company  of  New  York  ;  The 
Uniteil  States  Fire  Insurance  Company  of  New 
York;  Penn  j\Iiitual  Fire  Insurance  Company 
of  Philadelphia,  capital  $1^,000,000.  They 
have  a  large  number  o'"  houses,  lots  and  farms 
for  sale  and  rent,  and  besides  selling  property, 
renting  houses  and  collecting  rents  they  have 
money  to  loan.  They  enjoy  a  large  and  exten- 
sive patronage,  and  in  order  to  better  accommo- 
date a  part  of  their  patrons  a  branch  office  was 
opened  at  Jeannette  in  188tl.  They  are  thor- 
oughly conversant  with  every  detail  of  their 
varied  business,  and  justly  deserve  the  success 
their  energy  and  thrift  have  achieved. 

On  December  0,  1880,  S.  W.  Caldwell  was 
married  to  Anna  L.  Phillips  of  Greensburg. 
They  have  two  children  :  Maude  Gertrude  and 
AVallace.  Mrs  Caldwell  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church. 

S.  W.  Caldwell  is  a  republican  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  By  able 
management  he  has  built  up  his  present  success- 
ful business,  and  is  recognized  as  a  reliable  man 
and  honorable  citizen. 


^  ZllA  G.  CAMPBELL,  a  soldier  of  the 
(g)f  late  civil  war  and  popular  caterer  of 
Greensburg,  was  born  in  Ligonier  valley. 
Cook  township,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  May 
29,  1840,  and  is  a  son  of  George  and  Keziah 
(Gelvin)  ('aiiiphcli.  At  an  early  pciind  in  llie 
history  of  what  is  now  ^W>jtmllrellUhl  county, 
eight  brothers  by  the  name  of  Campbell  settled 
in  the  Ligonier  valley,  in  what  is  now  Cook 
township,  where  seven  of  them  owned  adjoining 
farms.  One  of  these  brothers  was  George 
Campbell  whose  son,  John  Campbell  (grand- 
father), was  a  farmer  and  large  landholder. 
John  (Janipbell  was  a  justice  of  the  peace, 
captain  of  a  militia  company  and  an  elder  in 
the  Presbyterian  church.  lie  marric<l  Mary 
Galbraith,  daughter  of  John  and  Isabella  (Camp- 


bell) Galbraith.  Mrs.  Galbraith,  along  with  her 
brother  Robert  Cam|)bcll,  ^Villiam,  Thomas  and 
one  sister  were  captured  in  July,  1770,  in  Ligo- 
nier townshij),  by  the  Indians  and  carried  to 
Canada,  where  they  were  held  lour  years  as 
prisoners.  Her  father  was  absent  at  the  time  of 
the  capture,  while  her  mother  and  an  infant 
sister  were  killed  on  the  spot  and  their  house 
burned.  One  of  John  Campbell's  sons  was 
George  Campbell  (father)  born  October  11, 
181G,  in  Cook  township,  lie  was  reared  to 
farming,  received  a  fair  education  for  that  period 
and  was  one  of  the  "old-school  masters"  and 
singing-school  teachers  of  half  a  century  ago. 
lie  is  a  democrat,  has  held  the  various  offices  of 
his  township,  was  elected  commissioner  of  West- 
moreland county  in  1884,  served  his  term  and 
went  out  of  office  with  hosts  of  friends  in  both 
parties.  lie  is  pleasant  and  agreeable,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  resides 
at  Mannsville,  Cook  townshij).  On  ]May  28, 
1838,  he  married  Keziah  Gelvin,  daughter  of 
Matthew  Gelvin,  of  Chambersburg,  Franklin 
county.  Pa.,  by  whom  he  had  two  children : 
Ezra  G.  and  Isabella  M.,  wife  of  John  II.  Nicely, 
of  Ligonier  township. 

Ezra  G.  Campbell  received  his  education, 
like  most  of  farmer's  sons,  in  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  township,  and  engaged 
in  farming  until  the  breakingoiit  of  the  great 
rebellion.  On  September  2,  18(31,  he  en- 
listed in  Co.  E,  eleventh  Pa.  Infantry  Vols, 
and  served  in  the  army  of  the  Potonuic.  Par- 
ticipating in  the  battles  of  Cedar  Mountain, 
I{aj)jjaliannock  Station,  Thoroughfare  Gap  and 
Second  Bull  Run,  where  in  a  rank  of  six  men, 
two  were  wounded  and  three  killed  ;  one  of  them 
was  killed  in  Mr.  Campbell's  arms,  being 
wounded  prior  to  being  killed,  and  5Ir.  Camjibell 
alone  escaped  unhurt.  He  was  discharged  De- 
cember 31,  1803,  re-enlisted  in  the  same  com- 
pany January  1,  1804,  and  served  until  July  1, 
180;'),  when  he  was  honorably  mustered  out  of 
the  L^nited  States  service.     Returning'  home  he 


t       u 


(O-UL^  <h'A>a^^'T^  -iCi^-^^^ 


WESTMORKLASD   CO UNTV, 


engajicd  fur  ii  slioit  time  in  iiinninj;,  .^icrvcil  as 
car  iiispoctor  iit  Cunt'iiuiujih  for  iIiitl'  years,  and 
in  187-  returned  to  Greensburg,  where  he  em- 
barked in  liis  j)res('nt  restaurant  business. 
Quite  reeently  lie  opened  a  second  restaurant, 
whiuli  is  located  on  the  corner  of  I'eiinsjlvania 
avenue  and  West  Otterman  street. 

On  April  22,  1866,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Sarah  Sease,  daughter  of  John  and 
Nancy  (Balsley)  Sease.  To  th.s  union  have  been 
born  five  children,  of  whom  the  eldest  is  dead. 
Those  living  are:  Nannie  S.,  born  October  'J, 
1869;  Henrietta  K.,  February  26,  1874;  Fran- 
cis Jlarion,  September  9,  1878,  and  Leona  Lo- 
weta,  January  15,  1881. 

Ezra  G.  Campbell  is  a  member  of  G.  A. 
Cribbs  Post,  No.  276,  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public, Encampment  No.  5,  Union  Veteran  liC- 
gion  and  Protection  Council  No.  11,  Chosen 
Friends.  lie  is  a  strong  democrat,  a  member 
of  the  United  Brethren  church  and  a  good  citi- 
zen. No  one  more  fully  un<lerstand8  or  better 
provides  restaurant  entertainment  for  the  public 
than  Mr.  Campbell,  who  is  ever  accommodating 
and  obliging.  He  has  secured  a  large  and 
liberal  patronage,  has  been  successful  financially 
and  owns  considerable  property  in  Greensburg. 


e^  LI  CHAMBERS.  Prominent  among  the 
)]"  representative  bnsiness  men  of  the  county, 
distinguished  for  financial  ability,  honesty, 
and  ellieiency,  is  Eli  Chaudjors,  the  present 
treasurer  of  Westmoreland  county.  He  belongs 
to  that  clasa  of  useful  men  whose  patriotism, 
integrity,  intelligence,  and  usefulness  give  stabili- 
ty to  society,  and  progress  and  prosperity  to  its 
business  affairs.  Eli  Chambers,  who  was  a 
brave  soldier  and  faithful  olficer  during  the  war 
of  the  Great  Rebellion,  is  a  son  'William  and 
Elizabeth  (Leas>ire)  Chambers,  and  was  born 
near  Pleasant  Unity,  in  Unity  township,  West- 
moreland county.  Pa.,  in  1836.  The  Chand)ers 
family   of  Westmoreland  county  is  of  Scotch- 


Irish  origin  and  Prisbyterian  faith.  It  was 
founded  by  John  Cluuiiiieis  (grandfather),  who 
was  the  descendant  of  a  Chambers  who  settled 
in  Eastern  Pennsylvania  at  a  very  early  day. 
John  Chambers  was  born  near  idttle  York, 
York  county,  Pa.,  where  his  paternal  ancestors 
erected  the  first  grist-mill  of  that  county,  and 
their  descendants  in  that  section  have  been 
engaged  in  milling  ever  since.  Some  years 
prior  to  the  opening  of  the  present  century, 
John  Chambers  left  his  comfortable  eastern  home 
and  crossed  the  mountains  into  the  frontier 
settlements  of  Westmoreland  county,  in  whose 
wealth  of  virgin  forests,  rich  soil  and  fine  water- 
power  for  manufacturing  purposes  he  saw  a  wide, 
not  then  inviting,  field  for  business  activity  and 
future  prosperity-.  He  selected  a  large  tract  of 
land  near  Pleasant  Unity,  in  one  of  the  very 
garden  spots  of  the  county,  upon  which  he  set- 
tled and  erected  a  factory  for  the  manufacture 
of  woolen  goods,  in  which  business  he  was  en- 
gaged for  many  years.  He  married  Leah  Ilart- 
zell,  of  Little  Y'ork,  Pa.,  by  whom  he  had  seven 
children :  William,  John,  Elizabeth,  George, 
Rev.  Joseph,  a  Presbyterian  minister  of  Wooster, 
Ohio,  Dr.  Daniel  and  Mary.  The  eldest  son, 
William  Chambers  (father),  was  born  at  Little 
Y'ork,  Pa.,  in  1796,  and  was  brought  by  his 
parents  to  Unity  township,  where  he  was  reared 
and  received  his  education.  He  followed  card- 
ing and  cloth  finishing  until  1839,  when  he 
settled  permanently  on  the  present  site  of  La- 
trobe,  and  purchased  Findley's  fiouring  mill, 
which  he  operated  in  connection  with  farming 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  November, 
1851.  His  remains  are  entombed  in  Unity 
cemetery.  He,  like  his  father  before  him,  was 
an  old  line  whig  and  a  member  of  the  Unity 
Presbyterian  church.  By  his  integrity  and 
strict  attention  to  business  he  was  remarkably 
successful  in  his  farming  and  milling  enter- 
])rises,  and  secured  the  respect  and  esteem  of 
the  community  in  which  he  lived.  About  1821, 
he  married  Elizabeth  Leasure,  second  daughter 


11100 UA  PHIL'S  OF 


of  Captain  Daniel  and  Elizabeth  (Ryan)  Lea- 
sure,  wlio  (lied  in  1840,  aged  37  yeara.  To 
William  and  Elizabeth  (Leasure)  Chambers 
were  born,  lour  sons  and  one  daughter  :  John 
L.,  who  married  Eliza  Glessner;  Daniel  M., 
married  to  jNIary  iSmith ;  Jesse,  who  married 
Kezziah  Geiger;  Eliza,  wife  of  Jolm  Tieatty, 
and  Eli. 

The  remote  jiaternal  ancestors  of  Eli  Cham- 
bers, the  Leasures,  were  natives  of  Navarre, 
France.  They  were  Huguenots,  and  fled  from 
a  storm  of  religious  persecution  to  Germany, 
where  they  settled  in  a  beautiful  province  along 
the  Rhine  river.  Their  name  was  spelt  Le  Suer, 
but  it  is  now  written  Leasure.  One  of  iheir 
descendants  was  Abraham  Leasure  (maternal 
great  grand-father),  who  was  born  in  17^35,  and 
married  a  French  woman.  He  emigrated  to 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  settled  near  Chambers- 
burg  sometime  prior  to  the  Revolutionary  war. 
During  tiiat  great  struggle  he  removed  to  the 
valley  of  the  Kiskiminetas,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged as  an  Indian  scout  until  1790.  He  then 
purchased  a  train  of  pack-horses  and  engaged 
in  transporting  merchandise.  He  eventually 
purchased  a  large  tract  of  land  near  Pleasant 
Unity  from  the  heirs  of  William  Penn.  On 
this  land  he  settled  and  remained  until  his  death 
in  1805,  and  in  1820  his  widow  followed  him 
to  the  grave.  His  youngest  son,  Capt;un  Dan- 
iel Leasure  (grandfatlier),  was  born  in  1707. 
He  was  elected  captain  of  a  frontier  company 
before  he  was  of  age  and  served  as  such  until 
he  was  fifty  years  of  age.  He  was  in  the  Indian 
war  of  1790,  and  enlisted  as  a  first  lieutenant 
and  reported  for  service  in  the  War  of  181-2, 
but  was  discharged.  He  married  Elizabeth 
Ryan,  of  French-Irish  descent,  who,  when  a 
young  girl,  was  in  the  fort  at  Hannastown  when 
it  was  attacked  by  Indians  in  1782,  and  run 
pewter  spoons  into  bullets  for  the  use  of  those 
wiio  were  besieged.  Captain  Daniel  and  Eliza- 
beth (Ryan)  Leasure  were  the  parents  of  seven 
chihli-en  :      Mary,     Abraham,     George,      John, 


William,  Jesse,  and  Elizabeth,  the  mother  of 
the    subject  of  this   sketch. 

Eli  Chambers  spent  his  boyhood  on  a  farm 
and  in  a  mill.  He  received  his  education  in  tiio 
common  schools  and  Sewickley  academy.  At 
twenty-one  years  of  age  he  commenced  to  work 
for  his  brothers,  J.  L.  and  D.  L.  Chambers, 
who  were  engaged  in  milling  and  grain  buying 
and  a  general  shipping  business,  and  continued 
with  them  for  nearly  four  years.  In  April, 
1861,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  K,  eleventh  Pa.  Vols., 
and  at  the  end  of  his  three  months  term  of  ser- 
vice re-enlisted  in  Co.  K,  fifty-third  Pa.  Infan- 
try Vols.,  and  was  honorably  discharged  January 
20,  1803,  on  account  of  jihysical  disability  con- 
tracted in  the  army.  He  enlisted  as  a  private, 
was  promoted  corporal,  and  participated  during 
his  term  of  service  in  the  battles  of  Falling 
Water,  Siege  of  Yorktown,  Savage  Station, 
AV^iite  Oak  Swamp,  Fair  Oaks,  Gaines'  Mills, 
]\Ialvern  Hill  and  Antietam,  as  well  as  in  many 
smaller  engagements  and  skirmishes  of  the  war. 
When  Lee  invaded  Pennsylvania,  although 
crippled  badly,  he  assisted  in  raising  Co.  B, 
fifty-fourth  Reg.,  State  Militia,  refused  to 
become  its  captain,  but  accepted  a  lieutenancy, 
and  his  regiment,  the  fifty-fourth,  assisted  in 
the  capture  of  the  great  Confederate  cavalry 
chieftan,  John  II.  Morgan,  at  Wellesville,  Ohio. 
After  his  third  term  of  service  had  expired 
Lieut.  Chandjcrs  located  at  Latrobe,  and  in 
1807  went  into  partnership  with  his  brother, 
J.  L.  Chambers,  in  the  general  grain  business, 
which  occupied  his  time  and  attention  until 
180'J,  when  he  took  the  place  of  his  brother  in 
the  milling  business,  continuing  therein  five 
years.  In  1887  he  was  made  the  republican 
candidate  for  treasurer  of  Westmoreland  county, 
and  was  elected  by  a  neat  majority  in  a  very 
close  contest. 

On  February  20,  1873,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Lydia  J.  Harvey.  They  have  five  children, 
two  sons  and  three  daughters:  Belle  L.,  Edith  E., 
William  Harvey,  Charles  Arthur  and  Alice  B. 


WESTMOllKLA  XD   CO UNTY. 


Eli  Cliiiinbcrs  is  ii  life-long  republican  and 
has  always  given  liis  party  an  earnest  and 
whole-hearted  support.  Mr.  Chambers  has  not 
disappointed  liis  friends  in  his  nianaixeinent  of 
the  county  treasury,  as  he  Inis  discharged  ^^\^•xy 
duty  of  his  ollice  with  credit  to  himself  and  the 
county.  He  has  worked  out  for  himself  a  posi- 
tion in  life  which  commands  respect,  and  his 
record  in  business,  society  and  church  circles 
is  without  blot  or  stain.  lie  is  a  member  of 
Latrobe  Presbyterian  church,  and  in  every 
station  of  life  which  he  has  occupied  he  has 
always  been  active,  efficient  and  successful. 


eUCIAN  CLAWSOX.  A  prominent  and 
leading  democrat  of  Westmoreland  county, 
a  man  of  extended  business  experience, 
and  a  well-known  resident  of  Greensburg  is 
Lucian  Clawson.  He  was  born  in  Eell  town- 
ship, Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  August  2G, 
1839,  and  is  a  son  of  Peter  and  Elizabeth 
Clawson.  Peter  Clawson  (grandfather)  was  an 
industrious  and  thrifty  farmer.  His  wife  was 
Barbara  Ringle,  of  German  descent.  She  lived 
far  beyond  the  allotted  years  of  life,  and  died  in 
18M0  at  ninety-three  years  of  age.  Peter  Claw- 
son (father)  was  born  in  1818.  His  occupation 
was  farming,  but  he  spent  much  of  his  time  as  a 
boatman  on  the  old  Pennsylvania  canal.  He 
was  a  life-long  democrat,  a  substantial  meiidier 
of  the  Lutheran  church,  and  died  of  typhoid 
fever  ill  iJ^TiO.  Mr.  Clawson  had  seven  children, 
of  whom  live  are  living,  two  girls  and  three 
boys. 

Lucian  Clawson  was  reared  on  a  fiirni  and 
received  his  education  in  the  common  schools  of 
Bell  township  and  Elder's  Ilidge  academy.  At 
eighteen  years  of  age  he  left  home  to  engage  in 
oil-well  drilling.  He  ran  an  engine  for  some 
time  in  the  oil  region  above  Franklin,  Venango 
coijnty,  and  then  engaged  in  boating  oil  on  the 
Allegheny  river  for  a  short  season.  He  was 
iie.xt  employed  as  a  clerk  in  the  Gil  City  post- 


office,  and  then  went  to  Illinois,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  the  grocery  business  for  one  year. 
In  18G5  he  returned  to  his  native  State,  where 
he  was  appointed  through  the  inlluence  of  Judge 
Petlis  as  mail  route  agent  on  the  Eariiier.s'  rail- 
roail.  Ho  served  in  that  capacity  until  the 
Pennsylvania  railroad  company  purchased  the 
railroad.  Leaving  the  mail  service  in  18G2,  he 
became  a  grain  dealer,  and  engaged  in  boating 
on  the  old  canal.  In  March,  18G8,  he  came  to 
Greensburg  and  was  engaged  for  one  year  as  a 
carpenter  and  one  year  as  a  huckster.  From 
1871  to  1879  he  was  a  partner  with  C.  Cribbs 
at  Greensburg,  in  the  tobacco  business.  In 
1880  he  was  with  Joseph  Bowman  in  the 
mercantile  business  From  1882  to  1889  he 
owned  and  conducted  a  wholesale  and  retail 
grocery  on  Main  street,  Greensburg.  In  1889 
he  became  proprietor  of  his  present  book  and 
stationery  store  on  Main  street.  He  has  a 
fine  room  and  carries  in  stock  a  full  line 
of  standard  works,  school,  miscellaneous  and 
blank  books,  fine  stationery,  magazines,  popular 
volumes  of  fiction  and  school  supplies.  By 
courteous  attention  to  the  public  and  fair  deal- 
ing he  has  secured  an  ample  share  of  public 
j)atronage.  He  has  dealt  and  is  considerably 
interested  in  real  estate. 

On  November  28,  1867,  he  was  married  to 
Mary  E.  Bowman,  daughter  of  Joseph  Bowman, 
who  is  a  leading  merchant  of  (jreen.sburg.  They 
have  had  six  children,  of  whom  one  son  and  two 
daughters  are  living:  Henrietta,  born  Septem- 
ber 20,  187G;  Lurine  B.,  December  10,  1879, 
and  Curtis  Bowman,  March  11,  1882. 

Lucian  Clawson  is  unswerving  in  his  allegi- 
ance to  the  democratic  faith  of  his  fathers,  and 
has  always  been  actively  engaged  in  the  in- 
terests of  the  Democratic  party.  In  1875-76 
he  served  as  deputy  sheriff  of  Westmoreland 
county,  and  June  8,  1889,  he  was  nominated  at 
the  democratic  primaries  for  sheriff  of  the  county. 
lie  had  nine  hundred  majority  over  his  highest 
competitor  at  the  primary  election,  and  in  No- 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


veuibov  was  clccteil  by  1,062  majority  over  Col. 
Joliii  11  Ousliler.  In  all  cuinpaigiis,  local,  state 
or  national,  he  lias  always  taken  an  active  part. 
Defeat  never  dampens  his  ardor  or  exercises  any 
depressing  effect  on  his  efforts.  His  record  as  a 
public  official  was  satisfactory.  His  business 
qualifications  and  accustomed  energy  well  fit 
him  for  tlie  disciiarge  of  public  duties. 


J.  OLAWSON,  one  of  the  leading  gro- 
cers and  tobacco  dealers  of  the  enter- 
prising town  of  Greensburg,  was  born  in 
Bell  township,  Westmoreland  county,  I'a.,  jMarch 
18,  1841,  and  is  a  son  of  James  and  .Sarah 
(Alcorn)  Clawson.  His  ]iatcrnal  grandfather, 
Peter  Clawson,  was  a  native  and  fanner  of 
AVestuiiu-cland  county,  and  was  descended  fnjni 
a  Clawson  family  of  Holland.  He  married 
Barbara  Uinglc,  daughter  of  a  large  land-holder 
in  Sewickley  township.  She  lived  to  be  quite 
aged;  her  death  occurred  about  twelve  years  ago. 
His  father,  James  Clawson,  was  born  in  August, 
1812,  in  Bell  township.  He  is  a  prosperous 
farmer,  a  democrat  and  an  influential  member  of 
the  Evangelical  Lutheran  ch.urch.  He  married 
Miss  Sarah  Alcorn,  of  near  Saltsburg,  Pa.,  and 
eight  children  were  born  unto  them,  of  whom 
five  sons  and  one  daughter  are  living.  Mrs. 
Clawson's  father,  Michael  Alcorn,  came  from 
Ireland  to  near  Saltsburg,  Pa  ,  at  thirteen  years 
of  age,  and  was  a  firm  believer  in  the  teachings 
of  the  Prt'sbyteriiin  church. 

O.  J.  Clawson  was  reared  on  a  farm,  educated 
in  the  common  schools  and  Saltsburg  academy, 
and  in  18G2  removed  to  Illinois,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  merchandising  for  twelve  years.  In 
1S7;5  he  returned  to  his  native  county  and  was 
engaged  for  seven  years  in  business  at  Ileleiui, 
a  station  on  the  W.  P.  railway.  In  l(S7t)  he 
removed  to  Greensburg,  and  successfully  engaged 
in  his  present  large  and  prosperous  wholesale 
and  retail  grocery  and  tob;icco  trade.  His 
cstabli.shnieut   is  amjde  in  size,   well    airanged, 


and  heavily  stocked  with  a  fine  as.sortment  of 
staple  and  fancy  groceries  and  choice  tobaccos 
and  segars.  Mr.  Clawson  owns  real  estate  in 
Bell  township,  besides  considerable  real  estate  in 
and  around  Cireensburg.  He  is  president  of  the 
Westmoreland  Mutual  Insurance  Company  and 
Iiis  business  interests  are  chiefly  in  this  county. 
He  is  an  active  and  successful  business  man, 
honorable  and  fair  in  all  his  dealings,  and  is 
especiidly  deserving  of  the  success  he  has 
achieved. 


ATRICK  CONDON,  a  resident  of  Greens- 
burg and  a  soldier  in  the  Army  ui'  the 
Potomac,  from  Falling  Waters  and  Hull 
Run  to  Appomato.x  Court-House,  was  born  in 
County  Limerick,  Ireland,  in  1840,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  and  Catherine  (O'Connor)  Coiulon.  His 
paternal  grandfather  was  a  native  of  Ireland, 
Avhere  he  was  extensively  engaged  in  farming. 
His  farm  is  now  managed  by  one  of  his  sons. 
John  Condon  (father)  was  a  drover  and  farmer  in 
Ireland,  wiiere  he  dealt  in  fat  cattle  and  man- 
aged a  large  farm.  He  came  to  the  L'nited 
States  ill  1844,  became  a  railway  foreman,  and 
eventually  moved  to  Canada,  where  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  near  St.  Thomas,  in  Belgian 
county,  upon  which  he  resided  until  his  death, 
wdiich  occurred  in  1856.  He  was  an  active  and 
successful  business  man.  His  wife  was  Cather- 
ine O'Connor,  a  daughter  of  William  O'Connor, 
who  was  a  wealthy  farmer  in  Ireland,  and  held 
some  position  under  the  British  government. 
Mr.  and  jNIrs.  Condon  were  the  parents  of  five 
sons  and  six  daughters,  of  whom  seven  are 
living. 

I'atrick  Condon  was  brought  by  his  j)arents 
to  America  in  1844.  After  his  father's  death 
he  worked  on  the  farm  for  three  years,  when  his 
mother  removed  to  Clinton  county.  Pa.,  where 
she  carried  on  the  farm  business  until  1863. 
In  April,  1S61,  Mr.  Condon  enlisted  in  the 
Union    army.      He    was    a    uienibei'  of   Co.   B, 


WEHTMORKLA ND   CO  UNTV. 


67 


eleventh  Ueg.  Pa.  Vols.,  fought  in  the  fust 
battle  of  the  war,  served  a  tliree-nmntlis  lerni, 
was  proninteil  to  eorporal,  and  rc-enlisicd  fir 
three  years.  When  his  sceund  Icrni  ol  cnlisl- 
liient  was  init  ho  eiiiisled  again  at  ('niar  Moun- 
tain, and  served  until  iSe|iteniber,  IbG.'),  when 
he  was  honorably  discharged.  lie  fought  in 
eighteen  battles,  besides  being  in  numerous 
skirmishes,  and  was  wounded  in  the  left  arm  in 
front  of  Petersburg  while  on  skirmish  duty  at 
night.  He  kept  a  diary  while  out  in  the  army 
and  recorded  the  daily  events  of  his  military 
life.  After  the  close  of  the  Avar  he  engaged  for 
several  years  in  carpentering  and  lumbering,  but 
was  obliged  to  quit  that  business  on  account  of 
his  wounded  arm  In  1881  he  opened  his  pres- 
ent billiard  parlor  at  (ireensbui'g. 

In  1881  Mr.  Condon  married  Mary  Brannon, 
who  died  in  1883  of  consumption,  by  whom  he 
had  two  children  :  Catharine  J.  and  Mary  B., 
the  firmer  died  when  eight  days  old,  the  latter 
still  lives.  His  second  vife  was  Mary  A.  All- 
britian,  who  bore  him  one  child,  a  son,  John  iS. 
Mrs.  Condon  and  her  child  both  died  of  typhoid 
fever  in  1886,  and  Mr.  Condon  in  1888  mar- 
ried his  third  wife,  Elizabeth  Dehart,  who  has 
also  one  daughter  living,  Maggie  Ij.  Dehart. 
She  is  of  a  very  old  and  respected  family  of 
Indiana. 

In  ])olitics  Mv.  Condon  is  not  a  strict  party 
man.  lie  is  a  member  of  the  Catiiolic  church 
of  Greensburg.  lie  is  energetic  and  enterpris- 
ing, and  has  accumulated  considerable  means, 
anil  a  man  who  always  lives  uj)  to  his  word. 


|YIIUS  P.  COPE,  the  popular  proprietor 
of  the  Grant  House,  of  Greensburg,  and 
a  lineal  descendant  of  Oliver  Cope,  who 
came  over  with  William  I'enn  in  lt!81,  is  a  son 
of  George  and  Anna  Mary  (Eisaman)  Cope,  and 
was  born  eight  miles  southwest  of  Greensburg, 
in  Hem])field  township,  Westmoreland  county. 
Pa.,  June  30,  1838.     The  Cope  family  of  West- 


moreland county  trace  their  ancestry  back  to 
Oliver  Cope,  who  came  over  with  William  i'enn 
in  l(i81,  in  which  year  he  erected  in  Chester 
county  his  hig  house,  still  standing  in  1)SI)3. 
One  of  his  ilcsi'ciidalits  was  lliii  paternal  graliij- 
father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  was  a 
native  of  Lancaster. county,  Pa,  He  married 
Susan  Snyder  and  r(in(jved  to  Westmoreland 
county  at  an  early  day.  He  wa.i  an  industrious 
and  thrifty  (.Quaker  and  cleared  out  a  large  and 
valuable  farm.  George  Cope  (father)  was  born 
on  the  home  farm  in  ITl'T  and  died  in  1841. 
He  followed  farming  and  wagoning  on  the  old 
pike.  He  was  a  man  of  energy  and  push  and 
had  accumulated  considerable  property  at  the 
time  of  his  death.  He  was  a  democrat,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Lutheran  church,  and  married  Anna 
Jlary  Eisaman,  daughter  of  Michael  Eisaman, 
by  whom  he  had  six  children  :  Henry,  of 
Manor  Station ;  Maria,  wife  of  Jacob  Long, 
who  died  about  1874  ;  Annie,  wife  of  Eli  Heck  ; 
Catherine  and  George  M.,  who  died  at  an  early 
age,  and  Cyrus  P. 

Cyrus  P.  Cope  attended  the  common  schools 
and  Mt.  Pleasant  college.  Leaving  college,  he 
taught  school  for  some  time  and  then  made  an 
extended  tour  of  the  "  West."  Returning  to 
this  county  he  was  engaged  in  the  stock  busi- 
ness at  Greensburg  for  about  twenty  years.  He 
ran  the  Eagle  Hotel,  of  Pittsburg,  for  one  year, 
and  in  1868  opened  the  Grant  House,  of  Greens- 
burg, which  he  has  successfully  conducted  ever 
since.  His  hotid  is  eligibly  located  on  the 
corner  of  Pittsburg  street  and  Pennsylvania 
avenue. 

He  united  in  marriage  on  November  3,  1869, 
with  Sarah  J.  Cribbs,  a  daughter  of  Capt. 
George  Cribbs  (see  sketch  of  C.  Cribbs.)  Their 
children  are:  Laura  B.,  Abbio  A.,  Elma  J., 
James  II.,  Harry  E.,  Horace  C,  Vitor,  George, 
llilliard  C,  Anna  Mary,  Boy  Thomas  and 
Oscar  M.  Mrs.  Cope's  mother  was  a  great- 
granddaughter  of  Beatrice  (Guldin)  Byerly,  who 
was    born    in    Canton    Berne,   Switzerland,   the 


BIOOHAPHIE?,   OF 


lioiiio  of  ('(il.  15(1111(1101,  "  wlio  csaiped  I'oiiliiic's 
confedcrutcii  ami  bore  her  teiulcr  balies  tlirougli 
the  ■wilderness  (at  night)  from  Bushy  Kun  to 
Ft.  Li"onicr  in  17()3,  and  who  was  a  blessing 
to  huiidrods  of  i)ionoer  settlers  by  her  deeds  of 
Christian  eharity. 

In  politics  Mr.  Cope  is  a  republican,  lie  is 
a  member  of  the  Second  Evangelical  church  of 
Greensburg,  and  Centennial  Lodge,  No.  100, 
A.  0.  U.  W. 


DCAR  COWAN,  L.L.D.,  a  Senator  in 
Congress,  and  one  who  lived  a  life  emi- 
nently useful,  highly  honorable  and  patri- 
otic, was  the  most  distinguished  man  in  political 
public  life  that  Westmoreland  county  ever  pro- 
duced. Senator  Cowan  was  on  the  maternal 
side  of  Scotch-Irish  extraction,  and  was  born  in 
Sewickley  townshij),  Westmoreland  county.  Pa., 
September  19,  1S15.  The  immigrant,  Hugh 
Cowan,  settled  at  an  early  day  in  Chester  county. 
Pa.,  where  Captain  William  Cowan,  tlie  grand- 
father of  the  Senator,  was  born  on  Christmas 
day,  1740.  He  was  a  man  of  large  stature  and 
vigorous  menial  jiowers  and  served  us  a  captain 
iu  tlie  Revolutionary  war. 

In  the  family  of  liis  grandfather  Edgar 
Cowan  passed  the  early  years  of  his  cliiidliood. 
Senator  Cowan  owed  nothing  to  birtli  or  fortune 
to  fit  him  for  11  is  distinguis]ie<l  career  in  after-life, 
but  he  had  an  uniiueiichable  thirst  lor  know- 
ledge, and  during  boyhood  read  every  book  lie 
could  obtain.  At  .sixteen  years  of  age  lie  went 
to  Allegheny  county,  Pa.,  where  he  taught 
school  for  six  months,  then  engaged  for  a  time  in 
rough  carpenter  work,  help  build  the  West  New- 
ton bridge  and  ran  a  keel-boat,  w  hereby  he  earned 
a  little  money  and  entered  Greensburg  academy. 
Completing  the  academy  course,  he  taught  several 
terms  of  school,  and  in  1838  entered  Franklin 
college,  Ohio,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1839, 
as  valedictorian  of  his  class.  In  1871  his  alma 
mati'i-  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  L.L.D. 


He  read  law  with  Hon.  lluiiiy  0.  Foster,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  Westmoreland  county  bar  in 
February,  1842.  He  opened  an  oflice  at  Greens- 
burg, where  his  commanding  talents  and  superior 
leal  attainments  soon  secured  him  a  large  and  lu- 
crative practice.  He  was  always  employed  in 
the  most  important  cases  which  came  before  the 
courts,  and  was  generally  successful  in  the  suits 
he  brouglit  or  defended,  although  often  opposed 
by  the  best  legal  talent  of  the  State.  In  1855 
he  made  a  most  masterly  defence  of  Ward  and 
Gibson,  who  were  indicted  for  murder,  and  by 
his  consummate  skill,  great  eloquence,  and  ex- 
tensive knowledge  of  criminal  law  secured  an 
acquittal,  where  nothing  but  conviction  was  ex- 
pected and  demanded  by  the  public.  In  the  suc- 
ceeding year  he  prosecuted  Corigan  for  murder 
and  secured  a  verdict  for  conviction,  although 
the  prisoner  was  ably  and  stubbornly  defended 
by  Hon.  Henry  D.  Foster  and  Col.  Samuel 
Black,  of  Pittsburg. 

Specially  qualified  by  natural  ability  and  well 
fitted  by  a  classical  education  and  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  constitutional  law  for  political  lead- 
ership, he  soon  became  cons]iicuous  as  a  speaker 
at  ))olitical  meetings  in  his  own  county.  He  was 
originally  a  Jackson  democrat  but  joined  the 
wliigs  in  1840,  and  in  1850  supported  "Fre- 
mont in  preference  to  Fillmore  and  Buchanan, 
the  former  of  whom  represented  know-nothing- 
ism,  and  the  hitter  indilVerentisin  to  the  extension 
of  slavery  into  the  territories."  In  18G0,  on 
account  of  the  Kansas  troubles,  he  united  with 
the  conservative  republicans  and  was  elector  on 
the  Lincoln  and  Hamlin  ticket.  In  January, 
18(il,  Edgar  Cowan  was  elected  to  the  United 
States  Senate,  taking  his  seat  on  the  fourth  of 
March,  1801.  In  view  of  the  war  he  laid  down 
for  his  own  guidance  five  rules  from  wliicli  he 
never  swerved : 

1.  That  the  North  should  not  violate  the  con- 
stitution in  coercing  the  South. 

2.  That  there  were  two  elements  to  be  concili- 
ated; the   Democratic  party   in  the  Free  States, 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


and  tlie  Union  men  of  the  Bonier  and  Confed- 
erate States. 

3.  That  Congress  shuuhl  confine  itself  to  pro- 
viding siiflieient  revenue  and  raising  iirniies. 

4.  That  the  war  should  be  wagi'cl  ucconling  to 
the  rules  of  civilized  warfare. 

5.  That  the  war  was  made  to  suppress  a  re- 
bellion and  not  to  make  a  conquest  of  the  Con- 
federate States.  In  pursuance  of  these  rules  he 
spoke  and  voted  against  legal  tender,  confisca- 
tion, national  banks,  tenure  of  oflice,  reconstruc- 
tion, Freedmen's  Bureau  and  civil  rights.  He 
also  opposed  test  oaths  and  negro  suffrage.  lie 
was  the  author  of  the  $300  clause  in  the  conscrip- 
tion act,  and  by  having  the  Steubenville  bridge 
raised  prevented  the  destruction  of  the  lumber 
and  coal  trade  of  western  Pennsylvania  on  the 
Ohio  river.  Wlien  elected  to  the  senate  he  was 
unknown  except  in  south-western  Pennsylvania, 
but  he  was  soon  recognized  at  'Washington  city 
as  a  leading  lawyer,  a  fine  classical  scholar,  and 
as  fully  abreast  in  science  and  philosoi)liy  with 
the  best  thought  of  the  time.  His  speeches  were 
earnest,  elo(juent  and  logical,  and  he  was  soon 
known  throughout  the  land  as  one  of  the  intel- 
lectual giants  of  the  United  States  senate.  In 
describing  Mr.  Cowan,  the  poet,  N.  P.  Willis, 
said:  "Of  his  powerfully  proportioned  frame 
and  finely-chiseled  features,  the  Senator  seemed 
as  naturally  unconscious  as  of  his  singular  readi- 
ness ami  univelsul  irudiliun."  I  le  widl  niain- 
laiiicd  llui  prcsligo  mid  Imnor  of  I'eiinsylvania 
and  the  press  throughout  liio  Union  during  his 
seiiatunal  career  sjioke  in  the  highest  terms  of 
him  as  a  uian  of  great  ability,  wonderful  elo- 
quence, earnest  conviction  and  noble  indepen- 
dence. When  "his  senatorial  term  ended  in 
18ti7,  he  returned  to  Greensburg  and  was  en- 
gaged for  several  years  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession. 

In  1842  Senator  Cowan  married  Lucy  Oliver, 
daughter  of  Col.  James  B.  Oliver,  of  West  New- 
ton, who  died  in  1873  at  the  advanced  age  of 
ninety-three.     To  Senator  and  Mrs.  Cowan  were 


born  three  children  :  Elizabeth,  widow  of  J.  J. 
llazlett,  who  was  a  member  of  the  Oreensburg 
bar;  Dr.  Frank  Cowan,  a  member  of  the  bar 
and  a  ])iiysician,  an  author  of  several  works  of 
high  literary  merit  and  a  gentleman  of  extensive 
scientific  attainments,  a  world's  traveler  who  has 
made  the  circuit  of  the  globe  and  James  B.  0., 
whose  sketch  is  given  in  this  volume. 

On  August  31,  1885,  his  spirit  passed  calmly 
and  peacefully  from  earth.  In  the  old  St.  Clair 
cemetery  at  Greensburg  is  a  plain  but  costly 
monument,  on  one  side  of  which  is  the  simple 
inscription — Edgar  Cowan.  Nothing  more  is 
needed,  for  his  ability,  integrity,  courage  and 
patriotism  has  written  his  epitaph  in  the  mem- 
ories of  the  jieople  of  his  native  county  for  all 
time  to  come,  and  the  story  of  his  life  has 
passed  into  the  history  of  his  country. 

'I' AMES  B.  0.  COWAN,  of  Greensburg, 
'l'  is  the  second  son  and  youngest  cliild  of 
(jj  the  late  Senator  Edgar  Cowan  (whose 
sketch  appears  at  length  in  this  volume),  and 
was  born  in  Greensburg,  Westmoreland  county. 
Pa.,  October  2,  1840.  His  mother,  Lucy 
(Oliver)  Cowan,  was  a  daughter  of  (''ol.  James  B. 
Oliver,  a  prominent  citizen  of  West  Newton. 
James  B.  0.  Cowan  was  reared  at  Greensburg, 
receiving  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
his  native  town  ami  in  Greensburg  academy, 
which  was  chartered  in  1810.  After  leaving 
school  he  worked  at  tlie  ''  art  preservative  of  all 
arts"  in  the  printing  oflice  of  the  Greensburg 
Democrat,  and  for  several  years  engaged  in  the 
pursuit  of  his  trade  at  Greensburg,  working  on 
the  Democrat  and  several  other  papers.  lie  did 
not  engage  permanently  in  the  printing  business 
or  take  control  of  any  paper,  as  a  large  portion 
of  his  time  and  labor  was  re(iuired  for  the 
management  of  his  father's  farm.  For  the  last 
ten  years  of  the  life  of  his  father  (who  was  nearly 
blind)  he  was  his  constant  companion,  doin'T' 
nearly    all  his  reading,  writing  and  oflice  work. 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


III  1803,  wlieii  L(ie  invaik'il  reiiiisylvaiiiu  iind 
tlie  Coiift'dorutu  cavalry  leader,  Cicii.  Juliii  II. 
Morgan,  was  on  a  raid  through  Indiana  and 
Ohio,  Gov.  Curtin  called  for  oO,UO(J  men  to  de- 
fend the  State.  Among  the  first  to  respond  to 
the  call  was  Mr.  Cowan,  who  enlisted  in  Co.  C. 
(raised  in  Greensbnrg),  fifty-fourth  regiment, 
State  Militia,  and  was  elected  corporal.  The 
fifty-fourth  regiment  was  organized  in  Pittsburg 
July  4,  1803,  and  aided  materially  in  Morgan's 
capture;  it  helped  to  guard  the  fords  of  the  Ohio 
river  between  (.)liio  and  West  Virginia,  at  some 
of  which  Morgan  had  hoped  to  escape  into  West 
Virginia.  Near  Warrenton  the  Confederate 
chieftain  tried  the  position  of  the  fifty-fourth 
regiment,  but  did  not  deem  it  prudent  to  ven- 
ture an  attack.  After  participating  in  this 
short  campaign,  that  terminated  with  the  capture 
of  Morgan,  Mr.  Cowan  returned  with  his  com- 
pany to  Pittsburg,  where  he  was  honorably 
mustered  out  of  the  service  August  17,  1803. 
Mr.  Cowan,  who  is  a  pleasant,  sociable  and  in- 
telligent gentleman,  devotes  the  most  of  his  time 
to  the  supervision  and  improvement  of  the  home 
farm. 

'f  L.  CRAWFORD,  U.  D.  The  medical 
t  profession  is  one  of  the  most  important 
(^  professions  of  tlie  world,  and  in  the  his- 
tory of  medical  jiractitioners  as  a  cralt  it  is  a 
matter  of  record  that  numy  of  them  are  specially 
qualified,  entertain  an  enthusiastic  love  for  their 
noi)le  calling  and  arc  oniiut'nlly  successt'ul  in  the 
practice  of  medicine.  Of  this  worthy  class  of 
physicians  is  Dr.  J.  L.  Crawford,  of  Greensburg, 
who  was  a  brave  ollicer  in  the  Army  of  the  Po- 
tomac and  is  a  leading  physician  and  surgeon  of 
Westmoreland  county.  lie  was  born  near 
Marchand,  in  North  Mahoning  township,  Pa., 
October  20,  1842,  and  is  a  son  of  Allen  and 
Nancy  (Brown)  Crawford.  Allen  Crawford,  son 
of  Moses  Crawford,  was  born  in  1804  near 
Centerville,  in  the  Ligonier  valley.  lie  was 
reared    on  a  farm   and  received  only  a  meager 


education,  which  that  period  and  the  surrounding 
circumstances  would  allow  his  j)arcnts  to  give 
him.  lie  followed  farming  and  lumbering,  lie 
was  a  member  of  the  I'resbyterian  church,  a 
democrat  in  politics,  a  straightforward,  thorough- 
going man  in  Ijusiness  ami  died  in  1872.  Ilia 
wife  was  Nancy  Brown,  of  Indiana  county.  Pa. 
They  had  nine  children,  four  sons  and  five 
daughters,  of  whom  the  daughters  are  all  dead. 

Dr.  J.  L.  Crawford  received  his  literary  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools  and  Marion  and 
Indiana  academies.  Leaving  school,  he  served 
four  years  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  In 
1808  he  entered  the  ollicc  of  Dr.  Alter,  at  Par- 
nassus, and  read  medicine,  lie  attended  one 
course  of  lectures  at  Michigan  University  and  in 
18G'J  matriculated  in  Jefferson  Medical  college, 
at  Philadelijhia,  frotn  which  time-honored  insti- 
tution he  was  graduated  March  7.  1808.  After 
graduating  he  went  to  Saltsburg,  Indiana  county, 
Pa.,  where  he  practiced  me<licine  until  1875, 
when  he  entered  Belle  View  Hospital,  New  York 
city,  and  remained  one  year  in  the  study  of  spe- 
cial subjects  in  surgery  and  anatomy.  In  1870 
he  removed  to  Greensburg,  where  he  has  been 
actively  engaged  in  the  successful  practice  of  his 
profession  ever  since. 

In  1808  Dr.  Crawford  was  married  to  Zeruiah 
Griflith,  of  East  Mahoning,  and  after  her  death 
in  1872  he  was  married  June  4,  1884,  to  Mary 
Baer,  daughter  of  Adam   Baer,  of  (Jreensburg. 

Dr.  J.  L.  Crawford,  at  nineteen  years  of  age, 
enlisted  as  a  private  in  Co.  A,  sixty-first  ret. 
Pa.  ^^)ls.,  August  21,  1801.  lie  was  shot  in 
the  left  arm  at  "'Pair  Oaks"  May  31,  1802,  and 
was  honorably  discharged  on  account  of  his 
wound.  After  remaining  at  home  for  a  year  he 
re-enlistcd  May  7,  1803,  as  second  lieutenant  of 
second  Pa.  rcgt.,  and  was  wounded  in  the  side. 
His  third  enlistment  was  as  second  lieutenant  of 
Co.  C,  thirty-second  regt.,  IT.  S.  C.  T.  He  en- 
listed September  7,  18G1,  and  was  wounded  in 
the  right  foot.  In  1864  he  became  adjutant  of 
200th  Pa.  Vols,  and  was  struck  in  the  left  shoulder 


'U 


u 


<iI^yLluJ:in^c>/f/C 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


by  a  rifle  ball.  The  close  of  the  war  brought 
his  eventful  military  career  to  an  end.  lie  had 
enlisted  four  tiiiie.^,  held  four  eommissions  and 
was  wounded  in  four  diftercnt  fights.  lie  was 
honorably  mustered  out  of  the  service  June  -5, 
18G5. 

Ur.  Crawford  is  an  ardent  republican  and 
takes  an  active  part  in  political  campaigns.  He 
served  as  pension  examiner  under  President 
Arthur's  administration  and  was  recently  re-ap- 
pointed to  that  position.  He  owns  a  large  and 
■extensive  library,  whoso  choice  volumes  treat  of 
<;very  department  of  medicine  and  extend  be- 
yond professional  subjects  into  the  domain  of 
science  and  art.  He  frequently  attends  the 
leading  medical  schools  of  the  United  States  for 
a  few  days  at  a  time  in  order  to  familiarize  him- 
self with  their  latest  teachings  and  discoveries. 
Active,  vigilant  and  progressive,  he  stands  in 
the  front  rank  of  the  medical  profession  of  south- 
western Pennsylvania  and  enjoys  a  large  and  ex- 
tensive practice.  He  is  an  extensive  contribu- 
tor to  medical  journals  and  some  of  his  articles 
have  been  widely  copied.  His  military  record  is 
an  enviable  one.  His  comrades  in  arms  bear 
testimony  that  as  an  officer  he  was  popular  with 
his  men  and  never  asked  them  to  go  where  he 
dared  not  lead.;  that  as  a  soldier  he  was  faithful 
in  the  discharge  of  duty  and  in  time  of  battle 
was  always  fiund  in  the  thickest  of  the  dcatli- 
ful  fray,  and  tluit  he  was  one  of  the  bravest  of 
the  many  brave  soldiers  which  Westmoreland 
county  sent  into  the  field  during  the  late  war. 
i'r.  .).  jj.  (hauliird  has  licen  called  upon  at  dif- 
ferent limes  to  address  public  assemblages  an<l 
has  always  acquitted  himself  with  credit.  Several 
of  his  Decoration  day  orations  are  said  to  be 
modt'ls  in  style  and  thought. 


ellRISTOPHEIl  CRIBBS,  registerai.  .  re- 
corder of  Westmoreland  county  and  a  pop- 
ular and  obliging  public  ollicial,  is  a  sou  of 
the  lule  Cap!    (ieorgeand  Jane  (Skelly)  Crihhs, 


and  was  born  at  Cribbs  "  Old  Stand,"  Hemp- 
field  township,  Westmoreland  cuunty,  Pa.,  De- 
cember 30,  1S47.  The  Cribbs  family  traces  its 
ancestry  back  to  Alsace-Lorraine,  now  a  west 
province  of»Liermany  and  known  as  Elsas-Loth- 
ringen.  Christopher  Cribbs'  (great-grandfather), 
Lieut.  John  (hibhs,  served  in  the  Revolutionary 
war  and  was  killed  at  St.  Clair's  defeat,  Novem- 
ber 4,  179L  His  paternal  grandfather,  Chris- 
topher Cribbs,  was  a  native  of  Ilempfield  town- 
ship, a  j)ottfr  by  trade,  and  niai'ried  Mary  M. 
Silvis.  His  maternal  grandfather  was  William 
Skelly,  of  Adamsburg,  Pa.,  who  was  born  in 
Ireland  and  emigrated  to  America  when  about 
12  years  of  age.  He  was  a  member  of  Capt. 
Markle's  infantry  company  of  Westmoreland 
county,  which  served  in  the  war  of  lbl2.  Mr. 
Skelly  was  called  out,  but  resigned  on  account  of 
ill  health,  and  his  place  was  taken  by  his  brother- 
in-law,  Joseph  Byerly.  William  Skelly  married 
Mary  Byerly,  daughter  of  Jacob  Byerly,  who  had 
served  three  years  in  the  Revolutionary  war  and 
whose  father,  Andrew  Byerly,  was  one  of  Col. 
Bouquet's  scouts  at  "  Bushy  Run."  Andrew 
Byerly  was  one  of  18  scouts  sent  out  on  the 
morning  of  that  battle,  and  was  one  of  but  six 
who  were  not  killed.  He  married  Beatrice 
Guldiii,  who  came  from  Canton  Berne,  Switzer- 
land, which  was  the  birth-place  of  Col.  Bou(juet. 
Cajit.  (leorge  Cribbs  (father)  Avas  born  on  the 
Cribbs  homestead,  April  15,  1820.  When  the 
late  civil  war  broke  out  he  was  among  the  first 
to  respond  to  President  Lincoln's  call  for  troojjs. 
He  w;is  conimissioMt'il  captain  of  Co.  1,  eleventh 
Pa.  Vols.,  August  21,  18(il,  which  was  re- 
cruited at  Greensburg  and  mustered  into  the  ser- 
vice at  Ilarrisburg,  Pa.,  September  20,  18G1. 
Capt.  Cribbs  participated  in  the  battles  of  Cedar 
Mountain,  August  9,  18G2,  Rappahannock 
Station,  August  21,  18G2,  Thoroughfare  Gap, 
August  21,  18G2,  and  was  mortally  wounded  at 
Second  Bull  Run,  August  30,  18G2.  He  died 
at  Columbia  Collegia  Hospital,  Washington  City, 
September  20,  18G2.      Capt.  George  Cribbs  was 


lilOGRAPlUFS  OF 


a  good  oilicer,  a  brave  soldier  and  one  wlio  never 
feared  danger.  He  left  a  reeord'  of  which  his 
country  may  be  justly  i)roud,  i\s  it  is  nndimnied 
by  a  single  net  nidifc-oniing  a  liravc  olllcer  or  a 
consiHli'lit  cliiircli  nicniluT,  imd  liit<  n:uiU'  will 
live  li>rever  in  the  history  of  Westmoreland 
county.  Capt.  Crihbs  was  married  September 
4,  1845,  to  Jane  Skelly,  of  Adamsburg,  Pa. 
They  were  the  parents  of  eight  ehildren,  two 
sons  and  six  daughters,  of  whom  one  son  and 
three  daughters  are  living  :  Aliee,  who  married 
Capt.  J.  N.  Thomas,  and  after  his  death  became 
the  wife  of  U.  G.  Kemp  ;  Sarah  J.,  wife  of 
Cyrus  Cope,  proprietor  of  the  Grant  Hotel  at 
Greensburg;  Amelia  E.,  wife  of  Samuel 
Kumbaugh,  and  Christopher.  Capt.  Cribbs  and 
bis  wife  are  both  highly  respected  members  of 
the  Second  Lutheran  church  of  Greensburg. 

Christopher  Cribbs  received  his  education  in 
the  common  schools  of  Ilcmpfield  township  and 
Greensburg.  Leaving  the  school  room,  he  began 
life  for  himself  He  engaged  in  the  livery  busi- 
ness for  a  short  time,  when  he  disposed  of  his 
livery  interest.  From  1872  to  1879  he  was  a 
tobacconist  on  Main  and  Pittsburg  streets  in 
Greensburg.  In  1881  he  was  a  candidate  on 
the  republican  ticket  for  register  and  recorder, 
and  was  defeated  for  the  nomination  by  27  votes  ; 
in  1885  was  a  candidate  for  prothonotary  but 
was  again  defeated  at  the  republican  primary 
election.  In  1882  he  became  a  United  States 
storekeejier,  apjiointed  January  25,  1882; 
served  in  that  capacity  until  ^Lu•cll  25,  1888, 
at  which  time  he  became  Internal  Revenue 
storekeeper  and  ganger.  This  assignment  was 
revoked  Ajiril  24,  188(1,  and  Mr.  Crihhs  relieved 
May  1,  188G,  having  served  4  years,  2  months 
and  27  days.  In  1887  he  was  the  nominee  of 
the  Republican  party  for  register  and  recorder  of 
Westmoreland  county  and  was  elected,  receiving 
the  largest  majority  of  any  candidate  on  the  re- 
publican ticket.  On  September  4,  1872,  Mr. 
Cribbs  was  married  to  Amanda  x\nn  Potteiger, 
daughter  of  John  Potteiger,  of  Lebanon  county. 


Pa.  Tliey  had  three  chihlren,  of  whom  two  are 
living:  John  JOvans,  horn  April  1,  187-i,  and 
Warren  C,  September  20,  1H78.  Mrs.  Cribbs 
<lied  June  111,  1885,  and  on  New  Years  Day, 
188',t,  Mr.  Crililis  was  united  in  njai'riagc  to 
Mary  15.  McKean,  daugluer  of  Samuel  Mc- 
Kean,  of  Belle  Vernon,  Fayette  county.  Pa. 

Christopher  Cribbs  is  a  member  of  Westmore- 
land Lodge,  No.  8411,  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows;  Protection  Council,  No.  11,  Chosen 
Friends ;  Greensburg  Council,  No.  82,  Junior 
Order  of  United  American  Mechanics  ;  Lodge 
No.  100,  Ancient  Order  of  Unite<l  Workmen  ; 
and  General  Coulter  Camp,  No.  37,  Sons  of 
Veterans.  Mr.  Cribbs  has  always  been  a  re- 
publican, and  was  qualified  by  twenty  years  of 
experience  f)r  register  and  recorder.  His  suc- 
cessful management  of  the  office  is  evidence  suf- 
ficient of  his  ability  to  fill  any  important  county 
office.  He  is  a  popular  and  jhliging  public  of- 
ficial and  is  a  meiuher  of  the  First  Reformed 
church  of  (ireensburg. 


FORGE  CULBERTSON,  I).  D.  S.,  a 
prominent     and     successful    dentist     of 

«i^  Greensburg,  was  born  near  Pleasant 
Unity,  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania, 
May  30,  1859,  and  is  a  son  of  Alexander  Cul- 
bertson. 

Alexander  Culhertson,  an  excellent  sur- 
veyor and  a  {U'ominent  citizen  of  Westmoreland 
county,  died  March  21,  1871.  He  was  reared 
on  a  farm,  where  he  was  inured  to  bard  labor 
and  became  well  trained  in  the  management  of 
farming.  His  education  was  necessarily  limited, 
as  the  schools  of  his  time  only  furnished  an 
elementary  but  practical  course  of  instruction. 
Leaving  school  to  engage  in  farming,  be  still 
kept  up  his  study  of  mathematics  and  in  a  short 
time  he  commenced  to  learn  surveying,  in  which 
he  made  rapid  progress  and  soon  became  an 
efficient  surveyor.  He  was  afterwards  employed 
by  the  United  States  Government  to  make  sur- 


wjjsTMoJiiiLAM)  coiwrr. 


75 


vcys  ill  llie  tlicii  ti'i-ritiiry  of  Miiiiicscita.  Ac- 
coiiiii;iiii(.il  by  liis  liiollioi',  lio  roilo  down  tlio 
Ohio  river  in  a  roiij^'li  caiioo  and  ascondud  tlie 
"  Fatlicr  (if  Walcra  "  to  liis  apjiciinli'd  lit'ld  of 
oporationH  in  llic  same  niilc  cralt.  On  tli(!  Min- 
nesotian  plains  and  prairirH,  he  spcnl,  t\v<j  yeans 
in  making  (jovernnient  surveys.  Mr.  Oullieit- 
son,  while  engaged  in  western  surveying,  never 
neglected  his  landed  interests  in  his  native 
county.  Returning  home,  lie  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  general  business,  whereby  he  accumu- 
lated considerable  property.  To  him  belongs 
the  credit  of  being  the  first  man  who  drilled  fur 
salt  water  at  Pleasant  Unity.  lie  was  a  life- 
long member  as  well  as  an  earnest  advocate  of 
the  principles  of  the  Republican  party%  and  was 
a  ruling  elder  for  many  years  of  Unity  Presby- 
terian church  which  was  founded  IMarch  1, 
1774.  During  the  late  civil  war  he  was  among 
the  most  active  engaged  in  recruiting  troops  for 
the  Union  service,  in  which  his  oldest  son  Ed- 
ward served  as  a  private. 

George  Gulbertson  attended  the  common 
schools  and  finished  his  education  in  ureens- 
burg  academy.  At  sixteen  years  of  age  he 
went  to  Gidenburg,  Clarion  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  was  engaged  for  some  time  as 
engineer  at  the  oil  wells  in  that  county. 

In  1876  he  was  one  of  the  great  throng  of  visi- 
tors to  Philadelphia  at  the  "  Centennial."  During 
the  winter  of  the  last-named  year  he  was  em- 
ployed as  a  clerk  by  Joseph  Taylor  of  Greens- 
burg.  In  the  spring  of  1877  Mr.  Culberlsun 
removed  to  Missouri,  where  lieeng;iged  in  farm- 
ing with  Foster  Lightcap.  Early  in  1880  he 
and  his  brother  Griflin  went  into  the  adjoining 
State  of  Nebraska,  where  they  had  charge  of  a 
large  sheep  ranch  until  the  fall  of  1881.  In 
October  of  that  year  George  Culbertson  returned 
to  Greensburg,  where,  on  the  first  of  November, 
1881,  he  entered  as  a  dental  student  the  office 
of  Dr.  J.  S.  Waughanian,  now  of  Pittsburg. 
In  September,  188"J,  he  entered  the  Philadel- 
phia   Dental    college  and  attended  during   the 


winlcr  term.  lie  spent  the  Mininier  of  1883 
in  jiraclice  willi  T.  L.  Smith,  M.  D.,  of  Unity, 
and  returned  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year  to  the 
Piiiladelphia  Dental  college,  from  which  lie  was 
graduated  in  l''cliniaiy,  JSHl.  Soon  ai'lrr  hi.s 
graduation  he  established  himself  at  Greens- 
bui'g,  where  he  continued  successfully  in  the 
practice  of  dentistry  up  to  the  jnesent  time. 
His  dental  parlors  are  well  i'uniished  and 
equipjjcd  with  everything  ])ertainiiig  to  a  first- 
class  dental  office. 

In  June,  1883,  he  was  married  to  Jennie  S. 
Smith,  a  daughter  of  William  Smith,  of  i'leas- 
aiit  Unity.  To  their  union  have  been  born  two 
sons  :  William  Smith  born,  August  5,  1884,  and 
Alexander  Edward,  January  19,  1888;  Mrs. 
Culbertson  was  born  January  19,  1859,  and  is  a 
consistent  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

Dr.  Culbertson  is  a  member  of  the  Greens- 
burg Presbyterian  church. 


J.  CURNS,  who  has  been  a  successful 
contractor  in  stone  and  wood-work  for 
over  thirty-five  years  in  Canada  and  the 
U^nited  States,  was  born  in  the  beautiful  valley 
of  Pine  Creek,  in  Pine  Creek  township,  Clinton 
county,  Pa.,  February  1,  1833,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  R.  and  Jane  \Vhite  (Henry)  Curns.  His 
grandfather,  James  Curns,  was  born  in  Lancas- 
ter, but  settled  in  what  is  now  Clinton  county, 
this  State.  He  was  a  farmer,  and  married 
Margaret  Davis  of  Scotland,  whose  father  was 
Henry  Davis.  Her  mother's  maiden  name  was 
Foi'd.  One  of  their  children  was  John  R. 
Curns,  who  was  born  on  Chartiers  run,  Novem- 
ber ~S,  1811,  and  was  killed  by  the  fall  of  a 
derrick  on  the  Lewisburg  bridge  on  October  l(j, 
18G8.  He  was  a  stone  contractor  and  bridge 
builder.  He  was  an  open-handed,  warm- 
hearted man,  went  out  of  his  way  to  oblige  his 
neighbors,  and  was  always  jirorainent  in  all 
matters  of  importance  in  his  community.  Ho 
was  a  large  man  physically,  and  belonged  to  the 


BIOGRAPIIIKS  OF 


Wliig  party,  but  before  liis  dcatb  became  a 
iloiiiDCrat.  lie  was  a  leading  Odd  l'\dli]\v,  and 
in  1S:!0,  niarricd  Jane  W.,  dauglilcr  (if  Kdhcit 
iind  Aniiii  (I,(jvc)  Henry.  .Mr.  (Jnns  bad 
twelve  ebililren,  (if  \sii(jrn  (jne  sun  and  one 
daugbter  died.  Five  suns  and  five  daugliters 
are  living:  INIary  E.,  living  in  California;  La- 
vina  J.,  wife  uf  Mr.  Myers,  of  Fort  Scott,  Kan- 
sas ;  Nancy  M-,  wlio  married  a  Mr.  Smitb ; 
Margaret  A.,  wife  of  Mr.  Strayer,  of  Howles- 
burg,  Oliio  ;  Alice  A.,  at  borne  with  hermotber  ; 
Thomas  II.  and  Robert  A.,  contractors  at  Fort 
Scott,  Kansas;  John  M.,  who  is  a  successful 
real  estate  agent  at  Winfield,  Kansas  ;  Samuel 
M.  and  R.  J.  Mrs.  Curns  was  born  February 
22,  1809,  and  still  retains  all  ber  mental  facul- 
ties unimpaired. 

R.  J.  Curns  attended  the  common  schools 
until  fourteen  years  of  age,  and  then  learned 
the  trade  of  stone-cutting  with  bis  fatlier.  For 
several  years,  during  the  rafting  season  lie  took 
contracts  and  ran  large  rafts  of  timber  from 
Rockland  to  Marietta,,  on  the  Susquehanna 
river.  He  soon  became  an  extensive  contractor 
in  Canada  and  the  "  Middle  States."  He 
built  the  Welland  canal  in  Canada,  Lock  No. 

4,  above  Charleston,  on  the  Kanawha  river  in 
West  Virginia,  and  many  railroad  bridges  and 
jails.  At  the  ]iresent  time  he  is  engaged  in 
erecting  forty  dwelling  bouses   at  Jeannette  for 

5.  Macaniont.  In  188G  be  removed  to  Greens- 
burg,  where  he  has  resided  ever  since.  Mr. 
Curns  is  a  republican  from  princijile,  attends 
tlie  Presbyterian  church,  of  wbieli  bis  family 
arc  mcmliers,  and  is  a  member  of  several  secret 
societies. 

On  March  10,  1858,  he  was  married  to  Mary 
E.,  only  daughter  of  Tillman  Roucb,of  Rouch's 
Gap,  Pa.  Tbey  have  tliree  sons  and  three 
daughters:  Ada  Jeannette,  teacher  of  music; 
George  B.,  who  is  a  stone  cutter  in  St.  Louis, 
Mo.;  Sallie  J.,  engaged  in  the  millinery  busi- 
ness ;  ^laud  B.,  nuisic  teacher  ;  Clyde  C,  who 
is  engaged  in  stone  and  bridge  business ;    and 


Tillman  Russei,  attending  school.  Mrs.  Curns 
was  burn  in  December,  1  M.'!l),  and  was  c<hicate(l 
at  DiiK'esiin  setiiinary  at  Houclitown,  whicli  was 
named  in  liunur  uf  iier  fnlhcr. 

K.  J.  (!nii]H  is  a  jnactiral  Htuiiocutter,  [lus- 
sesses  good  judgment,  understands  thoroughly 
stone  and  wood  work,  and  has  been  successful 
in  bis  business  of  contractintj. 


>k  EORGE  W.  D  ATZ.  One  of  the  many  en- 
\^  terprising  young  business  men  of  Greens- 
'i*  burg  is  George  W.  Datz,  carriage  and 
wagon  manufacturer  and  dealer  in  carriaces, 
buggies  and  spring  wagons. 

lie  was  born  on  the  old  Datz  homestead  farm 
in  Penn  township,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa., 
August  30,  1862,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Rose 
(Greaninger)  Datz.  Jacob  Datz  (grandfather) 
was  a  farmer  in  Gernniny,  where  he  was  born. 
He  married  Catherine  Keber,  who  bore  bim 
three  sons  and  one  daughter.  One  of  these  sons 
was  John  Datz  (father),  wlio  was  born  in  Riiein, 
Prussia,  May  20,  1825.  He  emigrated  from 
Germany  to  tliis  country  in  1849.  Shortly  after 
arriving  in  the  United  States  he  removed  to 
Penn  township,  tins  county,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged for  many  years  in  market-gardening  and 
truck-farming.  Ho  has  now  retired  from  busi- 
ness of  all  kinds.  He  is  a  democrat  in  politics 
and  a  member  of  the  Second  Reformed  church. 
He  was  a  member  of  a  cavalry  company  in  Ger- 
many, and  to  avoid  serving  in  the  Revolution, 
then  threatening  in  that  country,  he  left  home, 
where  be  was  on  furlough,  and  came  to  America. 
At  New  York  city  he  became  acquainted  with 
Rose  Greaninger,  whom  he  married  in  a  short 
time.  Tbey  had  eleven  children,  of  whom  ten 
are  living.  Mrs.  Datz  is  a  daughter  of  Benja- 
min Greaninger,  who  was  a  founder  by  trade. 
George  W.  Datz  was  reared  on  bis  father's  farm 
in  Penn  township,  where  he  attended  the  com- 
mon schools  until  be  was  seventeen  years  of  ace.. 
Leaving  school,  he  came  to   Greensburg,  where 


WESTMORELAND   COUNTY. 


lie  leaniod  the  trudc  of  carriage  iruiker  with  liis 
brother,  who  is  now  in  I'ittsl)urg.  lie  worked 
for  seven  years  at  his  trade  and  then  purehased 
tiie  eiirriii;j;o  works  of  the  iaie  .Iiiiues  Sleuail. 
These  lie  relitled,  eiilaij^i'tl,  and  has  siieeessfidly 
opeiateil  over  since. 

G.  W.  Datz  is  an  earnest  democrat  and  a 
member  of  the  Union  Order  of  United  American 
Meclianics  and  the  Reformed  churcli.  His  car- 
riage and  >Yagon  manufacturing  establishment  is 
at  No.  85  West  Otterman  street,  opposite  Har- 
rison avenue.  He  employs  seven  to  eight  men, 
and  in  addition  to  his  regular  manufacturing 
operates  a  repairing  department,  in  which  special 
and  prompt  attention  is  given  to  all  kimls  of 
work  in  that  line.  JMr.  Datz  tlioroughly  under- 
stands his  business  and  has  a  good  tiade  in 
Greensburg  and  in  Westmoreland  and  adjoining 
counties. 


•jpOHN  L.  DAA^DSON,  a  popular  justice  of 
I  the  peace  and  a  leading  citizen  of  Ludwick 
(2/  borough,  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Hannah 
(Christman)  Davidson,  and  was  born  near 
Madison,  in  Sewickley  township,  Westmoreland 
county,  Pa.,  January  27,  183(3.  The  David- 
sons are  of  English  descent.  Their  progenitor 
in  the  United  States  was  Uev.  Robert  Davidson, 
who  emigrated  to  this  country  from  Knglaud 
prior  to  the  Revolution  and  located  at  I'hihidel- 
phia,  I'a.,  where  he  died  in  17S4.  He  was  a 
minister  of  the  gos|>el,  but  iif  wliiit  ])ersuasion  or 
denomination  is  not  known  to  the  writer.  His 
wife  and  two  children — Elizabeth  and  Jacob — 
who  survived  him,  moved  to  Hunnnclstown,  I'a., 
soon  after,  where  the  niolher  ilied,  leaving  the 
children  helpless  and  destitiile.  Elizabeth,  on 
reaching  maturity,  married  Robert  AVright,  and 
migrated  with  him  to  Montgi^mcry  county,  Ohio. 
Jacob  Davidson,  the  younger  of  tjie  two  chil- 
dren, was  apprenticed  to  a  German  ov  Duteh- 
8i)eaking  iliinily  named  Ncisly,  and  after  serving 
them  several   years  lie  learned  the  burr-making 


and  millwrighting  business.  Jacob  Davidson 
was  born  in  riiihidelphia  in  17M1,  ami  died  April 
ir>,  18."i0.  He  was  married  to  Mary  Voiing, 
daughti'r  of  I'eler  and  Salome  Voiuig,  of  l,;in- 
easler  eonnly,  I'a.,  in  IHDii,  and  soon  after  \vitli 
liis  wife  came  to  Westmoreland  county,  locating 
on  Jiig  Sewickley  creek,  at  the  place  known  later 
as  Funk's  Mill,  and  now  as  Apple's  Mill,  which 
is  near  West  Newton.  He  at  once  busied  him- 
self in  erecting  a  mill  at  that  point,  at  which 
place  he  remained  until  1812,  when  he  purchased 
a  farm  near  Madison,  then  owned  by  Alexander 
Campbell.  In  1832  he  sold  this  homestead  to 
his  son  Samuel,  in  whose  ownership  it  remained 
more  than  half  a  century.  Jacob  then  bought 
the  land  on  which  the  borough  of  Madison  now 
stands  of  Henry  G.  Spayth,  which  he  afterward 
sold  to  James  and  John  McAyeal  in  183.J,  and 
then  moving  to  a  farm  which  he  purchased  near 
Brownsville,  Fayette  county,  I'a.,  and  residing 
there  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  was  an  un- 
tiring laborer,  following  his  trade  of  burr-niak- 
iniT  continuously,  and  supplied  mills  on  the 
western  slope  of  the  Alleghenies  with  mill  stones 
of  his  manufacture,  some  of  which  are  still  to  be 
seen,  if  not  in  actual  use.  He  was  also  a  minis- 
ter of  the  gospel,  preaching  as  opportunity  pre- 
sented itself,  and  assisted  in  holding  the  General 
Conference  of  the  United  Rrethren  church  at  or 
near  Mt.  Pleasant  in  181,0.  Samuel  Davidson 
was  born  January  30,  1807,  and  was  married  to 
Hannah,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Anna  Christ- 
man,  of  near  Mt.  Pleasant,  in  the  year  1827. 
To  them  were  born  si.x  children  :  Mary,  married 
to  George  Miller,  and  died  in  1874;  Elizabeth, 
wife  of  James  M.  Milligan,  of  Sewickley  town- 
ship (see  his  sketch);  Jacob  (!.,  of  Greensburg  ; 
John  L.,  Sarah  J.,  wife  of  J5.  F.  Phillijis,  of 
Searights,  Fayette  county,  Pa.;  and  Henry, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  five  years.  Samuel  was 
a  farmer  by  occupation  during  the  greater  part 
of  his  life.  He  was  industrious,  frugal  and  hon- 
est, strongly  attached  to  the  jirinciples  of  morality 
and  reli;rion,  a  member  of  the  United   Rrethren 


?8 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


church  and  a  leading  citizen  in  the  conmiunity. 
He  died  July  18,  1883. 

.Toliii  L.  Davidson  grew  up  on  tlie  I'arni,  ac- 
customed to  industry  and  the  toil  of  farm  life, 
just  prior  to  the  general  use  of  modern  machi- 
nery, when  lalior  was  more  fatiguing  than  now. 
He  received  his  educational  training  in  the  com- 
mon schools  and  normal  schools,  and  later  in  Mt. 
Pleasant  college.  Before  the  close  of  his  school 
days  he  engaged  in  teaching,  continuing  in  that 
profession  until  after  his  marriage,  when  he  en- 
gaged in  mercantile  pursuits,  and  was  postmaster 
at  Madison  from  18(j2  until  1869.  Removing 
to  Ludwick  in  1871,  he  taught  in  the  borough 
schools,  and  again  embarked  in  the  hardware 
and  grocery  business  in  Greunsburg  for  a  number 
of  years.  After  retiring  from  that  occupation  he 
resumed  his  chosen  profession,  and  is  tlius  en- 
gaged now  in  the  schools  of  Ludwick. 

On  July  4,  1800,  he  was  married  at  Pittsburg 
by  the  Rev.  William  JI.  Paxton  to  Mary  Jane 
Evans,  daughter  of  the  late  William  Evans,  of 
Hempfield  township.  Four  children  were  born 
to  them,  only  one  of  whom,  Maggie  M.,  is  living. 
The  family  arc  all  members  of  the  United  Breth- 
ren churcii  at  (ireensburg.  In  politics  he  has 
always  been  a  republican,  has  served  as  justice 
of  the  peace,  and  is  always  interested  in  any 
enterprise  calculated  to  morally  benefit  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  lives. 


P.  DEEMER,  A.  M.,  an  experienced 
and  able  educator,  and  soldier  of  the 
late  war,  was  born  in  Ilemplield  township, 
Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  August  "23,  1837. 
He  is  a  son  of  Andrew  and  Sarah  ((uessinger) 
Deemer.  The  Doemcrs  are  among  the  oldest 
settlers  of  the  county  and  are  of  German  de- 
scent. John  Deemer  (grandfather)  was  born  in 
Hempfield  township.  He  was  a  tall,  powerful 
man,  yet  he  was  very  quiet  and  unassuming. 
One  of  his  sons,  Andrew  Decuier,  was  born  June 
y,   1^00.      He  was  a  cabinet-maker  and  was  very 


successful  as  a  business  man.  He  was  a  democrat 
of  the  strongest  kind,  wliile  in  religious  affairs  he 
was  a  plain  and  modest  member  of  the  Evangelical 
Lutiieran  church.  On  October  17,  l«2-2,  he 
nnirried  Sarah  Gressinger,  daughter  of  Andrew 
Gressinger.  To  this  union  were  born  nine 
children,  of  whom  five  are  living:  Maria  Hunter, 
of  Greensburg ;  Susan,  wife  of  Henry  A.  Wal- 
ter, of  Latrobe;  Flora  Harrison,  of  Greensburg; 
Hannah,  wife  of  James  Grace,  of  Greensburg, 
and  Prof.  A.  P.  Mrs.  Deemer  was  born  in 
1806.  Prof.  A.  P.  Deemer  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools,  Scwickley  academy,  and 
Capitol  university  at  Columbus,  Ohio.  He 
entered  the  latter  institution  as  a  member  of  the 
senior  class,  and  graduated  July  2,  18G2.  On 
August  13,  18G2,  he  enlisted  in  the  fifteenth 
Pa.  cavalry,  was  a  member  of  the  Anderson 
troop,  detailed  as  Gen.  Buell's  body  guard,  fought 
in  the  liattles  of  Stone  river,  Nashville  and 
Mumfordsville,  and  was  discharged  in  1803  on 
account  of  a  disease  of  the  eyes  contracted  in  the 
army.  At  seventeen  years  of  age  he  began 
teaching  to  enable  him  to  finish  his  education. 
After  the  war  he  was  principal  of  Mt.  Pleasant 
schools  for  four  years;  of  Latrobe  schools  three 
years ;  Ligonier  schools  four  years,  and  is  now 
principal  of  the  Ludwick  schools,  besides  having 
taught  eight  normal  schools  and  several  terms  in 
the  common  schools. 

On  October  16,  1866,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Mary  L.,  daughter  of  Samuel  Hays,  of 
Lycippus.  They  have  four  children;  Cora,  born 
September  17,  18U7,  now  teacliiiigher  third  term 
of  school ;  Dana,  February  8,  1871,  attending 
Iron  City  college;  G.  M.  Hays,  December  11, 
1876,  and  Arthur  P.,  September  2;t,  1881. 
Mrs.  Deemer  is  descended  from  an  old  settled 
family  and  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church. 

Prof.  A.  P.«  Deemer  is  a  member  of  the  I.  0. 
of  0.  F.,  the  Masonic  fraternity,  G.  A.  R.,  and 
the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church.  He  is  a 
fine  schiilur,  a  thorough  teacher,  and  one  whose 
name  has  been  mentioned  IVenuently  in  connec- 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


tioii  with  the  county  tiu|ii'iiiiteii(lfiicy  of  Wcst- 
iiioiehiiKl  county. 


y-JY  ILLIAM  DESMOND,  a  citizen  of 
I  Ji[l  the  '  Old  I'ominion  "  and  an  expert 
|ihiniber  of  Greensburg,  is  a  son  of 
Morris  and  llonora  (Hurley)  Desmond,  and  was 
born  at  Alexandria,  ^'^irginia,  November  8, 1859. 
Morris  Desmond  was  born  in  county  Cork,  Ire- 
land. He  crossed  the  Atlantic  and  settled  in 
Virginia,  where  he  soon  engaged  in  the  paving 
business.  Being  a  fine  paver  his  services  were 
soon  secured  by  the  United  States  government 
contractors,  and  he  has  been  in  government  em- 
ploy ever  since.  He  is  a  democrat  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Catholic  church.  He  owns  property 
of  considerable  value  at  Alexandria,  Va.,  where 
he  now  resides.  He  married  Honora  Hurley, 
by  whom  lie  has  bad  four  cnildren,  of  whom  two 
are  William  anil  Kate  S.  Mr.  Desmond  lias 
been  successful  in  various  ])usiness  enterprises  in 
which  he  has  been  interested  at  different  times. 

AVilliam  Desmond  was  reared  at  Alexandria, 
where  he  attended  |)riv:ite  schools  anil  St.  John's 
iicadciiiy.  Leaving  school,  he  learned  the  trade 
of  jilumber  with  Joseph  Higgins,  and  worked 
for  some  time  at  the  plumbing  business  in  his 
native  town,  where  he  averaged  two  thousand 
dollars  woitli  of  woik  per  year.  lie  came  to 
(Ireensbiirg  and  entered  the  employ  of  the  firm 
of  Stark  Hro's,  general  contractors  and  builders. 

On  January  o,  1SS7,  Mr.  Desmond  uniteii  in 
marriage  with  Amanda  R.  Smith,  of  near 
Greensburg. 

In  politics  he  is  a  cleniocrat,  and  has  always 
yielded  his  party  a  hearty  and  faithful  support. 
He  is  a  skilled  ami  experienced  workman,  and 
has  been  successful  in  his  particular  line  of 
business,  and  at  Greensburg  and  throughout 
Westmoreland  county  his  social  and  business 
standing  reinaiti  unim[ieachable. 


EOllGE  DETAU,  one  of  Greensburg's 
successful  young  business  men  and  a  de- 
scendant of  one  of  the  early  settled  fami- 
lies of  Westmoreland  county,  was  born  in 
I  lcm|ilic|il  loun.shi|),  \\'esliiiiu<'land  county,  I'a., 
Uctoher  'J,  1857,  and  is  the  eldest  son  of  Simon 
and  Maria  (Uncapher)  Detar.  As  the  name  in- 
dicates, George  Detar  is  the  descendant  of  an 
old  French  family.  His  paternal  grandfather 
was  born  in  France,  and  left  his  native  land 
when  the  star  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte  was  in 
the  ascendant.  He  came  to  near  Greenburg, 
where  he  died  soon  after  his  arrival.  He  had 
six  children :  Joseph,  settled  in  Venango 
county,  Pa.;  Philip  went  to  Iniliana  county. 
Pa.  ;  Simon,  and  three  whose  names  are  not 
given.  Simon  Detar  was  born  on  the  Detar 
homestead,  near  Greensburg,  in  1804,  and  was 
an  octogenarian  in  years  when  he  passed  off  the 
stage  of  life  in  1884.  He  was  a  farmer  by  oc- 
cupation and  a  member  of  the  German  Re- 
formed church  and  held  all  its  local  offices. 
He  was  successful  in  all  of  his  undertakings  and 
enterprises.  He  was  a  democrat  of  the  old 
school,  served  as  treasurer  of  Westmoreland 
county,  anil  later  was  elected  county  commis- 
siiMn'r.  In  iMil  be  renuived  to  (ireensburg, 
where  he  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  for  fif- 
teen years.  He  nunried  Maria  Uncapher, 
daughter  of  Andrew  and  Susanna  (Ludwick) 
Uncapher.  Mrs.  Uncapher  is  li\'iiig  iiear 
I'unxatawney,  I'a.  Mr.  and  .Mis.  Delar  were 
the  pareiUs  of  live  children,  of  whom  three  arc 
living:  George,  iVnna  S.,  and  Jacob,  who  is  a 
civil  engineer. 

(ieorge  Detar  was  reared  on  a  farm  until  he 
was  six  years  of  age,  when  lie  was  taken  by  bis 
parents  to  the  county  seat.  He  was  educated 
in  Greensburg  public  schools  and  academy,  and 
took  a  full  course  in  Dulls  Commercial  and 
Business  college  in  Pittsburg,  Pa.  Having  spe- 
cially fitted  himself  by  his  commercial  course 
for  a  business  life,  he  became  a.  member  of  the 
lirm  of  C.  H.  Fogg  iV    (Jo.      They  arc  engaged 


t:    I' 


,Ji 


80 


BIOCnAPIIIES  OF 


in  the  luinlicr  bnsiiioss  ;mil  operate  a  planing 
mill  and  lumber  yards  at  Greciisburg.  Tliey 
are  extensive  and  suceessfnl  dealers  in  rough 
and  dressed  lumber,  and  furnish  all  kinds  of 
planing-mill  work.  In  politics  ^Ir.  Detar  holds 
to  the  democratic  faith  of  his  forefathers.  lie 
is  a  pleasant  and  affable  gentleman,  and  is  al- 
ways interested  in  whatever  tends  to  promote 
the  business  interests  of  his  town  and  county. 


^@)  D.  K.  DICK  was  born  in  Greensburg, 
tg)]*  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  January  2, 
1859,  and  is  the  eldest  son  of  John  and 
Priscilla  (Allshouse)  Dick.  John  Dick  was 
born  September  10,  1832,  in  Switzerland,  and 
emigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1848,  settling 
at  Greensburg,  where  he  carried  on  the  mer- 
chant tailoring  business  for  many  years.  Not 
long  after  the  late  war  he  removed  to  Ligonicr, 
this  county,  where  he  died  February  2,  1885. 
He  was  a  democrat  and  quite  active  in  party 
work,  especially  in  local  politics,  and  held  the 
offices  of  mercantile  appraiser  and  county  au- 
ditor for  two  terms.  lie  was  a  member  of  the 
Reformed  church  at  Greensburg,  active  in  his 
support  thereof,  a  man  of  decided  convictions, 
and  was  held  in  high  esteem  by  all  who  knew 
him.  lie  was  identified  with  the  I.  0.  0.  F., 
and  was  a  ])rominent  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity.  lie  married  Priscilla  Allshouse,  who 
is  yet  living,  and  by  whom  he  liad  eleven  chil- 
dri'ii,  hiiic  III'  wlinni  ui-o  living. 

Ed.  K.  l)ick,  alter  recriving  an  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  Greensburg  and  Ligonicr, 
began  his  business  life  as  a  jeweler  at  Greens- 
burg, and  continued  in  that  line  fur  five  yiiars. 
In  November,  1S88,  he  sold  liis  jewelry  store 
and  eiiiliurked  in  the  dry  goods  line  in  the  ele- 
gant stoic  loom  on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Sec- 
ond streets,  Greensburg,  where  he  is  now  located 
and  doing  a  flourishing  business. 

He  was  married  Februai'y  It),  18S2,  to  Car- 
rie, a  daughter  of  J;icob  Mensch,  of  Greensburg, 


and  to  their  union  have  been  born  two  children  : 
Mary,  born  April  14,  1884,  and  Paul,  April 
2U,  188G. 

lie  is  a  member  of  Greensburg  council.  No. 
44,  R.  A.,  lielongs  to  the  M  E.  church  and 
believes  firndy  in  the  principles  of  democracy. 
Though  young  in  years  he  is  a  prosperous  and 
[jopular  business  man,  and  deserves  tlie  succes-s 
already  achieved  as  well  as  a  life-long  continu- 
ation of  go(jd  fortune. 


•*^EV.  C.  R.  DIEFFENBACHER,  pastor 
of  the  First  Reformed  church  of  Greens- 
burg, was  born  December  22,  18.3'J,  in 
Butler  county.  Pa.,  but  reared  at  Woodstock, 
Shenandoah  county,  in  the  beautiful  and  historic 
valley  of  the  same  name  in  Virginia.  The 
Dieflenbachers  of  this  country  are  descendants  of 
the  old  stock  that  emigrated  from  the  Rhine 
country,  Germany,  about  the  close  of  the  Revo- 
lutionary war,  seeking  a  more  quiet  home  in 
the  New  World.  They  were  sturdy,  honest, 
Christian  people,  who  settled  in  Eastern  Penn- 
sylvania, probably  in  Northumberland  county. 
Rev.  Jacob  F.  Dieffenbacher  (father)  was  born 
in  Montour  county,  this  State,  in  1800  ;  was 
educated  at  Carlisle,  Pa.,  and  preached  for 
many  years  in  Virginia.  He  died  in  February, 
1841,  and  although  yet  a  young  man  had  risen 
to  prominence  in  the  Reformed  church — his 
chosen  denomination.  While  in  Virginia  he 
was  married  to  Dorothy  C.  llottel,  whose  father 
was  George  llottel,  an  early  settler  in  the  Shen- 
andoah valley,  who  was  a  wealthy  planter,  own- 
ing several  thousand  acres  of  land.  The  Hottels, 
who  were  of  Ilugcunot  descent,  were  pioneers  of 
the  Shenandoah  valley,  having  located  there 
long  before  the  Revolution,  and  when  contests 
with  Indians  was  a  common  occurrence.  Rev. 
Jacob  F.  Dieffenbacher  was  the  father  of  four 
sons,  three  of  whom  arc  clergymen  of  the  Re- 
formed church.  Of  these  children,  Rev.  D.  S. 
Dieffenbacher   is  pastor  ot   the  First   Reformed 


WESl  MOHKLA ND   CO  UNTY. 


church,  Altoona,  Pa. ;  llcv.  E.  II.  Dieileiibacher 
has  a  charge  at  Pleasant  Unity,  this  county  ; 
and  J.  F.  Dieftenbacher  is  a  ))ublisher  of  J'itts- 
burt;. 

Hcv.  C.  11.  Dicll'cnbaclier  received  his  )ire- 
paratory  education  in  the  common  and  academic 
schools  of  Woodstock,  Va.,  and  in  185G  entered 
Franklin  and  Marshall  college,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  IHGO.  In  18G2  he  completed 
his  seminary  course  at  Mereersbiirg,  having 
studied  under  Drs.  Sehafl"  and  Woltf.  His  first 
charge  was  at  Kittanning,  I'a.,  where,  during 
his  pastorate  of  two  and  one-half  years,  he 
established  two  new  congregations — one  at  Kitt- 
anning and  one  at  Jlddyville.  In  18G5  he  took 
charge  of  a  new  mission  at  (ireenviUc,  Pa., 
■which  was  self-supporting  at  tiic  end  of  six 
years,  although  he  began  work  with  only  four- 
teen members.  Remaining  seven  years  longer, 
he,  on  April  1,  1878,  succeeded  Dr.  N.  P. 
Ilacke,  as  pastor  of  the  First  Reformed  church 
of  Greensburg,  to  whose  people  he  is  still  break- 
ing the  bread  of  life.  During  the  first  five 
years  of  his  pastorate  at  Greensburg  the  new 
church  and  parsonage  were  built  at  a  cost  ot 
some  $85,000,  and  the  indebtedness  of  the  con- 
gregation has  been  entirely  wiped  out.  The 
membership  has  been  doubled,  now  numbering 
about  five  hundred  and  fifty,  and  there  has  been 
a  great  increase  in  Christian  activity.  In  the 
winter  of  1888  Rev.  Dieflonbaeher  collected 
and  partly  organized  a  congregation  at  Jean- 
nettc,  which  is  now  under  the  care  ot  Rev.  N. 
II.  Skiles. 

On  September  9,  1802,  Rev.  C.  R.  Dieffen- 
bacher  was  united  in  marriage  with  Emma,  a 
daughter  of  Gerhart  and  Mary  (Erisman)  Metz- 
gar,  of  Lancaster,  Pa.,  and  their  union  has  been 
blest  with  five  ciiildren,  of  whom  three  are  liv- 
ing :  Flora  O.  died  March  ai,  1888,  aged 
thirteen  years,  and  Lillic  C.  followed  her  to  the 
grave  on  the  fijurth  of  the  following  month,  at 
the  age  of  twenty-one.  R(jth  were  most  excel- 
lent young  ladies.      Of  those  living,  Nevin  ti.  is 


a  machinist,  and  is  now  with  Kelly  O^c  Jones,  of 
Greensburg;  Mary  Grace  is  the  wile  of  Harry 
T.  Wolfersberger,  an  employee  in  the  olHce  of 
the  Pennsylvania  IJailroad  (Company  at  Piiila- 
delphia;  and  Emma  Alberta  at  home. 

^-•IIOMAS  DONOIIOE,  one  of  Greens- 
rt)  burg's  successful  and  reliable  business  men, 
^r  was  born  in  Carlo  county,  Leinster  Prov- 
ince, Ireland,  December  20,  1830.  He  is  a  son 
of  Edward  and  Judith  (Brennan)  Donohoe,  the 
former  (a  son  of  Henry  Donohoe),  was  born  in 
1796,  in  county  Carlow.  Thomas  Donohoe  re- 
ceived his  eilucation  in  the  schools  of  Ireland, 
which  were  then  noted  for  thoroughness  in  the 
knowledge  which  they  imparted.  At  twenty-one 
years  of  age  he  sailed  for  the  United  States,  be- 
ing a  wider  field  for  individual  effoitand  business 
than  his  native  land  presented  to  him.  Alter 
landing  at  New  York,  he  cast  about  him  some 
time  for  a  favorable  situation  and  finally  engaged 
at  Blairsville,  Indiana  county,  Pa.,  in  the  em- 
ploy of  William  Maho,  who  was  engaged  in  the 
general  mercantile  business.  After  seven  years 
of  faithful  service  and  valuable  experience,  he 
removed  to  Greensburg  in  1858,  where  he  be- 
came a  partner  of  the  firm  of  Donohoe  &  Maho. 
They  wore  engaged  in  general  mercantile  busi- 
ness until  1886,  when  Mr.  Maho  withdrew  f^om 
the  firm,  and  a  brother  of  Mr.  Donohoe's  suc- 
ceeded him.  The  firm  name  being  Donohoe  & 
Bro.  Jilr.  Donohoe's  brother  died  in  1878,  and 
Thomas  Donohoe  continued  the  store  until  1868, 
when  he  admitted  Armor  C.  Trauger  as  a  part- 
ner. In  1888  iMr.  Trauger  withdrew,  and  the 
present  firm  of  Donohoe  &  Son  was  organized. 
In  1862  Mr.  John  Kuntz  became  a  partner  with 
Thomas  Donohoe  in  the  purchase  and  sale  of 
grain,  and  this  partnership  still  continues.  Mr. 
Donohoe's  early  mercantile  ventures  were  re- 
markably fortunate,  while  his  later  business  in- 
vestments have  been  signally  successful.  His 
large  mercantile  business  and  extensive  traiisac- 


82 


BIOGRAPUIES  OF 


tioiis  it)  grain  did  not  fully  engage  his  time,  and 
in  order  to  be  constantly  employed  lie  became  in- 
terested in  tiie  Alexandria  coal  works,  of  which 
he  is  superintendent  at  the  present  time. 

In  October,  18G1,  he  married  Cecelia  ^Vi.se, 
daughter  of  Jacob  Wise,  of  (jreensburg.  Their 
family  consists  of  ten  ciiildrcn,  six  sons,  four 
daughters:  Edward,  Mary,  Cecelia,  Thomas, 
Henry,  llichard,  Agnes,  John,  Joseph  and  one 
whose  name  is  not  given. 

Thomas  Donolioo  is  a  member  of  the  Holy 
Roman  Catholic  church.  He  is  a  democrat,  but 
he  takes  no  active  part  in  politics,  as  his  entire 
time  is  required  for  the  supervision  and  manage- 
ment of  his  dilferent  business  enterprises.  T. 
Donohoe  &  Son's  general  mercantile  establish- 
ment, in  the  beautiful  Opera  Block  on  West  Ot- 
terinan  street,  Greensburg,  Pa.,  is  furnished  with 
everything  in  that  line  of  business  that  thirty- 
one  years  of  experience  has  found  necessary  to 
provide  for  a  large  trade,  while  their  stock  is 
constantly  kejjt  full  to  supply  every  cull  made 
for  anything  kept  by  him.  They  carry  full 
lines  in  dry-goods,  notions,  groceries,  hardware, 
wood,  willow  and  queensware,  besides  handling 
powder,  dynamite  and  fuse.  Mr.  Donolioe  is  a 
leading,  substantial  and  inlluential  business  man 
of  Greensburg.  lie  is  one  who  has  been  em- 
phatically the  architect  of  his  own  fortune. 


TOIIN    D(JUN,    proprietor    of     the    Dorn 

J  livery  slables  and  a  member  of  the  Greens- 
burg brewing  company  and  is  a  son  of 
George  and  Elizabeth  (Mayberry)  Dorn,  and 
was  born  on  east  Pittsburg  street,  Greensburg, 
Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania,  February 
ly,  18-')1.  His  father,  (Jeorge  Dorn,  was  a  j 
luitive  of  Germany  (see  his  sketch  in  this 
volume),  and  his  niotluT  was  born  in  that  part  of 
Westmoreland  county  included  in  the  celebrated 
Ligonier  Valley. 

.lohn  Dorn  was  reared  at   Greensburg  and  re- 
ceived his  education  in  tiie  j)ui)lic  schools.      As 


soon  as  ho  was  of  proper  ago  to  enter  into  busi- 
ness he  engaged  with  his  father  at  the  Dorn 
livery  stables. 

In  18U8  he  withdrew  from  livery  business, 
accepted  a  position  in  the  iilaning-mill  of  lleeil, 
Wilson  and  Company,  and  remained  in  their  em- 
jiloy  for  eight  years.  In  1877  he  made  a  tour  of 
nearly  all  the  western  States  and  continued  to 
reside  west  of  the  Mississippi  liver  for  ten  years. 
In  1887  he  left  the  west  and  returned  to  Greens- 
burg. 

In  1888  he  entered  into  a  partnership  with 
his  brother  Louis  and  George  E.  Kuhns,  under 
the  firm  name  of  the  Greensburg  Brewing  Com- 
pany. Their  brewery  has  a  capacity  of  5,000 
barrels  per  year.  Tiiey  have  a  large  local  as 
well  as  an  extensive  general  trade.  In  addition 
to  his  brewery  interests  he  is  the  proprietor  of 
the  Dorn  livery  and  feed  stables  at  Greensburg. 
He  keeps  a  "  large  stock  of  good  liorses,  fine 
buggies  and  excellent  carriages  and  is  well  pat- 
ronized by  the  traveling  public.  John  Dorn  is 
a  conservative  democrat,  yet  he  firmly  believes 
in  the  principles  and  usages  of  the  Democratic 
party  as  laid  down  and  practiced  by  Thomas 
Jefl'erson  in  the  early  years  of  the  American  lie- 
public.  Mr.  Dorn  is  a  good  business  man, 
genial  and  affable,  and  is  well  liked  in  the  large 
circle  of  his  uequaintauceship. 


EORGE  DORN.  In  a  pleasant  little  val- 
ey  in  northern  Germany  near  the  beauti- 
ful river  Rhine,  famous  in  German  song 
and  story  is  the  ancestral  home  of  the  Dorns 
and  birth-place  of  the  late  George  Dorn,  who 
was  in  after-life  one  of  the  most  widely  known 
business  men  of  Greensburg.  He  was  born  on 
Now  Years  Day  in  1818,  under  the  great  con- 
federation of  German  States  that  formecl  an  in- 
terregnum of  the  German  empire  from  1815  to 
1835.  He  was  carefully  trained  to  habits  of 
iiulustry,  honesty  and  economy  and  received  his 
education  in  the  rural  schoolsof  the  Fatherland. 


WKSTMORELA  NT)  CO  UNTY. 


At  eigliteen  years  of  age  he  conceived  tlie  idea  of 
emigrating  to  tiie  new  world  in  quest  of  more 
profitable  employment  than  lie  could  tiien  secure 
in  Germany. 

In  183(5  he  came  to  Pennsylvania,  where 
after  a  considerable  struggle  for  work  he  ob- 
tained employment  on  the  Philadelphia  turn- 
pike. Although  young  in  years,  his  excellent 
deportment  and  disjilay  of  good  judgment  in  the 
care  of  teams  secured  him  the  responsiide  position 
of  stable  manager  at  Turtle  creek  ;  where  he  had 
charge  of  all  the  horses  used  on  one  section  of  the 
pike.  After  a  few  years  services  at  the  latter 
place  he  removed  to  Greensburg,  where  he  as- 
sumed charge  and  was  in  control  of  the  pike 
stables  until  the  building  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Central  railroad.  The  railroad  monopolized  the 
trade  and  travel  of  the  State,  and  the  old  ]iike, 
unable  to  enter  into  competitive  ri\alry,  was 
soon  abandoned  as  a  jtiiblic  highway  and  be- 
came a  local  throughfare.  In  consei|ueiice  of 
this  great  change  in  mode  of  travel  Mr.  Dorn 
engaged  in  a  new  line  of  business  and  accord- 
ingly opened  a  large  livery  stable  at  Greens- 
burg. As  a  liveryman  he  met  with  remarkable 
success.  And  with  his  usual  eneigy,  soon  had 
one  of  the  best  livery  stables  in  western  Penn- 
sylvania outside  of  Pittsburg,  which  was  largely 
patronized  until  his  death  in  IbSo.  For  over 
thirty  years  he  was  probably  the  most  widely 
known  and  popular  liveryman  in  his  section  of 
the  State.  Besides  his  livery  Mr.  Dorn  was 
interested  in  various  business  enterprises  of 
Greensburg  and  in  the  county.  His  long,  suc- 
cessful and  honorable  career  was  brought  to  a 
close  by  his  death  on  July  -,  1885.  His  large 
circle  of  friiiids  and  relatives  mourned  his  lo.ss 
sincerely. 

Mr.  Dorn  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Mayberry, 
of  Ligonier,  this  county.  They  had  si.x  child- 
ren, of  whom  four  are  living:  George  was  book- 
keeper for  Lewis  Tranger  many  years,  and  died 
in  1872;  Julia,  wife  of  Dr.  /,.  T.  Waugaman 
(see  his  sketch) ;  Jacob,  wlio  died  when  a  young 


man  ;  John,  one  of  the  owners  of  the  Greens-' 
burg  brewery  (see  his  sketch);  Harry  M.  and 
Lewis  T.,  who  is  a  partner  in  the  Greensburg 
brewery  com[iany. 

(Jeorge  Dorn  at  the  time  of  his  death  was 
worth  over  $100,000.  He  was  a  self- 
made  man,  acquiring  his  wealth  by  honest  in- 
dustry and  frugality.  His  business  obligations 
were  always  prom])tly  met  and  his  contracts 
honorably  fulfilled. 

In  1881  he  sold  the  lot  where  the  present 
jail  building  stands".  He  was  a  strong  democrat, 
was  a  useful  member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
church  and  a  man  noted  for  his  charity  to  the 
poor.  He  was  a  very  good  linguist ;  could 
speak  with  lluency  and  ease  the  German, 
French  and  English  languages. 

Geoi'ge  Dorn  was  popular  and  well  liked 
both  as  a  citizen  and  business  man,  on  account 
of  bis  generous  nature  and  sterling  integrity. 

His  life  was  one  of  activity  and  event.  He 
was  a  self-made  man  ;  he  enjoyed  none  of  the 
educational  advantages  of  the  present  era  ; 
nevertheless,  he  was  a  man  of  varied  information, 
endowed  with  a  strong  mind  and  was  the  hewer, 
out  of  his  own  fortune  and  the  honest  architect 
of  his  own  fame. 


•f  UDGE  LUCIEN  W.  DOTY.  It  is  a  raat- 
I  ter  of  regret  that  in  this  age  of  steam  and 
Qj  electricity  business  cares  or  unholy  am- 
bitions cause  some  to  forget  their  lineage  and  to 
sink  their  regard  for  family  in  the  mire  of  sel- 
fishness. To  such  persons  Macauley  refers  when 
he  says,  "  A  people  which  takes  no  pride  in  the 
noble  achievements  of  remote  ancestors  will 
never  achieve  anything  worthy  to  be  remembered 
with  pride  by  remote  descendants."  Lucien  W. 
Doty,  President  Judge  of  the  Courts  of  West- 
moreland county,  was  born  July  18,  1848,  at 
Mifflintown,  Juniata  county,  Pa.  The  Doty 
family  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  the  United 
States ;    Edward    Doty,    a    native  of   England, 


84 


IlIOaitM'UIKS  OF 


being  one  of  tlie  "  ])ilgi-inis  "  wlio,  fleeing  from 
bigotry  und  oiipressioii,  cios.scil  tbe  Atliintic  in 
the  MauJhwcr.  One  of  liis  sons  was  Oaiitiiiu 
Samuel  I*<ity,  a  surveyor,  wliose  son,  David 
Doty,  a  pbysieian  of  Sharon,  Conn.,  vva.s  Juiige 
Doty's  great-granJfatlier.  Dr.  Ezra  Doty 
(grandfather),  was  a  distinguished  physician,  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  who  organ- 
ized the  first  ilasonic  kidge  at  Mifflin,  Pa.,  and 
an  active  worker  in  the  interests  of  the  okl 
Democratic  party.  He  was  born  in  Sharon, 
Conn.,  and  moved  to  Mifflintown,  Pa.,  in  1790. 
He  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  of  Pennsyl- 
vania when  the  seat  of  government  was  at 
Lancaster,  Pa.  He  married  Rebecca  North,  a 
daughter  of  Caleb  North,  who  was  of  English 
origin  and  lived  in  Perry  county.  Pa.  To  this 
union  were  born  two  sons  and  one  daughter, 
Eliza,  who  married  Andrew  Parker,  of  MilUin, 
a  distinguished  lawyer  and  member  of  Congress. 
Edmund  S.  Doty  (father)  was  born  August  2'2, 
1815,  at  Mifflin"  Pa.,  and  died  December  24, 
1884.  He  received  a  collegiate  education, 
studied  law,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  jMifflin- 
town  in  1830.  and  practiced  his  profession  for 
forty-five  years.  In  1843  he  was  married  to 
Catharine  Wilson,  of  Juniata  county,  by  whom 
he  had  nine  sons  and  one  daughter,  all  of  whom, 
save  one  son,  who  died  in  infancy,  arc  living. 
Mr.  Doty  was  one  of  nature's  noblemen,  bright 
and  well-developed  intellectually,  upright  and 
courteous,  modest  and  charitable  in  the  true 
sense  of  llie  leriu.  As  a  lawyer  lie  stood  at  the 
head  of  his  profession,  scrupulously  honest  and 
conscientious,  careful  and  reliable  as  a  counsel- 
lor, able  and  eloquent  as  an  advocate.  In  poli- 
tics he  was  an  earnest  democrat,  and  believing 
in  the  principles  of  that  party  was  always 
ready  and  willing  in  national  and  state  issues, 
to  lend  his  voice,  pen  and  vote  in  furtherance  of 
its  success.  The  only  time  he  asked  for  the 
suffrages  of  his  fellow-citizens  was  in  18r)4, 
when  he  was  a  candidate  for  the  Senate  against 
Hon.  James    M.   Sellers.     The   Know-Notliinj: 


whirlwind  of  that  year  engulfed  him  in  defeat, 
and  he  never  again  would  accept  a  nomination. 
It  was  as  a  Christian,  however,  that  the  charac- 
ter of  i\Ir.  Doty  shone  forth  most  cons|)icuously. 
He  was  from  early  life  conneetecl  with  the  I'les- 
byterian  church,  in  which  he  was  for  many  years 
an  active  worker  and  a  ruling  elder.  His  pro- 
fessions were  earnest  and  sincere,  his  life  was 
one  of  piety  and  devotion,  and  his  death  a  most 
triumphant  one. 

Hon.  Lucien  W.  Doty  attended  the  public 
schools  of  Mifiiin,  prepared  for  college  at  Tus- 
carora  and  Airy  View  academies,  and  in  18G6 
entered  the  Freshman  class  at  Lafayette  college, 
Easton,  Pa.,  from  which  institution  he  graduated 
in  1870,  taking  one  of  the  three  equal  honors 
and  delivering  the  Latin  salutatory.  After  teach- 
ing school  one  year  as  assistant  principal  of  the 
Newton  Collegiate  Institution  of  New  Jersey, 
he  in  1871  entered  his  fiither's  law  office  and 
was  admitted  to  practice  in  the  courts  of  his 
native  county  in  September,  1872.  In  1875  he 
was  admitted  to  the  Philadelphia  bar,  where  he 
practiced  until  1879.  In  January,  1881,  he 
came  to  Greensburg  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  at  the  ensuing  May  term.  In  188G  and  in 
1888  he  served  as  chairman  of  the  Democratic 
county  committee,  and  in  1887  he  visited  Europe, 
where  he  traveled  through  many  noted  and  his- 
toric places.  In  1889  he  was  nominated  for 
President  Judge  by  the  Democratic  party  of 
Wcstmori'land  county,  and  in  November  was 
elected  over  A.  D.  McConnell,  the  republican 
candidate,  by  a  plurality  of  2,079. 

Judge  Doty  was  married  October  2,  1873,  to 
Anna  E.  Moore,  daughter  of  Samuel  Moore,  of 
Easton,  Pa.,  by  whom  he  had  three  children  : 
Catharine,  Helen  and  Edmund  S.  He,  together 
with  his  wife,  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  of  Greensburg,  of  which  be  has  been  a 
trustee  for  soi^ie  years. 

Judge  L.  W.  Doty  is  an  able  attorney,  an 
eloiiuent  advocate,  and  in  his  judicial  capacity 
is   energetic,   prompt,   ujiriglit    and    thoroughly 


WESTMORELAND   COUNTY. 


unbiiiswl.  lie  is  finely  cultured,  modest  :ind 
uiiMssuiiiing,  ill  every  res]ject  a  tliovougli  gcii- 
tleiuaii. 

•jl'UlIN  DUNIIILL,  a  resident  ..f  (ireeiisburg 
and  one  of  its  experienced,  energetic  and 
reliable  business  men,  is  a  son  of  llicliard 
and  Mary  (llawley)  Dunliill,  and  was  born  in 
Yorksbire,  England,  October  28, 18tJ0.  Richard 
Dunliill  was  a  potter  by  occupation,  lie  was  a 
member  of  the  Congregational  church  and  the 
Liberal  party  of  Great  Britain.  lie  owned  large 
pottery  interests  and  married  Mary  llawley,  by 
whom  he  had  five  children.  He  was  the  son  of 
a  well-to-do  farmer,  who  was  (juite  prominent  in 
his  county.  His  maternal  grandfather,  George 
Hawley,  was  a  prominent  liberal  and  congre- 
gationalist.  lie  was  very  prosperous  in  his 
business  enter])riscs  and  owned  an  interest  in 
several   potteries. 

John  Dunliill  w:is  educated  in  the  old  and 
noted  grammar  school  of  Rotherham  and  passed 
the  preliminary  examination  for  Candjridge 
University,  which  would  have  admitted  him  as  a 
studetit  of  any  of  the  learned  professions  of  Eng- 
land, lie  served  as  a  book-keeper  for  John 
Brown  k  Co.,  of  Sheffield,  for  a  short  time,  and 
at  twenty-one  years  of  age  crossed  the  Atlantic 
to  seek  his  fortune  in  this  country.  He  landed 
at  New  York,  whore  he  remained  a  few  weeks 
and  then  removed  to  Pittsburg.  After  a  resi- 
dence of  three  months  in  the  Iron  City  he 
oliliiined  the  position  of  litiiil^-keeper  for  the 
llei-ln  Coke  Co.,  Lid.,  nt  iheir  wuiks  in  tliis 
county,  and  was  ai'terward  ajipoiiited  postmaster 
at  the  same  place  and  served  seven  years.  On 
April  1,  18Hi),  he  located  in  the  "Press" 
building,  on  West  t)tterman  street,  Greensburg, 
and  engaged  in  the  steamshij)  and  railroad  ticket 
business.  He  also  represents  several  reliable 
insurance  companies.  He  furnishes  steamship 
tickets  and  foreign  exchange  at  New  York  city 
rates  and  railroad  tickets  to  all  points  westward 
at  reasonable  prices. 


On  September  23,  1881,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Marllia  A.  Croft,  daughter  of  James  R. 
Croft,  of  Settle,  Yorkshire,  England.  'I'liey 
have  two  children:   Trixie  B.  and  Leone  T. 

John  iJiiidiiU  has  prosecuted  his  present  busi- 
ness with  his  usual  characteristic  energy,  and 
his  success  has  been  cominensurate  to  his  efforts. 
He  has  established  a  permanent  and  paying 
business  whose  proportions  are  continually  in- 
creasing. Mr.  Dunliill  is  a  man  whose  business 
ability,  education  and  experience,  well  fit  him 
for  any  commercial  enterprise  in  which  he  may 
engage,  and  in  which  his  energy  and  perseverance 
woulil  inevitably  win  him  substantial  and  lasting 
success.  His  leisure  moments  from  business 
have  been  improveil  by  reading,  and  he  is  well 
informed  u])on  many  subjects  of  general  import- 
ance and  pulilic  interest. 


IIARLES  F.  EH  ALT  was  born  at 
Greensburg,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa., 
December  31,  1858,  and  is  a  son  of 
Jacob  Ehalt,  who  was  born  in  Wurtemberg, 
Bavaria,  July  8,  1821.  About  thirty-eight 
years  ago  he  came  to  Greensburg,  and  for  fifteen 
years  was  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits.  In 
1851  he  built  the  hotel  known  as  the  Station 
House,  on  the  present  site  of  the  Union  hotel. 
In  1870  he  completed  the  Union  hotel,  now 
owned  by  his  heirs.  In  1852  he  was  married 
to  Lydia  A.,  daughter  of  Samuel  Cosby,  of 
Westmorehmd  county,  'fliey  had  seven  chil- 
dren of  whom  Charles  l'\  was  the  IJiiid  born. 
Jacob  Ehalt  was  a  stanch  democrat  and  a 
member  of  the  Catholic  church,  as  was  also  his 
wife,  lie  was  for  many  years  engaged  in  the 
hotel  business,  and  died  October  4,  1885.  His 
house  is  one  of  the  oldest  licensed  hotels  in  the 
country;  he  was  never  refused  a  license  by  the 
court  and  was  a  man  of  the  strictest  integrity. 

Charles  F.  Ehalt  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Greensburg  an<l  at  Saint  Vincent 
colle^re.     He  succeeded  his  father  in  the  hotel 


liioonAriiiiis  OF 


business,  wlii^'li  lie  is  siiccossfiiUy  comliu'tin;;  at 
the  in-cseiit  time.  He  is  ii  ileiiuKnit  uiid  u  mem- 
ber of  the  Catliolic  church,  lie  was  married  to 
Mary,  (hui^iitir  of  .1.  Ru liner,  of  Derry  town- 
Hliip,  on  October  -,  18HH. 


'LEXANDEll    EICIIER,    lawyer,    at 

Greensburg,  was  born  at  New  Stanton, 
IlempfielJ  townsliip,  Westmoreland 
county,  Pa.,  November  24,  1851,  and  is  a  son 
of  Jolm  S.  Eicher,  who  was  born  in  rieasunt 
Unity,  Pa.,  July  l25,  18-23.  lie  was  one  of  the 
best  auctioneers  in  the  county  and  a  leading 
democrat  in  politics  ;  he  was  elected  treasurer 
of  Westmoreland  county  in  18G9.  Tliis  was 
the  only  time  he  ever  oiVered  himself  as  a  candi- 
date for  an  ollice.  He  is  a  man  of  decided  cun- 
victions,  whose  wonl  is  good  as  liis  lioud  and 
who  was  never  known  to  forget  a  favor  or  for- 
sake a  friend,  lie  was  married  to  Mary,  a 
daughter  of  dohn  Pool,  of  Ilenipfield  township, 
in  1850.  She  was  born  in  1833  and  died  on 
February  14,  18ti  I.  Jacob  Eicher  (grandfather) 
was  a  son  of  Abraham  Eicher,  who  was  of  French- 
German  descent.  Jacob  Eicher  was  born  at 
Ilagerstown,  Md.,  in  1800,  and  was  married 
to  Sallie  Slonecker,  of  Fayette  county.  She 
was  a  member  of  the  family  of  John  Slonecker, 
and  a  woman  of  great  beauty  and  rare  intelli- 
gence. Jacob  Eicher  was  a  mill-wright  by  trade 
and  an  active  member  of  the  Rajitist  church. 

Alexander  Eichia-  lias  been  tlie  sole  architect 
of  his  own  fortune.  He  received  oidy  the  ad- 
vautaiTcs  of  a  common  school  education,  and  on 
leavin"  the  school-room  he  became  a  sales  clerk 
in  various  general  stores  for  seven  years.  In 
1870  ho  was  appointed  deputy  in  the  register 
and  recorder's  ollice  of  Westmoreland  county, 
Avhich  position  he  lilled  very  satisfactorily  for 
six  years;  three  years  with  tJ.  F.  Warden  and 
three  years  with  John  M.  Laird.  In  1877  he 
became  a  clerk  in  the  otlice  of  A.  A.  Stewart. 
In    this    office,    during   his   spare   moments,    he 


applied  liimsclftM  his  bodks,  afterward  read  law 
and  was  admilted  to  the  har  on  July  30,  1880. 
lie  remained  in  Mr.  Stewart's  office  until  Stew- 
art's death,  July  3,  1S!S].  Ho  has  succeeded  in 
buihiing  M|)  a  paying  piaclice  in  tlie  courts  of 
tlie  county.  On  October  4,  1873,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Mary  Ella,  a  daughter  of  Archibald 
McClelland,  of  Ireland.  To  their  marriage 
have  been  born  six  chiMren  :  Ward,  Alexander, 
John  S.,  Mary,  Elinor  and  Uomayne.  He  is  a 
member  of  Knights  of  Honor,  A.  0.  U.  W., 
Uoyal  Arcanum,  Cho.sen  Friends,  Natioiuil 
Union,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
church,   as  is  also  his  wife. 


HARLES  FALK,  one  of  Greensburg's 
leading  clothiers,  was  born  in  Aachren, 
at  the  town  of  Duren  on  the  river  Ruhr, 
(iermany,  July  21,  1S33.  His  father,  Leo  F;ilk, 
was  married  to  Julia,  a  daughter  of  Simon  Wul- 
lach.  To  them  were  born  eleven  children,  four 
of  them  sons,  of  whom  Charles  Falk  is  the  sec- 
ond. He  attended  school  in  Daren,  worked  at 
the  business  of  butchering  witli  his  father  until 
1858,  when  he  enlisted  and  served  three  years  in 
the  German  army.  On  October  18,  18(35,  he  was 
married  to  Sarah,  a  daughter  of  Leo  Sander  of 
tlie  same  district  in  Germany.  They  have  had 
seven  children:  Maurice,  born  Decendjcr  15, 
186G,  is  now  a  traveling  salesman  for  J.  Klee  & 
Co.,  New  York  and  Pittsburg,  and  was  married 
to  Laura  Kline  Orlinger,  of  Allegheny;  Carrie, 
born  April  13,  1808;  Leon,  born  December  12, 
1800  ;  Matilda,  born  October  28, 187  1 ;  Sigmund, 
born  August  4,  1873;  Jessie,  born  April  28, 
1876  and  Amy,  born  October,  19  1883.  In 
1865  Mr.  Falk  came  to  America  and  located  in 
Allegheny  City,  thence  to  Irwin  in  1871  and 
engaged  in  merchant  tailoring  and  ready-made 
clothing  business,  wiiich  he  most  successfully 
carried  on  for  a  period  of  fifteen  years.  On  leav 
ing  this  business  he  engaged  extensively  in  buy- 
ing and   selling  stock  at  East   Liberty  for  two 


WESTMORELA  ND  CO  UNT  Y. 


years.  In  1880  he  engaged  in  the  chdliing 
business  again,  this  time  at  i\It.  ricusant ;  he 
continued  in  business  tliero  until  April,  188U, 
when  he  removed  to  Grcensburg  and  is  now  rec- 
ognized as  one  ut' tiie  successful  nuTchants  ul' the 
place. 


r^ARRY  n.  FISIIER,  one  of  Westmore- 
I  J  land  county's  prominent  and  leading 
(*)  teachers  and  professor  of  mathematics  in 
the  High  school,  of  Greensburg,  was  born  at 
Mendon,  South  Huntingdon  township,  Novem- 
ber 15,  186G,  and  is  a  son  of  Philip  and  Reb- 
becca  (Carey)  Fisher.  Philip  Fisher  is  a  son  of 
John  Fisher  and  was  born  in  Westmoreland 
county.  At  fourteen  years  of  ago  he  became  an 
apprentice  to  learn  the  trade  of  blacksmith  and 
has  followed  that  trade  ever  since,  except  two 
years  which  he  spent  in  farming.  He  is  a  demo- 
crat from  principle,  a  member  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  church,  in  which  he  has  served  for 
several  years  as  a  local  officer,  and  an  honest 
man  who  commands  the  respect  of  his  neighliors. 
He  married  Rebecca  Carey,  daughter  of  Jacob 
Carey,  who  came  from  New  England  and  settled 
in  Mt.  Pleasant  township,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  farming  for  several  years  before  his  death. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fisher  have  had  five  children,  of 
whom  four  are  living:  William,  a  maciiinist  of 
Mansfield,  Ohio;  Melinda  J.,  wife  of  Joseph 
Mathias  of  Manor  station  ;  Harry  H.  and  one 
whose  name  is  not  given. 

Harry  H.  Fisher  attended  the  common  schools 
of  Hempfield  township  and  the  Indiana  State 
Normal  school,  at  Indiana,  Pa.,  from  which  insti- 
tution he  was  graduated  in  June,  188U.  lie 
holds  the  normal  degree  M.  E.  and  will  enter 
Harvard  college  ne.xt  year  to  complete  his  clas- 
sical education.  He  taught  two  terms  of  com- 
mon school  before  graduating  at  Indiana.  In 
188G  he  was  principal  of  Penn  schools;  in  1887 
of  IiUihvick  schools,  and  in  1888  he  was  elected 
professor  of  mathematics  in  the  High  School  of 


Greensburg,  which  ini[iortant  position  he  still 
hoMs,  having  been  elected  in  IM'JO  fi/r  a  third 
ti  rm.  Jn  his  dei)artment  he  has  been  pursuing 
a  regular  line  of  college  work.  His  scientific 
and  thorough  work  has  been  prcjductivc  of  good 
results.  He  is  a  fine  discijiliiiarian  and  a  suc- 
cessful teacher  and  is  conversant  with  the  educa- 
tional ideas  of  the  present  age.  Mr.  Fisher  is 
a  democrat  in  political  opinion.  In  religious  be- 
lief he  is  a  Presbyterian.  He  is  a  member  of 
Philanthropy  Lodge,  No.  liiTi,  A.  Y.  M.,  of 
Greensbur''. 


f*  ACOB  FRIES,  a  Greensburg  merchant  of 
j  nearly  thirty  years  business  experience  and 
l*y  a  dealer  in  dry  goods,  fine  groceries  and 
general  merchandise,  was  born  on  his  father's 
l\irm  in  Bucks  county,  Pa.,  Junel7,]838,  and  is 
the  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary  (Myers)  Fi-ies.  Jacob 
Fries  was  a  prosperous  farmer  in  Bucks  county. 
He  was  a  soldier  of  the  war  of  1812,  and  sup- 
ported his  old  conniiander,  Gen.W.  II.  Harrison, 
for  president.  He  was  an  Odd  Fellow,  a  whig 
and  a  man  of  great  resolution  and  firmness.  Ho 
married  Mary  Myers,  by  whom  he  had  nine 
children,  one  of  the  number  being  dead. 

Jacob  Fries  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  and  was  engaged  in  farming  until  1861. 
In  that  year  he  went  to  Philadelphia  where  he 
became  a  salesman  for  Fries  k,  Lehman,  whole- 
sale and  retail  clothiers.  After  serving  with 
them  four  years  he  commenced  in  the  clothing 
business  for  himself  on  Market  street  and  fol- 
lowed it  successfully  for  ten  years.  In  1875  he 
sold  his  clothing  establishment  with  a  view  of 
embarking  in  farming.  He  then  returned  to 
his  native  county  where  he  purchased  a  large 
farm  and  was  engaged  in  its  cultivation  and  im- 
provement for  ten  years.  At  the  end  of  that 
time  Mr.  Fries  sold  his  farm  and  two  years  later 
came  to  Greensburg,  where  on  April  2H,  1888, 
he  opened  his  present  general  mercantile  estab- 
lishment. 


88 


nHXIUAVlllKS   OF 


111'  iiiiilc'il  ill  lii:iniiij;c  with  Maigiirot  .Jiiliii- 
sou,  ihuij^litur  of  iiobort  Johnsoti.  'i'u  tlii.'ir 
marriage  \v;is  born  seven  cliilihen,  of  whom  tive 
are  living;  Walter,  who  U  a  raili'oail  oHii'ial  ; 
Clarence,  the  youngest  son,  is  ill  the  store  with 
his  father;  Howard  is  a  banker  at  Tacoina, 
Washington;  Laura  and  Sallie.  His  wife  died 
and  he  married  Nettie  Benzon,  who  is  a  native  of 
Germany  and  a  daughter  of  Frederick  Benzon. 

Under  the  first  call  for  troops  at  the  opening 
of  the  late  war,  Mr.  Fries  enlisted  and  served 
under  Gen.  Patterson.  At  the  expiration  of  his 
term  he  was  honorably  discharged  and  returned 
to  Philadelphia.  lie  was  also  an  "  emergency 
man"  when  Lee  was  at  Antietam  and  again 
when  the  great  Confederate  chieftain  attacked 
Meade  at  Gettysburg.  lie  is  a  republican  from 
principle  and  gives  his  support  to  his  party  when- 
ever it  is  needed.  His  mercantile  establishment 
is  at  No.  89  East  Pittsburg  street.  His  stock 
consists  of  dry  goods  of  home  and  foreign  manu- 
facture, staple  and  fancy  groceries  in  large  quan- 
tities and  general  merchandise,  especially  selected 
to  gratify  the  wishes  and  satisfy  the  needs  of 
his  patrons.  Mr.  Fries  is  always  careful  and 
attentive  to  the  interests  of  his  business  and 
receives  a  liberal  patronage.  He  is  a  man  of 
perseverance,  energy,  prudence  and  business 
sagacity. 


CT^REEMAN  C.  GAY,  a  veteran  of  the 
i'C  lale  war  and  a  prominent  member  i)f  one 
of  (irccnsliiug's  leading  real  estate  and 
insiiiaiu'e  hrms,  is  a  son  of  ^\Mlliam  l>.  and 
Martha  (Speer)  (iay,  and  was  born  in  Ddiicgal 
township,  ^Vestllloreland  county.  Pa.,  July  3, 
1838.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Peter  Gay, 
■was  born  in  Franklin  county.  Pa.  Peter  Gay 
started  with  his  father  and  two  brothers,  Will- 
iam and  Joseph,  to  emigrate  to  Indiana.  When 
they  reached  the  Ligonier  valley  in  their  west- 
ward journey  Peter  Gay  liked  the  country  so 
well  that  he  remained  in  the  county  and  engaged 


in  merchandising  and  stock-dealing.  He  was  a 
|)rosperous  business  man  of  broad  and  liberal 
views  ;  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Lutheran 
church  of  Dcjiiegal  and  a  supporter  in  all  relig- 
iinis  causes,  allliDUgh  he  was  not  a  meiiiber  of 
any  church.  He  was  an  old  line  whig,  served 
as  justice  of  the  peace  for  thirty-five  years,  was 
a  good  scholar,  and  an  accurate  surveyor.  He 
was  married  to  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Lewis 
Hayes,  an  early  settler  of  the  county.  They 
reared  a  family  of  two  sons  and  three  daughters, 
who  all  married  and  settled  in  their  native 
county.  One  of  the  sons,  William  15.  (father  of 
F.  C.  Gay),  was  born  September  3,  1815,  and 
died  April  4,  181)4.  He  was  by  occupation  a 
farmer  and  in  political  belief  a  Jefl'ersonian 
democrat.  He  was  justice  of  the  peace  for  fif- 
teen years  and  lived  an  exemplary  life.  In 
March,  1835,  he  married  Martha  Speer,  who 
passed  away  January  7,  1883.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  William   Speer,  of  L^niontown,  Pa. 

Freeman  C.  Gay  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools,  Stahlstown  normal  school  and  Sewick- 
ley  academy.  At  twenty-three  years  of  age  he 
left  the  farm  and  enlisted  in  Co.  K,  eleventh 
reg.  Pa.  A^ols.  He  was  made  corporal,  pro- 
moted to  second  lieutenant  in  1802,  and  partic- 
ipated in  all  the  battles  in  which  his  regiment 
was  engaged  until  the  first  day's  fight  at  Gettys- 
burg, where  he  was  wounded  and  taken  prisoner 
by  the  Confederates.  He  was  one  of  the  109 
who  escaped  through  the  Hose  tunnel,  and  like- 
wise was  among  those  unfortunates  who  were 
recaptured.  After  twenty  months  in  various 
Southern  prisons  he  was  paroled  March  1, 
18t;5. 

March  30,  18G5,  he  was  married  to  Harriet 
L.,  daughter  of  Robert  L.  Jones,  of  Jones' 
Mills  (see  his  sketch).  They  have  three 
children:  Lizzie,  born  February  20,  1850; 
Charles,  born  October  20,  1808,  a  carj)enter, 
and  one  whose  name  is  not  given,  born  August 
14,  1872. 

F.  C.  Gay  is  a  democrat,  was  superintendent 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


of  tlio  county  home  for  five  years  and  a  candi- 
ilate  for  county  treasurer  in  1887,  but  was  de- 
feated by  a  small  majority.  From  18G5  to  1873 
lie  was  engaged  in  merchandising.  In  1884  he 
entered  into  partnership  with  E.  M.  Bair,  wlio 
are  noAV  engaged  in  their  present  successful  real 
estate,  fire,  life  and  accident  insurance  business. 
They  represent  the  German  American,  Liberty, 
Niagara,  Orient,  Girard,  Union,  German,  Trav- 
eler's, and  Home  insurance  companies  of  the 
United  States  ;  the  North  British,  Lancashire 
and  London,  and  Lancashire  companies  of  Eu- 
rope, and  the  Fidelity  Plate  Glass  Company. 
Freeman  C.  Gay  is  a  member  of  the  Union 
Veteran  Legion,  an  energetic  and  successful 
'business  man  and  a  jdeasant  and  aflable  gen- 
tleman. 

•{•oSKril  B.  GEORGE,  a  descendant  of 
I  one  of  the  oldest  pioneer  families  of  the 
■(§/  country  and  a  popular  funeral  director  and 
undertaker  of  Greensburg,  is  a  son  of  Peter  W. 
and  Mary  Ann  (Geiger)  George,  and  was  born 
near  George's  Station,  Hempfield  township; 
Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  February  18,  1858. 
The  founder  of  the  George  family  of  Westmore- 
land county  was  Adam  George  (great-grand- 
father), who  came  from  Germany  and  settled  in 
this  county,  near  the  site  of  George's  station, 
about  1709.  He  erected  George's  block-house 
and  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  His  son 
Conrad  was  in  tiie  fort  at  Ilannastown  when 
that  village  was  burned  by  the  Indians  in  1782. 
I'eter  tieorge  (grandfather)  was  born  January  1, 
1777,  and  died  November  2,  1855.  He  was  a 
•carpenter  by  trade  but  followed  farming.  He 
owned  three  farms  was  a  democrat,  and  be- 
longed to  the  U.  B.  church.  He  married  Cath- 
erine Wolcommuth,  who  was  born  in  1770  and 
died  October  28,  1858.  Tiiey  had  nine  cliil- 
dren,  of  whom  three  are  living:  Peter  W.  George 
{father)  was  born  June  18,  181(5,  on  the  old 
George  farm,  and  followed  farming  until  188G, 
when   he   removed   to   Grecnsbui'j'.     He  was  a 


democrat  until  1850  when  he  joined  the  Repub- 
lican party.  He  married  Mary  Ann  (Jeiger, 
February  4, 1841,  a  daughter  of  George  Geiger. 
They  have  had  nine  children,  of  whom  seven 
are  living:  James  E.,  of  Indiana;  Daniel  K. 
and  Austin  C,  who  are  railroad  engineers  and 
live  in  Kansas;  Charles  W.,  Joseph  B.,  Harriet 
A.,  wife  of  William  II.  Gilchrist,  of  Kansas, 
and  Sadie  F.  Mr.  George  is  well  preserved 
and  ratlier  active  for  one  of  his  advanced  years. 

Joseph  B.  George  attended  the  common  schools 
and  Greensburg  academy.  At  twenty-one  years 
of  age  he  left  the  farm,  came  to  Greensburg  and 
became  a  clerk  for  the  old  firm  of  Donahoe  Bros. 
k  Co.,  wholesale  and  retail  dealers  in  all  kinds 
of  grain,  and  was  in  their  employ  from  October, 
187U,  until  December,  1880,  when  he  left  tlieir 
employ,  ami  in  December,  1880,  engaged  with 
Frank  Fisher,  who  was  also  a  wholesale  and 
retail  dealer  in  all  kinds  of  grain  and  feed,  and 
did  quite  an  immense  business,  whose  ])lace  of 
business  was  at  South  Greensburg  un  the  S(juth- 
west  Pennsylvania  railroad,  and  was  in  his  em- 
[)loy  until  March,  1885. 

In  February,  1885,  he  purchased  the  furnish- 
ing undertaking  establishment  of  the  late  John 
L.  Hacke,  which  was  established  in  18G8,  and 
has  continued  in  that  business  until  the  jjresent 
time. 

J.  B.  George  was  united  in  marriage  on 
March  1,  1883,  with  Ella  B.  Hacke,  daughter 
of  John  L.  Hacke.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George 
has  been  born  one  child:    John  Hacke. 

The  furnishing  and  undertaking  establishment 
of  Mr.  George  is  at  No.  20i),  211  and  21U 
Pennsylvania  avenue,  Greensburg.  It  is  com- 
plete throughout  in  all  of  its  arrangements.  He 
carries  a  large  and  complete  stock  of  coffins, 
caskets,  robes,  wrappers,  etc.,  of  the  various 
late  modern  styles.  Mr.  George  makes  under- 
taking a  sjjccialty  and  furnishes  black  or  white 
hearses  and  open  or  closed  carriages,  as  desired, 
for  funerals.  He  is  practically  experienced  as 
a  funeral  director  and    undertaker  and  is  con- 


90 


lUOQRAl'IlIES  OF 


ducting  liis  lai'^c  liusincss  witli  fvoi'-incrcasiiig 
success.  lie  is  a  re|iublicaii  ami  a  regular 
atteii'laiit  of  the  First  Hefornied  cliurcii  of 
Cireeiisliurg. 

*|*01IN  I).  GIIjL,  a  proniiiieiit  lawyer  and 
I  citzen  of  Greensburg,  was  born  un  the 
(*i/  banks  of  the  Allegheny  river  in  Alle- 
gheny (now  Burrcll)  township,  Westmore- 
land county,  Pa.,  October  10,  1845.  His 
father,  Cornelius  Gill,  was  born  in  northern 
^Vestnloreland  county  July  12,  1817.  He  was 
reared  on  a  farm  and  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade,  which  he  followed  for  a  number  of  years 
afterwards.  For  about  twenty  years  he  was 
e.xtcnsively  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  in 
AUegiieny  and  Venango  counties,  controlling 
several  mills,  being  a  man  of  wonderful 
mechanical  genius  and  skill,  he  was  able  to 
make  almost  anything  in  the  mechanical  line, 
He  was  a  democrat  from  instinct  and  was  a 
member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church,  in 
which  he  was  elected  ruling  elder  but  declined 
to  serve.  He  deeply  interested  himself  in  edu- 
cational matters.  He  began  life  poor,  but  by 
his  perseverance,  honesty  and  industry  made  it 
a  success.  He  was  married  to  Sarah  Goldinger, 
born  July  10,  1S-J.3,  a  daughter  of  Major  Gold- 
inger, of  iiurrcll  township,  Westmoreland 
county,  who  was  born  in  ITlH!.  To  their  union 
was  born  eleven  children,  of  whom  si.x  arc  living, 
four  sons  and  two  daughters  :  John  1).,  Mary 
A.,  .fohnston  H.,  engaged  in  the  oil  business; 
Kate  11.,  wife  uf  JauHS  11.  ^Vatt,  of  Greens- 
burg ;  Thomas  N.,  engaged  in  railroad  business 
at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  William  11.,  ^^  ho  is  en- 
gaged in  the  cattle  business  in  Washington  ter- 
ritory. Arthur  Gill  (grandfather)  was  a  native 
of  Ireland,  and  an  emigrant  to  this  country 
about  the  close  of  the  American  Revolution.  He 
settled  in  Allegheny  township,  was  fond  of  the 
chase,  and  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Hunnell, 
a  member  of  one  of  the  jiioneer  families  of  the 
county.     Cornelius  Gill  (great-grandfather)  was 


a  Seceder,  and  upon  the  foiuiation  of  the  U.  P. 
Churchill  1858  the  (Jills  became  members  of 
that  denomination. 

John  D.  Gill  attended  the  common  schools 
and  academies  of  the  county,  and  was  for  three 
years  a  private  student  umler  Prof.  J.  G.  1). 
Finley,  where  he  made  a  specialty  of  the  study 
of  Latin  and  higher  mathematics.  With  Prof. 
Finley  he  also  began  the  study  of  law,  after- 
wards read  in  the  office  of  Hon.  Ilenrv  D. 
Foster  and  was  admitted  to  the  Westmoreland 
county  bar  in  1871  He  is  a  luling  elder  in  the 
United  Presbyterian  church  and  an  earnest  and 
efi'ective  worker  in  the  Prohibition  jjarty.  He 
was  nominated  for  President  Judge  on  the  pro- 
hibition ticket  in  1889  and  received  27U  votes. 
In  1886  he  founded  the  Temperance  Banner, 
wiiich  was  merged  into  the  National  Issue 
in  August,  1889.  It  is  devoted  to  the  cause 
of  temperance,  has  a  circulation  of  over  4,000, 
and  is  perhaps  more  extensively  read  than 
any  other  paper  of  the  kind  in  the  State. 
Mr.  Gill  is  secretary  of  the  Greensburg  Buildiu'i- 
and  Loan  Association  and  has  been  for  fifteen 
years.  He  was  married  on  June  25,  1874,  to 
Agnes  B.,  a  daughter  of  James  Gennell  and 
Nancy  Brown,  of  Greensburg.  To  their  mar- 
riage have  been  born  live  children:  Henry  S., 
born  April  G,  1875  ;  Arthur  B.,  December  12, 
1876  ;  llobert  G.,  January  7,  1879  ;  John  G., 
April  27,  1882,  and  Kenneth  E.,  May  31,  1885. 
In  1874  Mr.  Gill  formed  a  law  partnership  with 
Hon.  John  Latta,  the  year  in  which  the  latter 
was  elected  lieutenant-governor  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  continued  with  him  until  Ajiril,  1886. 


R.  THOMAS  J.  GRACE,  a  rising  young 
[£y  physician  of  Greensburg,  was  born  at 
Milllirook,  Mercer  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, on  February  3,  1865,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  J.  Grace,  who  was  born  in  Sandy  Lake 
township,  Mercer  county.  Pa.,  September  18, 
1837.     He  is  residing  at  Grove  City,  Pa.,  is  a 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


painter  by  tnidc  and  was  a  solilior  in  tlie  lOOtli 
reg.  I'll.  Vols.,  iiaving  enlisted  in  l.Htil.  At  tiie 
battle  of  Second  Bull  Run  ho  lost  his  left  arm  ami 
was  also  shot  through  the  right  arm  ami  right  Irg. 
Ho  is  a  rej)ul)lican  in  polities  and  tVom  iKiis  to 
1871  served  as  treasurer  of  Mercer  county.  His 
wife  wasMary  E.  Anderson,  adaughterof  William 
Anderson,  of  Millbrook,  Pa.  To  their  marriage 
were  born  three  children  :  Frances,  Charles  and 
Thomas  J.  Dr.  Thomas  J.  Grace,  on  leaving 
the  common  schools  attended  Sandy  Lake  High 
school,  subsequently  entered  Grove  City  col- 
lege, from  which  he  was  graduated  in  the  class 
of  18S(J.  He  began  the  sttnly  of  medicine  in 
the  ollice  of  Dr.  J.  JM.  Martin  at  Grove  City  in 
1886,  took  lectures  at  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons  in  Chicago,  and  commenced  the 
practice  of  medicine  at  Greensburg  on  April  1, 
188it.  He  is  the  medical  examiner  for  the 
Massachusetts  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company 
and  the  benefit  e.vaminer  for  the  New  England 
Mutual  Accident  Association.  He  has  been 
signally  successful  since  he  began  the  practice  of 
his  ])rofession  and  stands  high  among  his  medi- 
cal brethren.  He  was  married  to  JLss  Lillie  T. 
Black,  daughter  of  llev.  W.  A.  Black,  of  Xenia, 
Ohio,  on  October  ^'J,  188it. 


UllTIS  HUSSEY  G1!EG(;,  a  member 
of  the  Westmoreland  county  bar  and  e.x- 
city  editor  of  the  G reenshunj  Press,  was 
born  at  .\damsbuig,  Westmoreland  county, 
Pennsylvania,  August  !•,  180;"),  and  is  a  son  of 
James  and  Eliza  (iJyerly)  Gregg.  The  Gregg 
family  is  of  Scotch-Irish  extraction  and  is  de- 
scended from  four  Gregg  brothers,  who  emi- 
grated during  the  eighteenth  century  to  Cum- 
berland Valley,  this  State.  One  of  these  broth- 
ers was  the  great-grandfather  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  and  the  maternal  grandfather  of 
Andrew  Gregg  Curtin,  ex-governor  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. Another  descendant  of  one  of  these 
brothers  is  Gen.  John  Irvine  Gregg,  of  the    U. 


S.  A.  James  Gregg  (father)  was  born  at  Car- 
lisle, (Cumberland  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  June 
1821.  He  came  west  of  the  Alleghenies  when 
(piite  a  young  man  and  engageil  in  the  mercan- 
tile liusiness  at  Adamshiirg.  In  187/J  Ijo  was 
elected  treasurer  of  Westmoreland  county  and 
subsequently  was  chosen  justice  of  the  peace  at 
Greensburg,  to  which  he  had  removed  in  the 
spring  of  187().  He  married  Eliza  Byerly  and 
had  seven  children,  of  whom  three  are  livini'- : 
William  II.  Gregg,  who  is  in  the  employ  of  the 
Colorado  Coal  Company  at  Pueblo,  Col  uadcj  ; 
Anna  M.  and  Curtis  11.  Those  dead  are  : 
Minnie,  Ada  M.,  George  Byerly  and  Daniel 
Byerly,  who  was  an  attorney-at-law  and  located 
at  Pueblo,  Colorado,  where  he  died  in  1S8G. 
Mrs.  Eliza  C.  Gregg  is  a  daughter  of  George 
and  Hannah  (Cort)  Byerly.  George  Bverly 
(maternal  grandfather)  was  a  son  of  Michael 
Byeily,  whose  father  was  the  celebrated  Andrew 
Byerly,  who  served  as  one  of  Col.  Bouquet's 
scouts.  Andrew  Byerly  was  a  baker  by  trade, 
came  from  Germany  to  Lancaster  county.  Pa., 
where  his  wile  died,  and  he  afterwards  married 
Beatrice  Guldin.  He  then  removed  to  the  site 
of  Harrison  City  where  he  reared  a  family  of 
five  sons  :  IMichael,  Jaculi  and  Francis,  who  mar- 
I'ied  three  sisters  nanieil  Hariuon  ;  Jose])li  iind 
Andrew,  Jr.  (l^'or  a  full  account  ol'  Andrew 
Byerly  see  sketch  C.  Cribbs  and  C.  P.  Cojie.) 
One  of  ^lichael  Byerly 's  sons  was  George 
liycrly,  who  married  Hannah  Cort,  a  dan  "liter 
of  Daniel  Cort,  who  nnirricd  Elizabeth  Turney, 
by  whom  he  had  fourteen  children  :  Joseph.  Simon, 
Jacob,  Daniel,  Jr.,  ^Vlbert,  Kev.  Lucian,  John, 
Margaret,  Hannah,  Lavina,  Catharine,  Eliza, 
Lucetta  and  Amanda.  Daniel  Cort  was  born 
March  5,  1780,  and  was  a  son  of  John  Yost 
Curth,  who  was  a  native  of  Feindorf  bie_  Sicken 
in  ^Vestphalia,  Prussia.  In  1758,  when  twenty 
years  of  age,  he  came  to  Ilagerstown,  Md.  lie 
was  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church  and  had 
charge  of  a  frontier  block-house.  He  married 
^Margaret  Kemmerer    and  reared    a    family    of 


II 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


three  children  :  Joseph,  Frederick  and  Daniel. 
Tliese  sons,  at  the  instance  of  a  yankee  school- 
teacher, changed  their  name  from  Curtli  to  Cort. 
(lurtis  II.  Gregg  was  reared  at  Adanisburg 
till  lie  was  eleven  years  of  age,  when  lie  came 
with  his  fallier  to  Greenslmrg  where  he  received 
his  education  in  the  Greensburg,  liigii  school  and 
the  Greensburg  seminary,  lie  was  employed 
as  the  city  editor  of  the  Greenshurg  Press  from 
1883  to  1887.  He  then  taught  for  a  short 
period,  lie  studied  law  with  ex-district  at- 
torney A.  M.  Sloan,  who  was  associated  witli 
Judge  L.  W.  Doty,  admitted  to  the  bar  of 
Westmoreland  county  in  August,  1888,  and 
since  then  has  been  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
law  at  Greensburg. 


Ilj' 


'ILLIAM  A.  GRIFFITH,  one  of  the 
youngest  members  of  the  Westmoreland 
county  bar,  was  born  October  9,  18(32, 
at  Buena  Vista,  Allegheny  county.  Pa.,  and  is 
a  son  of  Hugh  C.  and  Isabel  (Lewis)  Griffith. 
His  father  was  born  November  5,  1829,  in 
Elizabeth  township,  Allegheny  county.  Pa.,  and 
became  a  harness-maker,  following  his  trade  at 
Elizabeth,  West  Newton,  IJuena  Vista  and 
finally  at  Adanisburg,  this  county,  where  he 
remained  for  twenty-four  years.  Two  years  ao-o 
lie  removed  to  Greensburg  and  engaged  in  the 
grocery  business.  He  married  Isabel  Lewis, 
a  daughter  of  Abraham  Lewis,  who  was  born 
near  Trenton,  New  Jersey,  and  whose  wife, 
AVillianna  Cowan,  was  a  daughter  of  Captain 
William  Cowan,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolutionary 
war;  she  was  the  mother  of  Senator  Ed"ar 
Cowan  (see  his  sketch.)  Hugh  C.  Griffith  has 
five  sons  and  two  daughters :  Edgar  Cowan, 
engaged^  in  railroad  work  ;  James,  in  the  same 
business  in  Texas ;  Mary  E.,  Thomas  W.,  First 
Lieutenant  in  eighteenth  United  States  Infantry, 
and  now  professor  of  Military  science  and  tac- 
tics in  the  University  of  Nebraska,  at  Lincoln  ; 
Anna  B.,  Harry  C.  and  William  A.      James 


Griffith  (grandfather)  was  a  native  of  Ireland 
who  came  to  the  United  States  when  a  young 
man  and  settled  in  Allegheny  county,  Pa. 
Before  leaving  the  Emerald  Isle  he  was  married 
to  Margaret  Thompson,  by  whom  he  had  seven 
children,  of  whom  four  sons  and  two  daughters 
grew  to  manhood  and  womanhood ;  three  of  the 
sons  are  yet  living.  James  Griffith  was  a  com- 
mon laborer,  but  he  was  endowed  with  that 
peculiarity  of  his  race — a  combination  of  stron^ 
intelligence  and  a  high  sense  of  honor.  He 
believed  in  the  principles  of  the  Democratic 
party,  and  was  a  man  of  good  judgment  and 
excellent  ideas  of  citizenship. 

William  A.  Griffith  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools,  the  normals  at  Greensburg 
and  the*  Southwestern  State  Normal  School  at 
California,  Pa.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he 
began  to  teach  and  continued  in  that  work  until 
he  was  twenty-two.  For  two  years  he  was 
principal  of  the  public  schools  at  Penn  Station, 
and  for  two  years  vice-principal  of  the  excellent 
schools  of  Greensburg.  In  1882  he  entered 
the  law  office  of  Hazlett  k  Williams,  where  he 
did  clerical  work  until  October  9,  188-3,  when  he 
was  registered  as  a  law  student.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  April  3,  188G,  and  September 
1  of  the  same  year  formed  a  partnership  with 
V.  E.  Williams  (one  of  his  preceptors),  under 
the  firm  name  of  Williiyns  k.  Griffith.  This  is 
recognized  as  one  of  the  ablest  law  firms  in  the 
county,  and  Mr.  Griffith,  who  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  at  the  age  of  twenty-three  years,  already 
enjoys  an  extensive  practice.  He  possesses  a 
keen  intellect,  is  aftable  in  manner,  a  diliirent 
and  persistant  worker,  and  is  destined  to  make 
his  mark  in  his  chosen  profession. 

William  A.  Griffith,  on  November  5,  1884, 
was  united  in  marriage  with  jMary,  a  dauo-hter 
of  Adam  J.  Turney  of  Greensburg,  whose  sketch 
appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Their  union 
has  been  blessed  with  two  children  :  James  Haz- 
lett, born  September  23,  1885,  and  Elizabeth 
Turney,  born  October  23,  1887. 


WESTMORELAND  CO f/JVD'. 


r;^EV.    NICHOLAS   p.  IIACKE,  1).    I). 

A  protuiiient  and  distinguished  position 
ill  tlio  Iiistory  ot"  tlio  IJofornioil  ciiiirch  in 
wi'Nicin  I'ciinsylviiniii  is  <)(:<:ii|)ii'(l  liy  llic  liUc 
eminent  divine  whose  niinie  iipiiears  ul  llie  lieiul 
of  tliis  sketch.  Dr.  Jlucke  was  born  in  Hulti- 
more,  Md.,  September  20,  1800,  and  died  at 
Oreensbiirg,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  August 
25,1878.  At  six  years  of  age  lie  was  sent  to 
Germany  to  be  educated.  Alter  ten  years  spent 
in  the  educational  institutions  of  the  "  Father- 
land "  he  returned  to  Baltimore,  where  he  com- 
menced his  theological  studies  under  Kev.  C.  L. 
Becker  and  completed  them  with  Dr.  J.  C. 
Becker,  of  Friendensville,  Pa. 

In  1819  he  came  to  AVestmoreland  county, 
by  invitation,  and  preached  his  first  sermon  in 
St.  Paul's  churi;h  near  Pleasant  Unity.  lie 
then  preached  in  the  old  court  house  at  Greens- 
burg  and  returned  east,  where  he  continued  his 
studies  until  September,  1819,  when  he  re- 
ceived a  call  from  Greensburg  charge  of  the 
Reformed  church.  He  was  ordained  by  the 
Synod  of  Lancaster  on  September  19,  1819, 
and  in  October  commenced  his  remarkable  and 
successful  pastorate  at  Greensburg,  which  con- 
tinued for  fifty-eight  years.  He  entered  upon 
his  work  witii  hopefulness  and  energy  and  was 
largely  instrumental  in  making  Westmoreland 
county  what  it  is,  the  stronghold  of  the  Re- 
formed church  west  of  the  Alleglienies.  His 
charge  consisted  of  six  congregations  at  the 
time  he  came,  and  four  of  tliese  he  served 
throughout  the  whole  time  of  his  pastoral  work. 
At  dift'erent  periods  of  his  pastorate  he  liad 
charge  of  nine  congregations :  Greensburg, 
Harold's,  Brush  Creek,  Ridge,  Ligonier, 
Youngstown,  Hill's,  Seanor's  and  Manor. 

Dr.  Ilacke  was  a  useful  and  inlluential  man. 
He  was  the  contemporary,  personal  friend  and 
intimate  acijuaintanco  of  six  of  the  presi<lent 
judges  of  Westmoreland  county.  Judges 
Young,  White,  Knox,  Burrell,  BulTington  and 
Logan.      Being  a  man  of  fine    literary  attain- 


nients  and  excellent  social  (pialities,  he  became 
intimately  ac([uinted  with  a  very  large  number 
of  the  h'ading  and  inlluential  citizens  of  tlie 
(■(iiiHly.  Young  men  entering  upon  a  jirofes- 
sional  career  always  sought  his  friendshiii  arid 
advice  as  a  passport  to  success.  He  was  fully 
abreast  of  the  times,  for  he  read  incessantly  but 
with  discrimination  the  advanced  thoughts  and 
profound  speculations  of  educated  writers  in  every 
department  of  learning.  The  present  prosperity 
of  the  Reformed  ciiurch  at  Greensburg  and  in 
southwestern  Pennsylvania  is  largely  due  to  his 
long  and  active  service  in  the  cause  of  his  Divine 
Master.  His  remains  rest  in  one  of  the  ceme- 
teries of  the  town.  His  residence  is  still  stand- 
ing, which  is  a  substantial  two-story  brick  house, 
and  is  now  the  residence  of  his  fomily.  From 
his  biographer  we  quote:  "  Dr.  Hacke  possessed 
inflexible  firmness  and  a  solid  character  of  tem- 
perateness.  lie  was  a  thorough  German  and 
proud  of  his  Saxonancestry.  In  a  good  old 
age,  crowned  with  honor  and  respect,  he  has 
been  gathered  unto  his  fathers,  and  will  not 
rise  "  till  the  heavens  be  no  more.'  " 


1^  OBERT  BROWN  HAMMER,  a  skillful 
1^  young  physician  of  Greensburg  and  ex- 
V*)  coroner  of  the  county,  was  born  near 
Greensburg  in  Ilempfield  township,  Westmore- 
land county.  Pa.,  June  25,  1858.  His  father, 
Jeremiah  Hammer,  is  a  native  of  Westmoreland 
county.  Pa.,  and  was  born  February  25,  1820. 
He  followed  for  some  years  canal-boat  building 
and  afterwards  bought  the  Hammer  homestead 
near  Greensburg.  He  was  married  to  Maggie 
Anderson,  of  Saltsburg,  Pa.  To  their  union 
were  born  ten  children,  six  sons  and  four 
daughters,  of  whom  three  sons  and  three 
daughters  are  living.  George  Hammer  (grand- 
father) was  born  near  Philadelphia,  April  22, 
1781,  and  married  Catharine  Brown  of  the  same 
place.      John    Hammer  (great  grandfallicr)  mar- 


94 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


ritMl  Hasina  I'liind/.in,  liotli  lioni  in  tlio  east. 
<.jioorj;o  llaniiiRT  was  a  sloiie-inasoii  ami  miller 
l)y  trade,  and  died  on  iiis  fann  near  (j!roci>3- 
biirg.  I'a.,  in  the  early  part  (jf  the  ei^^hlecnth 
century.  Jeremiah  ilaiinuer,  in  eoniieetiun 
with  his  farm  interests,  ran  a  saw  and  grist 
mill  whieli  was  located  i>n  his  larni ;  he  also 
opened  coal  mines  on  his  farm  and  in  jiart  siip- 
})lied  Grecnsburg  with  coal  for  over  twenty  years. 
The  Hammers  are  of  that  sturdy  German  stock 
of  people  who  have  been  sueli  strong  element 
in  the  development  and  in  the  making  of  this 
county  what  it  is.  Of  Jeremiah  Hammer's  ten 
children  six  are  living :  Theodore,  a  grocer  of 
Greensburg ;  Inez,  Maggie,  William  J.,  a  den- 
tist of  Greensburg ;  Carrie  and  Robert  B. 
The  family  are  all  members  of  the  Lutheran 
cluirch. 

Robert  B.  Hammer  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  at  Greensburg,  and  for  awhile  was  a 
special  student  at  the  Greensburg  seminary.  In 
1878  ho  entered  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  after  three  years  as  a  student  was  graduated 
from  the  medical  department  of  that  college  in 
the  class  of  1881.  lie  subsequently  took  a 
post-graduate  course  under  the  instruction  of 
the  eminent  J.  Ewing  i\lears,  of  I'hiladelphia, 
making  a  specialty  of  microscopic  work  and 
surgery.  He  was  elected  coroner  of  Westmore- 
land county  in  1884  and  re-elected  in  1887. 
In  the  Johnstown  disaster  Dr.  Hammer  ofliciated 
over  two  hundred  and  thirty-four  bodies,  and 
returned  his  inquests  without  any  charges  what- 
ever. He  was  the  tirst  republican  coroner  ever 
elected  in  Westmoreland  county.  He  is  active 
and  ])rogressive  in  his  profession  and  is  well 
skilled  in  the  science  of  medicine. 


•j"  W.  HARVEY,  M.  D.  One  among  the 
"'■"  young  and  rising  physicians  of  Westmore. 
2/  land  county  is  Dr.  J.  W.  Harvey,  of  Lud- 
wick  borough.  He  was  born  at  Delmont, 
Westmoreland    county,    Pa.,    IMarch    31,    1862, 


and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Angcline  (Metzgar) 
Harvey,  'i'he  Harveys  are  of  Irish  descent. 
His  paternal  grandfather,  James  Harvey,  was  a 
native  of  this  country.  He  was  a  prominent 
democrat  during  his  ilay,  served  one  term  as 
sheriff  of  Westmoreland  county  and  was  an 
inlluential  citizen  of  the  community  in  which 
ho  resided.  One  of  his  daughters  is  the  wife  of 
Judge  Hunter.  Joseph  Harvey  (father)  was 
born  at  Greensburg  in  1829.  He  always  votes 
the  democratic  ticket  and  supports  the  nominees 
of  his  party,  but  neither  takes  an  active  part  in 
politics  or  cares  anything  for  office.  He  has 
been  a  Presbyterian  for  many  years  and  is  a 
ruling  elder  in  that  church.  He  married  Ange- 
lina Metzgar,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Daniel 
Metzgar,  and  was  reared  near  Murrysville. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harvey  have  had  six  children,  of 
whom  four  are  living. 

Dr.  J.  W.  Harvey  received  his  education  in 
the  common  schools  and  Murrysville  academy, 
and  taught  one  term  in  the  common  schools 
during  the  winter  of  1880.  He  read  medicine 
with  Dr.  J.  A.  Fulton,  now  of  New  Florence, 
and  in  1882  entered  Jefferson  Medical  College, 
of  Philadelphia,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
March  2'J,  18S4.  Immediately  after  graduation 
he  opened  an  office  for  practice  of  medicine  at 
Salina.  In  the  fall  of  188G  he  came  to  Greens- 
burg and  located  at  Ludwick  borough  in  the 
active  practice  of  his  professon,  which  he  has 
continued  until  the  present  time.  In  connection 
with  his  practice  he  conducts  a  drug  store,  and 
keeps  a  carefully  selected  stock  of  fresh  and 
pure  drugs,  chemicals,  toilet  articles  and  per- 
fumery goods.  Dr.  Harvey  is  rapidly  building 
up  a  practice  in  his  chosen  profession  of  medi- 
cine, and  if  present  indications  are  any  index  to 
the  future,  he  will  attain  the  full  measure  of 
success  that  always  follows  ability  and  energy. 

He  united  in  marriage  with  Sarah  Moore- 
head,  who  is  a  native  of  Salem  township  and  a 
daughter  of  W.  L.  Moorehead,  now  of  Greens- 
burf.      Dr.  and  Mrs.  Harvey  are  the  parents  of 


wi:s'nioRi:r..i  .\i>  co uyrv. 


four  cliililicu  ;  I'lmncr,  JosL'pli,  JMary  ami  Etliul. 
Dr.  llarvcy  is  a  democrat  politically  anil  an 
active  inciiiber  of  the  First  I'reshyteriun  cliiircli 
of  (jreensburi;. 


•jr  II.  IIUBER,  proprietor  of  one  of  the 
I  leading  music  stored  of  Greensburg  and 
(*J  owner  of  the  largest  and  finest  green 
house  and  conservatory  in  \\  estnioreland  county, 
was  born  in  iMontgoniery  county,  Pcniisylvania, 
June  20,  I808,  and  is  a  son  of  Isaac  and  Eliza- 
beth (Hood)  Iluber. 

The  progenitor  of  the  Huber  family  in  the 
United  States  was  Rudolph  Iluber  (great-grand- 
father), who  came  from  Zurich,  Switzerland, 
and  died  in  Philadelphia  at  forty-eight  years  of 
age.  C)ne  of  his  sons  was  Henry  Iluber 
(grandfather),  who  was  born  and  educated  in 
I'liiladelpliia.  He  was  a  fine  scholar,  served 
as  a  clerk  in  the  courts  of  that  city  and  married 
a^MissEngle,  of  Swiss  descent.  Their  children 
all  lived  well  toward  the  century  mark  in  years  : 
Mrs.  Mary  Sell  attained  the  age  of  ninety-three 
years  and  nine  months;  Rudolph,  Jr.,  made  a 
I'cctu'd  of  twelve  days  past  his  ninetieth  birth- 
day ;  Josei)h  lived  ninety-one  years,  nine 
months  and  fifteen  days  ;  Mrs.  Anna  Ocker 
reached  half-way  between  her  ninety-first 
and  ninety-second  year ;  Isaac,  who  is  wearing 
well  on  into  the  last  year  necessary  to  make  him  a 
nonogenariaii,  and  Josiah,  who  lives  in  Cali- 
fornia and  has  his  four-score  years  by  several 
birthdays. 

Isaac  Iluber  (father)  was  born  in  Bucks 
county.  Pa.,  in  the  spring  of  1801  and  is  still 
living  and  in  the  enjoyment  of  good  health.  In 
the  early  part  of  his  life  he  was  a  miller.  lie 
next  i'oUowed  weaving  and  later  in  life  became 
a  farmer.  When  young  he  went  to  Montgomery 
county  where  he  now  resides.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Reformed  church,  has  been  successful  in 
his  business  pursuits,  has  always  supported   the 


Democratic  party,  served  as  tax  collector  of  his 
township  for  several  years  and  in  180-1  was 
elected  county  commissioner  of  Montgomery 
county.  He  marrie<l  Elizalieth  Hood,  a  daugh- 
ter (jfJolin  llooil,  who  was  a  large  land-owner 
of  that  county.  They  had  six  children,  of 
whom  only  three  lived  to  years  of  man  and 
womanhood. 

J.  II.  Huber  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools,  Washington  Hall  select  school  and  the 
public  schools  of  Allentown.  Leaving  school,  he 
engaged  in  teaching,  whicli  he  followed  in  Mont- 
gomery and  Bucks  counties  until  1862.  He 
was  organist  for  four  years  of  several  churches 
in  his  native  county.  He  subsequently  came  to 
Greensburg  as  organist  in  one  of  the  churches. 
He  also  organized  classes  of  from  thirty  to 
forty  pupils  in  vocal  and  instrumental  music, 
which  he  instructed  for  several  years.  He  quit 
teaching  to  engage  in  his  present  business  of 
selling  musical  instruments  and  tuning  pianos. 
Later  he  established  his  present  large  and 
beautiful  green  ohuse  and  conservatory,  which 
is  the  only  one  of  note  in  Greensburg. 

On  March  19,  1864,  Mr.  Huber  united  in 
marriage  with  Angeline  Graff,  daughter  of  John 
and  Catherine  Frederick  (Grail')  of  Montgomery 
county.  Pa.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Iluber  have  had 
eight  children,  of  whom  five  are  living:  John, 
born  February  23,  1806,  and  a  florist  for  his 
father;  Charles  F.,  born  September  1,  18G7, 
attending  Pittsburg  School  of  Pharmacy  ;  J. 
Nevin,  born  March  18,  1871,  a  printer;  Harry 
G.,  born  December  3,  1871,  attending  school, 
and  Mary  A.,  born  June  2,  1886. 

Politically  he  is  a  conservative  democrat. 
He  is  a  member  of  K.  of  P.,  Chosen  Friends, 
Home  Circle  and  the  Second  Reformed  church, 
of  which  he  is  a  trustee  and  choir  leader.  Mr. 
Iluber  has  recently  patented  a  lamp  shade 
which  gives  promise  of  being  a  great  success. 
If  properly  advertised  and  pushed  upon  the 
market  it  will  no  doubt  take  the  place  of  all 
the  present  ones  now  in  use. 


/oil  (fjijii  muKsin 


BIOGR.irHIES  OF 


.EOKGE  FRANKLIN  HUFF.     One  of 

the  most  energetic  and  public-s|iirited  men 
i)t"  Westmoreland  county  is  Ex-State 
Senator  (jleorge  F.  Iluft',  of  Greensburg, 
a  remarkably  able  and  widely-known  banker  and 
financier.  He  is  prominently  identified  with 
every  industry  of  any  magnitude  or  importance 
that  exists  in  the  county,  and  was  especially  in- 
strumental in  the  organization  of  many  of  those 
industries  developed  within  the  limits  of  West- 
moreland daring  the  last  quarter  of  a  century. 
He  was  born  at  Norristown,  Montgomery 
county,  Pa.,  July  16,  1842,  and  is  a  son  of 
George  and  Caroline  (Boyer)  Huff.  His  pater- 
nal ancestry  dates  back  to  Baldwin  Von  Hoof 
(now  written  Huff),  who  resided  on  tlie  family 
estates  near  the  city  of  I'assau,  Bavaria.  He 
was  faMU)us  amot)g  the  Bavarian  knighthood  and 
nobility,  and  lost  iiis  life  in  the  first  crusade  in 
July,  lO',*',*,  at  the  storming  of  Jerusalem. 
George  F.  Huff's  paternal  great-grandparents 
were  John  Frederick  and  Susanna  (Kinie)  Huff, 
both  natives  of  Berlin,  Germany.  The  former 
was  born  July  8,  1734,  and  died  April  26, 1818. 
at  Huff's  Church,  Berks  county,  Pa.,  so  called 
because  of  tlie  donation  of  land  at  that  place  by 
him  for  a  church  site  and  burial  ground ;  the 
latter  was  born  on  Christinas,  1739,  and  died 
May  12,  18011.  They  liad  four  sons  and  five 
daughters  living  in  1818.  One  of  these  sons  I 
was  George  Huff,  Sr.  (grandfather),  who  was  1 
born  August  1,  177'J,  at  Huff's  Church,  where 
he  followed  farming  and  hotel-keeping  until  his 
death  in  ISlo.  He  married  Anna  JIull,  who 
lived  to  be  nearly  ninety-two  years  of  age.  Of 
their  children  one  was  George  Huff  (father), 
who  was  engaged  in  mercantile  business  at 
Huff's  church  for  a  short  time  and  then  re- 
moved about  1840  to  Norristown,  Pa.  From 
there  he  went  to  Middletown  and  five  years  later 
removed  to  Altoona,  Pa.,  where  he  died  January 
I'J,  1858,  aged  forty-five  years,  four  months  and 
twenty-si.x  days.  He  iniirried  Caroline  Kreps 
Eoyer  September  16,  1835,  at  Boyertown,  Pa., 


which  was  named  for  her  family.  She  died  at 
Altoona  February  3,  1876,  aged  fifty-eight 
years,  four  months  and  twenty-nine  days. 
George  F.  Huff  on  his  maternal  side  traces  his 
ancestry  back  four  generations  to  Jacob  Biiyer 
(now  written  Boyer),  who  came  from  Germany 
with  bis  wife  and  three  sons,  Valentine,  Philip 
and  Jacob.  The  latter  had  four  sons  :  Piiilip, 
Jacob,  Daniel  and  Henry  (maternal  grand- 
father), who  was  born  October  19,  1778,  and 
died  March  18, 1857.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Legislature  from  IJerks  county  in  1823,  4,  5.  6 
and  1831.  He  was  one  of  the  early  founders  of 
the  fiourishing  borough  of  Boyertown,  wliich 
was  laid  out  in  lots  in  1835  and  duly  incor- 
porated in  1851.  He  was  married  ^Lircli  3, 
1800,  to  Sarah  Kreps,  who  was  born  February 
28,  1784,  and  died  July  7,  1858.  They  had 
eleven  children,  one  of  whom,  Caroline  Kreps 
Boyer,  married  George  Huff  and  was  the  niuther 
of  Senator  George  F.  Huff. 

At  four  yea|-3  of  age  George  F.  Huff  was 
taken  by  his  parents  to  Middletown,  Dauphin 
county,  Pa.,  where  he  attended  the  public 
schools  until  1851,  when  his  parents  removed  to 
Altoona,  Blair  county.  There  he  attended  the 
public  schools  till  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years. 
He  then  entered  the  shops  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Railroad  Company  at  Altoona  to  learn  the  trade 
of  car-finishing.  After  three  years  of  assiduous 
labor  he  received,  without  solicitation  upon  his 
part,  a  high  recommen<lation  from  his  railroad 
employers  to  the  banking  house  of  William  M. 
Lloyd  i  Co.,  who  were  at  that  time  the  leading 
bankers  of  Blair  county.  They  invited  him  to 
take  a  position  with  them,  which  he  accepted. 
In  1865  they  sent  him  to  Ebensburg,  Cambria 
county,  Pa.,  to  establish  a  banking  house.  In 
that  mission  he  was  successful  beyond  the  ex- 
pectations of  all  concerned,  and  in  one  year  was 
recalled  to  the  home  house  at  Altoona.  In  1807 
he  removed  to  Greensburg  and  established  the 
Greensburg  Deposit  Bank  of  Lloyd,  Huff  k  Co., 
with  branches  at  Latrobe,  Irwin  and    Mt.  Plea.s- 


'.  :j^^f^^^^'^3^)^- 


]vkstm()Ri:la  nd  co  unty. 


ant.  Tlicso  banks  went  out  of  Imsincss  in  ^H1',\ 
on  account  of  the  serious  financial  embarrass- 
ment of  tlie  senior  member  of  the  firm,  Mr.  W. 
M.  Lloyd.  In  JS71  Mr.  I  lull'  organizeil  the 
Farmers'  National  itank  of  dreenshur',',  wilh  a 
capital  of  §10U,0U0,  and  was  its  first  president, 
remaining  at  the  head  of  the  bank  until  1^74, 
when  he  took  the  active  management  of  its  busi- 
ness as  cashier  and  General  Kichard  Coulter 
was  elected  president.  Subsequently  the  olVicers 
of  the  bank  procured  an  act  of  Congress  chang- 
ing its  location  and  name  ;  it  then  became  the 
Fifth  National  Bank  of  Pittsburg,  and  upon  its 
removal  to  that  city  Mr.  Huif  was  chosen  vice- 
president,  which  position  he  held  until  187tj, 
when  he  resigned.  In  1874  he  helped  organize 
the  Greensburg  Banking  Company,  one  of  the 
soliil  and  substantial  banking  institutions  of 
western  Pennsylvania,  and  few  banks  in  the 
state  wield  such  an  influence  or  maintain  so 
prominent  a  position  in  the  confidence  of  the 
public  as  this  bank.  He  was  elected  cashier  of 
the  Greensburg  Banking  Company  and  served 
as  such  until  1887.  His  management  of  this 
institution  was  based  upon  wise,  safe  and 
economical  financial  principles,  which  best  sub- 
serves and  largely  protects  the  business  interests 
of  the  county,  and  this  conservative  manage- 
ment of  the  bank  has  held  its  ani]ilc  resources, 
secured  its  inmiense  deposits  and  built  up  its 
Avonderfully  lai-ge  volume  of  business.  He  is 
also  a  director  of  the  First  National  Bunk  of 
Greensburg.  lie  is  largely  interested  in  the 
coke  ami  coal  industries  of  Westmoreland  county 
and  "as  mainly  instrumental  in  the  establish- 
ment of  the  Greensburg  Coal,  the  Ilempfield 
Coal,  tlie  Argyle  Coal,  the  Unitfd  Coal  and 
Coke,  the  Mutual  Mining  and  Manufacturing, 
the  Manor  Gas  Coal,  the  Latrobc  Coal  and  the 
Carbon  Coal  Companies,  which  furnish  employ- 
ment for  many  hundred  men.  Col.  George  F. 
Huff  also  took  an  active  and  prominent  part  in 
the  organization  of  the  Southwest  Pennsylvania 
Railway    Company,    whose     main    line    passes 


through  the  heart  of  the  celebrated  Conncllsville 
coke  and  coal  region.  'I'ijis  road  has  been  ever 
since  its  construction  one  of  the  best  paying 
railroad  properties  in  the  United  States.  Ho 
was  its  treasurer  until  that  ollice  was  removed  to 
Philadelphia,  and  since  then  has  served  as  a 
director.  He  is  identified  with  and  director  in 
the  Greensburg  Electric  Street  Railway  Com- 
pany, Greensburg  Fuel  Company,  Greensburg 
Gas  (illuminating)  Company  and  Greensburg 
Steel  Company.  He  is  president  of  the  Greens- 
burg Electric  Light  and  Westmoreland  \\'^ater 
Companies  and  has  been  an  important  factor  in 
the  development  of  the  Jeannette  natural  gas 
region  and  the  building  of  the  town  of  Jeannette. 
At  Burrell,  the  adjoining  station,  he  lately 
donated  seven  acres  of  land  for  a  manufacturing 
site. 

To  the  material  development  of  Greensburg,  no 
citizen  of  the  place  has  contributed  more  than  Sena- 
tor Huff.  He  has  built  a  fine  residence,  put  up  a 
block  of  brick  buildings  and  has  erected  on  South 
]\Iain  street  the  finest  and  most  imposing  business 
building  within  tlie  county — a  structure  of  archi- 
tectural beauty  and  pernument  solidity,  which  is 
pronounced  by  competent  judges  to  be  equal  in 
every  respect  to  any  building  of  its  size  in  either 
Philadelphia  or  New  York.  His  "  Rose  Foun- 
tain Farm  "  which  adjoins  the  borough,  contains 
about  one  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  land,  with 
its  four  miles  of  drive,  handsome  groves,  large 
iish  jionds  and  many  sjirings  of  pure,  cold  water; 
it  has  become  a  favorite  drive  ami  pedestrian  re- 
sort for  the  citizens  of  Greensburg. 

Senator  Huff  was  married  March  lij,  1871,  to 
Henrietta  Burrell,  of  Greensburg,  daughter  of 
Hon.  Jeremiah  Murry  Burrell,  formerly  presi- 
dent Judge  of  the  Tenth  Judicial  District  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  afterward  United  States  as- 
sociate judge  of  the  territory  of  Kansas,  and  who 
died  at  Greensburg  on  October  21,  1850.  To 
Senator  and  Mrs.  Huff  have  been  born  eight 
children,  of  whom  four  are  living  :  Lloyd  Bur- 
rell, the  eldest,  is  now  attending  the  Renssehcr 


100 


JSloaUAl'UIKS  UF 


Polytechnic  Institute,  at  Troy,  New  York. 
Mrs.  Iluft"  is  active  in  church  work,  intcri^stcd 
in  lior  hushiiiKl'ij  Iju.sinosn  ull'iiiis  ami  counwuis 
wilh  iiiiii  1)11  all  hi.s  iiii|i(irlaiit  (.'iitcriiriscis. 

ScuatDi'  ( icor^^c  K.  Hull'  is  a  ])r()grcs.sive  re- 
publican and  "  can  justly  claim  a  larj^cr  personal 
political  following  than  any  other  man  in  his 
county."  His  political  career  commenceil  in 
ISSO,  when  he  came  into  national  prominence  in 
the  repulilican  convention  at  Chicago  as  one  of 
the  "  <  >hl  Guard,"  or  "  Immortal  306,"  which 
was  led  by  the  imperious  and  incorruptible  silver- 
haired  senator  of  New  York  in  support  of  the 
"  Great  Commander"  for  the  presidential  nomi- 
nation. In  1884  Mr.  Hufl'  was  the  republican 
candidate  for  State  senator  in  the  Thirty-ninth 
Senatorial  District,  comprising  Westmoreland 
county.  He  was  elected  by  seven  hundred  ma- 
jority over  his  democratic  opponent,  and  served 
his  constituents  of  all  parties  faithfully  for  four 
years  as  a  member  of  the  State  Senate  of  Penn- 
sylvana.  In  1887  he  was  nominated  for  Congress 
in  the  Twenty-first  District  by  the  republicans 
of  Westmoreland  county,  but  the  nomination 
was  secured  after  a  close  contest  by  S;iniuel  A. 
Craig,  of  JelTerson  county,  the  district  being 
Westmoreland,  Indiana,  Armstrong  ami  Jeffer- 
son counties.  ''Socially,  lie  is  the  same  affable, 
approachable  gentlemen  to  high  and  low  alike, 
and  has  won  success  and  position  in  life  by  his 
intellectual  ability,  untiring  energy  and  indomi- 
table perseverance.  He  is  now  in  the  very 
jirime  of  matured  manhood  and  the  zenith  of  his 
power  is  yet  before  him. 


rJYn.LIAM  A.  HUFF.  One  of  the  young 
and  progressive  bankers  of  Westmore- 
land county  and  western  Pennsylvania 
is  the  gentleman  whose  name  appears  above. 
William  A.  Ilufl"  was  born  in  Altoona,  Pa., 
January  21,  1850,  and  is  a  son  of  George  and 
Caroline  (Boyer)  Hufi'.  (For  ancestry  see 
sketch  of  Col.  George  F.  Huff.) 


William  A.  Huft'  was  reared  and  educated  at 
Altoona,  Plair  county,  T'a.,  learned  telegraphy, 
entered  the  cmijhiy  of  the  Pennsylvania  Hail- 
I'oad  (.'iiMipany  and  served  fur  two  and  onc-iialf 
years  as  a  telegraph  opeiatur  in  tlieii'  (cilices  from 
Pittsburg  to  llarrisburg.  In  June,  1873,  he 
engaged  in  banking  and  since  that  year  has 
been  principally  employed  in  various  positions, 
latterly  as  cashier,  by  the  Greensburg  Banking 
Company,  whose  i)lace  of  business  is  at  Greens- 
burg. February  17,  1885,  he  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Catharine  E.  Heller,  who  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Captain  F.  P.  Heller,  of  Reading,  Pa. 
They  have  three  children:  George  F.  Huft",  Jr. 
born  January  1.5,  188G  ;  Rose  Caroline  Huff, 
born  September  18,  1887,  and  Edith  Angeline 
Huff,  born  February  24,  1881*. 

W.  A.  Hufl' is  a  member  of  Greensburg  Coun- 
cil, No.  44,  Royal  Arcanum,  ami  Greensburg 
Council  No.  82,  Junior  Order  of  United  Ameri- 
can Mechanics.  He  is  prominent  in  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  being  a  member  of  Westmoreland 
Lodge,  No.  61'J,  a  High  Royal  Arch  Mason  of 
Urania  Chapter,  No.  152,  a  Knight  Templar  of 
Kedron  Commandery,  No.  18,  and  has  taken  the 
Mystic^  Shrine  degree  of  Freemasonry.  His 
business  (jualifications  and  well-known  integrity 
have  recommended  him  to  the  leading  men  of 
various  successful  enterprises,  and  he  is  now 
treasurer  of  the  Greensburg  and  llempfield  Elec- 
tric Street  Railway,  Dunbar  Dimension  and 
]5uilding  Stone,  Greensburg  Coal,  Alexandria 
Supply,  (ilobe  Sand  and  Stone  and  South  Fork 
Supply  Companies,  and  of  the  Westmoreland 
and  the  Home  Ruilding  and  Loan  Associations. 
He  is  a  director  of  the  Hemjifield  Coal,  Carbon 
Coal  and  Greensburg  Electric  Light  Companies, 
and  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Greensburg, 
which  was  organized  in  1881  and  is  one  of  the 
flourishing  banks  of  that  place.  He  is  also  sec- 
retary of  the  Corona  Coal  and  Coke  Company  of 
Corona,  Ala.  The  rapid  strides  Greensburg  is 
making  toward  taking  her  ])lace  as  a  leading  c(ty 
of  Pennsylvania  is  largely  due  to  her  intelligent, 


WESTil  on  ELAND   CO  USTY. 


honorable  ami  eiiturprisiiig  citizens,  among 
whom  none  are  more  prominent  or  favorably 
known  than  AVilliam  A.  Ilufl",  wiio.se  business  re- 
lations have  broiij^lil  him  in  iniiiiicl  with  iind 
seutireil  lor  him  tiie  good  will  dI'  the  hading  busi- 
ness men  of  the  State,  lie  is  cashier  of  one  of 
tlie  most  substantial  and  best  conducted  banking 
houses  in  western  Pennsylvania.  This  institu- 
tion was  organized  as  the  Greensburg  Banking 
Company  by  Col.  George  F.  Ilutf  and  several 
other  of  the  leading  capitalists  of  Greensburg, 
who  are  prominently  identiiied  with  the  coal  and 
railroad  interests  of  this  county  and  who  stand 
high  as  business  men  and  able  financiers.  This 
bank  is  the  depository  of  the  Pennsylvania  and 
Southwest  Railroads,  and  its  eastern  correspond- 
ents are  the  National  Bank  of  the  Republic  and 
Cassatt  &  Co.,  Philadelphia,  and  the  American 
National  Bank  of  New  York  City.  It  is  one  of 
the  oldest  banks  in  Greensburg,  and  its  con- 
stantly iiici'casing  volume  of  business  is  correctly 
and  rapidly  transacted  by  W .  A.  Hull',  lie  is 
a  reliable  and  efficient  cashier  and  has  won  an 
enviable  reputation  for  good  judgment,  correct 
business  methods  and  financial  ability. 


TAMES  ALEXANDER  HUNTER,  ex- 
I  president  judge  of  the  tenth  judicial  dis- 
(2/  trict  (Westmoreland  county)  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, is  the  son  of  Scotch-Irish  parents,  who 
were  married  in  Lancaster  county  in  1832  and 
remiived  to  this  county  in  Iwll  ;  he  was  born 
April  18,  lS;jr),  in  Lancaster  county.  Pa.,  and 
is  a  son  of  James  K.  and  Eliza  (Stewart)  Hun- 
ter. '  James  K.  Hunter  was  a  native  of  London- 
derry, Ireland,  entigrated  to  the  United  States, 
and  died  at  Greensburg  in  1879  at  the  age  of 
ninety  years.  His  wife,  I'^liza  ^stewart,  was 
boi-ii  in  (!oiiiity  Tyrone,  Ireland,  and  died  Octo- 
ber ",•,  ISSli,  al  tli<'   age  of  eighty-seven. 

After  receiving  a  conimun  scIukiI  education 
Judge  Hunter  ubtaineil  uii  academic  training  by 
his    own    eilorts,    teaching  conniion    ami     .select 


schools  for  some  years.  Having  read  law  at 
Greensburg  with  Judge  James  Todd,  formerly 
of  Philadelphia,  he  was  ailmitteil  to  the  bar  in 
18r)8  ami  at  once  hc^gaii  )iniriiir  in  this  county. 
His  first  partner  was  (Jnl.  .1.  \V.  (ireenawalt, 
who  died  from  a  wound  received  in  the  battle  of 
the  Wilderness ;  his  second  partner  was  Hon. 
J.  R.  McAfee,  afterwards  editor  of  the  Tribune. 
After  the  death  of  Jacob  Beaumont,  his  third 
partner.  Judge  Hunter  formed  a  partnership 
with  W.  11.  Klingensmith,  with  whom  he  con- 
tinued until  a])pointcd  to  the  bench  to  fill  the 
vacancy  occasioned  by  the  resignation  of  Judge 
James  A.  I^ogan.  He  was  commissioned  by 
Gov.  Iloyt,  July  1*2,  1879,  his  commission  run- 
ning to  the  first  Monday  of  January,  1880,  and 
took  the  oath  of  oOice  July  14,  1879.  In  the 
fall  of  that  year  he  was  the  candidate  of  the  Re- 
jiublican  party  for  the  same  othce,  and  was 
elected  by  a  majority  of  more  than  a  thousand 
although  the  county  was  Democratic.  He  re- 
tired from  the  bench  January  5,  1890,  having 
pr'esided  for  more  than  ten  years  over  the  courts 
of  the  county  with  ability,  firmness,  fairness 
and  faithfulness,  and  carrying  with  him  the  con- 
fidence and  esteem  of  the  bar  and  of  the  public. 

In  1.§G9  Judge  Hunter  was  elected  to  the 
Legislature  of  Pennsylvania,  but  on  account  of 
professional  duties  refused  to  stand  for  re-elec- 
tion. 

On.  September  20,  1859,  he  married  Cynthia 
A.  Ilarvey,  a  daughter  of  Major  James  Harvey 
(deceased),  who  was  sherilf  of  Westmoreland 
county  in  1810-44.  In  politics  he  has  always 
been  a  republican,  taking  an  active  part  in  all 
important  campaigns,  and  he  so  avoided  giving 
oU'ense  to  opponents  and  conducted  all  political 
atl'airs  with  so  much  shrewdness  that  whether  suc- 
cessful or  not  he  always  gained  new  friends  while 
retaining  old  ones.  He  is  recognized  as  a  man  of 
much  political  forecast  in  his  party,  is  just  and 
fair  and  a  sworn  enemy  of  the  '•cliques"  and 
"rings"  whose  unscrupulous  methods  so  often 
defeat  the  will  of  thi;   p(;0|ile. 


BIOQRAPIIIICS   OF 


rXYlLLIAM   FREAME  JOHNSON.     In 

twa  adjoining  townships  in  Westmore- 
iiiiiil  county  anil  at  places  not  a  half 
dozen  miles  apart,  were  born  two  of  tiio  chief 
magistrates  of  the  "  Keystone  State."  'I'hey 
were  William  Freame  Johnson  and  John  \Vhite 
Geary,  both  of  Scotch— Irish  descent.  AVilliam 
Freame  Johnson,  Governor  of  Pennsylvania  from 
July  26,  1848,  to  January  20,  1852,  was  born 
at  Greensburg,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  No- 
vember 2'J,  18U8,  and  was  a  son  of  Alexander 
and  Eli/.ubeth  (Freame)  Johnson.  Ale.xander 
Joiinsou  was  of  Scotch  extraction.  He  was 
boin  in  county  Tyrone,  Ireland,  .July  10,  177o, 
and  died  near  Youngstown,  this  county,  July 
10,  1872.  He  came  to  America  in  17'.l7  an<l 
soon  thereafter  settled  at  (ireensburg,  where  he 
niarrieil  Elizabeth,  second  daughter  of  ^Villiam 
Freame,  who  was  a  native  of  lielfast,  Ireland, 
and  had  fought  under  Wolfe  at  Cjtiebec.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Johnson  reared  a  family  of  eight  sons 
and  two  daughters.  Ale.xander  Johnson  held 
several  important  county  offices  and  was  the  old- 
est Mason  in  the  United  States  at  the  time  of  his 
death. 

William  Freame  Johnson  received  but  a  limi- 
ted common  school  and  academic  education,  but 
by  reading  and  study  acquired  a  vast  fund  of 
information.  He  read  law  with  Maj.  John  B. 
Ale.xander,  was  admitted  to  the  Greensburg  bar 
in  May,  1829,  and  removed  to  Armstrong  county, 
where  he  soon  rose  to  a  position  of  commanding 
inlluence.  He  was  appointed  district  attorney, 
represented  the  county  in  the  Assembly  of  Penn- 
sylvania for  several  years,  and  in  1847  was  elec- 
ted a  member  of  the  State  Senate.  He  was  an 
acknowledged  political  leader  and  his  bill  author- 
izing the  State  to  issue  relief  notes  in  alleviation 
of  the  panic  of  1837  made  liim  very  popular 
throughout  Pennsylvania.  In  1847  he  was 
elected  president  of  the  Senate,  and  as  such 
served  as  acting  governor  from  the  resignation 
of  Governor  Shunk  in  1848  until  a  new  elec- 
tion could  be  ordered.      At  this  election,  held  in 


the  same  year,  Senator  Johnson  received  168,- 
522  votes  for  governor,  while  his  democratic 
ojjponent,  Morris  Longstreth,  received  168,225. 
As  govenujr  he  took  a  great  interest  in  the 
mining  and  manufacturing  interests  of  the  State, 
and  it  is  due  to  his  unceasing  eflorts  that  we  have 
to-day  the  •' Colonial  Records  "  and  "Pennsyl- 
vania Archives."  He  was  nominated  for  re-elec- 
tion by  the  Whig  party  but  was  defeated.  Upon 
retiring  from  olfice  lie  engaged  actively  in  busi- 
ness pursuits  in  western  Penn.sylvania  for  several 
years.  During  the  late  war  he  rendered  valua- 
ble service  in  organizing  troo])s  for  the  Union 
army,  in  fortifying  Pittsburg  and  aiding  West 
^'irginia  with  ammunition  in  a  critical  hour 
when  she  was  invaded  by  a  Confederate  army. 
President  Johnson  appointed  him  collector  of  the 
port  of  Philadelphia,  and,  although  he  served 
elliciently  for  several  months  and  made  a  splen- 
did record  as  a  collector,  yet  he  was  rejected  by 
the  Senate  on  account  of  their  hostility  to  the 
president. 

On  April  12,  1832,  Governor  Johnson  mar- 
ried Mary  Monteith.  To  their  union  Avere  born 
five  sons  and  two  daughters. 

Governor  Johnson  through  life  was  a  man  of 
uncoumion  physical  powers,  iron  will  and  untir- 
ing energy.  Amid  all  his  cares  of  business  and 
responsibilities  of  office  he  preserved  his  reputa- 
tion for  honesty,  integrity  and  morality.  His 
life  of  usefulness  closed  on  October  25,  1872, 
when  he  passed  to  the  unseen  world.  He  left 
behind  him  a  record  of  which  his  native  county 
may  well  be  proud,  for  he  faithfully  discharged 
all  the  duties  of  the  various  stations  in  life 
which  he  was  called  to  fill. 


XOSEPH  J.  JOHNSTON,  a  prominent  mem- 

Jber  of  the  bar,  was  born  July  12,  1886,  at 
Pleasant  Unity,  W^estmoreland  county.  Pa., 
and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Julia  Ann  (Gorgas) 
Johnston.  John  Johnston  (grandfather)  was  born 
in  county  Fermanagh,  Ireland,  where  he  married 


yVESTMOUKLANl)   COUNTY. 


Miss  McLuuj^liliii,  iiinl  witli  lior  omiiriatcd  to  the 
United  States  siiortly  after  tlieir  maniaj^e,  set- 
tling in  Uicliniond,  ^'a.,  whence  lie  went  to 
Frederickshiir;^,  .''aiiie  Slate,  thence  to  lla;;er.s- 
town,  Md.,  and  rniallv  In  Caiii^le,  I'a.,  uheii! 
lie  reniuined  until  his  death,  lie  was  by  trade 
a  tinner  and  coppersmith,  in  religious  belief  a 
presbytcriau  and  was  the  father  of  six  children, 
four  sons  and  two  daughters,  one  of  whom  was 
William  Johnston  (father),  who  was  born  Decem- 
ber 25,  1800,  in  Fredericksburg,  ^'a.,  but  reared 
at  Carlisle,  Pa.  From  Carlisle  William  John- 
ston came  to  Westmoreland  county,  locating  at 
rieasant  Unity  about  182(J  or  1828.  Nearly  all 
his  life  he  followed  his  trade,  which  was  the  same 
as  that  of  his  father.  He  was  an  ardent  demo- 
crat, served  many  years  as  justice  of  the  peace, 
and  in  1840  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  of 
Pennsylvania,  serving  three  terms,  having  twice 
been  re-elected.  lie  was  tall  in  stature,  courte- 
ous and  popular,  and  a  leading  citizen  of  the 
county.  lie  served  in  the  Legislature  previous 
to  the  adoption  of  the  common  school  system,  of 
which  he  was  an  earnest  advocate  and  a  strong 
supporter.  Ilis  wife  was  Julia  Ann,  a  daughter 
of  Samuel  Gorgas,  of  York  county. 

Josejih  J.  Johnston  was  educated  in  the  ])nlilic 
schools  at  the  Sewickley  academy,  after  which 
he  was  an  assistant  teacher  in  that  academy  and 
taught  nine  years  in  the  schools  of  his  native 
county.  Having  ijuit  teaching,  he  was  engaged 
for  two  years  in  the  oil  business  in  Venango 
county,  anil  then  began  reading  law  with  K.  .1. 
Keenan.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  since 
that  time  has  been  successfully  practicing  his 
profession.  Although  an  earnest,  faithful  and 
able  democrat  he  has  never  aspired  to  political 
office  but  takes  a  great  interest  in  the  public 
schools,  having  been  a  member  of  the  board 
since  186'J.  He  is  a  member  of  Philanthropy 
Lodge,  No.  225,  A.  Y.  M.,  a'Royal  Arch  Mason, 
a  Knight  Templar,  and  has  taken  the  Mystic 
Shrine,  one  of  the  highest  degrees  of  Masonry. 

In  185U   Joseph  J.  Johnston  was  married  to 


Louisa  C,  a  daughter  of  Jesse  Kilgore,  of  Hemp- 
field  township,  this  county,  and  they  have  eight 
children:  John  K.,  supervisur  on  the  .Monmi- 
gahclu  city  divison  of  ihr  I'.  V.  \  (,'.  K.  |{.  ; 
Anna  Mai-y,  wife  nf  Williani  C.  JN'opK.M,  an  at- 
torney of  (ireensburg  ;  William  A.,  a  civil  engi- 
neer and  assistant  supervisor  of  the  P.  U.  11.  at 
Philadelphia;  Jesse  K.,  a  civil  engineer;  Wil- 
helmina,  a  graduate  of  the  Greensburg  hi"h 
school ;  Joseph  B.,  a  telegrapher ;  Gertrude  and 
Bessie  L.  Joseph  J.  Juhnston  is  a  modest  and 
unassuming  gentleman,  who  possesses  considera- 
ble ability  and  an  unblemished  reputation. 


/J^EORGE  M.  JONES, 

\^J  Greensburg, 

■'I*  Westniureland  county. 


Pa. 


•fOSEPII  W.  B.  KAMERER  is  a  popular 
I  physician  of  Greensburg,  whose  many 
QJ  years  of  skillful  and  successful  practice 
have  made  him  distinguished  in  his  profession. 
He  was  born  three-fourths  of  a  mile  east  of 
Penii  station,  in  Hempfield  (now  Penn)  town- 
shi|),  We.itmoreland  county.  Pa.,  September  2'J, 
1845,  and  is  a  son  of  Jose])h  and  Elizabeth 
(Smith)  Kamerer.  Among  the  worthy  German 
pioneer  settlers  of  Hempfield  township  was  Dr. 
Kamerer's  paternal  great-grandfather,  who  came 
with  his  family  from  Morrison's  Cove,  Bedford 
county,  in  1780.  He  settled  about  the  time 
that  the  Clines,  Detars,  Drums,  Mechlincrs, 
Turneys,  AValthours,  Byerlys  and  numerous 
other  staid,  hardy,  tlir^ty  and  intelligent  Ger- 
man families  came  into  the  country,  and  these 
German  pioneers  to  a  large  extent  gave  char- 
acter to  the  township,  ami  from  them  have  de- 
scended many  honorable  and  honored  citizens  of 
AVestmoreland  and  adjacent  counties.  The  doc- 
tor's grandfather,  Adam  Kamerer,  was  born  ia 
Bedford  county  and  came  with  his  father,  Lewis 
Kamerer,  to  Westmoreland  in  1780.     He  mar- 


104 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


ried  a  Miss  Smith,  and  one  of  his  .sons,  Joseph, 
■was  born  July  14,  l^iOS.  Joseph  Kanierer  was 
a  very  successful  fiiruier,  an  active  ileuioerat,  an 
earnest  member  of  the  German  Reformed  church, 
and  who  died  April  (J,-  18.01.  At  his  death  he 
left  considerable  wealth,  all  of  which  he  had  ac- 
quired by  hard  work  and  good  management.  On 
January  4,  18"J7,  he  married  Elizabeth  Smith, 
■who  was  born  December  IG,  180G,  and  passed 
away  October  17.  1879.  They  had  nine  chil- 
dren, of  whom  three  sons  and  two  daughters  are 
living.  Mrs.  Kamerer's  father,  Simon  Smith, 
■was  of  German  descent  and  a  soldier  of  the 
war  of  ISI'2.  Ilis  wife  was  a  member  of  the 
Whitehead  family,  Avho  were  pioneer  settlers 
near  Irwin  station,  this  count)'. 

Dr.  Kamerer  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools,  Irwin  and  Harrison  City  acad- 
emie.s,  and  learned  the  languages  under  a  pri- 
vate tutor,  who  was  a  fine  linguist.  At  twenty- 
one  years  of  age  he  commenced  the  study  of 
medicine  with  Dr.  J.  ^I.  Stevenson  at  Adams- 
burg,  now  of  East  End,  I'ittsburg,  Pa.,  matric- 
ulating in  the  fall  of  1809  in  Jefl'erson  Medical 
college,  I'liiladelphia,  from  which  well-known 
institution  he  was  graduated  March  I'J,  1871. 
Imnieiliately  after  graduation  he  couimeiieed 
])ructiee  at  Larimer's  station,  AVestmorcland 
county,  I'a.,  and  there  followed  his  profe.ssi(jn 
with  fair  success  for  about  one  year.  In  187-J 
he  removed  to  Penn  station,  wiiere  lie  leuiained 
for  over  a  year.  Siiiee  1.S74  be  has  been  a 
jjiaetieiiig  physirian  at  Greensburg. 

Oil  .Inly  -i,  1879,  i)r.  Kamerer  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miriam  E.  Trauger,  a  daughter 
of  Solomon  Trauger.  They  have  one  child,  a 
son :  Paul  Trauger  Kamerer,  who  was  born 
April  28,  1888. 

Dr.  J.  W.  B.  Kamerer  is  a  member  of  Ener- 
getic Lodge,  No.  7L>,  Knights  of  Honor,  \V'est- 
moreland  Lodge,  No.  518,  A.  Y.  M.,  and  Cen- 
tennial Lodge,  No.  100,  A.'O.  U.  W.  He  is  a 
democrat  who  believes  imidicitly  in  the  cardinal 
principles  of  tlie  Democratic  party  and  is  an  at- 


tendant ujiou  the  Services  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  His  practice  i.s  extensive  and  he  com- 
mands the  confidence  of  the  public. 


jf^EONAUD  KECK.  A  man  of  great  en. 
y  1  ergy  and  sjtecial  business  abilities  and 
proprietor  of  the  "  Five  mammoth  stores  " 
at  Greenslmrg  is  Leonard  Keck,  who,  during 
his  active  business  career  has  won  a  measure  of 
success  second  to  no  other  member  in  commer- 
cial circles  in  southwestern  Pennsylvania.  Leon- 
ard Keck  was  born  in  \Vurteinburg,  Germany, 
April  12,  1849,  and  is  the  youngest  son  of 
Christian  and  Rosa  (Schwartz)  Keck.  Chris- 
tian Keck  was  a  son  of  Adam  Keek,  a  farmer 
and  native  of  Wurtcmburg.  He  was  a  farmer 
by  occupation,  a  regular  attendant  and  strict 
member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church, 
and  died  in  the  "  Fatherland  "  October  9,  1881. 
In  1832  he  married  Rosa  Schwartz,  daughter  of 
Andrew  Schwartz.  They  had  ten  children,  of 
whom  nine  are  living. 

Leonard  Keck  was  reared  on  a  farm,  received 
his  education  in  the  pay  schools  of  (jermany  and 
learned  the  trade  of  linen  weaver,  which  he  fol- 
lowed for  two  years.  At  seventeen  years  of  ai'o 
he  resolved  to  seek  his  fortune  in  the  United 
States,  and  accordingly  he  with  his  brother 
Frederick  embarked  on  a  westward  bound  vessel 
and  landed  at  New  York  city  June  28,  18GG. 
Not  Securing  any  remunerative  employment  in 
the  metropolis  of  the  new  world,  he  came  to 
western  Penii.sylvania,  wliere  he  dug  coal  and 
worked  at  whatever  oftered  to  his  hand  for  three 
years.  His  beginning,  while  not  auspicious,  was 
indicative  of  persistent  energy  and  an  entire 
willingness  to  labor  unceasingly.  In  18G9  he 
removed  to  Greensburg,  where  he  became  a  clerk 
in  the  store  of  Donohoe  k  Bro.,  who  had  a  larcre 
German  custom,  and  Mr.  Keck  was  employed 
by  them  on  account  of  his  being  able  to  speak 
the  German  language.  J[r.  Keck  had  now  en- 
tered upon   the  business  for  which  lie  was  emi- 


1».  .. 


ga#*^" 


^yiC^ 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


107 


neatly  (juulified.  For  eleven  years  lie  reniuined 
in  their  einjiloy,  where  lie  acquired  the  actual  ex- 
perience necessary  to  successfully  conduct  larj;e 
mercantile  interests.  In  IHtSO  he  kit  the  well- 
known  firm  of  ])onalioe  k  J>ru.  and  engaj^ed  in 
business  for  himself.  He  ojiened  a  small  store  on 
Main  street,  where  liis  room  was  not  one-half  as 
large  as  any  one  of  the  five  departments  of  his 
present  mammoth  business  establishment.  This 
initial  effort  of  his  in  the  mercantile  business  was 
about  the  time  when  Greensburj^  first  began  to 
give  promise  of  her  future  importance  as  an  in- 
dustrial and  commercial  center  of  westein  I'enn- 
sylvania.  For^six  years  he  successfully  con- 
ducted his  Main  street  store,  never  interesting 
himself  in  politics  or  engaging  in  speculations, 
but  gave  his  entire  time  and  attention  to  his  busi- 
ness. Securing  only  reasonable  profits  on  legiti- 
mate transactions,  he  soon  acquired  a  patronage 
and  a  volume  of  business  that  required  for  its 
accommodation  a  far  larger  room  and  stock  of 
goods  than  he  then  owned.  To  meet  this  de- 
mand he  enlarged  his  present  site  on  South  Main 
street  near  the  court-house. 

On  October  23,  1S73,  Mr.  Keck  was  married 
to  Lydia  A.  lions,  daughter  of  (ieorge  lions,  of 
New  Stanton,  Pa.  They  have  four  children  : 
Joseph  Edward,  born  June  30,  1875;  Charles 
Warden,  June  2G,  1877  ;  Anna  Marie,  August 
29,  ISSf),  and  Helen  Winifred,  January  3, 
1888. 

C»n  the  basis  of  honorable  dealing  Mr.  Keck 
lias  built  up  ail  iiiunciise  tnide,  and  his  large 
business  establisluiicnt  is  (li\ided  into  live  coiii- 
modious  rooms  or  deiiaitiiieiits.  The  first  room 
or  store  is  the  clothing,  hat,  cap  and  gent's  fur- 
nishing department ;  the  second  is  filled  with 
dry  goods  and  notions  ;  the  third  contains  boots 
and  shoes ;  the  fourth  is  stocked  with  wall  pa- 
pers, oil  cloth  and  carpets,  and  the  fifth  is  de- 
voted to  groceries  and  queensware.  Each  de- 
partment is  under  tlie  charge  of  an  experienced 
manager  and  every  attention  is  given  to  accom- 
modate the  public.     His  sales  yearly  are  in  the 


neighborhood  of  |200,000.  His  establishment 
is  the  re]>resentative  house  in  the  mercantile 
trade  of  Westmoreland  county  ;  every  foot  of 
its  great  area  of  floor  space  is  needed  for  an 
adecjuate  display  of  the  stock  ami  goods,  and 
among  its  patrons  are  numbered  the  leading 
families  of  the  town  and  county.  Mr.  Keck  is 
one  of  the  most  active  and  prominent  citizens  of 
Westmoreland  county  and  is  a  model  business 
man.  lie  takes  a  deep  interest  in  the  material 
and  commercial  welfare  of  Greensburg,  and  is 
strictly  honest,  a  plain,  unpretending,  straii'ht- 
forward  man  of  business  experience,  great  en- 
ergy and  executive  ability. 


^  DWARD  W.  KEENAN,  a  popular  young 
^SJ  democrat  of  AVfstmoreland  county,  is  a 
son  of  jNIajor  John  B.  and  Lucy  (West) 
Kcenan,  and  was  born  at  Youngstown,  Westmore- 
land county,  Pennsylvania,  August  17,  18;j7. 
His  paternal  grandfather,  James  Keenan,  was  a 
miller  of  Youngstown.  He  married  Isabella 
Johnson,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children.  His 
maternal  grandfather,  Robert  West,  kept  one  of 
the  early  hostelries  of  Youngstown.  His  father, 
Major  John  B.  Keenan,  was  born  in  Y'ounrrs- 
town  February  12,  1832,  and  fell  at  the  head 
of  his  command  in  the  battle  of  Spottsylvania 
court  house.  May  8,  18G4.  Major  Keenan 
was  a  hotel  keeper  at  Youngstown  until  the 
breaking  out  of  the  late  war,  when  he  raised 
Co.  K,  eleventh  Reg.  Pa.  A'ols.  and  was  eom- 
niissioncd  its  captain.  .\t  Manassas  Cap,  in 
the  thickest  of  the  fight  he  was  struck  in 
the  right  shoulder  by  a  iiiinnic-ball  which 
deprived  him  of  all  use  of  his  right  arm  as  long 
as  he  lived.  For  gallantry  he  was  piomoted 
to  be  major  and  was  always  at  the  head  of 
his  command  until  he  was  killed.  He  was  a 
democrat  and  left  five  children:  Edward  W  , 
Frank,  clerk  at  the  B'lsher  house;  Mary  E. 
wife  of  II.  A.  Donnelly  of  Latrobe,  and  two 
who   arc   dead.      Major    Keenan's    many    good 


BioainrnrKS  of 


qualities  cndoarcd  liiin  to  his  iiuineruus  friends. 
His  death  was  a  shock  to  the  pe()])lc  of  the  entire 
county  and  was  deeply  regretted  by  all. 

Edward  W.  Keenan  wan  cdiicutiMl  in  the  puli- 
lie  schools  of  Youngstown.  Following  in  the 
footsteps  of  his  ancestors,  he  engaged  at  an  early 
age  in  hotel-keeping.  With  his  brother  he  next 
conducted  the  Keenan  house.  In  lHH',i  they 
took  charge  of  the  Fisher  House  at  Greensburg, 
and  conducted  it  until  September,  1880.  He 
leased  the  Parker  House  in  1886  for  two  years ; 
since  the  expiration  of  this  lease  he  has  not  been 
engaged  in  any  business. 

On  January  10,  1884,  he  was  married  to 
Anna  Jack  {nee  Eason),  widow  of  William  Jack 
of  Greensburg,  and  daughter  of  John  Eason,  of 
Indiana  county.  Pa.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Keenan  had 
one  child:  J.  Hilary,  born  January  23,  1885. 
Mrs.  Keenan  died  November  G,  1885.  E.  W. 
Keenan  takes  an  active  part  in  political  matters, 
and  in  June,  18^9,  he  was  a  candidate  for  the 
democratic  nomination  for  sherift".  He  made  no 
canvass,  yet  lie  received  nearly  two  thousand 
votes  and  was  next  to  the  nominee.  He  is  pop- 
ular and  well  known  throughout  the  county. 


A.  KEENER,  a  popular  young  justice 
of  the  peace  of  Greensburg,  was  born 
'f  May  21,  1851,  in  Hempfield  township, 
Westmoreland  county,  Pa.  His  father,  ]\Iichael 
Keener,  was  born  in  the  same  township  in  1813. 
He  was  a  democrat,  was  elected  commissioner 
of  Westmoreland  county  and  served  one  term 
during  the  war.  He  also  served  as  jury  com- 
missioner and  was  clerk  of  the  board  of  county 
commissioners  for  several  years.  For  many 
years  he  was  an  influential  worker  in  his  party, 
and  was  a  member  and  an  ofl'icer  in  the  Lutheran 
church.  He  died  in  December,  1888,  being 
confined  to  his  bed  for  fifteen  years  before  his 
death.  He  bore  his  sufferings  patiently ;  he  was 
a  man  of  great  force  of  character,  possessed  a 
wonderful  memory  and  was  universally  respected 


for  his  many  good  traits  of  character.  For 
twenty-one  years,  he  taught  school ;  ho  was  a 
great  reader  and  a  man  of  scdiolarly  attainments. 
His  wife  was  I'lli/abeth  Snyder,  a  iiativt!  of 
Greensburg,  who  was  boin  in  1H13.  She  is 
living  in  good  health  and  is  a  daughter  of  Adam 
Snyder,  who  was  born  in  Hempfield  township. 
Adam  Snyder  wa-s  a  son  of  Adam  Snyder,  who 
came  to  the  county  from  Germany  and  was  one 
of  the  pioneers  of  Western  Pennsylvania.  Mi- 
chael Keener  (paternal  grandfather)  was  proba- 
bly born  in  Scotland. 

W.  A.  Keener  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  and  at  the  Greensljurg  academy. 
For  some  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  business 
of  butchering  with  Herman  Hainel.  In  1883 
he  was  elected  to  the  ollicc  of  justice  of  the 
peace  and  served  so  acceptably  to  the  people 
that  he  was  re-elected  to  the  same  office  in  1888. 
He  is  a  democrat,  a  member  of  the  First  Re- 
formed church  of  Greensburg,  Pa.,  and  is  a 
member  of  several  beneficial  societies.  He  was 
married  to  Miss  Barbara,  a  daughter  of  Renja- 
min  Eiseman,  of  Hempfield  township,  April  30, 
1874.  Their  marriage  has  been  blessed  with 
five  children,  now  living:  John  M.,  born  May 
1!),  1875;  William  A.,  September  2,  1877; 
C.  R.  Defenbacher,  June  13,  1884 ;  Violet  Be- 
atrice, October  27,  188(3,  and  Benjamin  Eise- 
man, December  19,  1888.  Walter,  born  De- 
cenJjer  3,  1879;  died  September  1,  1885,  and 
Herman  Henry,  July  5,  1881 ;  died  April  3, 
1882. 


r^  L.  KEFFER.  The  wonderful  develop- 
f^J  ment  of  the  mineral  wealth  and  the  rapid 
(*)  increase  of  the  population  of  Westmore- 
land county  has  created  a  great  demand  for 
flouring  mill  supplies,  and  the  outgrowth  of  tliis 
demand  has  been  the  establishment  of  some  as 
fine  flouring  mills  as  can  be  found  in  the  State. 
Of  this  number  is  the  Derry  Roller  Flour  Mill, 
whose   proprietor,  H.  L.   Kefl'er,  is  one   of  the 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


foremost  business  men  of  the  county,  lie  is  a 
son  ot"  Captiiin  Mieliael  and  Jane  (Clark)  Keft'er, 
anil  was  born  in  Ligonier  townslii]),  VVestniore- 
Jand  county,  I'a.,  Uctober  28,  1832.  The 
Amcrieaii  branch  of  the  Iveller  family  traces 
its  ancestry  back  through  three  generations  to 
Michael  Keffer  (grandfather),  who  was  born  at 
Berlin,  now  capital  of  the  German  Empire  but 
then  of  the  Prussian  kingdom.  lie  came  to 
Somerset  county,  Pa.,  where  he  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  beautiful  town  of  iierlin.  He 
served  in  the  war  of  1812,  was  a  German  Lu. 
tlierau  and  a  man  of  excellent  character.  One 
■of  his  children  was  Captain  Michael  Keft'er, 
who  was  born  at  Berlin,  Pa.,  June  3,  1811,  and 
passed  away  on  April  5,  1884.  His  wife  was 
Jane  Clark,  who  was  born  July  1),  1810,  and 
survived  hira  but  one  day.  8he  was  a  daughter 
of  John  Clark,  a  leading  citizen  of  Westmore- 
land county  and  sister  to  Hon.  James  Clark, 
who  served  as  one  of  the  governors  of  Iowa 
territory.  (For  extended  notice  of  John  Clark 
see  sketch  of  J.  C.  Keft'er).  Captain  Michael 
Keft'er  commanded  a  volunteer  company  called 
the  "  Ligonier  Blues  "  for  many  years,  lie  reared 
a  family  of  ten  children  and  gave  all  of  them  a 
good  education.  Of  these  children,  who  grew 
up  to  be  respectable  men  and  women,  seven  are 
yet  living.  He  was  an  old  line  whig  until 
1854,  when  Know-Nothingism  drove  him  into  the 
Democratic  party  anil  all  his  sons  became  ilemo- 
crats.  He  was  an  earnest  member  and  pillar  of 
.strength  of  the  Kvangclical  Lutheran  churcli,  of 
whii'h  his  entire  luuiily  were  members.  An 
earnest  advocate  of  the  free  school  system,  an 
exemplary  citizen  and  a  Christian  gentleman, 
his  loss  was  deeply  felt  in  his  township,  where 
he  commanded  the  respect  of  all  who  knew 
him. 

H.  L.  Keft'er  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  and  Latrobe  High  school.  At 
Hcventeen  years  of  age  he  engaged  in  teaching, 
which  he  pursued  for  four  years  and  then  turned 
his  attention  to  farminj;  which  he  followed  for 


two  years.  He  next  embarked  in  the  general 
mercantile  business  at  Youngstown,  where  he 
remained  for  three  years.  In  1887  he  came  to 
(jreensbiirg  and  iMitered  into  partnei'ship  with 
his  brother,  J.  (!.  Keller,  in  the  grain  business. 
Two  years  later  he  purchased  an  interest  in  the 
Greensburg  flouring  mill,  which  he  disposed  of 
early  in  1890  and  became  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  Keft'er  Bros.  They  purchased  the  "  Derry 
Roller  Flour  Mill,"  and  are  manufacturers  of 
flour,  corn  meal,  chop,  etc.,  and  dealers  in  all 
kinds  of  grain.  The  mill  is  thoroughly  eijuijiped, 
has  the  roller  process  and  a  capacity  of  seventy- 
five  barrels  per  day.  They  have  a  fine  local 
custom  besides  shipping  flour  and  mill-feed  to 
many  points  outside  of  the  county. 

On  January  22,  1880,  II.  L.  Keft'er  united 
in  marriage  with  Maggie  McClelland,  a  daughter 
of  Archibald  McClelland  of  Pittsburg,  who  is 
an  architect  and  contractor  and  whose  wife  was 
Mary  Funk,  by  whom  he  had  six  children. 
The  McClellands  are  of  Scotch-Irish  descent. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Keft'er  have  been  born  three 
sons  and  two  daughters  :  Nellie,  George,  who 
died  of  diphtheria  in  1889  ;  Jennie,  John  and 
Harry  M.  (dead). 

II.  L.  Keft'er  is  a  democrat  and  a  member 
and  ofticer  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church. 


JOHN  CLARK  KEFFER,  ex-prothonotary 
I  of  this  county,  chief  burgess  of  Greens- 
11/  burg,  and  a  judicious  business  man  of  strict 
integrity,  was  born  on  the  old  Keft'er  home- 
stead farm  in  Ligonier  township,  Westmoreland 
county.  Pa.,  June  23,  1837,  and  is  a  son  of 
Captain  Michael  and  Jane  (Clark)  Keft'er,  His 
paternal  grandfather,  Michael  Kefl!"er,  was  born 
at  Berlin,  Germany,  and  came  to  Somerset 
county.  Pa.,  where  he  became  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  town  of  Berlin,  which  was  so  named  at 
his  suggestion  in  honor  and  rcnunnbrance  of 
the  eajjital  city  of  the  "  Fatherland."  He  was 
a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  but  would  never 


no 


BIOGRAPUIKS  OF 


apply  for  a  pension.  He  was  a  whig,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  (ierinan  Lutheran  ciiiuch  and  was 
twice  nianietl.  His  maternal  grandlathci-,  John 
Chifk,  was  one  of  tiie  most  proiiiimiit  and  suh- 
Btanlial  eilizens  of  lliu  eoiuity  in  liis  day.  lie 
served  fur  several  years  as  justiee  of  the  peace 
at  Ligonier,  was  appointeil  protlionutary  of 
Westmoreland  county  by  Gov.  Joseph  Ritner, 
was  elected  to  the  same  oflice  by  the  jteople  in 
1840,  and  died  in  184'J  while  serving  his  second 
term.  His  records  are  among  the  finest  to  be 
found  in  the  county.  His  wife  was  Mary  Ram- 
sey, who  bore  him  nine  children.  One  of  his 
sons,  James  Clark,  was  governor  of  Iowa  terri- 
tory, while  another  served  in  tiie  ))ust-otlice 
department  in  Washington  city.  Captain  xMich- 
ael  Ketl'er  was  born  at  Berlin,  Pa  ,  June  '5, 
1811,  and  died  April  5,  1884.  He  married 
Jane  Clark,  by  whom  he  had  ten  chiKiren,  of 
whom  seven  are  living.  (Fur  i'luther  account 
of  Captain  Keller,  see  sketcii  of  11.  L.  Keller.) 

John  C.  Keller  attended  the  common  schools 
of  Litronier  township  and  Sewickley  academy. 
He  commenced  life  as  a  school  teacher  in  his 
native  county,  where  he  taught  thirteen  consecu- 
ive  terms.  He  spent  four  years  in  farming 
and  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  for 
thirteen  years,  during  the  must  of  which  time 
he  conducted  a  store  at  Latrobe.  In  ISS;]  i\Ir. 
Keller  came  to  (ireensburg,  where  he  has  resided 
ever  since. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  October  19, 18G5, 
with  Lottie  S.  Lobingier,  a  daughter  of  John  C. 
Lobingier  of  Mt.  Pleasant  township,  who  is  a 
descendant  of  the  old  and  honorable  liobingier 
family  wiiich  was  so  cons|)ieuous  in  the  Kevoiu- 
tionary  history  of  Eastern  Pennsylvania  and 
Westmoreland  county. 

J.  C.  Keffer  is  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Keller  Bros.,  proprietors  of  the  "  Derry  Roller 
Flour  Mill."  In  18(;.3  he  enlisted  in  Co.  F, 
fifty-fourth  regiment,  Pa.  Militia,  and  served  in 
()hio  in  the  force  that  cajitured  (ieu.  John  H. 
Morgan.     He  is   a  mend)er  of  /ioa    Lutheran 


church,  of  Greensburg,  and  P.  A.  Williams 
Post,  No.  4,  G.  A.  K.  Mr.  KefTer  has  always 
been  an  active  democrat.  He  served  from  1883 
to  188t!  us  protlionotary  of  Wesluioruland 
county,  anil  at  the  I'Vbiiiary  election  of  18l)(> 
he  was  elected  chief  burgess  of  Greensburg. 
His  course  of  action  as  a  public  officer  has 
always  been  in  the  best  interests  of  the  people 
of  Greensburg  and  the  county  ;  his  career  as  a 
business  man  has  been  distinguished  fur  bunoty 
and  fair  dealing,  and  his  life  as  a  piivaie  citizen 
has  been  such  as  to  rellect  honor  upon  him. 


^  DWARl)  B.  KENLEY,  a  Uniun  veteran 
^S)/  of  the  civil  war,  and  a  prominent  and 
successful  business  man,  is  the  eldest  son 
of  Richard  B.  and  Lucinda  (Turney)  Kenley, 
and  was  born  (near  Harvey's  five  points)  in 
IIem})tield  township,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa., 
March  5,  1845.  His  great-grandfather,  Richard 
Kenley,  a  native  of  Howard  county,  Md.,  re- 
moved with  his  two  brothers  to  Philadelphia, 
Pa.,  where  he  met  and  married  a  iNIiss  Ilarmer. 
She  was  a  member  of  an  aristocraticand  wealthy 
family  of  Philadeli)hia.  Her  sister  was  the 
wife  of  Gen.  O'Hara  of  Revolutionary  fame, 
who  was  a  trusted  friend  of  Washington.  His 
grandfather.  Dr.  Charles  J.  Kenley,  was  a 
practicing  physician  of  Pliiladeli)hia  ;  leaving 
there  in  18liO  he  came  to  Franklin  townshij). 
Westmoreland  county,  where  he  lived  a  retired 
life  for  many  years.  He  inherited  great  wealth, 
was  a  lu.xurious  liver,  liberal  in  all  his  dealings 
and  lost  many  thousand  dollars  by  endorsing 
for  bis  frifiiils.  When  at  about  Bi.\ty-(ive  years 
of  age  his  horse  tlirew  him  and  he  died  from  the 
injuries  received.  Although  fond  of  high  living 
and  open-handed  in  his  hospitality  he  left  con- 
siderable wealth  to  his  family.  His  wife, 
Clarissa  Saylui',  was  of  English  descent  and  a 
member  of  a  Philadelidiia  family  of  high  social 
standing.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Kenley  had  live 
children,  four  daughters  and  one  son,  who  grew 


)vi:sTM(>nELA  yi)  co  vnty. 


til  iii;iii  anil  wniuiinlHiinl.  Ills  i'alljcr,  liicliard 
J{.  Kuulc'V,  wa.s  born  in  I'liilailnliiliia,  l'Vl>niaiy  'J, 
1821,  wlio  witli  his  father  came  to  Franklin  town- 
ship wlieii  at  the  ago  of  nino  years.  Ho  startoil 
in  the  ilni;;  husinoss  for  himself,  Imi  soon  lel'l 
the  (Irii;^  trailo  and  operated  fur  two  years 
a  general  merohandise  store  at  Weaver's 
Old  Stand.  After  his  retirement  from  the 
mercantile  business  he  removed  to  Liidwieic  in 
1857,  where  he  engaged  in  the  grocery  business 
and  at  the  same  time  opened  the  first  lumber 
yard  in  Westmoreland  county  of  whieli  we  have 
any  knowledge.  His  death  occurred  March  ii, 
1.S87.  lu  May,  ISl:!,  lie  was  married  to 
Lucinda  1'urney,  a  da\ighter  of  Jacob  Turney 
and  a  sister  to  Hon.  Jacob  Turney  (see  sketch 
of  the  Turneys).  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kenley 
■were  born  eleven  children  :  Edward  B.,  Mar- 
garet T.,  Lucy,  Nannie,  wife  of  Kobert  Hughan, 
an  engineer  ;  Carrie  L.,  Charles  Harmer,  as- 
sistant cashier  of  the  First  National  bank  of 
Jeannette.  Mrs.  Kenley  was  born  September 
25,  1819. 

Richard  B.  Kenley  was  a  conscientious  man 
and  a  ruling  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church. 
He  was  an  ardent  temperance  man,  an  active 
democrat  and  a  zealous  Ciiristian  worker.  lie 
served  seven  terms  as  sciioui  director  in  liiiil- 
wick  jjorough  and  was  freipiently  a  member  of 
the  town  council.  He  was  elected  U>  the  ollice 
of  justice  of  the  peace  under  (Jov.  Packer's  ad- 
ministration and  served  fur  live  years  in  that 
ollice  most  acceptably  to  ihe  ]n'iipie. 

Edward  B.  Kenley  was  reared  at  the  county- 
seat  and  attended  the  common  schools.  At 
si.xti'cn  years  of  age  he  left  his  school  books  and 
entered  the  Federal  service,  enli.^ting  .July  4, 
1861,  in  Co.  A,  si.xty-second  reg.  Pa.  \'ols., 
commanded  by  Col.  (afterwards  General)  Samuel 
Black,  a  Mexican  veteran,  who  was  subsecpiently 
killed  at  Gaines'  Mill.  In  March,  1.SG2,  he  be- 
came Gen.  Silas  Casey's  secretary  and  was  re- 
tained in  the  same  office  by  Gen.  Peck,  who 
succeeded  Gen.  Casey  in  command  of  the  brig- 


ade. Mr.  Kenley  was  wuiniileil  at  l''air  Oaks 
anil  afterwards  taken  prisoner  in  Southern  \'ir- 
ginia,  hut  fortunately  was  rescued  by  his  com- 
rades in  a  few  days.  He  was  honorably  dis- 
charged from  the  Miviee  July  1  ii,  18(14,  when 
he  served  for  a  time  in  the  Adjutant  General's 
ollice  at  Washington  city.  He  refused  a  civil 
service  ajipointment,  returned  home  and  served 
for  a  short  time  in  the  Provost  Marshal's  ollice 
at  Allegheny  city.  Leaving  Allegheny,  he  en- 
gaged in  the  oil  business,  but  in  one  year  left 
the  oil  region  and  entered  Dartmouth  college 
where  he  remained  two  years.  He  returned 
liome  and  for  a  time  read  law,  but  the  profession 
of  law  did  not  suit  him  and  he  engaged  in  the 
grocery  and  lumber  business  with  his  father. 
Since  his  father's  death  he  has  successfully  con- 
tinued in  these  lines  of  business.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Knights  of  Honor,  Union  Veteran 
Legion  and  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He 
is  a  graduate  of  the  Iron  City  lousiness  and 
Commercial  college  ;  he  adheres  to  the  political 
faith  of  his  forefathers,  which  was  purely  demo- 
cratic and  is  a  tliorouj'h  business  man. 


J.  KING.  One  uf  that  highly  resj)ccta- 
'  ble  class  of  men  who  owe  honorable  stand- 
ing in  society  ami  remarkable  success  in 
business  to  their  own  unaided  effort,  is  D.  J. 
King,  who  is  now  a  resident  of  Greensburg.  He 
was  born  in  Somerset  county,  I'a.,  November  G, 
1820,  and  is  a  son  of  John  King  and  Elizabeth 
Neff.  His  paternal  grandfathei  was  a  native 
of  this  country  and  reared  a  large  family.  He 
removed  to  Somerset  county  where  his  son,  John 
King  (father)  was  born.  He  was  a  farmer  by 
occupation,  a  whig  in  politics  and  a  prominent 
member  of  the  M.  E.  church.  He  died  in  1814. 
His  wife  was  I'^lizabeth  Neff,  who  bore  him  two 
sons  and  one  daughter.  She  was  the  daughter 
of  Michael  Nelf,  who  was  of  German  descent 
and  followed  farming  in  Somerset  county. 

D.  J.  King  attended  the  subscription  schools 


112 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


of  SoiiKTsct  cuiuity  luilil  lie  WHS  ill'ietii  yoar.s  of 
age,  when  lie  beg;ui  life  lor  liiiii.self  with  the 
hunhible  aiiil)itiou  of  winning  hononible  success 
anil  a  eonifortalile  home.  ]Io  starteil  out  in  life 
with  nothing  hut  strong  arms  and  a  willingness 
to  work  and  a  firui  determination  to  succeed, 
and  the  nniny  obstacles  which  he  encountered 
never  disheartened  him  in  his  hard  struggle 
for  a  competency.  He  worked  as  a  farm 
laborer  until  18811,  when  he  removed  to  AVest- 
moreland  county  where  lie  rented  farms  for 
fifteen  years,  and  by  good  farming  secured  means 
to  purchase  a  desirable  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty-seven  acres  in  Ilempfield  township.  lie 
then  devoted  his  time  and  energies  to  the  devel- 
opment and  improvement  of  this  farm  until  it  is 
now  one  of  the  best  improved  and  most  valuable 
farms  in  tliat  section  of  the  county.  In  1838 
he  removed  to  Greensburg  where  he  has  resided 
ever  since. 

In  18-18  he  united  in  marriage  with  Mary  Ann 
Simpson,  a  daughter  of  William  Simpson,  of 
near  Mt.  Pleasant.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  King 
have  been  born  twelve  children,  of  whom  ten  are 
living  :  Rebecca,  wife  of  David  Music,  of  Adams- 
burg  ;  William  S.  King,  D.  B.  King,  who  gradu- 
ated at  Lafayette  college,  where  he  was  afterward 
professor  of  Latin  for  some  years  and  is  now  a 
prominent  member  of  the  New  York  city  bar 
and  a  very  successful  lawyer;  Fannie,  wife  of 
Joseph  W.  Stoner;  Theodore,  of  Richland 
county,  Ohio;  Tlieophilus,  of  Alpsville  ;  Prof. 
]?yrnn  W.,  who  is  principal  of  the  Curry  school 
of  t'loculion  ami  oratory  of  J'itl>liiii-g,  and  who 
ranks  as  one  of  the  foremost  elocutionists  in  the 
United  States ;  Frank  A.,  Jilaryetta  and  John 
II.,  of  Paintersville. 

D.  J.  King  has  been  a  democrat  since  18G3. 
He  has  held  the  townsliip  offices  of  ta.x  collector, 
assessor  and  school  director,  in  which  his  execu- 
tive ability,  sound  judgment  and  intelligent 
action  made  him  successful  and  popular.  lie  was 
a  deacon  in  the  Mt.  Pleasant  Presbyterian 
church,  and  since  his   removal   to  Greensburg 


has  been  a  member  of  the  i'resbyterian  church 
of  that  place.  Mr.  King  is  a  man  who  had 
tilwuys  had  the  courage  to  act  upon  his  convic- 
tions, and  although  slow  in  forming  conclusions 
yet  is  firiii  in  their  dc^fense. 


^^ILAS  A.  KLINE,  a  prominent  member 
(^j  of  the  Greensburg  bar  and  a  descendant 
is  of  one  of  the  substantial  pioneer  German 
families  who  have  added  so  largely  to  the  wealth 
and  prosperity  of  western  Pennsylvania,  was  born 
in  thehistorical  village  of  Bou(iuet, Westmoreland 
county.  Pa.,  November  IS,  1844.  lie  is  a  son 
of  Lewis  and  Catharine  (Cort)  Kline,  the  latter 
a  daughter  of  Daniel  Cort  and  a  sister  of  Rev. 
Lucian  Court,  of  Greensburg.  S.  A.  Kline's 
paternal  ancestry  can  be  traced  back  to  Peter 
Kline,  of  Lancaster  county,  Pa.,  but  whether  he 
was  a  native  of  that  county  or  came  from  Ger- 
many is  not  known,  lie  was  the  father  of 
three  sons,  of  whom  the  eldest,  John,  only  lived 
to  manhood.  John  Kline  served  under  the  com- 
mand of  Gen.  Washington  at  Valley  Forge. 
After  a  season  of  active  service  and  exposure  he 
became  seriously  ill.  On  his  recovery  he  was 
transferred  to  the  commissary  department  and 
given  charge  of  the  foraging  parties  or  troops 
who  collected  supplies  for  the  army.  After  the 
close  of  the  Revolutionary  war  he  married  a 
Miss  Mace  and  settled  on  a  farm  (inherited  by 
his  father)  near  Millersburg,  Lebanon  county, 
Pa.  He  remaine<l  on  a  farm  for  a  number  of 
years.  Recausc  of  the  jjart  he  took  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary war  the  tories  in  that  neighborhood 
persecuted  him  by  destroying  his  fences,  crops, 
property,  etc.  He  became  alarmed  as  to  the 
safety  of  himself  and  family,  so  much  so  that  his 
wife  prevailed  upon  him  to  rent  the  farm  and 
remove  to  Kentucky.  They  left  the  farm  in 
charge  of  a  tenant  and  started  on  their  western 
journey,  crossing  the  Allegheny  mountains  on 
pack-horses.  On  the  way  to  Fort  Pitt  they  came 
to  a  place  where  the  roada  forked,   near   where 


^«   ,,!• 


WESTMORF.LAND   COUNTY. 


115 


tlio  town  of  Ciriipi'viUo  now  stanils.  'I'lioy  took 
tlie  roml  tluit  sueinuil  the  most  tniveletl  uml  it  led 
them  to  the  Manor  settlement  instead  of  Fort 
Pitt.  After  going  some  distance  tliey  liaitod  at 
a  spring  for  rest  and  to  water  their  horses.  Upon 
inquiry  of  a  woman  making  hay  in  a  mea(h)w 
close  by  the  road,  they  were  informed  of  not  be- 
ing on  the  right  road  and  also  that  "a  terrible  In- 
dian outbreak  "  had  just  occurred.  They  believed 
the  story  of  cruelty  and  murder  committed  on  the 
frontier  by  the  Indians  as  related  by  the  woman. 
John  Kline  was  prevailed  upon  by  his  wife  not 
to  go  any  farther.  The  good  people  of  the  set- 
tlement extended  to  them  their  hospitality,  lie 
settled  in  a  garden  spot  of  Westmoreland  county, 
on  the  •' I'ainter  Improvement,"  sold  his  horses 
and  pursued  his  traile,  that  of  a  weaver.  lie 
founded  a  family  noted  for  its  industry,  intelligence 
and  integrity.  His  children  were :  John, 
William,  of  Adamsburg  ;  George  died  young  ; 
Samuel  went  west ;  Polly  married  Peter  Kemerer 
and  removed  to  Illinois;  and  Catharine,  who 
married  Daniel  Kemerer  and  settled  in  Iowa. 
They  continued  to  live  in  that  neighborhood  for 
years.  Kline  was  besides  a  weaver,  etc.,  a  con- 
veyancer and  the  business  of  conveyancing  oc- 
casioned him  several  trips  to  Philadelphia  fur  the 
purpose  of  examining  titles,  and  on  one  of  his 
trips  to  that  city,  as  is  su[)posed,  he  mysteriously 
disappeared  and  was  never  heard  of  by  his  wife 
and  family.  His  family  settled  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Adamsburg.  John,  the  eldest  son,  eared 
for  the  widow  iiiid  family.  He  helped  to  clear 
away  the  forest  and  build  the  first  log  cabin  in 
that  village.  When  he  grew  to  manhood  he 
married  Nancy  Buchman,  a  native  of  llagers- 
town,  Md.  They  had  a  family  of  eleven  chil- 
dren :  Henry,  Joseph,  Jacob,  George,  John, 
Lewis,  Isaac,  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Joseph  Klingen- 
smitli;  Catharine,  who  married  (ieorge  Lose; 
Sarah,  wife  of  Nicholas  Naley,  and  Susannah. 
Lewis  Kline  (father)  was  a  carpenter  by  trade 
but  abandoned  his  trade  years  ago  and  bought  a 
form  near  Bou(juet,  in  Penn  township,  where  he 


engaged  in  farming  and  where  he  now  resides. 
He  is  a  democrat  and  a  member  of  the  (Jerman 
Reformed  church  at  Manor. 

S.  A.  Kline  is  the  eldest  of  five  brothers  and 
six  sisters :  Edward  C,  who  lives  in  Iowa ; 
Franklin  J.,  Daniel  L.  and  Ab  T.,  attorney-at- 
law  at  Denver,  Col.;  Sidney,  wife  of  li.  D.  Fos- 
ter; Margaret,  wife  of  P^dward  Fox;  Cynthia, 
now  deceased,  was  intermarried  with  Peter  Naley  ; 
Ida,  who  died  young  ;  Amanda,  intermarried  with 
G.  Speis;  and  Jennie,  intermarried  with  William 
Glunt.  He  received  his  early  education  in  the 
common  schools  but  is  one  who  might  justly  be 
accorded  the  honor  of  being  a  self-made  man.  At 
eighteen  years  of  age  he  started  out  in  life  ibr 
himself,  and  by  dint  of  hard  manual  labor, 
drilling  of  oil  wells,  etc.,  in  the  northwestetn 
part  of  the  State,  and  by  teaching  school  he  saved 
enough  money  to  secure  an  academic  education. 
In  18GU  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Hon.  Jac. 
Turney,  at  Greensburg,  Pa.,  as  a  student,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  May,  1871.  In  1872 
he  was  associate  editor  and  proprietor  with  W. 
J.  K.  Kline,  of  the  Westmoreland  Democrat, 
in  which  position  he  showed  remarkable  aptitude 
for  journalism.  In  1873  he  was  appointed 
deputy  sherift"  umler  Alex.  Kilgore,  Es(p,  serv- 
ing in  that  capacity  until  January  1,  187r),  after 
which  time  he  engaged  in  the  active  practice  of 
law.  In  1877  he  was  elected  district  attorney 
of  Westmoreland  county  and  served  in  that  office 
two  terms  with  marked  distinction,  his  term  ex- 
piring January  1,  1884.  Mr.  Kline  has  an  ex- 
tensive and  lucrative  practice  and  has  taken  part 
in  many  of  the  important  cases  tried  in  the 
county,  always  with  credit.  He  is  invariably 
found  on  the  side  of  the  oppressed  and  always 
the  ready  and  able  champion  of  the  laboriuT 
man.  He  was  favorably  spoken  offer  Congress 
in  188G. 

On  January  "21,  187.'J,  he  was  married  to 
Elizabeth  Eacr,  daughter  of  Adam  and  Mary 
(Uannibaugh)  15aer,  of  (.ircensburg.  Mr.  and 
^h■s.  Kline  have  three  children:    Wade  'i'liriiey, 


no 


lllOUHAl'IIIF.S  OF 


boiii  Aiiiil  1, 1877;  George  riuiuiner,  Imni  June 
2!t,  1.S78;  aiul  IJi'Ssio  M.,  burn  Drci'iiilicT  8, 
IS.SO. 

S.  A.  Kliiir  liciaiiic  11  iiHiiilicr  of  ('(•iiti'iiiiial 
l.iMlgc,  No.  KM),  A.  ().  l.  W.,  ill  l.S7li,  Imviiig 
joiiiL'tl  ;is  ;i  cliurter  iiioniber  ami  lias  ever  since 
taken  an  active  part,  serving  in  every  capacity 
as  an  ollicer  of  liis  subordinate  loJge.  In  1870 
he  became  a  member  of  the  Grand  Lodge  and 
lias  served  on  many  important  committees.  In 
1884  he  was  elected  Grand  Overseer,  1885 
Grand  Foreman,  and  in  1886  Grand  Master 
Workmen  of  the  jurisdiction  of  Pennsydvania. 
In  1888  he  was  elected  Supreme  Kepresenative 
and  represented  his  jurisdiction  at  the  session  of 
the  Supreme  Lodge  at  Omaha.  lie  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Knights  of  Honor  and  represents  his 
lodge  in  the  Grand  Body.  lie  is  also  a  member 
of  the  Kiiyal  Arcanum.  He  joined  the  I.O.II. 
in  1888,  is  a  charter  nifuiber  ut'  (ircensburg 
Conclave,  No.  174,  faithfully  and  earnestly  rep- 
resented his  conclave  at  the  sessions  of  the  Su- 
preme Conclave,  held  in  Richmond  \w.,  in 
Ajiril.  188U,  and  is  District  Supreme  Represen- 
tative for  liis  district,  No.  7.  In  religious  faith 
he  adheres  to  the  doctrines  of  the  Reformed 
church,  having  united  with  that  denomination  in 
early  life  at  the  old  Manor  church.  In  1878  he 
transferred  his  membership  to  the  First  Re- 
formed church  of  Greensburg.  In  1881  he  was 
elected  by  that  congregation  as  one  of  the  build- 
ing comiiiittee;  during  the  continuance  of  that 
coiiiiuiitcc  lie  acted  in  a  dual  capacity  as  secre- 
tary and  treasurer.  On  account  of  his  many 
years  of  jiolitical  experience  and  special  qualifi- 
cations as  a  supervisor  and  manager,  he  was 
selected  in  July,  1889,  as  chairman  of  the 
"Westmoreland  democratic  county  connnittee,  and 
is  now  acting  eliiciently  in  that  very  important 
political  position.  The  party  under  his  manage- 
ment and  direction  achieved  a  signal  victory, 
electing  the  entire  ticket  by  an  unusually  large 
majority,  including  the  judge,  the  first  democrat 
elected  to  the  bench  in  the  county  for  forty  years. 


R.    K'LINK.       The    Kline   family  has 

long  licen  ])roiiiinent  in  Westmoreland 
loiuily.  'I'lie  fust  of  the  name  to  sirttle 
hero  was  .lolin  Kline,  it  pioniurr,  who  came  from 
the  eastern  jiart  of  this  Stale  shortly  after  the 
Revolutionaiy  war.  He  was  a  son  of  Peter 
Kline,  who  lived  in  Lancaster  county.  Pa.,  in 
that  part  which  is  now  Lebanon  county,  but 
whether  he  was  a  native  born  or  an  emigrant 
from  Germany  is  not  known.  John  Kline  took 
part  in  the  Revolutionary  war  umler  the  com- 
mand of  Washington  at  A^alley  Forge,  and  after- 
ward was  assigned  to  the  commissary  depart- 
ment and  placed  in  charge  of  foraging  parties. 
Soon  after  the  close  of  the  war  he  married  Miss 
Mace  and  followed  farming  for  several  years. 
He  then  migrated  westward  with  his  wife  and 
family  on  horseback  and  located  in  the  vicinity 
of  Grapcville.  He  made  frc([uent  journeys  to 
Pliihidi'lpliia  to  examine  titles,  as  he  was  a  con- 
veyancer as  well  as  farmer.  At  last  he  made  a 
trip  to  that  city  and  was  never  afterward  heard 
of  by  his  family.  His  sons,  John  and  William, 
settled  in  the  vicinity  of  Adamsburg.  George 
died  single  and  Sanmel  went  to  the  southwest 
and  was  never  heard  from  by  his  friends.  The 
daughters  were :  Polly,  who  married  Peter 
Keinerer  and  located  in  Illinois ;  Cathei'ine, 
who  married  Daniel  Kemerer  and  settled  in 
Iowa ;  John,  the  eldest  son,  married  Nancy 
Ruchman,  of  Hagerstown,  Md.,  purchased  prop- 
erty in  the  manor  of  Denmark,  where  he  lived 
and  had  a  large  family,  one  of  whom,  John  by 
name,  was  the  father  of  Amos  B.  He  settled 
on  the  farm  known  under  'William  Penn's  patent 
as  "  Landsdowne,"  in  the  Denmark  Manor  dis- 
trict in  Penn  township.  He  was  a  prosperous 
farmer  and  owned  and  operated  the  Bouijuet 
mills  for  a  time.  He  was  energetic,  industrious 
and  strictly  honest.  In  1832  he  married  Eliz- 
abeth Knappenberger,  daughter  of  John  Knapp- 
enberger,  of  an  old  and  early  settled  family  in 
the  Manor  district.  He  died  in  December, 
1855,  aged  forty-si.x  years.     They  had  ten  cliil- 


1  i 


WFSTilORKLA ND   CO UXTV. 


(Ircn :  Ilczekiali  J.,  wlio  died  in  McDuiiouf^li 
county.  111.,  ill  IXG'J;  William  J.  K.,  A.  M., 
jM.D.,  a  piiu'ticin;^  pliyHiinuii  of  (JruciiMljiiri^ 
.siliCd  1K7I  mill  wlio  wiiH  olrcli'il  II  iiiciiiIjci' III' iJid 
Sliiti!  liCf^iHliUiiro  ill  IHTd;  Nidiolas  L.,  ii  clciilisl, 
now  at  Scottiliilo;  Mary  Ann,  nuuriuil  to  Daviil 
L.  Snyder;  Henry,  who  entered  the  Union 
army  and  died  at  New  hern,  N.  C,  in  1803, 
aged  twenty-one  years  ;  Lydia  E.,  wife  of  Cyrus 
J.  Snyder;  Amos  J>.  ;  Kev.  Alpha  K.,  who 
graduated  from  Franklin  and  Marshall  college 
and  is  a  minister  in  the  Reformed  church,  and 
Jacob,  who  died  in  infancy.  iMrs.  Kline  was  an 
energetic  and  intelligent  woman,  with  her  mind 
unimpaired  to  the  time  of  her  death.  With 
rare  tact,  good  judgment  and  the  exercise  of  the 
Christian  virtues  she  reared  her  family  well, 
always  commanding  their  love.  She  died  March 
11,   IS^O,  in    the    eighty-seventh    year  of   her 

Amos  B.  Kline  was  born  near  the  historic 
village  of  Bourjuet,  in  Penn  township,  ^Vcst- 
niin-cland  county,  I'a.,  April  ID,  liSi;],  and  is  a 
son  of  John  and  I'^lizaiii'th  (KiKippcnbergcr) 
Kline.  lie  received  a  liberal  coiiiiuou  school 
and  academic  education.  In  September,  ISOli, 
lie  volunteered  in  Co.  C.  twenty-second  reg.  Pa. 
militia,  which  saw  several  weeks  of  service  on 
the  southern  borders  of  the  State.  Leaving 
school,  he  tauglit  several  terms  of  public  school. 
During  IHiii")  and  18ll(i  he  was  8ii|)erintendcnt 
of  the  (yiirUiw  and  Iliglilaiul  Oil  companies,  two 
organizations  operating  at  Hurning  Springs,  \V. 
A'^a.,  after  wliicli  to  further  prepare  himself  to 
follow  some  business  pursuit  he  entered  East- 
man's Business  college,  Poughkeepsic,  N.  Y., 
from  which  lie  graduated  in  the  spring  of  18li7. 
lie  then  embarked  in  the  drug  and  grocery 
business  at  Irwin,  which  he  quit  two  years  later 
to  accept  the  position  of  assistant  superintendent 
and  bookkeeper  with  John  S.  Love,  of  Pitts- 
burg, who  was  then  constructing  the  Cove  rail- 
road from  Ilollidaysbiirg.  In  October,  1873, 
lie  became  a  partner  with  liis  brother.  Dr.  W.  J. 


K.  Kline,  in  the  publication  of  the  Westmore- 
land  Democrat  and  liepuUican.  They  enlarged 
the  paper,  changed  the  name  to  Wcxhiiorvldud 
Driitiicral  and  iimdii  it  a  live  and  iniporlniit 
weekly,  taking  a  leading  part  in  politics  and 
ably  discussing  the  issues  of  the  day.  Mr. 
Kline  took  part  in  the  editorial  work  and  was 
general  manager  until  the  fall  of  1882,  when 
they  sold  the  paper.  They  then  purchased  a 
large  coal  field  in  the  vicinity  of  Pleasant  Unity, 
which  they  sold  to  William  Thaw,  of  Pitts- 
burg. They  afterwards  bought  fifteen  hundred 
acres  of  gas-coal  lands  in  Manor  valley,  and 
were  instrumental  in  the  building  of  the  Manor 
A^alley  railroad  and  organizing  the  Manor  Gas 
Coal  company,  in  which  they  held  an  interest 
until  188(j.  Since  1x86  Mr.  Kline  lias  been 
dealing  in  real  estate  in  Westmoreland  and 
Allegheny  counties.  During  1889  he  and  his 
brother.  Dr.  Kline,  bought  several  tracts  of 
land  and  laid  out  West  Wilinerding,  an  addition 
to  Wilinerding,  in  the  latter  county,  on  the  lino 
of  the  P.  K.  B.  This  addition  is  fast  building 
11))  into  an  enter])rising  city.  AmosB.  Kline  is 
still  a  dealer  in  coal  lands,  holding  interest  in 
sevenil  valualjle  tracts  besides  town  projierty. 

lie  united,  on  September  17,  18811,  in  mar- 
riage with  Elizabeth  B.  Kays,  daughter  of  D. 
S.  Kays,  of  Pittsburg. 

Ill  politics  Mr.  Kline  is  an  unswerving  demo- 
crat. In  ri'ligioii  he  is  a  nieiiiber  of  the  Be- 
foniied  churcli  and  during  1888  and  18>S!I  aided 
with  his  time  as  chairman  of  the  building  com- 
mittee, and  his  means  in  the  erection  of  the  new 
church,  known  as  Denmark  Manor  Reformed 
church,  which  ranks  among  the  most  handsome 
country  churches  in  western  Pennsylvania.  The 
rapid  and  unprecedented  growth  of  AVestmore- 
land  county  and  her  score  of  busy  and  prosper- 
ous towns  has  quickened  into  wonderful  activity 
the  business  of  her  real  estate  dealers.  Among 
these  is  Mr.  Kline,  whose  energy,  wide-awake 
spirit  and  experience  has  enableil  him  to  reap 
success  in  that  line  of  business  as  well  as  in  all 


118 


BIOORAPUIES  OF 


other  commercial   eiitcrpri.ses  in   -wliicli   he  has 
been  interested. 


.EUKCE  EDWARD  KUIINS,  a  hiight 
young  attorney  of  Greeusbiirg,  was  born 
^  January  2,  1859  at  Crestline,  Ohio,  and 
is  a  son  of  II.  Byers  and  Harriet  L.  (Moritz) 
Kuhns.  Bernard  Kuhns  was  of  German  de- 
scent and  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Northamp- 
ton county.  Prior  to  17S0  his  son  Philip 
Kuhns  settled  near  Greensburg  and  was  elected 
sheriff  of  Westmoreland  county  in  1798,  and 
died  March  28,  1823.  He  married  Eliza, 
youngest  daughter  of  Dr.  David  Marchand,  by 
whom  he  liad  eight  children,  one  of  whom  was 
Joseph  II.  Kuhns  (grandfather)  born  in  Sep- 
tember, 1800,  and  graduated  from  \Vashington 
college  in  1820.  He  was  admitted  tn  the  bar  in 
1823,  having  read  law  with  Major  John  P. 
Alexander,  whose  sister  afterwards  became  his 
wife.  After  practicing  law  successfidly  for  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  was  elected  in 
1850  by  the  Whig  party  to  Congress  from  the 
district  at  that  time  composed  of  Westmoreland, 
Somerset,  Indiana  and  Fulton  counties.  Prefer- 
ring his  profession  to  public  life  he  declined  a  re- 
election and  returned  to  ])rivate  life.  He  was 
first  married  in  1825  to  Margaret  .\.lexander,  of 
Carlisle,  Pa.,  by  whom  he  had  eight  children, 
one  of  whom  was  H.  Byers  Kuhns,  who  was  born 
in  Greensburg,  Pa.,  graduated  from  Washington 
and  Jefl'erson  college  and  admitted  to  the  bar  of 
AVestmoreland  county  in  February,  1849.  II. 
Byers  Kuhns  was  a  soldier  in  the  Mexican  war 
and  served  throughout  the  contest.  He  entered 
as  third  sergeant  but  was  promoted  to  second 
lieutenant,  being  commissioned  by  President 
Polk.  During  the  entiie  civil  war  he  was  with 
Gen.  Coulter,  seiviiig  in  the  adjutant  general's 
oilice.  lie  was  a  good  niathcnuitician  and  an 
excellent  writer.  He  was  married  to  Harriet  L. 
Moritz,  by  wlmm  he  hud  three  children  :  Julin 
A.,  manager  of  the  Fnrt  Wayne  ( Indiana)  iron 


works,  who  is  married  to  Adele  Bond  of  that 
city ;  Margerie,  who  died  in  1880  at  the  age  of 
twenty-five,  and  George  Edward. 

George  E.  Kuhns  prepared  for  college  in  the 
public  schools  of  Greensburg  and  in  1878 
entered  the  freshman  class  at  Washington  and 
Jefferson  college  from  which  he  graduated  in 
1882,  being  tlie  third  of  the  family  that  has 
claimed  that  institution  as  alma  mater.  He  read 
law  Avith  his  father  and  was  admitted  to  the  liar 
in  1885,  since  which  time  he  has  been  successfully 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession. 
George  E.  Kuhns  is  an  active  democrat,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Sons  of  Veterans,  a  printer  by  trade, 
which  he  learned  in  his  younger  days. 


ANIEL  KUNKLE,  one  of  the  substantial 

^  '  and  successful  business  men  of  Greens- 
burg, is  a  son  of  Major  Michael  and  Mary 
Mechling  Kunkle  and  was  born  one  mile  north 
of  Greensburg,  Hempfield  township,  Westmore- 
land county,  Pa.,  February  It!,  183(J.  Daniel 
Kunkle  is  of  German  descent.  His  father, 
Major  Michael  Kunkle,  was  born  near  New 
Alexandria,  this  county,  and  was  a  prosperous 
fanner.  He  was  a  democrat,  an  active  member 
of  the  German  Reformed  church,  and  major  in  a 
military  regiment  of  Westmoreland  county.  His 
wife  was  Mary  Mechling,  by  whom  he  had  five 
sons,  of  whom  three  are  living :  Amos,  who  re- 
sides on  the  home  farm  ;  Michael  lives  near  Jack- 
sonville, Mich.,  and  Daniel.  Mrs.  Kunkle  was 
a  daughter  of  Jonas  Mechling,  a  descendant  of 
one  of  the  early  settled  families  of  the  county. 
Daniel  Kunkle  was  reared  on  a  farm,  where  he 
was  thoroughly  trained  to  farm  work  and  taught 
to  be  industrious,  honest  and  economical.  His 
education  was  I'cceived  in  the  common  schools  of 
his  native  county.  He  left  the  farm  and  the 
school-room  to  enter  into  business  at  Greens- 
burg. He  was  successfully  as  well  as  actively 
engaged  in  the  lumber  business  and  operated  a 
jdaniiig  mill.      Since   1881   ho  has  devoted  his 


WKSTMURELA  SD   CO  USTY. 


time  to  superintending  his  fine  farm  adjoining 
Groensburg  and  in  looking  after  his  extensive 
and  valuable  town  projierty. 

On  Oitolier  IS,  IS,')H,  ho  married  Uebeeca 
Smith,  daugiiter  of  Kdward  Smith,  of  Lalrobe, 
I'a.  She  died  and  left  two  sons :  Harry,  born 
July  15,  18o'J,  married  Vernie  Blair,  of  Ashta- 
bula, Ohio,  and  William,  born  January  18,  18lJl, 
and  married  September,  1803,  to  Alice  Wilson, 
of  the  last  named  place.  Harry  and  William 
Kunkle  are  thrifty,  energetic  and  prosperous 
citizens  of  Ashtabula,  which  is  situated  on  Lake 
Erie  in  northern  Ohio.  They  are  engaged  in 
the  lumber  business  and  have  several  tug-boats 
^vhich  bring  in  and  take  out  of  Ashtabula  harbor 
all  the  boats  and  other  lake  craft  that  frc<[uent 
that  i)ort.  On  October  23,  1884,  Daniel  Kun- 
kle married  for  his  second  wife  Wary  Gault, 
daughter  of  Samuel  Gault,  by  whom  he  had  one 
child:   Eilna,  born  "  Independence  Day,  "  1SS7. 

Daniel  Kunkle  is  a  republican  but  has  taken 
no  active  part  in  political  matters  of  late  years, 
and  never  had  much  time  or  inclination  for 
politics.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  and  has  been  throughout  his  life  a 
straightforward  and  thorough  going  man.  He  is 
eminently  a  self-made  man  and  by  his  earnest 
■will  and  untiring  industry  has  accumulated  con- 
siderable wealth.  He  is  a  good  citizen  and  a 
successful  business  man. 


'ARRISON  TERRY  LAIRD  is  the 
youngest  son  of  Rev.  Francis  and  Mary 
V»)  (Moore)  Laird,  and  is  of  Scotch-Irish  and 
English  descent  on  the  remote  paternal  side. 
His  great-grandfather,  John  Laird,  was  the  son 
of  a  gentleman  of  county  Donegal,  Ireland,  who 
married  an  English  lady,  and  owned  in  per- 
petuity a  farm  of  ninety  acres  which  is  still  in 
the  Laird  name.  John  Laird  married  in  Ireland 
a  lady  named  Martlia  Russell,  and  emigrated 
with  her  to  America  about  1760,  and  settled  in 
York,  now  Adams  county,  Pa.,  in  the  manor  of 


Mask.  He  there  reared  a  family,  of  which  one 
was  ^Villlam  Laird,  his  youngest  son  and  the  . 
grandfather  of  11.  I'.  Laird.  William  l.aird 
inherited  his  father's  farm  in  Adams  county, 
married  Jane  McClurc,  and  became  the  father 
of  several  children,  the  youngest  of  whom  was 
Rev.  Francis  Laird,  D.  D.,  who  was  educated 
at  Dickinson  college,  Carlisle,  Pa.  He  came  to 
Westmoreland  county,  was  installed  over  the 
churches  of  Poke  run,  in  this  county,  and  Plum 
creek,  in  Allegheny  county,  and  continued  to 
preach  till  1854.  He  was  a  man  of  unusual 
ability,  a  fine  classical  scholar  and  an  excellent 
mathematician.  lie  was  an  able  theologian  and 
a  highly  est(*med  minister.  He  was  clear  in 
thought  and  faultless  in  exprosion,  and  in 
recognition  of  his  ability  and  learning,  W  ash- 
ington  college  conferred  upon  him,  unsought, 
the  doctorate  of  divinity.  He  married  Mary, 
daughter  of  Hon.  John  Moore,  who  was  the  first 
president  judge  of  Westmoreland  county,  and 
who  also  was  a  member  of  the  first  Constitutional 
Convention  of  Pennsylvania  and  a  State  senator 
prior  to  1790. 

Rev.  and  Mrs.  Laird  were  the  parents  of 
several  children,  Harrison  P.  being  their  y(jung- 
est  son.  He  received  his  early  education  under 
Jeremiah  0' Donovan,  a  superior  teacher  of  his 
day,  and  Rev.  David  Kirkpatrick,  D.  D.,  a  fine 
classical  scholar.  He  then  entered  Jefferson 
college,  Washington  county,  Pa.,  from  which  he 
was  graduated.  After  graduation  he  assumed 
charge  of  Madison  academy,  Ky.,  for  one  year 
and  then  entered  Transylvania  university,  at 
that  time  the  most  renowned  institution  in  the 
great  valley  of  the  Ohio,  and  took  courses  of 
lectures  for  a  year.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he 
returned  to  Pennsylvania,  read  law  with  Hon. 
Charles  Shalerof  Pittsburg,  was  admitted  to  the 
Allegheny  county  bar,  and  immediately  after 
admission  located  in  Greensburg,  where  he  is 
still  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession. 

Shortly  after  his  arrival  at  Greensburg,  H.  P. 
Ijaird  was  elected   to   the   State   Le;;islature  for 


JUOGHAI'lIIICS   OF 


tlircu  ti'iiiis  ill  .siicii^ssiuli,  iilid  us  clininunii  (if 
tliu  bank  coiiuuiUeL',  lie  drew  up  the  bunking 
liuv  of  IV'niisylvaiiia  of  I.STjO.  In  ISSO  lie  was 
cU'ctfil  to  iliu  Stato  sciiale  iVoui  tlio  lliirty-nintli 
senatorial  district,  liien  consisting  of  Wcstniore- 
laiul  county,  ami  served  for  four  yeais  in  that 
body  witli  fidelity  to  liis  constituents  and  credit 
to  liiniseif 


•jr.VMKS  yi.  LAIRD,  one  of  tlie  editors  of 
I  the  Pennsylvania  Argus,  is  a  uieiubcr  of 
(2/  an  old  and  most  highly  respected  family  of 
the  county ;  he  was  born  December  13,  1837, 
in  Murrysville,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  and 
is  a  son  of  John  M.  and  Rebecca  (Moore)  Laird. 
The  Lairds  are  of  Scotch-Irish  and  English  ex- 
traction. One  of  the  ancestors,  John  Laird, 
\vas  a  resident  of  County  Donegal,  Ireland, 
whose  farm  is  still  in  the  Laird  name.  John 
Laird  (great-great-grandfather)  married  in  Ire- 
land a  lady  named  Martha  Russell,  and  with  her 
emigrated  to  America,  settling  in  York  county, 
afterwards  in  Adams  county.  Pa., where  he  reared 
a  family  of  which  the  youngest  son  ^Villiam 
Laird  (great-grandfather),  who  married  Jane 
McClure.  Francis  Laird,  the  youngest  sou  of 
this  marriage  (and  the  grandfather  of  James  M. 
Laird),  was  a  Presbyterian  minister  and  began 
his  clerical  career  about  1800  in  Westmoreland 
county.  He  marrieil  Mary  jMoore,  whose  father, 
Hon.  John  Moore,  was  the  first  president  ju<lge 
of  W'esimorelaud  county  and  also  a  State  sena- 
tor. The  eldest  of  the  sons  of  Rev.  Francis 
Laird  was  John  M.  Laird,  father  of  James  M., 
■who  died  January  25,  18S7.  lie  was  editor  of 
the  Arc/us  from  1850  to  the  time  of  his  death, 
and  succeedeil  in  making  it  one  of  the  leading 
weekly  pajiersof  the  State.  John  M.  Laird  was 
a  democrat  of  the  old  school  and  was  a  vigorous 
champion  of  the  principles  of  the  party  to  which 
he  belonged.  He  was  a  man  of  very  decided  and 
positive  views  on  all  <i[Uestions  and  fearless  in 
the  e.xiiression.      Duriii'^   the   civil   war  lie  was 


persecuted  beyond  endurance  by  rea.soii  of  his 
convictions,  and  many  times  was  his  life  threat- 
ened and  his  ollice  besiegeii  by  mobs,  but  he 
boldly  and  bravely  bid  delianco  to  all  attempts 
against  his  [leison  or  property.  He  was  elected 
and  served  one  term  as  register  and  recorder, 
and  was  for  many  years  a  justice  of  the  peace, 
both  ill  Minrysville  and  Greensburg;  while 
serving  in  the  latter  place  he  was  coroner  by 
common  consent,  no  coroner  being  elected  dur- 
ing his  term  as  justice.  Although  able  and 
deserving  he  never  aspired  to  State  or  national 
positions.  He  was  a  friend  and  intimately  ac- 
quainted with  James  Buchanan,  Thaddeus  Ste- 
phens and  the  leading  characters  of  that  day. 
Edwin  M.  Stanton  learned  the  printer's  trade 
with  him  while  he  was  editor  of  the  Steubenville 
(Ohio)  Gazette.  lathe  "  Buckshot  war  "  Mr. 
Laird  was  a  private,  taking  his  own  arms  with 
him.  He  Avas  first  married  to  Mary  Martin  of 
the  State  of  Ohio,  by  whom  he  had  one  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  George  W.  Ilankey,  of  Franklin 
township,  this  county.  After  her  death  he  mar- 
ried Rebecca,  a  daughter  of  James  Moore,  of 
near  New  Alexandria,  who  died  in  1875,  and 
who  bore  him  four  children  :  James  M.  Laird 
and  Francis  V.  B.  Laird,  the  present  editors  of 
the  Argus ;  Kate  R.,  and  William,  who  died  in 
187G. 

James  M.  Laird  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  and  in  the  printing  office,  where  he  has 
spent  liis  life.  He  and  his  brother  are  editors 
and  proprietors  of  the  Argus,  a  weekly  demo- 
cratic jiaper,  which  is  one  of  the  most  widely- 
known  and  quoted  journals  in  the  State.  He 
with  others  organized  the  ''  Arthur  St.  Clair 
Guards,"  known  as  Co.  I,  tenth  reg.,  N.  G.  P., 
and  was  elected  captain  December  31,  1878, 
Avhich  position  he  held  more  than  four  years, 
when  he  was  elected  major  of  the  tenth  reg.,  N. 
G.  P.  He  held  that  position  until  the  captaincy 
of  Co.  I  became  vacant,  when  lie  resigned  to  ac- 
cept his  former  position,  that  of  captain  of  his 
old   coinmaud,    in   which   capacity   he   remained 


0;1 


WESTMORELAND   COUNTY. 


until  June  10,  1888,  when  he  resigned.  lie 
■was  also  orderly  sergeant  of  Co.  C,  in  the  fifty- 
fourth  reg.,  Vol.  militia  (in  tlic  U.  S.  service), 
whicli  went  out  in  July,  l!^(J;i,  to  I'epel  or  cap- 
ture •*  Morgan,  the  confederate  raider."  'I'lie 
capture  of  this  noted  guerilla  chieftain  was 
cflected  while  raiding  througii  Ohio,  and  is  a 
part  of  tiie  history  of  the  great  Rebellion.  Mr. 
Laird  is  an  uncompromising  democrat,  a  fear- 
less and  forcible  writer  and  a  man  of  much 
ability  and  practical  experience. 

James  M.  liuird  was  united  in  marriage 
April  13,  186;'),  with  Sarah  B.  Fulhvood,  then 
a  resident  of  Pittsburg,  and  who  was  a  daughter 
of  Gen.  David  Fulhvood,  in  his  time  a  prominent 
man  in  this  county,  having  held  various  ofilces, 
among  others  those  of  sheriff  and  prothonotary, 
and  who  was  collector  of  the  Pennsylvania  canal 
at  the  port  of  Jdhnstown.  James  M.  and  Mrs. 
Laird  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  two  of 
whom  are  living  :  Maggie  F.,  born  October  9, 
18GG,  who  is  the  wife  of  William  J.  Coshey,  of 
Greensburg  ;  and  John  F.  Laird,  born  Decem- 
ber 18,  18(J7,  who  is  engaged  in  the  plumbing 
business. 

James  M.  Lainl  is  a  public-spirited,  wide- 
awake citizen,  a  man  of  generous  impulses,  a 
firm  and  constant  friend,  whose  courage,  honor 
and  integrity  are  beyond  question. 


•OX.  JOHN  LATTA,  of  Scotch-Irish 
decent,  an  able  member  of  the  Westinore- 
(i)  land  county  bar,  and  one  of  the  best-known 
citizens  of  the  county,  was  born  March  '2,  183(3, 
in  Unity  township,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  on 
the  old  Latta  farm.  His  grandfather  was  John 
Latta,  who,  with  his  brother  Moses,  came  from 
eastern  Pennsylvania  and  settled  in  Mt.  Pleas- 
ant township,  where  the  Mammoth  Coke  works 
are  now  locateil ;  he  married  a  Miss  Storey,  of 
New  Jersey,  by  whom  be  had  four  cliildren. 
Moses  Latta  (father),  the  second  of  these  chil- 
dren, was  born   in    ]\lt.    i'ieasant   township,  six- 


miles  north  of  the  borough  of  Mt.  Pleasant,  in 
1790,  and  in  early  life  removed  to  Unity  town- 
ship where  he  successfully  carried  on  farming 
until  his  death,  which  occured  February,  1848. 
During  the  war  of  1812  he  enlisted  in  the  com- 
pany commanded  by  Capt.  Iteynohls,  but  before 
the  company  reached  the  seat  of  war,  Jackson's 
victory  at  New  Orleans  had  caused  Great  Britain 
to  sign  a  treaty  of  peace,  and  the  troo[)S  returned 
home.  Mr.  Latta  was  married  to  Eliza,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Robert  Graham,  who  was  a  native  of 
Greensburg,  and  a  horse  dealer  by  occupation, 
and  to  their  union  was  born  two  children  :  Mary 
Jane,  married  to  George  R.  Ilugus,  who  resides 
on  the  old  Latta  homestead,  and  John,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch. 

Hon.  John  Latta  received  his  education  in  the 
country  schools  and  at  Sewickley  'and  Elder's 
Ridge  academies,  in  which  he  spent  about  five 
years.  In  1857  he  entered  the  law  department 
of  Yale  college,  graduated  from  that  institution  in 
1859,  and  in  November  of  that  year  was  admit- 
ied  to  the  bar  of  Westmoreland  county,  since 
which  he  has  been  almost  continuously  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  In  1863  he 
was  the  choice  of  his  native  county  for  State 
senator,  was  also  endorsed  by  Fayette  county 
which  was  then  a  part  of  the  district,  and  was 
elected.  Afterward,  in  the  Indiana  and  West- 
moreland legislative  district,  Mr.  Latta  was  the 
democratic  nominee,  but  the  district  being 
strongly  republican,  he  was  defeated.  In  1871 
and  1872  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  and 
served  two  terms  with  fidelity  to  his  constituents 
and  credit  to  himself.  In  1874  he  was  nomina- 
ted and  elected  Lieutenant-Governor  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, serving  in  that  office  from  January  19, 
1875,  to  January  21,  1879  ;  he  led  the  State 
ticket  in  that  election,  his  majority  being  over 
four  thousand.  As  the  office  of  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor was  created  by  the  "  New  Constitution," 
which  went  into  eflect  January  1,  1874,  Mr. 
Latta  was  the  first  man  elected  to  the  position. 
At   the  ex])iration   of  his   term    Gov.    Latta  re- 


122 


niOORAPHlES  OF 


turiu'd  to  Giccnsbiirg  and  rL'suinoil  tlie  practice 
of  law.  In  188G  ho  was  nominated  for  Congress 
by  tlie  conference  of  the  district  coinjjosed  of  tlie 
counties  of  Westiiiorehind,  Fayette  and  (ireeiie. 
Another  conference  had  iiuniiaated  (iilheit  T. 
Kafferty,  and  the  two  nominees  referreil  the  mat- 
ter to  the  State  executive  committee,  which 
decided  in  favor  of  Mr.  Rafferty,  a  resident  of 
Allegheny  county,  who  was  overwheluiingly 
defeated  at  tiie  general  election. 

Gov.  Latta  attends  the  Episcopal  church,  in 
which  he  was  for  yeais  a  vestryman  ;  is  a  mem- 
ber of  tiie  A.  0.  U.  W.,  a  Mason  and  a  Knight 
Templar  and  Royal  Arch  Mason. 

Hon.  John  Latta  was  married  September  12, 
1855,  to  Ennna  A.  Hope,  a  daughter  of  0.  C. 
Hope,  of  Uniontow'n,  and  a  sister  of  W.  H. 
Hope,  a  land  speculator  of  the  city  of  Mexico. 
Of  their  four  children  three  are  living:  Outli- 
bert  H.,  born  September  7,  ISGG,  now  contract- 
ing agent  for  the  Chicago  &  North  Western 
railway,  and  located  at  I'hiladclphia ;  Mary 
Maude,  born  March  17,  18G8,  wiio  is  the  wife 
of  W.  E.  Ryan,  city  passenger  agent  of  the 
Mexican  Central  railroad,  wdio  resides  in  the 
city  of  Mexico,  and  Isabel  G.,  born  Fehiuary  17, 
1875.  His  first  wife  having  died  in  187(), 
Gov.  Tiatta,  on  l)eccmiicr  "-'5,  1877,  was  married 
to  Rose  Mc(_;iellaM,  a  daughter  of  K.  I!.  McClel- 
lan,  of  Ludwick  borough,  and  the  fruits  of  this 
union  are  five  children,  all  living:  Rose,  born 
December  21,  187!'  ;  Marie  Josepiiine,  .lidy  "_';!, 
1S8I;  dolin.  May  15,  I88:i;  I'oll.-ird,  daiiuury 
15,  1885,  and  Saraii  Marguerite,  (Jctoher  IS, 
188G. 

(iov.  Tjatta  is  preemiMcntly  a  man  of  tiie  jieo- 
ple,  and  lias  ever  raised  his  voice  in  behalf  of  the 
poor  and  the  oppressed.  He  is  a  logical  reason- 
er,  an  eloquent  speaker  and  a  vigorous  champion 
of  all  measures  tending  to  advance  tlie  iiitt'ivsts 
of  his  coiiiid'y,  or  hciu'rit  the  great  mass  cd'  our 
people,  believing  that  in  all  guveliiliu'lits,  but 
especially  in  a  democracy,  every  man,  whether 
in  public   or  private  life,  should    labor   strenu- 


ously to  secure  "  the  greatest  good  to  the  great- 
est number." 


•|*  E.  LAUFFER,  the  present  edicient  and 
I  faithful  district  attorney  of  Westmoreland 
y  county,  and  a  popular  and  genial  young 
lawyer  and  politician  of  Greensburg,  is  a 
son  of  Joseph  and  Esther  (Rerlin)  Lauft'er,  and 
was  born  near  Miirrysville,  Westmoreland 
county,  I'a.,  June  '-i,  18G1.  The  Lauftcrs  of 
this  county  trace  their  ancestry  back  to  John 
Laufler  (grandfather),  who  was  born  in  Allen- 
town,  Lehigh  county,  Pa.,  and  came  to  AVest- 
moreland  county  about  seventy-five  years  ago. 
He  settled  in  Franklin  township,  where  he 
owned  and  operated  a  tlax-seed  oil  mill  in  con- 
nection with  his  farming  interests.  He  was  an 
industrious  farmer,  a  correct  and  honest  business 
man  and  an  earnest  democrat  in  politics.  He 
was  married  in  Philadelphia  to  Elizabeth  Andre, 
who  was  born  near  that  great  city.  They  reared 
a  family  of  several  children,  and  after  Mr. 
Laufl'er's  death  his  sons  operated  the  mill  and 
conducted  the  farm  for  several  years  before  any 
division  of  the  estate  was  made.  One  of  the 
sons  is  Jose])]!  Laiilfer  (father),  who  was  born  in 
18;!;5  near  Miirrysville.  He  has  always  been  a 
farmer,  has  never  aspired  to  any  county  olfice, 
yet  has  served  for  many  years  as  a  member  of 
the  school  board  of  his  townshifi.  He  is  an 
elder  in  the  E\aiigelical  Lutheran  church.  He 
niarricil  E.stlier  Herliu,  who  was  born  in  183-1. 
They  have  seven  children,  one  son  and  six 
daughters.  Mrs.  Laulfer  is  a  daughter  of  Col. 
Eli  and  Sarah  (Anient)  Rerlin.  Col.  Rerlin 
was  the  youngest  son  of  Jacob  and  Eva  ((Jar- 
baugh)  Berlin,  who  settled  in  Franklin  township 
in  17U5,  near  an  uncle,  Jacob  Berlin,  w  lio  had 
locatiMl  in  the  township  about  1775. 

1.  F/.  LaiilVer  received  his  education  in  Bel- 
mont academy  and  Laird  institute.  Leaving 
school  he  was  engaged  for  live  years  in  teach- 
ing.     He  taught  five  winter   terms   of  common 


|||-«WJ      MitHW    ttvll    }ii}f,l 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY, 


123 


scliool  and  five  spring  and  siiminer  terms  of 
normal  or  academic  scliool.  Three  years  of  this 
time  he  taught  at  Greensburg.  lie  read  law 
and  was  admitted  to  the  ^Vestnloreland  county 
bar  in  1885.  lie  was  unanimously  nominated 
by  bis  party,  the  democrats,  for  district  attorney 
in  1889  and  was  elected.  On  January  1,  1890, 
he  qualified  as  district  attorney,  and  has  been 
serving  with  credit  in  that  responsible  and  im- 
portant oflice  ever  since.  Mr.  Lauft'er  is  a  logi- 
cal reasoner  and  a  forcible  speaker.  lie  manages 
his  cases  with  good  tact  and  judgment  and  is  a 
convincing  pleader  before  a  jury.  He  is  intelli- 
gent and  well  read,  active  and  energetic,  and 
has  made  good  use  of  his  time  and  opportunities. 
lie  is  a  scholai-ly  gentleman,  a  successful  lawyer, 
and  iiiis  the  promise  of  a  bright  future  before 
him  in  the  field  of  his  chosen  profession. 


f^  EV.  I'IRMIN  LEVER.MAN,  0.  S.  B., 
an  accompli.slied  ami  scholarly  gentle- 
man and  the  present  pastor  of  the 
Catholic  church  of  the  Most  Holy  Sac- 
rament, at  Greensburg,  was  Ijorn  February  I'J, 
18'J9,  in  the  famous  city  of  Strasburg,  province 
Alsace-Lorraine,  Germany  (then  France).  He 
received  his  education  principally  in  Montreal 
and  Toronto,  Canada.  He  was  engaged  for 
many  years  in  missionary  work  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, Illinois  and  Kansas,  but  the  "  Keystone 
State"  was  the  principal  field  of  his  labor  and 
to  which  he  devoted  the  most  of  his  time.  On 
October  1,  1889,  he  succeeded  Rev.  Father 
Agatho,  0.  S.  B.,  as  pastor  of  the  Greensburg 
Catholic  congregation.  Diocese  of  Pittsburg. 
This  congregation  has  constantly  increased  in 
numbers  and  prosperity  with  the  growth  of  the 
town. 

The  history  of  the  Catholic  church  of  the 
Most  Holy  Sacrament,  at  Greensburg,  is  a  most 
interesting  one.  In  1787  and  1788  si.K  German 
catholics  came  with  their  families  to  Unity 
township,  this  county.   They  were  John  Projist, 


John  Jung,  Patrick  Archibald,  Simon  Iluffner, 
Christian  RulVner  and  George  Rufl'ner.  Tiiese 
pioneers  in  March,  1789,  purchased  an  acre  of 
ground  on  what  is  now  North  Main  street, 
Greensburg.  They,  a-s  trustees  of  the  Catholic 
congregation  of  Greensburg,  bought  this  lot  of 
ground  from  Philip  Freeman  for  the  sum  of  five 
shillings,  ''  good  and  lawful  money  of  Pennsyl- 
vania." Upon  this  land  they  laid  out  a  grave- 
yard and  proceeded  to  erect  a  church,  which  was 
a  primitive  structure  of  round  logs.  It  was 
never  completed  and  was  torn  down  in  1800. 
In  1845  a  brick  church  was  erected  and  used 
until  1887,  when  the  congregation  became  too 
large  for  its  seating  ca})acity.  In  that  year, 
June  28,  the  foundations  of  the  present  beauti- 
ful aud  commodious  edifice  were  laid  by  Rt. 
Rev.  Richard  Phelan.  It  is  a  fine  specimen  of 
architectural  skill,  was  erected  at  a  c-it  of 
$15,000  to  §20,000,  and  is  one  of  the  handsom- 
est churches  of  Greensburg.  The  old  parsonage, 
built  in  1854  by  Rev.  Augustine  Wirth,  0.  S. 
B.,  was  suijcrseded  by  the  present  handsome 
brick  [larsonage,  which  was  erected  by  Rev.  P. 
Agatho,  0.  S.  B.  A  few  years  ago  the  trustees 
sold  the  north  half  of  their  five-shilling  lot  to 
Col.  George  F.  Huff"  for  §15,000.  This  money 
was  expended  in  the  erection  of  the  present 
church.  This  congregatioii  in  the  first  century 
of  their  existence  has  grown  from  five  to  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five  families.  In  June, 
1789,  Rev.  John  Bpt.  Causey  held  the  second 
celebration  of  holy  mass  west  of  the  Alleghenies 
at  John  Proj^st's  house,  ten  miles  east  of 
Greensburg,  for  this  congregation.  Their  pas- 
tors have  been,  from  1789  to  1890  as  follows: 
Supplied  by  St.  Vincent  Church  until  1849; 
Rev.  William  Pollard,  1849  to  1853  ;  Augustine 
Wirth,  O.  S.  B.,  1853  to  1856  ;  Luke  Wim- 
mer,  0.  S.  B.,  1850  to  1859;  Placidus  Pils,  0. 
S.  B.,  1359  to  1861 ;  Utho  Huber,  0.  S.  B., 
1861  to  1863;  Leander  Schnerr,  0.  S.  B., 
1863-64;  Otto  Kopt,  0.  S.  B.,  1864  to  1871  ; 
Placidus  Pils,  1871  to  1875;  Augustine  Wirth, 


)il    OQfit 


uiocnAfiiiis  OF 


(>.    S.    It.,     I^TTi    1(1     I'^Hl  ;    AximimHiiiM     Miii- 

toiiiu'li,  o.  s.  U.,  issi  to  \><^:\\  I'.  A^'iitlio,  iss;i 

to  ISS'.I,  ;iiul  Iniiii  Octdlirr,  lHSi»,  to  tlio  i.ix'.scnt 
tiiiu!  llic  (•ciiij,'ri-;;;iiti(>ii  li;ts  1)C<'U  ulily  scrvcil  l>y 
1(('V.  I'iniiiii  l.cvciiiiiiii,  t).  S.  I!.,  wlio  has 
always  been  iictivi'ly  ami  siicL-cdsliilly  fiij^aguil 
in  church  -work. 


'ENRY  G.  LOMISON,  M.  D.,  a  leading 
physician  of  Westmoreland  county,  is  one 
of  that  distinguished  class  of  men  who 
not  only  deserve  success  but  win  it.     He  was 
born  near    Danville,   Columbia  (now  Montour) 
county,   Pa.,  July   17,   1«31,   and  is   a  son  of 
William  and  Anna  (Fulkerson)  Lomison.     Dr. 
Lomison  is  of  English  extraction  on  his  paternal 
side  and  of  Dutcii  descent  on  the  maternal  side. 
His  immigrant  ancestor,  Lawrence  Lomison,  was 
born   at  Bristol,  England,  and  came  to  Chester 
(then    called    Upland),    Pa.,  on    December    11, 
1682.     In  a  few  years  he  married  a  lady  by  the 
name  of  Von  Kindel,  who  was  a  native  of  Holland. 
They  soon   removed  fnmi   Chester  to  near  Ger- 
mantown.  Pa.,  where  they  reared  a  large  family 
of    children,    all    of    whom    left    Germantown. 
Some  of  them  went  to  Northampton  county.  Pa., 
others   lucateil   near   Trenton,  N.  J.,  ami   l>elvi- 
dere  in  that  State.      A  descendant  of  the  Belvi- 
dere  branch  was  William  Lomison,  the  father  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.     He  was  born  near 
Belvidere  in  1788,  and  died  in  18G2  in   Penn- 
sylvania.     In  ISU  he  married  Anna  Flllker^on, 
\vlio«asborn    in    ITST  and  died    Decemlier    11, 
1850.     She  was  a  daughter  of  Col.  John  Ful- 
kerson, of  Northumberland  county,  Pa.,  who  was 
a  native  of  Holland.     William  and  Anna  Lomi- 
son were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  of  whom 
the  youngest  was  Dr.  H.  G. 

Henry  G.  Lomison  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  in  what  is  now  Montour  county.  Pa.  He 
received  his  education  in  the  common  schools 
and  Danville  academy.  He  taught  school  for 
two  years,  then   read  medicine  with  Dr.  James 


iM.  Slewiirt  of   Indiana   lounly,  ihirt  Stale,  and 
attended    hctures  at   .J.ll'rison    Medical   college, 
Philadelphia,    from    which    institution    he    wa-s 
graduated  March  (!,  1«-V2.      After  graduation  ho 
(■Diiiiiii'MCid    to    practice    at    Sailsburg,    Indiana 
county.    Pa.,    where    he    r<'Miained    mild     18ljt). 
During   the   winter   of   1858    he    attended    the 
course  of  lectures  at  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons,  of  New  York   city,  and   in    the 
succeeding  winter  he  attended  the  medical  lecture 
course  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania       In 
18t)0  he  removed  to  Greensburg   and  followed 
his  profession  until  1869,  when  he  made  an  eight 
months  tour  of  Europe  aiul  visited  the  chief  hos- 
pitals of  England,  France,   Germany,  Switzer- 
land, Austria  and   Italy,  in  which   he   studied 
medicine    and    surgery    as    practiced    in    those 
countries.     Returning  from  his  tour  he  resumed 
his  extensive  practice,  which  he   has  held  and 
continually    increased    ever    since.     In    ]iolitics 
Dr.   Lomison   is  a  democrat,   and   in  1M78  the 
democrats    of  Westmoreland   county    presented 
his  name  as  a  candidate  for  nomination  to  Cun- 
•n-e.ss,  but  another  county  secured  the  nominee. 
Since  then  he  has  peremptorily  refused  to  be  a 
candidate  on    account   of  his    professional   and 
business  interests. 

He  was  married  to  a  Miss  McCausland,  of 
Greensburg,  who  is  now  deceased. 

In  addition  to  the  practice  of  his  profession 
Dr.  Lomison  has  taken  a  great  interest  in  the 
material  prosperity  of  Greensburg,  and  has  been 
a  potential  factor  in  its  progress.  He  built  the 
Ui.xon  house  on  Depot  street,  and  on  West  Ot- 
terman  street  the  Lomison  Opera  House,  which 
is  a  tasteful  and  substantial  structure  with  suffi- 
cient floor  space  to  comfortably  seat  one  thousand 
persons.  His  residence  is  one  of  the  finest  in 
the  county.  It  is  a  graceful  and  splendid  speci- 
men of  modern  architecture.  It  is  a  three-story 
brick  structure  and  fronts  on  West  Otterman 
street.  The  interior  more  than  fulfills  the  ex- 
pectations awakened  by  its  external  attractive- 
ness, and  is  fitted  up  and  furnished  in  modern 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


Style  and  the  best  of  taste.  Dr.  Lomison  owns 
several  liuinlred  acres  of  valuable  farming  and 
uiinoral  lands  in  tlie  county  and  lias  been  very 
euccesaful  in  his  various  business  onterprist^s. 


eYllUS  T.  LONG,  ex-county  surveyor, 
an  accommodating  gentleman  and  one  of 
the  leading  surveyors  of  western  Penn- 
sylvania, was  born  three  miles  north  of  Mount 
Pleasant  in  Mount  Pleasant  township,  West- 
moreland county,  Pennsylvania,  November, 
22,  1840,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and 
Elizabeth  (Tedrow)  Lung.  The  progenitor  of 
the  American  branch  of  the  J^ong  family  was 
Jacob  Long  (grandfother),  who  was  born  in 
AVurtemburg, Germany,  in  1750.  lie  emigrated 
to  America,  served  as  a  teamster  in  the  war  of 
the  Revolution,  and  came  to  Westmoreland 
county  in  1803.  The  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  acres  which  he  purchased  was 
near  Mount  Pleasant.  lie  died  in  1841  at  the 
advanced  age  of  eighty-two  years.  He  had  four 
sons  and  two  daughters,  all  of  whom  are  dead. 
Jacob  Long  (father)  was  born  in  Caernarvon 
township,  Lancaster  county,  Pa.,  November  19, 
IT'.'T,  and  came  with  his  parents  to  this  county 
at  si.\  years  of  age.  lie  was  a  successful  farmer, 
a  republican  in  jiolitical  opinion,  and  a  stanch 
member  of  the  I'^vangelica!  Lutiieran  (.liuich. 
He  was  a  quiet,  unassuming  man,  and  passed 
away  September  20,  1871.  His  wife  was  Eliza- 
beth Tedrow,  youngest  daughter  of  Henry  Ted. 
row,  of  Fayette  county.  Pa.  Tliey  were  the 
})arents  of  two  children  :  Cyrus  T.,  and  Nancy, 
widow  of  AVilliam  G.  Kell. 

Cyrus  T.  Long  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  and  Sewickley  academy,  which 
he  attended  for  two  and  one-half  years,  when  it 
was  under  the  charge  of  Profs.  L.  Y.  Graham 
and  W.  A.  Raub.  i\lr.  Long  made  a  specialty  of 
mathematics  during  his  academic  course,  yet 
made  a  very  creditable  record  in  his  (.Jreek  and 
Latin  studies.     In  1859  he  commenced  to  read 


law  with  Hon.  Henry  D.  Foster,  and  four  years 
later  he  went  to  John.stown,  Pa.,  and  completed 
his  legal  studies  wiiii  his  cousin,  Cyrus  L.  Persh- 
ing, who  is  now  a  judge  in  one  of  the  eastern 
cuiinties  of  lh(!  Stati!.  On  Septc^ndjer  0,  lH(i4, 
lie  was  admitted  to  the  Cambria  county  bar,  and 
in  August,  1805  was  admitted  to  practice  in  the 
courts  of  Westmoreland  county.  He  soon  left 
the  practice  of  the  law  to  devote  his  time  to  sur- 
veying, which  he  had  commenced  in  boyhood. 
He  was  elected  county  surveyor  in  1871  and  re- 
elected in  1874,  anil  for  the  last  si.xteen  years 
has  been  coiitinuimsly  eniployeil  in  surveying 
for  private  parties  and  large  corporations.  He 
is  well  informed,  owns  a  very  fine  library,  and 
is  thoroughly  conversant  with  every  detail  of  his 
profession.  It  is  generally  conceded  that  as  a 
scientific  and  practical  surveyor  he  has  no 
superior  in  the  county  and  but  few  peers  in  this 
part  of  the  State. 

Cyrus  T.  Long,  on  July  8,  1872,  was  united 
in  marriage  with  15arbara  S.  Durstine,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Henry  Durstine,  of  near  Mount  Pleasant. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Long  are  the  parents  of  three 
children :  John  D.,  born  February  12,  1874  ; 
Henry  Durstine,  March  13,  1870  ;  and  Edwin 
C,  April  13,  1878. 

In  politics  jNIr.  Long  is  a  democrat  but  takes 
no  active  jtart  in  political  campaigns.  He  is  a 
member  of  Philanthropy  Lodge,  No.  225,  A. 
Y.  M.  and  of  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Greens- 
buii;. 


"I*  K.  LONG,  one  of  Westmoreland's  prorais- 
1  ing  young  men,  was  burn  about  one  mile 
(i/  south  of  Greensburg,  in  Hempfield  town- 
ship, Westmoreland  County,  Pa.,  October  27, 
1863,  and  is  the  youngest  child  of  Samuel  and 
Mary  (Scepter)  Long.  Samuel  Long  Avas  born 
in  Westmoreland  county,  near  Adamsburg,  in 
1822.  He  learned  the  trade  of  blacksmith,  at 
which  he  labored  successfully  until  1881,  when 
he  purchased  his  present  farm.     For  a  number 


JlIOOIiAPIUES  OF 


of  years  prior  to  roiiioviiig  to  liis  farm  ho  wan 
actively  ciigagod  as  a  coal  iiiercliaiit.  Ho  lias 
always  been  a  proiiounceJ  democrat,  lias  always 
taken  part  in  bringing  about  tlie  success  of  his 
j)arty,  ami  has  worked  "untiringly  in  the  inter- 
ests of  Westmoreland  democracy.  He  is  a  man 
of  decided  convictions,  a  close  observer  of  cur- 
rent events,  a  careful  student  of  the  political 
questions  of  the  day,  and  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Honor.  In  1845  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Mary  Scepter,  daughter  of  Fred. 
Scepter.  They  have  six  children.  Mr.  Long 
is  a  son  of  Nicholas  Long,  who  was  an  old  set- 
tler of  Westmoreland  county. 

J.  K.  Long  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  Ilempfield  township.  He  began 
teaching  in  L881,  taught  eight  consecutive 
terms  in  the  common  schools,  and  in 
January,  1889,  was  appointed  deputy  clerk  by 
James  D.  Best,  clerk  of  the  courts  of  West- 
moreland county.  Mr.  Long  has  so  far  satis- 
factorily discharged  the  duties  of  his  responsible 
and  important  position.  He  is  one  of  the  ear- 
nest, enthusiastic,  progressive  and  active  young 
democrats  of  Westmoreland.  In  December, 
1880,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Ilosella 
Spiegel,  daughter  of  John  Spiegel. 

•jpOHN  A.  MARCHAND.  Of  the  many 
honored  and  honorable  families  of  West- 
moreland county,  none  stand  higher  for 
ability  and  uprightness  of  life  than  the  JMarchand 
family,  jihuited  west  of  the  Alleghenies  in  tlie 
closing  decade  of  the  eighteenth  century  by  Dr. 
David  Marchand,  who  was  an  eminent  physician 
and  surgeon.  Dr.  David  Marchand  was  the 
son  of  a  French  Huguenot  who  settled  in  Lan- 
caster county  when  the  Allegheny  mountains 
were  the  western  confines  of  civilization.  Dr. 
Marchand,  in  1770,  located  six  miles  southwest 
of  Greensburg,  and  soon  acquired  an  extensive 
practice  in  Westmoreland  and  adjoining  counties, 
'riiroughuut  his  life  he  lived  above  reproach  and 


had  high  standing,  which  was  based  upon  his 
merits  as  a  man  and  as  a  citi/.eri.  He  died  July 
2'2,  ISO'J  His  children  were  :  Catharine,  Eliza- 
beth, Susanna  and  Judith,  and  Drs.  Daniel, 
David  and  Louis.  The  mantle  of  the  father's 
medical  knowledge  and  skill  seemed  to  descend 
upon  his  three  sons,  who  became  famous  through- 
out southwestern  Pennsylvania  as  very  success- 
ful physicians.  Hon.  David  l\Lu-chand,  M.D., 
(grandfather)  the  second  son  and  progenitor  of 
the  Greensburg  branch  of  the  Marchand  family, 
was  a  man  of  spotless  reputation,  and  as  a  phy- 
sician he  had  few  equals.  He  rose  rapid) v  to 
prominence  in  the  political  field,  as  well  as  in 
the  profession  of  medicine,  and  was  twice  sent 
to  Congress.  He  married  Catharine  Hoimett 
and  reared  a  family  of  seven  sons  and  two 
daughters :  Dr.  Lewis,  Commodore  John  Don- 
nett  who  was  born  August  27,  1806,  entered  the 
United  States  navy  in  1828,  served  with  dis- 
tinction in  the  Seminole  Indian  and  Mexican 
wars,  was  in  command  of  the  blockade  of 
Charleston,  S.  C,  for  a  time,  served  gallantly 
in  the  memorable  naval  battle  of  Mobile  bay, 
commanded  Philadeljihia  navy  yard  for  several 
years,  was  retired  in  1870  under  "  tlie  operation 
of  a  general  law  which  only  by  a  few  weeks 
deprived  him  of  the  highest  rank  in  his  profes- 
sion," and  died  on  April  Dj,  1875,  at  Carlisle, 
Pa.  ;  Dr.  Tliomas  S.,  Elizabeth  L.,  Lavina, 
Hon.  Albert  G.,  Dr.  George  W.,  David  K., 
who  was  an  editor,  and  Henry  Clay  Marchand, 
one  of  the  most  distinguished  lawyers  of  Western 
Pennsylvania.  Hon.  Albert  Gallatin  Marchand 
was  born  February  2G,  1811,  and  died  February 
5,  1848,  in  the  early  prime  of  manhood.  Ilis 
loss  was  deeply  felt  by  the  community  at  large 
as  well  as  his  personal  friends  and  relatives.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  Greensburg  bar  in  1833, 
and  soon  became  cons])icuous  in  a  corps  of  law- 
yers second  to  none  in  the  State  in  ability  or 
fame.  He  was  soon  called  into  public  life  and 
was  elected  to  Congress  in  1840  by  the  demo- 
crats of  ^Vcstmoreland    and    Indiana    counties. 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


127 


lie  survcil  lii.s  constituents  so  well  tli;it  lie  was 
re-elected  in  IKll',  ami  at  the  eml  (iC  lii.s  secdnil 
tcr^i  ho  uuiilo  ii  record  of  which  his  county  was 
justly  prouil.  lie  was  a  noble  specimen  of  an 
honest  man,  ami  lil^e  his  father  hefoi'e  him  was 
trusted  for  his  calm  discriminating  judgment 
and  thorough  coiisciuntiousness. 

John  A.  Murchaud  received  his  literary  edu- 
cation in  Greenshurg  academy  and  Washington 
college.  In  18G2  he  was  registered  as  a  law 
stiuieut  with  his  uncle,  II.  C.  Marchand,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  Westmoreland  cjunty  bar  at 
the  May  term  of  1804.  During  18U4  he  was 
admitted  to  partnership  with  his  uncle,  under 
the  firm  name  of  II.  C.  k  J.  A.  Marehand,  and 
this  law  firm  continued  until  the  death  of  11.  C. 
Marehand,  January  16,  1882.  Mr.  Marehand 
then  continued  in  the  practice  of  his  profession 
until  February  8,  188U,  when  he  a<lmitted  Paul 
II.  Gaither  into  partnership  with  him,  under  tiie 
firm  name  of  Marehand  ifc  Gaither,  who  have 
continued  actively  in  the  practice  of  the  law 
until  the  present  time.  The  Marehand  law 
olllee  was  originally  opened  fifty-six  years  ago 
by  lion.  A.  G.  Marehand,  who  admitted  11.  0. 
Marehand  as  a  partner  in  1840,  and  from  X.  G. 
Marchand's  death  in  1848,  II.  C.  Marehand 
practiced  by  himself  until  18G4,  when  he  ail- 
mitted  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  In  18lj'.t 
Chief  Justice  Chase,  of  the  Supreme  court  of  the 
United  States,  appointed  John  A.  Marehand  as 
register  in  bankruptcy  for  the  twenty-first  dis- 
trict of  IV-nnsylvania,  composed  of  the  counties 
of  Westmoreland,  Indiana  and  Fayette,  lie 
served  until  the  bankruptcy  law  was  rfyiealed. 
lie  was  a  member  of  a  company  raised  to  repel 
Gen.  John  H.  Morgan's  threatened  invasion  of 
Pennsylvania  in  18L).3.  In  1888  he  was  the 
democratic  nominee  for  State  senate,  but  was 
defeated  by  a  small  majority.  He  is  solicitor 
for  the  Pennsylvania  railroad,  the  Soutiiwest 
Pennsylvania  railway,  and  the  West  Penn  and 
Allegheny  ^'alley  railroads;  also,  for  the  West- 
moreland coal  company,  the  Penn  gas  coal  com- 


pany, and  for  Carnegie  Bro's.,  limited,  Carne- 
gie's natural  gas  line  and  several  other  huge 
corporations. 

He  united  in  marriage  on  October  1.'),  1808, 
with  Mary  Todd,  daiightci'  of  David  Todd,  and 
grandilaughler  of  Judge  James  Toild,  who  was  a 
native  of  Philadelphia.  They  have  one  child  : 
Mary  T.  Marehand. 

John  A.  Marehand  is  a  democrat  and  was  a 
delegate  to  the  democratic  national  convention 
which  nominated  Grover  Cleveland  for  president 
in  1884.  He  served  twice  as  burgess  of  Greens- 
burg,  was  president  of  the  Merchant's  and  Far- 
mer's National  Bank  for  three  years  and  is  a 
vestryman  of  the  Episcopal  church.  He  is  one 
of  the  highest  Free  Masons  in  the  United  States 
and  has  taken  the  Scottish  Rite  and  the  Mystic 
Shrine  deirrees  in  that  order. 


^OLOMON  MARKS,  a  thorough  business 
{^j  man  and  a  popular  clothier  of  Greens- 
(«;  burg,  was  born  on  March  25,  1850,  in 
llhien,  Prussia,  Germany.  In  the  same  town 
his  father,  Joseph  JSIarks,  was  born  in  1809.  He 
was  a  butcher,  in  which  business  he  is  still 
engaged.  His  wife  was  Rose,  a  daughter  of 
Ijouis  AUenburg,  of  Ilettenheim,  Bavaria. 
Moses  Marks,  grandfather,  was  a  native  of  the 
same  town  as  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Solomon  Marks  received  his  education  in  the 
German  gymnasium  schools  ;  he  afterwards  at- 
tended college  for  two  years  at  the  old  historic 
town  of  Bingen  on  the  Rhine.  On  leaving 
school  he  was  employed  in  his  father's  butcher 
shop  until  18GT,  when  he  immigrated  to  the  United 
States.  After  one  year's  residence  in  Philadel- 
phia he  located  at  Ilarrisburg,  Pa.,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  the  clothing  business.  For  seven 
years  he  was  successfully  engaged  in  business  at 
that  place,  when  in  1878  he  came  to  Greens- 
burg  where  he  has  succeeded  in  establishing  the 
leading  clothing  house  of  the  place.  Since  1884 
he  has   done  business  at  his    present    location 


128 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


■\vliere  lie  has  a  large  ami  coiuiiioilious  storo 
room. 

On  August  31,  lSS;i,  he  was  nianiud  to 
Rachel,  a  (lauj^htcr  of  Nathan  (ialliiiger,  of 
I'ill.-hur'r.  'I'liry  iiavo  (uo  ehihlrcii  :  William 
]!.,  horii  June  "-'8,  ISSA,  mid  Moi'iiia  lUam-hc, 
March  -l-l,  ISST. 

He  is  u  member  of  the  Chosen  Friends,  the 
Heptasophs,  and  is  a  highly  respected  citizen  of 
Grcensburj/. 


'ON.  JAMES  ROSS  MoAFEE.  The 
late  Ilun.  James  Ross  McAfee,  a  promi- 
nent and  distinguished  citizen  of  West- 
niorehmd  county,  was  born  in  Indiana  township, 
Allegheny  county,  Pa.,  March  10,  l&l-l,  and 
was  a  son  of  John  and  Mary  Thompson 
jMcAfee.  Ilis  paternal  grandparents  came  from 
Ireland  to  Franklin  county,  this  State.  They 
had  two  children:  John,  and  ]\Iay,  who  married 
Thomas  McOurdy  about  1800.  John  McAfee 
removed  to  western  Pennsylvania  about  1801, 
and  five  years  later  married  Mary  Thompson,  a 
daughter  of  John  Thompson,  a  native  of  county 
Derry,  Ireland,  by  wliom  he  had  ten  children, 
four  sons  and  six  daughters. 

James  Ross  McAfee  was  reared  on  a  farm,  re- 
ceived his  education  in  Groensburg  academy 
and  followed  teaching  for  ten  years.  From  IShl 
to  18G0  he  served  as  superintendent  (jf  the  com- 
mon schools  of  this  county.  lie  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  18GG.  In  18G'2  he  was  appointed 
assistant  United  States  assessor  for  the  twenty- 
first  district  of  Pennsylvania.  In  18G-Iliewas 
elected  to  the  Legislature  and  re-elected  in  the 
year  following.  He  next  served  for  seven  years 
as  assistant  clerk  of  the  State  senate  and  then 
one  year  in  the  same  capacity  in  the  house  of 
representatives  of  Pennsylvania.  He  ■was  deputy 
secretary  of  state  from  1879  to  1883.  In  18GS 
he  was  one  of  the  republican  delegates  to  the 
Chicago  National   convention,  and  in    the  same 


year  served  as  secretary  of  the  State  central  com- 
mittee. In  1870  he  foundeil  the  fircennlnirg 
Tribune,  wdiich  two  years  later  he  cijiisoliduted 
with  the  Grccnsliiin/  lli-rahl. 

In  18  11  he  niaiiird  .Maria  l'].  Kccd,  by  whom 
he  had  four  (.hildrcn,  two  S(jns  and  two  daughters, 
of  whom  the  daughters  are  still  living.  Mrs. 
McAfee  died  in  I8;')i!  and  in  18.13  Mr.  McAfee 
marrieil  Louisa  A.  Craig. 

On  April  -20,  18!)0,  James  Ro.ss  McAfee  died 
at  his  resilience  at  Greensburg  when  in  the 
sixty-eighth  year  of  his  age.  He  was  one  of 
the  active  and  leading  repidjlicans  of  Westmore- 
land county,  and  was  largely  instrumental  in 
placing  the  county  in  the  hands  of  his  party  in 
1885.  lie  was  a  logical  and  vigorous  writer, 
whose  opinions  upon  the  political  measures  ami 
public  topics  of  the  day  were  quoted  throughout 
the  State. 


tOHNMcCORMICK,  M.  D.,  of  Greensburg, 
f"  was  born  April  28,  18G0,  at  New  Florence, 
(*/  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of 
Dr.  James  \.  and  Rachel  (Black)  MeCormick. 
His  grandfather.  .John  MeCormick,  was  Imuii 
August  22,  1789,  in  this  county,  and  was  one  of 
theearly  inliabitants.  Having  been  apprenticed 
in  his  fifteenth  year  to  Cas[)er  Walthour  he 
learned  the  tanning  trade  which  he  followed  for 
years,  but  subse([uently  removed  to  Irwin  where 
he  served  many  years  as  justice  of  the  peace. 
His  father  was  John  MeCormick,  who  came  to 
the  United  States  from  county  Tyrone,  Ireland, 
in  1788,  locating  near  what  is  now  Irwin,  this 
county,  and  his  wife  was  Esther  Sowash  whose 
ancestors  in  France  were  Huguenots,  and  who 
bore  him  thirteen  children,  the  sixth  of  whom 
was  Dr.  James  Irwin  MeCormick.  The  latter 
was  born  in  March,  1828,  near  Irwin,  attended 
Washington  college,  Pa.,  but  was  graduated  from 
Franklin  college,  Harrison  county,  C)liio.  Ho 
was  a  fine  classical  scholar,  excelled    in  mathe- 


wi:sTMoia:i,. i .v/)  county. 


lii;itu's,  was  a  I'olilriliutor  to  niciru'al  iiia^aziiics, 
and  po.s.sesst'd  an  cxcclluiit  pnifcssioiial  ami 
litci'iiry  library.  Ifo  taiij^'lit  .school  at  (irucii.s- 
lilir^  mill  oilier  |i1iici'M,  iiml  in  IS'i."!  uas  up- 
]ioiul(.'(l  liy  (Jov.  Pollock  a.M  sii|HTiiiU'iiilciit  (il'llic 
Westiiiordaiul  county  scliools  to  serve  out  tiie 
unexpired  term  of  Rev.  Mattiiew  McKinstry. 
Afterwards  while  conducting  a  Normal  school  at 
New  Derry  he  read  medicine  with  Dr.  William 
Burrell,  and  graduated  from  the  Western  Reserve 
Medical  College,  Cleveland,  Ohio.  lie  prac- 
ticed at  New  Florence  and  AVest  Fairfield,  and 
in  1871  removed  to  Irwin,  where  ho  spent  the 
last  ten  years  of  his  life,  soon  ac([uiring  a  large 
practice  and  ranking  among  the  ablest  physi- 
cians of  the  county.  lie  married  Rachel  Black, 
who  bore  him  five  children :  Emma,  Samuel 
Black,  John,  Margaret  Isabella  and  William  II. 
II.  His  second  wife  was  Margaret  Black,  a 
sister  of  the  former,  by  whom  he  had  four  chil- 
dren.     He  died  August  IS,  1881. 

I'r.  John  McCorniick  attended  the  public 
schools,  but  was  chiefly  educated  by  liis  father, 
under  whose  care  he  studied  Latin,  Greek, 
higher  mathematics,  etc.  After  teaching  one 
term  he  read  medicine  with  his  father  and  en- 
tered tho  WcMlern  Hcserve  Medicai  Coliegc, 
graduating  therelVoiii  in  l.SSii.  1  le  ijcgan  ]irac- 
tice  in  Iowa,  but  so(ni  came  cast  ami  located  at 
United,  this  county,  where  he  remained  until 
the  spring  of  188H,  when  he  went  to  Gi-een.s- 
burg,  his  present  home.  Owing  to  his  recog- 
nized ability  and  excellent  character.  Dr. 
McCormick  has  already  built  up  a  large  jiractice, 
■which  he  merits.  He  is  a  progressive  member 
of  the  medical  fraternity,  intelligent  and  pains- 
taking in  his  practice.  In  politics  he  is  a  re- 
publican and  belongs  to  the  Jr.  0.  U.  A.  M., 
the  commandery  and  the  K.  &  L.  of  H. 

On  October  23,  1870,  Dr.  McCormick  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Anna  D.  Kunkle,  and 
they  have  six  children:  Sadie  Ethel,  Rachel 
Floy,  Glenn  Carroll,  Earl  Voiglit,  Tillie  and 
Jean. 


•JroSKi'll  ALKXANDKR  McCURDY.     An 

J  open  boat,  wliieli  diii'ing  the  days  of  relig- 
ious perscciiliciiis  in  Sc()tlaml,  made  ii  most 
ihiligiTiiiis  Voyii;_'i'  IViiiii  (JalK.uay,  in  llnit  I'ouii- 
(ly,  to  the  tioi-th  coast  of  Down,  Ireland,  and 
i  whose  only  occujiants  were  three  brothers  named 
McCurdy,  who  were  escaping  from  persecution 
because  they  were  Scotch  Covenanters,  had  in  it 
one  of  the  ancestors  of  Joseph  Alexander 
McCurdy,  a  present  member  of  the  Westmore- 
land county  bar.  He  was  lioin  in  Derry  town- 
ship, Westmoreland  county,  I'a.,  Friday,  De- 
cember 11,  18;')T,  ami  is  the  second  .son  of 
Alexander  J.  and  Sarah  (Pounds)  McCurdy. 
As  the  name  MiCiudy  indicates,  he  has  de- 
scended from  that  jnedouiinant  stock  of  western 
Pennsylvania  inhabitants,  the  Scotch  and  Scotch- 
Irish.  Tho  M<([iJlou<e.r.  which  crossed  the  At- 
lantic in  1620,  containing  one  of  his  paternal  and 
two  of  his  maternal  ancestors.  Edward  Doty, 
who  was  one  of  the  forty-one  men  who  si"ned 
his  name  to  the  first  constitution  of  government 
ever  subscribed  by  a  whole  people  in  the  history  of 
the  world,  had  among  his  descendants  Mary  Doty, 
j  paternal  grandmother.  Thomas  Bound,  who  in 
I  KJ;);')  came  from  London  to  New  EnLdaml.  and 
his  wife,  who  was  one  of  the  chijclrcn  who  came 
in  the  Hfdi/lloiccr,  have  among  their  descendants 
Sarah  Pounds,  the  mother  of  Mr.  McCurdy. 
William  Drummond  came  to  New  Jersey  from 
Scotland,  and  hail  among  his  grandchildren 
Mary  Drummond,  maternal  grandmother.  AVil- 
lian>  Collier,  a  London  merchant,  who  came  to 
America  in  1683,  and  who  was  assistant  gov- 
ernor of  Plymouth  colony  for  thirty  years,  had 
among  his  descendants  Sarah  Collier,  maternal 
great-grandmother.  John  Cannon,  who  came  to 
Plymouth  colony  in  1()21,  had  two  descendants, 
Hannah  Cannon,  married  to  Stephen  Adonijah 
Pounds,  and  Ella  Cannon,  married  to  AVilliara 
Drummond,  maternal  great-great-grandmothers. 
Three  of  his  great-grandfathers,  Alexander  Mc- 
Curdy, Joseph  Pounds,  and  Nathaniel  Doty 
were  in  the   Revolutionary  war,  and  two  of  his 


ViO 


liKian.wniEs  of 


greut-^ruat-gnuulfatlior.s,  Stoplicii  A.  Pounds 
and  William  Druiniiiund  were  killed  in  that 
great  struggle. 

All  of  lii.s  ancestors  have  lived  in  AVestinoro- 
land  county,  l^a.,  principally  in  Derry  township 
fur  over  a  century.  Alexander  jNlcCurdy  set- 
tled before  ITtiO.  Joseph  Pounds,  John  Urum- 
n:ond  and  Nathaniel  Doty  came  to  Derry  town- 
ship together  about  178.5,  from  Basking  Ridge 
and  Sterlings  Euildings,  New  Jersey,  where 
some  of  their  ancestors  from  Plymouth  colony 
had  settled  a  century  before.  They  were  Pres- 
byterians, and  were  among  the  founders  and 
supporters  of  old  Salem  church  in  Derry  town- 
ship. The  McCurdy 's  were  at  one  time  seceilers. 
Alexander  McCurdy  (great-grandfather)  was 
born  in  1744,  in  Ulster,  Ireland.  In  175(3  he 
came  to  America  and  settled  on  the  banks  of 
"Crooked  creek,"  in  Westmoreland  county  (now 
Indiana).  IK' afterwards  lived  near  the  "Salt 
Works  "  on  the  Conemaugh  river.  During  the 
latter  part  of  his  life  he  lived  on  the  McCurdy 
farm,  adjoining  the  Pounds  homestead,  near 
Livermore,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of  ninety- 
four,  lie  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier  in  Capt. 
Matthew  Scott's  company,  thirteenth  Pa.  Reg., 
afterwards  became  an  officer,  was  wounded  in 
the  arms  at  Yorktown,  and  received  a  pension. 
He  accompanied  his  son  Samuel  in  the  war  of 
1812  for  a  short  time,  and  was  employed  in 
training  the  soldiers  in  military  exercises.  He 
was  a  man  of  considerable  wealth,  a  noted  mu- 
sician, a  strict  seceder  ami  well  known  fur  his 
extensive  knowledge  of  the  scriptures.  He  was 
married  about  1785  to  Jane  Henderson.  They 
had  four  sons  and  three  daughters:  AVilliam, 
Alexander  II.,  Andrew,  Samuel,  Keziah,  Ann, 
and  Jane.  Alexander  Henderson  ]McCurdy 
(grandfather)  was  born  at  Crooked  Creek  in 
1794.  He  was  a  farmer  and  carpenter  and  was 
for  many  years  engaged  in  the  manufl^cturc  of 
pumps.  He  owned  the  "  Piper  farm  "  near  La- 
trube,  where  he  resiiled  for  many  yeai'S  previous 
to  his   death    in   1^51.      He   was   married   about 


18-20  to  Mary  Doty.  They  had  three  sons  and 
three  daughters:  Samuel  Henderson,  Nathaniel. 
Alexander  Jackson,  Mary,  I'hebe,  and  Jane. 
Mary  (iJoty)  McCurdy  was  born  in  ]71t5  and 
died  in  1877.  She  was  a  lineal  descendant  of 
Edward  Doty,  who  came  in  the  Mayfluwer. 
Rev.  Francis  Doty  (son  of  Edward)  was  a  min- 
ister in  the  first  settlement  at  Taunton,  Mass. 
In  1641,  for  utterances  contrary  to  some  of  the 
Pilgrim  Fathers'  practices,  he  was  driven  to 
Long  Island.  The  Dutch  government  issued  a 
patent  to  him  ''for  a  Colonic,  Messpath  Kill, 
twenty-eightli  of  March,  1(342."  Some  of  his 
descendants  settled  in  New  Jersey.  Three  of 
these,  Nathaniel,  Jonathan,  and  Zebuhm  J>oty, 
sons  of  Nathaniel  Doty,  Sr.  (great-great-grand, 
father)  settled  in  Derry  township  about  1785. 
Nathaniel  Doty,  Jr.  (great-grandfather),  born 
in  1757,  and  died  in  1844,  had  been  a  soldier 
in  tlie  ]{evoliitionary  war.  He  married  Jane 
Bethoven,  and  one  of  their  children,  Mary, 
was  marrie<l  to  Alexander  II.  McCurdy,  whose 
third  son,  Alexander  Jackson  McCurdy  (father), 
was  born  in  Derry  township,  June  4,  182'J. 
He  was  a  farmer  in  that  township,  was  for  some 
time  in  the  employ  of  the  Pennsylvania  canal, 
and  afterwards  engaged  in  building  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Vailroad.  He  was  an  active  republican  and 
died  September  2,  1884.  In  1851  he  was 
married  to  Rachel  Lightcap,  who  died  in  1852, 
leaving  a  daughter,  Mary  Susan,  born  February 
22,  1852,  who  was  married  to  William  Fishell, 
and  died  in  August,  188().  In  1854  he  was 
married  to  Sarah  Pounds  (born  May  11,  1833), 
eldest  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Mary  (Druraraond) 
Pounds;  [see  account  of  Pounds  family  in  this 
volume.]  Mrs.  McCurdy  now  resides  at  Liver- 
more,  Pa.  They  have  seven  children :  Rev. 
Irwin  Pounds  McCurdy,  D.  D.,  who  is  a  gradu- 
ate of  the  Indiana  (Pa.)  State  Normal  school 
and  of  Lafayette  college ;  received  his  ministe- 
rial education  at  Princeton  Theological  seminary, 
and  has  been  for  the  past  six  years  pastor  of  the 
Southwestern     Presbyterian     church,    Philailel- 


Wi:STM01ti:LAND   CO  UNTY. 


pl\iii,  luid  i.s  also  one  of  tin;  Sfcrctiuit's  of  tlii' 
l'resl)yturi;ui  buanl  of  oduc;ition,  ;inil  jiifsiilciiL 
of  thu  board  of  inanii<:;ors  of  ihc  Evangelical 
Alliance  of  Pliiladflpliia ;  Joseph  A.,  Ilannali 
May  (deceased);  Joiin  l)i'in]inMind,  who  is  jiost- 
master  at  Livurnioio ;  I'JUa  S.,  attended  the 
Ulysses  S.  Grant  school  at  Philadelpiiia,  and 
the  Normal  school  at  Indiana,  Pa.  and  is  a 
teacher;  and  William  W.  and  ]\linnie  May,  who 
are  attending  school. 

Joseph  A.  McCurdy  spent  his  childhood  and 
youth  on  a  farm  in  Derry  township,  attended  the 
common  schools,  and  in  186'J-70  he  received 
valuable  instruction  of  Rev.  W.  II.  McFarland 
now  of  San  Francisco,  California.  After  at- 
tending the  State  Normal  scliool  at  Edinboro, 
Pa.,  for  one  term,  he  began  teaching  in  the 
public  schools  of  Westmoreland  county  at  the 
age  of  sixteen,  since  which  time  he  has  made 
his  own  way  in  the  world.  He  educated  him- 
self by  teaching  in  the  winter  and  attending 
school  in  the  summer.  In  1878  he  graduated 
at  the  State  Normal  school  at  Indiana,  Pa. 
In  the  years  1879  and  1880  he  was  a  student  in 
the  classical  course,  first  in  the  University  of 
Wooster,  Ohio,  and  then  in  Lafayette  college, 
Easton,  Pa.  lie  was  principal  of  the  public 
schools  of  Mt.  Pleasant,  Pa.,  in  1880-81,  then 
became  one  of  the  owners  and  editor  of  the  Mt. 
Pleasant  Dcnvn,  whicli  he  changed  to  the  'Jour- 
nal. He  improved  the  i)a))er  and  trebled  its 
circulation,  but  at  the  end  of  two  years  lie  re- 
linc|iiislied  iho  edilori;d  chair  for  Ids  lil'e-woik  in 
the  legal  ]>rofession. 

In  April,  1883,  Mr.  McCurdy  became  a  law 
student  in  the  olfice  of  Moorehead  k  Head,  at 
Greensburg,  Pa.  While  pursuing  his  law  c(jurse 
he  was  for  one  year  teacher  of  the  Greensburg 
High  school,  and  was  also  reporter  for  the  asso- 
ciated press  and  correspondent  for  a  number  of 
Pittsburg  and  Philadelphia  papers.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  Westmoreland  county  bar  Au- 
gust 31,  1885,  and  soon  gained  a  lucrative 
practice.     He  has  been  solicitor  for  Westmore- 


land county  and  enjoys  a  good  and  growing 
practice.  He  was  ehaiinian  of  the  Uepublican 
cotmty  comnuttee  in  J8HG,  when  Hon.  Welty 
McCidlougli  was  electiMl  to  Congress,  llie  first 
repiiljlii:an  coiigre>,>iHan  from  We-.tiiiorehuid 
county  since  Hon.  Jolin  Covode.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Greensburg  Presbyterian  church. 
He  is  full  of  energy,  can  always  be  relied  upon, 
and  stands  well  among  his  legal  brethren  and 
in  the  community. 

Joseph  A.  McCiudy  was  married  September 
10,  1885,  to  Jane  Brady  Armstrong,  the  only 
daughter  of  Col.  James  and  Kachel  (Welty) 
Armstrong,  of  Greenburg.  She  died  February 
li8,  1888,  leaving  an  infant  child,  Rachel  Welty, 
who  survived  her  but  five  months.  Mrs.  Mc- 
Curdy came  from  one  of  the  oldest  and  first 
families  of  Westmoreland  county,  and  was  a 
lady  of  fine  accom])iishments  and  of  the  highest 
social  standing,  and  a  graduate  of  Hollidays- 
burg.  Pa.,  female  seminary. 

\   E.  McFARLAND.     One  of  Greensburg's 

J  business  men  whose  prospects  for  future 
success  are  of  the  most  favorable  character 
is  J.  E.  JIcFarland.  He  is  a  son  of  J.  R.  and 
Nancy  (Gourley)  JIcFarland,  and  was  born  in 
llempfield  township,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa., 
June  28,  1853.  His  great-grandfather  was 
James  McFarland,  who  was  a  man  of  consider- 
able wealth  in  Ireland.  His  grandfather,  James 
McFarland,  emigrated  in  18U1  to  Westmoreland 
county,  where  he  reared  a  fanuly  of  four  chil- 
dren. The  youngest  of  three  of  these  children 
by  his  first  wife,  Jane  (Russell)  McFarland,  was 
J.  R.  McFarland,  the  father  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch.  (For  a  more  extended  and  complete 
history  of  the  McFarland  family  see  sketch  of 
J.  R.  xMcFarland.) 

J.  E.  McFarland  received  his  education  prin- 
cipally in  the  common  schools  of  Hannastown, 
and  labored  on  his  father's  farm  until  he  was 
of  age.     He  then  engaged  in  farming  in  Hemp- 


132 


r.iouuAPniEs  of 


fii'lil  township  until  1888.  In  April,  1888,  lio 
(li.-iposcil  (if  his  t'aviuinji;  iutoiisls  :inil  came  to 
Grc'onshurj;,  where  lie  cniharked  in  the  Ihiur, 
liav  ami  ;_'!  aiii  jjiisiness.  1 1  is  eslahlishmeiit  is 
{(jealed  ul  Nu.  'M  I'last  I'illslmr;;  .-.treel,  and  is 
cons[(icuuiis  amung  tlie  liest  known  business 
houses  on  that  street.  His  stoci<  of  supplies  is 
large  and  complete.  It  include.s  all  the  jioitular 
and  reliable  brands  and  grades  of  Hour,  togetlier 
with  meal,  chop,  bran,  Iiay  and  grain.  Mr.  Mc- 
Farland  has  a  large  estul)lishment  and  can 
furnish  on  a  moment's  notice  tmything  to  he 
found  in  a  live  and  well-conducted  flour  and  feed 
store.  In  the  short  time  that  he  has  been  in 
business  he  has  secured  a  large  patronage  and 
established  a  good  reputation  for  honest  and 
honorable  dealing. 

On  September  21, 1881,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Angie  L.  Reamer,  a  daughter  of  Solomon 
Eeamer,  of  Ilemptield  township.  Their  union 
has  been  blessed  with  two  children  :  Wesley 
R.,  born  on  Independence  Day,  1884,  and  Mary 
E.,  born  January  24,  1887.  Mrs.  MeFarland 
is  a  member  of  the  Greensburg  Presbyterian 
church. 

Politically  J.  E.  MeFarland  is  a  democrat. 
He  is  a  member  of  <_!reensburg  Council,  aVo.  82, 
Jr.  0.  U.  A.  M.,  and  the  Presbyterian  church 
at  (ireensbuig.  Mr.  MeFarland  is  a  man  of 
good  business  ability,  and  by  energy,  tact  and 
honesty  he  ha§  been  successful  in  building  up  a 
first-class  store  and  winning  a  generous  patron- 
»«»•■■  _, 

•f  Pv.  McFAKLAND,  a  resident  of  Greens- 
\  ^"''g  '"^"J  '^  l''o''b'  I'cspected  citizen  of  the 
(*2i  county,  was  born  three  miles  west  of  La- 
trobe,  in  Unity  township,  Westmoreland  county, 
Pa,,  April  23,  1828,  and  is  a  sou  of  James  and 
Jane  (Russell)  MeFarland.  His  paternal  grand- 
parents wi^re  Jiiliii  and  Nancy  (Armour)  Me- 
Farland. wlio  Were  nativts  of  Iiehind,  where 
Mr.  MeFarland  was  ([uite  a  wcalihy  man. 
James  MeFarland  (fatiierj  was  born  in  county 


Deiry,  Ireland,  in  17!)7,  and  emigrated  to 
America  al  niiM'teen  years  <ii'  age.  lie  loeateil 
in  Delaware  for  a  short  lime,  aflerwanl  removed 
III  l'ill>blirg,  and  aller  um:  year's  rcsideiiec  in 
tiial  eily  cauic  to  Wesliuorelaiid  county,  wiicru 
he  purchased  a  farm  of  ninety  acres  in  Unity 
township.  ■  After  several  years  residence  he 
removed  from  that  township  to  Salem  township, 
where  he  resided  aljout  forty  years,  and  then 
removed  to  Ilcmplield  township,  where  he  died 
at  the  age  of  eighty-eight  years.  He  was  mar- 
ried three  times.  His  first  wife  was  Jane 
Russell,  daughter  of  Joshua  Russell,  by  whom 
he  had  three  children,  the  youngest  being 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Ills  second  wife 
was  Mrs  Martha  Ralston  (nee  Craig),  who 
bore  him  one  child.  His  third  wife  was  Mrs. 
Margaret  Smith  (nee  Sloan).  Mr.  MeFarland 
was  a  democrat,  cast  his  first  presidential  vote 
in  this  country  for  Andrew  Jackson  and  held 
several  of  his  township's  various  offices.  He 
was  a  prominent  citizen  in  the  locality  where  he 
lived  and  acijuired  considerable  property  dur- 
ing his  lifetime.  He  was  a  liberal  and  benev- 
olent neighbor  and  a  good   and  worthy   citizen. 

J.  11.  MeFarland  \vas  educated  in  the  sub- 
scription and  select  schools  of  Salem  township. 
He  began  the  battle  of  life  lor  himself  as  a 
farmer,  and  after  a  few  years  farming  in  Salem 
township  he  purchased  and  moved  on  a  farm 
near  Ilannastown,  which  he  cultivated  until  five 
years  ago,  when  he  became  a  resident  of  Greens- 
burg. 

He  united  in  marriage  February  22,  1853, 
with  Nancy  Gourley,  who  was  born  September 
17,  1829,  and  is  a  daughter  of  John  Gourley, 
of  Ilenipfield  townshij).  To  their  union  have 
been  born  nine  children  :  John  G.,  who  died 
at  twenty  years  of  age  ;  J.  E.  (see  his  sketch)  ; 
Joseph  R.,  a  printer  on  the  Rocky  Mountain 
News,  Denver  City,  Colorado ;  Jennie,  wife  ot 
S.  II.  Ralston,  who  resides  at  East  Liberty, 
Pa.,  and  is  a  civil  engineer;  Sanmel  C,  who 
died  at  eleven  years  of  age;  W..G.,  died  when 


WESTMORELAND   COUXTY. 


133 


nine  y»?iirs  of  iii;;o ;  M;irj;;iit't,  who  lived  ('loveii 
nionliis;  I'lli/.alnili  ainl  M  iiinic,  wlio  ri'siile  ;il 
liouie  with  their  parents.  Mrs.  iMeFiiriaud  is  a 
member  of  jhe  I'reshyteriaii  chiircii. 

In  politics  Mr.  McKarlaml  is  a  cUnii"  rat  of 
tiie  old  sclidul.  lie  is  always  deeply  interested 
in  the  weal  and  welfare  of  liis  party,  hut  he  has 
never  soii'^ht  aijy  olliec  within  the  gift  of  his 
fellow  eitizens.  lie  und  his  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  I'resbyterian  church  and  have 
always  encouraged  all  Christian  enterprises. 
By  economy  and  industry  he  has  accumulated 
considerable  means  and  stands  high  as  an  hon- 
orable and  industrious  man  with  all  who  know 
him.  His  success  in  life  has  been  largely  duo 
to  his  own  energy  and  good  judgment. 

•f-OIIiN  B.  McQUAID,  of  Greensburg,  one 
of  the  well  and  favorably  known  men  of  the 
county,  was  born  December  15,  1850,  in 
Loyidhanna  township,  Westmoreland  county, 
I'a.,  at  what  was  then  Mc(.>uaid's  mill,  on  the 
Loyalhanna  creek,  two  miles  from  Saltsburg. 
lie  is  a  son  of  Major  William  and  Margaret 
(Borland)  McC^iaid.  His  grandfather  was  ('ol. 
Thomas  Mc(,.Uuiid,  a  native  of  Westmoreland 
county,  who  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  war  of 
1812  and  held  the  rank  of  colonel,  ('apt. 
William  McQuaid  (father)  was  born  in  Salem 
township,  about  three  miles  north  of  Delmont, 
January  11,  1804,  and  died  September  25, 
1^^5.  lie  was  originally  a  farmer,  then  em- 
barked in  the  mill  business,  and  from  1S5',I  till 
1872  ho  kept  the  "  Westmoreland  House  "  in 
Greensburg,  wliich  he  owned.  lie  succeeded  in 
acijuiring  considerable  wealth,  but  was  unfor- 
tunate in  the  oil  business,  and  like  thousands  of 
others  lost  a  great  deal  of  money.  Mr. 
McCJuaid  was  a  very  courteous  and  obliging 
man,  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and 
in  jjolitics  a  republican  until  the  nomination  of 
Horace  Greely  for  president,*  when  he  became  a 
democrat.     He    married    Margaret    Borland,   a 


dauglitcrof  John  Borland,  ami  they  had  nine 
children,  of  whom  but  two  aic  living — ^llie  ehlcst 
and  youngest :  (Jyrus  and  .lohn  H.  Mrs.  Mar- 
garet (Horland)  .Me<,>uaid  was  born  October  28, 
1«07,  and  died  in  ISlilj.  .I,,lii,  Borland  (ma- 
ternal grandfathei)  was  a  native  of  Irelaml  who 
emigrated  to  America,  and  his  wife  was  Margaret 
Cairns,  whom  he  married  at  the  age  of  si.xteen 
years. 

John  B.  McQuaid  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  Greensburg,  the  military 
school  at  Chester.  I'a.,  and  Col.  Lelaml's  mili- 
tary school  near  Sharpsburg,  this  State.  After 
assisting  his  father  for  a  short  time  in  the  hotel 
he  began  buying  stock,  which  he  has  continued 
for  thirteen  years,  operating  chiefly  in  this 
county,  whence  he  ships  to  Philadelphia.  Mr. 
McQuaid  is  an  excellent  business  man,  sober, 
honest  and  reliable.  Politically  he  adheres  to 
the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  November  0,  1888, 
with  Harriet  L.  Winsheimer,  a  daughter  of  Law- 
rence and  a  sister  of  Thomas  M.  Winsheimer,  of 
the  Democrat. 


R.  MEANOK,  a  soldier  of  the  late  war, 
I  F  an  old  teacher,  a  prosperous  merchant 
♦  of  Greensburg.  and  a  grandson  of 
Michael  Hugh,  was  born  at  Haymaker's  Mill,  on 
what  was  once  a  part  of  the  Rugh  farm  in  Frank- 
lin tOAvnship,  AVestmoreland  county.  Pa.,  Sep- 
tember 25,  183'.',  and  is  a  son  of  William  and 
Catharine  (Bugh)  Meaner.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, John  Meaner,  was  born  in  Westmoreland 
county.  He  was  an  old  line  whig,  and  died  in 
Franklin  township,  where  he  had  spent  the 
larger  part  of  his  life.  His  maternal  grand- 
father, Hon.  Michael  Rugh,  was  one  of  the 
pioneer  settlers  of  the  county.  He  and  his  first 
wife  and  their  two  children  were  taken  prisoners 
by  the  Indians.  One  child,  a  son,  was  killed, 
but  the  other,  Mary,  was  ransomed  twelve  years 
afterwards  and  married  Jacob   Hayujaker.      She 


ojo3  r/Aky^-A 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Avas  tlio  niotlicr  of  six  cliililreii  ;  Jolin,  George, 
Michael,  Sarah  McKeuwuii,  I'hebe  Johnson  and 
Ellen  Cray.  Michael  Hugh  escaped  from  the 
Indians,  and  after  the  death  of  his  flist  wife 
married  Cathaiinc  Smith,  hy  whom  he  liad  on(! 
child;  Catharine,  the  mother  of  the  subject  of 
tliis  sketch.  Michael  llugii  took  an  active  jiart 
in  the  Indian  wars  of  the  frontier,  and  helped 
many  families  into  the  forts  and  block-houses 
during  the  Indian  troubles.  He  was  a  preslty- 
tcrian,  and  served  for  many  years  as  a  justice  of 
the  peace.  lie  was  one  of  the  five  commiss- 
ioners who  laid  out  Greensburg,  and  served  one 
term  as  State  senator.  lie  owned  three  farms, 
embracing  !t08  acres  in  all,  and  §1,400  in  bank 
after  paying  for  the  farms.  William  Meanor 
(father)  was  born  in  Frankliu  township,  in 
March,  1808,  and  died  December  22,  1872.  He 
was  a  successful  and  wealthy  farmer,  and  was  an 
elder  in  the  Murrysville  Presbyterian  church 
from  1856  until  his  death.  He  was  a  democrat 
until  1800,  when  lie  became  a  republican.  He 
was  a  large  man  physically  and  very  iirm  and 
decided  in  whatever  he  undertook.  He  was  a 
liberal  patron  of  the  church,  served  as  school  di- 
rector of  his  township  for  several  years,  and  was 
successful  in  the  management  of  his  business  af- 
fairs. He  married  Catherine  Hugh,  who  bore 
him  three  sons  and  three  daughters. 

M.  R.  Meanor  received  his  education  in  the 
sub.scription  and  common  schools  of  his  native 
township  and  Turtle  Creek  Vidley  academy,  now 
liaird  lustitulo.  In  18t);i  he  taught  a  term  of 
school  ill  I'eiiii  township,  and  in  the  following 
year  enlisted  in  Co.  D,  fifteenth  reg.  Pa.  cavalry, 
served  in  six  difi'erent  States,  and  was  honorably 
discharged  June  2'J,  18G5.  From  18Go  to 
18t)81ie  taught  in  Franklin  townshiji,  and  then 
was  in  charge  of  his  father's  farm  until  1872, 
when  he  was  severely  injured  by  a  sunstroke, 
which  compelled  him  to  abandon  farming.  He 
removed  to  Ludwick  borough,  and  after  recover- 
ing his  health  he  taught  six  terms  of  school  in 
North  Huntingdon,   I'enn  and  liemprield  town- 


ships. In  1884  he  moved  to  Greensburg,  where 
he  opened,  on  January  1.'),  188!),  a  grocery  and 
provision  store  on  West  Pittsburg  street — firm 
known  as  Townsend  it  Meanor. 

On  April  14,  iMtJit,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Martha  F.,  daughter  of  John  Clingan  (see  his 
sketch).  1'hey  have  had  three  children  :  \Villiam 
C,  born  June  1,  1872,  and  attenaing  school  ; 
Jennie  R.,  January  24,  1878,  and  John  M., 
March  2G,  1880,  and  died  January  24,   1885. 

M.  R.  Meanor  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  since  1850,  and  was  sup- 
erintendent of  the  Murrysville  Sunday  school 
for  six  years.  He  is  secretary  of  the  National 
Union  and  past  councillor  in  the  order  of  Chosen 
Friends.  He  has  been  successful  in  his  mer- 
cantile business  and  enjoys  a  good  trade. 


QNDREW  MECHESNEY,  a  resident  of 
Greensburg,  an  old  citizen  of  the  county, 
and  an  honored  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  for  over  half  a  century,  was  born 
one-half  mile  south  of  Latrobe,  in  Unity  town- 
ship Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  ilay  18,  1813, 
and  is  a  son  of  Andrew,  Sr.,  and  Mary  (Hen- 
derson) Mechesney.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
William  Mechesney,  with  his  brother  James 
emigrated  from  the  north  of  Ireland  and  settled 
in  this  county,  where  they  engaged  in  farming. 
William  Mechesney  married  Mary  Buchanan, 
wliobore  him  six  children.  Andrew  Mechesney, 
Sr.  (father)  was  born  in  the  north  of  Ireland 
and  was  brought  to  this  country  by  his  father 
at  two  years  of  age.  He  was  a  very  successful 
business  man  and  owned  over  eight  hundred 
acres  of  valuable  land  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
He  was  a  strict  member  and  a  liberal  patron  of 
the  Presbyterian  church.  He  was  a  well  in- 
formed man,  an  earnest  advocate  of  education, 
and  was  highly  respected  by  his  neighbors  and 
acquaintances.  He  died  in  18G4,  aged  eighty 
years.  His  wife  was  Mary  Henderson,  a  daugh- 
ter of  William  Henderson,  of  Unity    township. 


t'i:.sTM<)Ri:LAyi)  cuusty. 


They  reared  to  man  and  womanhood  a  family 
of  thirteen  cliildren,  of  whom  eleven  iire  yet 
living. 

Andrew  Mecliesney  was  reared  on  his  I'ather's 
farm  in  Unity  town.ship  and  attended  tiie  sub- 
scription sehools  of  his  neighborhood.  Upon 
attaining  his  majority  he  engaged  in  farming, 
and  pursued  that  business  with  good  success 
until  four  years  ago,  when  he  removed  to  Greens- 
burg,  where  he  now  resides.  When  he  left 
home  to  do  for  himself  he  had  but  two  dollars  in 
money,  but  his  ambition  to  succeed  and  his 
willingness  to  work  overcame  many  obstacles 
in  his  way.  In  a  few  years  he  acquired  means 
sufticient  to  engage  in  farming  and  stock-raising 
upon  a  scale  large  enough  to  yield  him  very 
remunerative  returns  from  liis  invested  capital. 

He  united  in  marriage  on  March  9,  1848, 
with  Eliza  Steele,  daughter  of  John  Steele  (see 
sketch  of  John  B.  Steele).  To  them  have  been 
born  five  children,  of  whom  three  are  living : 
Mary  INIartha,  wife  of  Henry  Murdock,  of 
Greensburg;  Andrew  ^Steele,  who  married 
Nellie  B.  Nicol  and  lives  on  the  old  homestead 
farm,  and  Eliza. 

Andrew  Mecliesney  has  always  been  a  repub- 
lican from  princi|ile,  and  served  as  assessor  and 
school  director  in  Unity  township.  He  has 
been  a  member  of  and  a  liberal  contributor  to 
the  Presbyterian  church  since  183G,  and  is  a  man 
of  sterling  worth  who  commands  the  respect  of 
all  who  know  him. 


TOHN  MENSOH,   a  reliable   business   man 

J  and  the  leading  real  estate  and  insurance 
agent  of  Ludvvick,  was  born  in  Hempfield 
township,  AV'^estmoreland  county.  Pa.,  March  2, 
1828.  He  is  a  son  of  Alexander  and  Susannah 
(Kosensteel)  Mensch,  the  latter  a  daughter  of 
Andrew  Kosensteel,  whose  wife  was  a  Miss 
Berry.  Alexander  Mensch  was  born  in  eastern 
Pennsylvjinia  and  died  at  Middletown,  West- 
moreland  County,  Pa.,   March    30,   1874,  aged 


seventy-six  years.  A  cut  with  an  axe  when  a 
young  man  unfitted  him  in  al'ter-life  for  irjanua! 
labor.  He  served  as  asoldier  in  tbu  war  of  1«12 
and  was  for  many  years  engaged  in  mercantile 
business  and  liot(!l  keeping.  Eroin  18(J1  until 
his  death  he  atliliated  with  the  Ile|)iibliean 
party.  He  was  a  member  of  the  United  Breth- 
erii  church  and  raised  a  family  of  eight  ciiildieii, 
of  whom  seven  are  living. 

John  Mensch  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  township.  His  first 
employment  was  clerking  in  Ids  father's  store  ; 
which  he  quit  at  eighteen  years  to  engage  in 
teaching.  For  eighteen  consecutive  years  he 
taught  in  the  common  schools  of  Pennsylvania, 
commencing  in  1846  and  retiring  in  18C4.  From 
186.3  to  1887  he  was  engaged  in  the  general  mer- 
cantile business  at  Ludwick.  In  1887  he  sold  his 
mercantile  establishment  and  with  his  son  em- 
barked in  their  present  real  estate  and  insurance 
business.  The  firm  name  is  J.  Mensch  &  Son. 
They  represent  reliable  and  well  established  in- 
surance companies  and  have  secured  a  large 
and  flattering  patronage. 

John  Mensch  was  married  March  22,  1863, 
to  Susan  C.  Steiner,  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
Susan  (Miller)  Steiner.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mensch 
have  been  blessed  with  four  children,  of  whom 
three  are  living  :  Clara  Jane,  wife  of  W.  F. 
Weaver,  of  Ilulf  station,  who  has  five  children  ; 
Ellen  Maria  married  P.  P.  Baughman,  lives 
near  Grapeville  and  has  three  children  living, 
iind  James  A.,  in  business  with  his  father. 

In  politics  he  is  a  republican-prohibitionist 
and  has  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  and  in  all 
the  other  minor  offices  of  the  borough  of  Lud- 
wick, and  is  at  the  present  a  member  and  secre- 
tary of  the  school  board  of  Ludwick  district. 
While  serving  as  justice  of  the  peace  he  was 
quite  popular  on  account  of  discountenancing 
litigation  instead  of  encouraging  it  to  secure  fees. 
Mr.  Mensch  is  a  member  of  the  First  Baptist 
church  of  Greensburg,  of  which  he  is  the  founder, 
and  is  a  prudent  and  successful  business  man. 


130 


lilOGllAPini'S   OF 


•jl'ollN    l)A^■ll)S()N    M1I,L1(;AX.    M.   1)., 

"i"  111'  <irccnsl)iii-^,  is  of  ;ui  nld  Scnitisli  l;imily 
(Jy  which  has  pidduciMl  a  niiiiihcr  of  cijiiiiciit 
]iru(cs-iiiii;il  lucii  ;is  well  as  mariv  hiavc  snh 
(lim-s  ami  liij^hly  hininrcil  cili/cns.  Di-.  Milli- 
gaii  lias  wuii  fur  hiiiistjit'  the  ]iri)iiiiiii'Ut  position 
as  ijliysiciau  wliich  lio  now  IhiMs  through  liis 
own  jiersistcnt  fllorts.  lie  is  the  eldest  son  of" 
James  ]M.  and  Elizabeth  (Davidson)  Milligan, 
and  was  liovn  near  Madison,  ^Yest^loreland 
County,  l*a.,  July  31,  ISTjl,  His  j)atcrnal 
great-grandfather,  John  Milligan,  was  born  near 
the  home  of  Uobert  Burns,  in  Ayrshire,  Scot- 
land, and  emigrated  to  Chester  county,  Pa., 
prior  to  1774.  He  was  a  miller  by  occupation 
and  owned  a  mill  in  Chester  county,  which  was 
destroyed  by  a  detachment  of  British  troops 
during  the  Revolutionary  war  on  account  of  his 
having  supplied  the  Continental  troops  with 
Hour.  lie  then  joined  the  army  under  Wash- 
ington and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war. 
His  brother,  Alexander,  was  whipped  to  death 
by  a  company  of  British  and  tories  for  assisting 
the  cause  of  the  colonies.  After  the  war  John 
Milligan  removed  to  Westmoreland  county  and 
took  up,  in  Sciuth  Huntingdon  township,  the 
farm  ihiu  knii\wi  as  the  "Willow  'i'la'C  Kami." 
He  servcct  as  justice  of  the  peace  for  several 
years  before  his  death.  He  married  Mary 
Adams,  who  was  a  native  of  Carlisle,  and  a 
descendant  of  the  New  England  Adams  family. 
They  had  three  children  :  .lolin,  Alexander  and 
James  ('.,  ihe  latter  of  whnm  was  the  grand- 
father of  Dr.  Milligan,  and  wlm  was  born  on 
June  12.  17lU.  He  was  a  successful  farmer 
and  cabinet-maker  and  manufactured  all  the 
Collins  then  used  in  Senickley  township.  He 
was  six  feet  two  inches  in  height,  an  old  school 
Covenanter  in  religious  belief,  and  died  in 
Sewiekley  township  in  188G  at  ninety-five  years 
of  age.  He  married  Deborah  Eckels,  a  daughter 
of  ( 'harles  Eckels,  who  was  born  near  Carlisle, 
I'a.  His  father  was  a  native  of  the  niirtli  of 
Ireland.      Their  ehildrt'ii    were:     John,    Mary, 


Cliarles,  .lames  M.,  Margaret,  Joseph,  David, 
I'JIeii,  Stephen,  Ceorge  and  Mungo.  James  M. 
Milligan  (father)  was  born  in  Sewiekley  town- 
ship .lanuaiy  I,  I  >i  I '.',  ami  resides  on  a  farm 
wliicli  was  paletitcil  by  his  grandfather,  John 
Milligan.  He  is  a  successful  farmer,  an  elii- 
cient  odieer  of  the  United  Brethren  church  and 
an  active  republican,  ami  has  held  various 
offices  of  his  township.  His  first  wife  was  Mary 
Murtland.  She  died  and  left  him  one  son, 
Daniel  Murtland  Milligan,  who  enlisted  in  Co. 
A,  fifteenth  Pa.  cavalry  August,  18G2;  was  pro- 
moted to  first  sergeant  for  the  gallant  defense  of 
an  outpost  near  Murfreesboro,  Tenn.,  and  died 
April  19,  1869,  from  wounds  received  in  North 
Carolina  on  the  day  succeeding  Lee's  surrender. 
Sergeant  D.  M.  Milligan  G.  A.  II.  Post  at 
Madison,  Pa.,  is  named  in  his  honor.  iMr.  Milli- 
gan united  in  marriage  June  111,  1850,  with 
Elizabeth  Davidson,  daughter  of  Samuel  David- 
son. They  have  four  children :  Dr.  John  D., 
Hannah  Kosetta,  wife  of  John  S.  Cope  ;  Sarah 
E.,  and  Harry  E.,  who  is  a  farmer  in  Sewiekley 
township. 

Dr.  John  D.  Milligan  received  his  education 
in  the  common  schools  and  Madison  academy, 
mid  taught  three  terms  in  the  schools  of  his 
native  township.  He  then  read  medicine  with 
the  well-known  Dr.  Lewis  Sutton,  of  West 
Newton,  and  attended  lectures  in  1873  at  the 
AYestern  Reserve  Medical  College,  of  Cleveland, 
Ohio.  Li  1874  he  entered  the  celebrated  Belle- 
vue  llosjjital  I'ollege  of  New  York  city,  tmd  was 
graduated  from  that  famous  institution  March  1, 
187(3.  During  the  spring  of  the  succeeding 
year  he  took  the  full  post-graduate  course  of 
Bellevue  and  commenced  the  practice  of  medi- 
cine at  Madison.  lie  soon  became  one  of  the 
foremost  and  most  successful  physicians  of  the 
county.  After  a  residence  of  thirteen  years  at 
Madison  he  selected  Grcensburg  as  a  wider 
field  for  the  practice  of  his  chosen  profession, 
and  accordingly  removed  to  that  jjlace  in  Janu- 
ary, 1890.     He  is  rapidly  building  up  a  largo 


iT^n^^ 


WKSTMO liF.LA  M)  <  •()  IJSTy. 


139 


anil  enviable  ])iactiee  in  GreenSbiirg,  besiiles  re- 
taining many  of  his  former  patrons  and  secur- 
ing patronage  from  various  otlier  sections  of  tlie 
county,  lie  is  ii  republican  in  jiolitics  ami  was  a 
member  of  Madison  school  board  lor  ten  years. 

On  October  2,  187U,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Mrs.  Martha  J.  I'inkerton,  daughter 
of  the  late  Col.  Joseph  Guft'ey,  of  Sewickley 
township.  The  marriage  ceremony  was  per- 
formed in  the  Pennsylvania  room  at  Mt.  A'er- 
iu)u  amid  a  throng  of  travelers  by  Rev.  ingrr- 
soll,  ot  ^Vasilingtoa  city.  They  have  two  child- 
ren :  Mary  M.,  born  July  Vl,  1882,  and  Joe. 
J.,  born  December  30,  188-1. 

Dr.  Milligan  is  a  member  of  the  United 
Brethren  church  and  Three  Graces  lodge,  No. 
934,  I.  0.  0.  F.  He  is  a  Free  Mason,  holding 
membership  in  Westmoreland  Loilge,  No.  518, 
Urania  Chapter  No.  192,  and  Kedron  Cora- 
mandery,  No.  IS,  Knight  Templars,  at  Greens- 
burg,  and  Syria  Temple  and  Pennsylvania  Con- 
sistory, No.  320,  of  Pittsburg.  Dr.  Milligan  is 
a  close  and  devoted  student  of  his  profession. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  AVestmoreland  County 
Medical  Society  and  the  Pennsylvania  State 
Medical  Society,  and  ex-president  of  Westmore- 
land County  Medical  Society.  lie  is  an  affable 
gentleman,  a  public-spirited  citizen  and  an 
excelii'nt  physician. 


TOIIN  WILLIAM  MOORE.  Upon  the 
I  solid  and  enduring  basis  of  honesty  and 
^  industry,  J.  \V.  Moore  has  built  the  super- 
structure of  his  fame  and  fortune  and  secured 
the  respect  and  esteem  of  his  fellow-citizens. 
Unostentatious  and  always  avoiding  undue  pub- 
licity, yet  he  is  one  of  the  prominent  characters 
that  will  ever  renmin  in  the  foreground  of  Ameri- 
can coke  history,  and  will  never  be  forgotten  as 
a  potent  factor  of  the  unexampled  material  devel- 
opment of  western  Pennsylvania,  which  has  made 
that  section  the  '•  ^Vorkshop  of  the  New  AVorld  " 
and  the  wonder  of  two  liemispheres.      John  Wil- 


liam Moore  was  ])orn  April  Iti,  1837,  in  Ros- 
traver  townshii),  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  and 
is  a  son  of  Kbenezer  and  Nancy  li.  (Hurst) 
Moore.  His  trans-atlantic  ]iaternal  ancestry  is 
traced  back  to  his  grandfaliirr,  Robert  Moore, 
who  in  early  life  (1780)  removed  from  Cecil 
county,  Md.,  and  .settled  in  Uostraver  township, 
Westmoreland  county.  Pa.  lie  was  married  in 
1780,  before  leaving  Maryland,  to  Miss  Jane 
Power,  a  sister  of  Rev.  James  Power,  D.l).,  wlio 
was  the  fust  Presbyterian  to  settle  ami  preach 
in  the  "Western  AVilds."  Dr.  Power  came 
from  eastern  Pennsylvania  anil  })reac!ied  in 
Fayette  and  Westmoreland  counties  in  1774. 
Robert  ;Moore  erected  a  large  two-story  log 
house  into  which  he  moved  and  lived  during  his 
life.  He  was  one  of  that  sturdy  class  of  men 
who  settled  in  the  region  of  Dunlap's  Creek, 
Rehoboth  and  Round  Hill  churches.  They  were 
decidedly  Presbyterian  and  formed  the  nucleus 
for  those  churches  which  have  stood  so  long  and 
whose  old  members  have  left  the  impress  of 
their  lives  upon  the  generations  to  follow  them. 
Ebcnezer  Moore,  the  youngest  of  Robert  Moore's 
six  children,  was  born  August  3,  1793,  and  was 
the  last  of  the  family  to  marry,  on  account  of 
remaining  at  home  to  care  for  his  aged  and  fee- 
ble mother.  In  1846  lie  removed  to  the  old 
Rlackstone  farm  in  Tyrone  township,  Fayette 
county.  Pa.  His  wife  had  an  inherited  interest 
in  the  farm,  and  he  bought  the  interests  of  the 
other  heirs  and  added  to  the  farm  by  purchase 
one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  adjoining  land. 
These  two  farms  were  heavily  underlaid  with 
coal,  and  it  was  here  that  the  coke  interests  were 
started  which  has  since  been  developed  by  his 
two  younger  sons,  J.  W.  and  P.  H.  Moore. 
Ebenezer  Moore  was  six  feet  in  height  and 
weighed  one  hundred  and  ninety  pounds.  lie 
had  a  strong  frame  and  a  large,  well-shaped 
head.  He  kept  his  face  smoothly'  shaved,  was 
always  genteel  and  respectable  in  appearance 
and  was  a  fine-looking  man.  Better  than  this, 
he  was  a  man  of  sterling  integrity,  was  strictly 


luh:      ;.. . 


Ml  ol..  'jv  ('  ;    I    .'Ji    1    n   .■<  -i;.  >ll    /< 


BIOOHAPniES   OF 


honest,  fair  in  his  tr:iiis;ictions,  ami  was  a  man 
of  great  kiiuhicss  of  licart,  wliilu  his  tcinlcnics.s 
of  feeling  was  one  of  his  ilistingiiislied  cliaracter- 
ibticd.  llis  attachments  to  iiis  home  ami  family 
were  very  strong  and  ho  loved  them  with  the 
greatest  devotion.  As  a  business  man,  ho  at 
times  appeared  rigid,  thougli  always  just,  and 
seldom  made  mistakes.  He  was  modest,  unas- 
suming, possessed  a  high  regard  for  men,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in 
whieli  he  was  twice  chosen  elder.  He  did  not 
accept,  however,  on  account  of  his  lack  of  self- 
confidence,  yet  he  had  mental  power  that  with 
more  self-assurance,  would  have  given  him  a 
higli  position  in  tiie  churcli.  Withal  he  loved  to 
converse  on  Christian  topics,  and  at  his  home 
ministers  of  the  gospel  were  often  found,  who 
were  always  welcome,  and  he  loved  their  society. 
In  politics  he  was  a  democrat  and  was  positive 
in  his  faith,  lie  was  an  intelligent  reader  and 
took  a  deep  interest  in  the  passing  events  of  his 
time,  lie  conversed  with  great  earnestness  upon 
the  political  as  well  as  upon  religious  issues  of 
his  day.  In  1844  he  represented  Westmoreland 
county  in  the  Legislature,  and  it  is  an  interest- 
ing fact  that  he  received  all  the  votes  except 
five  that  were  cast  in  his  own  township.  In 
May,  1833,  Ebenezer  Moore  married  Miss 
Nancy  Blackstone  Hurst,  daughter  of  James 
find  Sarah  Hurst,  of  Mt.  I'leasant  township, 
Westmoreland  county.  Pa.  They  reared  a 
family  of  si.x  children  in  the  house  in  which 
Mr.  Mooro  was  born.  The  old  house  is  still 
standing.  The  farm  is  now  owned  by  the  eld- 
est son,  James  II.,  and  for  one  hundred  and  nine 
years  has  been  in  the  possession  of  the  family. 
Mrs.  Moore  was  a  granddaughter  of  James  and 
Priscilla  Blackstone,  of  Fayette  county.  They 
had  six  children :  one  died  in  infancy,  Sarah 
Jane  died  February  23,  1858,  at  thirteen  years 
of  age  ;  the  eldest  son,  James  II.,  married  Miss 
Amanda  Thirkield,  of  Fayette  city,  and  resides 
at  Monongahehi  city ;  thesecond  son,  Rev.  U.IJ. 
Moore,  D.D.,  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  mar- 


ried Miss  Louisa  J.,  yuiiugest  daughter  of  James 
I'uul,  of  Fayette  county,  but  now  of  Tilliii,  Ohio  ; 
the  third  son  is  John  W.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
J.  W.  Moore  received  his  educational  training 
in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  township 
and  Llder's  Ridge  academy.  He  afterward  took 
a  full  business  course  at  the  Iron  City  Commercial 
college,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1856. 
He  was  reared  in  the  simplicity  of  rural  life,  yet 
he  manifested  an  ambition  for  business  at  an 
early  age  and  was  successfully  engaged  in  stock- 
dealing  before  he  had  reached  his  eighteenth 
birthday.  For  over  twenty  years  he  was  a  well- 
known  and  extensive  stock-dealer  throughout 
the  counties  of  Westmoreland,  Fayette  and 
Green,  and  met  with  that  remarkable  success 
which  has  ever  since  so  abundantly  crowned  all 
his  business  ventures  and  undertakings.  In 
1873  Mr.  Moore  practically  retired  from  stock- 
dealing  and  engaged  in  the  greatest  enterprise 
of  his  business  life,  by  an  investment  in  the  Con- 
nellsville  coke  industry,  at  that  time  just  attract- 
ing public  notice.  He  entered  into  a  partnership 
with  James  Cochran,  Solomon  Kiester  and  -lames 
Hurst,  for  the  manufacture  of  coke  at  the  Sum- 
mit coke  works,  situated  near  Broad  Ford,  Fay- 
ette county.  Pa.  After  six  years  he  withdrew 
from  this  firm,  purchased  the  Redstone  coke- 
plant,  three  miles  south  of  Lhiiontown,  Pa.,  and 
enira"ed  in  the  coke  business  with  his  brother, 
P.  H.  Moore.  In  1881  Col.  J.  S.  Schoonnuiker 
was  admitted  as  a  partner,  and  four  years  later 
J.  W.  Moore  \wtliilrew.  At  that  time  the  com- 
pany was  running  four  hundred  ovens  and  cm- 
ploying  five  hundred  men.  In  187'J  he  bought 
two  thousand  acres  of  coal  land  in  Mt.  Pleasant 
township,  this  county,  where,  with  his  accus- 
tomed energy  he  soon  erected  what  is  known  as 
the  "  Mammoth  coke  works,"  and  put  into 
operation  nearly  six  hundred  ovens.  In  the 
spring  of  1889  he  increased  his  coke  business 
by  the  purchase  of  the  "'  Wynn  coke  works," 
above  Uniontown,  Pa.,  and  successfully  operated 
these  plants  until  the  latter  part  of  the  summer. 


WESTMORELAND   CO IjyTY. 


On  August  23,  1889,  he  disposed  of  his  entire 
coke  interests  to  the  II.  C.  Frick  Coke  Company 
for  eonsidenihly  over  one  million  dolliirs.  This 
is  hy  far  tlie  huncst  dcnl  ever  yet  made  in  the 
coke  business,  and  iit  ils  eonsiniiiiialion  Mr.  MiKjre 
practically  withdrew  from  active  business  and 
is  now  living  a  retired  life  at  his  beautiful  home 
in  Greensburg. 

On  November  22,  1860,  J.  W.  Moore  was 
married  to  Elizabeth  Staufler,  eldest  ilaughter  of 
M.  B.  and  Charlotta  Stauffer,  of  Connellsville, 
Fayette  county,  Pa.  To  their  Union  have  been 
born  six  children:  Elmer  E.,  dead;  Albert 
Braden,  superintendent  of  the  Wynn  coke 
works  for  II.  C.  Frick  ;  Mary  Joe,  wife  of  G. 
Bowley  Richardson,  a  merchant  of  Baltimore, 
(married  January  17,  188'J),  who  is  a  niendjer 
of  one  of  the  oldest  families  of  that  city;  Luella 
Stauffer,  James  Pressley,  attending  Bottstown 
town  academy,  this  State,  and  Irene  Elizabeth. 

His  investments  in  real  estate  have  been  both 
extensive  and  profitable.  He  owns  two  fine 
properties  in  Greensburg  besides  fifteen  valuable 
farms  in  Westmoreland,  Fayette  and  Indiana 
counties.  In  ISS'J  Mr.  Moore  was  engaged  in 
coke  manufieturing  on  a  scale  far  exceeding 
anything  hitherto  attempted  by  individual  enter- 
prise in  the  Connellsville  coke  region.  He  is 
unassuming  and  honorable  in  his  intercourse 
with  his  fellow-nien,  charitable  in  his  judgment 
of  others  and  liiiii  in  his  convictions  of  what  is 
right.  In  all  his  business  enterprises  J.  W. 
Moore  has  been  sagacious,  ])rudent,  honorable 
and  successful.  Beneath  the  shadows  of  the 
everlasting  mountains,  in  the  beautiful  valleys  of 
southern  Pennsylvania,  Mr.  Moore  planned  and 
planted  and  has  reaped  a  golden  harvest  in  the 
rich  field  of  liis  great  and  chosen  industry. 


ANIEL  C.  MORRIS  was  born  in  Greens- 
\^ J  burg,  Westmoreland  county.   Pa.,    Ajiril 
22,  18oI,  on  the  site  where  the  Masonic 
Hall  now  stands.      He  was  educated  in  the  com- 


mon schools  and  Greensburg  academy.  In 
1855  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  in 
Greensburg;  in  1857  went  to  California,  re- 
turned ill  1S5!)  and  located  in  .lohn.stown,  I'a., 
where  he  engaged  in  the  iMi-rcanlili;  and  planiiig- 
mill  business;  in  1872  he  returned  to  Greens- 
burg and  followed  surveying  for  a  nundjer  of 
years.  He  was  appointed  county  surveyor  for 
the  unexpired  term  of  C.  T.  Long,  who  removed 
to  Ohio. 

On  May  8,  IStJD,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Annie  Eliza  Miller,  daughter  of  Thomas  But- 
ler Miller,  late  of  Bedford,  Pa.,  by  Rev.  Daniel 
Garver,  at  Canton,  Ohio.  To  their  union  have 
been  born  ten  children  :  Samuel  Lease  Carpen- 
ter, Emma  Cecelia,  Annie  Sybilla,  Charles 
Clement,  James  Edward,  Bessie  Virginia,  Jose- 
phine Miller,  and  three  who  died  in  infancy. 

D.  C.  Morris  is  now  acting  justice  of  the 
peace  and  notary  public,  having  first  been 
elected  justice  in  1878  and  again  in  1880.  He 
is  a  son  of  Daniel  Carpenter  and  Sybilla  (Kern) 
Morris.  His  paternal  grandfather.  Captain 
William  Morris,  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent 
and  among  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  the 
Juniata  valley,  now  Huntingdon  county,  and  was 
born  January  9,  1782,  in  Huntingdon  county. 
Pa.,  where  on  May  13,  1800,  lie  married  Eliza- 
beth, daughter  of  Daniel  and  Mary  Carpenter. 
Ca[)t.  Morris  served  at  Lake  Erie  in  1812;  he 
afterwards  removed  to  Murrysville,  Westmore- 
huid  county,  where  he  died  November  7,  1828. 
The  Carpenters,  who  were  Germans,  came  to 
Pennsylvania  with  William  Penn,  who  Angli- 
cised the  name  of  Zimmerman  to  Carpenter, 
when  he  made  out  their  land  warrants,  which 
change  was  confirmed  by  Act  of  Assembly  in 
order  to  avoid  any  difficulty  which  might  arise. 
The  father  of  Mr.  Morris  was  born  in  Hunting- 
don county.  Pa.,  June  6,  1804,  and  died  in 
Greensburg,  Pa.,  December  8,  lb84.  He  was 
a  man  over  six  feet  in  height,  of  fine  presence 
and  a  mcniljcr  of  Christ's  Episcopal  church, 
Cireensburg,    Pa.       He    read    law    with    Major 


imnin.il'lllF.S  (IF 


Jolili  15.  Alexiiinlcr  iiiul  was  ailiiiittcil  to  piac- 
tice  ut  Novfiiiljcr  tuiiii,  1827  ;  he  liml  .scciircd 
quite  an  extensivo  practice  at  the  time  of"  his 
(leatii.  lie  was  a  stmnj;  ami  active  lii'iiioerat 
liml  was  a  |iiililieal  U'lnler  (iri'oree  and  iulliielice. 
'riiere  were  Ikuu  to  tiiis  uiiinii  tliree  ejiiiih-eii  : 
Keziaii  C,  ^largaret  Cecelia  ami  l>aiiiel  C. 
Three  years  after  the  tleatli  of  his  father  his 
niotlier  was  married  to  Alexander  Craig,  of  Hill- 
side, '\Vestuiorelaiul  county.  To  this  union 
were  born  three  children  :  Dr.  Alex.  Craig, 
of  Columbia,  Pa.;  Louisa  Sybilla  Moore  (nee 
Craig),  of  Wheeling,  West  ^'irginia,  and  Dr. 
George  (r.  Craig,  of  Rock  Island,  Illinois.  Mr. 
Morris'  mother  was  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
Margaret  Kern  and  was  born  in  Greensburg, 
Pa.,  December  30,  ISOS,  ami  died  at  the  resi- 
dence of  her  son.  Dr.  Alex.  Craig,  June  -il, 
1888,  and  was  buried  by  the  side  cif  her  first 
husband  in  St.  Clair  cemetery,  Greensburg, 
Pa. 

Mr.  Morris  is  a  member  of  Philanthropy 
Lodge,  No. -J^r.,  F.  ^c  A.  M.,  Urania  IL  11.  A. 
^L,  Chapter,  No.  192,  and  Kedron  Command- 
ery.  No.  18,  located  at  Greensburg,  Pa.;  he  is 
al.so  a  member  of  several  beneficial  organizations, 
and  is  an  active  and  life-long  democrat,  always 
voting  the  straight  ticket  ;  he  is  also  a  member 
of  Christ's  Episcopal  church,  Greensburg,  Pa. 


,  ARWIN  MUSICK.  the  brilliant  editor  of 
ihe  (inrii.-./'iir,/  Jhiilii  and  IIV,  A7// 
llrctird,  was  liiun  m  llem|ilirlil  town- 
ship, WestMiiuelaJid  county,  Pa.,  .March  11, 
1847,  and  is  a  son  of  Peter  and  Elizabeth 
(Seanor)  ^lusick.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
David  jNIusick,  was  a  native  of  Northumberland 
county,  Pa.,  and  came  to  Westmoreland  county 
in  178U,  when  he  was  but  thirteen  years  of  age. 
He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  a  strict  mem- 
ber of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church.  His 
maternal  grandfather,  Phiiij)  Seannr,  who  set- 
tled in  Ilemplield  township  at  an  early  day,  was 


of  (jerman  descent.  He  followed  farming,  was 
a  consistent  member  of  the  Lutheran  church, 
and  was  of  that  thrifty  and  honest  pioneer  class 
of  |ieople  who  gave  character  to  the  central  part 
of  the  county.  His  falhei',  Peter  JLisick,  was 
born  near  Adamsburg,  August  1,  1807.  He 
was  a  cooper  by  trade,  and  in  1854  purchased  a 
farm  in  Unity  township,  upon  which  he  resided 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  December  '20, 
1880.  He  had  reached  and  passed  his  eighty- 
second  tnile  stone  along  the  rugged  path  of  life, 
and  of  him  was  affectionately  said:  "He  was  one 
of  those  on  whom  time  had  left  the  mark  of  his 
snowy  fingers.  ]5ut  we  have  only  learned  to 
venerate  age  all  the  more  by  the  sorrows  we  have 
felt,  and  to  us  all,  silvered  locks  are  doubly 
sanctified."  He  was  an  exemplary  member  of 
the  Lutheran  church.  He  married  Elizabeth 
Seanor,  who  survived  him  but  one  short  fort- 
night, and  passed  away  in  the  eighty-first  year 
of  her  age. 

Darwin  Musick  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  until  he  was  nineteen  j'ears  of  age.  He 
then  (186G)  entered  Capital  University,  of  Col- 
umbus, Ohio,  from  which  institution  he  was 
graduated  in  June,  1871.  After  graduation  he 
was  engaged  in  normal  school  teaching  for  two 
years  at  Madison.  In  1873  he  took  charge  of 
the  public  school  at  Adamsburg,  which  position  he 
held  until  January,  187'J,  when  he  was  appointed 
chief  clerk  to  the  board  of  county  commissioners. 
After  Serving  in  this  capacity  for  three  years  lie 
was  elected  clerk  of  the  county  courts  by  eight 
hundred  majority.  At  the  expiration  of  his 
term  of  cilice  in  January,  188G,  he  entered  the 
field  of  journalism,  and  on  April  1,  188G,  issued 
the  initial  number  of  the  present  paper,  the 
Greensburg  Jievord. 

He  was  married  twice.  His  fifst  wife,  Sadie 
A.  Hays,  daughter  of  Samuel  Hays,  of  Mt. 
Pleasant  township,  died,  leaving  four  children  : 
Herbert  Manton,  Ada  Mabel,  Samuel  Hays  and 
Susan,  all  of  wIkjui  are  living.  His  second 
marriage    was   with    Ilattie   Staid,   daughter    of 


i4l^^=l2? 


WESTMOHKLAND  CO  UNTV. 


Natliiiii  Stiilil,  liilo  of  Adiunsbiir}^.  Tlieru  uic 
tln\'0  L'liililiiMi  to  tliis  union  :  I'linnia  Stalil,  Dar- 
win, >)r.,  and  Daniel  Patterson. 

Itarvvin  Musick  is  a  niouilirr  ol' tiie  PatronsoC 
llnnlianilry.  Jlo  is  a  so-callcil  IVco-tiailo  denjo- 
crat,  was  cliuirnian  of  the  deniociutic  county 
committee  in  1884,  served  as  a  meuiber  of  the 
democratic  State  central  comniittcuin  1887,  and 
during  three  State  campaigns  lie  did  cll'ectivo 
service  by  stumping  western  Pennsylvania.  lie 
is  a  classical  scholar,  an  excellent  mathematician, 
a  pleasing  and  entertaining  conversationalist 
and  a  courteous  and  genial  gentleman,  lie  is 
one  with  whom  the  ties  of  home  are  very  strong. 
On  March  1,  188(j,  Mr.  ?ilusickand  1).  P.  Stahl 
formed  a  partnership  and  started  the  Greens- 
burg  Daili/  and  Weekli/  Record,  of  which  the 
former  became  editor  and  the  latter  assumed  the 
position  of  business  manager.  From  the  saluta- 
tory published  April  1,  188(3,  we  extract ;  "The 
Itecord,  emerging  from  a  state  of  embryo,  has 
sprung  '  like  Minerva,  from  the  brow  of  Jove, 
full-armed  into  existence  '  u]ion  the  bright  and 
auspicious  morn  of  its  eventful  and  ]icrfectly 
legitimate  birth.  1'ho  Record  is  not  the  crea- 
ture of  any  clique,  faction  or  individual.  It 
will  never  become  the  niuuth-i)icce  of  any  one  to 
air  his  personal  grie\ances  or  further  his  private 
or  selfish  ends.  As  we  are  not  the  child  of  fac- 
tion nor  the  ollspring  of  any  locality  or  clique, 
we  will  always  be  free  to  defend  the  right  and 
condemn  the  wrong.  Being  throughly  denio- 
cralic,  it  will  admit  of  no  coalition  in  the 
dark."  The  Record,  to  day,  is  aggressively 
democratic.  It  has  a  wide  and  constantly 
increasing  circulation  in  this  and  adjoining 
counties,  and  numbered  among  its  patrons  arc 
citizens  of  nearly  every  State  in  the  Union.  It 
is  a  live  and  j)rogressive journal,  and  has  always 
been  I'carless  in  advocating  what  it  deemed  to  be 
right. 

As  an  editorial  wi'iter,  [>arwin  Musick  is  fair 
and  honorable  in  his  treatment  of  men  and 
measures;   but  in   attacking  popular    follies  or 


<lemaiiding  ncciled  reforms,  he  writes  in  a  keen 
and  willii^ring  vein  of  sarcasm  pecidiarly  ids 
own.  In  a  controversy  his  pen  bristles  like  the 
"  fielful  porcupine  "  and  iiis  pointed  ([uills  are 
HJiot  at  the  intended  mark  regarlll(^ss  of  who  may 
stand  in  the  way.  His  style  is  simple  but  not 
severe ;  cloijuent  but  not  profuse  or  iiorid,  and 
he  always  interests  but  never  tires  his  readers. 


JOHN  M.  NEUBAUER,  one  of  Greens- 
I  burg's  well-known  citizens  and  proprietor 
*il  of  the  "  Fisher  House,"  was  born  on 
French  street,  Erie,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  April  27, 
1853,  and  is  a  son  of  Henry  ami  Elizabeth  K. 
(Lederer)  Neubauer.  Mr.  Neubauer  is  of  Ger- 
man extraction.  The  Neubauers  of  Germany 
were  a  substantial  and  well-to-do  family.  (Jne 
of  its  members,  Henry  Neubauer,  was  born 
April  22,  1828,  at  the  village  of  Alzei,  near  the 
Pihine,  in  Hesse  Darmstadt.  He  was  a  shoe- 
maker by  trade,  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1848,  and  eventually  settled  in  Erie,  Pa.,  where 
from  18(-)1  to  1873  he  was  engaged  in  the 
grocery  business.  In  1873  be  built  the  Arcade 
Hotel,  which  he  successfully  conducted  for  many 
years.  It  is  now  owned  by  his  son,  Frank 
Neubauer.  In  1850  Henry  Neubauer  married 
Elizabeth  K.  Leilerer,  daughter  of  Michael 
Lederer,  of  Frankfurt,  on  the  Rhine,  Province 
of  Brandenburg.  Mr.  Neubauer  is  a  son  of 
John  Neubauer,  who  was  a  native  of  Alzei  and 
came  to  Erie,  where  he  engaged  in  farming. 

John  JNl.  Neubauer  was  reared  at  Erie  city 
and  educated  in  its  public  schools.  Leaving 
school,  he  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  for 
five  years.  He  was  a  traveling  salesman  for  a 
time  with  a  Mr.  ^Varner,  of  Pittsburg,  in  the 
boot  and  shoe  business,  after  which  he  resumed 
charge  of  his  grocery  and  sueeessfully  conducted 
it  until  December,  1885.  in  I, SSI)  he  eame  to 
Greensburg  anil  purchased  his  (iresent  hotel,  the 
Fisher  House,  'i'he  Fisher  House  is  centrally 
located,  opposite  the  court-house,  on   the  corner 


•■7  ■•'J:  00 


lUOilHAl'JIIES  OF 


of  South  Main  and  West  Pittsburg  streets.  The 
Fisher  House  is  one  of  tiie  largest  and  finest 
hotels  in  the  county.  The  building  is  a  fine 
four-story  briciv  structure.  It  contains  ninny 
rooms,  besides  a  large  dining  hull,  neat,  tasteful 
parlors  and  a  fine  sample-room  for  commercial 
travelers.  The  entire  house  is  heated  by  natural 
gas,  illuminated  by  incandescent  light  and  com- 
plete in  all  its  interior  arrangements  for  the 
accumniodation  and  comfort  of  its  niany  guests. 
Mr.  Neuljauur  thoroughly  understands  the  hotel 
business  in  which  he  is  engaged.  Under  his 
superior  management  the  Fisher  House  has 
attained  its  present  high  stamling  and  enviable 
re[iutation. 

October  22,  1877,  Mr.  Neubauer  married 
Alice  Amanda  Foster,  daughter  of  Henry  and 
Christiana  (Schultz)  Foster. 

John  M.  Neubauer  is  a  pleasant  gentleman 
of  tine  business  ability  and  experience,  and  has 
successfully  commended  himself  to  public  favor 
and  generous  patronage.  He  is  prominent  in 
Masonic  circles  and  has  taken  the  Knight 
Templar  and  Scottish  Rite  degrees. 


'^  ACOB  F.  NICEWONGER,a  soldier  of  the 

f '  late  war  and  proprietor  of  a  large  livery,  feed 
(2/  and  sales  stable  at  Greensburg,  was  burn 
■  at  Ligonier,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  July 
13,  1838,  and  is  the  fourth  child  of  Col.  Joseph 
and  Margaret  E.  (Hull)  Nicewonger.  The  N ice- 
wongers  are  of  German  descent.  Col.  Joseph 
Nicewonger  was  born  in  Bedford  county,  Pa., 
but  after  arriving  at  man's  estate  emigrated  to 
Ligonier,  where  he  died  in  1873.  His  occupa- 
tion was  farming,  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
years,  when  he  ran  a  hotel  at  Ligonier.  He  was 
a  warm  friend  of  popular  education,  an  active 
worker  in  the  ranks  of  the  Republican  party,  and 
was  for  many  years  a  devoted  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church.  He  was  colonel  for  a  long  time 
of  a  militia  regiment  at  Ligonier.  He  married 
Margaret  Elizabeth   Hull,    whose   fatlier   was  a 


teamster  on  the  old  "National  road."  They  had 
si.xtcen  children,  of  whom  twelve  are  living. 
Mrs.  Nicewonger,  now  aged  seventy-si.x  years, 
resides  in  <  'alifornia. 

Jacob  F.  Nicewongcr's  educational  privileges 
were  limited  to  the  common  schools  for  a  brief 
period  of  time.  For  several  years  prior  to  1877 
he  was  engaged  at  Ligonier  in  business,  excep- 
ting the  time  he  served  in  the  Federal  army.  On 
Ajiril  1,  1887,  he  removed  to  Greensburg, 
where  he  soon  purchased  his  present  livery  stable 
from  Edward  Keenan.  At  the  opening  of  the 
late  war  Mr.  Nicewonger  enlisted  under  Capt. 
Donnelly  in  Co.  K,  of  the  eleventh  Pa.  A'ols., 
commanded  by  Col.  Richard  Coulter.  He  en- 
listed for  thi-ee  months,  and  at  the  expiration  of 
that  time  re-enlisted  for  another  month,  in  order 
to  participate  in  the  battle  of  Bull  Run,  then 
imminent  and  hourly  expected.  After  that  dis- 
astrous battle  he  again  enlisted  for  nine  months, 
but  getting  his  feet  badly  scalded,  he  was  honor- 
ably discharged  and  sent  home. 

He  was  married  to  Elizabeth,  daughter  of 
William  Smith,  of  Pleasant  Unity,  Pa.  To 
their  union  have  been  born  six  children,  of  w  hom 
five  are  living :  Louis  Donnelly,  who  is  in 
business  at  Scottdalc  ;  WilUiani  J.,  Ellis  Clinton, 
Mautle  and  Edna. 

J.  F.  Nicewonger  is  a  republican  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church,  of 
which  his  wife  and  two  eldest  children  are  mem- 
bers. His  stable  livery  is  one  of  the  largest  at 
Greensburg;  his  stock  of  horses,  buggies  and 
carriages  is  large,  well-selected  and  adajjted  to 
thcAvants  of  his  extensive  and  substantial  patron- 
age. He  is  a  good  citizen  and  a  thorough-going 
business  man. 


I^EMUEL  OFFUTT,  M.  D.,  a  successful 

l'  [   practitioner  of  Westmoreland  county,  is  a 

native    of  Seneca,    Montgomery    county, 

Maryland,  and  was  born  on  May  8,  1851.      His 

fatlier,  James   (Jffutt,   a  farmer    by    occu]>ation. 


WEST.VORELA  XD   CO  UNTY. 


■was  born  near  Groat  Falls,  Marylaml,  on  October 
3,  KSDl.  He  married  Mavy  White  (bom  March 
o,  IM-JT),  on  March  17,  lH4:i,  a  duiii;liter  of 
Saiiniel  \Vliite,  who  was  a  native  of  l']n;^l!inil : 
he  caiiie  to  America  ulicn  a  nierc^  boy  and  with 
his  parents  settleil  in  Maiyland.  James  Ull'utt 
(jiatcrnal  grandfather)  eaine  from  Scotland  to 
the  United  States  with  liis  two  brothers,  George 
and  Andrew,  located  in  Maryland,  and  nearly 
the  whole  of  Montgomery  county  was  ceded  to 
them  by  Benedict  Charles  Calvert.  They  were 
likely  forced  to  leave  their  native  country  on  ac- 
count of  their  being  dissenters.  James  Offutt 
was  a  stanch  democrat  and  was  noted  for  his 
abstemious  and  temperate  habits,  whicli  seem  to 
be  hereditary  among  the  entire  family  of  Ofl'utts. 
Dr.  Lcumel  Oti'utt  was  ])rinci}ially  educated 
in  the  Andrew  Small  academy  in  Montgomery 
county;  on  leaving  the  academy  he  taught  school 
for  three  terras  in  his  native  county.  Having 
been  at  an  early  age  thrown  upon  his  own  re- 
sources, on  account  of  a  defaulting  county  treas- 
urer, on  whose  bond  was  Dr.  Oft'utt's  father,  and 
which  completely  wrecked  him  financially,  he 
colnmenced  the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  II. 
C.  Nurse  of  Darnestown,  in  1>571  ;  subsc((uently 
attended  lectures  at  the  University  of  Maryland, 
where  he  entered  in  1874  and  was  graduated  in 
the  class  of  1870.  Eighteen  months  of  the 
time  he  spent  at  the  University  was  in  the  Mary- 
land University  hospital.  He  came  to  I'cnn 
station  in  l.S7ti  and  iicgaii  the  general  practice 
of  mi'dicine,  whcic  he  continued  to  reside  until 
l8S:i,  when  he  left  there  on  account  of  his  ex- 
tensive practice  requiring  too  much  riding,  and 
came  to  Greensburg  in  December,  1883,  where 
he  is  at  present  engaged  in  successfid  practice. 
He  is  a  close  student  and  keeps  abreast  of  the 
times.  He  keeps  himself  posted  in  the  new 
works  of  note  that  are  constantly  being  gotten 
out  and  of  the  various  medical  journals  of  the 
day.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  and 
of  several  other  similar  organizations.  He  ad- 
heres to  the  time-honored  principles  of  the  Dem- 


ocratic party  and  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  On  January  2.'),  1S77,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Sarah  E.  Dukes,  of  lialtiniorc,  a  daii;;hlcr 
of  Levan  Hiikcs,  of  Washington,  l).  <'.,  who  was 
a  S(.'a  captain  and  died  whiMi  .Mrs.  Oll'ntt  was 
(juite  young.  To  their  marriage  have  been  born 
five  children  :  James  IL,  born  December  27, 
1877;  Mary  Ella,  March  30,1879;  Lemuel, 
January  8,  1881;  Sarah,  February  23.  1887, 
and  William  Griliith,  April  17,  1889.  WMlliam 
Griffith  dieil  July  11,  1889,  and  Lemuel  died 
October  2G,  iSb'J. 


ENNA  C.  OGDEN,  e.\-district  attorney 
kJ  of  Westmoreland  county  and  one  of  its 
most  promising  young  lawyers,'  was  born 
in  Fairfield  township,  Westmoreland  county, 
Pa.,  March  it),  1800,  and  is  the  second  son  of 
Lieut.  John  B.  and  Bella  J.  (McDowell)  Ogden. 
He  is  one  of  the  descendants  of  that  celebrated 
Scotch-Irish  Ogden  f;iinily  of  New  Jersey,  which 
has  produced  so  many  eminent  and  distinguished 
men.  Denna  C.  Ogden  is  fifth  in  lineal  descent 
from  Joseph  Ogden,  who  was  a  brother  of  David 
Ogden,  the  eminent  jurist,  who  was  born  in 
1707,  graduated  from  Yale  college  in  1728,  was 
appointed  a  judge  of  the  supreme  court  of  New 
Jersey  in  1772  and  died  in  1800.  Judge  Og- 
den's  son,  Hon.  Abraham  Ogden,  was  the 
founder  of  Ogilensburg,  New  York,  ranked  as 
one  of  the  great  jury  lawyers  of  his  day  and 
was  the  father  of  'Thomas  Ludlow  Ogden,  who 
was  the  law  partner  of  Alexander  Hamilton  and 
the  legal  adviser  of  the  great  "  Holland  Laiul 
Company."  Among  the  many  other  Ogdens  of 
New  Jersey,  who  were  distinguished  divines,  in- 
ventors and  statesmen,  was  Aaron  Ogden,  LL.D., 
who  graduated  at  Princeton,  served  under  Wash- 
ington, was  elected  United  States  senator  and 
died  in  1889.  Joseph  Ogden  (great-great- 
grandfather) was  born  in  New  Jersey  about 
1710,  where  he  died  about  1772.  His  son, 
Joseph,  was  born  in  1735,  ami  in  1755  came  to 


'j>li! 


inoORAPJllES  OF 


Fail-field  townsliip,  wliere  he  ilied  about  1815. 
lie  was  one  of  tlie  early  pioneers  of  Westniore- 
laml  county,  ami  his  son,  James  Ogden,  was 
horn  in  1785  and  died  in  1858.  A  son  of  the 
hitter  was  Ijieiit.  John  15.  Ogden,  who  was  born 
Juno  IG,  182,5,  an<l  died  December  Hi,  188i). 
In  the  late  war  he  aided  largely  to  raise  the 
fourth  Pa.  cavalry,  and  was  commissioned  first 
lieut.  of  Co.  D  in  that  regiment,  uf  which 
George  H.  Covode  was  colonel.  He  was 
wounded  twice  and  disabled  once  while  .-serving 
in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  In  1^554  he  mar- 
ried IJella  J.  McDowell.  They  were  the  jiarents 
of  three  children.  Mrs.  Ugden  was  a  daughter 
of  Jacob  McDowell,  who  was  the  youngest  of  a 
family  of  si.xteen  children,  and  whose  father, 
Robert  McDowell,  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent, 
and  located  on  eighteen  hundred  acres  of  land 
in  Ligonier  township.  lie  was  married  in  Fort 
Ligonier,  which  he  and  his  wife  helped  to  de- 
fend against  an  Indian  attack  in  ITG^J. 

Denna  C.  Ogden  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  at  Blairsville  academy.  He  read  law 
with  Stewart  &  Marlin,  of  Jefferson  county. 
Pa.,  where  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1882. 
The  next  year  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of 
Westmoreland  county,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  law  at  Greensburg.  In  188G  he  was 
nominated  by  the  democrats  for  district  attorney, 
having  seven  majority  over  the  combined  vote 
of  his  three  competitors  for  the  nomination,  and 
won  considerable  renown  for  the  manner  in 
which  he  conducted  his  canvass.  At  the  elec- 
tion he  polled  the  heaviest  vote  of  the  si.xteen 
candidates  on  the  democratic  county  ticket,  and 
was  the  youngest  man  ever  elected  to  the  posi- 
tion in  the  county,  being  only  twenty-si.x  years 
of  age.  During  his  term  he  was  distinguished 
for  his  courtesy  to  all,  and  at  the  end  of  three 
years  refused  to  allow  his  name  to  be  used  for  a 
second  term,  believing  that  each  one  should  have 
his  turn.  As  a  lawyer  Mr.  Ogdeu  studies  his 
cases  thoroughly,  j)resent3  them  well,  is  true  to 
his  client  and  just  to  his  opponent. 


April  5,  1888,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Anna  W .  McCullough,  a  daughter  of  John 
McCullough  and  sister  to  the  late  Hon.  Wclty 
McCullou'di. 


f  SAAC  OPPENHEIM.  One  of  the  most 
I  important  branches  of  the  mercantile  trade, 
J  and  one  that  is  well  represented  in  every 
town  and  city  of  any  importance  is  that  of 
clothier  and  furnisher.  One  of  the  most  popu- 
lar and  largely  patronized  clothing  and  furnish- 
ing houses  of  the  progressive  borough  of  Greens- 
burg is  that  of  Isaac  Oppenheim,  at  No.  133 
North  Main  street.  ^Ir.  (Jppenheim,  like  many 
of  our  prosperous  and  useful  business  men,  is 
originally  from  the  "Old  World,"  but  he  has 
resided  in  Greeiisburg  for  more  than  seven 
years,  and  during  this  time  has  thoroughly 
identified  himself  with  the  interests  and  welfare 
of  its  citizens.  Isaac  Oppenheim  is  a  son  of 
Thomas  and  Celia  jM.  (Aremberg)  Oppenheim, 
and  was  born  at  Kalvarey,  in  Russian  Poland, 
December  2,  1859.  He  is  descended  from  a 
family  of  merchants.  His  grandfather,  Lewis 
Oppenheim,  and  his  father,  Thomas  Oppenheim, 
were  both  natives  and  successful  business  men 
as  Avell  as  prosperous  merchants  of  Kalvarey. 

Isaac  Ojipenheim  was  reared  at  Kalvarey  and 
received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  that 
town.  At  si.\teen  years  of  age  lie  came  to  the 
United  States  and  engaged  in  peddling,  which 
business,  however,  he  only  followed  for  eighteen 
months.  He  next  turned  his  attention  to  the 
traveling  auctioneer  business,  which  he  pursued 
with  good  success  for  six  years.  In  1883  he 
came  to  Greensburg,  and  being  favorably  im- 
pressed with  that  place  opened  a  dry  goods  and 
notion  store  on  Pittsburg  street.  He  conducted 
this  store  with  very  profitable  results  until  1889, 
when  he  concluded  to  embark  in  the  clothing 
and  furnishing  business.  On  April  1,  1889,  he 
opened  his  present  large  and  commodious  mer- 
cantile  establishment,  which    is   now    fitted   up 


WESTMOnELAND   COUNTY. 


with  special  reference  to  the  demands  of  his  ex- 
tensive and  rapidly  augmenting  trade,  lie  lia.s 
a  full  and  complete  stock  of  the  finest  and  most 
fashionable  ready-made  clothing  and  furniHliing 
goods.  Mr.  Ojipenheim  is  all'able  and  obliging. 
He  is  a  one-price  clothier  who  never  misrepre- 
sents the  quality  of  liis  goods.  He  is  an  expe- 
rienced and  capable  business  man  who  conducts 
his  extensive  trade  on  honoralile  and  liberal 
principles,  and  is  highly  esteemed  in  mercantile 
circles. 

On  March  27,  1887,  he  married  Ray  Silver- 
man, a  daughter  of  Myer  Silverman,  a  firomi- 
nent  merchunt  of  Hudson,  New  York.  They 
have  one  child,  who  is  named  May  (iiieea  Op- 
jienheim. 

Isaac  Oiipenheim  is  independent  in  politics, 
and  votes  for  the  man  whom  he  thinks  is  best 
fitted  for  the  office.  He  is  a  member  of  Mt. 
Sinai  Lodge,  No.  480,  Knights  of  Pythias  and 
AVestmoreland  Lodge,  No.  840,  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  is  young  in  years, 
has  achieved  business  success  and  is  imbued 
with  the  true  spirit  of  enterprise  and  energy. 


.11.  A.  J.  ORNDORF,  a  fine  workman 
1^  '  and  a  leading  dentist  of  Greensburg,  is  a 
son  of  Jacob  and  Sarah  (Clark)  Orndorf, 
and  was  born  at  Woodward,  Centre  county,  Pa., 
October  12,  1843.  John  Orndorf  (paternal 
grandfather)  was  born  November  10,  1704,  died 
July  10,  184G,  aged  71  ye;irs  and  eight  niontli.s, 
was  a  mason  by  trade  but  followed  farming. 
His  wife  was  Elizabeth  Hess,  daughter  of  Mod- 
est Hess,  and  was  born  at  Selins  Grove,  Snyder 
county.  Pa.;  died  of  palsy  aged  seventy-one 
years,  three  months  and  eight  Jays.  They 
reared  a  family  of  five  sons  and  two  daughters. 
Jacob  Orndorf  (father)  was  born  at  Woodward, 
July  13,  1813,  and  died  February  G,  1890, 
aged  seventy-six  years,  six  months  and  twenty- 
two  days.  Farming  had  been  the  occupation  of 
his  life.     He   was   a  large,  powerful    man   but 


(piiet  and  unassuming  and  was  one  of  those  who 
cleared  and  injproved  that  suction  of  country, 
redeeming  it  to  the  plow  from  its  immeiiso 
forests  of  pine.  A  democrat  of  the  ohl  school, 
he  never  aspired  to  any  oliice  and  was  an  honest 
and  conservative  man  who  was  highly  re- 
spected by  his  neighbors.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  German  Reformed  church,  later  a  meniber 
of  the  Evangelical  church  and  was  marriijij  to 
Sarah  Clark,  daughter  of  James  Clark  ;  grand- 
I  mother's  maiden  name  was  Keister.  Great- 
grandfather's name  uas  Henry  Orndorf,  and 
have  been  unable  to  asceilain,  but  think  he  i  aiue 
from  Germany.  I'o  their  union  have  been  born 
two  sons  and  three  daugiiters. 

A.  J.  Orndorf  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  AVoodward  and  Egg  Hill  academy. 
Leaving  school,  he  leariie<l  the  tiade  of  cabinet- 
maker and  engaged  for  two  years  in  that  line  of 
business.  But  having  a  taste  for  work  in  a 
line  of  business  requiring  finer  mechanical  skill 
and  workmanship  than  that  required  in  cabinet- 
making  he  turned  his  attention  to  dentistry  and 
entered  the  dental  office  of  Dr.  W.  S.  Ilarter,  of 
Millheim,  Centre  county.  Pa.,  where  he  served 
the  recjuired  student's  term  of  two  years.  In 
18G7  he  opened  an  office  at  Pine  Grove  Mills, 
of  his  native  county,  where  he  practiced  den- 
tistry successfully  until  1888,  and  during  his 
residence  at  that  place  he  served  three  terms  as 
justice  of  the  peace.  In  July,  1888,  he  removed 
to  Greensburg,  where  he  occupies  a  fine  suite  of 
rooms  in  the  Mytinger  building  on  Main  street. 
His  location  is  one  of  the  best  in  the  town 
while  his  rooms  are  fitted  up  in  fine  style  with 
all  the  latest  and  improved  appliances  of  his 
profession.  His  practice  is  large  and  rapidly 
increasing.  He  is  assisted  by  his  son,  C.  Eugene 
Orndorf,  who  has  taken  one  course  of  lectures  at 
the  Baltimore  Dental  college  and  from  which  he 
will  graduate  in  1890. 

On  December  10,  18G.'>,  Dr.  Orndorf  was 
married  by  Rev.  W.  II.  Purr,  to  Lydia  Amanda, 
daughter  of  Andrew  Bell,  of  Centre  county,  Pa. 


148 


luoaiiiriiiKS  OF 


'I'hcy  liavi'  fiiui'  childirii  living  :  C.  Eugciio, 
Ixirn  Aiiji;nst  14,  J8(iij;  .Minnie  (u-aco,  Nrilio 
11,11  an. 1    Klva  KllinIL 

I'r.  ( )inil(ii  r  is  a  ilcnioL'rat,  iuis  lioeii  a  nicni- 
I)L'i'  of  the  iMetlioilist  Episcojial  cliurcli  fiir  iiver 
twenty  yeais,  lias  filleil  all  the  various  local 
ulliees  of  that  ehureh,  anil  expeels  to  reside  in 
Greensburg  the  reuiainder  of  his  ilay.s. 


^IIOMAS  PARKS.  Of  the  important 
\^  business  interests  of  Greensburg  none  are 
^  more  important  than  those  of  milling 
and  brick  manufacture,  and  a  leading  exponent 
of  these  lines  of  business  is  Thomas  Parks,  now 
resident  of  Greensburg.  He  was  born  just 
below  Allegheny  city,  Allegheny  county,  Pa., 
February  IM,  1H41,  and  is  a  son  of  Jainc'S  and 
Mary  A.  (Woods)  Parks.  Jatiies  Parks  was  a 
native  of  county  Derry,  north  of  Ireland,  came 
to  the  United  States  when  a  young  man  and 
followed  farming  and  brick-making  for  a  liveli- 
hood. He  died  in  18G1  at  the  age  of  sixty-five 
years,  lie  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  a  whig  and  later  a  republican  in  politics 
and  married  Mary  A.  Woods,  by  whom  ho  had 
eight  children.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Andrew 
Woods,  who  kept  a  public  house  in  Ireland,  and 
at  fourteen  years  of  age  came  over  to  this  country 
with  her  brother. 

Thomas  Parks  attended  the  public  schools  of 
Allegheny  city  for  several  years  and  then 
learned  (he  brick-making  business.  In  18G7  he 
located  in  Cireensburg,  but  in  lS7-'i  removed  to 
Paradise,  wdiere  he  now  resides  ainl  operates  a 
large  brick-yard.  He  is  a  partner  with  his 
brother,  W.  15.  Parks,  in  the  flouring-mill  busi- 
nes.s.  They  own  and  o[)crate  the  (Jreensburg 
Roller  I\Iills.  which  is  fitted  up  with  the  latest 
improved  roller  process  and  other  modern  mill- 
ing machinery.  The  mill  has  a  capacity  of  lifty 
barrels  per  day,  does  a  large  custom  trade 
and  supplies  a  wiile  section  of  surrouinling 
country. 


Thomas  Parks  was  married  Ajiril  1^1,  1864, 
to  Annie  1'].  Ash,  who  i.s  a  daughter  of  Jonathan 
Ash,  of  Donegal  township.  Of  their  marriage 
have  bei'U  boiii  ten  eliildren,  of  vrhom  eight  aie 
living  :  William  and  Jonathan  Winfudd,  who 
are  assisting  their  father  in  the  brick-making 
business;  Mary  A.,  Martha  K.,  Luciaii  C, 
Samuel  II.,  Keturah,  and  Charles  M. 

Thomas  Parks  is  a  democrat  in  jjolitieal  sen- 
timent and  has  always  been  a  regular  attendant 
of  the  services  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  He  has  had  a  long  practical  experi- 
ence in  the  brick-making  business  and  with  his 
ample  facilities  for  producing  first-class  brick,  he 
is  always  ready  to  fill  the  various  orders  of  his 
m;jny  patrons. 

't*OIIN  M.  PEIFLY,  a  native  of  one  of  the 
I  world's  stnjiigest  empires  ami  a  citizen  of 
QJ  the  world's  greatest  republic,  is  a  son  of 
Frederick  and  Elizabeth  (Lu*z)  Peifly,  and  was 
born  in  the  well-known  kingdom  of  'Wurtem- 
burg,  southwestern  Germany,  April  26,  1830. 
Frederick  Peifly  was  born  at  the  town  of  Boes- 
cnginen,  Germany,  September  3,  1790  ;  he  emi- 
grated to  Lycoming  county.  Pa.,  in  1833,  re- 
moved in  1844  to  Westmoreland  county,  where 
he  settled  in  ^Vasliington  townsliip  and  was  en- 
gaged in  weaving  until  his  death,  which  took 
place  July  14,  187G.  He  was  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church,  and 
married  Elizabeth  Lutz  of  his  native  town  in 
Germany.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  of  whom  three  are  living  :  Christina, 
married  to  Christopher  Bealer,  of  Lycoming 
county  ;  Abraham  N.,  a  farmer  in  Dakota,  and 
John  M. 

John  M.  Peifly  attended  the  common  schools 
of  Lycoming  and  Westmoreland  counties.  Leav- 
ing school,  he  learned  the  trade  of  weaver  with 
his  father,  and  removed  to  Stephenson  county, 
Illinois,  where  he  was  engaged  in  Aveaving  for 
sixteen    years.      In    18(;7    he    left    his    western 


ni     .oiAit/^   lijouiv,  , 


wi:srM<)iii:i,.\yi>  cousty. 


liiiiiH',  rotui'uccl  to  llic  "  Kfystiiiie  St;itc,"  ;iiiil  \v;is 
engaged  four  years  in  a  wuok-u  mill  of  Joliiistuwii, 
Pa.  InlHTl  lie  iciudsciI  to  Lmlwick,  wlicio  lie 
iias  coiiliiiiicil  III  i-('.siilc  ii|i  to  iIk'  |ii(sriit  time. 

On  Miircli  ir>,  ISCO,  1,,.  nunicl  I'liuiihi;!,  ( !. 
l<"ry,  (laughter  uF  Solomon  l'"iy,  oC  llemplieKl 
townsliip.  To  tlieir  union  have  been  born  eight 
chililren,  of  whom  seven  are  living:  Elizabeth, 
a  dress  maker  ;  L.  Franklin,  a  teamster  ;  Ellen, 
a  dress  maker;  Silas  M.,  a  founder,  with  Kelley 
&  Jones;  Lida  Jane,  Carrie  A.,  and  Juna  May. 

J.  M.  Peilly  is  a  denioerat  ;  he  has  served  as 
burgess  and  school  director  of  ins  borough  and 
been  judge  of  election.  Jle  is  a  member  of 
Centennial  Lodge,  No.  100  Ancient  CircK'r  of 
United  Workmen;  Energetic  Lodge,  No.  70, 
Knights  of  Honor ;  Greensburg  Council,  No. 
44,  Koyal  Arcanum  ;  Greensburg  Lodge,  No. 
484,  Knights  of  I'ythias  ;  Protection  Council, 
No.  11,  C'hosen  Friends;  Pleasant  (Jouncil, 
No.  53,  Home  Circle ;  Central  Grange,  No. 
835,  Patrons  of  Husbandry,  and  a  mendjer  of 
Westmorehind  Lodge,  No.  84,  1.  0.  0.  F.  In 
these  secret  societies  he  carries  $10,000  of  in- 
surance on  his  life.  Mr.  Peifly  is  a  member  of 
Zion  Evangelical  Lutheran  churcli  of  Greens- 
burg and  is  a  prominent  citizen  of  Ludwick. 


ORRIS  L.  Painter,  a  prominent  and 
successful  business  man  of  WestUKjreland 
county  and  a  resident  of  Greensburg,  is 
a  son  of  Col.  Israel  Painter,  and  was  born  in  the 
city  of  Lancaster,  Lancaster  county,  Pa.,  Feb- 
ruary 21,  184y.  His  great-grandfather,  Jacob 
Painter,  Sr.,  was  a  native  of  Mechlenburg,  Ger- 
many, who  married  and  emigrated  to  Perks 
county.  Pa.  Here  si.x;  children  were  born  to 
him,  four  sons  and  two  daughters  :  Hon.  Jacob, 
Michael,  John  and  Tobias  ;  one  daughter  mar- 
ried George  Myerers  and  the  other  became  the 
wife  of  Christopher  Ilarrold.  Hon.  Jacob 
Painter  (grandfather)  married  a  Miss  Rajiiere, 
of  Indiana  county.  Pa.,  anil    settled    on   a    larm 


eight  miles  south  of  Green.sburg,  in   IlempiielJ 

township.  He  built  a  stone  gri.st-mill,  fiinied 
extensivt'ly  and  uas  a  very  arlive  business  man. 
He  Mciveilas  jiolire  of  llie  [irace,  nienil.rr  olllu; 
Legi.-.luline  and  us  assiicialc  judge  of  Wesliiiore- 
land  county  from  ISOO  until  his  death.  He  was 
the  whig  candidate  for  Congress  against  William 
Findley  and  was  only  defeated  by  seventi'en 
votes.  He  was  twice  married.  l<y  his  first 
marriage  he  had  seven  children:  Betsey,  wife 
of  Gen.  Joseph  ^larkle  and  mother  of  Gen.  C. 
P.  Markle  ;  Rebecca,  Catharine,  Tobias,  George, 
Elias,  and  one  whose  name  is  not  given.  After 
his  first  wife's  death  he  married  Catherine 
Lobingier,  daughter  of  Hon.  Christo])her  and 
Elizabeth  (Mueller)  Lobingier.  The  second  wife 
bore  him  ten  children :  Polly,  .John,  Jacob, 
Christopher,  George,  Joseph,  Penjamin,  Susan, 
Col.  Israel  and  Sophia.  Mrs.  Catherine  Paint- 
er's father,  Hon.  Christopher  Lobingier,  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  JIueller  in  ITlJG,  removed  to  ^\l. 
Pleasant  township  in  1772,  was  a  member  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Constitutional  convention  of  177G, 
and  of  the  House  of  Representatives  from  17'.'1 
to  1793,  and  died  Independence  day,  17'JS.  His 
eldest  son,  Hon.  John  Lobingier,  was  a  promi- 
nent man  of  his  day,  was  justice  of  the  jieace, 
member  of  the  Pennsylvania  Legislature  and 
was  elected  associate  judge  of  Westmoreland 
county  in  1821  as  the  successor  of  his  brother- 
in-law,  Hon.  Jacob  Painter.  Col.  Israel  Painter, 
youngest  son  of  Hon.  Jacob  Painter,  was  born 
in  llemptield  township  November  11,  1810,  and 
was  educated  at  Jefl'erson  college,  Cannonsburg, 
Pa.  Leaving  school,  he  taught  two  terms  of  dis- 
trict school  and  purchased  his  brother  Christo- 
pher's store  at  Mt.  Pleasant,  which  he  operated 
one  year ;  he  then  built  the  Mammoth  salt 
works  and  engaged  extensively  in  the  salt  in- 
dustry in  this  county  and  western  Virginia.  He 
next  became  a  live  stock  dealer,  purchased 
horses,  cattle,  hogs  and  sheep  in  Pennsylvania, 
(Jhio,  Kentucky  and  West  A'irginia,  and  during 
the  late  war  suiiiilied  the    Union    armies    willi   a 


150 


BIOUliAI'UIKS  OF 


liirj^L'  iiiiiiiliiT  of  liorsi's,  ciittlc  iiiid  iiiuli'^i.  His 
;ici|iiaint;ini'r  with  I'rcsulent  liiiicolii,  wliose  coii- 
tuUiiiL'  lie  eiijoycil,  wus  ut'  no  little  service  to 
liiiii  in  his  transactions  -with  the  government. 
He  was  one  of  the  most  remarkable  ami  success- 
ful business  men  who  ever  lived  in  Westmore- 
land county;  lie  sncccssfuliy  conducted  more 
different  business  enterprises  than  any  other 
citizen  of  his  day  in  western  Pennsylvania.  In 
connection  with  salt  production  and  live-stock 
purchases  he  dealt  iluritig  iiis  life-time  in  real 
estate,  operated  in  oil  and  oil  lands,  engaged  in 
the  milling  business,  managed  several  large 
farms,  gave  attention  to  coal  and  coal  lands, 
operated  coke  works,  invested  in  the  cotton  trade, 
aiitl  was  interested  in  large  contracts  for  the 
construction  of  sections  on  several  important 
railways,  lie  was  a  stockholder  in  several 
pikes,  banks,  and  a  navigation  company.  He 
purchased  over  one  hundred  farms  in  Westmore- 
land county,  besides  buying  and  selling  valuable 
tracts  of  land  in  Fayette  and  Indiana  counties. 
At  his  death  he  owned  thirty-two  farms.  In 
185-3,  at  a  cost  of  $25,000,  he  built  the  Weaver 
grist  mill,  of  Painter's  station.  At  that  time  it 
was  tlie  largest  flouring  mill  in  western  Penn- 
sylvania. He  also  owned  flour  mills  at  Union- 
town,  Manor  and  Latrobe.  He  was  the  first  to 
inlnidiice  western  Pennsylvania  coal  as  gas-coal 
into  the  eastern  market.  His  numerous  busi- 
ness enterprises  did  not  engaj^e  all  his  time,  and 
in  1S18  he  served  as  a  niendjer  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania LeL'islature.  From  1S40  to  1S52  he  was 
canal  commissioner,  and  as  a  delegate  to  the 
Democratic  National  Convention  at  Charleston, 
S.  C,  he  supported  the  candidacy  of  Stephen 
A.  Dousrlas.  His  death  occurred  July  4, 1880. 
"  It  has  fallen  to  few  men  to  fill  a  larger  space 
in  their  locality  than  did  Col.  Israel  Painter. 
His  energy  and  will  seemed  inexhaustible.  He 
was  constantly  on  the  alert.  AVith  him  to  think 
was  to  act.  Difficulties  and  obstacles  which 
have  overwhelmed  most  men  only  inspired  in 
liini   renewed   exertions.      In  his  disjiosition  he  | 


was  whole-souled  and  genial,  conscipiently  few 
men  commanded  a  wider  or  warmer  circle  of 
friends." 

Morris  L.  Painter  attended  the  common 
schools  of  Lancaster  county,  and  at  lliirteen 
years  of  age  entered  a  jirinting  office  in  Lancas- 
ter, where  he  remained  for  four  years.  He 
worked  on  the  Pittsburg  Dinpatch  and  an  old 
paper  called  the  Republic.  At  about  eighteen 
he  assumed  charge  of  the  Painter  salt  works  on 
Sewiekley  creek.  In  1801)  he  went  to  Venango 
county  and  was  engaged  there  and  in  Clarion 
for  nine  years  in  different  avocations  with 
varying  fortunes.  In  1878  he  came  to  West- 
moreland county  and  assisted  his  father  in  his 
large  and  varied  business  interests  until  Col. 
Painter's  death.  As  one  of  his  father's  adminis- 
trators he  spent  two  years  in  settling  up  the 
large  estate.  In  1886  he  became  interested  in 
coke  manufacture  at  Tarr's  station,  and  with  A. 
W.  Mellon,  of  Pittsburg,  erected  two  hundred 
ovens,  which  they  sold  to  a  syndicate  in  1887. 
For  the  last  two  years  Mr.  Painter  has  been 
principally  engaged  in  buying  and  selling  coal 
lands  and  in  building  houses. 

In  April,  1880,  he  was  married  to  Lydia 
Bell,  daughter  of  Samuel  Bell,  of  South  Hunt- 
ingdon township.  To  their  union  have  been 
born  four  children  :  Sanmel,  Harry,  who  died 
in  1884  ;  Walter  and  Clara. 

Morris  L.  Painter  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity  and  the  Royal  Arcanum.  He  is  a 
democrat,  but  seeks  no  political  position  and 
never  served  but  once  in  an  official  capacity — 
that  was  his  election  as  member  of  the  town 
council  of  West  Newton.  He  attends  the  ser- 
vices of  the  Presbyterian  church,  of  which  his 
wife  is  a  member. 


^  LLIOTT   C.  PIERCE  was  born  February 

ftH   22,  1(S01,  at  Troutville,  Clearfield  county. 

Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of  James  and  Sarah  Ann 

(Ilarrold)    Pierce.       His     fatlicr    was    born    in 


WESTMORELA ND  CO UNTY. 


Clarion  county,  Pa.,  September  28,  lK-24,  ami  a 
son  of  William  and  Mary  (Pierce)  Pieroe,  who 
Ixjth  .lied  at  a  rip.'  old  ai^c.  .lames  I'ierce  waS 
a  school  teacher,  and  later  a  salesman  lor  a  jmli- 
lishing  lioiiso.  lie  was  a  member  of  tlie  Lu- 
theran church  and  died  at  Uhimersburg,  Clarion 
county,  August  31,  1804.  He  married  a  daugh- 
ter of  Philip  and  Elizabeth  (llarrold)  Ilarrold. 
Phillip  Ilarrold's  boyhood  home  was  in  Sew- 
ieklev  township,  Westuiorelanil  county.  Pa-",  be 
was  an  old  style  school  master,  and  removed 
to  Punxsutawney,  Pa.,  where  he  died  in  the 
year  1887,  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years. 
Elizabeth  Ilarrold  was  born  and  reared  in  Co- 
lumbia county,  Ohio,  and  died  in  184r).  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pierce  were  born  six  children,  of 
whom  live  children  are  living:  John  11.  is  an 
attorney  of  Indiana,  Pa.;  Mary  J.,  a  teacher  in 
Armstrong  county,  residing  at  home  with  her 
mother,  near  Elderton ;  Elliott  C,  Emma  C. 
is  the  wife  of  William  Knepshield,  of  near 
Cochran's  mills,  Armstrong  county  ;  and  James 
L.  is  a  traveling  salesman. 

Elliott  C.  Pierce  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools,  lie  made  his  own  way  in  the  world 
from  the  time  he  was  ten  years  of  age.  lie 
worked  for  farmers  near  home  until  he  was 
thirteen  years  of  age ;  then,  having  a  desire  to 
better  his  condition,  he  left  home  and  went  to 
Ohio  and  from  thence  to  Indiana,  where  he  soon 
found  an  opportunity  to  learn  upholstering. 
In  three  years  after  learning  his  trade  he  re- 
turned to  Elderton,  Armstrong  county.  Pa.,  and 
after  a  brief  stay  there  went  to  Cleartleld,  Pa. 
He  made  his  home  at  the  latter  place  for  about 
five  years,  after  which  he  traveled  from  place  to 
place  doing  special  work  for  several  years. 
While  at  Clearfield  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Bertie  L.  Smith,  who  was  born  in  181)2, 
and  is  a  daughter  of  John  J.  and  Martha  (Heed) 
Smith.  Mr.  Smith  is  a  retired  farmer  and  lum- 
berman of  Clearfield.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pierce 
have  one  child,  a  son  named  Thomas  V.  Pierce, 
who  was  boin  April  18,  18S1. 


E.  C.  Pierce  is  a  self-made  man,  his  father 
having  died  when  he  was  about  three  years  old; 
and  ho,  in  order  to  obtain  an  education,  was 
obli"ed  to  study  in  the  evenings  while  he  worked 
in  day  time.  b'ive  years  ago,  May,  188r),  ho 
came  to  this  county,  located  at  Greensburg 
and  engaged  at  his  trade.  He  has  been  ijuite 
successful,  es|Kci;i!ly  <luring  the  past  two  years. 
In  1883  he  bcg;iu  awning  and  tent  making  at 
Pliillip.sburL',  I'a..  :ind  now  makes  that  his  ex- 
ebisive  lMisiiic-<s,  eiuploying  a  nuudier  of  men  to 
enable  him  to  fill  his  numerous  orders.  Mr. 
Pierce  is  identified  with  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church  and  is  a  teacher  in  the  Sunday 
school.  He  is  a  republican  in  politics,  active  in 
his  party,  though  by  no  means  a  bigoted  partisan. 
lie  is  full  of  energy,  a  good  business  man  and 
an  excellent  citizen. 


LIFFORD    C.    PORTER,    M.    D.,   of 

Greensburg,  is  one  of  the  most  successful 
and  popular  young  physicians  of  the 
county.  He  was  born  December  1,  1860,  in 
West  Salem  township,  Mercer  county.  Pa.,  and 
is  a  son  of  George  W.  and  Elizabeth  (Nelson) 
Porter.  Ilis  grandfather,  Luke  Porter,  a  native 
of  eastern  Pennsylvania,  settled  in  Mercer 
county  about  seventy  years  ago,  shortly  after  the 
second  war  with  Great  Britain ;  he  was  by  oc- 
cupation a  miller  and  general  speculator,  and  in 
political  belief  adhered  to  the  Jacksonian  prin- 
ciples of  the  Democratic  party.  His  father  was 
Samuel  Porter,  a  native  of  Wales,  who  emigrated 
to  the  United  States,  locating  in  the  eastern 
part  of  the  State.  George  W.  Porter  was  born 
in  1834  in  Mercer  county,  on  the  farm  he  now 
occupies.  On  this  old  homestead  he  has  spent 
almost  three-score  years,  devoting  his  time  to  the 
pursuits  of  agriculture  in  which,  owing  to  a 
careful  study  of  the  scientific  principles  applying 
thereto,  and  to  industry  and  wise  management, 
he  has  been  very  successful.  He  was  married 
to  Elizabeth  Nelson,  a  native  of  Mercer  county 


efoorioa 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


and  a  (luij^litor  of  James  Nelson,  wlio  served  in 
tlie  war  of  181  "2,  and  they  had  seven  sons,  of 
wlioni  six  are  living:  l)r.  (JiilVord  C,  .James  L. 
(in  Kansas),  Vincent,  A'ietor  Weleli,  l?ion  Wood, 
and  Curtis  Lee. 

\)v.  Clillbrd  C.  Porter  received  liis  eihieation 
in  tlio  Iligli  school  of  CfreenviUe,  I'a.,  and  at 
Thiel  college,  located  at  the  same  ]jlace.  After 
completing  his  literary  education  he  engaged  for 
six  years  in  the  drug  business  with  John  V. 
Stevenson,  of  Greensburg.  Having  decided  to 
become  a  disciple  of  Esculapius,  lie  in  1884  en- 
tered the  office  of  Dr.  J.  L.  Crawford  as  a  stu- 
dent of  medicine,  and  after  four  years  of  assidu- 
ous study  entered  Jefferson  Medical  college,  at 
Philadelphia,  from  which  popular  institution  he 
graduated  in  the  spring  of  1888.  Immediately 
thereafter  he  opened  an  office  at  Greensburg  for 
the  jiractice  of  his  profession.  Dr.  Porter  being 
attentive  to  his  patients,  courteous  and  obliging 
to  all,  and  remarkably  successful  in  his  treat- 
ment of  diseases,  has  already  succeeded  in 
building  up  a  large  and  remunerative  practice. 
Possessing  a  noble  ambition,  an  excellent  char- 
acter, a  high  degee  of  skill  and  energy,  and  a 
manly  spirit  and  pluck  that  rises  superior  to 
every  obstacle  in  liis  way,  and  being  full  of  life 
and  vigor.  Dr.  Porter  is  rapidly  rising  in  the 
social  and  professional  world,  and  bids  fair  to 
become  a  distinguished  member  of  the  medical 
profession.  '•  There  is  a  tide  in  the  atlairs  of 
men,  which,  taken  i^t  the  flood,  leails  on  to  for- 
tune," and  ill  his  affairs  Dr.  Porter  seems  to 
have  taken  the  tide  at  the  projter  time  and  to 
be  on  the  highway  to  fame  and  fortune.  In 
politics  he  adheres  to  the  principles  of  Jeilerson 
and  Jackson,  is  aggressive  and  diligent  in  the 
service  of  his  party. 


rYDNEY  J.  POTTS,  one  of  the  young, 
determined  and  hard-working  members  of 
(•)  the  AVestmoreland  county  bar,  was  born 
at  Greensburg,  ^Vestmoreland  county.  Pa.,  June 


10,  180"),  and  is  the  oldest  son  of  George  L. 
and  ileliecca  J.  (Stewart)  Potts.  His  great- 
grandfather, .lohii  l'(/tts,  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Uevolutionaiy  war,  Mtthd  in  \Vestmorelaiid 
county  about  the  year  ITlMj  ami  was  a  farmer  Ijy 
occu])ation.  His  wife  was  Christina  Portzer. 
Gabriel  Potts  (grandfather)  was  a  native  of  Penn 
township,  where  lie  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock-raising.  He  married  Catherine  llimmel, 
by  whom  lie  had  seven  children.  (Jne  of  his 
sons  was  George  L.  Potts  (father),  who  was  born 
in  Penn  township.  G.  L.  Potts  is  a  jjlacksuiith, 
an  industrious  man  and  a  republican  from  prin- 
ciple, lie  married  Rebecca  J.  Stewart,  daughter 
of  William  II.  Stewart,  of  Braddock,  Pa.  To 
tlieir  union  Avere  born  five  sons :  Sydney  J.,  D. 
Reamer,  G.  Reuben,  William  J.  and  James. 

Sydney  J.  Potts  was  educated  at  the  Greens- 
burg public  schools  and  at  the  Greensburg  semi- 
nary. During  1885  he  was  registered  as  a  law 
student  in  the  oflice  of  Hugh  W.  Walkinshaw, 
and  on  February  2,  188'J,  was  admitteil  to  the 
Westmoreland  county  bar.  Mr.  Potts  while 
studying  law  realized  the  importance  of  being 
acquainted  with  the  practical  workings  of  all 
legal  proceedings  in  the  courts,  and  accordingly 
devoted  some  of  his  time  to  clerking  in  the  reg- 
ister and  recorder's  otFice  and  in  the  clerk's 
oflice.  He  is  iiuw  engagetl  as  deputy  prothon- 
otary,  to  familiarize  himself  with  the  legal  pro- 
ceedings that  pass  through  that  office.  The 
practical  knowledge  that  he  will  thus  ac(iuire 
will  be  very  valuable  to  him  and  beneficial  to 
his  clients  when  he  enters  upon  the  active  prac- 
tice of  his  profession.  He  is  a  republican  and 
is  one  of  the  young  ami  promising  lawyers  of 
Greensburj;. 


.EORGE  W.  PROPST.     Of  those  few  of 

our  fellow  citizens  who  have  been  prumi- 

'i*      iieiit   business  men  of  both   the  "  sunny 

South  "  and   the   "busy  North  "  is  George  W. 

I'robst,  a  leading  harness  and  saddle  manufact- 


WESTMOnKLA  ND  CO  UNT  Y. 


urer  of  Westmoreland  county.  He  is  a  son  of 
John  and  llebecca  (Smith)  I'robst,  and  was  born 
at  Greensburg,  Westmorehmd  county,  Pa.,  Au- 
gust 5,  1833.  Jolm  Probst  Ava.s  of  (ierniun 
descent,  born  near  Mount  Joy,  Lancaster  county. 
Pa.,  about  1831,  and  removed  to  Pittsburg, 
where  he  remained  a  few  months.  About  1832 
he  came  to  Grecn.sburg  and  engaged  in  liotel 
keeping.  In  1834  he  went  to  Adamsburg  and 
kept  a  liotcl  until  lS3(i,  when  he  retiiined  to 
Greensburg,  wiinc  he  dieil  in  I8(il.  He  was  a 
niendier  of  the  Lutheran  church  and  a  war 
democrat.  On  June  18,  1812,  he  united  in 
marriage  with  Itebecca  Smith,  daughter  of  John 
and  Cordelia  Suiitli.  They  had  eleven  chil- 
dren, of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the 
ninth.  John  Probst's  father,  Andrew  Probst, 
was  of  German  descent  and  was  born  and  reared 
in  Lancaster  county.  Pa.  His  wife  was  of 
Scotch-Irish  descent. 

George  W.  Probst  attended  tlie  schools  of 
Greensburg  until  seventeen  years  of  age,  when 
Le  became  a  stage  driver  and  drove  for  three 
years  on  the  pike  from  Greensburg  to  Pittsburg. 
At  twenty  years  of  age  he  repaired  to  Pittsburg 
to  learn  the  trade  uf  harni'SS  and  saddlery.  He 
became  an  apprentice  with  li.  \V.  Markay  on 
Wood  street,  but  completed  his  trade  with  .lohu 
Neely  on  the  same  street.  His  first  employ- 
ment for  himself  was  at  the  United  States 
arsenal  building,  where  he  worked  fm-  a  few 
months  at  the  time  uf  the  Crimean  war  in 
Europe.  From  I'itlsburg  he  went  to  New 
Castle,  ]'a.,  reiuaiued  a  short  time  and  re- 
moved to  Youngstown,  Ohio.  After  a  year's 
residence  in  the  "  Buckeye  State,"  although  en- 
joying a  good  patronage,  he  resolved  upon  estab- 
lishing himself  in  business  at  his  native  town, 
and  accordingly  returned  to  Greensburg  about 
1855.  He  obtained  the  position  of  manager  and 
foreman  of  C.  II.  Stark's  harness  and  saddlery 
shop.  This  position  he  filled  efficiently  and 
satisfactorily  until  18G2.  In  that  year  he  en- 
gaged in  business  for  himself  and  has  continued 


to  operate  a  harness  and  saddlery  establishment 
in  Greensburg  ever  since,  except  two  years  that 
lie  was  foreman  in  a  haiue-s  manufactoiy  in 
Macon,  (ieorgia.  His  present  saddlery  and 
harness  manufacturing  establishment  in  Gix-ens- 
burg  is  at  No.  9  East  Pittsburg  street.  Mr. 
Probst  gives  personal  attention  to  every  depart- 
ment of  his  business.  He  employs  from  live  to 
six  hands  ami  turns  out  first-class  work,  some 
of  which  goes  to  many  points  outside  of  W  est- 
moreland  county.  He  has  harness  and  sad- 
dlery hardware,  trunks,  satchels,  a  largi'  stock 
of  harness,  saildles,  collars,  bridles,  wiiips  aod 
all  horse  equipments  that  are  commonly  found 
in  any  leading  city.  His  specialties  are  the 
making  and  laying  of  carpets  and  trunk  and 
satchel  repairing.  No  work  is  allowed  to  leave 
without  critical  examination,  while  repairing  of 
every  description  receives  prompt  and  careful 
attention.  Thus,  by  good  and  fair  dealing  he 
has  made  his  establishment  the  favorite  source 
of  supply  for  an  extensive  section  of  country 
around  the  county  seat. 

On  December  24,  1856,  JNIr.  Probst  married 
Sarah  J.  Little,  daughter  of  James  Little,  of 
i'ittsbiirg.  To  tlioir  union  have  been  born 
eleven  children:  Willie  J.,  born  February  21, 
1857,  died  ^Lirch  8,  18(n  ;  George,  born  Feb- 
ruary 21,  18GU,  died  March  23,1803;  Anna 
E.,  born  November  22,  1802,  died  January  20, 
l.Sli'J;  Charles  L.,  born  March  12,  I8li4,  work- 
ing with  his  father;  Ennua  C..,  born  July  13, 
l8Gti;  Robert  E.,  born  September  !•,  1809, 
working  with  his  father;  ^lay  H.,  born  Novem- 
ber 23,  1871,  died  July  17,  1872;  Harry  L., 
born  December  25,  1872,  at  school;  AUie  K., 
born  December  27,  1874,  died  Septem'jer  3, 
1S78;  Arthur,  born  February  4,  1^77,  and 
Geoige  M.,  born  JMay  31,  187'J. 

G.  W.  Probst  was  raised  a  democrat,  cast  his 
first  vote  for  Gov.  Pollock  in  1854  an(l  two 
years  later  became  a  republican.  Mr.  Probst 
lias  ahvays  been  prominent  in  secret  society  cir- 
cles.      He  joined   Greensburg    Lodge,   No.    50, 


i  l>ayjiji 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


I.  ().  O.  F.,  on  Fol)ninry  8,  ISSG,  nnd  afterwards 
l)cciiine  u  cliailiT  iiu'iiiIht  of  Wo.-itinoroliiinl 
liod^c.  No.  StO.  lie  is  a  iiifiiiljcT  of  (jirooiis- 
burg  Lodn;e,  No.  484,  K.  of  1'.,  I'lcasant  Coun- 
cil, No.  53,  Given.sburg  Council,  No.  44,  lloyal 
Arcanum,  No.  53,  Home  Circle,  Protection  Coun- 
cil, No.  11,  Chosen  Friends  and  lied  Cross  Castle, 
No.  146,  A.  0.  K.  of  M.  C.  He  has  served  as 
D.  D.  G.  M.  in  the  I.  0.  0.  F.,  D.  D.  G  C.  in 
the  K.  of  P.  and  D.  G.  II.  in  the  11.  A.,  besides 
representing  all  of  his  lodges  in  the  State  grand 
bodies  to  which  they  belong.  Mr.  Probst  is  a 
member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church 
and  a  man  of  fine  business  qualifications,  of 
persistent  energy  and  one  who  stands  deservedly 
high  as  a  citizen  of  the  county. 


A.  RANKIN,  chief  clerk  in  the  protho- 
notary's  olfice  of  Westmoreland  county 
\S)  and  an  intelligent  young  man  of  good 
education  and  business  ability,  was  born  in 
Elizabeth  township,  Allegheny  county,  Pa., 
May  8,  1857,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Eliza 
J.  (Kelley)  Rankin.  His  paternal  grandparents, 
Robert  and  ^Margaret  (Culbert)  Rankin,  were 
natives  of  the  ''  Emerald  Isle."  They  emigra- 
ted to  the  United  States  and  reared  a  family  of 
nine  children,  all  of  whom  were  born  in  Ireland 
e.xcept  William,  the  youngest  child.  John  Ran- 
kin (father)  was  born  October  22,  1821,  in 
county  Derry,  Ireland,  and  at  sixteen  years  of 
age  came  to  the  United  States  with  his  parents. 
He  settled  in  Elizabeth  township,  Allegheny 
county.  Pa.,  where  he  engaged  in  farming.  In 
18lj6  he  removed  to  Westmoreland  county  and 
purchased  his  present  farm  in  Rostraver  town- 
ship. He  is  a  member  of  the  West  Newton 
Presbyterian  church,  organized  in  1851,  was 
fiiruierly  a  ruling  elder  of  Rehoboth  and  Round 
Hill  Presbyterian  churches,  and  is  always  inter- 
c.-;teil  in  whatever  promotes  the  welfare  of  his 
church  and  the  true  interests  of  Christianity. 
He  is  a  republican,  has  held  almost  every  town- 


ship ollicc,  anil  is  at  present  township  auditor, 
which  (jllice  lie  has  held  for  the  last  nine 
years. 

Jlr.  Rankin  married  Eliza  Jane  Kelley, 
daughter  of  Samuel  Kelley,  of  Elizabeth  town- 
ship, Allegheny  county.  Pa.,  by  whom  he  had 
nine  children,  of  whom  three  sons  and  five 
daughters  are  living.  Mrs.  Rankin  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  passed  away 
in  March,  1871t. 

R.  A.  Rankin  was  reared  on  a  farm,  received 
his  early  education  in  the  common  schools  of  his 
native  township,  and  in  September,  1875,  en- 
tered Joft'erson  academy  at  Cannonsburg,  Wash- 
ington county.  Pa.,  Rev.  Wm.  Ewing,  Ph.  D., 
then  being  principal.  In  early  life  he  learned 
those  great  truths,  that  there  is  no  royal  way  to 
success  and  that  honest  toil  of  hand  and  brain  is 
the  surest  roail  to  success.  Treasuring  up  these 
important  lessons  he  chose  a  life  vocation  and 
resolved  not  to  be  unsuccessful  so  far  as  earnest 
and  continued  effort  could  avoid  failure.  So  in 
1879  he  commenced  the  study  of  medicine,  but 
after  si. if  months  of  close  application  and  careful 
reading,  he  was  compelled  to  abandon  the  pro- 
fession of  his  choice  on  account  of  impaired 
health.  He  returned  home  to  recruit  his  broken 
healtii  and  engaged  in  farming  for  nine  years. 
January  7,  188'J,  he  was  appointed  chief  clerk 
in  the  prothonotary's  oflice  at  Greensburg,  and 
has  served  creditably  in  that  position  ever  since. 

On  June  20,  1889,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Belle  M.  Finley,  daughter  of  Thomas  (jt.  Fin- 
ley,  of  Rostraver  township,  this  county,  and  a 
greatgranddaugliter  of  Rev.  James  Finley,  D.D., 
one  of  the  pioneer  ministers  of  western  Penn- 
sylvania and  the  founder  of  Rehoboth  and 
Round  Hill  churches. 

In  politics  R.  A.  Rankin  is  an  active  republi- 
can and  has  held  the  offices  of  assessor  and  tax 
collector  in  Rostraver  township,  this  county. 
He  is  a  member  of  Webster  Lodge,  No.  70, 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  and  Greens- 
burg Conclave  of  the  Improved  Order  of  He]ita- 


WESTMOJUCLA  SD  CO  UNTY. 


soplis.  Mr.  Rankin  liaa  faitlifully  dovotcil  liia 
time  and  attention  to  the  many  duties  of  liis 
resjjonsible  position.  lie  is  efficient  and  wull- 
liked  as  a  jniblic  official,  and  is  a  nicndjcr  and 
trustee  of  llolioboth  I'resliytcrian  cluncli,  one  nl' 
the  oldest  Presbyterian  churches  west  of  tlic 
Allegheny  mountains. 


■OENNETT  RASK,  one  of  the  leading 
llf^tj  merchant  tailors  of  Greensburg,  was 
born  in  the  Province  of  Kn'sdnngtad, 
Sweden,  at  the  town  of  Orkeitcd,  March  21, 
184G.  His  father,  Pengt.  Rask,  a  native  of  the 
same  country,  was  born  in  1813,  served  in  the 
regular  army  of  Sweden  and  was  a  corporal  in 
a  company  of  cavalry.  Ilis  wife  was  Nilla  Nich- 
olson, by  whom  he  had  five  children,  two  sons 
and  three  daughters.  Matteson  Rask  (grand- 
father) was  a  farmer  by  occupation. 

Bennett  Rask  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  town  ;  in  the  same  place  he 
learned  his  trade  of  cutting  and  tailoring  and 
followed  it  there  for  six  years.  In  June,  1867, 
he  immigrated  to  xVmerica,  came  direct  to  Greens- 
burg, and  for  about  four  years  was  in  the  employ 
of  Nelson  Graff.  In  1871  he  opened  in  busi- 
ness for  himself  and  has  prospered  from  the 
start.  In  the  last  four  or  five  years  he  has  flir 
surpassed  his  expectations,  employs  on  an  aver- 
age fifteen  tailors  in  the  various  departments 
of  bis  business  ;  he  enjoys  the  full  confidence  of 
his  many  fusloiucrs,  and  is  recognized  as  one  of 
the  leading  tailors  of  this  section  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. He  is  a  republican,  a  member  of  the 
Second  Reformed  church  of  Greensburg,  of  the 
Royal  Arcanum  and  A.  O.  U.  W.  lie  was 
niariied  August  8,  1871,  to  llhoda  Traugh,  a 
daughter  of  Henry  Traugh,  of  Mt.  Pleasant 
township.  To  their  union  have  been  born  seven 
children,  of  whom  five  are  living:  Henry 
Pierson,  born  July  3,  1872;  Oscar  Carl,  No- 
vendier  2!i,  18s;;;  l);,i>y  P,.,  April  20,  1S7'>; 
David     .Alldnsdii,     Scptcuibrr    22,      1S78.     :ind 


Alfred  Bennett,  September  14, 1887.     The  two 
deceased  were  Jenny  Mary  and  Rhoda  Arsina. 


ANIKL  UMAMKU,  an  old  an.l  highly 
[£J  respected  resident  of  Greensburg,  was 
born  on  his  father's  farm  two  miles  south 
of  Greensburg,  November  15,  1815,  and  is  a 
son  of  Jacob  Reamer.  The  Reamer  fiimily  is  of 
German  origin  and  has  always  been  noted  for  its 
industry  and  thrift.  Henry  Reamer  (grand- 
father) came  from  Berks  county  and  settled  at 
an  early  day  in  Westmoreland  county.  lie 
married  and  had  three  children:  Jacob,  John, 
who  went  to  Ohio,  and  a  daughter.  Henry 
Reamer  lived  to  an  advanced  age  and  died  about 
1856.  He  had  one  brother  who  remained  in 
the  East,  and  among  whose  descendants  are  the 
Reamers  of  Pittsburg,  who  are  engaged  in  the 
candy  manufacturing  business.  Jacob  Reamer 
(father)  was  born  and  reared  in  Westmoreland 
county,  where  he  followed  farming  and  operated 
a  distillery.  lie  was  a  democrat  and  a  member 
of  the  Reformed  church.  He  was  twice  married  ; 
his  first  wife  was  a  native  of  this  county,  by 
whom  he  had  seven  children,  of  wdiom  the 
youngest  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  His 
second  wife  was  Sallie  Kemp,  who  bore  three 
sons  and  three  daughters,  all  of  whom  are  living. 
Daniel  was  only  nine  days  old  when  his 
mother  died.  He  attended  school  in  the  old 
school  house;  his  teacher  was  Governor  Geary's 
fiither,  who  was  a  fine  teacher  and  good  discip- 
linarian. At  sixteen  years  of  age,  after  com- 
pleting the  "  Western  Calculator  "  arithmetic  at 
school  he  left  home  and  learned  the  trade  of 
tanning  with  Lewis  Ilarrold.  He  followed  tan- 
ning and  farming  for  many  years.  He  spent 
nine  years  at  Mt.  Pleasant,  and  in  1850  came 
to  Greensburg  where  he  followed  butchering  in 
connection  with  his  tanning  business  for  some 
time.  In  1885  Mr.  Reamer  retired  from  active 
business.  He  diflV'rs  from  bis  i'aiuily  in  politics; 
they  are  all  dcumcrals  while  he  lias  ahsavs  been 


lilOaiiA  I'lIlKS  OF 


a  republican.  In  1887  lie  amis  clcctiMl  (liiLctor 
of  the  jinor  ;iii(l  in  ISS'.I  «;is  re-elocteil.  He  is 
a  iiiciiilier  (if  the  United  ]!retliren  eJiiii'eli. 

In  JSlfi,  lie  UKirrieil  Lavina  l''isli(.T,  ciaiii^liter 
of  Jaecili  Kislier  of  Ml.  I'leasanl,  by  whom  he 
liiiil  one  .scin,  .laeob,  wliu  .seiveil  in  the  eleventh 
Pa.  Vols.,  and  is  now  engaged  in  the  nil  bii.iiness 
in  Franklin  county,  I'a.  Mrs.  Keamer  died, 
and  on  June  25,  1850,  Mr."  Reamer  uiiited  in 
marriage  with  Mary  Crooks,  daughter  of  Samuel 
Crooks.  By  the  second  marriage  he  has  four 
children:  Herman,  a  dentist  of  Pittsburg,  I'a.; 
Daniel  Jr.,  an  attorney  at  law  of  Toledo,  (Jhio  ; 
Katura,  wife  of  Franklin  Welty,  a  carpet  mer- 
chant of  Allegheny  city  ;  and  William  I>.,  a 
fine  sketch  artist  and  a  law  .student  with  Atehin- 
son  k  Peoples. 


•jp  COVODE  EEED,  a  prominent  young  re- 
puldiean  leader  of  Westmoreland  county, 
and  a  grandson  of  one  of  Pennsylvania's 
most  celebrated  Congressmen,  is  a  son  of  James 
M.  and  Anna(Covode)  Heed,  and  was  born  at 
No.  228  Twelfth  street,  in  the  city  of  Philadel- 
phia, Deceudjer  31,  1857.  James  M.  Ueed 
(father)  was  born  in  Neville,  Cumberland  county, 
Pa.,  in  October,  1818.  lie  removed  to  Lock- 
port,  Wc-ftmoreland  county.  Pa.,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  the  nieroantiie  business.  In  1855  he 
married  Anna  Covode,  daughter  of  lion.  John 
Covode  (see  his  sketch).  To  their  union  were 
liorn  live  children,  three  sons  and  two  daughters, 
all  living.  Mr.  Reed  is  a  j)roniinent  reimblican 
and  in  1884  was  nonjinated  by  his  party  and 
elected  treasurer  of  Westmoreland  county.  He 
served  acceptably  as  a  county  official,  is  an  up- 
right citizen  and  a  ruling  elder  in  the  Presby- 
terian church  at  Fairfield. 

J.  Covode  Reed  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  Westmoreland  county,  Fairfield  acad- 
emy, Philadelphia  public  schools  and  Chambers- 
burg  academy.  liCaving  school,  he  became  a 
storekeeper  and    railroad   agent    at    Loekport, 


where  he  served  very  faithfully  and  acceptably 
until  1884.  In  that  year  he  assumed  charge  of 
the  county's  treasurer's  olfice  for  his  father  and 
conducted  it  carel'iilly  and  satisfactoi'ily  during 
the  entire  lei  in.  1  lis  unswerving  rejiiil/licanisiii, 
his  collect  Imsiness  methods  and  aljility  to  or- 
ganize and  manage  large  or  extended  business 
interests  led  to  his  selection  as  present  chairman 
of  the  republican  county  committee  of  West- 
moreland county.  Since  his  election  to  this 
important  position  lie  has  given  largely  of  his 
time  and  attention  to  the  management  of  the  re- 
publican forces  in  the  last  political  campaign. 


•fOIIN    RIAL,    prothonotary    of  Westmore- 

Jland  county,  a  wounded  veteran  of  the  late 
great  civil  war  and  a  courteous  gentleman, 
was  born  in  Perry  township,  Lawrence  county, 
Ohio,  June  10,  1842,  and  is  the  only  son  of 
John  and  Mary  A.  (Zook)  Rial.  John  Rial  is 
of  Scotch-German  descent.  His  paternal  great- 
grandfather, David  Rial,  came  from  Scotland 
and  settled  in  New  Jersey,  where  lie  died  Au- 
gust 1,  1780.  One  of  his  sons  was  Isaac  Rial, 
who  was  born  in  Somerset  county.  New  Jersey, 
about  17(>5.  He  served  in  the  Revolutionary 
war,  married  Ann  Devore,  of  French  descent, 
and  died  in  Lawrence  county,  Ohio,  March, 
18;57.  He  was  the  father  of  John  Rial,  Sr., 
who  was  born  (Jctober  Gth,  1807,  in  Somerset 
county.  New  Jersey,  and  removed  to  near  Mon- 
ongahela  city,  Washington  county,  Pa.,  in 
1818.  In  1835  he  married  Ann  Zook,  daugh- 
ter of  Solomon  Zook,  a  resident  of  Washington 
county,  but  a  native  of  eastern  Pennsylvania. 
They  were  the  parents  of  four  children  :  Mary, 
who  married  Robert  D.  Clark,  of  Philadeljihia  ; 
Catherine,  wife  of  Joseph  Miller,  of  Van  Wert 
county,  Ohio  ;  Elizabeth  married  H.  C.  Cloud, 
of  iMissouri,  and  John  Rial,  Sr.  died  in  1847, 
and  his  wife,  Mary  A.  Rial,  died  in  Reynolds 
county.  Mo.,  August  4,  1884. 

John  Rial  at  eight  years  of  age,  by  the  death 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


of  liis  father,  was  tlirowu  upon  his  own  rosoui-ces. 
He  lived  witli  an  iMigli.sh  family  liy  the  name 
of  Cole  until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age  and 
was  sent  hy  them  to  the  comniun  seliool,  where 
he  olitaineda  jjlain  but  praetieal  educiilion.  On 
June  1,  1!S(I1,  at  IMount  Vernon,  Ohio,  he  en- 
listed in  tiie  fourth  reg.,  Ohio  A'ols.,  as  a 
member  of  Co.  li.,  eonnnanded  by  Cajit.  II.  B. 
Banning,  who  afterwards  became  a  jiroininent 
member  of  Congress  from  Oiiio.  Mr.  Itial 
served  three  years  in  the  Anny  of  the  rotoniiic. 
He  \\as  under  lUirnside  at  Frederieksbiirg, 
Hooker  at  Chancellorsville,  Meade  at  Gettys- 
burg, and  marched  and  fought  through  the 
"  Wilderness  "  down  to  Cold  Harbor,  wherein 
the  thickest  of  the  fight  he  was  struck  by  a  ball 
in  the  right  knee.  His  wound  was  of  so  serious 
a  character  as  to  require  amputation,  and  of 
such  a  nature  that  very  few  have  ever  recovered 
who  were  thus  wounded.  He  fortunately  re- 
covered, but  remained  in  the  hospital  until  July 
5,  18G5.  On  account  of  wounds  remaining 
unhealed,  he  was  mustered  out  of  the  service 
June  21,  1MG4.  Leaving  the  hospital,  lie  went 
to  I'liihidelphiu  and  learned  telegraphy.  Ou 
November  4,  1SG7,  he  was  appointed  manager 
of  the  Western  Union  olliee  at  West  Newton, 
which  position  he  filled  very  creditably  for  twenty 
years.  In  1>>88  he  was  nominated  by  the  Ke- 
publiean  party  for  prothonotary  of  W'estmore- 
land  county.  He  I'eceived  a  plurality  vote  of 
five  hundred  and  seventy-three  on  nomination 
and  was  iderted  bv  a  majority  of  three  hundred 
and  hfly-six  \otes.  lie  ludk  eiiarge  of  the 
prothonotafy's  olliee  on  January  7,  ISS'J,  and 
has  been  successfully  engaged  ever  since  in 
the  discharge  of  the  many  and  imj)ortant 
duties. 

Ou  October  "22,  1874,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Lizzie  M.  Smith,  daughter  of  William 
T.  Smith,  of  West  Newton.  To  their  union 
have  been  born  five  children,  four  sons  and  one 
daughter  :  William  S.,  born  July  14,  187ti  ; 
David  W.,  June  12,  1880;  Mary  A.,  April   ?,, 


1882;     George    A.,    November   .",,    1884,    and 
James  II.,  June  24,  18S7. 

I'olitically  Mr.  Rial  is  a  republican,  whose  ad- 
herenceto  the  principles  of  the  l{e]iubli(an  party 
dates  back  to  his  boyhood  years.  As  a  [trivate 
citizen  of  the  county  he  was  always  an  active 
worker  in  his  party  ;  as  a  public  odicial  he  has 
conducted  the  business  of  his  office  in  a  straight- 
forward and  satisfactory  manner  to  all  ])arties. 
John  Rial  is  a  Tnember  of  Joe  Markle  Post,  No. 
;J7,  (irand  Army  of  the  Republic,  West  New- 
ton Council,  No.  ;>21.  Royal  Arcanum,  and  En- 
campment, No.  ;"),  L'nion  Veteran  Legion.  He 
is  an  active  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  and  a  member  of  its  board  of  stewards. 


TOIIN  C.  ROBINSON,    a   member  of  the 

d  Westmoreland  county  bar  in  successful 
practice,  was  born  in  Hempfield  township, 
Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  December  17, 
1859,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  R.  and  Catherine 
(Stouffer)  Robinson.  George  Robinson  (grand- 
father) was  born  in  1788.  He  was  a  whi'T 
and  republican  in  pnlitics,  engaged  in  farming 
and  store-keeijing,  was  a  Methodist  in  religious 
views  and  a  leader  in  the  work  of  the  Methodist 
Ejiiscoi)al  church.  His  wife  was  Susanna 
Brinker,  and  their  family  consisted  of  eight 
children.  Jacob  R.  (father)  is  a  native  of 
Hempfield  township;  he  was  born  in  1S.32, 
reared  on  a  farm,  attended  the  limited  schools 
of  his  boyhood  days,  and  w;is  engaged  in  farm- 
ing for  a  livelihoi>d.  He  is  a  republican,  has 
never  sought  any  olliee  but  takes  a  deep  inter- 
est in  the  success  of  his  party,  and  has  served 
several  times  as  a  member  of  the  republican 
county  connnittee.  In  1854  he  was  married  to 
Catherine  Stouller,  daughter  of  John  StoulTer. 
She  died  in  18(J'J  and  left  seven  children.  In 
1879  Mr.  Robinson  married  Josephine  Wor- 
cester, by  whom  he  has  one  child. 

John  C.  Robinson  received  his  early   educa- 
tion in  the  connuon  schools  of  his  native  town- 


158 


lUOGRAPHIES  OF 


ship.  He  attended  the  Indiiuia  Normal  sdiool 
for  one  term,  afterwards  the  State  Normal 
school  at  California,  Washington  county,  I'a., 
and  after  five  terms  tiiere  he  was  graduated  in 
tlie  chiss  (if  IS^'J.  lie  siib,sen\iently  returned 
and  tiiuk  u  course  in  tlie  scientific  de]iartnient 
of  the  same  college.  After  teaching  seven 
terms  in  the-  common  schools  of  Ilempfield 
township  he  entered  the  profession  of  law.  lie 
registered  as  a  student  at  law  in  February, 
1885,  with  L.  W.  Doty,  lately  elected  judge 
of  the  Tenth  judicial  district.  Mr.  Robinson 
was  admitted  to  the  Westmoreland  county  bar 
December  17,  1887.  In  January,  18S8,  he 
opened  a  law  office  in  Greensburg,  where  he  has 
continued  successfully  in  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession until  the  present  time.  lie  is  an  active 
republican,  always  interested  in  political  aftairs 
and  served  as  secretary  of  the  republican  county 
committee  in  1886,  1887  and  1S88.  Mr. 
Robinson  is  a  genial  gentieman  and  promising 
lawyer. 


'O:\IER  S.  SEMBOWER,  one  of  Greens- 
burg's  leading  and  substantial  tin  and 
liardware  merchants,  is  a  son  of  William 
II.  and  Jennie  (Junk)  Sembowcr,  and  was  born 
in  Fayette  county,  Ohio,  January  10,  180-. 
AVilliam  II.  Sembower  is  a  native  of  Fayette 
county.  Pa.,  where  he  has  spent  the  greater  por- 
tion of  his  life  and  has  been  engaged  at  his  trade 
of  carpenter.  He  is  a  son  of  Adam  Seudiower, 
was  born  August  lu,  ISJ'J,  and  married  for  his 
first  wife  Sarah  Minor,  by  whom  he  had  two 
children.  She  died,  and  he  was  married  to 
Jennie  Junk,  daughter  of  Thomas  Junk,  of  the 
same  county.  To  the  second  union  were  born 
ten  children,  of  whom  two  are  dead.  He  en- 
listed in  Co.  K,  llGth  reg.,  I'a.  Vols.,  served  for 
eighteen  months  and  was  engaged  in  several 
severe  battles,  in  one  of  which  he  was  slightly 
wounded.  For  the  last  si.xteen  years  he  has 
been  foreman  of  Laughead,  Modisette   k   Co.'s 


planing  mill  and  wood-working  factory,  which 
is  one  of  the  largest  and  most  imitortant  of  the 
manufacturing  establishments  of  Uniontown, 
Pa.  He  is  a  leading  member  of  ami  has  held 
all  the  local  offices  in  tiie  Metliodist  Episcopal 
ciiurcli  of  the  above  named  place.  In  politics 
he  was  a  republican  until  a  few  years  ago,  when 
he  enrolled  in  the  ranks  of  the  Prohibition 
party,  in  which  he  is  rather  active  to-day. 

Homer  S.  Sembower  attended  the  public 
schools  of  Uniontown,  Pa.,  and  learned  the 
trade  of  tinner  at  that  pla'.'e  witii  I.  W.  Miller. 
He  has  fuilowed  tinning  as  his  regular  business 
ever  since  starting  out  in  life  for  himself.  In 
1885  he  removed  to  Greensburg,  where  three 
years  later  he  formed  a  co-partnership  with 
John  Keefer  in  the  tin  and  hardware  businei.s. 
They  carry  a  large  and  varied  assortment  of  tin, 
sheet-iron  and  copper  ware,  stoves,  ranges  and 
house  furnishing  goods,  and  make  a  specialty  of 
roofing  and  spouting.  Mr.  Sembower  is  a 
republican  and  takes  a  rather  active  part  in  be- 
half of  the  interest  of  that  party.  He  is  a 
ineinbt}r  of  Greensburg  Council,  No.  44,  Royal 
Arcanum,  and  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  He  is  a  good 
workman  in  his  line  of  business  and  an  earnest 
member  of  the  Methodist  Ejjiscopal  church. 

On  May  'I'i,  1888,  Mr.  Sembower  united  in 
marriage  with  Anna  S.  Artcr,  youngest  daugh- 
ter of  Dr.  Daniel  A.  Arter,  of  Greensburg. 
One  month  after  marriage  the  spirit  of  his 
young  bride  left  its  tcnOment  of  clay  and  passed 
from  time  into  eternity. 


Q^AMUEL  W.  SlIAW,  a  member  of  the 
rgj  board  of  commissioners  of  Westmoreland 
'^  county,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Salem  township, 
same  county,  September  8,  1852,  and  is  a  son  of 
Samuel  and  Rebecca  J.  (McQuaid)  Shaw.  The 
Shaw  family  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  the  county, 
the  great-great-grandparents  of  Samuel  W.  Shaw 
having  emigrated  in  1702  from  Daujihin  county 
to  what  was    then    called    the    "back   woods," 


WESTMORELA  ND  CO  UNTY. 


159 


where  they  settled  within  two  miles  of  old  Ilan- 
nastown,    which    afterward    hecanie   the  county 
seat  and  an  historic  spot,  thougii  at  that  time 
comparatively    unknown,    containing    even    ten 
years  later  not  more   than    a  dozen  log  eahins 
roofed    wilh    elaphoaids,   very   few    heing    iikho 
than  one-story  in  height.     Moses  Shaw  (gi-eat- 
great-grandfather)  was  a  pack-saddle  maker,  and 
made  all  the  pack-saddles  used  hy  Gen.  Anthony 
Wayne  when  he  went  west  to  fight  the  Indians. 
He    married    Margaret   Patterson,  a    native    of 
Lancaster  county,  and  they  had  five  children  : 
David,  Sarah,   Margaret,  Alexander  and  John. 
John  Shaw  (great-grandfather)  was  married  to 
Sarah   Shaw  (a  cousin)  who  bore  him  two  chil- 
dren :   Samuel  and  Martha.    .  These  children  had 
a  half-sister,  named  Jane  Spear,  who  died  Sep- 
tember   2,     1888,    in    her    eighty-sixth    year. 
Samuel  Shaw  (grandfather)  was  born  July  11, 
1784,  and  died  June  30,   1851.     He  was  mar- 
ried   on    Wednesday,    February    27,    1811,    to 
Mary    Caldwell,   a  native   of  Franklin  county, 
born    June    G,    178S,    and    died     January    2^, 
1834.     llev.    Samuel    Porter,   first   minister  of 
"  Old  Congruity  "  officiating.     They  had  seven 
children :  Eliza,  who  married  James  Steel,  Oc- 
tober 27,  183t3,  and  died  May  4,  1878  ;  Xancy 
Johnston  ;    John,    born    April    G,    181G,    died 
August  8,  1885;  Samuel;   Mary   Harvey,  who 
died  December  2.''),  1838;  Josiah   C.,   who  mar- 
ried Martha,  youngest  daughter  of  Jacob  Tosh, 
of  Ligonier  Valley,  May  26,  1875,  and  who  is 
the    second    oldest    teacher    in    Westmoreland 
county,    having    taught    forty-six    years,    ami 
Alexander  Sterrit,  married  to  Eliza,  a  daughter 
of  Alexander  Shaw,  of  Washington   township. 
Samuel  Shaw  (father)  was  born  in  Salem  town- 
ship, April  2"J,  181'J,  and   he  died   March  10, 
1889.     By  occupation  he  was  a  teamster  and 
farmer,  and  also  owned  a  coal-bank  from  which 
he  delivered  coal  throughout  his  neighborhood. 
For  a  number  of  years  he  kept  a  hotel  in  Salem, 
and  in  addition  he  dealt  considerably  in  horses. 
In  politics  he  was  an   "  ohl  line  whig,"   but  on 


the  formation  of  the  Republican  party  became  a 
member  of  that  organization.  Mr.  Shaw  was  an 
excellent  citizen,  industrious  and  energetic,  but 
too  good-hearted  to  accumulate  much  wealth. 
He  was  married  June  22,  1H13,  to  Uebeeca 
Jane,  u  daughter  of  Daniel  Mc(.^iaid,  and  they 
had  six  children  :  Daniel  M.,  Mary  I.,  Samuel 
W.,  Rebecca  J.,  Margaret  E.,  and  Kate  E.  All 
are  living  except  Rebecca,  who  died  February  2, 
1877.  Samuel  Shaw  died  September  12,  lb73, 
and  his  widow  is  living  on  the  old  homestead  in 
Salem  townshi]).  On  the  maternal  side  the 
ancestors  originally  belonged  to  Ireland,  but 
afterward  crossed  to  Scotland,  whence  they  immi- 
grated to  America,  locating  in  Westmoreland 
county,  Pa.,  where  they  were  among  the  first 
settlers.  Daniel  McQuaide  (grandfather)  resided 
in  Salem  township,  and  married  Isabella,  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  Kirkwood. 

This  family  of  Shaws  has  been  identified 
with  the  history  of  Westmoreland  county  ever 
since  it  was  formed.  i\Ioses  Shaw  was  in  the 
fort  during  the  battle  of  Ilannastown,  and  the 
remains  of  both  him  and  his  wife  lie  buried  in 
the  old  graveyard  at  that  place.  Their  two 
sons,  Alexander  and  David,  were  among  the 
bravest  defenders  of  the  place  and  escaped  with 
their  lives,  though  the  destruction  of  Ilannas- 
town was  complete.  On  the  day  this  town  was 
burned.  July  13,  1782,  Martha,  grandmother  of 
Samuel  Shaw,  Sr.,  was  riding  toward  the  fort 
for  her  life,  when  she  met  a  neighbor  who  begged 
for  her  horse  to  go  for  help.  The  old  lady  gave 
him  the  animal,  walked  to  the  fort  and  escaped 
the  tomahawk  of  the  Indians  ;  but  the  neighbor 
rode  oft'  to  the  Sewickley  settlement  out  of  dan- 
ger and  did  not  return  for  two  weeks.  Mar- 
garet Shaw,  a  sister  of  David  Shaw,  one  of 
the  heroes  of  the  "  Ilannastown  war,"  was  in 
the  fort  on  the  day  of  the  battle,  and  under 
the  random  fire  kept  up  by  the  savages  ran 
to  rescue  a  child  from  danger,  when  a  bullet 
from  an  Indian  rille  struck  her  in  the  breast, 
jiiercing  her  left  lung.      For  fourteen  days  she 


luoauArniES  of 


Hilll'crcd   iiul'ilil   ;iii;4iiiiy    lu'l'oio    ilculli    came    lu 
lior  relit'l'. 

Siiniuel  W.  Slunv  was  educated  in  tlie  public 
schools  luid  Now  Saloiu  acadciiiy  and  entered 
till'  proCcssidii  of  Icaeliiii;;;.  Mr  liiii;.'lil  .-^even 
tenii^i  in  S;ileni  lioiouf^'li,  purt  of  the  time  as 
|iiiMri|i;il,  serving'  one  yi^ar  as  principal  ol' Salcni 
aeadrniy.  llavin;^  tauj^lit  seventeen  terms  in 
Westmoreland  county,  Mr.  Shaw  entered  the 
political  arena,  and  in  1887  was  nominated  by 
the  Republican  party  for  commissioner,  receiving 
2,474  votes  and  having  a  majority  of  774.  At 
the  general  election  he  received  7,7iS(i  votes, 
Avhile  the  next  highest  republican  candidate  on 
the  county  ticket  had  but  7,58^3  votes,  and  the 
leading  candidate  on  the  republican  State  ticket 
polled  only  7,IJ46  votes  in  Westmoreland  county. 
lie  is  an  aftable  gentleman  and  makes  an  excel- 
lent official,  lie  was  married  October  17, 188'J, 
to  Winnie  M.,  a  daughter  of  George  11.  Young, 
of  Salem  township. 


(<lf^RANK  SHEARER  is  one  of  the  enter- 
"|lr  prising  business  men  and  the  leading 
butcher  of  Greensburg.  lie  is  a  native 
of  Europe's  mountain-walled  republic — Switzer- 
land, He  is  a  son  of  Victor  and  Lizzie  (Alle- 
niaii)  Shearer  and  was  born  in  Rasle,  canton  of 
Rasle,  Switzerland,  May  11,  1830.  Victor 
Shearer  was  a  prosperous  baker  of  Basle.  He 
was  a  devoted  member  of  the  Catholic  church, 
always  strict  in  the  discharge  of  his  religimis 
duties  and  never  allowed  a  press  of  business  or 
call  of  pleasure  to  interfere.  He  married  Lizzie 
Allenian,  a  native  of  an  adjoining  province. 
They  had  six  children,  of  whom  four  .are  living. 
Frank  Shearer  was  raised  in  Basle,  one  of  the 
capitals  of  his  native  canton  and  now  a  city  of 
G1,000  inhabitants.  Ho  served  an  apprentice- 
shij)  of  nearly  three  years  with  a  leailing  butcher 
of  Basle,  His  tuition  was  his  services  and 
several  hundred  francs.  He  has  papers  and 
rccouunendutions   that    certify    to    his    being    a 


skilled  and  graduate  biitiher  of  Switzerland. 
Seeking  for  a  le.ss  ci'ani|ied  (iuld  of  labor  than 
that  afforded  by  Europe  at  that  time,  he  sailed 
for  the  United  States  and  landed  in  New  Yoik 
on  June  7,  IS,';;!.  Ili;  Hnon  ciuiK:  west  lo  I'itts- 
burg  wheru  ho  lemained  a  lew  days,  and  then 
rejiaired  to  (Jroonsburg  where  his  brother  .losoidi, 
a  line  architect  an<l  a  good  mechanic,  was  en- 
gaged in  business.  After  his  arrival  at  the  latter 
place  he  was  iinmediatoly  employed  by  a  Mr. 
Reamer  for  whom  he  worked  several  months. 
Leaving  Mr.  Roauier,  he  engaged  in  the  butcher- 
ing business  for  himself  and  has  since  been  en- 
gaged in  that  business.  In  IStj:]  he  went  to 
Oil  city,  Venango  county,  I'a.,  where  ho  on- 
gaged  in  the  butchering  business  and  slauglitered 
on  an  average  of  sixty  head  of  cattle  per  week 
for  four  years.  In  18t>7  he  sold  out  his  Oil  City 
butchering  establishment  and  realized  a  hand- 
some profit  on  his  original  investment  in  the 
buildings ;  he  also  received  a  large  sum  of 
money  to  allow  the  purchasers  to  use  his  name 
and  sign  for  a  few  months.  Since  1867  Mr. 
Shearer  has  given  his  attention  to  the  supervision 
of  his  extensive  and  lucrative  butchering  busi- 
ness at  Greensburg,  and  is  justly  entitled  to  the 
liberal  patronage  ho  receives. 

Ho  was  married  June  it,  1854,  to  Mary  Smith, 
daughter  of  Jacob  Smith,  a  wealthy  German 
farmer  of  Hempiield  township,  and  a  native  of 
Lancaster  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shearer  had 
five  children,  four  sons  and  one  daughter.  Two 
of  the  sons,  Edward  and  John,  are  living, 
married  and  are  successful  business  men.  They 
are  engaged  with  their  father  in  business.  The 
daughter,  Anna,  was  a  nun,  a  "  Sister  Evange- 
list," and  died  several  years  ago  in  Omaha,  Ne- 
braska. Mrs.  Shearer  died  in  1873,  and  Mr. 
Shearer  was  re-married  on  June  11,  1874,  to 
Mary  jMcDermott,  daughter  of  Patrick  McDer- 
niott,  who  is  a  railroad  contractor.  By  his 
second  nuirriage  he  has  four  children,  two  sons 
and  two  daughters  :  Roderick  i\Iack,  attendintr 
school ;  Victor,  }*Iary  and  Constance  M. 


WICSTMORKLA  ND   CO  VNTY. 


Frank  Shciucv,  iisiiU;  from  liis  reguhir  busi- 
ness, liiis  invosti'il  largely  and  prufaaljly  in  real 
estate,  lie  u\Nns  two  large  and  well  improved 
fariiis  and  one  hundred  and  tliiily  valuable  lots. 
He  is  a  democrat  from  principle  and  a  strict 
memlier  of  the  Roman  (Jatholic  church.  Jle 
has  a  good  education  which  he  received  under 
the  thorough  school  system  of  Switzerland,  lie 
is  as  active  as  many  a  man  at  forty,  and  enjoys 
the  best  of  health  on  account  of  never  indulging 
in  the  excesses  of  American  living.  Frank 
Shearer  is  a  man  of  tine  personal  appearance, 
[jrominent  in  liis  town,  well  known  in  the  county 
and  lias  ac<|uired  considerable  wealth  by  his 
thrift,  honesty  and  economy. 


•t'  AMES  A.  SHIELDS,  a  leading  hardware 
"'l  merchant  of  (.ireensburg  and  a  descendant 
(*y  of  one  of  the  early  pioneer  families  of  West- 
moreland county,  was  born  in  Salem  township, 
Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  jMarch  10,  1M47, 
and  is  a  son  of  James  IM.  and  Elizabeth  (?*Iore- 
lieid)  Shields.  James  A.  Shields  is  fourth  in 
line  of  descent  from  Capt.  John  Shields,  a  pio- 
neer settler  and  Revolutionary  soldier.  Capt. 
Shields  came  from  Adams  county  in  1700  to 
Westmoreland  county  and  in  17GU  settled  near 
the  site  of  Is'ew  Alexandria,  where  he  purchased 
a  large  tract  of  land.  "  He  was  a  tall,  muscular 
man,  well  (juallicd  to  endure  the  hardships  inci- 
dent to  the  time  and  place  in  which  he  lived." 
He  commanded  a  conqiany  in  the  Revolutionary 
war  and  was  a  brave  and  trusted  soldier  who 
served  from  ^'alley  Forge  to  York  town.  About 
177-1  a  small  fort  was  built  on  an  eminence  near 
his  house.  In  honor  of  him  it  was  named 
Shields'  block-house  and  was  intended  as  a  pro- 
tection against  Indian  attacks.  Cajit.  John 
Shields  was  a  blacksmith,  a  justice  of  tlie  peace 
and  an  elder  in  Congriiity  Presbyterian  church  ; 
died  November  3,  1821,  aged  eighty-two  years 
and  was  buried  in  Congruity  cemetery.  He 
was  one  of  the  five  commissioners  appointed  in 


1785  to  purchase  a  court-house  and  jail  site  for 
Westmoreland  county.  One  of  his  sons  was 
James  Shields  (grandfather),  a  I'armer  and  pres- 
byterian.  James  marrii'il  Isabella  McKee,  of 
near  (Miambersburg,  Pa.  'J'iicy  were  the  parents 
of  James  M.  and  Matthew  Shields.  James  M. 
Shields  was  born  November  ti,  1808  and  died 
September  KJ,  188'J.  He  was  a  farmer  by  oc- 
cupation, a  tanner  by  trade  and  very  successful 
in  all  his  business  undertakings.  He  was  one  of 
the  founders  of  New  Alexandria  Presbyterian 
church,  of  which  he  was  an  elder  from  the  time 
of  its  establishment  until  his  death.  In  politics 
he  was  a  democrat  but  was  no  partisan.  He 
served  as  school  director  of  Salem  township,  and 
as  justice  of  the  peace  never  encouraged  litiga- 
tion. Of  e.xcellent  judgement  and  conservative 
views,  he  was  a  man  who  always  commanded  re- 
spect. In  1840  lie  married  Elizabeth  Moorehead, 
a  daughter  of  Judge  Samuel  Moorehead,  of 
Blairsville,  I'a.  Mrs.  Shields  was  born  August 
30,  1817,  and  is  now  in  the  seventy-third  year  of 
her  age. 

James  A.  Shields  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  Salem  township  and  New  Alexandria 
academy.  His  first  employment  was  clerking 
in  the  store  of  John  M.  Stuart  at  New  Alexan- 
dria. In  the  winter  of  1871-72  he  was  gradu- 
ated from  Huff's  Pusiness  college  at  Pittsburj^. 
From  1872  until  1877  he  was  bookkeeper  for 
Tuiney  Bros.  In  1877  he  became  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  Shields  &  IMechling,  dealers  in  hard- 
ware, stoves,  tin-roofing,  buggies  and  agricultural 
implements. 

On  September  7,  1876,  he  married  Sue  S. 
'Welty,  daughter  of  Daniel  Welty.  They  have 
four  children,  two  sons  and  two  daughters  :  Eliza- 
beth M.,  Emily  D.,  Wallace  M.  and  James  E. 

James  A.  Shields  has  erected  and  now  occupies 
on  Second  street,  just  below  South  Main  street 
and  opposite  the  Zimmerman  house,  one  of  the 
finest  business  buildings  of  Greensburg.  It  is 
an  imposing  three-story  brick  building,  4.")x72 
feet  in   extent ;  equipped   witli  an  elevator  and 


i 


iii()(ji!AfJin:s  OF 


Jill  luoilcni  iiiiiirovrmmls  and  coiivciiicnct's.  lie 
i.s  a  iiH'iiiliLT  iincl  cl'lri-  u\'  tlu'  I'lcsliytniaii 
chiu'cli.  As  ;iTi  filler  liu  is  foui'tli  in  lineal  snc- 
cfssiim  (jf  his  raiiiily  tlial  has  lifld  that  ullicc.  J. 
A.  Shichls  is  orSciiUh-liish  I'roshytt'rian  stoi'k 
anil  has  inherited  the  siieeuss-winning  (|ualities 
of  that  iron-willed  and  energetic  raee.  lie  i.s  a. 
man  of  eluiracter  and  standing  and  in  every  way 
■ivorthy  of  the  success  that  has  crowned  his  ef- 
forts. 


'f  AME8  C.  SHIELDS,  a  thorough  scholar 
t'  and  efficient  teacher  and  [jrincipal  of 
(2/  Greensburg's  High  school,  was  born  (near 
New  Alexandria)  in  Salem  township,  West- 
morehuul  county,  Pa.,  .May  1.'],  LSGli,  and  is  a 
son  of  Matthew  and  Frances  (Sloan)  Shields. 
James  C.  Shields  is  a  descendant  of  a  Scotch- 
Irish  family.  His  great-gran<lfalher,  Captain 
John  Shields,  was  in  the  forefront  of  the  first 
tide  of  pioneer  emigration  into  southwestern 
rcnnsylvaiiia,  after  the  fall  of  Fort  Du  Quesne. 
I'ajiers  and  patents  of  his  for  land  in  what  is 
now  AVestuioi'cland  county  are  still  in  the  hands 
of  his  descendants.  Capt.  Shields  cast  in  his 
fortunes  with  the  American  colonies  in  1775, 
raised  a  company  and  served  'aider  Washington 
from  Valley  Forge  until  the  close  of  the  lievo- 
lutionary  struggle.  He  was  a  prominent  man 
in  his  day  and  was  for  years  a  ruling  elder  in 
ohl  Congruity  Presliyterian  church.  His  son, 
James  Shields,  was  a  farmer,  a  demnerat,  an 
elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church,  ami  siTvcd 
one  terni  as  eouiuy  commissioner  of  W'estniore- 
land  county.  His  wife  was  a  ?tliss  MeKee,  by 
■whom  he  had  six  children.  Matthew  Shields 
(father)  was  lioiii  in  1S17,  in  Salem  township, 
where  he  always  has  been  and  is  now  engaged 
in  farming.  He  is  an  ardent  tlcmoerat.  In 
IHfu  he  was  the  democratic  candidate  for  ollice 
but  was  defeated  by  the  "  Know-Nothing  "  party. 
In  1858  he  ran  for  the  same  office  and  was 
elected  and  also  re-elected  in  1S5',I.  He  mar- 
ried   l''ranei's   Shiau,  dau;ihler   i>l'  I)a\id   Shian. 


Matthew  Shields  has  une  child  deail  and  six 
chihhen  living:  James  ('.,  .^Iatthew  11.,  a 
jioultry  raiser ;  .John  Hurst,  Lydia,  Helen  L., 
and  Frank  Sloan. 

James  C.  Shiehls  attended  the  eummon 
schools,  prepared  for  college  at  New  Alexandria 
academy,  entereil  in  lfS7'.t  the  sophonK^re  class 
of  AVashinglon  ami  Jell'ersun  college,  and  was 
graduated  in  1M82  from  that  famous  seat  of 
learning  fourth  in  a  class  of  forty.  After  pass- 
ing out  fr(jiu  the  walls  of  his  aluia  mater  he 
was  not  actively  cngageil  in  any  Ijusiiiess  for 
about  one  year.  In  1881  he  was  engaged  to 
teach  in  New  Alexandria  academy,  but  the  fid- 
lowing  year  severed  his  connection  with  tliat 
institution  to  accept  a  more  desirable  situation 
in  the  Greeiisburg  High  school.  Three  years  of 
faithful  and  eilicient  work  at  Greensburg  se- 
cured for  him  the  jirincipalsliip  of  the  High 
school,  to  which  he  was  elected  in  1888.  His 
services  as  principal  were  of  such  satisfactory 
character  and  attended  with  such  gratifying  re- 
sults that  he  was  re-elected  as  principal  in  188!'. 
To  the  wide  range  of  knowledge  and  thorough 
culture  of  a  collegiate  course  James  C.  Shields 
has  added  practical  observation  and  the  valuable 
exiierience  of  successful  teaching.  He  is  a  fine 
scholar  and  a  thorouiih  gentleman. 


OBKKT  W.  SINGER,  who  has  been  for 
over  forty  years  in  public  life,  is  a  popu- 
lar citizen  of  \Veslmiireland  county  and 
a  prominent  Scottish  Kite  Degree  ^lason  of 
Pennsylvania.  He  was  born  in  Donegal  (jiow 
Cook)  township,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa., 
November  '2S,  181'J,  and  is  a  son  cd'  Samuel  and 
Jane  (Matthews)  Singer.  Samuel  Singer's 
father  emigrated  at  an  early  day  from  (Jeriiiany 
to  Carlisle,  Pa.,  and  sub.seipiently  came  to 
Greensburg,  where  he  afterwards  died.  Samuel 
Singer  was  born  at  Carlisle,  Pa.,  removed  in 
early  lite  with  his  father  to  tueeiisburg,  and  served 
in   the  war  of   IS!:.'   under   tieii.  Harrison.      He 


WKS'l 'MO n ELA ND   VO  UNTY. 


1G3 


was  a  iiiciiiIk'I-  of  Mnjor  John  15.  Ak'xiiiHlcr'n 
company,  wliicli  went  IVoui  Westmoreland  coiuitv. 
At  tlio  close  of  llie  war  lie  retiii-ueil  licinie-  ami 
married  Jane,  dau^liter  (/f  .lolm  .Maltlicws,  cjf 
l)oMe;^al  townsliip,  this  county,  hy  whom  he  luul 
nine  chihhen,  of  whom  eij^ht  are  living.  He 
(lied  in  1S7-j.  He  was  a  (juiet,  unpretentious 
man,  who  was  upright  and  honorable  and  iiail 
many  friends  tiiroughout  the  county.  He  .-ind 
liis  wife  were  active  and  exemjd.iry  memln-rs  of 
the  I'nitcd  Presbyterian  eliureh.  In  political 
ull'airs  Mr.  dinger  was  an  old  line  whig  initil 
185G,  when  he  became  a  republican. 

Ilobert  W.  Singer  attended  the  cnmmon 
schools  and  remained  on  a  faini  until  he  was 
eighteen  years  of  age.  He  then  learned  llie 
trade  of  blacksmitii,  at  which  he  w Diked  fur 
seventeen  years,  and  during  this  jieriod  C(Ui- 
ducted  a  store.  His  shop  and  store  were  at 
Jones'  Mills,  where  he  served  as  justice  of  the 
peace.  In  1858  he  Was  a  candidate  on  the 
democratic  ticket  for  clerk  of  the  courts  of  West- 
moreland county,  and  was  elected.  His  ser- 
vices as  clerk  were  so  well  appreciated  by  the 
public  and  his  own  party  that  he  was  re-elected 
in  1861  and  served  until  1864,  when  he  was 
elected  justice  of  the  peace  at  Greensburg.  He 
served  in  this  capacity  until  1874,  when  he  was 
taken  up  by  his  ]iarty  and  eleeteil  prollionotary  of 
the  county.  At  the  expiration  of  his  term  he 
acted  as  clerk  for  his  successors.  In  18S-4  lie 
was  appointed  steward  of  the  county  home  and 
served  until  April  1,  18vSl!,  when  he  resigned  to 
accept  the  position  of  storekeeper  and  ganger  in 
the  United  States  revenue  service,  to  which  he 
had  been  appointed  at  the  instance  of  the  late 
Hon.  C.  E.  Boyle.  His  term  of  service  cx]iired 
i)cceHd>er  30,  188!). 

Robert  W.  Singer  united  in  marriuge  with 
Eleanor  Warren,  daughter  of  Albert  Warren, 
an  iron  manufacturer  of  Westmoreland  county. 
To  their  union  have  been  born  two  sons  and  four 
daughters :  Elizabeth,  who  married  James  S. 
Morehcad,  a  prominent  lawyer  of  Greensburg; 


William  M.,  who  is  a  merchant;  Or.  James,  a 
leading  physician  at  Connellsville,  I'a.  ;  Laura 
K.,  Henrietta,  and  one  dead. 

iJobcrt  W.  Singer  is  a  man  of  in(iucnce  in 
the  Democratic  p.'irty,  and  was  always  a  warm 
friend  and  zealous  supporter  «['  the  late  Judge 
Boyle  of  Fayette  county,  I'a.  Mr.  Singer  is 
popular  and  well  liked  throughout  the  county, 
and  has  served  with  honor  and  credit  in  the 
nuuiy  positions  of  trust  and  responsibility  wliieli 
he  has  held.  He  is  an  active  member  of  I'hilan- 
throi)y  I,oilge,  No.  'J'J'j,  A.  Y.  .M.,  and  has  passed 
through  chapter  and  commamlery  up  to  member- 
ship in  the  'HA  degree  of  the  Ancient  and  Ac- 
cejited  Scottish  Rite. 


■!>C  LIVER  R.  SNVDER,  a  rising  young 
^  J  member  of  the  Westmoreland  bar,  was 
born  December  'JU,  1858,  in  Hempfiekl 
township,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  and  is  a 
son  of  Lebbeus  and  Maria  (Baughman)  Snyder. 
His  grandfather,  Daniel  Snyder,  was  a  native 
of  Northumberland  county,  Pa.,  but  when  quite 
young  was  brought  by  his  parents  to  this  county 
and  settled  in  Penn  township.  He  was  married 
to  Elizabeth  Rowe,  whose  parents  were  amono- 
the  very  early  settlers  of  "old  Westmoreland." 
Lebbeus  Snyder  (father)  was  born  in  1832, 
in  Penn  townshiji,  and  died  April  4,  1888. 
He  was  an  active  democrat,  served  as  director 
of  the  poor  from  1871  to  1874,  and  as  county 
auditor  from  1881  to  1SS7.  Nearly  all  his 
life  he  was  a  consistent  and  useful  member  of 
the  Reformed  church.  In  his  boyhood  he 
learned  the  trade  of  brickmaking,  which  he  fol- 
lowed for  some  time,  and  then  taught  school 
until  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at 
Rouquet,  I'enn  township,  where  he  continued  in 
that  line  some  eight  years,  achieving  success  in 
his  business.  Mr.  Snyder  was  an  upright, 
honorable  gentleman  and  highly  esteemed  by  all 
who  knew  him.  He  was  nmrrieii  to  Maria,  a 
daughter  of  Lewis  Baughman,  of  Penn  township,. 


BlOdnAI'lIIES  OF 


:niil  In  tln'ii'  iiuidii  well)  linni  Iwd  cliililicii  : 
lia  ('.  all, I  (MivcT  I!.  Iia  C.  Suvln,  lliu 
yiiiiii:;cl'  Iu'dIIht,  Mi  linw  atU'liilili;^  .scliiiol  ;it 
Fiaukliii  ami  M:u>liall  collego,  w  lie  re  lie  is  a 
iucihIkt  i)t'  the  class  of  IH'J-J. 

Oliver  JJ.  Siiyilcr  rocuiveil  his  [jrejiaratory  eil- 
ueatiuli  at  New  Salem  ueadeniy  ainl  .siibsei[Ueully 
filtered  Franklin  and  MarsliuU  cullege,  Lancas- 
ter, I'a.,  from  which  institution  he  was  graiUiated 
in  the  class  of  1882.  The  following  winter  lie 
was  engaged  in  teaching  at  Salem;  in  1883  he 
registered  as  a  law  student  with  Moreliead  k 
Head,  and  was  admitted  to  the  har  of  ^Vestmore- 
land  county  in  ISSo.  Mr.  Snyder  was  ap- 
pointed a  notary  puljlic  liy  (Jov.  rattisoii  in 
l(88(j.  Jle  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order  uf 
United  Workmen  and  has  been  financier  of  his 
local  lodge  for  three  years.  He  is  secretary  of 
the  Pomona  or  county  grange  of  AVestmoreland 
county.  He  is  an  intelligent,  honorable  gentle- 
man, reliable  in  business,  affable  in  society,  of 
unblemished  character  and  is  assiduous  in  his 
attention  to  the  duties  of  his  profession. 

Oliver  R.  Snyder  was  uniied  in  marriage 
February  8,  1888,  with  Miss  Iluldali  Cort,  a 
daughter  of  Rev.  Lucien  Cort,  a  minister  of  the 
Reformed  church,  who  was  for  many  years  prin- 
cipal of  the  (.irceiisburg  seminary.  Mr.  Snyder 
is  an  iiMs^verving  democrat,  and  has  been  .secre- 
tary of  the  democratic  eoiiiity  eoiiimiltee  fur  a 
number  of  years.  He  and  his  wile  are  iiieniliers 
of  the  Second  Refirmed  church  of  Gieeiisburg. 


•f  RAII  Sl'IEGEL.  One  who  w.is  early  in 
"'l"  the  battle  of  life  thrown  upon  his  own  re- 
(y  sources  and  wlio  has  by  remarkable  energy 
and  unconquerable  will  achieved  success  and 
won  his  way  to  prominence  is  J.  Ran  Spiegel,  a 
member  of  the  Westmoreland  county  bar,  who 
is  well  known  for  his.  ability,  his  learning  and 
his  integrity.  He  is  a  son  of  ^Villiam  and 
Christina  (Uau)  Spiegid,  and  \\as  born  near 
Stuttgart,    Germany,    August    27,    \^\1.      His 


parents  emigrated  to  this  eounti'v  in  18r)2  and 

sellled  ill  I'lasI  JliiMliligdon  lowiisliip,  whi.'ro 
they  have  resided  ever  since,  'i'lic  father,  Will- 
iam Spiegel,  is  a  descendant  of  Frederick  S|iie- 
gel,  a  (Jcrman  orientalist  and  professor  of  ori- 
ental languages  for  many  years  at  I'lrlageii,  and 
has  a  brother  who  is  a  colonel  in  the  (iennaa 
army.  A  custom  to  this  day  observed  in  Ger- 
many is  that  the  youngest  of  seven  brothers, 
each  serving  si.x  years  in  the  army,  receives  the 
king's  dollar  from  the  hands  of  the  reigning 
monarch,  and  William  Spiegel  is  one  of  the  few 
recipients  of  this  compliment  money  from  the 
hands  of  King  William.  It  is  an  honor  which 
he  jirizes  very  highly,  (y'hristina  (Rau)  Sjdegel, 
the  mother,  is  from  one  of  the  best  German 
families  and  is  a  descendant  Njf  Karl  Ileinrich 
Rau,  a  German  political  economist  and  jirofessor 
of  political  economy  and  financial  science  for 
almost  forty  years  at  Heidelberg  college. 

J.  Rau  Spiegel  was  reared  in  East  Hunting- 
don township.  At  seven  years  of  age  he  at- 
tended the  Mennonite,  now  Stonersville,  school, 
taught  by  Ex-County  Superintendent  Sillinian, 
and  the  ne.xt  year  became  a  pupil  in  the  Pool 
school,  of  which  he  was  elected  assistant  teacher 
at  fourteen  years  of  age  by  the  township  board 
of  school  directors,  and  served  in  that  capacity 
for  two  terms.  At  si.xteeii  years  of  age  he 
taught  tile  ( laiil  scIkmjI.  He  next  taught  at  New 
Stanton,  then  three  successive  terms  at  HiUsiile 
and  one  term  at  Louck's,  now  Scottdale.  He 
educated  himself  by  means  obtained  by  teaching 
in  the  common  schools.  He  almost  completed 
the  course  of  Westmoreland  college,  but  was  in- 
duced by  Dr.  Gaut  to  finish  his  course  at  Mount 
Union  college,  Ohio,  from  which  institution  he 
was  graduated  July  27,  1871.  Mr.  Speigel  re- 
ceived the  first  prize  for  passing  the  best  exam- 
ination in  differential  and  integral  calculus.  He 
served  as  principal  of  Mount  Pleasant  schools, 
Titusvillc  Scddiers'  Orphan  school,  Wilcox  High 
schoid  and  ^Viconisco  and  Greensburg  public 
schools.    In  1878  Mr.  Spiegel  was  elected  super- 


WKSTMOHKL.  1  .Y/>   CO  I  '.\T  V. 


1(;5 


intendeiit  of  comiiion  schools  of  Westmoreland 
county,  und  was  re-elected  to  the  same  position 
in-lHHl.  His  adiiiiiiistratidii  was  reiiiiiikaiily 
Huecessfiil  and  al  Ids  i.-<iiint_v  iiislitiitL'S  Ik;  al- 
forded  tiu'  |ic(i|ilc  (if  llie  cdiiiity  iiii  (i|i|i(irliiiiily 
to  hear  the  leading  talent  of  the  nation.  Among 
the  famous  orators  whom  he  hrought  to  deliver 
lectures  were  Uev.  Henry  Ward  IJeecher,  John 
B.  Gough,  T.  DeWitt  Talmage,  Theodore  1'il- 
ton  and  Daniel  Dougherty.  A  spell  of  sickness 
prevented  Wendell  I'hdlips,  the  greatest  orator 
of  his  day,  from  lecturing  at  Grcensburg  ac- 
cording to  contract  with  Superintendent  Spiegel. 

On  December  19,  187(3,  Mr.  Spiegel  united 
in  marriage  with  E.  Jennie  Thomas,  of  Wilkes- 
barre.  Pa.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spiegel  are  the  jia- 
rents  of  three  eliildren:  Jay,  Don  anil  Lulu, 
who  are  aged  twelve,  nine  and  nine  years  re- 
spectively. 

From  teaching,  Mr.  Spiegel  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  the  profession  of  the  law,  and  after  com- 
pleting the  necessary  course  of  legal  reading  he 
was  admitted  to  the  Westmoreland  county  bar 
in  November,  1887.  Immediately  after  admis- 
sion he  opened  a  law  office  at  Greensburg,  where 
he  has  been  in  active  practice  ever  since. 


II.  STARK,  an  experienced  and  succcss- 
fid  carriage  builder,  ex-burgess  of  Greens- 
burg and  the  prujirietor  of  the  eU'gant 
business  bloek  kuowu  as  tln'  Stark  budding, 
was  born  on  AVest  tXterman  street,  Greensburg, 
AVestmoreland  county.  Pa.,  September  5,  1830, 
and  is  a  son  of  John  Adam  and  Charlotte  (Ilol- 
ser)  Stark. 

John  Stark  was  born  in  AVittenberg,  Ger- 
many, lie  received  his  education  in  Germany, 
where  he  learned  the  trade  of  wagonmaker,  and 
then  emigrated  to  western  Pennsylvania.  lie 
soon  became  a  resident  of  Greensburg  and  was 
engaged,  on  account  of  his  superior  workman- 
ship, in  the  construction  of  the  first  stage 
coaches  which  were  manufactured  west  of  the 


Allegheny  mountains.  After  tiie  era  of  stage 
coaches  he  coniUK'nced  liuilding  the  well  remem- 
bered (dd  "  i)earlM,rM  WagdU."  It  wa,^  sup- 
pbcd  with  UdiidcN  springs,  uliich  he  siniii 
ic|ibiccd  with  she!  springs  and  iron  axles  (if  iiis 
own  hand-made  manufacture.  Many  of  tiie  old 
wagonmakers  of  the  country  learned  their  trade 
with  him  while  engaged  in  the  Dearb(jrn  wagon 
business,  which  he  afterwarels  sold  to  the  subject 
of  this  sketch.  After  fifty  years  of  active  work 
at  his  trade  he  retired  from  business.  lie  was 
a  democrat  from  princijile,  but  apart  from  busi- 
ness gave  most  of  his  time  to  the  cause  of  the 
Lutheran  church,  of  which  he  had  been  a  mem- 
ber and  olficer  for  over  fifty  years  before  his 
death,  lie  married  Charlotte  llulser,  whose 
fiither  was  an  ollieer  in  the  Revolutionary  war 
and  whose  widow  drew  a  pension  for  many 
years.  The  Ilolsers  were  a  sturdy  and  honest 
race,  who  ranked  among  the  most  intluential 
citizens  of  York  county.  Pa.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Stark  were  the  ))areuts  of  eleven  children,  of 
I  whom  two  are  living,  George  and  C.  II. 

C.  II.  Stark  was  reared  at  Greensburg,  where 
he  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and 
Gi'eensburg  academy.  At  thirteen  years  of  age 
he  was  sent  east  and  spent  two  years  in  learning 
the  trade  of  silver-plating,  as  used  on  the  car- 
riages of  that  day.  He  then  returned  home, 
learned  the  trade  of  earriage  builder  and  en- 
gageil  in  that  busiiwss  with  his  father  until  the 
latter  retired  from  the  firm.  C.  H.  Stark  then 
conducteil  the  business  u]ion  a  large  scale,  em- 
ploying from  thirty  to  thirty-five  men.  His 
carriages  were  in  demand  in  many  different  sec- 
tions until  the  war  closed  his  factory.  He  was 
them  appointed  by  the  United  States  govern- 
ment as  wagon  inspector  at  Pittsburg,  and 
served  satisfactorily  as  such  until  the  close  of 
the  war.  In  18li5  he  resumed  the  manufacture 
of  carriages  and  conducted  a  prosperous  business 
until  187'J.  Since  then  he  has  given  consider- 
able attention  to  the  material  prosperity  of 
Greensburg.     ]Mr.  Stark  has  just  completed  the 


.jf 


166 


BIOORAl'IIIEH  OF 


crcclinii  (if  oiu'  (if  the  finest  liiick  Inisiiii'ss 
blocks  (if  the  tdwii.  It  is  tlireo  stories  lii^'li 
ami  KiO  fcL't  front. 

lie  iiiuiiied  Liivina  Ann  I5;irnl[;iit,  dauglitcr 
of  .Joliii  and  sister  of  \V.  U.  llarniiart  (sue 
sketch  of  latter). 

Politically  ho  is  a  democrat,  and  has  served 
as  burgess  and  school  director,  but  vould  never 
allow  his  niune  to  be  used  as  a  candidate  for  any 
county  olllee.  lie  is  a  member  of  the  Second 
Lutheran  cluircli  of  Grecnsbiir''. 


t:^ENRY  F.  STARK,  one  of  the  progres- 
I^JI  sive  young  business  men  of  Greensburg, 
(*)  and  a  leading  contractor  and  builder  of 
AVestinoreland  county,  was  born  near  Barnhart's 
mill,  Ileinplield  township,  AV^estmoreland  county, 
Pa.,  August  n,  1857,  and  is  a  son  of  John  F. 
and  Sybbilla  (Thomas)  Stark,  both  residents  of 
Westmoreland  county.  His  grandfather  was 
Gotlieb  Stark,  who  came  from  Germany  to  the 
United  States  when  (juite  a  young  man.  He 
Avas  a  good  wagon  maker  and  carriage  builder, 
which  trade  he  pursued  very  profitably  for  many 
years.  He  was  twice  married  and  bad  but  two 
children,  John  F.  being  a  son  of  his  first  wife. 
John  F.  Stark  was  born  in  Groensburg,  I'a., 
February  4,  1828.  He  learned  his  father's 
trade,  liut  having  more  taste  for  chemistrj'  and 
inventions  than  his  trade,  he,  after  years  of  har(l  i 
labor  and  study,  lurneil  his  attention  to  cheniistry  i 
in  which  he  soon  became  (|uilo  jiroficienl.  1 1  is 
forte  is  invention  and  he  has  been  kno\Mi  nearly 
all  his  life  as  an  inventor  of  for  more  than  local 
note.  He  invented  a  carriage  paint  some  years 
ago  which  is  said  to  lu'  one  of  the  most  diiralde 
and  finest  paints  that  is  in  the  market.  He  has 
perfected  several  labor-saving  inventions.  His 
latest  invention  is  a  device  to  detect  ciisily  and 
instantly  any  gas  leakage  from  gas  pipes.  ]\lr. 
Stark  is  a  republican,  a  member  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Lutheran  church,  and  devotes  his  time 
princi])ally  to  chemistry.     On  January  27,  LSTj^, 


lie  was  ma  I  lied  to  Sybbilla  'i'liomaa,  dauglitcr 
of  John  and  (!atliaiine  (Weaver)  'J'liomaH,  by 
whom  he  had  two  children  :  11.  F.  and  Cyrus  N. 
H.  F.  Stark  was  reared  in  his  native  town- 
ship, educated  in  the  c(;mni(jn  schools,  and  left 
the  parental  roof  to  learn  telegraphy  at  Con- 
nellsville,  Pa.  He  was  a  close,  hard-working 
student,  soon  learned  the  art  and  was  made 
operator  at  the  last  named  place.  His  services 
were  of  such  a  character  that  in  1880  he  was  pro- 
moted to  be  freight  and  ticket  agent  and  train 
dispatcher  at  Uniontown,  and  served  acceptably 
in  these  positions  for  nearly  three  years.  In 
1883  he  tendei'ed  his  resignation  to  the  Penn- 
sylvania railroad  company,  but  his  resignation 
was  not  accepted  until  H'jbert  Pitcairn  had 
asked  him  to  remain  and  he  declined  to  do  so. 
Leaving  Uniontown  he  became  a  member  of  the 
firm  of"  Stark  Pro's,"  general  contractors  and 
builders.  They  engaged  actively  in  all  kinds  of 
pipe  line  work  and  mtisonry,  and  soon  were 
thronged  with  applications  from  different  parts 
of  Westmoreland  and  bordering  counties.  They 
also  made  a  specialty  of  opening  tmd  developing 
coal  lands  and  received  considerable  work  in  that 
line  of  contracting.  They  widened  out  their  busi- 
ness to  its  ]iresent  ]n-o]iortions  by  receiving  bids 
for  railroad  and  coke-oven  work,  and  received 
their  full  shar(;  of  patronage  in  that  important 
industiy.  They  are  among  the  largest  contrac- 
tdi-s  in  the  county.  In  l.S,S'.»  they  contracted 
for  a  great  glass  plant  at  Jcannctte  and  built 
the  same,  for  which  they  received  .'i*2"i((,i)00. 

October  13,  1881,  Henry  F.  Stark  was  mar- 
ried to  Martha  J.  Pollock,  of  Ligonier.  They 
have  two  children :  Mary  Edna,  born  June 
'_',  l.s«4,  and  Frank  Pollock,  July  iit,  I8.s7. 
Mrs.  Stark's  father  was  Thomas  (J.  Pollock,  a 
relative  of  e.x-governor  Pollock,  and  w  as  an  elder 
in  the  United  Presbyterian  church  for  over 
twenty-five  years.  Mr.  Pollock  was  a  son  of 
John  Pollock  and  a  grandson  of  .lames  and 
Mary  (Herron)  Pollock,  wIkj  were  pioneer  set- 
tlers of  Ligonier  Valley  in   17tJ7.      In  politics 


WICSTMOlilCLA ND  CO VNTY, 


107 


lie  is  ;i  rL'imliliciiii,  Imt  not  for  j^'ain  or  odicc.  lie 
is  a  iiifiuliei-  ul'  (ircfiisbiug  Council,  No.  44, 
Koyai  Airaiiiiiri  aTid  (JrcHMishiirg  (^iiiclavc,  No. 
174,  liulciHinlnit  Order  of  llei)taso]>lis.  Mr. 
iSlark  is  a  lui'iiiln^r  and  secretary  of  the  board  of 
trustees  of  the  I'resbyteriau  church.  In  Sunday 
school  Work  he  is  very  active.  He  is  assistant 
superintendcntof  the  Presbyterian  Sunday  school 
of  Grceiisburg,  and  by  liis  own  labor  bus  achieved 
success  in  life. 


'MOS  STECK,  a  leading  business  man 
of  Greensburg  and  a  great  grandson  of 
ilic  loundcr  of  Lutheranisni  in  Westmore- 
land county,  was  bora  at  Greensburg,  West- 
moreland County,  I'a.,  jMay  2,  1851,  and  is  a 
son  of  Caleb  A.  and  Margaret  S.  (Bauglinian) 
Sleek.  'I'jie  Sleeks  are  of  German  descent  and 
are  of  a  sturdy,  moral  and  substantial  race. 
The  |irogenitor  of  the  family  in  western  Penn.syl- 
vania,  Uev.  John  M.  Steck  (great-grandfather), 
who  was  born  at  Germantown,  l*a.,  October  5, 
IToG.  Studied  theology  under  the  direction  of 
Dr.  llelmuth  and  served  the  Lutheran  Congrega- 
tional Chambersburg  until  1784,  and  a  number  of 
congregations  in  Bedford  and  Somerset  counties, 
and  came  to  Greensburg  in  1702  to  preach,  but 
was  not  licensed  here  until  17UG.  His  death 
occurred  July  14,  IS^U.  His  remains  were 
buried  in  the  old  German  graveyard,  Greens- 
burg, Pa.  He  founded  two  feeble  Lutheran  or- 
ganizations at  Harrold's  and  l?rush  creek,  which 
he  built  up  into  strong  churches.  In  180'J  he 
also  organized  the  first  Lutheran  church  of 
Greensburg  and  the  one  at  Manor.  He  also 
organized  St.  James,  Hankey ;  St.  Johns, 
Swopes  Kidge,  and  Youngstown  churches  and 
established  a  number  of  stations.  For  a  quar- 
ter of  a  century  be  was  the  oidy  settled  Lutheran 
minister  in  the  county  and  supplied  the  above 
churches  :  Washington,  Allegheny,  Armstrong, 
liutlcr,  Mercer  and  Crawford  counties  ami  sta- 
tions.    He  was  appointed  bishop  of  AVestmore- 


laiid  and  eiglit  other  counties  west  of  the  Alle- 
glienies.  His  was  a  wiile  field  of  usefulness  in 
whiidi  he  was  largely  instniiiirnlal  in  advancing 
the  intcicsn  ol'  I 'hristianily  and  establishing 
Lutheianism.  IL;  was  eicrlcil  the  Senior  in  the 
Ohio  Synod  in  1822.  He  edited  the  Lutheran 
Catechism,  published  in  (Jrcensburg  in  1817. 
He  was  respected,  honored  and  revered  by  all 
who  knew  him.  His  son,  Hev.  Michael  J. 
Steck  (grandfather),  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Pittsburg  synod  and  its  first  president,  was  born 
at  Greensburg,  ^Liy  1,  1703.  He  received  a 
liberal  education,  was  licensed  to  preach,  served 
several  of  his  fatlier's  remote  congregations  and 
accepted  a  call  at  Lancaster,  Ohio,  where  he 
served  for  fourteen  years  with  wonderful  success. 
In  1820  at  his  father's  reipiest  he  returned  to 
assi.-'t  him  at  (Srccusliurg.  Two  years  later 
upon  the  death  ol'  his  fithcr,  liev.  Michael  J. 
Steck  succeeded  him  as  jiasicir  of  tlieGrecns- 
I  burg  charge  which  then  included  eleven  churches 
and  several  stations.  For  eighteen  years  he 
labored  arduously,  incessantly  and  successfully 
in  Westmoreland  county.  During  his  entire 
ministr}'  of  thirty-two  years  he  preached  over 
eight  thousand  sermons,  baptized  five  tliousand 
children  and  received  two  thousand  persons  into 
the  Lutheran  church.  About  1847  he  at- 
tempted to  found  a  seminary  at  (ireensburg ; 
(piite  a  number  of  students  had  been  secured, 
several  professors  engaged  and  the  plans  and 
S])eeifications  for  the  building  made  out,  when  he 
died  Se])tember  1,1848.  His  death  alone  pre- 
vented its  establishment. 

One  of  Rev.  Jlichael  J.  Steck's  biographers 
makes  record  of  him  as  follows  :  "  He  was  em- 
inently practical  and  saw  clearly  what  were  the 
true  interests  of  his  church.  He  labored  with 
untiring  zeal  for  the  introduction  of  the  English 
language  into  the  services  of  the  church,  and  did 
much  for  the  organization  of  the  English  congre- 
gations in  Greensburg  and  vicinity.  The  ([uali- 
tications  of  a  good  preacher  and  successful  j)astor 
he  united  in  a  more   than   ordinary  or  common 


16S 


BKlGliAPIUES  OF 


(logreo.  His  :ipp(.';u;iiK'c  in  tlie  piilijit  wiis  pic- 
possessiiig,  lii^  I'liiiiiciatioii  distinct,  his  nnmni'i' 
natural,  c;ii-nc'st  ;ui(l  ini|)n'ssiv'L',  his  style  simple 
iind  pnu'licMl,  liis  niiitln-  oviinj^cliciil  anil  iiis 
ap[ic'iiis  to  the  sinner  alleetiunate  anil  eai'nest." 
Jle  nnirrieJ  (Jathurino  Cope,  ami  unto  them 
\Yerc  burn  eleven  children.  One  of  their  sons 
■was  Caleb  A.  Steek,  -who  was  born  January  13, 
18:20,  ill  Lancaster  county,  Ohio.  In  18.")0  he 
married  Marj^aret  S.  Baughuian,  daufi;hter  of 
Daniel  Baughman,  a  hatter,  who  is  still  living 
and  sister  to  Wilson  Baughman,  of  Greensburg. 
They  had  two  sons  and  two  daughters:  Amos, 
Horace  Baughman  Steck,  stock  dealer  and 
banker  in  southern  Kansas ;  Ida,  married  to 
Paul  Gaither,  of  Greensburg,  and  Emily  F., 
wife  of  S.  C.  Weber,  of  the  same  place,  and  now 
traveling. 

Amos  Steck  was  reared  at  Greensburg,  where 
he  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
and  academy.  At  fourteen  years  of  age  he  en- 
gaged as  a  clerk  with  Wilson  Baughman  at 
Greensburg,  and  such  was  his  business  ability 
that  a  few  years  later  he  became  a  partner  in 
the  book  and  stationery  business  with  Mr. 
Baughman,  now  president  of  the  Barclay  bank. 
As  clerk  and  partner  Mr.  Steck  was  in  the 
bookstore  for  over  nine  years,  and  during  the 
latter  part  of  that  time  established  his  reputa- 
tion as  a  first  class^business  man.  He  continued 
the  bookstore  business  alone  for  some  years. 
lie  started  in  the  real  estate  business  in  1879, 
and  in  18S4  took  into  partnership  with  him  U. 
A.  Hope.  In  18SG  he  went  west  on  several 
trips  with  land  purchasers,  and  in  1887  went 
■west  on  a  three  months  trip  to  make  investments 
in  the  southern  portion  of  Kansas,  along  the 
line  of  Indian  territory.  He  made  his  head- 
quarters at  Arkansas  city,  where  trade  being  a 
little  dull,  he  also  started  a  Building  and  Loan 
Association — a  new  thing  then — among  the 
members  being  some  cow  boys  from  the  terri- 
tory, and  such  was  its  success  that  the  Strong- 
Ross  Banking  company  oft'ered  him  the  position 


of  assistant  cashier,  whirli  was  aix'cpted  and  its 
duties  entered  upon.  He  came  iiumi.'  to  close 
out  his  partneisliip  and  return,  to  find  that 
from  Continued  illness  lilial  duties  rei|ilircil  his 
])r(;sencu  at  iiome.  About  six  montliM  after 
his  return  he  dissolved  partnership  with  Mr. 
Hope,  and  adding  the  insurance  business  to 
that  of  real  estate,  started  alone  in  the  Welty 
corner.  ^Ir.  Steck  is  a  prominent  representa- 
tive of  his  special  line  of  business  and  is  care- 
ful of  the  interests  of  his  large  and  rapidly 
growing  patronage,  and  such  is  his  reputation 
for  integrity  as  well  as  business  ability  that 
the  Insurance  Companies  represented  by  him  do 
not  require  a  security,  and  Messrs.  Katte,  of 
New  York  City,  who  owned  about  twelve  acres 
of  valuable  land  on  the  west  side  of  Greens- 
burg, known  as  Katte's  Grove,  now  laid  out  in 
lots  and  nearly  all  sold,  he  being  their  e.xclusive 
agent,  for  an  aggregate  of  over  fifty  thousand 
dollars,  did  not  require  a  bond.  He  is  sub- 
stantially identified  with  the  interests  of  Greens- 
burg and  believes  in  its  future  progress  and 
prosjierity. 


•j-OIIN  BYERS  STEEL,  a  member  of  the 
^'  Westmoreland  county  bar  in  active  prac- 
tice, is  the  eldest  son  of  William  and  Sarah 
Jane  (Brown)  Steel,  and  was  born  February  17, 
18G2,  on  the  •'  Ilannastown  farm,"  in  Hemp- 
field  township,  Westmoreland  county,  I'a.,  which 
occupies  the  site  of  the  famous  Ilannastown, 
burned  by  the  Indians  in  1782.  The  trans- 
Atlantic  progenitor  of  the  present  Steel  family 
lived  in  a  stone  mansion  opposite  the  Presby- 
terian church  at  Castle  Blaney,  Ireland,  and 
had  three  sons :  John,  James  and  William. 
James,  the  second  son  and  great-grandfather  of 
John  B.  Steel,  was  born  in  17-11,  and  with  many 
other  Dissenters,  at  the  close  of  the  Steel-boy 
insurrection  in  1772,  left  Ireland  for  America. 
He  eventually  settled  among  the  hardy  pioneers 
of  the  Sewickley  settlement  in  this  county,  where 


WESTMORELAND   COUNTY. 


169 


lie  located  and  bouglit  several  tracts  uf  laud  i'luiii 
the  I'l'lins.  lie  was  married  twice,  first  tu  a 
Miss  McMasters,  by  wliom  he  bad  two  children  : 
Joseph,  ol'  Franklin  tiiwnshii),  and  ,lanc,  uife 
of  William  Hunter,  of  Loudonville,  Ohio  ;  and 
second  to  a  Miss  Donaldson.  Of  this  latter 
marriage  there  were  issue  of  three  children  : 
James,  of  Oakland  Cross  Roads ;  Jtihn,  and 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  Alex.  Hamilton,  late  of 
Geneseo,  Illinois.  James  Steel,  Sr.,  died  in 
1823.  The  second  son,  John  Steel  (grandfather), 
was  born  April  7,  1789,  died  on  his  llannastown 
farm  May  22,  18UU,  and  left  to  his  children  a 
largo  inheritance  of  real  estate  and  personal 
property.  On  May  Hi,  1813,  he  mariied  his 
cousin,  Martha  Walker,  of  West  Virginia,  near 
Steubenville,  Ohio,  who  bore  him  nine  children  : 
Sarah,  wife  of  Henry  Byers;  Eliza,  who  mar- 
ried Andrew  Muchesney  ;  James,  Joseph  ^V., 
John,  Margaret,  wife  of  James  Steel ;  Mary  J., 
who  married  11.  T.  Hanna  ;  Martha,  wife  of 
Maj.  D.  Mechling,  and  William.  William  Steel 
(father)  was  born  October  31,  1833,  and  was 
married  to  Sarah  Jane  Brown  April  3,  18IJ0. 
Mr.  Steel  has  always  been  identified  with  the 
farming  and  stock-raising  interests  of  the  county. 
He  is  one  of  Westmoreland's  pioneers  in  raising 
short-horn  cattle,  and  is  one  of  the  foremost  im- 
porters and  raisers  of  purebred  draft  horses.  On 
his  maternal  side  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is 
seventh  in  descent  from  Capt.  Matthew  Brown, 
who  served  in  Col.  Walker's  Derry  regiment  at 
Londonderry  and  the  battle  of  the  Boyne.  His 
ancestors  were  from  Scotland,  and  his  grandson, 
Matthew  Brown,  left  county  Donegal,  Ireland, 
in  1774  for  America,  where  he  settled  in  Green- 
castle,  Pa.  His  children  were  :  David,  John, 
Samuel,  Andrew,  and  Mary,-  married  to  ^\m. 
Watt.  David  was  born  in  1757,  married  Mar- 
garet Oliver  in  17'J9,  and  in  1802  removed  to 
near  New  Ale.xandria,  this  county,  where  he  pur- 
chased the  old  Brown  homestead  farm,  upon 
which  he  died  in  1841.  He  left  si.x  children: 
Thomas  0.,  David,  James,  Mary,  Elizabeth  and 


Margaret.  Thomas  (Miver  Brown  (maternal 
grandhither)  was  bcrn  I'Vliniary  15,  1S(J0,  ;nid 
on  January  12,  1832,  marrud  Nancy,  ilaughter 
of  liobert  Beatty,  a  native  of  near  Belfast,  Ire- 
land. Of  this  uidon  weie  born  six  children : 
David  O.,  Martha,  Margaret,  Nancy,  Mary  and 
Sarah  J. 

John  Byers  Steel  was  reared  at  llannastown 
and  attended  the  district  school  and  New  Alex- 
andcia  academy.  He  then  entered  Geneva  col- 
lege as  a  classical  student  and  was  graduated 
from  that  institution  of  learning  May  188r>. 
He  read  law  with  Judge  Hunter  and  A.  D.  Mc- 
Conuell,  and  on  motion  of  John  Armstrong  was 
admitted  to  practice  in  the  several  courts  of 
Westmoreland  county  in  August,  1888.  Imme- 
diately after  admission  he  o[)ened  an  oilice  with 
Hon.  Welty  McCullough,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1889  became  a  partner  of  Mr.  McCullough  in  the 
firm  of  McCullough  &  Steel.  This  partnership 
lasted  until  the  death  of  Mr.  McCullough, 
August  31,  1889.  Since  then  Mr.  Steel  has 
remained  at  the  office  of  tlie  late  firm  and  con- 
tinued in  the  practice  of  his  profession. 


EOIIGE  TABLEll,  a  young,  energetic 
and  successful  harness  maker  and  saddler 

'1^  of  Greensburg,  was  born  at  Indiana,  In- 
diana county,  I'a.,  October  7,  l.S(i2,  ami 
is  the  eldest  son  of  Jacob  and  Catharine  (Has- 
singer)  Tabler.  Jacob  Tabler  was  born  in  Wit- 
tenberg, Germany,  about  1823,  and  came  to 
America  more  than  thirty  years  ago.  He  first 
settled  in  Berks  county.  Pa.,  but  soon  removed 
to  Indiana,  this  State,  where  he  died  in  1879. 
He  was  a  stone-cutter  by  trade,  a  democrat  in 
political  opinion  and  a  Catholic  in  religious  be- 
lief. He  was  successful  in  his  line  of  business 
and  was  a  peaceable  and  industrious  citizen.  He 
was  married  three  times.  His  last  wife  was 
Catherine  Hassinger,  who  bore  him  ten  children, 
of  whom  eight  are  living. 

George    Tabler    was  reared  at    Indiana,    in 


BIOORAPIIIICS  OF 


White  tiiwiisliip,  Inilianu  county,  l';i.  lie  re- 
ceived his  eJucatioii  in  the  coinuioii  schools  and 
Indiana  public  schools,  lie  learned  the  trade  of 
harness  maker  and  saddler  with  (iodfrey  Mar- 
shall, of  Indiana.  lie  wiirhcd  wilh  .Mr.  Mar" 
shall  at  huliana  from  1877  to  February  1,  IfSISI'' 
when  they  removed  to  Greensburg  and  formed  a 
partnership  under  the  firm  name  of  Tabler  & 
Marshall.  Their  shop  and  salesroom  is  at  No. 
l-l  East  Otterman  street.  They  are  manufac' 
turers  and  dealers  in  harness,  saddles,  bridles' 
collars,  whips,  robes,  blankets,  and  all  other 
articles  usually  found  in  a  first-class  harness  and 
saddlery  estaldishment.  They  carry  a  full  line 
of  horse  eijuipnients  with  a  variety  of  elegant 
road  and  track  harness.  They  are  active  and 
enterprising  and  have  built  up  a  business  which 
is  steadily  increasing. 

In  jjolitics  Mr.  Tabler  is  liberal  in  view  and 
independent  in  opinion,  lie  always  votes  for 
the  candidate  he  deems  to  be  the  best  man.  Mr. 
Tabler  has  worked  hard  and  won  a  large 
measure  of  success,  which  he  well  merits. 


fG.  THOMPSON,  commissioner  of  West- 
moreland county,  a  soldier  of  the  late  war 
and  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  first 
teacher's  institute  of  Pennsylvania,  is  a  son  of 
William  and  Jane  Thompson  and  was  born  in 
Washington  townshi]),  \Vestmoreland  county, 
Pa.,  first  May  day,  1S;5H.  8.  Vi.  Thompson  is 
of  pure  Scotch  lineage.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, Samuel  Thompson,  and  his  maternal 
grandfather,  William  Thompson,  were  two  broth- 
ers \Tho  emigrated  from  Ireland  about  the  same 
time  to  Westmoreland  county,  where  they  settled 
in  close  proximity  on  Beaver  run  in  Washington 
township.  They  were  strong,  determined  men 
who  made  their  mark  in  life.  Firm  in  their 
convictions  on  all  political  .and  religious  ques- 
tions, they  were  very  free  in  expressing  their 
acceptance  of  or  dissent  with  men  and  mcas- 
uix's.     They  were  frugal,  enterprising  and  ener- 


getic, accumulating  a  large  amount  of  wealth 
and  were  an  honor  tn  their  adopted  county. 
William  Thompson  (father)  was  born  April  10, 
ISOO,  and  livcil  until  October  fi,  1S,S7.  His 
ucciipalion  was  I'arming.  lie  was  an  old-line 
whig  and  afterwards  a  republican.  He  was  a 
member  from  1827  to  1887  of  the  Puke  Run 
Presbyterian  church,  where  he  led  the  music  for 
over  twenty  years.  Inheriting  the  firmness  and 
conscientiousness  of  his  race,  he  could  neither  be 
influenced  or  jjcrsuaded  to  take  any  steps  that 
was  not  legitimate,  honorable  and  just.  In  1800 
he  married  Jane  Thompson,  daughter  of  his 
uncle  William  Thompson.  They  had  five  sons 
and  one  daughter.  One  of  the  sons,  Joseph  M., 
Avas  killeil  at  the  siege  of  Yorktown  during  the 
late  war,  and  the  daughter,  Lucy  Jane,  was 
married  to  James  K.  Trout. 

S.  G.  Thompson  was  raised  on  his  father's 
farm  w  here  he  was  trained  to  habits  of  prudence 
and  industry.  He  was  educated  in  the  connnon 
schools  and  Elder's  Kidge  academy,  where  he 
was  prepared  to  enter  the  junior  class  in  C(]llege. 
Leaving  the  academy  in  18.'")1  he  engaged  in 
teaching  and  followed  that  profession  for  thirty 
years  in  Westmoreland,  Indiana  and  Armstrong 
counties.  He  helped  to  organize  the  first  teach- 
er's institute  in  western  Pennsylvania,  which  was 
held  by  the  teachers  of  Indiana  and  Westmore- 
land counties  at  IMairsville,  Pa.,  in  18. )o.  He 
advocated  the  county  superintendency  long  bef  ire 
its  establishment  by  the  Legislature  of  the  State. 
In  1870  he  Avas  princijial  of  the  Saltsburg schools 
and  served  one  year.  In  the  same  year  he  was 
elected  justice  of  the  peace  on  the  republican 
ticket  in  Bell  township,  which  containeil  two 
hundred  democrats  and  si.\teeu  republican  voters 
at  the  time.  His  popularity  as  a  justice  of  the 
peace  led  to  his  re-election,  although  a  rejiubli- 
can,  in  the  face  of  an  adverse,  overwhelming 
democratic  majority.  He  was  thus  fairly  launched 
upon  a  political  "career  ere  he  hardly  became 
aware  of  the  fact.  In  1^78  he  was  elected 
county   auditor,   and    nine   years    later   he    was 


WEST.HOHKLAND  CO UNTY. 


noiiiiiiatcil  anil  clocteil  to  his  present  position  of 
county  conmiissioner.  IIo  has  lived  on  tlie  cor- 
ner of  AVest  Ottenuan  and  Joo  streets,  (ireons- 
Ijui';,',  for  ten  years. 

Oil  Septeniher  13,  18r)"),  lie  vas  marrieil  l>y 
Kev.  W.  W.  Woodward  to  Joanna  Kenly, 
tlaugiiter  of  ^Villiani  Kenly,  of  Bell  township. 

In  1861  S.  G.  Thompson  was  among  the  first 
to  enter  in  the  Federal  service.  He  enlisted  on 
October  14,  18GG,  in  Co.  F,  eleventh  reg.,  Pa. 
Vols.,  under  Col.  Richard  Coulter,  and  was  at 
Cedar  Mountain,  Thoroughfare  Gap,  Second  Bull 
Bun,  Antietam  and  Chantilly.  lie  was  promo- 
ted from  ])rivate  to  orderly  sergeant  and  was 
discharged  Se])tember  27,  18G2,  on  account  of 
physical  disability  contracted  in  the  Union  service. 
llis  life  has  been  one  of  activity  and  usefulness. 
He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  ever  since  attending  school  at  Elder's 
Bidge  academy,  and  is  at  present  an  active 
niend)er  of  the  Green.^burg  Presbyterian  church. 
Ah  justice  of  the  jieaci',  county  auditor  and  now 
us  county  commissioner,  his  work  has  been  and 
is  acceptable  and  satisfactory  to  tlie  public. 


rZ^ON.  JACOB  TUBNEY,  one  of  the  oldest 
YP  members  of  the  bar  in  Westmoreland 
(S)  county,  was  born  in  (irrcnsbiug,  I'a., 
February  18,  1S2.5,  and  is  a  son  of  Jac^.b  and 
Margaret  (Singer)  Turney.  His  great-grand- 
father was  a  native  of  (ioruiany,  emigrated  to 
America  and  settled  in  t-a--lcriL  Peiinsyhaiiia 
jirobably  before  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury. His  name  Avas  I'orney,  but  like  many 
other  names  in  this  county  it  has  undregone  a 
change,  being  now  Turney.  Daniel  Turney 
(grandfather)  was  born  in  the  province  of  Penn, 
eastern  part,  whence  several  of  his  brothers 
departed  for  other  homes.  One  settled  in  Ohio, 
another  in  Tennessee.  One  located  in  North 
Carolina,  and  Daniel  Turney  crossed  the  Alle- 
ghenics  to  Wcstiiiorelaiul  county,  settling  near 
tlie  silo  of   "ye  ancient"    ilannastown,  which 


wa.s  Grcensljurg's  pre<lecess<;r  as  tb('  county- 
seat.  He  was  a  farmer  and  tlie  fallier  of 
eight  cliildren,  one  of  whom  was  Jacob  Tur- 
ney, Sr.,  tiic  third  ehibl,  1/orn  in  1788,  who 
early  in  life  loeulcd  at  (jieen^lmrg,  and  afli.'r- 
wards  hehl  the  ollices  of  county  commissioner, 
county  treasurer,  etc.  He  was  an  active  dem- 
ocratic politician,  and  on  his  returnfrom  a  State 
convention  at  Ilarrisburg,  to  which  he  had  been 
sent  as  a  delegate,  he  contracted  a  cold  while 
crossin:  the  mountains,  from  the  efi'ects  of 
which  he  died  some  years  later,  January  4, 
1827.  His  wife,  to  whom  le  was  married  Jan- 
uary 23,  1810,  was  Margaret  Singer,  of  Carlisle, 
Pa.,  who  was  born  ]May  11,  1792,  and  wlio  bore 
him  seven  children:  Daniel,  Nancy  Williams 
(deceased),  Samuel  Singer  'i'urney  (deceased), 
formerly  editor  of  tljc  Argus,  and  later  post- 
master at  Greensburg  for  twelve  years,  Lucien 
B.  (deceased),  Lucinda,  married  to  Bicliard  B. 
Kenley,  Bobcrt  Williams,  and  Jacob  Jr. 

Jacob  Turney  attended  the  common  schools 
and  Greensburg  academy,  meanwhile  devoting  a 
portion  of  his  time  to  learning  the  printer's  trade. 
Later  he  served  as  dejiuty  sheriff  and  was  em- 
ployed as  clerk  in  the  register  and  recorder's 
office;  while  thus  engaged  he  became  a  student 
of  law  witli  Hon.  A.  G.  Marchand,  who  died 
before  Mr.  Turney  had  finished  his  studies,  in 
cijiiseijuence  of  whieli  the  latter  continueil  his 
legal  studies  under  Henry  C.  Marchand,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1849,  May  term. 
Owing  to  ability,  character,  affability  anil  strict 
attention  to  business  he  at  once  secured  a  large 
and  paying  practice.  In  1850  he  was  elected 
district  attorney  of  AVestmoreland  county  and 
re-elected  in  1853,  serving  in  all  si.x  years. 
Among  the  noted  trials  conducted  by  Mr.  Tur- 
ney during  this  time  was  the  case  of  Hugh  Corri- 
gan,  who  was  convicted  of  murder  in  the  first  de- 
gree and  condemned  to  the  gallows  for  the 
murder  of  "■  Big  Mary,"  his  wife,  but  who  com- 
mitted suicide  before  the  day  of  execution  ar- 
rived.    W  hen  the  know-nothing  movement  swept 


inOQRAPIIlKS  OF 


over  the  county  in  18r)5-r)(j,  Mr.  Turncy,  a 
st;incli  ilcniocnit,  wiis  vigorous  in  his  o|)]Hi.sition 
to  it,  and  mounting  tlic  nistruni,  raised  his  voice 
in  denunciation  ol"  its  [irincipU's.  In  tin;  I'.ii- 
clianan  campaign  lie  was  uno  cif  tiio  I'rrsidi'nlial 
electors,  and  iiiisr)?  was  elected  State  Senator  for 
the  district  composed  of  Westmoreland  and  Fa- 
yette counties.  In  1S71  he  was  prevailed  upon 
to  accept  the  complimentary  nomination  for 
State  senate  in  the  hopelessly  republican  district 
of  Westmoreland  and  Indiana  counties,  liis  op- 
ponent being  lion.  Harry  AVhite,  who  was  elected 
by  a  reduced  majority.  In  1S74  -Mr.  Turney 
Avas  elected  to  the  forty-fourth  Congress  from 
the  twenty-first  district,  composed  of  the  coun- 
ties of  AVestmoreland,  Fayette  and  Greene,  and 
two  years  later  was  re-electdl,  becoming  a  mem- 
ber of  the  forty-fifth  Congress.  While  a  mem- 
ber of  the  House  of  Representatives  he  served 
on  the  committees  on  mines,  mining,  territories, 
elections  and  privileges,  and  various  others,  and 
acquitted  himself  with  credit.  Since  leaving 
the  halls  of  National  legislation,  Mr.  Turney 
has  been  continuously  engageil  in  the  practice 
of  his  profession  in  which  he  has  acliieved  a 
wide  and  enviable  reputaticjii.  lie  was  ofioof  the 
most  priigressive  and  substantial  citizens  of  the 
county,  a  man  whose  life  and  character  are  noble 
monuments  that  will  preserve  his  memory  for 
generations  yet  to  come. 

lion.  Jacob  Turney  was  united  in  marriage 
February  2,  18r)4.  with  Mary  Stuart,  a  daughter 
of  William  II.  and  Henrietta  1».  Kichardson, 
of  Indiana  county,  and  to  them  have  been  born 
eight  children:  Barton  II.,  died  October,  185G  ; 
Catharine  ]\I.,  wife  of  A.  L.  Kinkead,  Esq.,  of 
New  York;  Mary  Stewart;  William  11.;  Thomas 
C;  Elizabeth  F.;  Jacob  M.,  and  Henrietta  M. 


§  FRANKLIN  VOGLE,  one  of  the  editors 
and    proprietors    of    the     Wc&tnuireland 
Democrat,   was    born    May   10,   1S54,  in 
Greensburg,  Westmoreland   county,  J'a.,  and    is 


the  youngest   sdU  of  Augustus   and   Mary  Ann 
(Winsheimer)  Vngle.      1  lis  grandfather,  Augus- 
tus Vogle,  lived  and  died  in  Germany,  where  he 
was  in  active   iniliiary  service  (or  (ifty-six  years, 
lidlding  the  rank  (if  general  ;    on    bis    retirement 
fnmi    the  army   he   was  signally  honored   by  a 
banijuet  given  by  the  King,  who  also  presented 
him  with   a  silver  tankard,   on  which  was  en- 
graved a  befitting  inscription,  as  a  token  of  his 
esteem.      Augustus  Vogle  (father)  was  born  in 
the  city  of  Darmstadt,  Germany,  in  ISlti,  and 
was  educated  in  the  military  institutions  of  that 
country.      Shortly  after  his  graduation  he  was 
placed    in    command    of    the    military    post    at 
Mayence,  on    the    Rhine,    a    strongly  fortified 
station   of  much  imjiortance  on  the  border  be- 
tween France  and  Germany.     He  held  the  rank 
of   captain    and    had    flattering    prospects,    but 
owing  to  some  difficulty  w  ith  his  superior  oflicers, 
and  being  a  firm  believer  in   a   republican  form 
of  government,  he  resigned  his  position  and  came 
to  the  United  States  in  1839,  being  then  twenty- 
three  years   of  age.     Coming   to  AVestmoreland 
county  almost  directly,  he  engaged  in  the  tanning 
business    at  Greensburg,  and    soon   invented   a 
process  which  so  facilitate.!    the  art    of  tanning 
that    results    formerly    re.iuiring    nine    months 
could  be  accomplished  in  one-third  of  that  time. 
His  new  process  was  adopted  widely  throughout 
the   country,  and  the  art  of  tanning  was  jirac- 
tically  revolutionized.      He  successfully  engaged 
in  the  tanning  business  until  his  sudden  death, 
which   resulted    from    drinking   ice-water  while 
heated  by  work  ;  he  .lied  March  U,  IS.')!).     Mr. 
Vogle  was  a  man  of  literary  ability,  took  all  the 
leading  magazines  and  left  behind  him  a  number 
of   sketches   and   short    poems,  some   of  which 
five  evidence  of  much  ability.     He  was  one  of 
the  founders  of  Odd  Fellowship  at  Greensburg, 
having  organized  the  first  lodge  of  that  place. 
Decided  in  his  convictions,  strong  and  impulsive 
in  disposition,  upright  in  character  and  bright 
in  intellect,  he  was  a   man  whose  influence  for 
good  was  felt  and  whose  impress  was  necessarily 


WES'arollELA  XD   CO UNTY. 


loft  on  liis  f^fiicrutidii.  il('w:\s  a  tyjiiciil,  liliie- 
(•\('(1  (icrUKUi  a  lirdlMUiin'rcl  dcniDiTal,  ami  lUi 
active  iii(_'iiil)L'r  of  llic  Jiiitliuran  cliuich.  His 
^vi^^•  was  Mary  Auii,  a  (laii;_'liter  ol'  Michuul 
Wiiislieiiner,  by  whom  lie  liail  live  chililriTi. 
The  Wiiisliciiiiers  originally  came  to  this  country 
from  near  Neuremburf;;,  Germany,  at  au  early 
duy  in  the  history  of  this  county. 

B.  Franklin  Vogle,  a  "  worthy  son  of  an  illus- 
trious sire,"  received  liis  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Greensburg  and  be;ian  life  as  a 
printer,  learning  his  trade  in  the  ollicc  of  the 
I'liHornit,  edited  at  that  time  by  Edward  J.  Keo- 
liaii,  a  distinguished  lawyer  anil  a  noted  |iolitician. 
After  c<uiijileting  his  trade  he  and  a  company 
of  others  piu'chased  the  material  of  Fraidv 
Cowan's  paper  and  established  in  September, 
ISTTi,  the  [>i)iuh-r(uir  Tiiiiis,  which  had  an  e\- 
islenco  of  l\^o  years,  Mr.  \'ogle  being  the  real 
and  Iv.l.  Keenan  the  api)iirent  editor,  because 
of  the  aluu)st  continuous  sickness  <>i'  the  latter 
during  that  time.  In  1877  Mr.  ^^ogle  became 
the  editor  of  the  Oil  Times,  owned  by  James  F. 
Campbell  and  published  at  Edenburg,  Clarion 
county,  Pa.  A  year  later  he  became  city  editor 
of  the  Daily  Breeze,  of  Bradford.  Pa.,  ^vhicll 
■was  afterwards  merged  into  an  established  paj)er 
of  that  place,  the  Daily  Era,  of  which  journal 
he  was  for  three  years  city  and  managing  eilitor, 
and  was  at  the  same  time  the  representative  of 
the  Associated  Press  for  the  northern  oil  regions. 
During  that  jieriod  Mr.  A'ogle  was  likewise  the 
s|iet'ial  correspondent  at  that  busy  pctrnleum 
centre  of  sevci'al  of  the  Icailiiig  ncwspa]iers  of 
New  York  and  Philadel|)hia.  Early  in  ISHli 
Mr.  Vogle  removed  to  Pittsburg  and  was  em- 
ployed on  the  staff  of  tlie  Leader  of  that  city, 
and  also  did  considerable  work  for  several  of  the 
morning  papers  at  the  same  time.  In  Novem- 
ber, 1882,  he  returned  to  Greensburg,  and  in 
company  with  T.  11.  Winsheimer,  purchased  the 
Westmoreland  Democrat,  which  they  have  ever 
since  edited  and  publislied.  Tlie  Democrat  is  a 
live  weekly   democratic  journal  and    circulates 


largely  among  the  old  families  of  the  county, 
being  the  scciuid  pa]ier  foundi'il  west  of  the 
Allegheny  mountain.s,  having  been  establisheil 
in  17'.I8. 

B.  F.  Vogle  is  an  earnest  democrat  ami  an 
able  exponent  of  the  principles  of  his  Jiarty  ; 
he  is  at  jiresent  a  member  of  the  State  central 
committee.  Enterprising,  industrious,  cultured, 
courteous  and  intelligent,  he  is  an  excellent 
citizen,  a  most  agreeable  companion  and  a  com- 
jieteiit  editor,  publishing  u  strong  and  splendid 
paper  whose  inlluence  extends  far  and  wide. 
Mr.  A'ogle,  having  successfully  withstood  the 
shafts  from  Cupid's  bow,  is  yet  enjoying  "  single 
blessedness." 


I'Gl!  W.  WALKINSI1.\W,  a  member 
of  tlie  Greensburg  bar  in  well-established 
practice,  was  born  near  Sallsburg,  Indi- 
ana county,  Pa.,  July  27,  1850,  and  is  a  son  of 
Joseph  and  Margaret  B.  (Dougherty)  Walkin- 
shaw.  Joseidi  Walkinshaw  (father)  was  born  in 
Bedford  county.  Pa.,  in  1803.  lie  learned  the 
trade  of  shoemaker,  removed  to  Indiana  county, 
where  he  was  married  to  Miss  Margaret  B., 
daughter  of  Hugh  Dougherty,  of  Loyalhanna 
township.  He  was  a  democrat,  and  in  his  foot- 
ste])s,  politically,  all  his  sons  have  followed.  In 
religious  oj)inion  he  was  a  member  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  church  and  held  the  oilice  of  jus- 
tice of  the  ])eace  two  terms. 

Hugh  \\.  Walkinshaw  received  his  education 
in  till'  common  schools  ami  Elder's  Kidge  acad- 
emy. He  entered  ui)oii  active  life  as  a  clerk  for 
Stewart  &  Pierce,  who  were  engaged  in  the  mer- 
cantile business  at  Saltsburg.  He  was  ne.xt 
employed  as  a  teacher  in  the  common  schools 
for  three  years,  and  in  June,  1871,  was  regis- 
tered as  a  law  student  with  Hon.  Silas  M.  Clark, 
now  Judge  of  the  Su])reme  Court  of  Pennsylva- 
nia. After  his  admission  to  the  Indiana  county 
bar,  June  11,  l87t],  he  was  engaged  for  a  short 
time  at  Brookville,  then  removed  to  Saltsburg 


BlOGHM'llIES  OF 


in  1S74,  :iuil  was  active  in  the  practice  of  liis 
iirnfossiiiii  I'di-  fi'\ii-  years.  In  February,  1878, 
lie  eanie  t(i  (JreensLurj:,  oiicneil  a  law  office  and 
has  (Miiitiiiiieil  t(i  |rractiee  his  iirnle>siim  siiceess- 
fiilly  ini(il  Ihe  [ircMiil   lime. 

Ou  Ni)Veiiibi.T  1,  187;),  he  was  uniteil  in  niar- 
ria"e  tu  IMiss  Lottie  A.,  daugliter  of  L.  W. 
Kalston,  of  Howard,  Ohio,  and  sister  of  Lieut. 
D.  C.  Ralston,  of  the  Greeley  expedition.  They 
have  three  children,  Lewis  C,  born  August  24, 
1>S74  ;  David  R.,  January  14,  1880,  and  Myrtle 
H.,  July  23,  1885.  For  several  years  he  served 
us  school  director,  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Honor,  Royal  Arcanum,  Free  Masons,  a  member 
of  the  Baptist  church  and  is  also  superintendent 
of  the  Sabbath  school  and  treasurer  of  the  Bap- 
fist  church.  He  is  a  strong  democrat,  and  in 
June,  1881,  at  the  Westmoreland  county  demo- 
cratic primary  election  he  received  the  second 
highest  vote  polled  for  district  attorney,  having 
been  but  three  years  in  the  county  at  the  time. 
As  a  lawyer  he  is  attentive  and  faithful  to  the 
interests  of  his  clients;  as  a  citizen  he  is  always 
interested  in  the  prosperity  of  his  adopted  town 
and  county,  and  as  a  man  he  is  upright,  honest 
and  true. 

^    L.  WAUGAMAN,  D.D.S.     Greensburg 

i^w  has  reason  to  be  proud  of  her  representa- 
(?T  lives  of  the  profession  of  dental  surgery, 
and  prominent  among  the  number  is  Z.  L.  Wau- 
gaman,  who  is  one  of  the  oldest  resident  dentists 
of  WestUKjreland's  county  seat.  lie  was  born 
on  his  father's  farm  in  I'eiin  township,  West- 
moreland comity,  I'a.,  .\ugiisl  ;!0,  IS  17,  and  is 
a  son  oi  l'el<T  and  Mary  Ann  (Laiitl'er)  Wauga- 
man.  The  Waugamans  arc  of  German  descent, 
and  the  founder  of  the  Pennylvania  branch  of 
the  family  came  to  the  United  States  prior  to 
177G.  He  served  as  a  drunnner  in  the  Conti- 
nental army  during  the  Revolutionary  struggle 
of  the  American  colonies  for  independence.  His 
son,  Peter  Waugaman,  Si'.,  moved  to  AVestmore- 
land  county  where  he   lived  and  reared  a  family 


of  several  children,  of  wh<;ni  one,  Peter,  was  the 
father  of  Dr.  Z.  L.  Waugaman.  Peter  Wauga- 
nian  was  born  Decenitier  1'),  1812,  and  died 
Aiiril  T),  IHSd.  lie  \\as  an  industrious  and  .suc- 
cessful farmi  r,  a  demociat  in  politics  and  a  con- 
stant member  of  and  local  ullicer  of  the  Gernuin 
Reformed  church.  On  March  23,  18^7,  he 
married  Mary  Ann  Lauffer,  who  was  born  May 
11,  1820.  They  had  si.K  sons  and  five  daughters, 
of  whotu  three  sons  and  four  daughters  are  living. 

Dr.  Z.  L.  Waugaman  was  reared  on  his 
father's  farm,  and  upon  attaining  the  required 
school  age  was  sent  to  the  common  schools.  He 
completed  his  education  in  Harrison  city  acade- 
my. Leaving  that  flourishing  institution  of 
learning  at  eighteen  years  of  age,  he  chose  a 
profession,  and  with  coumiendable  alacrity  and 
zeal  prepared  to  enter  upon  it  as  his  life  voca- 
tion. In  October,  1805,  he  became  a  dental 
student  in  the  office  of  Dr.  E.  A.  Fislier  at 
Greensburg.  After  one  year  of  study  and  office 
worf;  ho  began  the  practice  of  dentistry.  From 
18GG  to  1881  he  was  in  constant,  active  and 
successful  practice.  During  the  latter  year  he 
attended  and  was  graduated  from  the  Pennsyl- 
vania college  of  dental  surgery.  Since  1881 
Dr.  Waugaman  has  continued  actively  in  his 
profession  and  is  constantly  increasing  his  large 
and  remunerative  patronage.  His  office  is  at 
215  North  Main  street,  Greensburg.  It  is  well 
fitted  up  and  amply  provided  with  all  the  mod- 
ern conveniences  necessary  to  his  business  or 
required  to  produce  skilled  and  perfect  work. 

On  April  2,  1882,  he  was  married  to  Julia 
Rhey  (nee  Dorn),  widow  of  J.  \\.  Rhcy,  of 
Greensburg. 

Dr.  Waugaman  has  been  engaged  in  dentistry 
for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century,  and  has  wit- 
nessed during  that  time  the  wonderful  advance 
of  dental  surgery  from  comparative  obscurity 
to  a  prominent  position  among  the  professions  of 
the  land.  He  has  been  a  close  student,  and  in 
his  line  of  business  has  always  kept  abreast  of 
the  times  and  tho  progress  of  the  age.      He  is  a 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


memlier  of  Westinoroliirul  Lodge,  No.  840,  In- 
(Icpeiuk'nt  (.)i(liT  of  0(1(1  Fellows  ainl  I'liiliiii- 
tlirojiy  Loilm!,  No.  '2'2f),  A.  V.  M.  In  politics 
1k'  yicMs  liis  support  to  the  Ociiiociatiu  party  and 
its  leading  measures.  Dr.  AVuu;^aiiian  is  tall 
and  ])ortly,  of  line  personal  appearance  and  is 
in  tliu  very  prime  ot  matured  manhood.  He  is 
one  of  Greensburg's  respected  citizens  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church. 


B.  ^VEAVEll,  an  old  resident  and  a 
good  tradesman  of  Westmoreland  county, 
Avas  born  near  "  Weaver's  Old  Stand,"  in 
Ilempfield  township  Westmoreland  county, 
Pennsylvania,  August  21,  1808,  and  is  the 
youngest  and  only  living  child  of  Nicholas 
and  Susan  (Gongaware)  AVeaver.  Nicholas 
AVeaver  was  a  sturdy,  honest  and  conscientious 
G(;rman  who  immigrated  when  quite  young  from 
the  ■'  Fatherland  "  to  Pennsylvania  and  settled 
in  Hemjifield  township.  lie  with  his  eldest  son 
served  in  the  war  of  1812.  He  married  Susan 
Goiigaware,  by  whom  he  had  eight  children,  five 
sons  and  three  daughters,  and  died  in  1813.  His 
wife  only  survived  him  about  eight  years. 

At  the  age  of  eight  years,  U.  L.  AVeaver  after 
liis  mother's  death  went  to  reside  with  his  oldest 
sister,  with  whom  he  renniincd  until  he  wa.s 
apprenticed  to  .\liraliaui  h'rick  to  learn  the 
trade  of  blacksmith.  After  completing  his  ap- 
prenticeship he  worked  at  his  trade  for  many 
years  and  by  careful  management  and  hard  labor 
he  has  ac(piired  considerable  property. 

On  June  5,  1S32,  he  was  married  to  Jennie, 
daughter  of  Hugh  Daugherty  of  Saltsburg, 
Indiana  county.  Pa.  They  had  eight  children, 
of  whom  the  following  five  are  living :  Susie, 
wife  of  William  IMcGraw,  of  Connellsville,  Pa.; 
Sarah  married  Jacob  Chain  ;  Martha,  wife  of 
J.  C.  Kunts,  of  Illinois ;  Nicholas,  a  farmer 
near  Ghiscow,  Mitchell  county,  Kansas,  and 
Margaret,  who  died  July  22,  1880,  was  married 
to  Abram    Cosel.     Mrs.    AVeaver  died  in  1854. 


In  February,  18r)4,  Mr.  Weaver  married  Mary 
A.  Hen  ford,  by  whom  ho  has  two  children  : 
Charles  S.,  an  atlorney-at-law  in  (,'liic:ig(i,  and 
Ida  liello. 

In  politics  lie  was  always  a  democrat  until  late 
years,  when  he  changed  and  is  now  a  prohibi- 
tionist. He  at  one  time  owned  '•  Weaver's  Old 
Stand,"  after  whom  it  was  named,  besides  own- 
ing several  valuable  tracts  of  land  and  other  de- 
sirable property.  He  is  a  membei-  and  deacon 
of  the  Regular  Baptist  church.  He  has  earned 
for  himself  a  comfortable  home,  and  by  the  death 
of  his  brother  and  their  children  he  becomes  the 
founder  of  the  Weaver  family  in  the  future. 


•^UGUSTUS  DRUM  WELTY,  the  pres- 
11  ent  efficient  postmaster  of  Greensburg, 
is  descended  from  two  of  the  earlv  set- 
tled families  of  the  county.  He  was  born  on 
Second  street,  Greensburg,  Westmoreland 
county,  Pa.,  November  21,  1851,  and  is  a  son 
of  Daniel  and  Mary  Ann  (Drum)  Welty.  His 
jiaternal  grandfather,  Lewis  Welty,  was  one  of 
the  early  settlers  here  and  reared  a  family  of 
eight  children.  His  wife  was  Susan  Wanna- 
maker. 

Daniel  Welty  (father)  was  born  at  Greens- 
burg, February  10,  1820,  was  engaged  in  dry 
good  business  for  many  years,  served  as  post- 
uuister  of  Greensburg  from  1800  to  1809,  sup- 
erintended the  gas  works  for  a  number  of  years, 
retired  from  business  in  1870  and  removed  to 
his  farm  near  Greensburg,  and  died  suddenly  in 
Pittsburg  while  in  attendance  at  the  annual 
conclave  of  the  Knights  Templar  on  May  3-0, 
1882.  He  was  a  Free  Mason,  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  and  a  republican  until 
1868,  after  which  he  voted  with  the  democrats. 
He  married  Mary  Ann  Drum  on  December  27, 
1842,  and  had  six  children,  of  whom  the  follow- 
ing four  arc  living  :  Ilettie,  wife  of  F.  \ .  15. 
Laird,  of  Greensburg,  one  of  the  editors  of  the 
Pennsylvania   Argus ;    Agnes    L.,    Susan    S., 


uiuan.M'UiES  of 


wife  of  James  A.  Shields,  hardware  merchant, 
and  Augustus  1).  Mrs.  Welty's  father,  Simun 
])nim,  was  also  one  of  the  early  settlers,  was  a 
niercliant  and  was  [lostmaster  of  Greensburg  for 
four  years.  Having  been  appoiuliMl  by  Tlionins 
Jellerson  in  1804.  His  wife  was  Agnes  Lang. 
They  raised  a  family  of  nine  children.  One  of 
his  sons,  Simon,  Jr.,  was  killed  in  the  Mexican 
war  at  the  city  of  Me.xico,  September  18,  1817  ; 
another,  .Vugiistus,  was  a  prominent  lawyer  of 
western  I'ennsylvania  and  also  a  member  of 
Congress,  while  a  third  is  the  well-known  Gen. 
R.  C.  Drum,  of  Washington  City. 

Augustus  D.  Welty  was  reared  at  Greens- 
burg  where  he  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools.  His  first  regular  emplo^'iuent  was 
clerking  in  the  jiost-oilice,  after  whieli  he  was 
engaged  in  various  kinds  of  business  until  1875, 
when  he  entered  the  service  of  the  1*.  R.  R. 
company  as  assistant  ticket  agent  at  Greens- 
burg,  in  which  capacity  he  served  until  1879, 
when  he  was  appointed  agent,  holding  the  latter 
position  until  January,  1885,  when  he  was  ap- 
pointed deputy  register  and  recorder  and  served 
as  such  until  April  1,  1800,  when  he  was  cum- 
missioned  postmaster  of  Greensburg. 

On  June  15,  1881,  he  was  married  to  C!elia 
A.,  youngest  daughter  of  E.  F.  and  Harriet 
(Patton)  Houseman.  To  their  union  have  been 
born  three  children,  of  •whom  two  are  living  : 
Augustus  1).,  born  May  17,  18SG,  ami  HamiJ- 
ton  Houseman,  February  2, 1889.  Their  eldest 
child,  iM'aiis  Houseman,  was  born  June  -tJ,  1884, 
and  died  October  "J,  1884.  A.  D.  Welty  is  a 
republican,  takes  an  active  part  in  political 
afl'airs,  is  a  member  of  the  Home  Circle,  a  prom- 
inent beneficial  order,  and  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church  at  Greensburg. 


TRAM  M.   WERTZ.     In  the  front  rank 
of  America's   most  honored   sons   stands 
ler  world-renowned  painters.      In   that 
illustrious    group   beside    West    and   Trumbull, 


peerless  and  unapproachable  as  historical  deline- 
ators are  Stuart  and  Copley,  magnificent  and 
une.vcelied  as  portrait  painters  ;  and  in  western 
I'ennsylvania  among  those  treading  in  the  foot- 
steps of  the  latter  and  who  has  won  more  than 
local  fame  is  H.  IM.  Wertz,  of  Gieensburg.  He 
is  a  son  of  Robert  and  Mary  (Robb)  Wertz  and 
was  born  at  Greensburg,  Wcstnjoreland  county. 
Pa.,  October  17,  18()l).  His  paternal  grand- 
father, Paul  AVeitz,  was  a  native  of  Germany. 
At  one  time  he  owned  Bedford  Springs,  now  one 
of  America's  celebrated  watering  places  and 
was  the  first  to  appreciate  the  medicinal  virtues 
of  their  waters  and  to  bring  them  to  the  favor- 
able notice  of  the  American  iioople.  He  owned 
large  tracts  of  lainl  in  tiie  \'ieinity  of  these 
springs,  at  which  he  died.  His  fathei',  Piobert 
AVertz,  was  born  in  Bedford  county  in  18:.'l, 
and  removed  to  near  Greensburg  in  1845.  He 
was  a  successful  farmer  of  Ilempfield  township, 
a  republican  in  political  matters  and  an  active 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcoj)al  church.  On 
October  17,  1844,  he  was  married  to  Mary  l{obb, 
daughter  of  David  Robb,  of  Bedforil  county,  Pa. 
They  had  eleven  children,  of  whom  nine  are 
living.  Mrs.  ^Vertzwas  born  in  Bedford  county, 
Pa.,  September  4,  1830,  resides  at  Gieensbui'g 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episco]jal 
cliurch. 

II.  M.  Wertz  was  reared  at  Greensburg.  In 
1879  he  removed  to  Cumberland,  the  metropolis 
of  western  Maryland,  where  he  successfully  op- 
erated a  studio  and  photogra])h  gallery  for  five 
years.  In  1884  he  returned  to  Greensburg  and 
ojiened  what  was  known  as  the  Queen  city 
photograph  gallery  on  East  Otterman  street.  In 
1888  he  formed  a  partnei'sliip  under  tlie  firm 
name  of  H.  M.  AVertz  &  Co.,  and  removed  to 
South  ilain  street,  Greensburg,  where  they  ran 
a  large  furniture  establishment  until  1890.  Mr. 
Wertz  is  the  only  portrait  artist  and  one  of  the 
leading  photographers  of  Greensburg.  At  his 
gallery  cartes  de  visite,  cabinet,  panel  and 
liuudiir  photographs  are  made  and  njcchanical, 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


architectural  and  commercial  work  is  skillfully 
executoil,  while  portraits  from  small  pictures  to 
life-si/.e  are  made  in  oil,  pastel  or  other  material 
ill  the  arl  hluilid.  His  photo^ra]ih.s  eipial  the 
liiiesi  wiirk  of  tlie  cities  iiiid  iiis  large  palr()iia;^e 
extends  far  heyund  the  limits  of  the  county. 

( )ii  December  S,  1 888,  Mr.  AV^ertz  was  married 
to  Kditli  llardman,  daugliter  of  W.  V.  Hard- 
man,  who  is  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Thomas  W. 
I'hillips  ^t  Co.,  the  "Oil  King"  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. j\Irs.  W'ertz  is  an  accomplished  lady  and 
tine  musician.  She  is  a  graduate  of  tlie  Pitts- 
burg Female  seminary  and  Prof.  Gitting's  cele- 
brated school  of  music. 

At  an  early  age  Hiram  M.  AVertz  gave  indi- 
cations of  artistic  talent,  lie  is  a  natural  artist 
who  has  worked  in  the  line  of  portrait  painting 
since  boyhood.  lie  studied  one  year  with  Prof. 
Glogger,  of  Munich  Art  schools,  of  IJavaria, 
and  made  rapid  ])rogress  in  portrait  painting. 
His  special  and  distinguishing  line  of  work  in 
portrait  painting  is  oil  and  crayon.  A  very  fine 
specimen  of  his  work  as  an  artist  may  be  seen 
in  the  home  of  Dr.  Kline,  of  Greensburg.  It 
is  a  full  life-size  oil  painting  of  Mrs.  Kline 
which  has  been  highly  commended  by  connois- 
seurs of  the  art.  II.  M.  AVertz  belongs  to  the 
(ierman  school  of  jwrtrait  painting.  Althougli 
he  has  not  studied  liigli  art  in  Italy,  yet  his  art 
training  under  a  natural  artist  and  one  of 
Europe's  finest  teachers  of  painting  has 
thoroughly  develo])ed  his  high  order  of  talent 
for  ])(»rtrait  jiainting. 


.INCENT  E.  WILLIAMS.  On  tiie banks 
of  the  historic  Loyalhanna,  near  tlie  foot 
of  the  forest-clad  Chestnut  Ridge,  sur- 
rounded by  delightful  and  picturesque  scenery, 
nestled,  some  forty  years  ago,  a  small  village, 
which  had  just  sprung  into  existence,  and  whicli 
lias  since  grown  into  tiie  largo  and  important 
borough  of  Latrolie,  AVcstmoreland  county,  Pa. 
This   village  was    tiie  birthplace  of  Vincent  E. 


Williams,  whose  eye  first  beheld  the  light  of 
day  in  185.3  on  the  I'^ourth  of  July,  the  sevcnty- 
s(tventli  anniversary  of  the  liiiiii  of  Anieiican 
lnde|jend(ni'e.  Havicl  Wiliiaiiis,  his  liitlicr,  was 
a  native  of  counly  Tippnaiy,  In-laiid,  and  was 
born  Noveniijcr  4,  1804.  He  crossed  the  At- 
lantic in  \'6'-)\,  landing  at  (Quebec,  wlience  lie  at 
once  came  to  tiie  United  States.  For  many 
years  he  was  a  railroad  contractor  on  the  Penn- 
sylvania road,  and  assisted  in  building  railroads 
in  nearly  every  State  of  the  Union.  IJeing  a 
man  of  decided  views  and  strong  convictions, 
he  was  unswerving  in  his  fealty  to  the  princi- 
ples of  the  Democratic  party  as  well  as  in  his 
adherence  to  the  dogmas  of  the  Catholic  churcli, 
of  which  he  was  a  devout  member.  A  public 
sjiirited  citizen,  he  served  a  number  of  years  as 
councilman  of  the  borough  of  Latrobe  and  did 
much  to  build  up  and  advance  the  interests  of 
his  adopted  home.  The  last  ten  years  of  his 
life  were  spent  in  retirement,  and  on  Ajiril  "2.5, 
1883,  he  departed  this  life,  having  lived  almost 
a  decade  past  tiie  allotted  three-score  and  ten 
years.  His  wife,  Ellen  Cummings,  who  was  a 
native  of  county  Waterford,  Ireland,  died  June 
3,  1882,  aged  sixty-two  years.  To  their  union 
were  born  eight  sons  and  two  daughters,  of 
whom  the  daugliters  and  four  sons  are  living  : 
Vincent  E.  Williams,  the  fifth  son  and  the  eldest 
now  living ;  Thomas  A.  AViiliams,  a  real  estate 
agent  and  banker  at  Salina,  Kansas  ;  James  D. 
Williams;  William  J.  Williams,  now  in  business 
at  Pittsburg;  Mary,  the  A\ife  of  V.  Doran,  of 
Wilkinsburg,  Pa.;  and  Nellie,  the  youngest 
sister.  P.  A..  Williams,  an  older  brother,  a 
Soldier  in  the  Civil  war,  was  killed  at  the  battle 
of  Fair  Oaks;  and  David  F.,  another  brother, 
served  two  terms  in  the  regular  army  and  is 
now  dead. 

Vincent  E  Williams  attended  the  Latrobe 
high  school,  St.  Michael's  sniiinaiv  at  Pitts- 
burg (.ieorgetown  college,  D.  ('.,  and  subse- 
((iiently  (1M71)  entered  Saintc  Marie,  a  Jesuit 
college  at  Montreal,  Canada,  from  which   in.->ti- 


nioGRAPIIIES  OF 


tution  he  was  graduated  in  tlie  class  of  1873. 
During  the  next  two  years  he  engaged  in  rail- 
road contracting,  and    in    187(3    and   1877  was 
deputy    register    and    recorder    and    afterwards 
deputy   prothonotary  of  Westmoreland  county. 
Having  registered  in  1875  as  a  law  student  with 
Senator  Edgar   Cowan,  he  cuuipletcd  iiis  legal 
studies  and  Avas  admitted  to  tlie  bar  at  (Jreens- 
burg   October  2,  1878.      From    that   time   until 
188t)  he  was    associated   in  the   jiractice  of  his 
profession  with  J.  J.  Ilazlett.     Upon  the  death 
of  Mr.  Ilazlett,  Vincent  E.  Williams  formed  a 
partnership   with   W.  A.  Griflith,   and  the  law 
firm  of"  Williams  k  Griffith"  is  now  recognized 
as  one  ^of  the  strongest   in   the   county.      Vin- 
cent E.  Williams  is  a  very  decided  democrat  and 
stands  boldly  upon   the  platform  of  free  trade. 
For  some  years  he  was  the  sole  champion  of  this 
principle   in  Westmoreland   county,  and  to-day 
he  hails  with   delight   the  rapidly  growing  ten- 
dency in  that   direction.     Notwithstanding  his 
ability    and   worth,  modesty   sits   enthroned  on 
his  brow,  forbidding   the  application  of  adjec- 
tives   and    requesting    the    omission    of    ante- 
mortem  eulogy. 


eAPT.  JAMES  J.  WIRSING.  A  native 
of  the  beautiful,  historic,  and  for-famed 
"  Ligonier  Valley,"  who  has  risen  to 
military  and  civil  distinction  in  the  history  of 
his  county,  is  Captain  James  J.  Wirsing.  lie 
is  a  sou  of  John  and  Mary  (Shafer)  Wirsing, 
and  was  born  in  Donegal  township,  Westmore- 
hind  county,  Pa.,  November  U,  1840.  His 
paternal  grandfather.  Rev.  John  Caspor  Wirs- 
ingjWas  born  in  Titzingen  by  "•■  Waertzburg  on  the 
Main,"  Germany,  December  '11,  17G6,  served 
as  a  commissioned  officer  in  the  army  of  his 
"  Fatherland,"  and  immigrated  to  America,  Octo- 
ber 3,  1789.  On  board  the  ship  which  bore 
him  to  this  country  he  made  the  ac(i[uaintance  of 
Catherinea  Eiizabctha  Riitherr,  who  was  born 
April  1'2,  17G8,  in  Germany  and  had  sold    lier 


time  for  a  certain  period  to  pay  lier  passage  to- 
the  United  States.      He  purchased  her  time  and 
they  were  married  Januaiy   1,   I71I3.      He  soon 
removed  to  Baltimore  and  fiom   thence  came  to 
Westmoreland  county.      "  He  was   an    educated 
gentleman  of  fine   address  and  great  power  of 
language,"  and  became  a  local  preaciier  in  the 
Methodist  church.     "  He  spoke  seven  languages 
tluently,  was   the  ablest  and  most   eloquent   ex- 
horter  of  his  day  and  people  came  in  vast  num- 
bers to  hear  him  speak  at  camp  meetings,  ([uar- 
terly   meetings,   revivals,  etc.      He    was   in    tlie 
zenith  of  his  fame  in   182'),  and  liveycais  later 
removed  to  near  Petersburg,  Somerset  county, 
Pa.,  where  he  died   in    1835."     He   had  eight 
children  :   Catherine,   John  (father),  who  is  the 
founder  of  the  Westmoreland   county   Wirsin^ 
family ;     Henry,    who  died    in    1888,    married 
Mary  King,  was  the  progenitor  of  the  Wirsin^s 
of  Somerset  countj',  and  whose  son,  John  Wirs- 
ing, resides  in  Fayette  county  and  is  the  founder 
of  the  Wirsing    family   of  that  county  ;  Mary 
Ann   Shadrach  ;  Thomas   15.;   Samuel   H.  mar- 
ried    Catherine   Zipley    and     Helena     Frantz. 
John    Wirsing  (father)   was    born   January    7, 
1708,  and  died  February  2,    1852.      He  was  a 
successful  farmer  and  an  active  democrat.     In. 
early  life  he  came  to  Donegal  township,  where 
he   held  many   local  offices.     On  December  18, 
1821,  he  married  INIary  Shafer.     They  had  nine 
children :      Peter    (dead) ;     Catherine,    wife    of 
John  Kooser,  of  Iowa  ;  Eliza,  intermarried  with 
W.   R.    Hunter;   Harriot,  who  married   H.  M. 
Millhof;  Margaret  (deceased) ;  Thomas,  of  Illi- 
nois ;  John   S.,  of  Mount  Pleasant    township; 
Jeremiah,    who   lives    at    Scottdale    and    Capt. 
James    J.    JMrs.    Mary    Wirsing    was    born    in 
Franklin  county.  Pa.,  May   12,  1801,  and  is   a 
daughter  of   Peter   Shafer,   who  was   at  ^'alley 
Forge  and  served  under  Washington    until   the 
close  of  the   Revolutionary  war.     In   1807   he 
removed  to  Donegal  township  where  he  patented 
three  hundred  acres  of  Inml  ami  lived  an  indus- 
trious and  honest  life. 


WESTMOUELA  ND   CO  UNTY. 


Captain  James  J.  Wiisiiig  was  educated  in 
tlie  coininon  and  select  suimiier  scliools  of  West- 
moreland county.  He  followed  farming  until 
nineteen  years  of  age,  then  learning  the  trade  of 
plasterer  which  he  jjursued  for  several  years. 
In  18G"2  he  assisted  very  largely  in  raising  a  com- 
pany of  soldiers  in  the  Ligonier  Valley.  He  re- 
fused the  captaincy  hut  accepted  the  second 
lieutenancy  of  this  company,  which  joined  the 
eighty-fourth  reg.,  Pa.  Vol.  Infantry  at  Arling- 
ton Heights  in  Septemher,  18G2,  and  hecaine 
comjjany  C  of  that  regiment.  He  participated 
in  tiie  hattle  of  Frederickshurg,  was  j)rumoted  to 
first  lieutenant  January  12,  I8G0,  took  [lart  in 
the  battle  of  Chancellorsville,  where  he  was  shot 
twice  through  the  left  log  and  hip  and  received 
a  furlough  of  si.xty  days  on  account  of  his 
wounds.  He  rejoined  ids  regiment  on  its  march 
to  (iettysburg.  On  Aug\ist  21),  ISt!;!,  lie  was 
promoted  li>  a  captaincy  and  couinianded  his 
company  in  all  of  the  battles  up  to  October  2, 
IBG-l.  He  was  shot  in  the  left  leg  at  Cold  Har- 
bor, was  wounded  in  the  breast  in  August,  1804, 
and  on  October  2  of  the  same  year,  at  Poplar 
Grove  church,  in  front  of  Petersburg,  he  was 
shot  through  both  shoulders  and  his  left  thigh 
and  was  left  on  the  iield  for  dead  On  recover- 
ing consciousness  he  was  approached  by  a  rebel 
soldier,  who  was  in  the  act  of  shooting  him 
when  a  Confederate  officer  interfered  and  saved 
his  life.  He  was  carried  to  the  rear  on  a 
stretcher  and  taken  to  Richmond,  where  he  was 
ct)ntlned  in  Tiibby  prison  for  a  short  time,  then 
paroled  and  sent  to  Annapolis,  Md.  Alter  two 
months  llieie  lie  came  home  on  leave  (jf  ab.sence 
and  being  unalile  to  rejoin  his  I'eginieiit  was 
honorably  discharged  on  January  3,  18tJ,j,  as  a 
"prisoner  of  war."  From  1805  to  1878  he 
was  engaged  in  plastering  and  as  a  clerk  in  a 
dry  goods  and  hardware  store  at  Mount  Pleas- 
ant. In  the  latter  year  he  was  elected  treasurer 
of  Westmoreland  county  and  served  efficiently 
and  honorably  in  that  jiositiou.  In  1885  Capt. 
Wirsing  was  recommended  by  Hon.  C.  E.  Boyle 


for  pension  agent  of  the  western  district  of 
Pennsylvania  and  was  endorsed  by  all  the  demo- 
cratic Congressmen  of  the  State.  His  appoint- 
ment was  generally  conceded,  but  when  Mr. 
lioyle  failed  in  securing  the  noiiiinatii)ii  for  a 
third  term  in  Congress,  the  inlluences  that  de- 
feated Boyle  were  brought  to  bear  against  Capt. 
^Virsing  and  secured  the  position  for  the  Cap- 
tain's opponent,  William  Barclay.  Hince  1882 
J.  J.  Wirsing  has  been  successfully  engaged  in 
the  real  estate  and  fire  insurance  business. 

He  united  in  marriage  on  June  5,  18G7,  with 
Charlotte  M.  Fluke,  daughter  of  William  S. 
Fluke,  e.x-sheriff  of  Bedford  county,  Pa.  They 
have  eight  children  :  Myrtle,  J.  Edgar,  William 
F.,  Herbert,  Mary  E.,  Pialpli,  Mabel  and 
Martha, 

Capt  Wirsing  is  a  ])rominent  member  of  the 
C.  A.  R.,  U.  V.  L.,  Philanthropy  Lodge,  No. 
225,  A.  Y.  M.,  and  several  other  secret  organ- 
zations.  He  is  a  large,  fine-looking  man,  a 
member  of  the  M.  E.  church  and  an  ardent 
democrat.  He  is  courteous,  hospitable  and 
kind  and  is  a  man  of  well  known  integrity  both 
in  public  and  private  life. 


'j[0\m  Y.  WOODS,  a  successful  lawyer  and 
'1    prominent  democratic  politician  of  Westmore- 
(2/    land  county,  was  born  at  Greensburg,  West- 
moreland county.  Pa.,  March   17,  1844,  and  is 
a  son  of  James  F.  and  Elizabeth  F.  Y'oung. 

James  F.  Woods,  who  for  many  years  was  a 
leading  attorney  at  the  Greensburg  bar,  was  a 
native  of  Milford  Centre,  Union  county,  (Jliio. 
He  was  born  in  1812  and  came  to  Greensburg 
in  or  about  18o'J.  when  he  was  admittwl  to  the 
bar.  James  F.  Woods  is  yet  living  but  retired 
from  the  active  practice  some  years  ago.  In 
])olitics  he  was  an  intluential  whig  but  always 
declined  to  run  for  any  oflice.  After  the  death 
of  the  Whig  party  he  became  a  republican,  but 
for  many  years  past  he  has  alliliated  with  the 
Democratic  party. 


BIOGRAI'IIIKS  OF 


lie  was  a  warm  personal  tViuml  uf  I'liitud 
States  Senator  Cowan  and  Ex-(i<>veinur  .lohn- 
S(in.  'I'lio  law  firm  of  Fostei'  &  Woods  for  a 
lonj^  strotcli  of  yc;irs  did  a  most  extensive  \vff\\ 
|uaclic('  ;iL  tile  \VeslitiiiiTl;ind  eninilv  liar.  lie 
lias  loiii^  been  a  memlier  of  tlie  I'resbytel'ian 
chnieli.  Goveriioi'  Johnson,  wliilo  governor  of 
tlie  State  tendered  him  every  olliee  that  was  in 
his  power  to  give  him,  but  Mr.  Wood  always 
deeliiied  to  aeeept.  He  was  a  graduate  tVdni 
Hanover  college,  Indiana,  and  is  a  gentle- 
man of  eulture  and  of  splendid  literary  attain- 
ments. He  was  married  in  1848  to  Elizabeth, 
a  daughter  of  the  late  Judge  Young.  ]Mrs. 
Woods  died  in  1844.  She  was  a  woman  of 
superior  mind  and  possessed  many  accom- 
plishments. 

John  Y.  Woods  was  prepared  for  college  at 
the  old  Mount  I'leasant  academy,  entered  the 
freshmen  class  of  Jefl'erson  college  in  I8.>.i,  and 
■was  graduateil  in  the  first  class  after  the  consoli- 
dation of  Washington  and  Jefl'erson  colleges. 
Immediately  after  his  graduation  lie  commenced 
the  practice  of  law  in  the  office  of  Foster  i^t 
Woods,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1858. 
Since  his  admission  he  has  been  actively  engagei^ 
in  the  practice  and  devotes  his  whole  time  to  the 
interests  of  his  many  clients.  He  was  the  nom- 
inee of  his  party,  the  democrats,  in  1871  for 
the  olliee  of  district  attorney  of  Westmoreland 
county,  was  elected  and  served  most  acceptably 
to  tlie  peo]ile  for  three  years.  He  has  always 
taKeii  a  leading  [lart  in  pulities  and  wields  a 
piiwi'iful  inlliieiiee  in  the  ranks  nf  the  deiuoeiacy. 
He  has  at  various  times  served  his  party  as  dele- 
gate to  political  conventions  and  takes  a  leading 
jiart  in  their  deliberations.  He  possesses  a  keen 
insight  into  political  economy,  is  a  man  of  fine 
literary  tastes  and  owns  one  of  the  most  exten- 
sive and  well-assorted  libi'aries  in  the  county. 
In  June,  1870,  he  was  mairiedto  Kttie,  adaughter 
of  Michael  Johnson,  of  Mount  I'leasant  town- 
ship. 'I'liey  have;  bad  Ihjiii  to  their  union  three 
eliildreii  :   John,  Willie  and  Jiidson. 


'f  OHN  M.  YOUNG,  an  agreeable  gentleman 
I  and  clerk  of  the  board  of  commissioners  of 
(5/  Westmoreland  county,  is  the  youngest  sou 
(i(  Robert  and  Sarah  (Sarver)  Young,  and  was 
born  in  Salem  townshi|),  Weslmoieland  county, 
I'a.,  Juno  10,  ]8t;0.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
Gilbert  Young,  was  of  Scoteh-lri>li  descent. 
His  wife  was  Margaret  Kiddle.  One  of  his 
sons,  Kobert  Young,  was  liorn  in  Salem  town- 
ship in  1805.  llobert  Young  was  reared  to 
farming,  the  prevailing  and  common  business  of 
western  Pennsylvania  during  the  first  (juarter  of 
the  nineteenth  century.  He  was  verv  success- 
ful in  his  farming  operations,  and  was  quite 
active  in  jiolitical  matters;  first  as  a  whig  and 
afterward  as  :i  republican.  He  always  took 
deep  interest  in  education,  was  a  member  of 
the  United  Presbyterian  church  and  a  great 
reader,  and  was  well  informed  on  all  topics 
of  interest  on  general  discussion.  In  1841 
he  married  Sarah  A.  Sarver,  daughter  of 
Jonathan  Sarver,  who  removed  to  Salem  town, 
ship  from  lierks  county,  and  was  of  German 
descent.  Their  family  consisted  of  ten  chil- 
dren, four  daughters  and  six  sons,  of  whom 
our  subject  is  the  youngest.  Mr.  Young  died 
in  1881. 

John  M.  Young  received  a  fair  and  practical 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  Salem,  after 
which  he  engaged  in  farming  for  several  years 
and  was  afterward  employed  in  well-drilling.  In 
1887  he  accepted  a  position  as  traveling  sales- 
man witli  1>.  K.  Young  i^  Co.,  of  Greensburg, 
Pa.  On  Monday,  January  2,  1888,  Mr.  Young 
was  elected  clerk  of  the  board  of  county  comniis- 
sioners  for  Westmoreland  county.  He  lias 
served  very  creditably  in  that  difficult  and  im- 
portant position,  whi(di  he  still  holds.  John 
M.  Young  is  a  member  of  Greensburg  Council, 
No.  8-1,  Junior  Order  of  United  American 
Mechanics.  He  is  an  active  republican,  has 
always  been  a  firm  believer  in  the  principles 
and  teachings  of  the  Hepubliean  party,  and  is 
energetic  and  self-reliant. 


(A'": 


I    '\  r\- 


4 

^h^ . 


//,  i>  x^. 


WESTMORELAND   COUNTY. 


183 


ICIIAUD  M.  J.  ZAlINISEli.  One  of 
llio  most  inijiortaiit  iiulustrics  of  (iiuons- 
V*)  liurj^  if)  tlie  luiiiber  busiiicss,  and  its  Iciiil- 
iii;^  ro|)rc.Mciiliitivi;  is  ]{.  IM.  .1.  ZiiliiiiscM',  wlm  Ims 
iiiiiriiiluctiil'cil  ami  (h^ilt  in  liimlicr  I'm'  i)\v.y 
twenty  years  in  diU'erciit  jtarts  of  wcstoin  I'cnu- 
sylvania.  lie  was  born  near  Merecr,  Mereer 
county,  Pa.,  November  29,  183(3,  and  is  a  son 
of  William  and  Eleanor  (Statler)  Zaliniser,  both 
natives  of  Allegheny  eounty,  this  State.  The 
founder  of  the  Zaliniser  family  in  the  United 
States  was  Matthias  Zahniser,  who  immigrated 
with  his  mother  from  Germany  to  the  province 
of  Pennsylvania  in  1753.  His  father  and 
brother  embarked  on  the  same  vessel  and  at 
the  same  time,  but  died  on  the  ocean  between 
Germany  and  New  York  city.  Matthias  Zah- 
niser settled  at  Lancaster,  Pa.,  where  he  mar- 
ried a  lady  by  the  name  of  Lint  and  reared  a 
family  ofseven  children,  si.x  sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter, lie  removed  from  Lancaster  to  .\lleglicny 
county,  where  one  of  his  sons,  William  Zaliniser, 
was  born  in  1789,  near  the  site  of  Wilkinsburg. 
In  1797  William  Zaliniser  removed  with  his 
father  to  Mercer  county,  where  he  received  his 
education.  William  Zahniser  was  a  successful 
farmer  of  his  adopted  county.  He  served  as  a 
soldier  in  the  war  of  I'fiVl  and  was  at  the 
memorable  battle  of  Lake  Erie.  He.  was  a 
democrat  of  the  Jacksonian  type,  engaged  ac- 
tively in  politics,  and  died  in  185G.  His  wife 
was  Eleanor  Statler,  a  daughter  of  Andrew 
Statler,  who  was  a  member  of  the  early  settled 
and  well-known  Statler  family  of  AUegiieny 
county,  'riuy  had  nine  children,  six  sons  ami 
three  daughters,  of  wiiom  live  sons  and  two 
daughters  are  living. 

R.  M.  J.  Zahniser  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Pennsylvania,  then  in  the 
infancy  of  their  existence.  In  1850  he  engaged 
in  the  drug  business  at  Mercer,  and  successfully 
continued  therein  for  seventeen  years.  In  1807 
he  I'etired  from  the  drug  trade  to  engage  in  the 
lumber  and  plaining-niill  business.     In  1879  he 


removed  from  Mercer  to  Somerset  county.  Pa., 
where  ho  with  others  purchased  a  large  tiact 
of  timber  land  and  was  engaged  for  three  years 
in  converting  this  timber  into  lumiier.  In  1S><1 
lie  becaiiii)  a  resident  of  .Ml.  I'Jia'^aJil,  Nslnrc  1m; 
was  engaged  for  live  years  in  operating  a  largo 
lumber  trade.  In  188U  Mr.  Zahniser  removed 
to  Greensburg  and  engaged  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness. He  is  now  the  senior  partner  of  Zahniser 
k  Co.,  the  leading  lumber  dealers  of  Greens- 
burg and  Westmoreland  county,  and  proprietors 
of  the  Central  planing-mill.  They  furnished  all 
kinds  of  rough  and  dressed  lumber,  and  deliver 
it  in  car-load  lots  to  any  point  on  the  South 
west  or  Pennsylvania  railroad.  In  their  yards 
adjoining  the  freight  depot  they  carry  a  heavy 
stock  of  siding,  ilooring,  lath,  doors,  frames, 
sash,  shingles,  moulding,  etc.  The  mill  and 
office  are  on  AVest  Otterman  street  and  have 
telephonic  communication  with  all  important 
points  throughout  AVestiiK.ireland  ami  adjuining 
counties. 

In  1859  Mr.  Zahniser  married  Lizzie  Hirst, 
of  Mercer  county.  They  had  five  children,  of 
whom  three  are  living:  Harry  II.,  born  April 
17,  1863,  a  partner  in  business  with  his  father; 
Dr.  Frank  R.  (see  his  sketch) ;  Bertha  (dead) ; 
Mary,  born  January  30,  1878,  attending  school, 
and  an  infant  daughter  (dead).  Mrs.  Zahniser 
died  August  13,  1883,  and  Mr.  Zahniser  was 
re-married  on  March  14,  1885,  to  Lillian 
Sherili;  daughter  of  William  \\ .  Sheriff.  P>y 
his  second  marriage  he  has  one  child:  Richard 
Sherilf  Zahniser,  born  February  14,  1880. 

R.  M.  J.  Zahniser  is  a  man  of  good  judgment 
and  clear  business  insight,  as  is  attested  by  the 
extensive  business  he  controls  and  the  marked 
success  that  has  attended  his  dift'erent  enterpri- 
ses, lie  is  a  republican  but  is  conservative  and 
liberal  in  his  political  views,  has  never  aspired 
for  any  office,  nor  has  no  ambition  for  any  politi- 
cal prominence.  He  is  a  gentleman,  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  is  one  of  Greeiis- 
burn-'s  substantial  and  inlluential  citizens. 


(liattH 


184 


liKXIItAl'llIF.S   OF 


flf^'liANK  1{./A11NISK1{,  D.D.S.,  ayoiiiiM; 
I  V  and  siiCL-cssl'iil  (k'litisl  of  (Jiceii.sl)iir^,  is  a 
Hon  of  1!.  M.  .).  ami  Xmvm  (llirsi)  Zali- 
lUHoi',  ami  was  Ikjiii  at  Mt'iccrj  Mciccr  cnniily, 
Pa.,  April  If),  IHi;,",.  ]{ul,ar,l  M.  ,).  /aliniscr, 
a  son  of  William  /almisur,  is  a  native  of  Mer- 
cer eountv,  I'a.  lie  was  eiigaiji'il  in  tiie  ilnii^ 
business  at  Mercer,  I'a.,  for  several  years.  On 
October  "21,  1851i,  he  was  inanieil  to  Lizzie 
Hirst,  (laughter  of  J.  F.  Hirst,  of  JNIercer,  I'a. 
In  1880,  he  removed  to  (ireensburg  and  en- 
gaged in  his  present  extensive  and  ilourisliing 
lundier  business.  He  was  a  membei' (jf  tiie  lii'ui 
of  /almiser  k  Co.,  who  arc  extensive  lumber 
dealers  and  proprietors  of  the  Centi-ai  planing 
mill  on  West  Otterman  street.  Mr.  Zahniser  is 
a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  ehureh,  a  repub- 
lican in  politics,  a  successful  business  man,  ami 
suflieiently  energetic  in    advancing  his  business 


interests   to   establish    telejilione  eomnumication 
with  ail    parls  ol'  llie  eounly. 

l''raid(  \i.  /.aliuiser  was  edueateil  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  .Mercer  ami  Ml.  Pleasant  college, 
in  1«K()  he  sliidied  deiilislry  with  Dr.  I.  S. 
Wauganuin,  of  (jlreensburg.  Pa.,  attended  lectures 
at  the  Pennsylvania  Dental  college  at  Phila- 
delphia, in  1887  anil  1888,  and  was  grailuatcd 
March  1,  188'J,  from  that  institution,  which  is 
so  well  and  favorably  known  both  in  the  United 
States  and  Europe.  This  college  is  recognized 
in  all  foi'eign  countries,  where  its  graduates  need 
no  recommendation  or  emlorsement.  On  April 
1,  1889,  lie  opened  an  ollice  in  Greensburg  and 
entered  into  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He 
is  a  republican  but  takes  no  part  in  politics. 
Dr.  Zahniser  has  an  e.xtensive  practice,  is  skilled 
in  his  profession  and  is  a  pleasant  and  agreeable 
gentleman. 


JVIount  Pleasant 


^YY^f'TJAM  J.  niTCHMAN.     One  of  the 

k'ailiii^  bankers  cjf  smitliwostei  ii  Penn- 
sylvania, and  a  prominent  and  well- 
known  and  public  spirited  citizen  of  AVestinore- 
land  county,  is  the  gentleman  whoso  name  heads 
this  sketch,  and  whose  great  business  ability, 
incorrw|itible  integrity  and  ]iolitical  inlluencc 
have  made  liini  a  jiotent  fictur  in  the  niateri;il 
develo|iuient  and  ]Hilitii;al  life  of  Ml.  I'leasant 
and  the  southern  part  of  the  county.  Wdliani 
J.  llitcliuian  is  a  representative  member  of  a 
class  of  able  and  distinguished  financiers  of 
western  Pennsylvania  who  will  compare  favor- 
ably with  the  leading  bankers  of  any  like  area 
in  the  United  States.  Among  them  were  lion. 
Jasper  M.  Thompson  and  James  T.  Feilburn,  of 
Fayette  county,  and  still  serving  beside  Mr. 
llitchman  are  Col.  (ieorge  F.  Huff,  of  West- 
moreland county,  and  the  Mellon  lirotliers,  of 
Pittsburg.  AVilliani  J.  llitchman  "'as  born  at 
Mt.  Pleasant,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  July  H, 
lH;iS,  and  is  the  only  child  of  Major  Jolm  and 
Mary  (Thompson)  llitchman. 

William  J.  Mitchman  is  of  English  lineage 
on  his  paternal  side  and  of  Scotch-Irish  descent 
on  the  maternal.  When  George  III  sat  upon 
the  throne  of  Great  Britain,  Mr.  Ilitclnnan's 
paternal  great-grandfather  came  to  America  as  an 
officer  in  an  English  regiment,  lie  became  in- 
terested in  the  condition  of  tlio  Colonics  and 
.sympathising  with  them  in  their  struggle  for 
political  liberty,  he  soon  resigned  his  commission 
and  identified  himself  with  the  Colonial  cause,  but 


refused  several  important  military  commands  in 
the  Continental  army  during  the  Revolutionary 
struggle.  His  delicate  sense  of  honor  would  not 
allow  him  to  draw  his  sword  against  the  country 
whose  uniform  he  had  worn  and  whose  pay  he 
had  received  fjr  many  years.  His  extreme 
sensitiveness  with  regard  to  line  points  of  perso- 
nal honor  seems  to  have  been  inherited  by  his 
descendants  in  every  generation  from  his  day 
ilown  to  the  present  time,  lie  resided  in  \'ir- 
ginia,  and  one  of  his  sons,  AVilliam  llitchman 
(grandfather),  removed  from  the  "  Old  Domin- 
ion "  to  Redstone  creek,  in  what  is  now  Fayette 
county.  Pa.,  and  which  then  was  supposed  to 
belong  to  Virginia.  He  married  Nancy  Gilles- 
pie, who  was  an  estimable  woman  and  a  member 
of  a  well-respected  family.  He  soon  removed 
from  Fayette  county  to  near  Mt.  Pleasant, 
where  he  afterwards  died  on  the  Robert  llitcli- 
man  farm.  He  was  the  founder  of  the  llitchman 
family  in  Westmoreland  county.  He  had  six 
sons  and  two  daughters :  Major  John,  James, 
Robert,  Samuel,  David,  Gillespie,  Ellen  and 
Elizabeth.  Major  John  Hitchman  (father)  was 
born  in  1789  qnd  died  in  184G.  Major  Hitch- 
man  was  a  man  of  mark  and  stood  high  during 
his  day  in  the  military  circles  of  this  section 
of  tlie  State.  When  the  war  of  1812  broke 
out  he  enlisted  in  a  company  commanded  by 
Capt.  Reynolds,  was  commissioned  first-lieuten- 
ant, and  was  ordered  with  his  regiment  to 
Baltimore,  Maryland,  where  he  served  until  the 
close   of    the   war.     In    1828   he   was   elected 


•i 

0) 

St:': 

bbJjS/tb      <h.n       ai>      i^a'l      >il        ■••if'      (rill       Mi     ithoL'    '    iUfi  t-iriHi'J  It'li 


180 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


brigade-inspector  in  lli^  I'riiMsvlvaniii  inililia 
with  tlic  I'iiiik  of  major  and  survcd  in  tliaL  |)ij.si- 
tion  until  IM)!!).  He  was  eni^aj,'eil  for  several 
years  in  mercantile  business  and  died  in  Mareb, 
184(],  aged  ;')!  years.  lie  united  in  marriage 
with  Mary  Tlioni])Son,  wbo  was  a  descendant  of 
tlie  old  and  luirbly  respected  Tbompson  family 
of  tlie  ('un]l)erland  Valley.  She  was  a  woman 
of  (U'cided  I'oree  of  character,  of  many  graces, 
and  of  superior  Christian  worth,  with  intelligence 
and  culture  far  beyond  her  time  in  the  section 
where  she  resided.  She  was  born  at  Mercers- 
burg,  I'a.,  February  18,  17'J'J.  On  March  30, 
1870,  her  spirit  winged  its  flight  from  earth 
and  her  remains  lie  entombed  with  tiiosc  of  her 
husband  in  Mt.  Pleasant  cemetery. 

William  J.  Ilitcliman  was  not  eight  years  of 
age  when  his  father  died  in  rather  straightened 
circumstances,  and  he  was  reared  at  Laurelvillo. 
It  is  the  opinion  of  those  wdio  have  an  undoubted 
right  to  speak  upon  the  subject,  that  Mr.  Ilitcli- 
man owes  to  his  excellent  mother  much  of  the 
better  part  of  bis  manhood  and  the  greater 
j)ortion  of  bis  success  in  life.  She  carei'ully 
disciplined  him  in  early  years  and  instructed 
him  in  all  those  right  and  noble  principles  of 
action  which  have  distinctly  characterized  his 
mature  manhood.  In  his  case,  as  in  most  cases 
in  any  country,  the  men  of  ability  and  success 
in  war,  in  statesmanship,  in  commerce,  in  litera- 
ture, in  science  and  art  and  rcligioi>  had  mothers 
of  high  character  and  Hne  intelligence,  lie 
spent  most  of  his  boyhocjil  at  Laiii'elvillc,  which 
was  a  small  village  at  the  foot  of  Chestnut 
Ridge,  where  he  was  actively  em})loyed  and 
carefully  trained  to  business  in  the  mill,  the 
store  and  the  shop,  and  before  his  seventeenth 
birthday  was  acting  as  village  school  teacher. 
He  thus  -laid  the  foundations  upon  which  he 
afterward  built  the  superstructure  of  his  subse- 
quent successful  life.  He  taught  school  for 
several  years  and  completed  bis  academic  course 
at  his  native  Idwn,  \sliich  has  always  been  noted 
for     its    line    educational     advantages.        While 


teaching  he  always  look  an  active  [lart  in  teachers 
institutes,  and  in  every  movecalcidated  to  advance 
the  cause  (jf  i^dncation.  Altbougli  possessed  of 
tastes  and  ((ualilications  for  law  and  politics,  yet 
he  turned  from  those  inviting  fiebU  and  planned 
for  himself  a  business  career  which  be  knew 
slow  i)lodding  was  necessary  at  the  start  to 
secure  permanent  and  lasting  success. 

But  a  few  years  elajised  however  untd  Mr. 
Ilitchman  moved  forward  with  rapid  strides  in 
the  business  world.  He  has  daily  widened  the 
sphere  of  bis  commercial  0])erations,  and  pre- 
served under  the  most  trying  circumstances  all 
the  manly  traits  of  an  honorable  man,  which  are 
too  often  wrecked  in  the  great  struggle  for  ma- 
terial wealth.  He  is  largely  interested  in  the 
banks  of  Mt.  Pleastint,  has  investments  in  other 
enterprises  and  owns  a  large  amount  of  real 
estate. 

An  important  event  in  Mr.  Hitcbman's  life 
occurred  on  January  2,  18G1,  when  he  united  in 
marriage  with  Elizabeth  Shields,  daughter  of 
James  Shields.  Their  union  has  been  blest 
with  six  sons  and  two  (laughters:  James  S., 
Edward  T.,  Arthur,  John  1).^  Walton  M.,  Will- 
iam M.,  Mary  and  Alice  E.  His  domestic  life 
has  been  most  i'ortuiuite  and  remarkably  happy. 
His  wife  has  been  a  helfiinate  to  hiin  in  the 
grandest  sense  of  the  term,  and  in  no  small 
degree  has  contributed  to  his  prosperity  as  well 
as  added  to  the  comfort  and  happiness  of  bis 
home. 

When  ^Villiam  J.  Ilitchman  attained  his 
majority  be  was  neither  the  master  of  wealth, 
actual  or  in  expectation,  but  entered  the  great 
world  of  active  life  with  noble  resolves,  aspiring 
genius  and  all-conquering  will,  born  of  desire  as 
well  as  necessity  for  efl'ort. 

The  successful,  honorable  and  wealthy  busi- 
ness man  is  one  of  the  most  valuable  integrals 
of  a  nation's  strength,  for  he  is  a  potent  factor  of 
the  nation's  capital  and  labor;  and  it  is  honorable 
to  be  wealthy  when  wealth  is  honorably  ac(|uired, 
as  it  has  been  by  Mr.  Ilitchman,  and  is  used,  as 


c/A 


i^^^ii^'^j 


^"?^'?'2{Jl-i'^'^^ 


1  yi:s TMo n i:la  ni>  co  uxt r. 


it  has  been  by  biin,  for  laudable  and  noble  pur- 
poses. He  lias  been  identilieii  with  the  Repub- 
lican l>arty  ever  since  its  organization,  and 
and  always  gives  a  warm,  cordial  anil  elleetive 
supjiort  to  the  measures  of  the  party  of  Lincoln, 
Grant  and  Garfield.  In  his  own  section  he  is 
recognized  as  a  political  leader  of  rare  ability,  and 
one  who  is  well  versed  in  the  history  and  princi- 
ples of  the  two  great  political  parties  of  to-day. 
lie  has  been  constantly  enlarging  the  boundaries 
of  his  knowledge  in  every  direction  until  he  is 
now  well  informed  in  history,  biography  and 
literature,  as  well  as  being  a  recognized  and 
standard  authority  upon  all  subjects  in  relation 
to  banking.  By  eoniinendable  industry,  patient 
perseverance  and  strict  integrity  \Villiam  J. 
llitehman  has  carved  out  for  himself  a  successful, 
distinguished  and  enviable  career.  He  is  now 
in  the  full  jirime  of  matured  manhood,  enjoying 
good  health,  possessing  all  the  desired  comforts 
of  lite,  and  surrounded  by  a  host  of  warm  and 
admiring  friends  who  are  justly  proud  of  his 
success  and  his  high  standing  in  the  county, 
and  who  fully  appreciate  his. great  moral  worth 
as  a  man  and  a  citizen. 


•jjrOHN  Q.  ADAMS,  a  leading  furniture 
t  dealer  and  undertaker  at  j\It.  Pleasant  and 
(£y  successor  of  M.  J.  Ilumbaugh  k  Co.,  of 
that  place,  was  born  April  13,  1851,  in  Tyrone 
township.  Fayette  county,  Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of 
Henry  and  ]\[argery  (Keece)  /dams.  George 
Adams  (paternal  grandfather)  was  a  farmer  and 
one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Westmoreland 
county.  Ileni-y  Adams  (father)  was  superin- 
tendent of  coke  works  in  Westmoreland  county, 
Pa.,  for  some  years,  but  of  late  years  has  given 
his  attention  to  farming.  He  was  a  soldier  in 
the  late  Civil  War.  He  enlisted  in  Co.  F,  IGSth 
rcg.,  Pa.  Vols.,  and  served  his  term  of  enlist- 
ment. 

John  Q.  Adams  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  Tyrone    township,    Fayette    county, 


Pa.,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years  entered 
Mt.  Pleasant  college,  where  he  remained  two 
years.  After  leaving  college  he  taught  in  the 
common  schools;  two  terms  in  Fayette  and  five 
terms  in  Westmoreland  county.  He  then 
entered  the  employ  of  J.  M.  Cochran  as  njana- 
ger  of  the  Buckeye  Coke  Company's  store, 
which  position  he  successfully  filled  for  two 
years.  He  was  ne.xt  employed  as  book-keeper 
and  pay-master  for  J.  M.  Cochran  and  served 
in  that  capacity  with  Mr.  Cochran's  successors 
for  some  time.  After  eight  years'  service  as 
book-keeper  he  removed  in  1887  to  Mt.  Pleas- 
ant, where  he  bought  out  the  furniture  and 
undertaking  establishment  of  J.  M.  Kumbaugh, 
and  is  now  successfully  conducting  this  busi- 
ness. 

John  Q.  Adams  was  married  June  7,  l«7f3, 
to  Miss  Angeline,  daughter  of  the  late  iMiehael 
Truxal,  a  well-to-do  farmer  of  East  Huntingdon 
township,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.  Three 
children  have  blessed  their  union  :  Allie  C, 
Erma  T.  and  Rush. 

John  Q.  Adams  is  president  of  the  school 
board  of  theborough  of  INlt.  Pleasant,  a  member 
of  Lodge  No.  885,  Independent  Order  of  <.)dd 
Fellows,  Royal  Arcanum  and  Improved  Order 
of  Heptasophs.  He  is  a  good  business  man 
and  has  a  large  and  carefully-selected  stock  of 
late  and  stylish  furniture,  embracing  all  kinds 
and  qualities  of  everything  needed  in  his  line 
of  business.  He  has  a  large  trade  and  is  doing 
a  good  business.  He  is  a  member  of  the  United 
Brethren  church. 


XAMES  BERKLEY  ANDREWS,  of  Mt. 
'j  Pleasant,  is  a  son  of  Lewis  and  Elizabeth 
(1/  (Berkholder)  Andrews,  and  was  born 
February  'J,  1836,  in  Fayctteville,  Franklin 
county,  Pa.  His  grandfather,  Andrews,  was  of 
Scotch  descent  and  lived  at  Strasburg,  Frank- 
lin county,  where  Lewis  Andrews  (father)  .was 
born  April  5,  1803.     The  latter  was  a  merchant 


I'itu  ;i«Ui  H  «a 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


and  was  iu  business  for  many  years  at  Fayctte- 
ville.  but  retired  from  active  life  in  185(j.  j\Irs. 
Miirv  Antb-ews  (f^ranibuotber),  who  died  iiilStili 
lit  Slra>liiir;^,  l':i.,  at  liio  adviiiiccd  -.f^v  uf  10') 
years,  was  "  bora  two  ycai-s  bi'lbrc  ibe  cinl  (if 
the  French  and  Indian  war,  lour  years  before 
the  famous  Staui|)  Act  was  passed,  lifteen  years 
before  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  thirty- 
eight  years  before  the  death  of  Washington,  and 
100  years  before  the  breaking  out  of  the  lle- 
bellion.  " 

James  Berkley  Andrews  attended  the  common 
schools  of  Ids  native  town,  and  at  tlie  age  of 
seventeen  years  began  to  learn  the  tin-smith 
trade  at  Gliambersburg,  Pa.,  remaining  there 
until  IS.')"*,  lie  then  went  to  western  I'enusyl- 
vania  and  settled  at  iMt.  I'leasaut,  \Vestniore- 
land  County,  in  October,  185G,  having  pre- 
viou,'<ly  worked  at  bis  trade  both  at  Bedford  and 
Somerset,  Pa.  At  Mt.  Pleas.int  he  opened  a 
tin-smithing  shop,  and  together  with  his  sons  is 
still  conducting  a  large  and  prosperous  business. 
Mr.  Andrews  has  been  a  member  of  the  borough 
council  for  three  years,  is  identified  with  the 
]\Ietl'.odist  Episcopal  church  and  stands  high 
in  the  community  Avhere  he  resides,  lie  is  a 
member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum,  A.  ().  I'.  \\'., 
K.  of  II.,  and  the  I.  0.  U.  F. 

James  B.  Andrews  was  married  August  23, 
18(J0,  to  Cynthia  Ann,  a  daughter  of  Thomas 
Shipley,  of  Baltimore,  Md.  They  have  four 
children :  William  Lewis,  born  October  3, 
iMtU!;  tieorge  BL-rkley,  born  N'v.vemberS,  1870  ; 
Charles  \'inton,  born  November  9,  1877,  and 
Mary  Shipley,  born  July  10,  1881.  Mrs. 
Andrews,  who  was  a  most  estimable  lady,  died 
on  the  Sth  of  July,  1888. 


yYYlLLIAM  BOWERS,  a  merchant  of  Mt. 
I  I  I    I'leasaut,  and   one  of   her  leading   citi- 
zens, was  born  March  22,  1817,  in  Ty- 


son  of  Jacob  and  Catharine  (Myers)  Bowers. 
Jacob  Bowers  was  born  in  Lancaster  county. 
Pa.,  of  (icrmaTi  par^'Uts,  and  early  in  life  re- 
moved to  i''Myclt('  cDiihly,  wbcie  lie  engaged  in 
Uie  nieli-anllU;  idisiness  wbieli  he  CDiiliniied  [\>i 
a  number  of  years.  He  was  one  of  the  first 
operators  and  dealers  in  coke  in  the  Connells- 
ville  region  ami  continued  in  the  coke  business 
more  than  eighteen  years.  Upon  the  completion 
of  the  Pittsburg  and  Connellsville  R.  R.,  it  was 
from  his  [ilant  that  the  first  car  of  coke  was 
shijiped  over  it  to  Pittsburg.  In  181)8  Mr. 
Bowers  retired  from  the  coke  business  and 
moved  on  to  his  farm  in  Uunbar  township, 
but  in  1872  he  left  Fayette  county  and 
located  at  Mt.  Pleasant,  this  county,  where 
he  opened  a  general  store ;  he  ilied  in  May, 
187i». 

William  Bowers  attended  scIkioI  for  a  short 
time  oidy,  beginning  work  at  his  father's  coke 
plant  early  in  life,  and  continuing  there  for 
fifteen  years,  being  in  his  father's  store  full  five 
years  of  that  time.  He  then  worked  on  the 
farm  a  few  years,  and  in  1871  engaged  with 
John  M.  Cochran,  of  Fayette  county,  as  a  clerk, 
remaining  in  that  position  two  years.  In  1873 
he  went  to  Mt.  Pleasant,  where  he  and  his 
brother  David  purchased  their  father's  stock  of 
merchandise  and  continued  the  business  estab- 
lished there  by  him  the  preceding  year.  In 
1882  William  Bowers  bought  his  brothers'  in- 
terest in  the  store,  and  thus  became  sole  owner 
of  the  clothing  establishment,  which  he  has  ever 
since  conducted  with  success.  Mr.  Bowers  is  a 
member  of  the  Moss  Rose  Lodge,  No.  350,  I.  0. 
0.  F.,  and  is  an  active  member  of  the  church  of 
God. 

William  Bowers  was  married  May  20,  1875, 
to  Rachel,  a  daughter  of  Abraham  Hodskin,  of 
Mt  Pleasant,  and  they  have  six  children  :  Re- 
becca Ann,  born  May  29,  187G  ;  Alva  Curtis, 
June  14,  1879;  Homer,  February  4,  1883; 
Jesse,  May  8,  1885;  Irene,  May  24,  1887; 
and  James  Wade,  January  9,  1889. 


Wi:STMUJii:LAND   COUNTY. 


eYllUS  r.  lillKCl 1 1511,1,,  H  Miiiu  (,r  u.x- 
toiidfd  wostuni  truvi'l,  a  iiu'icliiinl  uf 
many  years  business  exjierience  ami  a 
well  known  notion  iiml  I'aney  ware  ilcalci'  oi' 
Ml.  I'leusanl,,  is  a  son  ol'  Saniiiri  anil  l,yilia 
(Burger)  Hreeiiinll,  and  was  born  at,  '.Mt.  I'leas- 
ant,  AVestnioreliiml  county,  I'a.,  A|iril  12,  IMoT. 
His  father,  Samuel  Brcclibill,  was  a  tanner  by 
trade,  toilowed  tanning  for  yonie  years  ami  then 
engaged  in  tlie  drug  business. 

Gyrus  P.  iireeldjill  was  eiUicated  in  West- 
inorehuul  college,  now  the  ''  Western  Pennsyl- 
vania Classical  and  Scientific  Institute,"  of  Mt. 
Pleasant,  lie  afterwards  entered  DutFs  Com- 
mercial college,  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  and  was  gradu- 
ated from  that  institution  in  185;').  In  the  same 
year  that  he  completed  bis  business  college 
course  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  and  Quincy  Kailroad  Co.  as  baggage 
master  and  remained  with  them  for  three  years. 
In  1858  he  went  to  the  "  Pacific  Slope"  where 
he  located  in  the  State  of  California  and  was  en- 
gaged in  the  mereantile  business  for  twelve 
years.  From  1870  to  1872  he  was  enijiloyed  as 
commissary  for  a  United  States  engineer  corps 
which  left  Helena,  Montana,  in  the  former  and 
was  occupied  until  the  latter  year  in  making 
surveys  on  the  Yellowstone  river.  Early  in 
1872  Mr.  Brechbill  returned  to  Mt.  Pleasant 
after  an  absence  of  nearly  fifteen  years  in  the 
"Great  \Vcst,"  and  engaged  as  a  clerk  in  the 
general  mercantile  store  of  Isaac  StaulVcr,  with 
whom  lie  ii'mainccl  for  four  years.  In  1S7G  he 
became  bookkeeper  for  the  nrm  of  Low  t^  Hus- 
band, and  serrveu  in  that  capacity  until  1880.  On 
May  31,  1880,  he  established  his  present  general 
notion  and  fancy  ware  store  and  hasmade  a  success 
•of  his  business.  His  store  is  eligibly  located  and 
well  stocked  and  he  does  not  lack  for  patronage. 
On  November  10,  1874,  Mr.  Brechbill  united 
in  marriage  with  Sarah  A.  Kumbaugh,  daughter 
•of  Peter  Runibaugii.  They  have  two  children  : 
Nellie  (i.,  born  l'\'bruary  22,  1S7(),  and  Harry 
Paul,  .laniuiry  21,  1885. 


C.  P.  Brechbill  lias  served  two  tcrni.s  as  as- 
sessor of  Mt.  Pleasant  borough.  He  has  been 
true  to  every  business  or  political  trust  placed 
in  his  hands  and  has  always  lal)or(-(l  faithfully  in 

whatever-  he  was  engaged. 

•jfOlIN  B.  COLDSMITII  was  born  Decem- 
"t  ber  18,  1857,  at  Mt.  Pleasant,  Westmore- 
(i/  land  county.  Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Sarah  (Brehan)  Coldsniith.  John  Goldsmith 
was  a  native  of  eastern  Pennsylvania,  but  re- 
moved to  ]\lt.  Pleasant  when  yet  a  young  man. 
Although  a  hatter  by  trade  he  did  not  confine 
his  attention  exclusively  to  the  hat  business,  but 
engaged  also  in  the  grocery  line.  He  served  the 
borough  of  Mt.  Pleasant  for  some  time  in  the 
ca[iacity  of  councihnan  and  ac(juilted  himself 
with  creilit. 

John  B.  Goldsmith  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  borough  and  in 
Mt.  Pleasant  Institute,  which  he  attended  several 
terms.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  was  em- 
ployed as  clerk  in  a  drug  store,  where  he 
remained  but  a  short  time,  leaving  this  position 
to  learn  the  trade  of  paper-hanger.  He  worked 
at  his  trade  as  a  journeyman  for  a  few  years  and 
then  engaged  in  business  as  a  dealer  in  wall 
paper  and  queensware.  For  some  time  Mr. 
Goldsmith  has  given  much  of  his  time  and  atten- 
tion to  the  interests  of  the  bands  of  Mt.  Pleas- 
ant ;  ho  is  a  member  and  manager  of  the  "  Star 
Band  "  of  that  place.  For  years  he  has  been 
manager  of  concerts  and  theatrical  performances, 
and  was  for  a  time  manager  of  the  "  old  Opera 
House,"  and  since  the  completion  and  opening 
of  the  "  Grand  Opera  House  "  he  has  been  its 
manager.  He  is  a  member  and  commissary  ser- 
geant of  Co.  E,  tenth  reg.,  National  Guard  of 
Pennsylvania ;  belongs  to  I.  0.  0.  F.,  and 
Ileptasophs. 

John  B.  Goldsmith  was  married  July  22, 
1884,  to  Sanizai  Bingaman,  of  Mcyersdale, 
Somerset  county.  Pa.,  and  they  have  three  cliild- 


-!>fiu"j  gmrt*  o"' 


192 


moaiiM'iiiES  OF 


iTii  :  l')I;iiiK'  r>.,  iMirn  .Iiiniiury  liT,  1HH7  ;  ;iii 
inl'uiit  .sou,  biiiu  Ndvciuljcr  H,  IJSS'.lj  aiul 
Bluiiclii'  K.  (J.ililsiniih,  Imii-ii  Au;:ii.st  'I'l^  IH.Sf), 
(lifd  Sclitcliilici'   IT,  IS.Mi. 


ASSIUS  M.  <; ALLEY,  a  .Icsi'ciubmt  of 
ii  higlily  ri'spL'ctablu  lamily  aiul  an  ciitor- 
[irisiug  businoss  man,  was  born  at  Mt. 
Pleasant,  Westuiorolanil  county,  l*a.,  in  1801,  on 
the  anniversary  of  tlie  Battle  of  New  Orleans, 
and  is  a  son  of  Cyrus  and  Harriet  (Clark)  Gal- 
ley. Cyrus  Galley  was  a  Pennsylvanian  whose 
birth-place  was  in  Fayette  county,  where  the 
name  of  Galley  is  found  in  the  list  of  earliest 
settlers,  and  the  Galleys  there  of  the  present 
generation  are  foremost  among  the  steady  and 
reliable  citizens  of  tliat  county.  I'^arly  in  life 
Cyrus  Galley  learned  the  trade  of  blacksmith, 
but  soon  after  completing  his  apprenticeshi|)  he 
removed  to  Mt.  Pleasant,  where  he  engaged  with 
Gilison  Kemp  and  learned  the  trade  of  carriage 
maker.  .\bout  lS(i.")  hu  formed  a  partnership 
for  the  manufacture  of  carriages  under  the  lirm 
name  of  Galley,  Wechling  ^:  Co.  This  firm 
while  remarkably  successful  in  the  sale  of  their 
work  also  enjoyed  an  excellent  reputation  as 
skilled  mechanics.  Cyrus  Galley  was  born 
November  20,  ls;l(;,  and  died  January  ID,  LSiS;!. 
Ilis  wife  was  Harriet  ('lark,  a  daughter  of 
Samuel  Clark,  of  Mt.  Pleasant,  AVestmoreland 
county.      They  hud  nine  children. 

<'assius  M.  Galley  was  reared  at  Mt.  Pleas- 
ant, \\here  he  received  his  education.  ^Vllen 
seventeen  years  of  age  he  entered  the  carriage 
manufactory  of  (! alley,  Mechling  &  Co.,  where 
under  the  special  instruction  and  care  of  his 
father  he  learned  the  trade  of  carriage  manufac- 
ture ;  he  was  also  carefully  instructed  in  the 
management  of  that  business  and  in  the  persoiuil 
su[)ervision  of  the  works  in  every  detail.  U](on 
the  death  of  his  father  in  1883  he  and  his 
brother,  Orion  Galley,  bought  out  the  interests 
of  their  father's  partners  and   organized  under 


the  linn  nanje  of  (iailcy  Hrotliers.  The  wrll- 
cstabiishcd  busijicss  of  the  rrliable  old  lirni  lo.-,l 
nothing  IVom  bring  transferred  into  the  bands  of 
ibi^  i](.'W  lirm.  'I'bcy  have  not  only  liild  ihu 
lornier  substantial  iiatronage  but  addi-il  to  it  by 
the  latter  new  support,  won  by  skilled  work,  in- 
cieased  facilities  and  fair  dtaling. 

Cassius  M.  Galley  was  nuirried  on  February 
18,  1885,  to  Ida  May  Roadman,  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Annie  IJoadman,  residing  at  Mt. 
Pleasant.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Galley  have  two  child- 
ren:  Anna  May,  born  January  -3,  188<j,  and 
Blanche,  June  1,  1888. 

C.  M.  Galley  is  a  member  of  Moss  Rose 
Lodge,  No.  350,  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  which  was  chartered  April  IC,  1849, 
and  Mt.  Pleasant  Council,  No.  592,  organized 
in  May,  1881.  Although  young  in  years  Mr. 
Galley  has  denmnstrated  his  ability  as  a  success- 
ful and  thorough  business  man. 


X  OSEPII  E.  GIBP.S  was  born  January  27, 
"!''  1860,  in  Mt.  Pleasant,  Westmoreland 
(?7  county,  Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of  John  G.  and 
Rebecca  E.  (Berger)  Gibbs.  Ilis  grandfather, 
Joseph  E.  Gibbs,  a  native  of  Bedford  county, 
Pa.,  came  to  Mt.  Pleasant,  this  county,  where 
he  located  and  carried  on  his  trade — that  of 
warfonmaker.  John  G.  Gibbs  was  born  Ajnil 
21,  1824,  in  Bedford  county,  and  while  yet  a 
youth  came  with  his  parents  to  Mt.  Pleasant. 
After  leaving  the  common  schools  lie,  under  the 
instruction  of  his  father,  learned  the  trade  of 
wagonmaker,  at  which  he  worked  until  1884. 
lie  is  still  living  and  resides  in  Mt.  Pleasant. 

Joseph  E.  Gibbs  attended  the  public  schools 
of  Mt.  Pleasant,  and  then  entered  the  Mt. 
Pleasant  Institute  for  a  year,  leaving  that  insti- 
tution at  the  age  of  eighteen  years.  Prior  to 
entering  the  institute,  however,  he  was  engaged 
two  years  as  clerk  or  salesman  in  a  store ;  he  was 
subsequently  employed  for  four  years  in  the  same 
capacity.     In  1883  he  started  a  livery  and  feed 


M'ESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


103 


Stable,  which  ho  is  still  runiiin^f.  He  has  been 
very  successl'iil  ami  is  ilniiiLC  :iii  u.xccliunt  busi- 
ness. Mr.  liibbs,  \s\w  is  a  iKseiviiij^  and  in- 
(lu.sliii)iis  yimii;^  man,  is  a  nicmlier  of  .M  t.  l'l('as- 
uiit  l,n.l-^e,  Nu.  lifiO,  1.  ().  ().  K.,  una  ul'  Ml. 
i'leasaiil  Council,  No.  Tdiii,  Uoyal  Aixannm. 


'IIIAM  ANDERSON  GIL80N,  a  useful 
anil  respected  citizen  of  Ml.  I'leasant,  and 
a  careful  and  etlicieut  carriage  trinuner, 
is  a  son  of  William  and  Ellen  (Alexander)  Gil- 
son,  and  was  bo."n  in  Tuscarora  \'alley,  Juniata 
county,  Pa.,  on  new  year's  day,  1837.  William 
uilson  was  a  native  of  Juniata  county.  He  was 
a  miller  by  occupation,  and  about  1S45  be  re- 
niovcil  to  Manchester,  now  a  jiart  of  Allegheny 
city,  I'a.,  where  he  resided  a  >number  of  years, 
from  thence  to  New  Florence,  Westmoreland 
county,  where  he  died. 

Hiram  A.  (jilson  came  with  Ids  parents  to 
Manchester,  where  he  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  that  place.  At  the  age  of 
fourteen  years  he  entered  the  work-shop  of  | 
Phelps,  Carr  k  Co.,  of  Allegheny  city,  and 
learned  the  trade  of  carriage  trimmer.  After 
coniiileting  his  trade  he  remained  and  worked 
for  that  firm  for  six  years.  In  1857  he  went  to 
Creensburg  where  he  was  engaged  at  his  trade 
for  four  years.  In  1861  Mr.  Gilson  came  to 
Mt.  I'leasant,  engaged  in  carriage  trimming  and 
lias  continued  at  that  business  ever  since.  In 
1882  he  removed  his  family  to  the  last  named 
place  and  now  [iroposos  to  make  it  his  future 
home. 

In  1859  Mr.  Gilson  married  Maria  Hughes, 
of  New  Derry,  this  county,  by  whom  he  had 
two  children  ;  William  and  Frederick.  Mrs. 
Gilson  died  in  ISGo,  and  Mr.  Gilson  married  for 
his  second  wife,  Mary  J.  IJrown,  of  Jjcdhjrd 
county,  I'a.,  who  bore  him  two  children:  Clar- 
ence and  Harry.  Mrs.  Mary  J.  (iilsou  died  in 
1871,  and  ^Ir.  (iilson,  in  ]cS7."),  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Mrs.  Margaret  (Hutchinson)  (iull'ey. 


of  near  AVest  Newton,  Westmoreland  eouiity, 
I'a.  To  this  third  unicjn  si.x  children  have  been 
born — all  daughters  and  living:  Nellie,  Mollie, 
Eunua,  June,  Irene  and   Lilly. 

lliraiii  A.  (iilson  is  a  good  workman  in  his 
s])ecial  line  of  business.  lie  has  had  years  of 
profitable  experience  as  a  carriage  trimmer,  and 
his  work  as  such  gives  good  satisfiiction.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Mt.  Pleasant  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church  and  member  of  Mt.  Pleasant  Lodge, 
No.  Iil8,  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen. 


IIAPLES  A.  GRAUL,  of  German  de- 
scent, and  the  leading  baker  and  confec- 
tioner of  Mt.  Pleasant,  is  the  son  of 
Leopold  and  Christiana  (Wiedeman)  Graul,  and 
was  born  in  Hempfield  township,  Westmoreland 
county.  Pa.,  February  7,  1S5G.  Lcojiold  Graul 
was  born  and  reared  near  Dessau,  the  capital  of 
Anhalt  Dessau,  an  agricultural  duchy  of  Ger- 
many. In  1850  he  immigrated  to  the  United 
States  and  located  in  Pittsburg,  where  he  was 
married  about  1.853  to  Christiana  Wiedeman, 
who  was  a  native  of  Hanover,  a  province  of 
Prussia.  In  1855  he  came  to  Hempfield  town- 
ship, where  he  resided  fifteen  years  and  was 
principally  engaged  in  huckstering.  By  fair 
and  honorable  dealing  he  became  very  popular 
with  the  farming  population  of  Westmoreland 
county.  In  1870  Mr.  Graul  returned  to  Pitts- 
burg, where  he  is  employed  as  janitor  and 
general  overseer  of  Odd  Fellow's  hall  building, 
"  south  side,"  Pittsburg,  the  largest  building  of 
its  kind  in  the  city. 

Charles  A.  Graul  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Hempfield  township,  returned 
with  his  parents  to  Pittsburg  in  1870,  and  one 
year  later  went  to  the  bakery  of  John  A.  New, 
'■  south  side,"  to  learn  the  trade  of  baker  and 
confectioner.  At  the  end  of  his  first  year's 
apprenliceshi|)  his  employer  could  not  furnish 
him  with  suHieient  work  of  the  grade  that  he  was 
then  cajialile  of  performing,  but  secured  foryoun" 


..■-.1 1 


BIOGRAIUIIKS  OF 


Graul  a  suitable  place  where  he  was  enabled  to 
l>ei't'cct  himself  in  the  several  branches  of  his 
trailc.  After  working  for  nine  years  in  Pittsburj^ 
he  came  to  j\It.  Pleasant  ami  formed  a  co-j);irtner- 
shi|i  with  J.  1'.  \\'eri<man,  Jr.  Tiiey  opened  a 
bakery  and  confectionary  which  they  operated 
till  October,  llSH.3,  when  Mr.  (Jraul  ])urchased 
his  partner's  interest  and  removed  to  his  present 
place  of  business  on  Church  street.  His  sales- 
room is  well  adapted  to  the  purpose  for  which  it 
is  use<l,  and  contains  everything  useful  or  desira- 
ble in  his  line  of  business.  Mr.  Graul  oi)erates 
the  most  complete  bakery  every  established  in 
Mt.  Pleasant  and  has  never  lacked  an  exten- 
sive or  remunerative  patronage  since  he  came 
there. 

On  February  7,  1883,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Anna  Plank,  of  Pittsburg.  Their 
union  has  been  blessed  with  two  children : 
Carl,  born  January  7,  188-t,  and  ^Valter,  born 
April  '2a,  188G. 

C.  A.  Graul  is  a  member  of  the  Reformed 
church  and  in  political  matters  is  a  republican, 
lie  is  a  member  of  Moss  Rose  Lodge,  No.  350, 
I.  O.  0.  F.,  Mt.  Pleasant  Lodge,  No.  198, 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  Mt.  Pleas- 
ant Council,  No.  5'.l'2,  Royal  Arcanum,  and  is  a 
member  of  borough  council  from  the  first  ward. 


jT^IEUT.  JAMES  IIARKTNS,  M.D.,  a 
]^  f  young  man  who  has  made  his  own  way 
ihroiigli  lih'  Hiid  II  pi'ciiiiiucMl  viiuiig  pliy- 
siciuu  of  Ml.  I'lca.sanl,  was  iicu-u  at  lilaiisviih', 
Indiana  county.  Pa.,  Seiitembcr  (J,  li<G3.  lie 
is  a  son  of  Peter  !;?id  Mary  (Morton)  llarkins, 
the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Ireland  and 
the  latter  in  Lilairsvilie,  Imliuna  county.  Pa. 
Peter  llarkins  was  engaged  as  foi'eman  on  tli(^ 
West  Pennsylvania  lailroad.  At  the  breaking 
out  of  the  rebellion  he  entered  the  army  as  a 
private  in  Company  1),  20i3th  reg.  of  Pa.  Vols, 
and  was  in  active  S(trviei'  till  ISlif).  lb'  ic- 
tiiiiiecl  lidiiie  and   sciiin   afliTward  ilied    I'mui    ihe 


effects  of  exposure  and  hai'dships  he  endured  for 
over  four  years. 

Dr.  James  llarkins  at  an  early  age  was  left 
an  orphan,  and  when  he  was  six  years  of  age 
entered  the  Soldier's  and  Orphan's  school  at 
Phillipsburg,  Beaver  county,  was  transferred  to 
JumonviUe,  Fayette  county,  Sejitember  1,  1871), 
where  he  remained  until  he  was  si.xteen  yeans 
old.  lie  then  left  JumonviUe,  began  the  study 
of  medicine  at  Mt.  Pleasant  under  Drs.  Heath 
ami  Goodman.  In  1884  he  entered  the  Eeleetic 
Medical  college  at  Cincinnati,  and  from  this 
favorably  known  school  he  was  graduated  in 
the  class  of  1885.  In  the  same  year  he  located  in 
practice  at  Mt.  Pleasant;  he  is  now  successfully 
engaged  in  his  profession  and  is  also  the  pro- 
prietor of  one  of  the  leading  drug  stores  of  the 
jdace.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Sons  of  Veterans 
and  Division  Surgeon  of  Pennsylvania,  and  ranks 
as  ^lajor.  In  recognition  of  his  thorough 
knowledge  in  military  tactics  and  of  military 
drill  he  was,  in  1889,  elected  by  his  comrades 
second  lieutenant  of  company  E,  10th  reg.  of 
the  National  Guards  of  Pennsylvania.  Dr. 
llarkins,  by  his  own  perseverance  and  energy, 
is  honorably  winning  his  way  to  the  front  ranks 
of  his  j)rofession. 


PAMUEL  W.  HUSBAND,  of  Mt.  Pleas- 
ant, was  born  June  19,  1850,  near  Tarr's 
station,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  and  is 
a  son  of  haviil  and  Sarah  (Mathias)  ilusband. 
I'a\id  Husband,  a  native  of  this  county,  was 
born  June  5,  1S05,  and  was  by  occupation  a 
farmer;  lie  also  worked  f(U'  a  number  of  years 
at  the  cooper  tiade.  For  a  nundjer  of  years  he 
was  the  assessor  of  his  township  (East  Huntim'- 
diin)  and  stood  liigii  in  tiic  estimation  of  all  who 
knew  hiiii,  his  character  commanding  the  resjtect 
of  all.      He  died  November  20,  18S1. 

Samuel  W.  Husband  received  his  education  in 
the  pidilic  .sehiiols  of  his  townslii|i  niiil  the  Mt. 
Pleasant    Institute.       After    leaving;    schoul    lie 


WESTMOIU'LA  ND  CO  UNTY. 


entered  the  army  of  pediigogues  ami  taiiglit  the 
"young  idea  how  to  shoot,"  but  after  a  single 
year's  experienee  in  the  school-room  lie  aban- 
doned the  profession,  Jioping  to  engage  in  some 
more  congenial  and  liicralive  oi:<-ii|iatioii.  At 
the  age  of  twenty-live  years  he  went  to  Oberlin, 
Ohio,  wliere  he  attended  the  school  of  telegrapiiy 
for  several  months  and  then  returned  home,  re- 
maining there  several  years.  In  1881  lie  went 
to  Newton,  Illinois,  where  he  stayed  some  six 
months  assisting  his  brotlier  in  his  business. 
Returning  to  Mt.  Pleasant  he  entered  the  ser- 
vice of  the  15.  i.^  ().  II.  K.  company,  in  which 
he  has  remained  continuously  since  1882,  and 
now  holds  the  responsible  position  of  freight  and 
ticket  agent  at  Mt.  Pleasant,  wliere  he  is  also 
agent  for  the  U.  S.  express  company. 

Samuel  W.  Husband  was  married  February 
27,  1888,  to  Amanda,  a  daughter  of  Herman 
Christner,  of  Garrett,  Somerset  county.  Pa.,  and 
they  have  one  child,  Benjamin,  who  was  born 
November  15,  1888. 


eAPTAIN  W.  N.  JORDAN,  the  popular 
burgess  of  Mt.  Pleasant  and  one  of  the 
prominent  citizens  of  that  progressive 
borough,  was  born  at  Everett,  Bedford  county, 
Pa.,  November  9,  1827,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel 
and  Catharine  (Myers)  Jordan.  Ilis  parents 
were  natives  of  Bedford  county,  Pa.  Samuel 
Jordan,  with  his  family,  moved  in  1840  from 
])cdl'ord  to  Somerset  county,  Pa.,  where  he  re- 
maineil  for  eight  years  and  was  engaged  in 
farming.  In  1818  he  removed  to  Westmoreland 
county  and  settled  in  Mt.  Pleasant  township, 
where  he  resiued  until  liis  death,  which  occurred 
in  Mt.  Pleasant  borough  in  1854. 

Captain  William  M.  Jordan  attended  the  ordi- 
nary schools  of  liis  day  and  at  thirteen  years  of 
age  removed  to  Somerset  county,  where  he 
worked  on  Ids  father's  farm  until  he  was  twenty 
years  of  age.  Fiom  1847  to  iHlil  he  was  en- 
gaged in  ti'aming,  staging  and  foundry  liusiness. 


On  June  8,  18G1,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  B,  twenty- 
eighth  reg.,  I'a.  Vols.,  was  elected  first  lieu- 
temmt  and  pronmted  to  the  caj)taincy  of  Co.  B, 
on  May  1,  18()2.  I  lo  was  wounde(l  at  .\nli(!tam, 
also  at  (y'haneellors\  ille,  and  rcMigned  nw  aeecMint 
of  disability  in  liH(j;i.  In  the  same  year  he  was 
a]ipointed  by  the  Oovernment  Horse  Inspector, 
and  was  alternately  stationed  at  Pittsburg, 
Albany,  N.  Y.,  and  the  eity  of  New  York. 
In  18G5  he  returnc'd  to  Mt.  Pleasant  and  en- 
gaged in  livery  and  selling  and  buying  horses, 
(iov.  deary  appointed  him  notary  piddie  and 
he  has  held  the  appointment  ever  since.  I'ur 
several  years  he  has  been  elected  to  the  ollice  of 
burgess  of  Mt.  Pleasant.  For  eight  years  he 
has  been  a  member  of  the  council  and  is  at 
present  the  secretary  of  the  same. 

On  October  G,  1858,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Belinda  S.,  a  daughter  of  William  Teyman,  of 
Somerset  county.  Pa.  To  their  marriage  have 
been  born  four  children  :  May  E.,  born  June  9, 
1859,  the  widow  of  N.  W.  McMaster ;  Jesse 
D.  K.,  born  July  19,  18G1  ;  William  T.,  born 
June  22,  18G4  (deceased);  and  Grace  L.,  born 
December  18,  18GG. 

Capt.  Jordan  has  made  an  excellent  record  as 
burgess  of  Mt.  Pleasant,  and  has  always  rendered 
satisfaction  in  the  various  positions  of  trust  and 
responsibility  which  he  has  held  at  dift'erent 
times.  He  is  a  protninent  member  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic  and  has  been  a  delegate 
to  six  National  Encampments. 


fAMUEL  C.  KELLEY,  a  self-made  man 
and  a  prominent  young  lawyer  of  Mt. 
Pleasant,  was  born  at  Mt.  Pleasant,  Pa., 
on  August  1,  1858,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and 
I\Iary  ((Junningham)  Kelley,  who  were  natives 
of  AVestmorehind  county,  Pa.  Samuel  Kelley 
(father)  was  a  ]iracticing  physician  ;  he  was  well 
and  favorably  known  in  Westmoreland  county. 
He  wiis  born  in  Heaver  county.  Pa.,  in  1814, 
was  edui.'ateil   in    llookstown,  Pa.,  attended   lee- 


BIOailAI'IIIKS  OF 


tares  at  J(.'ft'cr.sou  Medical  College  at  Pliiladel- 
piiia,  Pa.  Ill  IKGO  lie  einigrateil  with  liis  family 
to  Mor^autiiwii,  W.  Yn.,  where  lie  was  ii|j|)uiiiic<l 
by  the  ;^overiiiiieiit  Meilieal  JiL\aiiiiiier  and  sta- 
tioned at  (iraftoii,  \\ .  \a.  lie  died  June  27, 
1S64,  leaving  a  wife  and  si.v  children  in  limited 
circumstances. 

Samuel  C.  Kelley,  at  the  age  of  nine  years, 
left  home  and  went  to  live  with  his  uncle,  John 
Chestnut,  of  Beaver  county,  Pa.,  where  he  re- 
mained five  years.  In  1873  he  returned  to 
Morgantown,  attended  the  public  schools  of  that 
place,  and  worked  on  the  farm  in  summer  to 
assist  in  the  support  of  his  mother  and  family. 
15y  hard  work  and  great  perseverance  he  was 
enabled  to  enter  the  University  of  W  .\'a.  in 
1877,  where  he  remained  as  a  student  for  limr 
years,  and  was  graduated  from  the  law  depart- 
ment in  the  class  of  1881.  lie  was  admitted 
to  Monongalia  (W.  Va.)  county  bar  on  June  14, 
1881,  and  immediately  entered  into  successful 
practice  of  the  law.  On  April  3,  1882,  he  came 
to  Pennsylvania  and  located  at  Mt.  Pleasant, 
where  he  owns  a  fine  home,  has  several  thousand 
dollars  in  profitable  investments  and  is  other- 
wise well  fixed  and  comfortably  situated  in  life. 
By  his  assiduousness  and  close  attention  to  his 
duties  as  an  attorney  he  has  gained  the  reputa- 
tion of  ueing  a  safe  and  successful  counsellor. 
lie  gives  considerable  of  his  time  to  his  criminal 
practice,  is  a  good  speaker  and  is  making  a  good 
record  as  a  lawyer.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Dow 
Collecting  Bureau  and  looks  after  the  interests 
of  five  other  collecting  agencies.  On  November 
7tli,  JSS,"),  he  was  adiiiitti'd  to  practice  before 
the  Supreme  cuurt  of  I'eiiiisylvaiiia,  and  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Supreme  court  of  West 
A'^irginia.  Although  he  began  to  practice  law  in 
AVestmoreland  county  on  borrowed  capital  he  has 
been  signally  successful.  He  is  an  active  and 
ardent  republican,  always  ready  to  work  in  the 
interests  of  his  party  and  is  a  strong  advocate  of 
temperance.  His  fidelity  to  the  principles  of  his 
party  has   been  duly  appreciated  by  his  friends, 


Avho  have  earnestly  solicited  him  to  become  tlicir 

candidal!'  fir  the  Lcgislaliiic,  but  he  declined  tho 
hoiinr,  pnleiiiiig  the  |.iactice  of  law  to  the  field 
of  jiolitics.  For  four  years  he  has  served  as 
school  director  of  iiis  borough  and  has  always 
shown  great  interest  in  the  advancement  of 
education.  He  is  Secretary  of  the  Order  of 
"  I.  O.  II."  and  is  also  an  active  member  of  the 
"I.  O.  O.  F."  He  is  a  member  of  the  Bajitist 
church  and  takes  quite  an  interest  in  Sunday 
school  work;  he  is  president  of  the  Milk  Can 
and  Tin  Ware  Factory  of  Mt.  Pleasant,  Pa. 

On  December  26,  1881,  he  was  married  to 
Letitia  E.,  daughter  of  Uriah  Hicko.K,  of  La- 
trobe.  Their  marriage  has  been  blessed  with 
two  children :  Charles  II.,  born  October  17, 
1882,  and  John  Logan,  born  January  3,  1885. 


ellARLES  L  ARRIS  ON  KUHN. 
Among  those  who,  upon  the  solid  founda- 
tion of  integrity,  ability  and  enterprise 
have  erected  fine  superstructures  of  moral,  social 
and  financial  worth  and  who  have  been  the 
"  architects  of  their  own  fortunes,"  is  Charles 
Larrison  Kuhn,  a  skilled  pharmacist  and  the 
leading  druggist  of  Mount  Pleasant.  He  was 
born  August  19,  18.32,  in  the  borough  of 
Mount  Pleasant,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa., 
and  is  a  son  of  James  and  Mary  J.  (Larrison) 
Kuhn.  His  paternal  great-grandfather  was  born 
in  Germany,  but  left  the  "  Fatherland  "  and 
crossed  the  Atlantic  to  seek  his  fortune  in  the 
"new  world."  He  laiid.;d  on  the  .shores  of 
America  and  settled  in  Pennsylvania  at  the 
age  of  fifteen  years.  George  Kuhn  (grand- 
father) was  born  December  2,  18U7,  in  the 
beautiful  and  historic  Ligonier  Valley,  where 
he  followed  his  trade  of  shoemaking,  which 
was  in  early  days  more  lucrative  than  the 
mercantile  business.  He  married  Sarah  Peter- 
son, whose  father  removeil  to  this  ^tate  from 
Orange  county,  N.  Y.,  about  1813.  His  son 
James    Kuhn    (father)    is    by    trade    a    miller. 


.j^H^a^ 


'  'ii^ilp^l 


X  ■■ 


WKSTMORELA  ND   CO  UNTY. 


wliicli  ucciipatioii  liu  followed  for  nearly  a  quar- 
ter of  a  century.  During  this  time,  by  strict 
attentiiiii  to  Inisinesti  and  careful  investment  of 
liis  suviiij;.s,  lie  secured  for  iiiniself  a  competency 
Kulliciciit  to  fiialile  iiiiu  to  retire  from  the  active 
pursuit.-)  of  life,  lie  resides  at  Mount  Pleas- 
ant, where  he  owns  considerable  real  estate.  He 
is  a  democrat  in  political  faitii  and  a  member  of 
tlie  liajitist  ciiureh. 

Charles  L.  Kuhn,  after  leaving  the  public 
schools  of  Mount  Pleasant,  in  which  he  received 
a  good  education,  was  CTuployeil  for  a  time  in 
the  grocery  business  and  then  engaged  in  card 
painting  in  the  city  of  Pittsburg,  continuing  in 
that  work  for  about  five  years.  lie  returned  to 
Mount  Pleasant  in  1872,  and  in  1875  engaged 
in  the  drug  business.  Entering  the  college  of 
Pharniacy  at  Pittsburg,  in  1878,  he  completed 
the  course  of  study  and  graduated  from  that  in- 
stitution in  1880.  He  is  now  proprietor  of  an 
excellent  drug  store,  carrying  about  $5,000 
■worth  of  stock  and  owns  valuable  real  estate  in 
Mount  Pleasant.  Mr.  Kuhn  is  one  of  the  lead- 
ing young  business  men  of  the  county,  and  his 
marked  success  has  been  due  almost  entirely  to 
his  own  energy,  care  and  good  judgment. 

"  Kiches  are  oft  by  guilt  or  b:isene5S  eurneJ," 

but  such  an  assertion  can  never  be  made  to  ap- 
ply to  Mr.  Kuhn,  for  his  honesty  and  his  honor 
are  beyond  question.  True,  he  possesses  ambi- 
tion, though  not  of  the  kind  referred  to  by  Mil- 
ton, when  he  says  in  Paradise  Lost : 

"To  reij^u  ib  WDitli  ;ujiliitioii,  tlioii;,'li  in  lioll  ;" 

but  rather  that  ambition  which,  as  Addison 
says  : 

"  Pushes  tlie   soul   to  such    actions   aa  are  apt   to  procure 
honor  and  reputation  to  the  actor." 

Charles  L.  Kuhn  has  been  twice  manied  :  his 
first  wife  was  Catharine  Shalfer,  of  this  county, 
who  died  in  1875,  the  year  of  her  marriage;  he 
was  again  married  in  May,  187U,  to  Lizzie,  a 
daughter  of  Samuel  Mellinger,  of  Mount  Pleas- 


ant  township,  this  county,  ai>d  this  union  has 
been  blessed  with  four  children  :  Hoy,  born  Feb- 
ruary 7,1882;  Cora,  born  April  23,  1884; 
Myrtle,  born  July  2:},  1880,  and  Charles,  born 
June  4,  1881). 


IL'l'ON  SUTTON  KUHN,  an  enter- 
1  /  nrisintr  drui'irist  of  Mount  Pleasant, 
♦  Westmoreland  county,  I'a.,  was  burn 
there  February  15,  1857,  and  is  a  son  of  Jame.-j 
and  Mary  J.  (Larrison)  Kuhn.  (For  ancestral 
history  see  sketch  of  Charles  r>.  Kului). 

AL  S.  Kuhn  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  town  and  at  Mount 
Pleasant  Institute,  where  he  took  a  course  in 
Latin  and  chemistry.  During  the  next  six 
years  he  was  engaged  as  clerk  in  the  drug  store 
of  his  brother,  Charles  L.  Kuhn,  and  from  1881 
until  188-j  he  was  with  his  father,  James  Kuhn, 
in  the  grocery  and  queensware  business  at 
Mount  I'leasant.  In  March,  188U.  he  pur- 
chased the  drug  store  of  Josiah  Strickler,  and 
ever  since  that  time  has  been  successfully  con- 
ducting the  business  in  all  its  branches.  Mr. 
Kuhn  is  a  member  of  Logan  Council,  No.  145, 
Jr.  0.  U.  A.  M.,  and  is  one  of  the  bright 
young  business  men  of  Mount  Pleasant.  He  is 
a  descendant  of  one  of  the  early  settled  families 
of  the  county — a  family  whose  members  have 
always  maintained  a  high  standing  among  their 
fellow-men. 


•j'OIIN  LYTLE  KYLE,  a  native  of  Frank- 
■■ji'  lin  county.  Pa.,  was  born  April  24,  1834, 
\^  and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Jane  (Lytle) 
Kyle.  His  grandfather  was  a  native  of  Ireland, 
immigrated  to  the  United  States  in  early  lift;  and 
settled  in  Franklin  county.  Pa.  \Villiam  Kyle 
(father)  was  born  December  8,  1805,  and  was 
by  trtide  a  saddle  and  harness  maker,  but  de- 
voted part  of  his  time  and  attention  to  the  super- 
vision of  work  on  a  farm   until  the  fall  of  1840, 


liiin;i!Al'iiil-:s  of 


wluMi  ho    inovoil    with  liis   t'aiiiiiy  to    limlili^^toii,    j 
Lnv;i,  wlifix'  lir  ilicl  .luno  'Jtl,   IS  17. 

,l:inc  Kyle  (iiioll.cr)  di.'d  Sp|.IcmiIici-  1  I  ol'llic 
Ulnar    yciir  ;    llir    liiiiiily    rcliniicil    lu    IVicinls   in    i 
\V(-;liii(iirhiiiil  iMiiuly.  j 

John  L.  Kvle  attfiulud  the  public  schoul.s  of 
liis  luitivo  county  and  worked  on  ;i  t'uiiu  until  j 
sixteen  years  of  age,  when  he  located  at  (ireens- 
buriT,  tliis  county,  where  lie  learned  the  trade  of 
carriaco  builder  with  Adam  Stark  &  Son,  at 
which  he  worked  for  some  time.  February  1, 
18(5:2,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  K,  eleventh  reg.,  Pa. 
Vols,  and  served  three  years  and  live  mouths, 
receivini'  in  186.5  a  promotion  to  first  lieutenant. 
During  his  whole  service  he  was  with  the  Army 
of  the  Potonuic  and  ]iarticipated  in  the  battles 
in  which  that  army  was  engaged.  At  the  bat- 
tle of  Gettysburg  he  was  taken  prisoner  but 
escaped  before  the  close  of  that  memorable  fight. 
When  the  war  ended  he  returned  to  Grecnsburg 
and  resumed  work  at  his  trade.  In  1870  he  re- 
m<ived  to  Mount  Pleasant  where  he  continued  in 
his  chosen  occupation,  lie  is  a  member  of 
Philanthropy  Lodge,  No.  225,  A.  Y.  M.,  and 
of  Urania  Chapter,  No.  1U5,  II.  A.  Masons, 
both  of  Grecnsburg  :  he  also  belongs  to  Mount 
Pleasant  Lodge,  No.  1!I8,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and 
has  for  thirty-si.x  years  been  a  member  of  the 
M.  I'i.  church. 

John  L.  Kyle  was  married  Ajiril  lo,  1858, 
to  Kmily,  a  daughter  of  the  late  Joseph  Har- 
vey, of  Harvey's  Five  Points,  Salem  township, 
this  county.  The  fruits  of  their  union  are  foui- 
children  :  Teresa,  who  now  resides  in  Cawnpore, 
India  ;  Fannie  and  JNIaggie,  who  reside  with 
their  parents  in  Mount  Pleasant,  and  Joseph  II. 
Kyle,  who  died  September  30,  1871. 

•{•OHN-D.  LEONARD,  one  of  those  who 
'f'  were  wounded  in  the  terrible  battles  of  the 
(gj  Wilderness  and  an  industrious  citizen  of 
1\U.  I'leasant,  was  born  in  Ue(lford  county.  Pa., 
May  8,  1812,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Harbara 


(Sniouse)  liconard.  His  grandfather,  John 
Leonaicl,  Sr.,  was  boni  and  reariMJ  in  Adams 
eounly.  Pa.,  where  he  continued  to  reside  as  long 
as  he  lived.  He  was  an  old  whig,  a  member  of 
the  (!albolic  eliureh  and  was  a  -^biij  earpenler  liy 
trade.  His  iiialernal  grandi'atber,  .Smouse, 
was  a  native  of  Germany.  He  immigrated  to. 
America  and  settled  in  Hlair  county,  this  State, 
where  he  liveil  until  his  death.  He  was  a  farm, 
and  day-laborer  and  was  a  democrat  in  political 
opinion. 

His  father,  John  Leonard,  was  born  in  Ailams. 
county  about  1812.  He  was  a  day  laborer,  an 
old  line  whig,  an  earnest  member  of  the  Catholic 
church,  and  died  in  in  Bedford  county,  to  which 
he  had  removed  from  Adams  county.  He  was 
twice  married.  His  first  wife  having  died  he 
afterwards  married  Barbara  Smouse,  by  whom, 
he  had  seven  sons  and  five  daughters,  four  of 
these  sons  entered  the  Union  service  during  the 
late  war  :  John  D.,  Jerome  who  enlisteil  in  Co. 
E,  fifty-fifth  reg..  Pa.,  A'ols.  in  18U1  was  im 
many  hard  battles  and  died  in  18G1  from 
wounds  received  in  front  of  Petersburg ;  Adam,, 
who  went  out  in  18G3  and  served  till  the  close 
of  the  war,  and  Henry,  who  enlisted  in  18G2  in, 
Co.  E.,  one  hundred  and  thirty-eighth  reg..  Pa., 
Vols.,  and  participated  in  all  the  battles  of  the 
army  of  the  Potomac  from  that  time  on  until  it 
was  disbanded.  John  D.  Leonanl  received  his 
education  in  the  common  schools  and  then 
learned  the  trade  of  plasterer.  In  1S()2  he 
enlisted  in  Co.  E,  oneliundred  and  thirty-eightli 
rec.,  Pa.,  Vols.,  and  served  until  18G5.  lie 
was  in  the  battles  of  Brandy  Station,  Mine  Run 
and  the  Wilderness  fights,  in  one  of  which  he 
was  wounded  in  the  shoulder  and  was  disabled 
entirely  from  active  service  during  the  remain- 
der of  the  war.  In  18G5  he  returned  home  and 
resumed  his  trade  of  plastering  which  he  has  fol- 
lowed ever  since.  In  18(i8  ho  moved  to  .Mt. 
Pleasant  where  he  has  continued  to  reside  till, 
the  present  time. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  with  Louise  Cold- 


Ur.STMOni'JLAND   CO  UNTV. 


sniitli,  II  (luiij^litcr  of  Joliii  ColilMiiith,  uf  Mt. 
rii'iisiint.  Tlicy  liavc.bccn  l\w  iiaieiils  of  fi;j;lit, 
cliildron  :  \Villi;ini,  Heath,  (k'cea.scd  ;  Ivlgar, 
dead  ;  I'llla,  deceased  ;  Miiiiiiu,  Marv,  lailii  and 
Jolill. 

Jului  1).  Leonard  was  originally  a  ro]iulilicau 
but  is  now  a  prohibitionist.  Ho  is  a  ineiubcr  of 
the  IJaptist  church,  Moss  Rose  Lodge,  No.  350, 
I.  ().  of  0.  F.,  Council  No.  5'J2,  Royal  Arcanum 
and  (J rand  Army  of  tlie  Repulilic. 

•jjpULIUS   LEWY,  one    who    has    conducted 

J  large  business  enterprises  in  Germany  and 
Sweden  and  who  is  now  a  prominent  busi- 
ness man  of  Mt.  Pleasant,  was  b<iru  at  Tessin,  a 
town  in  the  Grand  Duciiy  of  Mecklenburg- 
Schweriii,  Germany,  April  11,  1834,  and  is  a 
son  of  lleinman  and  Henrietta  (Nathanson) 
Lewy.  lleinman  Lewy  was  born  in  ll'Jl  and 
at  si.\  years  of  age  lost  his  father,  but  his 
mother,  a  spirited  and  intelligent  woman,  placed 
him  at  a  first-class  school  where  he  received  a 
good  practical  education.  At  sixteen  yehrs  of 
age  he  entered  into  his  first  and  important  busi- 
ness enterprise,  which  was  no  less  than  the  con- 
tract to  supply  the  French  army,  then  encamped 
at  I'essin,  with  certain  kinds  of  i)ruvisions — 
especially  cheese.  YuungLewv,  finding  cheese 
a  scarce  article  in  his  own  ducliy,  went  to  the 
Province  of  Holstein,  a  distance  of  four  hundred 
miles,  where  lie  secured  a  large  quantity  of 
chc'cse  and  had  it  conveyed  by  a  large  number  of* 
si.x  horse  teams  to  Tessin.  The  business  push 
that  he  exhibited  in  this  insfcince  secured  him 
the  confidence  of  the  public,  and  in  fulfilling  his 
army  contract  he  laid  the  foundation  of  his  sub- 
sequent successful  business  career.  His  next 
enterprise  and  the  main  business  of  his  life  was 
wool-dealing  aJ;  Tessin.  He  bought  and  sold 
wool  on  a  large  scale,  purchasing  large  quanti- 
ties and  sold  it  to  the  leading  markets  of  Sweden. 
lie  was  also  engaged  in  the  dry  goods  business. 
Julius  Lewy  received  his  rudimentary   educa- 


tion in  the  gymnasium  at  Gistrow,  where  he  re- 
mained tor  two  yeais.  He  then  returned  home 
and  was  jdaced  under  the  care  of  a  celebrated 
private  tutor  for  three  years.  At  thirteen  years 
of  age  he  was  [jjaced  in  a  dry  goods  .store  where 
he  served  an  apprenticeship  of  four  years,  and 
as  was  the  custom  of  that  country  he  received  at 
the  expiration  of  his  fourth  year  a  sum  of  gold 
equivalent  to  one  hundred  dollars  of  United 
States  money.  At  the  expiration  ofliis  term  of 
service  he  returned  home  well  prejjared  and 
fully  qualified  to  enter  on  and  assume  the  re- 
sponsible duties  of  manager  and  purchaser  in  his 
father's  dry  goods  establishment.  This  position 
he  held  for  ten  years.  At  the  end  of  this  jieriod 
of  active  and  successful  service  he  juircliased  the 
store  of  his  father  and  conducted  it  for  four 
years,  when  he  sold  out  in  order  to  embark  in 
a  business  enterprise  in  Sweden.  In  18<j6  he 
and  his  brother  removed  to  that  country,  where 
they  engaged  in  business  at  Norrkoping  as  deal- 
ers in  wool  and  dye  stuffs  for  the  manufacture  of 
cloth.  They  continued  with  fair  success  in 
business  for  three  years.  In  18G9  Jujius  Lewy 
proceeded  to  Hamburg  where  he  opened  an  office 
as  broker  in  wool  and  pelts.  After  two  years 
residence  in  that  free  city  of  North  Germany  he 
sailed  in  March,  1871,  for  New  York  city  and 
landed  in  the  ensuing  month  of  Aj)ril.  He  soon 
secured  a  position  as  bark  inspector  at  a  tannery 
situateil  in  the  interior  of  the  Empire  State 
where  he  remained  for  over  two  years.  In 
August,  1873,  Mr.  Lewy  came  to  Mt.  Pleasant 
which  he  had  previously  selected  as  a  favorable 
point  for  business,  and  where  he  became  a 
dealer  in  wool  and  hides.  He  also  embarked  in 
the  clothing  business  and  successfully  pursued 
these  two  lines  of  business  for  ten  years.  In 
1883  he  engaged  in  his  present  prosperous  en- 
terprise, that  of  manufacturer  of  foundry 
facings. 

On  October  1,  1876,  he  married  Anilia  Oct- 
tinger  of  Baltimore,  Maryland.  She  died  in 
June,   1881,   and  left   one  child,  Harry    Lewy, 


BIOORAPJIllCS   OF 


born  October  4,  1879.  Mr.  Lowy  was  re-miir- 
rioil  Juno,  1883,  to  Nannie  Ijundcckcr,  of  Now 
York  city. 

.luliiis  LcNvy  i.s  ;i  nienibor  of  the  Ki)yiil 
ArcMMuni,  Ancient  Order  of  United  Woiknicn 
and  Kniglits  of  Honor.  lie  manufactures  foun- 
dry facings  of  first-class  quality  and  fine  finisli, 
and  ships  tliem  in  large  quantities  both  cast  and 
west,  lie  is  active  and  energetic  and  is  well 
(|Uali(ied  to  manage  large  and  inqiurtant  liusiness 
enterj)rises. 


(U 


K.  J.  A.  L0A15,  a  skillful  dentist  and 
line  of  Weslmciieland  cdunty's  ln'.^l  icnown 
[uiblic-spirited  men,  was  born  January  1 1, 
1842,  in  Waynesburg,  Green  county,  I'a.  He 
was  educated  at  Waynesburg  college,  and  at  the 
ago  of  seventeen  years  began  the  reading  of 
medicine  with  his  father,  the  weil-kiii)\vn  l)r. 
ApoUos  Loar,  of  Waynesburg,  I'a.  In  18G() 
he  joined  his  father,  who  had  moved  to  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  and  eritered  the  Medical  college  at 
that  city,  but  after  three  months  abandoned  his 
studies  and  engaged  in  carpentry,  at  which  he 
worked  two  and  one-half  years.  J.  A.  Loar  was 
a  member  of  the  National  Guard  of  Ohio  from 
18G1  until  1864,  when,  upon  President  ]  Jncoln's 
call  for  volunteers  to  serve  one  hundred  days  he 
enlisted  in  the  138th  reg.,  Ohio  infantry,  and 
served  four  months  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
being  discharge<l  at  the  end  of  that  time.  lie 
then  went  to  the  State  of  Indiana  where  he 
studied  dentistry  for  two  years,  and  in  the  fall 
of  18G6  moved  to  Westmoreland  county.  Pa. 

In  March,  1806,  he  was  married  at  Greens- 
burg  to  Miss  Ilattie  Gross,  who  was  a  daughter 
of  Joseph  Gross,  of  Greensburg,  at  that  time 
clerk  of  the  courts  of  Westmoreland  county. 

Dr.  Lo;V' located  at  Mt.  Pleasant,  where  he 
has  suect'ssluUy  [n-aeticed  iii.s  chosen  profession 
for  iwentv-two  ycar.s  and  liuiit  up  a  I'eputatioli 
fur  skill  and  reliahility  second  to  none  in  the 
county.      Dr.  J.  A.  Loar  is  a  prominent  iiiendjcr 


and  Past    Commander  of  Robert  Warden  Post, 

No.  163,  (i.  A.  li.,  and  also  of  the  N.  G.  of 
I'a.,  in  which  he  served  si.\  years  as  first  .sergeant 
(Jo.  li.,  Mt.  Ph'asant,  three  year.s  as  adjutant 
and  the  same  length  of  time  as  ([uartermastcr  of 
the  tenth  reg.;  he  is  now  in  theservice  as  captain 
of  Co.  E,  teiitii  reg.,  dischai-ging  hi.s  variou.s 
duties  with  credit  to  himself  and  entire  satisfac- 
tion to  his  company  and  sujierior  officers.  Such 
is  his  worth  that  when  with  electric  speed  the 
news  of  the  ".Johnstown  hoi'ror  "  spread  over 
the  land  and  men  of  action  and  judgment  were 
needed,  Dr.  J.  A.  Loar  was  selected  and  ap- 
))ointed  by  J.  L.  Spangler,  assistant  commissary 
general  of  N.  (J.  of  Pa.,  to  take  charge  of  Post 
Commi.ssary  No.  1,  and  for  si.\  long  weeks  he  so 
faithfully  discharged  the  duties  assigned  him  that 
he  afterwards  received  the  thanks  and  commenda- 
tions of  his  superior  officers  through  Lieut.  (Jol. 
and  Asst.  Commissai'y  (ien.  Spangler.  Dr. 
Loar  is  a  charter  member  and  secretary  of  Mt. 
Plca.sant  Council,  No.  5U2,  Iloyal  Arcanum,  and 
belongs  to  Mt.  Pleasant  Lodge,  No.  1U8,  A.  0. 
U.  W.  and  Past  Grand  of  Moss  Rose  Lodge, 
No.  850,  I.  0.  0.  F.  He  has  served  as  burgess 
of  the  borough  of  Mt.  Pleasant,  as  councilman 
for  three  years  and  is  now  the  borough  treasurer. 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  J,  A.  Loar  have  had  four  chil- 
dren :  Byron  Melville,  Apollos  Gross,  Emma 
and  Myrtle.  ()f  these,  the  two  last  mentioned 
have  been  removed  from  earth  by  the  "  grim 
reaper,"  and  are  now  hapjiy  in  the  bright 
"  Beulah  land  "  beyond  the  skies  and  the  corus- 
catinjr  stars. 


'TT'ACHARY  TAYLOR  LONG,  a  pros- 
M^r  perous  merchant  and  well-known  citizen 
^^  of  51 1.  Pleasant,  is  a  son  of  Jesse  and 
Eliza  (Landis)  Long  and  was  born  near  Berlin, 
Somerset  county,  Pa.,  September  23,  1848.  His 
patciiial  grandfather  owned  nine  hundred  acres 
of  land  in  Sonu'iset  county.  Pa.,  wliere  he  also 
was  pro])riet<ir  and  operator  of  a  large  distillery. 


M'F.STMOliKLAM)   CO  11  .STY. 


His  iiiatciiKil  graiulFiitlicr  was  a  iiaiivo  iif  the 
above  iiicntiuiiecl  county  and  o\un.d  a  large  lariii 
and  a  llouriiig-niill.  Jesse  Long  (fatlier)  was  a 
wellloilo  Somerset  county  fainier  and  a  leading 
tearlier  in  liis  section  ol'botli  lOngli.sh  and  ( icniian. 
He  was  frciiuenlly  entrusted  with  cmuity  and 
township  ollices  by  his  fellow  citi/.ens  and  served 
as  county  commissioner,  poor-house  director, 
school  director  and  justice  of  the  peace. 

Zachary  Taylor  Long  attended  the  common 
schools  until  tw  enty  years  of  age  and  then  took 
a  full  year's  course  at  Normal  school.  Leaving 
school,  he  engaged  in  farming  with  his  father  for 
five  years  and  then  became  manager  of  a  steam 
saw-mill  in  Somerset  county,  Pa.  In  1878  he 
removed  to  Westmoreland  county,  where  he  was 
employed  at  the  coke  works  of  H.  C.  Frick  kQo. 
for  four  years.  In  188"i  h<?  was  elected  and 
served  for  one  year  as  high  constable  and  chief 
of  police  and  tax  cullcctor  of  Mt.  I'leasant.  (Jne 
year  later  he  enibarked  in  the  dry  goods  and 
grocery  business  at  Mt.  I'leasant.  From  a 
small  beginning  he  has  built  up  a  good  trade  and 
is  daily  increasing  the  number  of  his  customers. 

On  January  4,  l.'^TO,  Mr.  Long  was  united  in 
marriage  witli  Carrie  !''.  l)(irMcr,  of  Clumberland, 
Md.  They  have  one  child:  Albert  I!.,  born 
July  ti,  LST-i. 

Zachary  T.  Long  is  a  member  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  is  a  good 
business  nuin  and  an  intelligent  citizen.  Ue  is 
a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church 
and  the  present  supci  inlendent  nf  its  Sunday 
school. 


(TJT^LORENCE  L.  MARSH,  M.  D.,  of  Mt. 
"jiv  Pleasant,  was  born  ^lay  ti,  1848,  in  Mc. 
Kees[)iirt,  Allegheny  ccjunty,  Pa.,  and  is 
a  son  of  Alfted  (i.aml  Mary  (( uoss)  .Marsh. 
His  grandf\ther  ^Lirsli  was  born  near  West 
Newton,  Westmoreland  county,  and  was  by 
occupation  a  farmer.  He  was  one  of  the  old 
citizens  of  the  county,  having  served  as  a  soldier 


in  the  second  war  with  (Ireat  Pritain,  known  as 
tbo  war  of  l.Slli.  Ju.-,e|>h  tui.ss  (maternal 
grandfather),  was  for  some  time  a  nierchaut  at 
New  SlanlcMi,  and  whiht  then;  was  elected  pro- 
thonolaiy  ol'  We-^lMioreland  louiily  on  the  ileno;- 
cratic  ticket.  He  then  removecl  lu  (ireensburg, 
and  was  afterward  elected  cleik  of  the  courts  of 
the  same  county  ;  be  dieil  several  years  ago. 
Alfred  G.  Marsh  (father)  was  born  in  Sewickley 
township,  this  county,  and  in  the  earlier  part  of 
his  life  was  employed  on  steam  boats  plying  on 
the  Monongahela,  Ohio  and  .Mississippi  rivers. 
Later  he  settled  at  McKeesport,  Allegheny 
county,  after  which  he  located  at  Mt.  Pleasant, 
where  he  taught  school  for  a  short  time,  then 
moved  to  Greensburg,  where  he  served  as  justice 
of  the  peace,  and  also  has  been  engaged  as  clerk 
in  the  various  oilices  of  this  county  for  a  long 
time,  and  at  ])resent  is  residing  at  Greensburg, 
being  about  sixty-five  years  of  age;  his  wife 
was  RLiry,  a  daughter  of  Josej)h  Gross,  and 
she,  too,  is  living  at  the  age  of  about  sixty-two. 
Florence  L.  Marsh  was  reared  at  Greensburg, 
where  he  received  his  education  in  the  public 
and  academic  schools.  On  Se]itember  14.  1^'J4, 
wdu;n  only  sixteen  years  nf  age,  he  enlisted  in 
Co.  K,  'Jllth  regt.,  Pa.  \'ols.  as  sergeant  and 
remained  in  the  service  until  the  close  of  the 
war,  participating  in  the  tight  at  Ft.  Steadman 
and  in  the  last  battle  in  front  of  Petersburg 
before  Lee's  surrender  :  he  served  in  the  division 
eoniinanded  by  ^Lijor-General  John  F.  Hartrauft. 
Li  18l).\  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  be  began 
to  read  medicine  with  Dr.  Robert  ]5rown,  of 
Greensburg,  remaining  with  him  till  I8ii0, 
when  he  entered  JetVerson  Medical  college  at 
Philadelphia,  from  which  well-known  institution 
he  graduated  March  11,  1808.  Returning  to 
Westmoreland  county  ])r.  F.  L.  ^hu'sh  began 
the  ]iractice  of  his  jirofession  at  ^hldison,  but 
after  si.x  months  removed  to  Retlianv,  same 
county,  and  remained  there  one  year.  In  1870 
he  went  to  Mt.  Pleasant,  where  he  has  been  ever 
since,  and  is  now  among  the  leading  physicians 


204 


BlOllRAPlirKS  OF 


in  tli;it  ]iart  of  the  t'ouiity.  IIu  kue|).s  abreast  of 
the  times  ami  is  recognized  by  liis  nieilicai  bretli- 
ren  as  a  leader  in  tlie  profession.  Dr.  Marsli  has 
Ijeen  remarkably  successful  in  his  practice,  wiiich 
is  both  largo  and  lucrative;  he  has  a  fine  medi- 
cal library  and  is  a  diligent  student  of  everything 
pertaining  to  greater  eiHciency  and  usefulness  in 
his  practice.  lie  is  a  member  of  tiie  Westmore- 
land County  Medical  Society,  the  State  Medical 
Society  and  the  American  Medical  Association, 
at  whose  meetings  he  is  a  regular  attendant.  In 
these  societies  and  in  medical  discussions  Dr. 
Marsh  takes  groat  interest  and  from  them  re- 
ceives many  useful  hints  and  ideas  and  much 
beneficial  information.  Born  with  grit  and 
brains  he  has  labored  with  diligence  and  perse- 
verance, pausing  not  in  his  upward  march  but 
pressing  on  and  on,  with  implicit  conlidenee  in 
the  ancient  adage,  "  Labor  oiiinid  viiicit." 

Dr.  F.  L.  Marsh,  on  October  ;"),  ISIJO,  was 
luiitcd  in  marriage  witji  Margaret  Spiegel,  of 
East  Huntingdon  twwnsliip,  a  daughter  of  Will- 
iam Spiegel  and  a  sister  of  Jacob  H.  Spiegel, 
who  is  a  well-known  atturney  and  who  was 
formerly  for  two  terms  superintendent  of  the 
^Vestmoreland  county  schools.  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
^larsh  are  the  parents  of  five  children  :  Edward 
Brown,  born  June  23,1870:  William  Alfred, 
born  March  23,  1872;  liabe  Ferguson,  liorn 
December  18,  1875;  Mary  Leoua,  born  Febru- 
ary 24,  188;') ;  and  John  McMillan  (deceased), 
born  January  9,  1878;  died  January  2,  1881. 
Dr.  Marsh  is  a  member  of  the  Uoyal  Arcanum, 
tlie  .Vncient  Older  uf  United  AVorkmen,  the 
I'resbyterian  church,  and  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic,  in  which  he  has  been  surgeon  of 
Dost  No.  103  ever  since  its  ortranizatiou. 


•f-OlIN  DiCKEY  McCALEB  was  born  Au- 

I'gust  4,  1824.  ill  Salem  township,  AVeslmore- 

(zJ  land  county,  I'a.,  and   is  a  son  of  John  and 

Sarah  (llosack)  MeCaleb.      James  McCaleb,  his 

grandfather,  was  a  native  of  Scotland   but  came 


to  America  and  settled  in  Salem  township  near 
the  present  town  of  Delmont.  John  Mc(Jaleb, 
one  of  his  sons,  was  born  August  4,  1824,  in 
Salem  township,  and  devotctl  thirty  years  of  his 
lifelolhe  prolessionid' teaching.    Jledied  inl8;'j(). 

John  D.  Mc(!aleb  received  his  education  in 
the  subscription  schools  of  his  day.  When  only 
ten  years  of  age  he  left  the  parental  roof  to 
work  on  the  farm  of  Maj.  Kean,  where  he  re- 
mained three  years.  After  two  years  on  other 
farms  he  went  to  Mt.  Pleasant  and  was  there 
employed  for  ten  years  as  clerk  in  stores,  seven 
years  of  this  time  being  with  Sherrick  &  Braden. 
In  18r)l  ho  engaged  in  mercantile  business  on 
his  own  account  and  successfully  carried  it  on 
until  18Gtj.  He  was  postmaster  during  1807 
and  18t3S,  and  again  from  1870  to  1887.  In  the 
latter  year  lie  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace 
for  the  borough  of  Mt.  Bleasaiit,  which  ollice  he 
now  holds,  doing  in  connection  therewith  a  real 
estate  business.  He  was  for  some  time  also 
interested  in  the  foundry  business  and  other 
mercantile  jdirsuits  outside  of  his  store.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  is 
an  upright,  conscientious  man. 

John  Dickey  Mc(Jaleb  was  married  in  August, 
1851,  to  Sarah,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Sherrick, 
of  East  Huntingdon  township,  and  they  have 
four  children  :  J.  Sherrick,  a  banker  at  (Jon- 
nellsville,  Pa.  ;  AVilliam  1!.,  supervisor  of  the 
eastern  division  P.  U.  11. ;  Ella  and  Ellie. 


^  MFll  JUDSON  McELWEE,  a  leading 
^Sj*  druggist  of  Mt.  Pleasant,  was  born  in 
Franklin  Square,  Columbiana  county, 
Ohio,  April  9,  1845,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  and 
Susan  (Robertson)  McEhvee.  His  grandfather 
McElwee  was  of  Scotch-Irish  extraction  and  a 
native  of  Scotland,  who  came  to  the  United  States 
in  the  early  part  of  tlie  ]iresciit  century  and  settled 
in  New  Jersey,  where  his  son  'I'homas  Mcl'^lwce 
was  born  Octoiicr  ',*,  1800.  When  quite  young 
the  latter  left  New   Jersey,  crossed  the  AUeglie- 


WKi;TMUIlL:LA  ND   CO  UNTY. 


207 


iiics  and  sottlcil  in  Ohio,  wliorc  lio  Wiis  oiio  of 
tlio  j)i<ini'or.s  of  Colimiliiiiiiii  county,  and  wlieru 
lie  died  July  111,  1.S70.  His  wifo,  Susan  Mc- 
I'llwiT,  wiiii.M(,'  iiiiiidcM  niiiiio  WMM  KolicrtHon,  was 
born  near  Now    ( 'asl.ic,   l,a\M'fncu  ciiiiiity,   I'a. 

Eincr    J.    IMcKlwuo    attcndoii     tlio    country 
schools  of  his   native  phicc,  and  after  losinj^  his 
mother  hy  tleath,  at  the  age  of  eiglit  years  went 
to  the   village   of  Columbiana,  where   he  lived 
with  his  uncle  and  attended  the  public  schools. 
In  the  fall  of  18(31   he  entered  Mt.  Union  col- 
lege, but  left  in  the  following  January  to  enter 
the    service   of  the    Federal  government,    then 
making  gigantic  eft'orts  to  crush  the  Rebellion. 
On  January  6,  18G2,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in 
Co.  B,  ftirty-third  reg.,  Ohio  Vols.     He  served 
with    his    regiment    for    three    years     and    si-\ 
months,    particijiating    in    the    battles  of    New 
Madrid,    Mo.,    Corinth,    luka    Springs,    Miss., 
and  all  the  engagements  in  which  the  sixteenth 
and   seventeenth   Corps  took  part,  being  along 
with  Sherman  on  his  famous  march  to  the  sea. 
At  the  battle  of   Atlanta.  Ga.,  ho  was  slightly 
wounded ;    he    served   six  months   of   the    time 
he   was  in  the    army   as  hospital    steward.      His 
lirst    enlistment     was  for   three  years,    and  on 
January    1,   1864,   he  re-enlisted    as  a  veteran 
and  was  finally  discharged   honorably   in  July, 
ISIiTj.       Several    appointments    as    a    non-cuin- 
missioned  ollleer  wimc  oll'ered  him  Ijiit  he  refused 
them  all.     After  the    close  of   the   war  he  en- 
tered the  college  of   Pharmacy  at  Saint  Louis, 
Mo.,  wlicre  he    prepalcd    hiiusrif    tor  liis   clidseii   I 
prut'e.ssion,  and  tVoni   ISdT    to    1S77    tilled   many   i 
positions    as    drug    elerk    in    JUinois,   Missouri,  | 
Ohio  and  reiinsylvania.      In   1S77  ho  came  to  ■ 
AVestumreland  eniinty  and  located  at  Mt.  I'leas-   [ 
ant,   where  he   engaged   in    the   drug    business.   | 
He  has  a  lino  store  there,    carries  five  or  si.x  j 
thousaiul  dollars  worth  of  stock  and  has  a  large  ! 

and  exi'ellcnl    iiatronaixc      lie  is  a  man  of  I'ood 

.  .  .       . 

business  :iiid  social    (pialilies,  and  in  polities  is  a   I 

b(Tie\erih  the^  prineiph's    and    measures   of   the 

Democratic  party.  i 


Emer  Jud.son  McElwee,  on  the  twenty-third 
of  Janiniry,  1877,  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Mrs.  Mary  ((Jarrol)  Murphy,  of  Brinton,  Al- 
legheny county,  I'a.,  and  the  fruits  of  their  union 
ar(!  lour  children:  Annie  May,  born  March  H, 
1878;  John  McMillan,  Augusts,  18 '1;  James 
Carrol,  November  20,  1882,  and  Mabel  Jenkins, 
January  23,  1885. 

E.  J.  McEhvee  is  u  member  of  the  Odd 
Fellows,  Royal  Arcanum,  A.  0.  U.  ^V.,  Hep- 
tasophs,  and  for  more  than  twelve  years  has  been 
identified  with  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Mt. 
Pleasant. 

E.  J.  McElwee  is  one  of  the  most  popular 
drujigists  of  the  county.  His  thorough  knowledge 
of  his  profession,  his  careful  and  conscientious 
handling  of  all  prescri])tions  intrusted  to  him, 
his  strict  integrity  in  all  liis  business  transactions, 
has  gained  for  him  an  excellent  reputation  both 
with  the  physicians  and  public. 


MBROSE  H.  MYERS,  M.  D.,  of  Mt. 
Pleasant,  is  entitled  to  the  honor  of 
having  presided  at  the  lirst  ilag  presenta- 
tion ever  made  by  a  secret  society  to  a  common 
school,  when  Logan  Council,  N().  115,  Junior 
Order  of  United  .Vmerican  Mechanics,  piesented 
a  very  beautilul  and  costly  Unitetl  States  ll.ig  to 
the  public  schools  at  Mt.  J'leasant.  J)r.  Myers 
was  born  in  Burnsido  townshiji,  Cleariichl  county, 
Pa.,  April  24,  1855.  His  parents,  Luther  and 
Margaret  (Loveleee)  Myers,  \\ere  natives  of 
Pennsylvania  and  the  former  was  a  well  known 
farmer  and  luinberman  of  Clearfield  county. 
'J"he  doctor's  paternal  ami  maternal  grandfather; 
were  both  born  in  the  ■•Keystone  State,"  where 
they  lived  and  died. 

l)r.  A.  11.  Myers  received  his  education  in 
common  and  select  schools  and  Purchase  I/in^ 
academy  of  Indiana  eouiity.  Pa.  .Vt  seveiilee\ 
years  of  agi?  he  eonimeiii-ed  tin'  stinlv  of  iiiedi 
cine  with  l)r.  A.  II.  .Mli-oii,  of  Indiana  county, 
this  State,  but  only  lead  with  him  I'oi-  (Jiic  year. 


Bioan.ii'iiiKs  OF 


lie  tliou  went  to  Clariuii  county,  wliere  he  com- 
pleted with  Dr.  T.  Iv  Lewis  the  rec|uireil  course 
of  reading  necessary  then  to  practice  nuMiicine 
in  I'ennsylvunia.  lu  IMTM  lie  went  to  Mcl\ean 
county,  I'a.,  wiiere  he  ])i-actiee(l  i'or  two  years 
and  then  attendetl  lectures  at  the  Medical  Uni- 
versity of  Haltiniore,  Md.,  from  which  lie  grad- 
uated in  the  class  of  1880.  From  1880  to  1885 
he  practiced  his  profession  with  good  success  at 
^leehaniishiirg,  Tmiiana  county.  Pa.  In  Octo- 
ber, 1885,  he  renuned  to  ^It.  Pleasant  and  has 
secured  a  very  good  practice. 

Dr.  Myers  was  married  on  June  G,  1878,  to 
Annie  L.  Moore,  daughter  of  James  Moore,  of 
near  lirookviile,  Jell'erson  county.  Pa.  They 
have  one  child,  who  is  named  xVmbrose  II.,  Jr., 
and  was  born  on  Washington's  birthday,  18S1. 

Dr.  Myers  is  an  earnest  advocate  of  placing 
the  "  Stars  and  Stripes  "  in  every  school-room 
in  the  United  States.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Reformed  church,  Moss  Rose  Lodge,  No.  350, 
I.  ().  ().  F.,  Arcana  Lodge,  No.  413,  Knights 
of  Pythias.  Mt.  Pleasant  Conclave,  No.  173, 
Improved  Order  of  Ileptasophs,  and  Logan 
Council,  No.  1  15,  Jr.  ().  U.  A.  M.,  and  repre- 
sented his  council  in  18S8,  also  in  1889  at  the 
State  Council  of  tlie  last  named  }irominent  Or- 
der, and  if  living  will"  represent  it  in  ^Villiams- 
port  in  18'J0.  He  is  a  niendjer  of  the  joint 
committee  from  Jr.  <).  U.  A.  M.  and  (_).  U.  A. 
JI.,  whose  object  it  is  to  bring  about  a  union  of  ] 
the  two  orirani/.ations. 


r-YYlLLIAM   PiORLAND   NEEL,  of  Mt. 

Pleasant,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa., 
was  licirn  near  there  on  the  4tli  of 
January,  1 8"2(i,  and  is  the  only  son  of  Samuel 
an<l  Rachel  (Borland)  Neel.  lie  is  of  pure 
Irish  origin,  his  ancestors  on  both  sides  having 
been  natives  of  north  Ireland,  whence  they 
immigrated  to  America,  settling  in  Penn- 
sylvania ]irior  to  the  Itcvolutionary  war.  On 
the  paternal   side  John    Ncel,    Sr.,   came   from 


Erin  and  located  in  Cumberland  (now  Dauphin) 
county,  where  he  dieil  October  7,  17'.li!.  His 
children  were  :  .lohn,  William,  Robert,  James, 
Margaret  Cochran,  Jane  Clark,  I'Jeanor  Simp- 
son anil  Agnes  Fleming.  Two  of  his  sons,  John 
and  \Villiam,  crosseil  the  Allegheny  mountains 
about  1770  and  settled  near  the  site  of  Mt. 
Pleasant,  where  they  married  two  sisters  of  Sam- 
uel Warden,  who  was  living  on  the  Warden  farm 
one  mile  west  of  the  jiresent  borough  of  Mt. 
Pleasant.  John  Neel,  the  grandfather  of  Wil- 
liam B.  Neel,  married  Mai-garct  War<len,  the 
elder  of  these  sisters,  on  the  23d  of  May,  1775, 
and  they  reared  a  family  of  seven  children, 
three  sons  and  four  daughters:  Robert,  John, 
Samuel,  Eleanor  Vance,  Margaret,  Andrew,  Mar- 
tha Tittle  and  Mary  Thompson.  Their  first  home 
was  a  small  round  log  cabin.  In  church  history 
he  is  spoken  of  as  one  of  the  first  Presbyterian 
elders  west  of  the  mountains,  and  he  was  one  of 
the  six  that  held  the  first  meeting  of  I'edstone 
Presbytery  at  Pigeon  creek,  Pa.,  September  10, 
1781.  One  of  his  sons,  Samuel  Neel,  inherited 
part  of  the  home  farm  upon  which  he  was  born 
and  lived  until  his  death.  His  birth  occurred  in 
1785  and  he  died  October  :28,  iSCrl,  leaving 
him  the  i-ecord  of  a  jieac-el'ul,  ([uiet  and  well- 
spent  life.  He  was  a  well-to-do  firmer,  owning 
a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  seventy  acres  near 
Mt.  Pleasant,  and  in  politics  was  a  whig  from 
Gen.  Jackson's  second  election  to  the  formation 
of  the  Republican  party,  when  he  became  a  mem- 
ber of  that  organization. 

Like  his  father  he  was  an  elder  in  the  Pres- 
byterian church.  lie  was  first  married  April 
1,  1812,  to  Ruth  Jack,  by  whom  he  had  tw& 
children :  Lucinda  Lytic  and  Rev.  J.  J.  Neel, 
wdio  died  February  10,  1852,  aged  thirty-three 
years.  Ruth  Neel  died  in  1819,  and  on  the  25th 
of  June,  1822,  Samuel  Neel  was  again  united  in 
marriage  with  Rachel  Borland,  whose  fiither, 
Samuel  Borland,  came  from  Ireland  to  America 
and  settled  in  '•  The  Manor,"  AVestmorelanJ 
county,  Pa.,  where  he  followed  the  i     upation  of 


1  ^y^97yfyy. 


y^^ 


]\  icsTMu n i:la M)  co  unty. 


213 


faniiiiig.  lie,  too,  was  a  prcsbylrriaii  ;  lii.s  wilo 
was  Lyilia  (Iri'gi;,  wlio  was  burn  in  Winclicstur, 
Yii.,  wlicucL'^lie  i-ciiiovud  to  Ik'dforii,  I'a.  'J'Ik'Io, 
ill  her  voiiili  ■~^lii'  'isccl  lo  limit  the  cows  in  tlic 
vioinily  ol  llio  .s|irih;;H  wiiicli  Inivr  hiiii-i'  licroiiu' 
liiu  laiiious  ■'  watciiiij^  place.  "  'I'o  this  iiiiioii 
with  Iviicliul  J<orkin<l  were  born  lour  chililreii : 
W.  li.  Nuel,  Lydia  G.  Neel,  liuth  Shiolds  and 
Margaret  A.  Neel,  tlio  latter  of  wliuin  died  No- 
vember -8,  188i.  After  an  earnest  and  cheer- 
ful life  Uachel  Neel  died  November  U,  1S7-,  in 
tiie  eighty-fifth  year  of  her  age. 

William  B.  Neel  as  a  farmer's  son  was  reared 
to  agricultural  ])ursuits  and  received  a  fair  edu- 
cation, considering  the  character  of  the  subscrip- 
tion schools  of  those  days.  Having  left  school 
he  at  once  engaged  in  farming,  which  he  has 
followed  ever  since,  and  now  holds  title  to  four 
hundred  acres  of  fertile  and  valuaide  land  ad- 
joining Mt.  Pleasant,  including  the  old  home- 
stead farm  of  his  grandfather,  John  Neel,  Jr. 
He  has  engaged  in  the  coke  business  and  has 
always  been  identified  with  every  leading  enter- 
prise of  his  locality.  He  was  one  of  the  organi- 
zers, in  181)5,  of  the  First  National  bank  of  Mt. 
Pleasant.  Hcsides  real  estate  in  Mt.  Pleasant 
Mr.  Neel  owns  shares  in  valuable  coal  lands  in 
West  A'irginia,  and  is  one  of  the  successful  and 
progressive  business  men  of  the  county.  In 
jjolilies  he  is  a  republican  and  in  religious  mat- 
t^'rs  adheres  to  the  doctrines  of  the  Presbyterian 
ebiiifli,  the  denomination  of  his  ancestors  I'or 
geiiiial  inns  barb.  lie  has  .scr\  cd  iiis  low  n^-biji 
as  siluMil  diii'clor  over  ten  yt'ars,  and  has  iinii 
a  director  of  the  First  National  iiauk  of  Mt. 
Pleasant,  for  a  quarter  of  a  century.  Honora- 
ble in  business,  prompt  in  action,  intelligent  in 
his  views  and  exemplary  in  life,  he  is  a  citizen 
of  whom  his  native  county  may  be  justly  proud. 

On  Chnstmas  day,  1805,  William  B.  Neel 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Nancy  J.,  a  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  Nathaniel  Hurst,  a  prominent 
citizen  (if  l''ayettc  county.  Pa.  Nine  children 
were  tiie  i'ruits  of  this  union  :   John  Jack,  who 


married  Amy  L.  Hunter,  (.)ct.;ber  ',i,  IHHK; 
Mary,  who  died  h'ebruary  (J,  18(JU;  an  infant 
son,  who  died  November  13,  18G0  ;  Nathaniel 
11.,  did  April  tl,  lS(i-J;  Samuel,  Hiichel,  Klia, 
May,  Surah  II.,  uimI  I'niiiL  II.,  who  died  .April 
I,    1H77. 

'tYlI'T'IAM  STANSBURY  PLOTNER, 
M.  \)..  of  Geriiiaii-Engli.sh  descent  and 
a  leading  and  popular  physician  of  Mt. 
Pleasant,  was  born  at  (ialitzin,  (,'ambria  county, 
Pa.,  October  21,  1861.  He  is  a  son  of  Henry 
W.  and  Rebecca  (Bateraan)  Plotner,  the  former 
a  native  of  Centre  county.  Pa.,  now  engaged  in 
the  drug  business  at  Wilmore,  Cambria  county, 
Pa.,  and  whose  parents  emigrated  from  Germany 
to  the  United  States  and  located  in  Centre 
county. 

W.  S.  Plotner  attended  the  public  schools  at 
AV'ilmore  until  he  wa.s  fourteen  years  of  age  when 
he  commenced  the  study  of  telegraphy.  After 
becoming  a  telegraph  operator  he  was  employed 
in  that  line  of  work  for  seven  and  one-half  years 
by  the  Pennsylvania  railroad  company.  While 
serving  as  an  operator  he  still  continued  to  juose- 
cute  his  literary  studies  and  received  instruction 
for  one  year  from  Rev.  W.  H.  Settlemire  and 
two  years  from  Rev.  J.  J.  Kerr,  both  Lutheran 
ministers.  In  J^atin  he  was  instructed  by  Rev. 
Father  il.H.Mcllugh.  At  eighteen  years  of 
age  he  chose  the  profession  of  mediciiii;  and  com- 
menced a  course  of  study  under  the  tutelage  of 
Dr.  Irving  Mlaisdell,  of  Wiliinn-e,  Pa.  lie  at- 
leiideil  lectures  at  tiie  Western  Pennsylvania 
Medical  college  where  he  was  graduated  March 
2-,  1888,  first  in  his  class  and  was  valedictorian. 

On  October  22,  1884,  Dr.  Plotner  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Margerie  Beswiek,  of  Manor 
station.  They  have  two  children  :  Lois  A'era, 
born  September  17,  1885,  and  Frank  W.,  iMay 
22,  1888. 

After  graduation  Dr.  Plotner  oi)ened  his 
present  oflice  in  Mt.  Pleasant  April  1,  18S8, 
and  by  devotion  to  his  jirofession  has  won  a  large 


^1^'.^■VA•,V  1 


BlOaitAl'mKS  OF 


and  constantly  increasing  practice.  He  is  a 
member  of  tiie  Chosen  Friends  and  K.  of  1'.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcojial  chundi 
and  is  liighly  esteoinud  in  tlie  wide  circle  of  liis 
acquaintanceship. 


|r\  OBERT  RAMSAY.  Many  there  are 
1^  who,  after  scores  of  years  in  tliis  hmd  of 
V*)  privileges  and  opportunities,  join  the 
silent  majority  and  upon  their  graves  are  erected 
costly  monuments  of  marble,  bronze  or  granite 
to  preserve  their  remembrance  unto  future  gen- 
erations, but  not  a  few  there  are  who  need  no 
sculptured  marble,  "  no  storied  urn  or  animated 
bust"  to  preserve  their  memory  from  oblivion; 
they  build  their  own  monuments  of  ability  and 
worth — monuments  more  sacred  and  more  en- 
during than  brazen  columns  or  colossal  statues 
of  adamantine  rock. 

An  example  of  this  class  of  men  is  Robert 
Ramsay,  a  skillful  engineer  and  superintendent 
of  the  Standard  coke  works.  He  was  born  six- 
teen miles  northwest  of  Edinburgh,  near  Dun- 
fermline, county  of  Fife,  Scotland,  October  23, 
1840,  and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Elizabeth 
(Sharp)  Ramsay,  both  natives  of  Scotland.  His 
parents  first  came  to  the  United  States  in  ISfyl, 
and  after  a  residence  here  of  four  years  tiiey  re- 
turned to  the  land  of  their  birth.  In  186-J,  how- 
ever, they  immigrated  a  second  time  to  this  coun- 
try and  settled  at  Larrimer,  Westmoreland 
county,  Pa.  The  father  died  on  April  10,  1885, 
and  the  mother  August  13,  1889,  and  both  were 
buried  in  Shafton  cemetery,  same  county. 

Robert  Uiuusay  is  a  miner  as  was  his  father, 
but  at  an  eiirly  ago  he  gave  ]ir()inise  Dl'engiiieer- 
ing  ability  and  embraced  every  ojiportunity  to 
improve  himself  with  a  view  of  adopting  that 
profession.  Shortly  after  immigrating  w^ith  his 
parents  to  this  country  the  second  time  he 
worked  at  the  machinist  trade,  then  worked  in 
the  mines  on  the  Monongahela  river,  and  in  1865 
wont   to   Shafton,   Westmoreland  county,  whore 


he  became  winding  engineer  for  the  Shafton 
Coal  Company.  His  services  were  so  satisfactory 
that  he  was  given  charge  of  the  mine  and 
machinery,  and  in  1870  was  advanced  to  the 
jiosition  of  superintendent  of  the  company,  which 
he  held  for  eleven  years.  He  then  served  as  su- 
perintendent and  engineer  at  the  Monastery  coke 
works  of  the  Carnegie  bi'others  until  he  removed 
to  Mt.  I'leasant  in  1883  to  take  charge  of  the 
Standard  mines,  where  he  has  remained  up  to 
the  present  time,  I8il0. 

On  January  4,  18lJl,  Robert  Ramsay  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Janet  Erskine,  a 
daughter  of  William  and  Margaret  (White) 
Erskine,  of  Elgin  colliery,  near  Dunfermline. 
They  have  twelve  children,  eight  sons  and  four 
daughters  :  William,  Erskine,  Robert,  Jr.,  Mor- 
ris, John,  Charles,  Andrew,  George,  Margaret, 
Lizzie,  Janet  and  Mary.  Like  their  father  the 
sons  as  they  grow  up  tnke  to  the  engineering 
profession ;  the  second  son,  Erskine,  is  chief 
mining  engineer  at  the  I'ratt  mines  near  Rir- 
mingham,  Alabama. 

Robert  Ramsay  and  his  wife  in  religion  are 
Prcsbyterian-s  and  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  at  Mt.  Pleasant.  His  skill  as  an  engi- 
neer is  recognized  in  the  design  and  arrange- 
ment of  the  new  Standard  shaft  which  he  built 
in  188G,  and  which  is  considered  the  finest  shaft 
in  this  country  by  the  best  mining  authorities. 
He  also  engineered  and  superintended  the 
erection  of  the  Mt.  Pleasant  water  works  and 
(juite  a  number  of  other  improvements  in  the 
Connellsville  coke  region.  He  is  a  man  whose 
kindness,  usefulness,  blameless  character,  perse- 
vering energy  and  intellectual  force  are  building 
for  him  a  moiniment  of  lespcct  and  hive  that 
Avill  be  bright  and  sacred  in  the  hearts  of  future 
generations  when  time  shall  have  crumbled  to 
dust  the  graven  monolith,  the  gorgeous  mauso- 
leum, and  the  heaven,  pointing  obelisk  of  this 
century;  for  man  goes  to  his  long  home,  his 
bones  are  placed  beneath  the  sud,  but  liis  works 
live  after  him.  and  his  inllueiice  for  jzoud  >'i>Q3 


WESTMORELAND  CO  UyTY. 


down  tlirougli  the  ages,  on  and  on  "  until  our 
race  has  run  its  c(uir.se  and  the  wide  linnanicnt 
J3  r()lle<l  up  like  a  scroll." 


OK  HIS  RAMSAY,  a  mining  engineer 
I  1  of  more  than  local  re]iutation  and  super- 
♦  intendent  of  the  Moi'ewood,  Warden, 
Dillinger,  Alice  and  Tarr  coke  works,  was  born 
at  Dumferndine,  Scotland,  June  4,  1848,  and  is 
the  third  son  of  William  and  Elizabeth  Ramsay 
(For  their  history,  see  sketch  of  Robert  Ram- 
say). 

Morris  Ramsay  commenced  to  work  at  the 
trade  of  machinist  at  Dumferndine,  but  finished 
Ids  trade  at  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  to  which  plac(;  his 
parents  had  immigrated  in  18;V2.  Prom  18(!4  to 
18lj',(  he  worked  in  tlie  mines  of  the  Westmore- 
land coal  company  and  in  the  latter  yi'ar  became 
mining  boss  at  the  Shafton  coal  mines.  After 
holding  this  poition  for  ten  years  he  removed  to 
Iloutzdale,  Clearfield  county.  Pa.,  and  was 
superintendent  of  the  Kittanning  Oo;d  Com- 
pany's mines  for  two  years.  In  1882  he  be- 
came superintendent  of  mines  at  Morewood, 
■which  position  he  resigned  two  years  later  to 
become  miiung  engineer  fur  the  Prick  ('okc 
Company.  His  services  in  this  cajiacity  were 
of  great  value  to  his  employers.  In  188()  he 
was  made  superintendent  by  the  above  company 
of  their  coke  plants  at  Morewood,  Warden,  Dil- 
linger, Alice  and  'i'arr'a.  The  ovens  at  these 
works  number  11;')!,  of  the  eight  thou.sand  owned 
or  operated  by  the  II.  C.  I*^rick  Coke  Company. 
These  mines  and  works  are  extensive  and  are 
operated  upon  an  intelligent  and  practical  basis. 
"  Every  improvement  that  engineering  talent 
and  long  practiced  experience  could  devise  has 
been  intro<luced  by  this  cimipany." 

Morris  Kauisay  was  uniled  in  UKirriage  on 
l\larch  IT),  jSTO,  willi  Sadie  Creer,  who  is  a 
nalive(d'  LarriimT  and  a  ilaiighler  of  (u'orge  A. 
Crccr.  'j'hcy  iiave  len  chilih-cn  :  Wdliani,  born 
1870  ;  Sadie  M..  Iiorn  March  JtJ,  187:!  ;    Liz/ie 


S.,  August  14,  1874;  Hannah  (}.,  June  17, 
187G  ;  Ceorge  M.,  born  March  25,  1878  ;  Mary 
C,  born  April  13,  1881;  Jeanet  R.,  born  Sep- 
tember ;!0,  1S82;  Kobcrt  A.,  born  ScplcMib(>r 
l(i,  18S1  ;  Alice  I.,  born  March  Pi,  IH^'J,  and 
Nellie,  born  October  4,  1887. 

Morris  Ramsay  is  a  mendjcr  of  Hiram  Lodge, 
No.  O'J,  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen. 
Among  the  works  of  his  engineering  in  the  (Jon- 
nellsville  coke  region  are:  the  Rist  tipple,  the 
air  shaft  at  Morewood,  the  Trotter  plant  and  the 
new  Henry  Clay  coke  works  near  I'road  Ford, 
in  Fayette  county.  Pa.  He  is  a  worthy  repre- 
sentative of  the  strong-willed  and  self  reliant 
Scottish  race,  which  is  distinguished  for  its  in- 
telligence, morality,  prudence,  patieiit  industry 
and  honest  thrift. 


*j*OHN  LAWRENCE  RUTH,  one  of  Mount 
'l'  Ploasant's  active  and  energetic  young  men, 
^  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Catherine  (Love) 
Ruth  and  was  born  in  East  Huntingdon  town- 
ship, Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  June  IG,  18(57. 
His  paternal  grandfather,  John  Ruth,  was  born 
in  Rucks  county  in  1795,  migrated  to  near  the 
site  of  Stonersville,  Westmoreland  county,  in 
1815,  and  was  married  in  18-19  to  Julia  Ann 
Tintsman  of  near  Mount  Pleasant,  and  soon 
afterward  removed  to  East  Huntingdon  town- 
ship where  he  purchased  a  farm  and  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  Joseph  Ruth  (father) 
was  born  in  East  Huntingdon  township,  Janu- 
ary 5,  183G.  He  was  educated  in  the  connnon 
schools  and  was  engaged  in  farming  with  his 
father  until  18GU.  On  March  27,  18GG,  ho  was 
married  to  Catherine  Love,  daughter  of  Reu- 
jamin  Love.  He  located  near  Mount  Pleasant, 
purchased  a  farm  and  engaged  actively  and  suc- 
cessfully in  fuming  and  siock-iaising.  His 
life  of  ])romising  usefulness  was  of  but  short 
duration  fin-  he  ]iass<'il  into  the  <lreaniless  slee])  of 
death  January  S,  18(19.  His  los.s  was  ileeply 
felt,    as    he   had    licen   a   lo\'ing   husband,    kind 


210 


jti(>aRAi'Hii:s  of 


fiitlicr,  tiuo  frierxl  anil  oliligiii;];  iieii^libor.  'I'lio 
willow  rciiiaiiicil  iiii  llic  liuiii  fur  two  years  ami 
then  icinovcii  to  Mount  I'Icasaiit. 

.loliii  L.  Ruth  was  ruaicil  at  .Mount  I'loasiUit 
wluTc  he  ri'i-i'ivcd  his  filiicatioii  in  the  [iilhru; 
schools  and  Mount  I'lcasant  Institute;  from 
llu-  laUrr  lie  was  ;:i;ulualeil  m  the  elass  of  ]«,S8. 
During  school  vacations  he  engaged  in  clerking 
and  thus  obtained  a  practical  knowledge  in  the 
various  branches  of  the  mercantile  trade.  He 
also  served  for  some  time  as  assistant  in  the 
Mount  Pleasant  post-oflice.  In  1888  he  ac- 
cepted his  present  position  of  salesman  in  the 
grocery  and  queensware  establishment  of  S.  W. 
Stoner  k  Co.  Mr.  Uuth  is  well  qualified  by 
education  and  experience  to  occupy  almost  any 
position  in  the  mercantile  business. 

•jf'OIIN  L.  SHIELDS,  editor  of  the  Mount 
I  Pleasant  Journal,  was  born  near  Salem, 
QJ  (Delmont),  Westmoreland  County,  Pa., 
June  IJ,  Il^oT,  and  is  a  son  of  Matthew  and 
Sarah  (Larimer)  Shields.  Matthew  Shields, 
during  his  working  life,  followed  agiicultural 
pursuits  but  has  now  retired  from  active 
business. 

John  L.  Shields  received  his  education  at 
Chambersburg  academy  and  at  Princeton  col- 
lege, which*  celebrated  institution  he  attended 
for  two  3'ears.  In  1878  he  returned  to  West- 
moreland county,  and  the  ne.\t  year  engaged  at 
Ml.  I'hasant  in  llu'  ne\vsiia|U'r  business,  firming 
wilh  Ins  brother-in-law  the  lirm  of  Kennedy  \ 
Shiehls,  editors  of  the  Mt.  Pleasant  Jotirnal,  a 
weekly  pajier.  This  firm  continued  in  business 
until  1885,  when  Mr.  Shields  purchased  the 
interest  of  bis  partner,  thus  tjccoming  sole  ])ro- 
jirietor  and  editor  of  the  Journal.  This  paper 
is  a  well  edited  weekly,  largely  devoted  to  local 
news,  in  which  respect  it  has  the  reputation  of 
being  one  of  the  very  best  in  the  county.  Politi- 
cally it  is  independent  although  its  editor  is  a 
reimblican    in    iirincijile.      Mr.    Shields  devotes 


his  time  and  energies  to  the  management  of  his 
jjajicr  and  has  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  hi.s 
ellbrts  crowned  with  success. 


'jf'ONATIIAN  G.  SliOPE,  assistant  cashier 
"f"  of  the  Mt.  Pleasant  bank,  is  a  native  of 
^  Pennsylvania,  ami  was  horr.  in  Huntingdon 
county  January  'J.!,  1850.  lie  is  a  son  of  Jere- 
miah and  Margaret  Belle  (Gilliland)  Sliope,  both 
natives  of  Huntingdon  county.  The  Shope  family 
is  of  German  origin.  J.  (i.  Siiope's  paternal 
great-grandfather,  John  Shope,  immigrated  from 
Germany  to  the  United  States  during  the  latter 
part  of  the  last  century  and  settled  in  Perry 
county.  Pa.  His  paternal  grandfather,  John 
Shope,  removed  from  Perry  to  Huntingdon 
county,  this  State,  and  was  engaged  in  fanning. 
His  maternal  grandfather,  Andrew  Gilliland, 
was  of  Iri.sh  descent  and  a  native  of  Huntingdon 
county.  Pa.  His  father,  Jeremiah  Shope,  is  a 
well-situated  farmer  in  Huntingdon  county. 
In  18G4  he  was  employed  by  the  United  States 
government  as  a  bridge  builder,  and  served  in 
that  capacity  for  si.x  months  under  General 
Sherman  in  the  march  from  Atlanta  to  the  sea. 
Jonathan  G.  Shope  attended  the  common 
schools  of  bis  county  for  several  years  and  was 
afterwards  engaged  for  some  time  on  his  father's 
farm.  During  18.S2  and  188o  he  taught  in  the 
common  schools  of  Huntingdon  and  Juniata, 
counties.  In  March,  18S4,  he  went  to  Pittsburg, 
where  he  attcmled  the  Iron  City  Connnercial  and 
Business  college,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
July  8,  1884.  July  ii9,  1884,  he  accepted  the 
position  of  assistant  cashier  of  the  IMt.  Pleasant 
bank,  and  has  since  conducted  the  business  of 
that  substantial  institution  with  credit  to  himself 
and  satisfaction  to  his  employers  and  the  business 
public.  Jonathan  G.  Shope  is  one  who  has 
relied  upon  his  own  efforts  to  win  success  in  the 
great  battle  of  life  and  has  succeeded.  That 
energy  and  industry  allied  to  an  ambition  to 
succeed  gains  friends  and  wins  success  has  proved 


i;oil(iiwjS>'i 


WKST.VOrn:LAND   CO UNTV. 


to  1)0  true  in  his  c;iso.  Ili'  is  a  iiu'inlier  of  Moss 
Rose  Lodge,  No.  ;!.">(),  IiKk'iuMiik'nt  Older  of  Odd 
Fellows  and  Mt.  Pleasant  Conchive,  No.  173, 
liidc[irtidcllt  Order  of  llc])t;iso|)lis.  lie  is  a 
inrinlier  of  tiic  I'lcsliy Irriiiii  fliincli  and  stands 
liit:li  as  a  citizen  ami  luisiness  man. 


X->^  LIVER  I*.  SIIUPE,  one  of  Mt.  Tlcas- 
^^J  ant's  most  intelligent  and  enterprising 
(*)  citizens,  was  born  January  5,  1843,  in 
Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  near  the  borough  in 
which  he  now  lives,  and  is  the  eldest  .son  of 
Daniel  and  Caroline  (Ilitehman)  Shupe.  Isaac 
Shupe,  his  grandfather,  was  an  energetic  and 
successful  business  man  and  carried  on  farming 
and  milling  in  connection  with  general  mercan- 
tile business  Assisted  by  his  son  he  erected  the 
distillery  at  Mt.  Pleasant  which  has  since  been 
transformed  into  an  extensive  flouring-mill.  Mr. 
Shupe  was  an  esteemed  citizen,  a  useful  member 
of  the  U.  B.  church  and  was  born  on  the  old  Shupe 
homestead.  He  married  Elizabeth  Whitmore,  of 
Westmoreland  county.  Daniel  Shupe  (father), 
their  eldest  son,  was  born  June  2l),  ISKJ,  onthe 
Shupe  homestead,  and  was  one  of  the  best  and 
most  jiublic-spirited  nii'n  with  whom  AVestniore- 
land  county  has  ever  bOen  favored.  From  his 
door  none  ever  went  unfed,  none  ever  asked  of 
him  a  boon  in  vain  ;  to  him  the  "  rarity  of  Chris- 
tian charity  "  did  not  apply  ;  dishonesty  was  a 
stranger  to  him  ;  hypocrisy  was  as  far  removed 
from  him  as  the  east  is  from  the  west;  warm- 
hearteil  and  generous,  no  friend  appealed  to  him 
in  vain  for  symjiatliy,  encouragement  or  aid. 
Genial,  whole-souled  and  affectionate,  many 
Christian  graces  clustering  around  his  life  and 
chaiacter,  it  was  no  wonder  that  a  friend  tear- 
fully exclaimed  shortly  after  his  death,  "  God 
made  but  one  Dan  Shupe."  Mr.  Shupe  was  for 
twenty-five  consecutive  years  a  member  of  the 
school  board  of  Mt.  Pleasant  townsliip  and  took 
a  lively  interest  in  all  that  pertained  to  the  per- 
fection of  the  schools.     In  urging  commodious 


and  modern  scliool  houses  he  was  met  with  many 
objections  Irom  jienurious  and  illiterate  ta.xjiay- 
ers,  but  by  ids  force  of  character  iind  pei'.-.ever- 
anee  he  l)or<!  down  all  (ippipsilion  and  bad  imill 
in  every  distriet  a  substantial  ami  liandsouie 
house,  which  placed  Mt.  J'leasant  township 
ahead  of  all  others  in  the  line  of  improvements. 
He  laboreil  diligently  fur  a  sec  oof  years  to  have 
a  railroad  built  to  Mt.  Pleasant,  and  was  one  of 
the  most  active  promoters  of  the  branch  road 
from  Broad  Ford  to  that  town,  lie  was  also 
one  of  the  successful  pioneers  in  the  oil  busi- 
ness, but  most  of  his  life  he  spent  in  the 
inillin"  business.  From  his  mill  many  a  sack 
of  flour  went  to  relieve  the  hunger  of  needy 
families,  and  especially  was  his  generosity  felt 
and  apjireciated  during  the  great  panic  of  lf^73 
and  the  consequent  depression.  Mr.  Shupe 
was  cheerful  in  disposition  and,  like  Abou  Ben 
Adhem,  loved  his  fellow-men,  taking  great 
pleasure  in  making  others  happy.  Mr.  Shupe 
was  twice  married,  his  first  wife  being  Caro- 
line Ilitehman,  a  cousin  of  William  J.  Hitch- 
man,  whose  sketch  appears  elsewhere  in  this 
volume.  She  died  May  24,  1848,  at  the  age 
of  twenty-nine  years.  The  fruits  uf  this  union 
was  three  children  :  Oliver  P.,  Ijucy  A.,  born 
in  1845,  and  Buenavista  T.,  born  in  1847.  His 
second  wife  was  Sarah  Cease,  who  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  Cease,  of  Mt.  Pleasant  township. 

Oliver  P.  Shupe  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Mt.  Pleasant,  and  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one  became  su[)erintendent  of  Shupe  &. 
AVade's  distillery  and  held  this  position  some 
fourteen  years.  •  After  the  death  of  his  father  he 
purchased  the  distillery  and  converted  it  into  the 
first  roller-process  flouring  mills  in  western 
Pennsylvania,  which  now  have  a  capacity  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five  barrels  per  day.  Under 
his  control  these  mills  have  beconie  widely  and 
favorably  known.  Mr.  Shu[)e  has  been  tjuite 
successful  in  business,  and  besides  his  town  pro- 
jierty  owns  large  tracts  of  timber-land.  Before 
becominj'  a  resident  of  this  borough  he  was  a 


BIOQRAPHIES  OB 


iiK'iiilior  iiiul  triMsuriT  of  the  sclioul  Loatil  of  Mt. 
J'k'as;iiit  townsliip,  ami  when  that  portion  of  the 
township  in  which  he  resided  became  the  tliird 
■ward  of  the  town  he  represented  his  ward  in  the 
borough  council.  Ho  is  a  director  of  the  .Mt. 
Pleasant  branch  of  the  B.  &  0.  11.  K.,  and  was 
largely  instrumental  in  securing  the  charter  for 
the  Mt  Pleasant  water  company.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  I.  0.  ().  F.,  Knights  of  Honor, 
Royal  Arcanum,  Improved  Order  of  Ileptasophs 
and  the  A.  0.  U.  W. 

Oliver  P.  Shiipe  was  married  in  18G3  to 
Sallie  15.,  a  daughter  of  Rev.  William  B.  Dick, 
formerly  a  minister  of  the  U.  B.  church  at  Mt. 
Pleasant.  Their  union  has  been  blessed  with  six 
children:  James  ^Vade,  William  D.,  Virginia 
B.,  Irene,  Sadie  and  Caroline  (deceased.) 

yfYlI^I'I'^^f  1^-  SIMPSON,  the  popular 
if)  [iioprietor  of  the  "  Hotel  Jordan,"  Mt. 
Pleasant,  was  born  in  Ilempfield  town- 
ship, Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  August  o, 
18:^9,  and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Phfjebe 
(Hutchinson)  Simpson,  The  Simpson  family 
originally  came  to  this  country  from  Holland, 
immigrating  early  in  the  seventeenth  century, 
when  most  of  the  United  Stales  was  an  unbroken 
wilderness,  uninhabitc^d  save  by  the  wild  red 
man  of  the  forest — the  "  pnor  untutored  Indian." 
Thomas  Simpson  (grandfather)  settled  in  West- 
moreland county  in  the  early  part  of  the 
eiglitrrulh  ceuliiry  uml  was  in  bis  day  a  well-to- 
do  and  siUHn'.--srul  farmer.  \\  illiaiu  Siiup.^on 
(fatlier),  one  of  his  sons,  nbtaineil  a  gooi.1  educa- 
tion and  became  an  able  teacher.  To  the  pro- 
fession of  teaching  he  devoted  his  earlier  years, 
but  later  in  life  Ik'  gave  his  time  and  attention 
to  farming,  at  which  he  was  more  than  ordinarily 
successful. 

William  11.  Simpson  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm,  attended  the  coinnion  schools  and  finished 
his  education  at  the  Mt.  Pleasant  Institute, 
which  he  attended  four  terms.      At  the  age   of 


twenty-si.\  yearshe  joined  the  army  of  pedagogues 
and  gave  eight  years  of  his  life  to  the  ]n'ofession 
of  teaching  in  Westmoreland  county.  Upon  the 
death  of  his  fatlier  he  purchased  the  interest  of 
the  other  heirs  in  their  father's  farm,  and  thus 
became  sole  owner  of  the  property — the  home 
of  his  boyhood,  no  iloubt  saying  with  the  poet : 
"  How  (leal-  tu  lliia  lieait  are  ihc  scenes  of  my  cliildhood, 
Wlien  fund  rLtollcclion  presents  them     j  view." 

In  18U3  he  moved  to  the  farm  and  devoted 
his  attention  to  its  management.  In  1884  he 
bought  an  adjoining  farm  and  now  owns  a  large 
tract  of  e.xeellent  land.  -March  Uj,  1887,  he 
left  the  farm  and  moved  to  Mt.  Pleasant,  having 
previously  purchased  the  property  known  as  the 
'•  Central  Hotel,"  and  there  carried  on  the  hotel 
business  until  December  :25,  1887,  when  the 
house  was  destroyed  by  fire.  He  then  bought 
the  "  Hotel  Jordan,"  and  since  April  'll ,  1888, 
has  numaged  that  hotel,  jiroving  himself  a  suc- 
cessful and  agreeable  landlord.  Mr.  Simpson  is 
also  a  civil  engineer,  a  competent  surveyor,  but 
never  followed  it  as  a   profession. 

William  R.  Simpson  on  November  19,  1857, 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Eliza  Jane,  a 
daughter  of  Jacob  Lowry,  of  Portsmouth,  Ohio, 
and  they  had  eight  children,  six  of  whom  arc 
living:  Lewis  Lowry,  now  living  in  Idaho; 
David  Bennett,  an  attorney -at-law,  in  New  York 
city;  Juliii  Z.,  a  jeweler,  of  Mt.  Pleasant; 
Laura;  (Jhristy  Ann  and  Lida.  Mrs.  AVilliam 
P.  Simpson  has  been  dead  for  a  nuniber  of  years, 
having  gone  to  her  eternal  home  on    March   "JU, 


ADJUTANT  JOHN  A.  STEVENSON, 
one  of  the  prominent  and  leading  busi- 
ness men  of  Mt.  Pleasant,  and  a  wounded 
Union  veteran  of  the  late  war,  was  born  near 
Mt.  Pleasant,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  March 
9,  1838.  He  is  a  son  of  Jidin  and  Mary  L. 
(Sherbondy)  Stevenson.  His  paternal  grand- 
father and  grandmother  were  nati\es  of  West- 
moreland   county    and     were    early    settlers    of 


]yL:STMORELAND   COUNTY. 


Robstown,  now  West  Newton,  They  were  Ger- 
mans, and  Mrs.  Stevenson  was  never  able  to 
euuverst!  in  any  language  exeept  her  nidtlier- 
tdiigiie.  ./uliii  St('\ensi)n  (fatliei)  was  born  in 
tli's  county  in  1^10.  lie  was  a  euoper  by  trade 
but  largely  devoted  his  time  in  early  lite  to  teach- 
ing in  botli  English  and  German  sclioola.  Later 
in  life  be  devoted  all  of  iiis  time  to  farming. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  old-time  and  well- 
known  ■'  Washington  guards,"  and  was  on  duty 
as  one  of  that  body  at  the  hanging  of  a  murderer 
at  Greensburg  over  sixty  years  ago.  llis  death 
occurred  Ai)ril  20,  1S73. 

John  A.  Stevenson  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools,  Mt.  I'leasant  college  and  the  Pennsylva- 
nia State  normal  school  at  Millersville,  Lancas- 
ter county,  Pa.  In  185-')  he  began  teaching  in 
the  common  schools  of  Westmoreland  county 
and  continued  in  that  line  of  work  until  18G2. 
On  February  18,  18G'2,  he  erdistedin  the  Union 
army  as  a  member  of  the  Anderson  body-guard,  in 
which  he  served  until  it  was  mustered  out  of  the 
service  March,  2(J,  18i33.  In  >Lareli,  18G4,  he 
re-enlisted  and  entered  the  11th  Pa.  Vols., 
under  command  of  Col.  Richard  Coulter,  and 
appointed  to  the  office  of  sergeant-major.  He 
was  promoted  on  September  5,  18G4,  to  first 
lieutenant  of  Co.  C,  appointed  soon  after  acting 
adjutant  and  was  conimissioneil  adjutant  Novem- 
ber ■!'■',,  iNlJl.  At  the  battle  of  Five  Forks, 
April  1,  iMif),  lie  was  badly  wounded  and  was 
conveyed  iirst,  to  field  hos])ital,  City  Point,  and 
afterwaril  to  Armv  Sipiare  hospital,  Washington, 
I*.  C.,  uluie  he  remained  untd  hoiioraMv  dis- 
charged, Jidy  1,  18G5. 

On  October  16,  18G6,  he  married  Sarah  J. 
Ilissam,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Ilissam,  a  Mt. 
I'leasant  township  farmer.  To  this  union  was 
born  three  daughters  :  Ijiz/ic  (dead),  Ada  (dead) 
and  Maggie.  Mrs.  Stevenson  died  March  29. 
1878.  He  was  remarried  August  16,  1882,  to 
Lida  Jane  Churns  of  Ijatrobe.  To  the  second 
union  iHie  child  was  born  which  <lied  in  infancy. 
The  mother  died  Aiad  2.'i,   1N8G. 


After  the  war  Adjutant  Stevenson  again  en- 
gaged in  teaebiiig  and  was  principal  of  the  West 
Newton  jiublic  schools  from  L'-JiG  to  1m77.  in 
the  latter  year  he  removed  to  Mt.  I'leasant 
where  he  became  business  manager  and  editor  of 
the  Mt.  Pleasant  Dawn,  now  Journal.  At  tlie 
same  time  he  embarked  in  a  drug  store  and  con- 
tinued in  both  lines  of  business  until  188;5.  la 
1883  he  opened  his  present  large  and  well 
stocked  hardware,  seed,  feed  and  implenient  es- 
tablishment and  commands  an  extensive  and 
paying  patronage,  lie  is  also  associated  with 
his  brother,  S.  C.  Stevenson,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Stevenson  Bros.,  in  the  fire  insurance 
and  real  estate  business,  lie  is  a  member  of 
the  G.  A.  K.,  Odd  Fellows,  K.  of  II.  and  A.  0. 
U.  W.,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Mt.  Pleasant 
school  board  for  several  years.  Adjutant  Ste- 
venson has  been  a  member  of  the  Presbyteiian 
church  for  thirty-four  years.  He  is  a  republican 
in  political  matters  and  is  recognized  as  a  scholar, 
a  gentleman  and  one  of  ]Mt.  Pleasant's  foremost 
business  men. 


LBERT  ROSS  STRANG,  of  Mount 
Pleasant,  Pa.,  was  born  May  17,  18GG, 
at  Fredericktown,  Knox  county,  Ohio, 
and  is  a  son  of  .lames  C.  and  Jane  T.  (Stratton) 
Strang.  His  father  was  born  in  New  York,  but 
when  (juite  young  emigrated  to  Ohio,  where  he 
has  since  been  working  at  his  trade,  carriage 
trimming. 

Albert  Ross  Strang  attended  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  place  until  fourteen  years 
of  age,  when  he  began  to  learn  the  trade  of  car- 
riage trinnning  at  his  home  in  Fredericktown, 
where  he  worked  till  1887.  During  the  winter 
seasons  he  devoted  liis  time  to  the  .study  of 
music,  and  at  the  <ige  of  fifteen  years  lie  be- 
came a  member  of  the  Mechanics  band  of  liis 
home  town,  and  soon  tiiereafter  its  musical  di- 
rector. In  1887  Mr.  Strang  came  to  Pennsyl- 
vania, locating  in  June  at  Uniontown,  where  he- 


220 


BtOdHM'IllKS   OF 


\v;is  ciiiiilciYfil  III  liin  InuKi  until  NovciiiIjit. 
.SiiuH'  thai  time  lio  hus  bcfii  cii^a^^cd  ii.s  iMi'iiii^'c 
tfiuniicf  at  tlio  fan-ia;;o  works  of  (Jalluy  llrotli- 
iTH,  iMoiiiit  I'lcasaiiL  On  llio  Tilli  of  I  )rc(iiil)cr, 
]<SS7,  lie  (;()nnc(!tf(l  liini.scH'  witli  olliir-i  in  i1j(' 
orgaiiiziitioii  of  tlie  ".Star  baml,"  and  was 
chosen  its  conductor  and  instructor.  'I'hat  this 
hand  has  already  attained  a  high  degree  of  pro- 
ficiency is  indicated  by  its  frc(iiient  engagements 
botli  at  home  and  abroad.  Mr.  Strang  is  a 
member  of  the  orchestra  just  organized  at 
Mount  Pleasant,  which  furnishes  the  excellent 
music  at  the  "Grand  Opera  House."  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  tenth  reg.,  N.  G.  1'.,  and 
is  its  chief  trumpeter.  He  is  identified  with  tiie 
Baptist  church  choir  ami  tlie  Independent 
Order  of  Heptasophs. 


•ARIIY  OVER  HOLT  TINSTMAN  was 
born  September  '11 ,  IS-litJ,  in  East  Hunt- 
(*)  iiigdon  township,  Westmoreland  county, 
Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Anna  (Overholt) 
Tinstman.  His  great-grandfather  was  a  native  of 
Germany  and  immigrated  to  the  United  States, 
locating  in  Bucks  county,  I'a.,  whence  he  re- 
moved to  AVestmoreland  county.  Pa.,  where  he 
remained,  following  the*  occupation  of  farming 
until  his  death.  His  son,  .lac^ib  'rin>lman 
(grandlather),  was  born  in  Jiueks  euuiity,  Pa., 
January  13,  Yil'i,  and  united  in  marriage 
December  11,  17'J8,  with  Anna  Fo.\  of  West- 
niorelanil  ctmiitv,  Pa.,  who  was  a  native  of 
(.'hester  eounty  in  the  same  State,  and  \\  ho  was 
born  August  b,  177'J.  John  Tinstman  (father), 
their  fourth  child,  was  born  January  "JD,  1)S()7, 
in  East  llunlingdon  township,  Westmoreland 
county.  Pa.  He  was  reared  on  the  farm  and 
devoted  most  of  his  life  to  agricultural  ])ursuits. 
In  18G7  lie  retired  from  active  work  and  died 
in  1877  at  the  age  of  seventy  years.  Abrahain 
Overholt  (maternal  grandfather),  also  of  (ierman 
descent,  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  and  best 
known  men   of  the  county.     He  was  born  in 


iinitks  coutity,  I'a.,  in  1771,  Iml  renioved  to 
WeslmoiclaMd  coiinly,  i'a.,  iji  I  ^00,  and  nettled 
on  the  farm  now  occupied  by  the  village  of  West 
Overton.  He  \v,is  a  very  siieeessful  business 
man,  a  \nv^iy,  land  iiwni'r,  ;ind  for  many  y(.'arM 
conducted  one  of  the  best  known  distilleries  in 
western  Pennsylvania.  His  wife  was  Maria 
Stauftcr,  of  Eayctte  county.  Pa.  Harry  O. 
Tinstinan's  mother  Anini  (Ovt  holt)  Tinstman, 
a  daughter  of  Abraham  and  Maria  (Stauft'er) 
Overholt,  was  born  July  4,  1812,  married  John 
Tinstman  in  1880  and  died  in  18(jtj. 

Harry  O.  Tinstman  was  educated  in  the  [)ub- 
lic  schools  and  in  Iron  City  Commercial  college, 
at  Pittsburg,  Pa.  After  leaving  college  he 
entered  the  commission  house  of  A.  and  L.  H. 
Overholt  at  Pittsburg,  where  he  remained  till 
18tJl.  In  -Vugust  of  that  year  he  enlisted  for 
service  in  the  army  in  the  Anderson  body 
guard,  afterwards  called  the  "Anderson  troop," 
and  patricipated  in  the  engagements  at  Pitts- 
burg Landing  and  Corinth,  Miss.  Owing  to  an 
attack  of  fever  he  returned  home  in  the  summer 
of  18G2,  but  in  September  of  the  same  year 
lie  rejoined  his  regiment,  the  fifteenth  Pa. 
cavalry,  which  was  then  stationed  at  Car- 
lisle, I'a.  Mr.  Tinstman  took  part  in  the 
battle  of  Antietam,  after  which  he  marched  to 
Louisville,  K'y.,  thence  to  Nashville,  Tcnn.,  and 
was  engaged  in  tiie  several  skirmishes  in  that 
locality  and  at  the  battle  of  Stone  River,  being 
lieutenant  in  rank  and  commanding  two  com- 
panies. Ill  the  spring  of  18(j;3  he  left  his  com- 
mand, received  his  discharge,  returned  to  Mount 
Pleasant  and  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness, which  he  soon  ijuit,  and  in  the  spring  of 
18(14  took  charge  of  the  "  Overholt  distillery," 
at  Broad  Ford,  Fayette  county,  Pa.,  where  he 
remained  about  seven  years.  In  1871  he  went 
to  Irvin,  Pa.,  and  engaged  in  the  foundry  busi- 
ness as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  JjaulVer,  Hurst 
it  (!o.  ;  sold  out  to  his  ]>artners  in  187o  and  re- 
turned to  Mount  Pleasant,  where  he  now  re- 
sides. 


WESTMORKLA  ND  CO  UNTY. 


221 


I[;iiiv  ().  'I'iiistni:iii  inurricil  Oi'tolici  1"),  ISti:}, 
.Miss  Ly.lia  K..  u  .1;iu-1iHt  of  J;u'„l,  Aniicl,  (,f 
Mount  I'k-Msaiit,  ami  tlie  fruits  of  tliiMr  iiiiioii 
an-  fiiiir  sons:  (Jliailcs  Aiuirl,  l((]rij  .\|ii-il  If), 
l.Slli;;  (IcoiL,'!'  Boiil.rii^lit,  liorii  Novciiil/cr  17, 
l«liS;  Jaiiios  IJoiibiigilil,  burn  April  ID,  1871, 
anil  IJenjainin  Evans,  born  February  4,  1875. 

Mr.  Tinstraan  is  a  member  of  Westmoreland 
Lo<lgo,  No.  51S,  F.  anil  A.  M.  ;  also  of  the  K. 
of  II.,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  Sr.  0.  U.  A.  M.  and  Post 
No.  US,  G.  A.  II. 


jf^IXDLEY  S.  TINSTMAN,  an  active 
J  [  and  successful  business  man  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  ••  Mount  Pleasant  Milling  Com- 
pany," is  a  son  of  Christian  and  Catherine 
(Shupe)  Tinstman.  He  was  born  in  East 
Huntingdon  township,  Westmoreland  county, 
Pa.,  November  7,  1848,  and  is  of  German  de- 
scent. His  paternal  great-grandfather  was  born 
in  Germany  and  came  to  Pennsylvania,  locating 
in  IJucks  county  and  from  thence  removed  to 
near  Mount  Pleasant  in  this  county,  where  lie 
was  engaged  in  farming  until  his  death.  His 
paternal  grandfather,  Jacob  Tinstman,  was  born 
in  Bucks  county.  Pa.,  January  18,  1773,  and 
was  married  on  December  11,  1798,  to  Anna 
Fo.x,  of  Westmoreland  county,  who  was  born  in 
Chester  county  August  8,  177i*.  He  was  a 
man  of  fine  education  and  followed  farming. 
He  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  and  county 
surveyor  and  held  other  ollices  of  trust  and  re- 
sponsibility. Hi.s  father.  Christian  Tinstman, 
seventh  child  and  fifth  son  of  Jacob  Tinstman, 
was  born  in  East  Huntingdon  township,  Decem- 
ber 26,  1813,  and  on  April  16,  1810,  married 
Catherine  Shupe,  by  whom  he  had  three  cliil- 
drcn.  He  was  engaged  in  farming  until  1873, 
when,  at  the  beginning  of  the  financial  panic  of 
that  year  which  swept  over  the  United  States 
and  the  effects  of  which  were  felt  for  several 
years  aftirrward,  he  took  charge  of  the  bunking 
house  of  liloyd,  HufV&.  Co.  in  order  to  protect 


his  own  and  several  of  his  friends'  inti'i'cst  in 
that  bank.  He  roiidiH-led  abaukiug  IjUsiiiess 
until  1878  and  sold  out  to  the  pie-int  .Mount 
Pleasant  bank  and  nlired  iVoni  active  lilc 

iiiinll<-v  S.  Tinslnian  was  eiluralid  in  the 
public  schools  and  W  cstei'ii  Pennsylvania  Scien- 
tific and  Classical  Institute  of  Mount  Pleasant. 
At  nineteen  years  of  age  he  left  school,  engaged 
for  two  years  in  farming  and  then  attended  one 
term  at  ■'  Iron  City  Business  college."  Leav- 
ing the  Iron  City  college  lie  went  to  Greens- 
burg  and  embarkeil  in  the  grocery  and  hard- 
ware business.  After  two  years  he  left  Greens- 
burg  and  went  to  Mount  Pleasant.  From  1872 
to  1879  he  was  engaged  in  various  business  pur- 
suits in  different  localities  of  the  State.  In  the 
latter  year  he  returned  to  Mount  Pleasant  and 
from  that  time  until  January,  1887,  conducted 
a  large  grocery.  February  1,  1887,  he  became 
manager  of  the  "  Mount  Pleasant  Milling  Com- 
pany," and  at  the  end  of  one  years'  service  in 
appreciation  of  his  efficient  management,  by 
which  a  large  increase  of  trade  had  been  secured, 
he  was  ofTered  an  interest  in  and  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  company,  and  at  same  time  became  a 
member  of  the  Acme  Facing  Mill  Co.  Since 
1888  he  has  given  largely  of  his  time  to  the 
business  of"  these  two  firms,"  which  have  built 
up  a  largo  and  prosperous  trade. 

On  March  12,  1879,  he  wasiuarried  to  Emma 
Mullin,  daughter  of  William  D.  Mullin,  of  Mt. 
Pleasant. 

Limlley  S.  Tiiistiuaii  is  a  republican  in  jioliti- 
cal  matters.  He  is  recognized  as  a  fine  busi- 
ness man  and  honorable  citizen.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Mount  Pleasant  Council,  No.  592,  Royal 
Arcanum,  and  the  Mount  Pleasant  United 
Brethren  church. 


CtT^REDERICK  TREBER,  a  native  of  the 

It     beautiful  and  historic   kingdom  of  Wurt- 

emberg   and   a    resident   id'  the   live  and 

progressive  borough  of  Mount   Pleasant,  in  this 


giih  rti  .lr!i!W'''!*f    JniioW  "'o  n 


222 


lUucn.M'UlES  OF 


Cdiiiity,  is  11  son  (if  Mii'liiU'l  ami  liarliiUM  (^SIk']!- 
piiril)  TrcbtT  and  was  lioin  in  ihc  Lin^'iloiii  uf" 
Wurteniberg,  then  a  part  of  Prussia  ijul  now  a 
inunibur  of  tlie  (Jurnian  iMnpirc,  liorn  Marcli 
2U,  IH'M.  His  grandfatlior,  Trilyfr,  was  horn 
in  one  of  the  German  States,  but  inmiigrated 
to  this  country  and  settled  at  I  lagers  town, 
j\Id.,  wliere  lie  afterwards  died.  lie  was 
a  rope-maker  by  trade  and  a  meudjer  of  the 
Evangelical  Lutheran  church  with  which  he  had 
united  in  the  Fatherland  in  early  life.  One  of 
his  sons  was  Michael  Treber  (father),  who  im- 
migrated from  his  native  German  jjrovince  to 
America  in  1853.  lie  located  at  Cumberland, 
in  nortlnvestern  Maryland,  where  he  died  in 
1878,  aged  seventy-nine  years.  lie  was  a 
■weaver  by  trade  and  married  iJarbara  Slieppard, 
whose  parents  renuiined  in  (iermany  where  they 
died  some  years  ago.  Michael  and  Inirbara 
Treber  reared  a  family  of  iifteen  cliildi'en,  of 
■whom   three  are  living. 

Frederick  Treber  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Wurtemberg,  which  was  a  grand  duchy  until 
1803  when  its  duke  became  an  ally  of  Napoleon 
Bonaparte,  who  extended  its  territory  and  made 
it  a  kingdom  which  it  has  been  ever  since.  He 
came  with  his  father  in  1853  to  this  country. 
After  working  at  shoemaking  at  different  places, 
he  removed  in  1889  to  i\Iount  Pleasant  where  he 
has  continued  until  the  present  time.  He  owns 
a  very  good  house  and  lot  in  what  was  Bunker 
Hill  village,  but  which  is  now  a  part  of  the  bor- 
ough of  Mount  I'h'asant.  Mr.  'I'rcbcr  has  been 
industrious  througlunit  life,  has  had  no  hel|i  but 
his  own  strong  hands  and  well  deserves  the  suc- 
cess which  has  rewarded  his  eil'orts.  In  political 
matters  he  is  a  democrat.  He  and  his  wife  and 
eldest  children  are  members  of  the  Evangelical 
Lutheran  church. 

On  the  'JTth  of  Marcli,  18()4,  he  united  in 
marriage  with  Susan  Felton,  a  native  of  (ier- 
many and  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Catherine 
(Shafler)  Felton.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  'i'reber  have 
five  children :  Catherine,    born    December  22, 


18(i4;  Henry  L.,  born  July  13,  1,S(J7  ;  Annie, 
born  April  13,  \Hl\,  and  married  to  John 
h'oltz  ;  Mary,  boi'ii  Decendter  20,  1870,  and 
William  !•;.,  born  April  0,   ISSl. 


fEOHGK  W.  WKl.MEK,  a  jiopular  re- 
publican, an  olil  anil  well-kown  business 
man  of  the  county  ami  a  resident  of  Mt. 
I'leasant,  is  a  son  of  Cajjt.  John  and  Rebecca 
(Porch)  Weimer,  and  was  born  in  Donegal  town- 
ship, Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  June  18,  1828. 
His  great-grandfather,  Weimer,  came  from  Ger- 
many to  this  country  about  1700.  He  came  as 
a  "  Kedemptioner,"  one  who  allowed  his  time  to 
be  sold  for  a  certain  period  to  jiay  for  his  voy- 
age. After  working  out  his  redemption  time  he 
located  in  Somerset  county,  this  State,  where  he 
married,  and  after  a  lengthy  residence  removed 
to  Saltlick  township,  Fayette  county  Pa.,  in 
which  he  died  at  an  advanced  age.  ( »ne  of  his 
sons,  David  Weimer,  nngrated  from  Somerset 
county  to  Donegal  townshiji.  He  was  a  whig, 
a  member  of  the  U.  B.  church  and  served  as  a 
teamster  in  the  war  of  l^il2.  He  was  married 
three  times  and  his  second  wife  was  a  Miss 
Frick,  who  was  a  relative  of  11.  C.  Frick.  Capt. 
John  Weimer  (father)  was  born  in  Somerset 
county  in  1790,  and  was  brought  by  his  parents 
about  1801  into  Donegal  township,  where  he 
lived  until  his  death  in  1859.  He  served  as  a 
captain  in  the  old  Pennsylvania  militia,  was  a 
member  of  the  U.  B.  church  and  in  politics  was 
a  whig  and  afterward  a  republican.  He  mar- 
ried Rebecca  Porch  by  whom  he  had  four  sons 
and  four  daughters.  One  of  these  sons,  John, 
enlisted  in  a  Pennsylvania  regiment  in  18t)3,  par- 
ticipated in  several  skirmishes  and  served  until 
the  close  of  the  war.  Mrs.  Rebecca  Weimer, 
who  died  in  1805,  was  a  daughter  of  John 
Porch,  a  native  of  York  county,  I'a.,  and  who 
moved  to  Donegal  township  when  a  young  man. 
He  was  a  farmer,  a  whig  and  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  church. 


wj:stmii1!i:land  vousty. 


George  W.  Weimer  was  educated  in  tlie  pub- 
lic aiul  select  schools  of  liis  time  and  neighbor- 
hood, lie  commenced  life  for  himself  by  teach- 
ing; siliool  whii'li  iio  followed  fur  live  years,  and 
llun  went  to  ('anion,  Oiiio,  wiicic  he  worl<e(l  for 
four  yi'arn  at  the  (rade  of  niacliinist  witli  (". 
Aultman  iS:  Co.,  of  that  place.  \l  the  end  of 
this  time  he  returned  to  \Vestmoreland  county 
and  was  employed  for  three  years  in  buying  and 
driving  stock  to  the  Eastern  markets.  He  then 
embarked  in  farming  and  stock-dealing  in  Done- 
gal township,  wliich  he  followed  until  tlie  spring 
of  liScS'.l  when  he  removed  to  Mt.  I'leasant  where 
he  now  resides,  and  where  he  has  been  success- 
fully engaged  in  the  restaurant  and  grocery 
business  since  February,  1890. 

George  W.  Weimer,  in  1865,  married  Mary 
U.  Loar  (nee  Morrison).  They  have  three  chil- 
dren :  Ulysses  G.,  a  merchant  of  Markleton, 
Pa.,  and  married  to  Ilallie  Rodes,  nee  Brooks; 
James  ^[.,  who  married  Ida  Horner  (nee  Huff- 
man) and  employed  in  the  mercantile  busiius  at 
Deiry,  and  Annie  E.  remains  single  at  home 
with  her  parents. 

George  \V.  Weimer  is  a  republican,  believes 
in  and  works  for  the  success  of  the  principles  of 
his  party  and  has  held  tlie  various  township 
offices.  In  188'J  when  tlie  entire  republican 
ticket  of  Westmoreland  county  was  defeated  by 
majorities  ranging  well  up  into  the  hundreds, 
he  was  the  republican  candidate  for  director  of 
the  poor  and  only  lacked  si.xteen  votes  of  being 
elected.  In  aildition  to  his  Mt.  Pleasant  prop- 
erty lie  owns  a  line  farm  of  two  hunilred  and  sev- 
enty acres  of  land  in  Donegal  townsliij).  He  is  a 
member  of  the  United  Brethren  church  of  which 
he  has  served  as  steward. 


•{•OIIN  PHILIP  WERKMAN,  JR.,  a  pros- 

f    perous  grocer  of  Mt.   Pleasant  and  a  resi- 

(*i/     dent  of  that  town   for   over   twelve  years, 

was  born  in  the  city  of   Pittsburg,  Allegheny 

county,  Pa.,  October  15,  1854,  and  is  a  son  of 


John  P.  and  Christina  Werkman,  who  were 
natives  of  (Jermany.  John  P.  Werkman  was 
lioi-n  in  l''raiikfoiib()ii-tlir-Maiii  and  was  a  slioe- 
iii.iker  by  trade.  Ilr  iiianicd  in  his  native  hin<l, 
eaiiii'  to  llio  Unitrd  Slal.'s  in  Isl!)  un,}  hicatcil 
in  Pittsburg  whric  he  remained  for  some  time, 
in  1851  he  removeii  to  Westmorelaml  county 
and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Hempticld  township. 
He  was  an  honest  and  hard-workir  ^  man  and 
gave  his  attention  entirely  to  farming  during  tlie 
latter  years  of  his  life. 

John  P.  Werkman,  Jr.,  received  his  education 
in  the  common  schools  and  worked  upon  his 
father's  farm  until  he  was  twenty-four  years  of 
age.  In  1878  he  removed  to  Mt.  Pleasant 
where  he  embarked  in  the  grocery  business.  He 
occupies  a  room  which  is  suitable  for  his  busi- 
ness and  has  a  well-selected  and  carefully  a.s- 
sorted  stock  of  stajde  and  fancy  groceries.  By 
strict  attention  to  business  and  thorough  com- 
mercial aptitude  he  has  succeeded  in  building  up 
a  nourishing  traile.  On  January  11,  1883,  he 
was  married  to  Lucetta  M.  Stevenson,  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  Stevenson,  ofMt.  Pleasant  township. 

John  P.  AVerkman,  Jr.,  is  a  member  of  Moss 
Rose  Lodge,  No.  350,  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  Mt.  Pleasant  Council,  No  502, 
Royal  Arcanum  and  Mt.  Pleasant  Lodge,  No. 
1118,  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen.  Mr. 
A\'^crkman  has  achieved  success  in  his  chosen 
line  of  business  and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the 
leading  merchants  of  Mt.  Pleasant. 


JACOB  R.  ZUCK,  a  leading  book  and  sta- 
I  tioner  of  Mt.  Pleasant  and  one  who  fought 
(1/  under  the  "  Stars  and  Stripes  "  in  the  dark 
days  of  the  rebellion,  was  born  at  Mt.  Pleasant, 
Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  Christmas,  1843,  and 
is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Susan  (Keister)  Zuck. 
J.  R.  Zuck  is  of  good  old  German  stock.  His 
paternal  grandfather,  David  Zuck,  a  native  of 
eastern  Pennsylvania,  was  of  German  parentage. 
He  was  born  near  the  close  of  the  last  century, 


moan.i  I'll  IKS  of 


removed  tu  Somerset  eouiity  where  lie  iiianicil 
Esther  Miller,  iiinl  tei-minuted  his  westward 
jonnioyings  hy  settlin;^  neur  Mt.  I'leasant. 

Sa el    /iiek    (lath.r)   wai    lioni     Mairh     10, 

IS-JI,  learned  llie  tni.le  of  saddle  uiid  harness 
lualving,  and  engaged  for  twenty-live  years  in  that 
business  after  eompleting  his  a|)))renticeship. 

He  married  Susan  Koister,  daughter  of  Con- 
rad Kcister,  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  oldest 
and  early  settled  families  of  the  county.  They 
had  four  children. 

Capt.  J.  li.  Zuck  received  liis  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  JNIt.  Pleasant.  At  eighteen 
years  of  age  he  left  the  school  room  for  the 
tented  field,  having  enlisted  October  5,  1861,  in 
Co.  B,  twenty-eighth  reg.,  Pa.  Vols.  lie  served 
in  the  army  of  northern  Virginia,  was  later  on 
transferred  to  the  army  of  the  Potomac,  partici- 
pated in  the  battle  of  Antietam,  wdiere  he  was 
severely  wounded  and  honorably  discharged, 
January,  1863,  on  account  of  disability  after  a 
service  of  fifteen  months.  From  1862  to  1878 
J.  R.  Zuck  was  engaged  in  clerking  for  A.  11. 
Strickler,  McCabb  &  Ebersole,  general  mer- 
chandise business.  In  1879  he  embarked  in  a 
book  and  stationery  store  in  Mt.  Pleasant  and 
has  continued  siicccssfidly  in  that  line  of  busi- 
ness up  to  the  present  time. 


On  May  1,  lsti7,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  luiiliia  Sniilley,  daughter  of  dohn  Sliiitley. 
'i'o  their  union  have  hecTi  burii  two  sons:  Mdwin, 
hoin  .Mareh  H,  1-^171,  an. I  Orray,  horn  July  liD, 
1H7;'<. 

In  1871  he  became  a  mendier  <.>{  the  Na- 
tional (iuarils  of  i'enusylvaiiia  am]  was  elected 
captain  of  the  Mt.  Pleasant  rilles  or  Inde- 
pendent company,  seventeenth  division.  He 
is  a  mendjer  of  Robert  ^Vorden  Post,  No. 
16-3,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  was  its 
commander  in  1S.S8,  Mt.  Pleasant  Council, 
No.  592,  Royal  Arcanum  and  Mt.  Pleasant 
Lodge,  No.  198,  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmeu. 

His  book  and  stationery  establishment  is  con- 
veniently situated  in  Mt.  Pleasant.  He  carries 
a  well-selected  stock  of  everything  that  is  needed 
in  his  line  of  business,  both  fancy  and  staple, 
including  school  books,  papers,  magazines,  school 
supplies,  albums  and  toilet  articles.  Capt.  Ja- 
cob R.  Zuck  has  been  a  member  of  the  United 
Brethren  church  for  a  quarter  of  a  century,  and 
is  one  of  the  well-known  citizens  and  active  busi- 
ness man  of  Mt.  Pleasant,  having  filled  the 
oflice  of  school  director  and  councilman  for 
several    years. 


Seottdale 


AVID  G.  ANDERSON,  one  of  die  most 
y^J  energetic  business  men  of  Seottdale  and 
proprietor  of  the  largest  and  leading 
livery  of  that  place,  is  a  son  of  William  and 
Ann  (Grove)  Anderson  and  was  born  at  Stahls- 
town,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  October  28, 
1849.  William  Anderson  was  born  in  1821  at 
Reganstown,  Westmoreland  county.  His  prin- 
cipal business  through  life  has  been  buying  and 
selling  farms  and  railroad  contracting.  He  has 
been  very  successful  in  his  Inisiuess  ventures. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  .M('tliodi>t  Kpiscopal 
church  and  a  resident  of  .Mt.  I'ha.sant.  In  l.Sll 
he  married  Ann  Grove,  daugiiter  of  Jacob  Grove, 
of  Ligonier  township.  I'hey  were  the  parents 
of  eight  children.  iN.'^rs.  Anderson  was  a  valued 
member  vl'  the  .M.  Iv  ch'urcii,  who  passed  away 
in  18II-!  at  forty-four  years  ni'  age. 

I  las  id  G.  Anderson  attended  tiie  conuuon 
schools  of  Stahlstown  until  he  was  thirteen  years 
of  age.  He  then  went  to  Washington  (Jity, 
where  he  was  employed  with  several  other  Ijoys 
in  the  government  mess-house  to  wait  on  the 
soldiers  who  would  stop  there  for  meals.  At  the 
close  of  the  war  he  returned  home,  where  he 
was  engaged  f)r  two  years  by  \V.  A.  Kcifcr,  of 
Seottdale,  to  feed  and  take  care  of  cattle  and 
hogs.  In  18(J'J  he  went  to  Stahlstown  and 
learned  the  trade  of  olacksiiiith.  After  coui- 
jileting  his  apprenticeship  he  came  to  Sccittdale 
wheic  he  opened  a  blacksmiLli  shop  ami  in  con- 
nection with  it  condia-ted  a  carriage  factory.  In 
1878  he  established  his    present   livery    stable, 


the  largest  and  most  thoroughly  equipped  of  its 
kind  at  Seottdale.  These  enterprises  were  not 
sufficient  to  require  all  of  Mr.  Anderson's  time 
and  energies,  and  from  1877  to  1884  he  was  en- 
gaged in  merchandising,  farming  and  coal  min- 
ing at  Seottdale.  On  his  farm  and  in  his  coal 
bank  he  employed  twenty-five  men  and  sixty-five 
horses.  From  1877  to  1878  he  was  [)ro)>rietor 
of  a  hotel  at  Everson.  In  1888  he  opened  his 
))resent  stone-quarries  and  sand  bank,  and  in 
stone  (piarrying  and  sand  excavating  he  keeps 
ciinstalitly  enqdoyed  a  large  firce  of  hands  and 
sixty-five  horses.  Since  L^7^  he  has  hjst  from 
eight  to  ten  thousand  dollars  by  fire,  but  I'hoenix- 
like,  his  business  has  arisen  from  the  ashes 
larger  than  ever.  He  has  always  juMvcd  eipuil 
to  every  emergency  and  is  rt'garded  as  one  nf  the 
fori'Miost  business  men  of  his  ncighborhdod. 

On  duly  1.'),  187o,  he  married  Hester  A. 
Morrow,  daughter  of  John  C.  Morrow  and  sister 
to  J.  (Jahhvell  Morrow  (see  his  sketch).  They 
have  eight  children  living,  five  sons  and  three 
daughters:  Albert  M.,  Olive  E.,  Charles,  James 
Ral[)h,  Edgar,  Florence,  Walter  and  Anna 
Elizabeth. 

David  G.  Anderson  is  a  rejiublican  but  has 
had  neither  time  nor  inclination  to  engage  in 
jiolitics.  He  is  a  member  of  Seottdale  Lodge, 
No.  885,  IndcqicndiMit  Order  of  (»dd  Fellows; 
Seottdale  Lodge,  Xn.  4  1:!,  Knights  of  I'ythias 
and  Seottdale  Oouneil,  No.  102,  Junior  Onlcr 
of  United  American  Mechanics.  Mr.  Anderson 
established   the  foundation   of  his  ])resent  large 


BIOORA  I'll  IKS  OF 


and  growing  business  in  1873.  His  livery, 
s;ilo  and  feed  stables  is  one  of  the  finest  estiib- 
lislinients  of  its  kind  in  the  county.  He  con- 
ducts an  e.xtensive  wagon,  carriage  and  luiggy 
factory  in  addition  to  a  large  blacksniilli  slio]). 
He  is  a  successful  grading  and  building  contrac- 
tor, and  having  large  (juarries  of  fine  building 
stone  is  always  able  to  fill  contracts  on  short 
notice.  In  addition  to  his  extensive  and  success- 
ful home  business  enterprises  he  has  one  of  the 
largest  livery  stables  at  Connellsville,  Fayette 
county,  Pa.  David  G.  Anderson  is  one  of  those 
^vho  have  by  their  own  industry,  energy  and  de- 
termination achieved  success.  In  every  line  of 
business  in  which  lie  has  been  engaged  Ik;  has 
always  been   proiniit,  honorable  and  successful. 

•1*010  A.  AUM  STRONG,  the  efficient 
cashier  of  the  Scottdale  bank,  was  born 
September  21,  1854,  in  New  Haven,  Fay- 
ette county.  Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of  Adam  and 
Isabella  (Dodd)  Armstrong.  The  Armstrong 
family  are  descendants  of  the  Armstrongs  of 
Gilnocky  Hall,  in  Scotland,  who  were  noted  for 
their  size  and  weight,  most  of  them  being  more 
than  six  feet  in  height.  Adam  Armstrong 
(father)  was  born  in  Scotland  and  reared  on  the 
Cheviot  Hills,  where,  owing  to  the  importance 
and  extent  of  sheep-raising  he  led  a  pastoral 
life,  lie  immigrated  to  America  in  1840,  lo- 
cated at  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  but  soon  moved  to  New 
Haven,  Fayette  county,  ami  remaining  there  a 
few  vears  settled  permanently  in  Connelisvdle, 
Pa.  Mrs.  Armstrong  was  also  born  in  Scotland, 
and  with  her  husband  belongs  to  the  Presby- 
terian cliurcii. 

John  A.  Armstrong's  parents  moved  to  Con- 
nellsville when  he  was  I  ut  one  year  ohl.  In  that 
thriving  town  on  tiie  banks  of  the  "dare-devil 
Yough "  be  s)ient  bis  boyliood  days,  and  re- 
ceived al':iir  educMlidii  in  llie  pidilir  sciinols.  lie 
tlicn  liirnrd  his  iillciiliiiii  lo  e;n|icnlry,  ul  «liirli 
he  workcil  four  years  and  then   accepteil  a    posi- 


tion as  express  clerk  for  the  H.  &  0.  K.  K.  com- 
pany at  Connellsville,  fVom  which  be  was  ])ro- 
moted  to  ticket  agent  at  the  same  place.  On 
account  of  ill-health  he,  after  three  years' 
service,  resigned  this  position  and  embarked  in 
the  fire  insurance  business,  at  which  he  remained 
until  about  1884,  when  he  was  appointed  assis- 
tant cashier  of  the  Youghoigheiiy  bunk  of  Con- 
nellsville. In  1887,  May  '.*th,  he  resigned  this 
position  to  accept  the  in(jre  luci  tive  and  honor- 
able one  of  cashier  of  the  Scottdale  bank  in 
which  capacity  he  is  now  acting.  The  Scottdale 
bank  was  organized  in  May,  1882,  with  a  capi- 
tal stock  of  !jti.')(),()00.  J.  11.  Stautl'er  was  elected 
]uesident,  and  his  son,  John  M.  Staufl'er,  cashier; 
the  institution  is  sound  and  its  business  in  a 
flourishing  condition.  Mr.  Armstrong  has  for 
years  held  the  olTices  of  secretary  and  treasurer 
of  the  Connellsville  and  New  Haven  Gas  and 
^V'ater  coni])any,  of  which  he  is  also  a  director. 
He  is  a  member  of  King  Solomon  Lodge,  No. 
346,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  which  he  is  Worthy  Master, 
and  of  Fayette  Council,  No.  346,  Royal  Arcanum. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at 
Connellsville  and  is  secretary  of  its  board  of 
trustees.  Descended  from  the  "  Scots  who  hae 
wi'  Wallace  bled,"  Mr.  Armstrong  is  a  gentle- 
man of  strict  integrity,  industrious,  energetic, 
faithful  and  conscientious. 

He  was  married  November  15,  1883,  to  Sarah 
L.,  daughter  of  George  W.  and  Sarah  Herbert,  of 
Connellsville,  and  to  their  union  have  been  born 
two  ehihlnn:    Helen  I.  and  Mary  K. 


fAMUEL  D.  AULTMAN,  one  of  the  lead- 
ing and  thoroughly  reliable  furniture  deal- 
ers and  undertakers  of  this  county,  is  a 
son  of  Jacob  and  Rebecca  (Dobler)  Aultman, 
and  was  born  in  Fast  Huntingdon  townshij), 
AVestmoreland  enmity,  Pa.,  April  15,  1845. 
.Jacob  Aultman  w;is  a  farmer  of  AVestmoreland 
counlyaml  iiiid  iiKinv  warm  IViends  amnng  tliose 
wiiokncw  liim.      He  was  a  rejiublicun  ami  served 


,r,  ■  -I 


-■■vc\ 


^,^^2,' 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


for  several  terras  as  township  road  supervisor  and 
tax  collector.  lie  was  clever,  "gonial,  obliginj^ 
and  companionable.  lie  was  an  earnest  member 
of  the  Kvani^i'Iical  l,iitlieran  church  and  ilied  in 
1MS7  at  ihc  ripe  a;^'L'  ol'  cif^hty-si.x  years.  Ills 
widow  is  a  menilier  of  the  United  JJrethifii 
church. 

Samuel  D.  Aultman  grew  to  man's  estate  in 
his  native  townshi]),  where  he  was  trained  to 
farming  and  received  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools,  lie  learned  the  trade  of  house 
carpenter  at  whicli  lie  worked  for  fourteen  years. 
He  built  a  large  number  of  houses  throughout 
Westnroreland  county,  but  left  house  carpenter- 
ing in  1880  to  engage  in  his  present  successful 
furniture  and  undertaking  business  at  Scottdale. 
His  establishment  is  at  No.  120  Pittsburg  street 
and  his  sales-room  is  the  finest  in  the  town.  His 
stock  is  large  and  well  selected,  embracing  fine 
and  medium  furniture,  including  parlor,  cham- 
ber and  dining  room  suites,  tables,  chairs,  etc. 
He  carries  a  full  line  of  wall  paper.  Mr.  xVult- 
man's  specialty  is  undertaking.  He  furnishes 
the  best  of  caskets  and  coffins  and  his  hearse  is 
among  the  finest  to  be  found  in  the  county.  He. 
lias  also  made  a  success  of  embalming,  which  ].<'. 
introduced  at  Scottdale.  By  his  energy,  enter- 
prise and  business  ability  he  has  deserved  as  well 
4is  built  up  a  large  trade.  lie  is  a  member  of 
Latrobe  Iiodge,  No.  ;ii!8,  Hoyal  Arcanum,  Im- 
proved Order  of  Ileptasophs  and  P.  A.  Williams 
Post,  No.  4,  Grand  Array  of  the  Republic,  and 
the  church  of  (lod  at  Stonersville. 

In  I8(i',i  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Maria 
Stoner,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Stoner,  a  farmer 
■of  East  Huntingdon  township.  Two  chiMren 
have  been  born  to  this  union :  Luella  and  Etta 
May.  Luella  passed  away  June  8,  1880,  at  the 
age  of  seventeen  years. 

S.  D.  Aultman  is  interested  in  the  develop- 
ment of  his  town  and  county.  He  was  secretary 
for  several  years  of  the  Scottdale  Building  and. 
Loan  Association  and  is  a  member  of  the  ^Vest- 
moreland  and  Fayette  Natural  Gas  Company. 


ENRY  C.  BEST,  who  is  the  head  of  one 
^J  of  the  representative  milling  com])anies 
of  southwestern  I'enn.sylvania,  and  the 
founder  of  the  Bioadway  Flour-Mills  of  Scott- 
dale, is  a  s.,n  of  WiIImih  and  Fli/abelh  (Wads- 
worth)  Best,  and  was  bmn  in  Deny  town^hii), 
Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  February  28,  1840. 
His  paternal  grandfather,  Peter  Best,  was  one 
of  the  early  settlers  of  AVestmoreland  county. 
His  maternal  grandfather,  Thomas  Wadswortli, 
was  a  shoemaker  and  at  ninety-seven  years  of 
age,  when  in  good  health  and  with  spleinlid 
jirospects  of  reaching  his  one-hiin<liedth  birth- 
day, he  was  struck  by  a  locomotive  and  killed  at 
St.  Clair  while  attempting  to  cross  the  Pennsyl- 
vania railroad  track  at  that  place.  William 
Best  (father)  is  a  native  of  Derry  township 
where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  deal- 
ing until  1880  when  in  that  year  he  removed  to  his 
present  home  in  Latrobe.  He  is  a  faithful  mem- 
ber of  the  Jlethodist  Episcopal  church.  His 
wife  died  in  1888,  aged  sixty-seven  years,  and 
who  was  a  member  of  the  same  church  as  her 
husband. 

Henry  C.  Best  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  Derry 
township,  and  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  and  Latrobe  normal  school. 
Leaving  the  school  room,  he  went  on  the  Penn- 
sylvania railroad  where  he  labored  for  several 
Years.  He  then  \sas  engaged  for  some  time  in 
farming  and  teaming.  In  1877  he  was  ap- 
pointed postmaster  at  Latrobe  and  tilled  the  of- 
fice very  acceptably  for  four  years ;  lie  then  re- 
signed that  position  and  was  appointed  sealer  of 
weights  and  measures  for  Westmoreland  county, 
lie  was  appointed  to  this  position  in  1881  by 
Gov.  Ilartranft,  and  served  about  twelve  months 
when  the  office  was  dispensed  with  by  the  Legis- 
lature of  the  State.  In  the  spring  of  1882  he 
accepted  a  position  as  salesman  with  P.  II.  Sox- 
man  &  Co.,  of  Latrobe,  dealers  in  agricultural 
implements.  After  a  year's  service  with  this 
firm  he  determined  upon  embarking  in  some  well 
established  line  of  business.     The  milliu''  indus- 


■VI  ,i/iir    •;/ 


.1111  i.,>.t<..iJUc 


lilOaUAl'lUKS  OF 


try  presented  sufficient  advantages  for  a  success- 
ful business,  and  lie  liecanie  and  remained  a 
member  of  the  Latrobe  Milling  Company  until 
January  1,  18S5,  when  he  was  appointed  chief 
clerk  of  the  eounty  eommissioners  and  served 
satisfactorily  in  tliat  capacity  for  tiiree  years. 
In  I81SIS  lie  removed  to  Seottdalo,  purchased  the 
old  Gongaware  grist  mill  on  Broadway,  and  with 
his  ciiaracteristic  energy  and  push  he  took  out  all 
the  old  machinery,  enlarging  the  plant,  making 
a  four-story  iron-clad  mill  47x5(J  feet  in  size, 
wliicli  is  now  known  as  the  Broadway  tlour- 
niills.  'I'liey  are  fully  e(iuip]ped  with  the  latest 
improved  milling  facilities  on  the  full  roller 
graduating  jjlan,  including  eight  rollers,  bolting 
chests,  reels,  puritiors,  elevators,  bran  dusters, 
packing  chests,  and  an  endless  variety  of  other 
necessary  and  improved  machinery,  which  re- 
ceives power  from  an  engine  of  66-horse  power 
and  has  a  capacity  of  eighty  barrels  in  twenty- 
four  hours.  On  April  1,  18811,  he  sold  a  half 
interest  to  Albert  Keister.  They  have  operated 
the  Broadway  ilour  mills  ever  since  under  the 
linn  name  of  Scottdale  ^Milling  Company,  and 
are  uianuficturers  of  favorite  brands  of  pure 
ruller  Ilour,  r(jru  meal  ami  cho]i.  Of  all  the 
great  sta]ile  pKitlacts  entering  largely  into  gen- 
eral consumption  not  one  commands  the  interest 
and  importance  of  Ilour;  nor  of  late  years  has 
any  other  branch  of  industry  in  this  cduntry 
iLKiile  siieh  marked  ini|)invenicnt  :is  milling. 
Annmg  ihiise  wliuare  in  llie  I'luut  rank  of  ini- 
juMvenient  is  llie  nnllioL,'  companv  above  named. 
1'hey  have  atlamed  an  enviable  reputation  for 
their  high  grade  Hour  and  niill  feed,  of  which  the 
"  Diadem  "and  ■'  I'earl  "  brands  have  a  strong 
hold  upon  pul)lic  favor  llirongiiout  this  and  ad- 
joining counties. 

On  the  ITth  day  of  May,  1800,  ho  married 
Marv  A.  Soxnian,  d.iughter  of  the  late  .)osej)li 
So.xman  of  Latrobe.  The}'  have  live  children, 
two  sons  and  three  daughters:  Annie  J.,  Ada 
B.,  Willie  J.,  Alice  M.  ami  Harry. 

11.  I',  llest  is  a  member  of  Latrobe  Lod^ro,  No. 


541,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Ho- 
is a  nieirdier  of  the  (Serman  Uef(;rmed  chureli 
and  is  in  the  front  rank  of  the  business  men  of 
Westmoreland  county. 


■r^ARRY  V.  BOTT.  Scottdale  as  a  man- 
I^J    iifacturing    and    commercial     center     of 

(S  Westmoreland  county  has  a  record  ex- 
tending back  only  sixteen  years,  yet  some  prom- 
inent business  houses  of  the  county  are  located 
there  with  a  good  trade  and  excellent  reputa- 
tion. The  leading  drug  house  of  the  town  is 
the  popular  and  widely-known  establishment  of 
Harry  F.  Bott,  who  is  one  of  the  ]irogressive 
young  business  men  of  the  place.  He  was  boin 
at  Greensburg,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  Au- 
gust 1,  18(J0,  and  is  a  son  of  John  C.  and  Mary 
Magdalene  (Veioek)  Bott,  natives  of  (Jermany. 
In  1837,  during  wdiat  is  known  in  history  as  the 
third  interregnum  of  the  (ierman  em|)ire,  Johr* 
0.  Bott  left  his  native  land  ami  came  to  Pitts- 
burg, Avliere  he  remained  for  six  years.  He 
then  removed  to  Stahlstown,  Westmoreland 
eounty,  and  was  engaged  in  fanning  for  seven 
years.  In  1860  he  came  to  Greensburg,  opened 
a  boot  and  shoe  store  and  has  been  successfully 
engaged  in  that  line  of  business  ever  since.  He 
married  Mary  Magdalene  Veioek,  who  came 
from  (iennany  to  the  United  States  at  thirteen 
years  of  age.  Harry  1''.  and  Mr.  ami  .Mrs.  Pott 
are   niendiers   of  Lvangelieal    Lutheran   church. 

Harry  K.  Pott  attiMided  the  common  and 
academic  schools  of  Greensburg  until  he  \vas 
fourteen  years  of  age,  when  he  accepted  a 
clerkship  in  a  drug  store  of  his  native  town. 
He  soon  came  to  umierstand  and  like  the  busi- 
ness. For  nine  years  he  served  as  a  drug  clerk 
before  engaging  in  the  drug  trade.  In  1883  he 
o[)encd  a  drug  store  at  (ireensburg,  where  he 
conducted  a  successful  business  for  three  years. 
In  188G  he  disposed  of  his  drug  establishment 
and  a  year  later  removed  to  Scottdale  as  a  favor- 
able place  for  the  prosecution  of  the  drug  busi- 


\vi:yi'M()iii:LAyi)  coumtv. 


lU'ss.  lie  l)(m;j;lit  a  dni;^  Htoro,  iumiIo  iiuiMy  ad- 
ditions til  its  hiii;o  and  valiiiiiiio  sloi'k  of  dnij^.s 
and  I'litci'cd  on  his  siiciT'ssful  careui'  as  a  |i()])ii- 
lar,  |iiii;;i-essivc  and  Icadinj^  diii;.'j^ist  (d'  Scott- 
didi'.  His  r<)iini  is  aniplu  in  diniiMisidns,  con- 
venient in  all  its  urrangcnients  and  heavily 
stocked  throughout  its  every  department  witli 
choice  and  leading  lines  of  goods.  He  carefully 
selects  and  constantly  keeps  on  hand  fresh 
drugs,  standard  proprietary  medicines,  wall 
papers  of  the  latest  styles,  blank  books,  station- 
ery, school  books  and  toilet  articles.  Attentive, 
courteous  and  obliging,  he  has  built  up  a  large 
custom  and  retains  it  and  adds  to  it  by  fair  and 
lionest  dealing.  He  is  manager  of  western 
rennsylvania,  AVest  Virginia  and  eastern  Ohio 
for  the  Eureka  Medicine  Company,  and  has  de- 
veloped (juite  a  demand  for  their  remedies.  He 
is  also  agent  for  the  Wclsbach  Gas  Light  Com- 
pany and  has  been  decidedly  successful  in  the 
introduction  of  this  light  into  his  district.  Mr. 
Bott  is  a  stanch  democrat  and  a  member  of  In- 
dependent Order  of  Heptasojihs  and  Ancient 
Order  of  United  Workmen. 

On  October  5,  18b7,  he  was  married  to  Har- 
riet ]}.  Keynolils,  of  "  ^Vood  Circle  I'hice," 
Mount  Pleasant  townshi]).  'I'hey  hM\e  one 
eJiild  :    Kli/.a  Keynolds  llott. 

II.  F.  Holt  is  a  member  of  the  Second  ]']van- 
gelieal  l,Litlieian  cliiircli  of  ( Jieeiisburg.  He 
thoroughly  understands  his  business  and  is  pro- 
prietor of  the  finest  and  largest  drug  house  at 
Scoltdale. 

ry  Kl'lIANIAH    15U1NKER,  a   prominent 

y*  ;•  citizen  of  Westmorehuid  county  an<l  one 
!•  of  the  ])rominent,  inlliiential  and  pioneer 
business  men  of  Kcottdale,  is  descended  from  a 
stock  distinguished  for  ability,  integrity  and 
usefulness.  He  was  bom  in  I'enn  township, 
AV'estmoreland  county,  Pa.,  December  18, 1841, 
and  is  a  son  of  Col.  I'aul  and  Naomi  (Berlin) 
Brinker.  iVuicJiig  the  early  settlers  of  West- 
moreland, who  came   from   Berks   county    was 


.Jacoli  Hrinker,  giiindfalherof  /ephaniah  Urinker. 
lie  was  of  (uiniaii  descent  and  was  a  leading 
citizen  anil  prominent  man  in  a  community 
which  was  particularly  noted  for  the  thrift,  en- 
ergy and  economy  of  its  inhabitants,  .laeob 
Brinker  settled  in  what  is  now  Penn  township 
and  purchased  a  valuable  tract  of  land  in  the 
"  Manor  of  Denmark,"  which  was  one  of  the 
two  reservations  of  land  math;  by  Penn  in  \Vest- 
moreland  county  in  1700,  for  himself  and  his 
heirs.  Jacob  Brinker  was  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  old  and  well-known  Manor  Reformed 
church.  By  his  active  etibrts,  large  contribu- 
tions and  donations  of  land  he  secured  the 
erection  of  the  lirst  Manor  church  building, 
which  was  finished  about  ISla.  He  was  a 
democrat  in  politics,  but  took  no  active  part  in 
political  matters  and  was  one  of  the  most  highly 
respected  of  the  early  settlers  of  the  county. 
His  son,  Col.  Paul  Brinker  (father),  was  born 
in  1807  and  died  June  12,  1884.  His  educa- 
tion was  obtained  in  the  schools  of  his  neigh- 
borhood, and  early  in  life  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, which  he  followed  for  many  years.  Jacob 
Brinker  owned  eight  hundred  acres  of  land.  Paul 
Brinker  became  possessor  of  one-half.  He  soon 
acipiireil  a  high  standing,  based  upon  his  excel- 
lent merits  us  a  man  and  a  citizen.  In  all  of 
his  dealings  and  intercourse  with  his  fellow  men 
he  was  honorable  and  just.  He  possessed  un- 
usual military  talents,  spending  thousands  of 
dollars  in  military  alVairs  to  be  successful,  and 
was  soon  called  into  the  military  service  of 
I'cnnsylvania,  where  he  serveil  successively  as 
lieutenant,  cajitain,  major  and  colonel.  While 
.serving  as  captain  he  unii'ormed  his  coni[iany 
of  one  hundred  and  one  men  at  his  own  ex- 
pense. Throughout  a  long  life  of  activity  and 
usefulness  he  lived  above  reproach  and  when 
he  passed  away  left  a  wide  circle  of  friends  to 
lament  his  death.  He  married  Naomi  Berlin,  a 
daughter  of  Jacob  Berlin,  who  was  an  eaily  and 
widely-known  citizen  of  Franklin  township,  to 
which  he  came  from  Berks  county,  this  State. 


BIOaRArillKS  OF 


Zephaniali  Brinker  was  reaieil  in  Peiin  towii- 
sliip,  ri'ccivcii  liis  ((liicalion  in  llie  t-diniu'Jii  and 
si'lcct  .scliiHils  anil  on  altaiiiiri:^  iiis  niajdritv  I'n- 
j;a;^iMl  in  (aiiinii;j;,  wliicli  lui  Inliowrd  tin'  live 
ycaia.  In  ISTI  lio  rcniuvcil  iVoni  iManur  to 
Kcottdak',  wlieio  lie  hecaiMc  one  oi'  the  pioneur 
settlers  of  that  jiiace  ami  opened  the  seeond 
hiiteherilig  estahiislmient  and  meal  niarlvi't  of 
th(^  town.  He  also  engaged  in  other  hiisi- 
ness  enterprises  with  his  usual  energy  and 
success.  After  fifteen  years  of  close  and  steady 
attention  to  his  various  business  interests  he  was 
compelled  by  ill  health  to  seek  rest,  and  accord- 
ingly removed  in  1888  with  his  family  to  the 
uioiuitainous  part  of  Somerset  county,  I'a.  After 
two  years  residence  in  that  section  he  regained 
his  health  anil  in  March,  1890,  returned  to 
Scottdale.  He  then  embarked  in  the  grocery 
business,  which  he  has  continued  in  until  the 
))resent  time,  and  to  which  he  intends  to  add 
dry  goods  and  engage  in  the  general  mercantile 
business  upon  an  extensive  scale.  JMr.  IJrinker 
owns  considerable  real  estate  and  is  the  propri- 
etor of  the  "  ]}rinker  Square,"  \Yhich  is  well 
situated  for  commercial  purposes  and  is  worth 
over  $15,000. 

On  October  10,  1868,  he  married  Mary  E. 
Lauffer,  of  Manor.  To  their  union  have  been 
born  five  children,  of  whom  three  are  living: 
Wilson  M.,  Myrna  May  and  Susa  Fern.  The 
two  who  died  were  Carlton  Sherwood  and  Lo- 
gan Elvi. 

I'oliiically  Mr.  Brinker  is  a  democrat  in  prin. 
ciple.  lie  is  a  member  of  the  United  Brethren 
cluueh,  but  was  reared  in  the  I'aith  of  the  Re- 
formed church.  Zephaniali  Brinker  is  plain, 
unassuming,  modest,  but  (juick  to  think  and  act 
and  possessed  of  a  courage  that  knows  no  de- 
feat. 


■r^ON.  JOHN  R.  BYllNE.     Celtic  blood 

I^J    flowed   in   the   veins  of  many  prominent 

(*)   citizens  of  the    IJniteil   States   who  have 

been  conspicuous  alike  on  th(i  battlo-lield  and  in 


the  forum,  and  to-day  many  of  that  blood  and 
race  thidiighinit  J'ennsylvania  hold  and  have 
held  important  public  olliccs  of  trust  and  honor. 
One  of  the  latter  class  is  .lolin  R.  Hyrnc,  c,\- 
niember  of  tiie  I'ennsylvania  House  of  Ui'pre- 
sentalives.  He  is  a  son  of  .John  L.  and  Mary 
(Lowry)  JJyrne  and  was  liorn  at  Bariiettstown, 
Cai-bon  township,  Hiinlingdoii  county,  I'a., 
April  2:i,  1H5«. 

John  L.  Byrne  (father)  was  born  in  county 
Meath,  Ireland,  reared  in  the  city  of  Dublin 
and  as  a  participant  in  the  Irish  Rebellion 
of  18^7  and  '48  found  it  necessary  to  immi- 
grate in  the  latter  year  to  I'ennsylvania,  where 
he  located  at  Ilollidaysburg.  He  was  a  brakes- 
man and  railroad  conductor  for  several  years  ;  a 
contractor  on  the  Broad  Top  railroad  and  en- 
gaged in  hotel  keejiing  at  Barnettstown  and 
Everson,  I'a.  At  the  latter  named  place  he 
died  January  Ki,  1888,  aged  fifty-four  years. 
He  was  a  delegate  to  the  first  (Jcneral  Assem- 
bly meeting  of  the  Knights  of  Labor  ever  held 
in  America,  which  convened  in  1887  at  Reading, 
Pa.,  and  was  treasurer  of  the  Mineis'  and 
Laborers'  Benevolent  Association  during  its 
palmiest  days.  When  the  attempted  Fenian  in- 
vasion of  Canada  from  the  United  States  oc- 
curred it  found  an  ardent  advocate  in  Mr. 
Byrne,  who  was  an  active  member  of  the  Fenian 
Brotherhood.  He  raised  a  company  to  join  the 
Fenian  army  of  invasion  but  it  never  was  called 
into  service,  as  the  Fenian  forces  were  dispersed 
without  much  fighting. 

John  R.  Byrne  attended  the  common  schools 
of  Huntingdon  county,  I'a.,  till  thirteen  years  of 
age.  He  then  entered  a  coal  mine  as  a  trajiper 
boy  for  which  he  received  thirty-seven  and  one- 
half  cents 'per  day;  he  was  soon  transferred  to 
driving  and  shortly  afterwards  engaged  in  dig- 
ging, and  remained  in  the  latter  employment 
until  he  attained  his  majority.  In  l!^73  ho 
moved  with  his  father  to  Everson,  Fayette 
county.  In  1878  ho  migrated  to  Leadville, 
Colorado,  where  he  retnaineil   one  year  and  re- 


U'KST.UOIiKL.iyn  COVSTY. 


turncil  oast  as  far  as  Pittsburg,  wluie  ho  was 
niarrieil.  In  liS80  lie  rctunu'd  to  Ever.son, 
Fayette  county,  I'a.,  and  resumed  mining  in 
•\vliicli  lie  continued  until  tlie  great  labor  sirike 
of  i.ssl.  lie  was  made  ])residcMt  of  llie  organi- 
zation that  controlleil  and  conducted  ihe  above 
strike  and  during  its  progress  establisheil  the 
Mincr'n  liecorJ,  wliieli  he  conducted  for  eigh- 
teen months  and  then  changed  the  name  to  that 
of  Scotldule  Independent.  In  l.SSf)  W.  N. 
Porter  became  a  partner  with  him  in  the  news- 
paper business  and  in  ISSt!  they  disposed  of  the 
Independent  to  Hiram  B.  Strickler,  who  sold  it 
in  1887  to  a  joint  stock  company  which  em- 
ployed j\Ir.  Byrne  as  editor.  After  eight 
months  editorial  service  he  retired  on  ;iccouut  of 
his  eyesight  becoming  attected.  On  July  17, 
1889,  he  became  editor  of  the  Tribune  J'ress, 
of  Scottdale,  which  he  cuiitinues  to  edit  as  a  re- 
publican pa]ier.  It  is  a  f(iur-])age  folio  of 
tliirty-two  columns  and  is  principally  devoted  to 
local  news  and  labor  interests.  In  December, 
1887,  he  formed  a  partnership  witli  his  brother, 
Arthur  P.  Byrne,  in  the  boot  and  shoe  business 
at  Scottdale  under  the  firm  name  of  John  11. 
Eyrne  it  Co.  They  have  built  up  a  large  trade 
and  carry  a  full  and  well-assnrlt'il  collection  of 
boots  and  shoes.  In  ISSt'i  he  was  elected  from 
Fayette  county  to  a  seat  in  the  Pennsylvania 
House  of  Kepresentatives.  He  had  a  majority 
oftiOU  votes  in  a  county  that  was  strongly  demo- 
cratic prior  to  188(1,  ami  was  the  first  republi- 
can clnird  to  llic  l,cgi>l;ilurc  fniui  ihal  cnuuly 
since  1>74.  lie  soivcd  in  the  session  of  l,s:S7-8 
and  was  a  member  of  live  important  committees. 
In  1888  he  was  a  candidate  for  re-election  but 
was  defeated  by  a  defection  in  the  Kepublican 
party  and  opposition  from  coke  operators. 

On  July  3,  1880,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Joanna  Lynch,  daughter  of  John  Lynch,  of 
Everson.  To  this  union  have  been  born  three 
children  :  Henry  W.,  Arthur  L.  and  Florence 
F. 

lie  is   a  mcnd>t'r  of    Scuttdalu    Cnnclavc,  No. 


172,  Inde|)endent  Order  of  Heptusophs.  In 
religion  he  is  a  llonnm  Catholic  and  a  republi- 
can in  politics.  Mr.  Byrne  has  ever  labored  in 
the  interests  of  his  political  parly  and  given 
larg<ly  of  his  time  for  the  advanieiiiciit  of  itH 
aims.  He  resides  just  across  the  Westun/reland 
county  line,  at  Everson,  in  Fayette  county,  Pa., 
but  carries  on  his  business  at  Scottdile;  has  been 
identilied  with  the  interests  of  that  borough  for 
nearly  ten  years.  He  has  for  many  years  l)een 
one  of  the  labor  leaders  of  southern  Pennsyl- 
vania and  a  recognized  authority  on  labor  sub- 
jects with  many  workingmen. 


ON.  EDWARD  CALLAGIIAN.  Prob- 
ably no  member  of  the  Pennsylvania 
[S)  Legislature  ever  secured  more  fully  the 
attention  of  that  honorable  body  than  Edward 
Callaghan,  of  Westmoreland  county,  when  he 
arose  on  Tuestiay,  January  4,  1S87,  in  the 
House  of  Representatives  and  offered  the  follow- 
ing resolution :  '■^Resolved,  That  the  custom  of 
opening  the  General  Assembly  of  Pennsylvania 
with  prayer  be  dispensed  with."  Mr.  Callaghan 
emj]liatically  declares  that  this  resolution  was 
oil'crcd  by  him  in  what  he  conceived  to  be  the 
true  interests  of  Christianity  and  not  as  any 
menace  against  the  cause  of  religion,  as  has  been 
so  repeatedly  charged  against  him.  Edward 
Callaghan  is  a  sun  of  Felix  and  Alice  (Curran) 
Callaghan,  ;ind  was  born  at  Mt.  Savage,  Alle- 
gheny county,  Md.,  May  24,  18:.0.  His  father, 
Fcli.x  Callaghan,  was  born  in  1804  in  county 
Armagh,  province  of  Ulster,  Ireland.  His  wife 
was  Alice  Curran,  of  county  Monaghan  and  a 
relative  of  Mary  Curran,  who  was  betrothed  to 
Robert  Emmet.  Mr.  Callaghan  was  married  in 
1838  in  the  old  cathedral  of  Armagh,  which 
was  built  by  St.  Patrick.  He  immigrated  in 
1845  to  iMaryland  where  he  settled  at  Mt.  Sav- 
age and  followed  the  shoe  business  until  a  few 
years  ago.  He  is  (juite  active  for  his  ailvanced 
age  and  is  a  strong  <lcmocr;it  of  ihe  Jack-Ionian 


'•jl>  ;ni|ol)lS  Jl  Ml    Itllii  0^. 


234 


BIOOUAVniES   OF 


type.  A  barber  tried  to  cut  liis  tliroat  wliilc 
sliaviii^  liiiii  in  ]5ahiinorc,  in  1)^41),  and  since 
then  he  lias  always  shaved  himself.  He  is  a 
liandsonic  old  gentleman,  and  his  wife  retains 
much  of  her  former  beauty,  while  not  a  silver 
thread  appears  in  her  heavy  mass  of  raven  hair. 
They  have  had  twelve  children,  of  whom  ten  are 
living. 

Edward  Callaghan  was  reared  at  Mt.  Savage, 
where  he  was  educated  in  ])rivate  schools  and 
followed  the  shoemaking  business  until  1877. 
In  that  year,  attracted  by  the  favorable  business 
openings  of  the  Connellsville  ciiko  region,  he 
came  t(i  Fayi'tte  eminty,  I'a.,  wlu'ic  he  worked 
for  a  time  in  a  stone  (juarry  in  prefrnee  to  taking 
the  place  of  a  tippling  shoemaker,  wlm  was 
afterward  run  over  and  killeil  by  a  train  on  the 
railniiid.  In  1S7S  ii,'  renidvcd  to  Sc..|ld;ilr, 
tins  rnunly,  c-liilili-hrd  lilM  present  slide  slnic 
and  bus  made  thai  stirring  huroiigh  his  limni' 
e\rr  since.  .Mr.  Calhighiin  is  a  stanch  and 
earnest  democrat,  has  al\va_ys  taken  an  active  j)art 
in  political  campaigns,  both  local  and  State,  and 
is  alwas  found  at  the  polls  on  election  day  work- 
ing for  the  success  of  his  party.  In  1886  he 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  Pennsylvania  House 
of  Representatives,  served  in  the  sessions  of 
1887  and  was  a  member  of  the  important  com- 
mittee on  labor  and  indiislry.  In  1888  he  was 
a  candidate  li.r  tlu'  dciuocratic  nomination  for 
the  olllce  of  State  senator  but  was  defeated,  and 
at  the  ensuing  election  his  successful  o]iponent 
was  ln'atcu  by  the  icpublit-m  candidate  for  that 
ollicc. 

On  October  10,  1888,  he  united  m  marriage 
with  l']llen  Martina  Hogiie,  <if  liOretta,  I'a.,  who 
was  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Ilogue,  a  wealthy 
citizen  and  ex-county  commissioner  of  Cambria 
county,  I'a. 

Edward  (Jallaghan,  while  a  lacndjcr  of  the 
rennsylvania  Legislature,  refused  to  accejit  rail- 
road passes  olVercd  bim  liy  the  Pennsylvania, 
Ijaltimore  and  Oliin  and  riiiladclphia  and  Read- 
ing   railway    com|ianies.      His    most     inipnrtant 


speech  in  the  house  was  made  <jn  the  "Anti- 
diseriniinaticin  Hill."  He  introduced  a  bill  for 
the  founding  of  a  hospital  for  disabled  miners 
in  the  Connellsville  coke  region  and  another  for 
the  repeal  of  tlie  conspiracy  law.  He  h;us  been 
engaged  to  some  extent  in  lecturing;  his  last 
lecture  was  on  the  Johnstown  flood.  lie  is  a 
member  of  the  Catholic  church  and  is  always 
active  in  whatever  he  undertakes.  At  this 
writing  Mr.  Callaghan  has  entered  suit  for  con- 
spiracy against  John  R.  IJyrne,  Peter  Wise,  of 
the  Knights  of  Labor,  and  T.  \'.  Powderly, 
General  Master  Workman  uf  that  order. 

Edward  Callaghan  is  an  active  and  aggres- 
sive democrat  and  is  always  reaily  to  advocate 
the  principles  and  measures  of  the  Democratic 
jiarty.  He  is  a  man  whose  integrity  of  jiurjwse 
I'auiiot  be  (piestiiiued,  whose  ideas  of  justice  and 
eipiilv  are  cirrecl,  ami  ulio,  in  his  ailbei-enci'  li> 
\slial  be  ciinsiders  right,  is  liiiii  as  the  adaiuau- 
tine  rock. 

tYlf'I''-'*-^f   ^-  CAMPP.ELL,  one  of  the 

enterprising    young    men    of  Scottdale, 

was  born  in  Greensburg,  Westmoreland 

county,   Pa.,  May  25,   1859,  and    is    a    sou    of 

Peter  and  Rebecca  (Brown)  Campbell.     Peter 

Campbell,  born  Septeinbr  12,  1828,  is  a  native 

of  Lancaster   county.   Pa  ,   but   when    only   ten 

years    old    was   brought    to    (ireensburg    by  his 

i   mother.      .\t  the  age  of  fifteen    he  undertook    to 

j  learn    the   tanning   trade,  at  which    be    worked 

I   until   he  arrived  at   manhood.      Later   he   added 

I  iiulcheriiig  to  bis  work  of  tanning   and  carried 

on    both    for  many  years    at    (ireensburg.      In 

18tj8    he   reinuved    to   Scottdale,  where    he   has 

ever  since  been  engaged  in  butchering.      \Vhen 

i  he  located  at  the  latter  place  there  were  but  few 

!  houses  in  the  town  ;   he  is  therefore  one  of  the 

j  old    residents    of    that    thriving    borough.      In 

-   185  J    he    was    married    to    Rebecca    Hrown,   of 

Heniptield  township,  near  (ireensburg,  and  they 

had  seven  cliildren. 

\Villiam   S.  (."aiiiiibell  was  reared  in  Greens- 


WFymoilICLA  ND   CO  USTY. 


burg,  the  county  scat  of  the  '*  star  of  the  west," 
■\shere,  ;ifter  leavili;^  scliool,  he  assisted  liis  father 
in  the  meat  iriarkct  for  sc:veral  vrars,  and  in 
ISSO  he  rn;;aj^cd  in  llic  dairy  larsincss  al  Sentl- 
dali'  uliieli  he  eiiiuiniic'd  ihrce  years.  In  ISSl 
he  embarked  in  the  li\ery  husincss  whieh  he 
has  successfully  enndiirtcd  up  Id  thr  jircscnt 
time,  lie  has  built  up  a  good  trade,  keeps  a 
full  line  of  saddle  and  harness  horses,  buggies 
and  carriages,  and  makes  a  specialty  of  furnish- 
ing turnouts  for  funerals.  Mr.  Campbell  is  also 
engaged  with  his  brother-in-law,  B.  C.  Frctts, 
in  the  manufacture  of  cigars,  the  firm  name  being 
B.  C.  Frctts  i&  Co.  lie  is  a  member  (uniform 
rank)  of  Fountain  Lodge,  No.  443,  K.  of  P., 
and  of  Scottdale  Conclave,  No.  17:!,  I.  (). 
Ileptasophs.  lie  is  a  republican  and  freiiuently 
takes  an  active  part  in  the  jxilitieal  affairs  of  his 
town. 

William  S.  Campbell  was  niarried  September 
14,  iSS-i,  to  Mary,  a  daughter  of  1).  S.  Frctts, 
of  East  Huntingdon  to\vnslii]i,  Westmoreland 
county,  I'a. 

ARON  H.  CUNNINGHAM,  a  tonsorial 
artist  of  Scottdale,  was  born  in  1848  in 
ICast  Huntingdon  township,  ^Vestmore- 
land  county,  Pa.,  and  is  a  "son  of  John  \\ .  and 
Matilda  (Heath)  Cunningham.  His  grandfather, 
Joseph  H.  Cunningham,  was  born  in  Tyrone 
township,  Fayette  county,  ]'a.,  where  he  lived 
and  died  on  the  old  homestead.  He  was  a  farmer 
by  occupation,  dohn  W.  (.'unningliam  (father) 
was  born  in  181(S,  in  Fayette  county,  Pa.,  was 
a  carpenter  and  farmer,  and  held  title  to  a  tract 
of  land  in  East  Huntingdon  township,  West- 
moreland county.  In  18(j;3  he  quit  farming, 
sold  his  land  and  engaged  in  carpentry,  at  which 
he  continued  until  his  death  in  December, 
1886.  He  was  married  in  1844  to  Matilda 
Heath,  of  Luzerne  township,  Fayette  county, 
and  to  them  were  born  two  children  :  Aaron  H. 
and  George  W.,  the  latter  of  whom  was  killed 
in  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg,  December,  18l)ii. 


Mrs.  (Cunningham  died  in  18;")7  at  the  ai'c  of 
fifty  years  and  hei-  bushand  remarried  in  I  8f>0, 
his  second  wife  being  Cynlliia,  a  daiighler  of 
(leorge  .Mason,  of  Salem  tiiwnship,  this  county, 
\\\\i\  died  in  .lanuary,   IMU;?,  leaving  no  issue. 

Aaron  11.  Cunningham  was  reared  on  his 
father's  farm,  attended  the  jiublic  schools  and 
assisted  his  father  in  his  farm  work.  In  18(J(; 
he  went  on  the  road  as  travelling  salesman  and 
maker  of  stencils,  at  \vhicli  he  continued  for  four 
years.  From  1871  to  1873  he  worked  at  the 
carpenter's  trade  at  Derry  station  and  then  re- 
moved to  Scottdale,  where  he  worked  at  car- 
pentry until  1878,  when  he  embarked  in  his 
present  business,  at  which  he  has  been  (juite 
successful  and  whieh  he  has  foihjwed  contin- 
uously for  nearly  twelve  years. 

Aaron  H.  Cunningham  was  ni;irried  in  1870 
to  Mi.ss  Lizzie,  a  daughter  of  William  Mellon, 
of  Derry,  ]'a.,  who  was  born  in  INtS,  and  ^vho 
has  borne  him  live  children,  all  living:  Harry 
M.,  born  in  1S71;  Frank  W.,  born  in  1S78; 
Emuia,  born  in  1875;  W.  Walter,  born  in  1877; 
and  Bert  S.,  born  in  1870.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Cunningham  are  members  of  the  M.  E.  church 
and  own  property  on  Mulberry  street.  Mr. 
Cunningham  is  a  member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum 
and  Knights  of  the  Golden  Eagle.  He  is  an 
industrious,  upright  man,  a  good  citizen  and 
adheres  to  the  i)rinci])les  of  the  Republican 
party. 


tOSEPH  K.  EICHER,  one  of  the  earliest 
'l  settlers  and  leading  citizens  of  Scottdale, 
(^  was  born  December  5,  1832,  in  Springfield 
township,  Fayette  county,  Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of 
Joseph  and  Rose  Ann  (Kern)  Eicher.  Joseph 
Eicher  was  a  native  of  Lancaster  county.  Pa., 
but  removeil  to  Fayette  county  in  his  younger 
days  and  settled  in  the  woods  of  what  is  now 
Springlield  township  in  1818.  Of  that  town- 
ship he  was  one  of  the  early  settlers,  and  while 
clearing  a  space  on  which  to  erect  a  house 
about    the    oidy   company   he    bad    was    that   of 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


the  liowliiii^  wolves  tluU  (l;iily  and  nightly 
visiteil  the  sueiie  of  his  lalmr.  lie  i'ollowed 
farming  all  his  life  and  liveil  tu  the  advanced 
age  of  ninety-three  years.  He  was  remarkably 
active  for  one  so  old,  being  able  at  eighty-five 
tu  put  his  foot  in  the  stirrup  and  mount  his 
horse  quite  easily  without  assistance.  His  death, 
which  occurred  in  187G,  was  the  result  of  a 
bniken  leg,  the  bones  of  which,  by  reason  of  old 
age,  would  not  knit. 

Joseph  K.  Eicher  remained  on  the  farm  with 
his  father  until  twenty-one  years  of  age.  On 
the  first  day  of  his  twenty-second  year  he  began 
teaching  school,  which  he  continued  for  si.x 
years,  and  then,  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight, 
commenced  working  at  the  carpenter's  trade 
with  his  father-in-law,  .John  Hamilton,  who  was 
at  that  time  living  in  Somerset  county,  I'a. 
In  18tJ2  Mr.  Eicher  moved  to  his  father's  farm 
in  Fayette  county,  wliere  he  remained  until 
18(34.  lie  enlisted  that  year  in  Co.  K,  212th 
reg.  "  Si.xth  Artillery"  of  Pa.,  and  served  until 
the  close  of  the  war,  being  honorably  discharged 
in  June,  186.0,  at  Camp  Reynolds,  near  Pitts- 
burg, Pa.  He  returned  home,  and  after  farm- 
ing a  year  resumed  work  at  the  carpenter's 
trade.  During  1872  he  worked  at  Scottdale, 
and  the  ne.xt  year  removed  his  family  to  that 
])laco  where  he  has  lived  ever  since.  In  1879, 
May  1st,  he  was  commissioned  justice  of  the 
peace  by  Gov.  Henry  M.  Iloyt;  received  his 
second  commission  from  Robert  E.  J'attison  in 
iSSl,  ;iud  hi.<  tliii'd  from  (i(jv.  James  .\.  iieaver 
ill  ls~^'.i.  .Mr.  I'liclicr  was  elected  burgess  of 
Scottdale  on  the  republican  ticket  in  1SS2  and 
wa«  re-elected  four  successive  times,  lie  has 
also  served  his  borough  as  school  director  and 
as  councilman.  He  is  a  stanch  republican 
and  an  aggressive  party  man,  always  taking  an 
active  part  in  jiolitical  affairs.  He  cast  his  first 
vote  for  John  C.  Fremont  and  has  ever  since 
been  faithful  to  the  principles  and  men  of  his 
]iarty.  He  is  a  member  of  Scottdale  Lodgo 
.No.   886,   1.   ().   U.    v.:    Fountain  Loilge,    No. 


4-13,  K.  of  P.,  of  which  he  is  a  past  officer: 
Greeiisburg  Council,  No.  41,  Royal  Arcanum  ; 
Sheridan  Council,  No.  o51,  (,).  U.  A..  M.;  and 
Col.  Ellsworth  Post,  No.  2()'J,  G.  A.  R.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church  at  Scott- 
dale, in  which  he  is  a  deacon  and  a  zealous 
worker.  Mr.  Eicher  is  one  of  Scottdale's  best 
citizens,  a  true  friend,  a  just  judge  and  an 
honest  man. 

Joseph  K.  Eicher  was  married  in  1854  to 
Mary  Ellen,  a  daughter  and  only  heir  of  John 
and  Elizabeth  Hamilton,  of  Somerset  county, 
Pa.,  and  they  have  eight  children  :  LeRoy  N., 
Ale.x.  II.,  William  W.,  Annie  E.,  Ellen  D., 
Lillian  L.,  Maggie  B.  and  Frank. 


fAMUEL  FERGUSON  was  born  March 
13,  1843,  in  Salem  township,  Westmore- 
land county.  Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of  William 
and  Jane  (Hagerman)  Ferguson.  William  Fer- 
guson, a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  was  born  in 
1807  and  was  of  Scotch  parentage ;  he  was 
a  shoemaker  by  trade,  but  during  the  greater 
part  of  his  life  followed  agricultural  jiursuits  in 
his  native  township.  He  was  married  to  Jane 
Hagerman  who  bore  him  eight  children,  seven 
of  whom  are  living :  Martha,  Mary,  Joseph, 
Samuel,  Isaac,  John  and  Lyda.  William  Fer- 
guson died  in  1853  ;  his  widow  is  still  living  at  the 
age  of  seventy-seven  years  and  resides  in  Cleve- 
land, Ohio.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
church. 

Samuel  Ferguson  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  in  Salem  township,  attended  the  common 
schools  and  at  the  age  of  si.xteen  went  to  work 
for  the  P.  R.  R.  company,  in  whose  service  he 
remained  in  various  capacities  for  seventeen 
years.  He  was  then  in  the  employ  of  the  Key- 
stone bridge  company  of  Pittsburg  a  year,  and 
in  1880  went  to  Scottdale  where  he  engaged 
with  the  Charlotte  furnace  company  and  re- 
mained five  years.  The  next  year  lie  worked 
for  the  Scottdale  rolling  mill  company  and  tliea 


I    \ 


w^. 


i-^-^"' 


WESTMOUKLAND  COUNTY. 


239 


took  cliargc  of  iin  engine  for  the  II.  C.  Frick 
coke  conijiany  ;it  Mt.  I'leiisaiit.  After  three 
years  with  this  company  he  returned  to  Scott- 
dale  where  lie  is  now  engineer.  Mr.  Ferguson 
is  a  repuhlican  and  renders  his  ]Kirly  vaiiiahUi 
service,  lie  is  a  member  of  /occo  l;oilge,  No. 
385,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  Iron  City  Lodge,  No.  24,  A. 
0.  U.  W.,  and  Ellsworth  Tost,  No.  209.  G.  A. 
R. 

Samuel  Ferguson  united  in  marriage  in  1865 
with  Sarah,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Ellen 
Might,  of  Pittsburg,  Pa.  They  have  had  three 
children,  two  of  whom  are  living :  Ella  and 
Sadie.  Mr.  Ferguson  is  a  soljer,  industrious 
man,  an  obliging  friend  and  a  worthy  citizen. 


y  OIIN  S.  FRETS,  a  retired  farmer  of  Scott- 
'i  dale,  was  burn  in  Tyrone  township,  Fayette 
(2/  county.  Pa.,  January  24,  1813,  and  is  a 
son  of  Henry  and  Susanna  (Sherrick)  Frets. 
The  former  was  a  native  of  Bucks  county,  Pa., 
born  in  1791,  and  when  a  mere  boy  came  with 
his  father,  Christian  Frets,  to  Westmoreland 
county  ;  they  located  in  East  Huntingdon  town- 
ship where  tlicy  ])urchased  land  near  the  present 
site  of  Scottdale.  In  1812  Henry  Frets  was 
married  to  Susanna,  daughter  of  John  Sherriek, 
of  Tyrone  township,  Fayette  county,  ami  in  the 
following  year  purchased  a  i'arm  in  East  Hunt- 
ingdon townshii)  two  miles  west  of  the  present  site 
of  Scottdale,  where  he  led  theiiuiet  life  of  a  farmer 
uiild  his  dnilh  in  iSl.").  lliswilc,  who  survived 
hini  thuly  ynivs.  died  in  I.ST.'i.  They  were  iioth 
respected  members  of  the  Mennonite  church.  He 
was  a  whig  in  politics.  Christian  Frets  (grand- 
father) removed  from  JJucks  county  to  AVestmore- 
land  in  about  1800  and  settled  in  Ea.  t  Hunting- 
don; he  did  iiiiu'h  toward  the  developini^nt  of  his 
adopted  township  a-iid  died  at  a  very  old  age  in 
1848.  His  wife  was  Agnes  Overliolt,  of  (ierman 
parentage,  and  a  native  of  Pennsylvania. 

.lohn   S.    Frets,    afler   leceiving   an   ordinary 
education  in  the  old  subscription  schools  of  his 


day,  in  1830  j)urchased  a  farm  and  for  over  fifty 
yeais  he  was  successfully  engaged  in  that  pur- 
suit. In  1887  he  retired  from  active  business 
and  removed  to  Scottdale  Avhere  ho  at  |)resent 
rrsidrs.  In  I  s:!.")  ho  was  marii(Ml  to  i'lliziibeth, 
daughter  of  John  Hear,  of  JCast  Huntingdon. 
She  was  born  in  1811  and  died  on  August  21, 
1889.  To  their  union  were  born  four  children: 
Hannah,  wife  of  Solomon  Stoner,  and  resides 
near  Stoner's;  Henry  B.,  born  in  1838  and 
died  while  in  tlie  service  of  the  Union  army  ; 
Daniel,  born  in  1841,  died  in  1872,  and  Adam 
B.,  born  in  1845  and  died  in  1876.  He  is  a  re- 
publican in  his  political  opinions  and  a  highly 
respected  member  of  the  Lutheran  church. 


-^  OBERT  GARRETT,  proprietor  of  the 
Eureka  billiard  parlor  restaurant,  of 
Scottdale,  Pa.,  was  born  January,  1855, 
at  Brownville,  Fayette  county,  Pa.,  and  is  the 
son  of  William  and  Priscilla  (Dorsey)  Garrett. 
William  Garrett,  a  native  of  Virginia,  migrated 
to  Centerville,  Washington  county.  Pa.,  where 
he  kept  hotel  for  seven  years,  and  thence 
to  Brownsville,  Pa.,  where  he  remained  until  his 
death  in  1869.  In  Brownsville  he  was  proprie- 
tor of  the  Monongahela  house.  He  enlisted  as  a 
private  in  a  eoinjjany  of  Pa.  Vols.,  under  Capt. 
Smith  of  Brownsville,  and  was  afterward  pro- 
moted to  the  lieutenancy  of  his  company.  At  the 
battle  of  Bull  Run  he  received  a  wound  which 
disabled  him  and  he  retiMiu'd  home.  He  mar- 
ried Priscilla,  a  daughter  of  (Jeorge  Horsey,  of 
Washington  county.  Pa.,  and  to  them  were  born 
two  children  :  Rebecca,  wife  of  William  Wall,  of 
Morgantown,  West  Va.,  and  Robert.  Mrs.  Pris- 
cilla (Dorsey)  Garrett  is  still  living  at  the  age  of 
fifty-four  years  and  resides  near  lirownsyille,  Pa. 
Robert  Garrett  attended  the  public  schools  until 
fifteen  years  of  ago,  when  he  went  to  learn  the 
blacksmith  trade  with  William  Bird  of  Biowris- 
ville.  In  1870  he  removed  to  Cook's  Mills, 
Fayette  county.   Pa.,  where  he  started  in    the 


-I'J^'liJe    Jli    '.>.-l!,.     r"'  - 


,i(,^<!i,.;:. 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


business  for  himself  and  remained  for  seven 
years.  In  I880  lie  removed  to  Scottdale  and 
bounflit  a  sliop  wliicli  lie  continued  to  run  with 
remarkable  success  until  April,  ISM'J,  wlien  he 
rented  his  jilace  of  business  to  Niclicilus  Kcuft, 
who  now  has  charge  of  tlie  siiiitliy. 

Robert  Garrett  was  united  in  marriage  in 
1877.  Having  no  children  of  their  own,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Garrett  have  adopted  a  child  in  whom 
they  take  great  interest.  Mr.  Garrett  is  a 
democrat  of  the  Andrew  Jackson  type,  and  like 
"  Old  Hickory  ''  is  an  active  and  intrepid  worker 
for  the  success  of  his  party  and  the  triumph  of 
its  prineijiles.  lie  is  a  man  of  good  judgment 
and  strong  will,  and  follows  the  advice  of  Crockett, 
'•  J'e  sure  you're  rigiit,  then  go  ahead." 


where  in  this  work  ;  Peter,  killed  in  the  battle 
of  Fredericksburg ;  William  S.,  a  resident  of 
Centerville,  Iowa;  John  F.,  of  Mansfield,  (Jliio; 
Ann  N.,  of  Gi'censburg,  and  ('atliariiie  L.,  wife 
of  Kdwanl  llauiMi,  ..r  itniddock,  I'a.  Williiim 
15.  (Jay  was  a  political  t'oilower  of  Jacksun  and 
was  ail  active-  and  inlluciitial  worker  for  his 
party.  He  was  a  niemljer  of  the  Baptist  church 
while  his  wife  belonged  to  the  M.  E.  church. 
Mrs.  Gay  died  in  1882. 

Robert  N.  (jiay  was  reared  amidst  the  rural 
scenes  of  Donegal  township,  in  whose  public 
schools  lie  was  educated  and  where  he  lived 
with  his  father,  assisting  him  in  farm  W(jrk  and 
general  business  until  his  death.  Robert  then 
took  charge  of  tiie  farm  and  lan  it  till  1883, 
when  he  sold  it  and  removed  to  Donegal,  where 
he  built  a  hotel.  This  he  ran  for  two  years  and 
then  in  1S,S7  removed  to  Scottdale,  Pa.,  where 
he  was  deputy  sheritfat  Charlotte  Furnace.  In 
February,  188i',  he  was  elected  on  an  indepen- 
dent ticket  constable  of  Scottdale  borough,  and 
in  the  same  month  was  appointed  chief  marshal 
by  the  town  council.  Mr.  Gay  is  an  excellent 
citizen  and  a  most  agreeable  comjianion. 

Robert  N.  Gay  and  Miss  Clara  B.  Stewart 
were  married  in  18(J7.  and  have  had  six  children, 


OBERT  N.  GAY,  chief  marshal  and 
iilso  Cdiislable  of  Scottdale,  was  born 
May  17,  1848,  at  Donegal,  in  Donegal 
township,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  and  is  a 
son  of  William  B.  and  Martha  (Speer)  Gay. 
His  grandfather,  Peter  Gay,  was  a  native  of 
Franklin  county.  Pa.,  removed  to  Westmoreland 
county  when  but  a  young  man  and  began  farm- 
ing in  Donegal  township.  He  married  Eliza- 
beth Hays,  of  the  same  township,  and  they  had  1  four  of  whom  are  living :  Elmer  N.,  with  II.  C. 
five  children,  none  of  whom  are  living.  Peter  !  Frick  it  Co.;  Ralph  0.;  Anna  and  Ida.  Mrs. 
Gay's  father  was  born  in  England,  immigrated  \  Gay  is  a  daughter  of  Thomas  B.  Stewart,  of 
to  America  and  settled  in  Franklin  county.  Pa.,  I  Berlin,  Somerset  county.  Pa.,  and  is  a  loving 
where  he  remained  during  the  remainder  of  his  i  wife  and  devoted  mother.  Mr.  Gay  is  a  demo- 
life.  He  was  one  of  the  very  early  settlers  of  1  crat,  and  a  member  of  the  K.  0.  T.  M. 
that  county  and  was  by  occupation  a  tiller  of 
tlie  soil.  William  B.  Gay  was  born  in  1814  in 
Ligonie  Valley,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.  At 
the  age  of  twenty-one  he  was  elected  justice  of 
the  peace,  which  office  he  continued  to  hold 
until  bis  death  in  18GG,  at  the  age  of  fifty-two 
vears.  He  resided  on  his  laiin  about  one  mile 
east  of  Donegal  borough.      He  married  Martha  \  and  Catherine  (Redingcr)   Geyer.      The  Geycrs 

are  of  German  lineage,  and  the  ])rogenitor  of  the 
American  branch  of  the  family  arrived  in  the 
province  of  Penn  some  time  between  tlie  close  of 


•{•OHN    C.    GEYER,    a    progressive    young 

I     business  man  and  manager  of  the  well  known 

(2/     "Geyer  House,"  of  Scottdale,  was  born  in 

Juniata  township,  Bedford  county.  Pa.,  Novem- 

lier  2,  18(!.'>,  and  is  a  son  of  the  late  Henry  G. 


Speer;  to  tiieui  were  born  eight  children  :  Mary 
C,  widow  of  James  H.  Jones,  now  living  at 
Donegal ;  Freeman  C,  whose  sketch  appears  else- 


/■f'"^J     ^j/va^r  //a  . 


/•»«Io  5y  Si'Tingm 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


243 


the  French  and  Indian  war  and  the  opening  of 
tlie  Ucvohitionnry  struggle,  in  which  he  served 
as  a  soldier  iiiith'r  \Va.shingtoM.  After  tile  close 
of  the  uar  f<ir  liideiiendenee  lie  settled  in  I'hila- 
deljiliia.  lie  was  the  father  of  Coonrod  Geyer 
(grandfather)  who  was  born  in  the  "  City  of 
Brotherly  Love"  and  emigrated  in  early  life 
to  Berks  and  afterwards  to  Bedford  county,  Pa. 
His  chief  employment  was  teaming  between 
Cu'iil^crland,  Md.  and  Wheeling,  Va.,  (now  W. 
\a.)  on  the  National  Road  or  old  pike.  A 
heavily  loaded  wagon  passed  over  his  foot  and 
from  the  effects  of  the  injury  thus  received  he 
(tied  at  his  home  in  Bedford  county,  in  the  sixty- 
fourth  year  of  hisage.  Henry  (j.  deyer  (father) 
was  born  at  Reading,  I5erks  ivjunty,  I'a.,  May 
4,  l!So3,  and  reared  on  a  tariu.  He  received 
his  education  in  the  common  schools.  At  an 
early  age  he  came  with  his  parents  to  Bedford 
county  wliere  he  was  engaged  in  farming  until 
187-).  In  that  year  he  removed  to  Scottdale 
and  engaged  in  hotel  keeping.  Meeting  with 
good  success  in  that  line  of  business  he  resolved 
to  embark  permanently  in  that  pursuit.  In  1882 
he  erected  a  large  frame  hotel,  now  known  as  the 
"Geyer  House"  and  successfully  conducted  it 
until  his  death,  December  11,  1884.  He  was 
the  first  landlord  at  Scottdale  to  obtain  license 
aftc^'  the  passage  of  the  local  option  law.  He 
came  to  Scottdale  .shortly  after  it  was  laid  out  as 
a  town,  and  if  his  life  had  been  spared  a  lew 
years  longi'r  he  wuiihl  have  been  very  jirominent 
in  its  later  growth  and  development.  He  was 
un  energetic,  stirring  iiiun  who  was  successful 
in  his  business  ventures.  lie  was  an  ollicer  in 
the  (lernian  llcformed  church,  of  which  he  had 
been  a  highly  respected  member  for  over  twenty- 
one  years.  On  January  "2,  18(J8,  he  married 
Catherine  Re<linger,  and  they  had  seven  children, 
four  sons  and  three  daughteis,  Mrs.  Geyer  was 
born  in  Bedford  county  in  1841.  She  is  now 
with  the  a.ssistance  of  her  sons  conducting  the 
"  Geyer  House." 

At  ten  years  of    age  John    C.   Geyer  came 


with  his  parents  from  Bedford  county  to  Scott- 
dale, where  he  atteniled  the  common  schools  for 
five  years.  In  1878  he  entered  the  Scottdale 
rolling-mill  where  he  learned  the  trades  of  roll- 
ing and  boiling,  and  worked  as  a  roller  and 
boiler  for  si.\  years.  Since  the  death  of  his 
father  he  has  been  engaged  in  assisting  his 
mother  in  the  management  of  the  "Geyer  House," 
which  is  one  of  the  leading  hotels  of  the  borough. 
It  is  well  arranged  and  fully  ecjuipped  to  meet  the 
wants  of  the  traveling  public  and  receives  a  very 
liberal  patronage. 

On  January  "24,  1884,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Laura  A.  jNIilliron,  daughter  of 
Samuel  Milliron,  of  New  Stanton,  this  county. 
They  have  three  children,  two  sons  and  one 
daughter:  Daisy  M.,  Grover  Cleveland  and 
John  0. 

J.  0.  Geyer  is  a  member  of  Scottdale  Lodge, 
No.  88.'),  and  White  Star  Encan){)ment,  No.  '286, 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Fountain 
Lodge,  No.  44;J,  Knights  of  I'ytliias  and  Scott- 
dale Council,  No.  1U2,  Junior  Order  of  United 
American  Mechanics.  He  is  a  past  oflicer  in  the 
K.  of  P.  and  Junior  Mechanics  and  twice  rep- 
resented the  latter  at  their  State  council  once  at 
Ilarrisburg  and  the  other  time  at  Erie.  He  is  a 
democrat  in  politics,  a  member  of  Trinity  Ger- 
man llefonueil  church  at  Scottdale,  which  was 
organized  July  ^O,  lM7-'i,  and  well  (jualilied  for 
the  business  in  which  he  is  eni'as'ed. 


'jjrAMES  W.  GRANTHAM,  of  the  firm  of 
I  Ruth  &  Giantham,  iiroprietors  of  the 
(o/  Westmoreland  planing  mill,  at  Scottdale, 
was  born  September  13,  1852,  in  Middleway, 
Jefl'crson  county,  \d,.  (now  W.  Va.),  and  is  a  son 
of  John  S.  and  Lucy  Ellen  (Sliarfl)  Grantham, 
both  of  whom  are  natives  and  residents  of  Shen- 
andoah Valley,  that  Slate.  John  S.  Grantham  is 
eiij'ai'ed  in  the  furniture  and  undertakinj:  busi- 


244 


lilOGRAPlIIES  OF 


ness  which  he  has  successfully  carrietl  on  in  tlie 
same  place  ever  since  he  was  a  young  num.  He 
now  occupies  the  same  huihling  in  which  he 
learned  his  traile  and  is  one  uF  the  must  wi'lclv 
known  and  liij^hly  esteemed  nan  in  his  section. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  are  mendjers  of  the 
Southern  M.  E.  churcli.  Mr.  Grantham  is  a 
democrat  and  has  held  all  the  various  offices  of 
his  borough. 

James  W.  Grantham  was  reared  in  the  beau- 
tiful and  now  historic  Shenandoah  Valley, 
where  he  learned  the  trade  of  cabinet-making 
with  his  father,  with  whom  he  continued  to 
work  until  lST'2,  when  he  came  north  to  Con- 
nellsville,  Fayette  county,  Pa.  During  the  next 
decade  he  worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  one 
year  at  Connellsville,  one  at  ISIt.  Pleasant  and 
eight  at  Madison ;  part  of  this  time  he  was  also 
engaged  in  contracting.  In  1882  he  went  to  West 
Newton,  where  he  remained  three  years  as  a 
contractor  and  builder  and  then  removed  to 
Scottdale  and  carried  on  the  same  business  until 
1888,  when  he  purchased  the  interest  of  W.  L. 
Stoner  (deceased)  in  the  Westmoreland  planing 
mill.  This  is  the  pioneer  mill  of  Scottdale, 
having  been  established  in  1873.  It  is  fitted  up 
with  modern  machinery  and  appliances  and  run 
by  an  engine  of  forty-horse  power.  The  firm 
are  also  contractors  and  builders,  and  are  now 
erecting  the  new  public  school  building  and  the 
U.  15.  cluirch  of  Scottdale.  They  have  built 
Some  of  ihe  limst  luiiidings  in  the  county,  both 
public  and  private.  Mr.  (Irantiiani  is  a  skillful 
mechanic  and  occupies  a  high  position  as  a  •  in- 
telligent and  responsible  man  of  business.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Koyal  Arcanum  and  of  the 
U.  ]!.  ciiurch ;  he  is  a  juohibitionist  and  an 
earnest  advocate  of  coj'rect  religious  i)rincij)les. 

James  W.  Grantham  was  married  in  No- 
vember, 1875,  to  Julia  A.,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam Shrader,  of  Madison,  this  county,  and 
to  them  have  been  born  six  children:  Lucy, 
Lizzie,  Uankin,  John,  .loseph  Plummer  and 
Janus. 


•I^L  A  II  K  G  R  A  Z  I  E  R,  secretary  of  the 
\^~\,  Scottdale  Iron  and  Steel  Company, 
limited,  and  one  of  the  progressive  busi- 
ness men  of  that  stirring  borough,  is  a  son  of 
David  and  Nancy  (IJuck)  (Jrazier,  and  was  l*orn 
in  Warrior's  Mark  township,  lluntingilon 
county.  Pa.,  April  2G,  1849.  His  grandfathers, 
John  Grazier  and  John  Buck,  were  respectively 
fiirmers  of  Huntingdon  and  Centre  counties,  this 
State.  The  former  died  when  only  thirty  years 
of  age.  The  latter  was  born  .  in  Lancaster 
county,  subetquently  removed  to  (Jentre  county, 
was  of  German  descent  and  a  member  of  the 
Dunkard  or  German  Baptist  churcli  ami  died  in 
18lll).  His  father,  David  Grazier,  was  born  in 
181'J  in  Huntingdon  county,  where  he  has 
always  resided.  For  many  years  he  was  en- 
gaged extensively  in  farming  and  stock  raising, 
but  of  late  years  he  has  practically  retired  from 
active  life.  He  is  an  esteemed  member  of  the 
United  Brethern  church  and  a  highly  honored 
citizen. 

Clark  Grazier  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm 
and  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  Huntingdon  county.  In  18G'J  he  mi- 
grated west  to  Iowa  where  he  was  engaged  four 
years  in  teaching.  In  1873  he  returned  to 
Pennsylvania  and  embarke<l  in  the  clothing  and 
merchant  tailoring  business  at  Tyrone,  Blair 
county.  Pa.  He  there  met  with  reasonable  suc- 
cess, remained  until  1880,  when  he  removed  to 
Scottdale,  where  he  engaged  in  his  present  busi- 
ness of  merchant  tailoring  and  gent's  furnishing 
goods.  After  three  yeais  of  successful  trade  his 
health  became  impaired  when  he  went  to  Edens- 
burg,  the  county  seat  of  Cambria  county,  Pa., 
wiiere  he  remained  one  year.  When  he  was  in 
a  manner  restored  to  jierfect  health  he  returned 
to  Scottdale.  From  1881  to  1887  he  continued 
successfully  in  merchant  tailoring.  In  1887 
the  plant  and  proi)erty  of  what  is  known  as  the 
Scottdale  Iron  and  Steel  company,  limited,  \\as 
to  be  sold,  and  Mr.  Grazier  realizing  the  ad- 
vaTilage  of  retaining    these    works  at    Scottdale, 


]VE.'iTMOnELAND   COUyi  Y. 


sought  to  organize  a  home  coinijaiiy  to  purchase 
theiu.  Starting  with  courage  and  ileterniiua- 
tion  tliat  has  alway.s  been  the  grcsit  secret  of  his 
succe.'is,  lie  .soim  ellecleil  tiie  organization  of  a 
C()ni|iany  with  sullicient  iiieani  lo  purchase  the 
ohl  iron  works.  Tlicy  were  estaijiisiied  in  ISTli 
when  the  rolling-mill  was  eiccteil.  'J'he  loumlry 
wad  added  in  lf<75.  As  soon  as  the  now  com- 
pany organized  Mr.  Grazier  was  elected  secre- 
tary and  treasurer,  hut  finding  that  the  two 
ofliccs  engaged  too  much  of  his  time  he  soon  re- 
signed the  treasurership  and  has  retained  the  sec- 
retaryship until  the  present  time.  The  Scottdale 
Iron  and  Steel  coinj)any,  limited,  comes  inoniin- 
ently  to  the  foreground  as  the  largest  and  most 
important  industry  of  Scottdale.  The  works  are 
sujjplied  with  all  the  late  niachinery  and  appli- 
ances for  the  manufacture  of  sheet-iron  and 
steel.  The  members  of  the  company  were  all 
unacquainted  with  the  business  in  which  they 
embarked  but  they  have  been  wonderfully  suc- 
cessfully in  prosecuting  the  business.  Their 
works  have  never  stopped  a  day  since  starting 
and  they  liave  rapidly  gained  trade  and  reputa- 
tion up  to  tlie  present  time.  Their  ample  re- 
sources, practical  e.xjierience,  skilled  workmen 
and  first-class  work  warrant  them  enduring 
success  for  the  future.  '  They  employ  three 
Iniiidred  men,  have  a  monthly  pay-ro'l  of  J?!",- 
000  and  transact  a  yearly  business  of  over  half 
a  million  dollars. 

On  August  -!G,  1)S73,  Mr.  Grazier  was  mar- 
ried to  .luliet  (iuyer,  of  Huntingdon  county,  a 
daughter  of  Kev.  George  Guycr,  a  minister  of 
the  M.  E.  church.  They  have  five  children, 
three  sons  and  two  daughters  :  George  D.,  Etnel 
J.,  Mabel,  Albert  E.  and  Frank. 

lie  has  been  secretary  since  January,  1887, 
of  Marion  Lodge,  No.  5(j2,  F.  and  A.  M.,  and 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
His  merchant  tailoring  establishment  is  well 
known  for  its  fine  work  and  largo  stock  of  plain 
and  fashionable  goods,  carefully  selected  to  suit 
the  tastes  of  all.     A  large  and  extensive  patron- 


age com]Mlments  his  eflorts  to  jileasc  the  public 
as  a  merchant  tailor.  (Jhuk  Grazier  is 
thoroughly  and  jirominently  identified  with  the 
best  interests  of  .'^eottdalu  ;  he  has  been  zealous 
and  suci'essf'iil  in  pionioling  its  [H'osperity  and 
is  deeply  intere.ste<l  in  its  future  welfare.  His 
cdicient  services  in  organizing  the  Scottdale 
Iron  and  Steel  Company  and  his  successful 
career  so  far,  as  its  secretary,  attest  his  good 
ability  as  a  business  man. 

•jpAMES  II.  GREEN,  a  prominent  photo- 
1  grapher  and  artist  in  crayon  and  oil  por- 
t*y  traits,  is  the  youngest  li\ing  son  of  John 
and  Louisa  (Howell)  Green,  and  was  born  at 
Bilston,  a  mining  and  manufacturing  town  of 
Staflbrd  county,  England,  in  1854.  His  parents 
were  born  and  reared  at  the  above  mentioned 
place,  where  they  were  married  in  1842.  They 
had  twelve  children,  of  whom  six  are  living  : 
William,  at  McKecsport,  Pa.;  Edward,  at  "  Bell 
Hill,"  Scotland;  John,  in  Wheeling,  AVest  Va.; 
James  H.,  I'oUy  and  Emma,  residents  of  Scot- 
land. John  Green  was  born  in  1821,  became  a 
sheet-roller  in  iron  mills  and  came  from  England 
to  Scottdale  in  187'J.  He  worked  for  ten  years 
in  the  iron  works  at  that  place,  was  popularly 
known  as  "  Father  (ireen,"  and  died  in  Oc- 
tober, 18711.  His  widow,  who  was  born  in 
1824,  resided  with  her  son,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch. 

James  H.  Green  was  reared  at  llilston  and 
worked  in  the  iron  works  at  that  place  for  some 
time.  At  seventeen  years  of  age  he  entered  a 
photographic  gallery,  where  he  assiduously  pur- 
sued the  study  of  photography  for  eight  years. 
In  1879  he  immigrated  to  Penn.sylvania,  located 
at  Scottdale  and  labored  in  the  iron  works  until 
188G.  In  that  year  he  became  a  member  of  the 
present  photographic  firm  of  Green  k  Johnson. 

In  1873  he  was  married  to  Sophia,  daughter 
of  Abraham  Parfitt  of  Pansnit,  England.  To 
their  union    have  been   born  nine  children,  of 


-:.  1 1 


liWORAPHlES  OF 


wlioiii  four  iuc  living  :  iNfary  J.,  Jolin  E.,  Nellio 
Y.  ;ui(i  Viok-t. 

Juiiics  II.  (irecn's  business  partner,  Joseph 
Jolinson,  w;i.s  hum  in  Norlii  1  laniptonsliire, 
j'lnglanil,  in  l.SoI.  He  is  a  .son  ul' -Josepli  Jolin- 
son,  Sr.,  came  to  this  country  in  1805,  located 
in  Pittsburg  in  ]8G(j  , where  ho  worked  in  the 
rolling  mills  fur  fourteen  years  ;  came  to  Scott- 
dale  in  1880,  removed  to  Blair  county,  l*a.,  in 
188;'),  returned  to  Scottdale  in  1880  and  entered 
into  partnership  with  Mr.  Green.  He  married 
Elizabeth  Grubb  in  England,  who  died  in  1870, 
leaving  no  children.  In  1880  he  marriiid  Cliar- 
lotto  Hill.  lie  is  a  good  business  man,  a  re- 
publican iiud  a  member  of  the  A.  Y.  M.,  Chosen 
Friends  and  Knights  of  Pythias. 

With  the  advantage  of  wide  experience  and 
long  and  careful  study  James  H.  Green  well  de- 
serves the  reputation  he  has  gained  as  a  photo- 
graphic artist,  lie  was  very  successful  in  taking 
views  of  the  Johnstown  flood,  and  his  photo- 
grapliic  establishment  is  fully  equipped  for  turn- 
ing out  first-class  work.  lie  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Baptist  church.  Mr.  Green  is 
a  member  of  Knights  of  Pythias  and  A.  Y.  M., 
and  has  been  remarkably  successful  in  his  jires- 
ent  line  of  business. 


yYTlI'T'tAM  K.  HERBERT,  an  enterpris- 
I  jT  I  ing  citizen  ol'  Scuttdale  and  unc  of  the 
leading  lnurlicrs  and  senior  niruibcr  uf 
the  firm  of  Herbert  \  lirother,  is  a  son  of 
Jose|jh  and  Amanda  (MeFadden)  Herbert,  and 
was  born  in  BuUskiu  township,  Fayette  county, 
Pa.,  April  1,  1850.  Joseph  Herbert  was  born 
in  the  above  mentioned  township  in  1824.  He 
followed  farming  in  Fayette  county  until  1805, 
when  he  renioveil  to  near  Jacob's  (Jreek  church, 
tiiis  county,  and  was  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser 
in  that  neighborhoud  for  eighteen  years.  In 
1881  he  retired  tVuni  active  life  and  removed  to 
Scottdale,    whcrt;   he   now   resides.      He  is  a   re- 


j)ubliean  and  member  of  the  United  Brethren 
chureh.  He  was  married  to  Amanda,  daugh- 
ter of  (jhailes  MeFadden,  of  Fayette  county, 
Pa.  'riu'y  had  five  sons  and  four  daugh- 
ters, of  wIkjmi  Hi.\  are  living  :  .John  .1.,  who 
lives  near  Chautauiiua,  Tenn.;  William  K., 
Albert  H.,  Charles  R.,  and  Eliza,  widow  of  B. 
F.  Oglovee,  residents  of  Scottdale,  and  Minnie, 
wife  of  D.  S.  Artman,  of  Connellsville,  Pa. 
Mrs.  Herbert  was  a  member  of  the  United 
Brethren  church  and  died  in   1804. 

At  thirteen  years  of  age  William  K.  Herbert 
went  to  Dunbar,  Pa.,  where  he  worked  for 
Joseph  Paul  fur  five  years.  In  1808  he  went 
from  Dunbar  to  Pittsburg,  learned  the  trade 
of  bricklayer  and  worked  at  bricklaying  for 
four  years.  In  1872  he  removed  to  Scottdale 
where  he  worked  steadily  at  his  trade  until  1888. 
In  that  year  he  and  his  brother  Albert,'  under 
the  firm  name  of  Herbert  ..t  Brother,  engaged  in 
butchering  and  have  continued  successfully  in 
that  business  ever  since.  Their  convenient  and 
commodious  meat  market  is  on  Pittsburg  street. 
By  strict  attention  /o  business  and  honorable 
dealing  they  have  built  up  a  large  and  substan- 
tial trade.  ^^^  K.  Herbert  has  made  a  thor- 
ough stiuly  of  butchering  and  gives  his  jjcrsonal 
attention  to  every  detail  of  his  slaughter  yard 
and  meat  market.  He  is  amember  of  Fountain 
Lodge,  No.  443,  Knights  of  Pythias,  Council, 
No.  102,  Jr.,  0.  U.  A.  M.,  200  Conclave,  Im- 
proved Order  of  Heptasophs  and  the  J'^quitable 
Aid  Association,  310. 

On  November  20,  1874,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Belle  Striekler,  a  daughter  of 
Joseph  Striekler,  of  Fayette  county.  Pa.,  and 
their  union  has  been  blessed  with  five  children  : 
Harry,  born  in  1875;  Frank,  born  in  1877; 
Edwin,  born  in  1880;  Joseph,  born  in  1883, 
and  .lennie.  born  in  1880.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Her- 
bert are  menjliers  of  the  Meliiodist  Episcopal 
church. 

In  politics  W.  K.  Herbert  is  a  republican 
and  one  of  Scott(hile's  useful  citizens. 


X" 


c^(^< 


■  f  ft/t  ^/'tf  / 1 


Photo  by  9pringet 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


^  NOCII  A.  IIUMPIIIIIES.  Tlie  cele- 
^Sr  brated  Connullsville  coke  region  embraces 
about  one  hundred  aii'l  twenty  sijuare 
miles  of  territory,  in  which  is  nianufaclured 
two-thirds  of  all  the  cuke  jirodiiced  in  the 
United  States.  Out  of  its  vein  of  pure  soft 
coal  is  made  the  best  coke  that  has  ever  been 
placed  in  the  markets.  The  total  product  of 
Connellsville  coke  is  now  over  five  million  tons 
yearly,  and  one  of  its  reliable  and  well-known 
manufacturers  is  Enoch  A.  Humphreys,  of 
Scottdale.  lie  was  born  in  South  Staffordshire, 
in  the  western  part  of  England,  September  '21, 
1852,  and  is  a  son  of  Reuben  11.  and  Ann 
(Guy)  Humphries,  natives  of  the  above-named 
place.  Ueuben  U.  Humphries  immigrated  in 
ISGS  to  AVushington  county,  I'a.,  where  he  re- 
sided a  few  months  and  then  removed  to  .Scott- 
dale. lie  remained  here  a  short  time  and  then 
went  to  Blair  county,  this  State,  where  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  and  engaged  in  farming  until 
1889.  In  the  fall  of  1889  he  returned  to  Scott- 
dale, where  he  now  resides.  Mr.  Humphries 
lias  always  been  active,  industrious  and  tlmr- 
ough-going,  a  member  of  the  United  brethren 
church,  and  now  in  the  hi'Lv-ninth  year  of  his 
age. 

Enoch  A.  Humphries  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  South  StaiVordsliire,  England,  until 
sixteen  years  of  age.  At  liiat  age  lu^  accoiu- 
panied  his  parents  to  Washington  coiinly,  where 
he  was  employed  for  about  one  year  in  a  mer- 
cantilf  establishment  at. Monongahila  city,  i'^rom 
ISTl  to  1ST4  he  was  engaged  in  teaching  vocal 
and  instrumental  music.  He  was  very  success- 
ful in  giving  music  lessons  on  the  organ  and 
piano  and  can  play  well  on  any  hoi'n  belonging 
to  a  iiand.  In  hST')  Mr.  Humjihries  began  his 
successful  business  career  in  the  world-renowned 
Connellsville  coke  region  as  superintendent  of 
the  Charlotte  Furnace  Company's  coke  works 
at  Scottdale.  For  eleven  years  he  fdled  tliis 
jiosition  with  crcilit  to  bimscH'  and  Kiilisl'aclion 
to    liis   i'mph)ycrs.      l)iiring    tiiis   long   term   ol' 


service  he  devoted  himself  so  assiduously  to  the 
discharge  of  his  duties  that  he  became  thor- 
oughly ac(juainted  with  all  the  details  of  coal- 
mining and  coke  manufacture.  In  1881)  he  re- 
signed his  superintendency  to  engage  in  the 
coke  trade.  He  purchased  a  farm  underlaid 
with  coal  of  15.  F.  Newcomer,  of  Upper  Ty- 
rone, Fayette  county.  Pa.  To  this  farm,  just 
across  the  Westmoreland  county  line,  he  added 
the  coal  interests  of  W.  A.  Keifer,  in  an  ad- 
joining tract  of  land  in  this  county,  and  upon 
these  lands  he  erected  the  Humphries  coke 
works.  In  August,  1889,  he  purchased  the 
coke  plant  at  Watt  station,  near  Dunbar,  Fay- 
ette county,  Pa.,  and  is  now  successfully  oper- 
ating both  plants,  containing  one  hunilred  and 
three  ovens.  He  is  favorably  known  as  a  reli- 
able and  energetic  operator  in  his  line  of  busi- 
ness. AVith  the  extension  of  the  steel  and  iron 
trade  of  the  future  will  come  an  increased  de- 
mand for  coke,  and  the  fact  has  been  duly  ap- 
preciated by  the  late  heavy  investors  in  Con- 
nellsville coal  lands,  and  Mr.  Humphries'  present 
prosperous  works  give  p.omise  of  largely  in- 
creased production  whenever  future  trade  will 
warrant.  He  already  sujjplies  several  large 
manufacturers  and  furnace  owners  with  a  su- 
perior article  of  desulphurized  Connellsville  coke, 
and  is  perfecting  arrangements  to  enlarge  his 
plants  and  increase  bis  niindier  of  ovens. 

In  1M75  he  was  married  to  Esther  Wiley, 
daughter  of  Sampson  AViley,  of  Upper  Tyrone 
townshi]!,  I'^ayette  county,  Pa.,  and  sister  to 
James  \V.  \\'iley,  of  Everson,  Pa.  They  have 
f(jur  children  living,  one  son  and  three  daught- 
ers:    Georgia,  Mary,  Anna  and  Leigh  Chester. 

E.  A.  Humphries  is  a  rt'publican  in  politics, 
has  served  as  a.  member  of  the  town  council  of 
Scottdale  and  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity. He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  superintendent  of  its  Sunday 
school  and  is  always  interested  in  every  meas- 
uri^  promotive  ol'  the  prusperily  of  cither  the 
school  or  the  church.      Mr.   llMinpbries   belongs 


lilOaRAPHlES  OF 


to  tliiit  class  of  auU-iiiiulc  iin'ii  wlio  invariably 
acliicvi;  .success  in  whatever  tliev  iiiiilcrtake. 
]lu  is  lii^^lily  esteeineil  lor  liis  (iiie  executive 
aliility,  liis  ('orrect  Ijiisiness  inelhoils  ami  honest 
(.leaiiii''  with  the  public. 


,OIlNELIUS  M.  JAUUKTT,  a  merchant 
of  Scottdale,  was  born  June  2'J,  18G2, 
in  Union  township,  Monongalia  county, 
W.  Va.,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  M.  and  Ellen 
(McShane)  Jarrett.  His  grandfather,  John  Jar- 
rett,  was  born  in  IIW  in  Ohio,  and  at  the  age 
of  ten  years  was  taken  by  his  parents  to  Ken- 
tucky, where  they  were  pioneers  of  the  "dark 
and  bloody  ground  "  at  the  time  when  "  The 
lovers  of  adventure  began  to  pour  themselves 
into  the  territory,  whose  delicious  climate  and 
fertile  soil  invited  the  presence  of  social  man." 
In  this  country  he  grew  to  manhood,  then  re- 
moved to  West  Virginia  where  he  passed  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  lie  was  a  millwright  by 
trade  and  built  many  mills  in  West  Virginia 
and  southern  Pennsylvania.  lie  died  in  1840. 
Thomas  M.  Jarrett  (father)  was  born  in  182-1 
near  Morgantown,  W.  V'a.  lie  learned  the 
trade  of  nail  making,  at  which  he  worked  until 
18."/J,  when  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of 
tlie  l.>aurel  Iron  Uom])any  near  ^lorgantown, 
which  position  he  held  for  seven  years.  During 
the  next  si.x  years  he  followed  farming  and  in  1873 
removed  to  Tyrone  townsiiip,  Fayette  county, 
I'a.,  whore  he  continued  to  farm  until  1881',  at 
which  time  he  removed  to  Scottdale.  He  was 
married  in  1847  to  Ellen,  a  daughter  of  Cor- 
nelius ilcShane,  of  near  Morgantown,  AV.  Va., 
and  to  their  union  have  been  born  thirteen  chil- 
dren, eleven  of  whom  are  living:  Mary,  Emma, 
Judge,  Henry,  Fannie,  John,  Cornelius,  l;0u, 
Walter,  Oliver  and  Abner.  Mr.  Jarrett,  who  is 
an  active  rejniblican  and  a  member  of  the  M.  E. 
church,  is  still  living  at  Scottdale.  His  wife 
died  March  2l»,  1882. 

("orni'lius  M.  Jarrett  was   reared  in  the  State 


of  AVest  A'irginia.  He  assisted  on  the  farm, 
atteudi'd  the  public  schools  and  took  a  course  at 
a  business  college.  In  IXSi]  he  located  at 
Scottdale  and  (juibiirked  in  the  nKTcantile  busi- 
ness, which  he  slill  coutiiiui-s.  lie  is  a  re[)ub- 
licaii  and  a  zealous  worker  for  his  party  ;  be- 
longs to  Fountain  Eodge,  No.  443,  Knights  of 
I'ythias  ;  Scottdale  Council,  No.  102,  Jr.  0.  U. 
A.  M.,  and  to  the  Knights  of  Maccabees 

Cornelius  M.  Jarrett  was  married  in  July, 
188i),  to  Laura  A.,  a  daughter  of  L.  L.  Cona- 
way,  of  Pittsburg,  Pa. 


•i[*AMES  II.  JONES,  foundry  boss  of  the 
'f "  Charlotte  Furnace  company  at  Scottdale, 
(5j  Pa.,  was  born  February  8,  1835,  in  Balti- 
more county,  Maryland,  and  is  a  son  of  David 
and  Eliza  (Hunter)  Jones.  David  Jones  was 
born  in  17it5  in  Wales,  and  in  1828  immigrated 
to  the  United  States,  settling  in  Baltimore,  Md., 
where  he  continued  for  about  eight  years  the 
rolling-mill  work  which  he  had  learned  in  Wales. 
In  183G  he  remc  ed  to  Richmond,  Va.,  where 
he  also  worked  at  his  trade  in  the  mills.  In 
1840  he  migrated  to  Pittsburg,  whence  he  re- 
moved after  about  two  years  to  Hanging  Rock, 
Lawrence  county,  Ohio,  wliere  he  died  in  1878. 
Mr.  Jones  married  Eliza  Hunter  about  1823 
in  London,  England,  a  native  of  that  city,  who 
bore  him  four  children.  He  was  an  "old-line 
whig,"  but  after  the  war  a  republican,  though  ho 
took  no  active  part  in  political  matters.  His 
wife  died  in  Lawrence  county,  Ohio,  in  1881. 

James  II.  Jones  was  reared  in  Baltimore, 
Md.,  where  he  attended  the  public  schools  until 
seventeen  years  of  age,  when  he  started  to  learn 
engineering.  He  first  had  charge  of  a  station- 
ary engine  in  the  rolling-mills  at  Hanging  Rock, 
Ohio;  then  for  three  years  an  engine  on  the  B. 
iS:  O.  R.  R.  ;  then  for  two  years  an  engine  in  a 
mill  in  Pittsburg,  and  was  with  Jones  and  Mc- 
Laughlin for  about  three  years.  In  18G4  he 
enlisted  in  the  naval  si'rvice  in  the  Mississippi 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


squadron  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war, 
after  which  he  was  appointed  inspector  of  en- 
gines in  the  Pittsburg  yards.  In  18tj7  he  en- 
gaged with  the  I/iiughlin  IJhist  Furnace  (!onip;iny 
ol'  i'illsburg,  and  in  IcSTH  removed  to  Scoltdah', 
I'a.,  where  he  was  with  Everson,  Macruni  k  Co. 
till  their  dissolution,  when  he  was  employed  by 
the  Charlotte  Furnace  Company  of  the  same 
place,  with  which  he  still  remains.  Until  a  year 
ago  he  was  an  engineer,  but  was  then  appointed 
foundry  boss,  which  position  he  now  holds.  He 
is  a  republican,  and  with  his  wife  belongs  to  the 
M.  E.  church  at  Scottdulo.  lie  is  a  member  of 
Col.  Ellsworth  Post,  No.  20'J,  G.  A.  II.,  and  of 
Mt.  iMoriah  Lodge,  3G0,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  botli  of 
Scottdalc. 

James  II.  Jones  married  in  1856  Lydia, 
daughter  of  John  McGraw  of  Armstrong  county, 
Pa.,  and  to  their  union  eight  chihlren  have  been 
born,  of  whom  three  are  living :  Lydia,  the 
eldest,  wife  of  John  Ganett  of  Scottdalc  ;  Silas, 
and  Alice,  wife  of  John  Stevens  of  Scottdalc. 
Mr.  Jones  is  an  excellent  man  and  a  highly  re- 
spected member  of  society. 


HRAIIAM  L.  KEISTER,  president  of 
the  First  National  cank  of  Scottdalc 
and  a  manufacturer  of  Connellsville  col<e, 
was  born  in  Tyrone  township,  Fayette  county, 
Pa.,  September  10,  18.r2.  His  father  is  of 
German  descent  as  was  his  mother,  whose  nuiiden 
name  was  Stauft'er. 

Abraham  li.  Keister  was  reared  on  a  farm 
until  nearly  seventeen  years  of  age.  He  then 
entered  the  preparatory  department  of  Otter- 
bein  college,  Ohio,  and  was  graduated  from  this 
well-known  institution  of  learning  in  1874. 
Returning  to  his  native  State  he  taught  the  two 
years  following  a  district  school.  The  next 
year  after  his  return  from  college  he  selected 
the  law  for  a  vocation.  He  was  registered  in 
187;")  as  a  law  .-student  at  Uniontown,  Fayette 
county,  Pa.,  with  tiio  Hon.  C.  E.  Boyle  as  his 


preceptor  and  read  under  that  eminent  lawyer 
until  the  autumn  of  the  succeeding  year,  when  he 
went  to  Dayton,  Ohio,  and  finished  his  legal 
studies  under  Judge  1'homas  O.  JiOwe  of  that 
city.  In  February,  liS7!S,  Mr.  Keister  was 
admitted  to  jiractice  before  the  bar  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Ohio.  Immediately  after 
his  admission  there  he  entered  upon  the  active 
practice  of  his  profession  at  Columbus,  the 
capital  of  the  State,  and  remained  there  in  suc- 
cessful practice  for  three  years.  In  1881  his 
health  had  become  so  impaired  by  close  applica- 
tion in  the  District  and  Supreme  Court  of  Ohio 
that  he  was  compelled  to  abandon  the  work  of 
his  chosen  profession.  In  the  same  year  he 
returned  to  his  native  State,  and  in  1882  lie 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  the  celebrated 
Connellsville  coke,  in  which  business  he  is  still 
interested.  He  is  also  interested  in  the  First 
National  bank  of  Scottdalc,  of  which  he  is 
president.  Mr.  Keister  has  been  president  of 
the  Scottdale  Cemetery  Association  since  its 
organization  and  incorporation  in  188(1  He 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Scottdale  school 
board  since  1888  and  served  as  president  of 
that  body  till  November  of  that  year,  when  he 
resigned  the  presidency  on  account  of  a  pro- 
longed trip  he  was  arranging  for  and  shortly 
afterwards  made  through  Southern  California 
and  the  "Pacific  Slope."  Mr.  Keister  has 
alway  been  a  republican  in  politics,  is  married 
and  has  been  a  permanent  resident  of  his  native 
State  since  1881,  and  of  Scottdale  from  the 
spring  of  1886  until  the  present  time. 


pJ-'HEODORE  C.  KENNEY.  Among  the 
\jfj  manufacturing  interests  that  contribute 
Y  largely  to  the  success  and  prosperity  of 
Scottdale  is  the  foundry,  machine-shop  and  en- 
gine-building business  of  Kcnney  &  Co.,  which 
is  ileserving  of  special  notice  in  the  industries  of 
the  county  as  well  as  of  Scottdalc  borougii,  and 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


the  credit  oi  its  sucoossfiil  establishment  is  due 
to  tlie  elhiits  of  Tht'ddoi-e  0.  Keiiney,  tiie  senior 
ineniljer  of  the  aliuve  named  tinn.  lie  is  a  son 
of  John  W.  and  Catliarine  (Keller)  Kenney,  imd 
was  born  in  Carnarvon  township,  Berks  county, 
I'a.  His  parents  are  natives  and  residents  of 
the  above  county.  His  father,  John  \\ .  Ken- 
ney, was  born  in  1821  and  was  employed  in  ore 
mining  and  mine  engineering  until  a  few  years 
back,  when  lie  retired  from  active  life.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
has  served  his  township  as  school  director  and 
held  various  other  local  offices. 

Theodore  C.  Kenney  was  reared  in  Carnarvon 
township  and  received  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools.  He  learned  engineering  with  his 
father,  received  an  advantageous  oiler  from 
Thomas  Kicliar<ls,  a  builder  of  blast  furnaces, 
and  accompanied  him  to  souther.i  Illinois  where 
Mr.  llichards  made  him  his  time-keeper  and 
soon  promoted  him  to  be  foreman  on  the  con- 
struction of  a  large  furnace.  He  held  this  latter 
position  for  eighteen  months,  then  went  into  the 
machinery  department  and  had  charge  of  the 
blast  engine  and  pumps  for  four  and  one-half 
years.  Leaving  Illinois,  he  came  to  Pittsburg 
where  he  was  engineer  for  Laughlin  it  Co., 
and  ran  their  bhist  engine  for  nearly  two  years. 
In  October,  1H72,  ho  removed  to  Scottilale  where 
he  was  employed  by  ''  Charlotte  furnace  com- 
pany "  to  take  charge  of  the  blast  engine  and 
machinery  of  their  furnace.  After  remaining 
•with  this  company  lor  eight  years  he  rccrivid  a 
\v\\  good  ollrr  IVoiii  an  I  )hi(i  luriiarr  i-(iiupany 
and  went  to  Steubinvilie  and  assumed  mana"e- 
ment  of  a  blast  furnace.  At  the  end  of  five 
months  he  concluded  not  to  move  his  family  to 
Ohio,  but  to  resign,  i-eturn  to  Scottdale  and  en- 
gage in  business  for  bimsrif.  This  resolution 
was  no  sooner  taken  on  his  jiart  than  he  carried 
it  into  immediate  execution  ami  returned  to  the 
latter  named  plaee.  He  formed  a  partnership 
•with  J.  I).  Hill,  under  the  firm  name  of  Hill  & 
Kenney,  and  engaged  in   the  foundry  and  nui- 


chine-sliop  business.  In  Augtist,  1880,  they 
jiurcbased  the  lan<l  on  whicli  to  erect  their  foun- 
dry and  machine-shop  of  iOverson,  Macrum  it 
Co.  'I'hey  Were  successful  as  machinists  and 
brass  and  iron  founders,  making  siiecialties  of 
coke-manufacturers'  supplies,  and  kept  a  full  line 
of  brass  and  iron  fittings,  brass  castings  and 
machinery  supplies.  They  employed  twenty 
men  and  transacted  a  business  of  $40,000  [ler 
year  until  1881,  when  Mr.  Hill  retired  from  the' 
business  and  A.  K.  IStaufter  became  his  success- 
or in  the  firm,  which  changed  in  name  to  Kenney 
it  Co.  Since  1884  the  works  have  been  en- 
larged, new  departments  added  to  the  business 
and  the  plant  now  covers  over  two  acres  of 
ground.  The  new  firm  has  added  to  their 
business  the  manufacture  of  stationary  steam  en- 
gines and  engine  castings.  They  employ  si.xty 
skilled  mechanics,  build  a  large  number  of  first- 
class  engines  every  year  and  ship  them  west  of 
the  Mississippi  river  and  south  into  the  new  iron 
manuhicturing  regions  of  Alabama,  as  well  as 
supplying  a  large  home  demand  and  filling  fre- 
quent orders  from  the  north  and  east.  It  is 
estimated  that  this  firm  turns  out  yearly  $";"), 000 
worth  of  work.  T.  C.  Kenney  is  a  member 
of  Marion  Lodge,  No.  5G2,  A.  Y.  M.,  and  the 
Independent  Order  of  Ileptasophs. 

On  April  28,  1874,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Emma  J.  Gant,  of  Pittsburg,  a  daughter 
of  Joseph  Gant.  They  have  five  living  chil- 
dren, four  sons  and  one  daughter:  Joseph  C, 
John  F.,  William  M.,  Cliarles  Morgan  and 
Jan.t  M. 

Politically  he  is  a  republican  and  has  served 
as  councilman  and  school  director  of  Scottdale 
borough.  Mr.  Kenney  is  ]iatient,  persevering, 
reliable,  prompt,  honorable  and  energetic.  He 
has  never  been  tempted  into  any  speculative  ven- 
ture but  has  (juictly  pui'sued  a  conservative  and 
safe  course  in  business,  and  has  built  uj)  an  in- 
dustry that  refiects  lusting  credit  upon  himself 
and  is  a  great  fiictor  in  the  rapidly  increasing 
prosperity  of  Scottdale. 


I"''''  I  ' 


WESTMORELASD  COUy'TY. 


253 


JACOB  S.  LOUCKS,  an  enterprising  farmer 
near  tlie  progressive  little  borough  of  Scott- 
dale,  is  a  son  of  Martin  and  Nancy  (Stauf- 
fcr)  FiOueks.  ^lartin  Ldiicks,  also  a  faiiiKT,  was 
burn  ill  itucks  county,  I'a.,  in  ITHS.  At  llic 
age  of  two  years  lie  came  with  his  father,  I'etcr 
Loucks  west,  to  Fayette  county  and  settled  in 
Tyrone  township,  but  soon  came  to  Westmore- 
land and  located  in  East  Huntingdon  township 
on  a  farm,  where  he  resided  until  his  deatli  in 
1825.  The  estate  was  then  purchased  by  the 
afore-mentioned  son,  Martin  Loucks,  on  which  he 
continued  to  live  until  his  death  in  I8(i0,  leading 
a  lHo^t  exemplary  life.  He  was  presiding  minis- 
ter in  the  Mennonite  church  for  over  thirty 
years  and  was  a  man  of  great  energy,  strong 
convictions,  aggressive  for  the  right ;  these 
qualities  made  him  successful  in  his  calling  and 
as  a  business  man.  Nancy  Stauft'er,  his  wife, 
was  a  daughter  of  Abraham  Staufl'er,  who,  like 
the  Loucks,  was  of  German  descent.  She  was 
born  in  1803  and  was  a  highly  respected  mem- 
ber of  the  same  church  as  her  husband.  To 
their  marriage  were  born  eight  children,  three 
daughters  and  five  sons. 

Jacob  S.  Loucks  was  born  at  the  old  home- 
stead farm.  East  Huntingdon  towhship,  AVest- 
moreland  county.  Pa.,  in  1829.  He  remained 
on  the  farm  until  he  became  of  age,  attending 
the  ordinary  subscription  schools  of  the  neighbor- 
hood. In  1854  he  removed  to  the  old  Snyder 
farm  south  of  Scottdale,  where  he  has  since  lived. 
In  1853  he  w;ls  married  to  Mary,  daughter  of 
John  Saylor,  of  Milford  township,  Somerset 
county,  Pa.  Eleven  children  was  the  result  of 
this  marriage,  two  of  wliom  died  in  infancy. 
He  and  wife  are  both  members  of  the  Mennonite 
church  at  Stonerville,  of  which  he  is  one  of  the 
trustees. 

He  is  a  stanch  republican  and  has  been  elec- 
ted to  various  local  offices  by  that  paity.  The 
Loucks  were  among  the  first  pioneers  who  set- 
tled I'last  Huntingdon  township  and  one  of  its 
most  highly  esti'enied  and  rt'spected  faiuiiies. 


'toSEPII   McCULLOGII   was  born  August 

J  12,  1850,  in  Ireland,  and  is  a  sou  of  James 
and  Mary  Jane  (Hamilton)  McCullogh. 
James  ^IcCullogh  was  born  in  the  "  Emerald 
Isle"  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  18;j5 
when  but  eighteen  years  old.  locating  in  the 
"  City  of  Brotherly  Love,"  but  afterwards  re- 
turned to  Ireland,  where  he  died  in  1882  at  the 
age  of  sixty-five  years.  His  wife  was  Mary 
Jane  Hamilton,  of  Canada,  who  died  in  1881, 
being  si.xty-one  years  of  age. 

Joseph  McCullogh  spent  his  boyhood  days  in 
the  land  of  Eminett,  whose  scliools  he  attended, 
and  came  to  I'hiJadeliihia,  Pa.,  at  the  age  of 
eight  years,  where  he  learned  the  plasterer's 
trade,  at  which  he  continued  to  work  in  that 
city  until  twenty  years  of  age.  He  followed  the 
same  occupation  in  Pittsburg  for  two  years,  iind 
in  187;!  located  at  Scottdale,  where  he  has  ever 
since  resided  and  engaged  in  contracting  for 
plastering.  Being  an  exceptionally  fine  work- 
man he  has  succeeded  in  gaining  an  excellent 
reputation  and  a  large  and  growing  business. 
Mr.  McCullogh  is  a  member  of  the  K.  of  P.,  the 
I.  0.  0.  1^.,  the  F.  and  A.  J\L,  and  attends 
the  Presbyterian  church.  He  has  twice  served 
in  the  e'ouncil  of  the  borough  of  Scottdale, 
having  been  elected  on  the  republican  ticket. 
Believing  in  the  measures  of  the  Republican 
party  he  labors  actively  in  their  support.  En- 
ergetic, careful  and  economical,  he  has  accumu- 
lated a  goodly  share  of  this  world's  goods  and 
owns  valuable  property  in  his  adopted  town. 
Two  of  his  brothers,  James  and  Francis,  served 
in  the  Civil  war;  his  brother  Francis  served 
four  and  one-half  years  in  the  Navy  depart- 
ment and  now  resides  in  Philadelphia;  his 
brother  James  served  six  months  in  the  late 
war  but  afterwards  died  iu  Philadelphia  of 
small-pox. 

Joseph  McCullogh  was  married  in  1880,  to 
Maggie,  a  daughter  of  John  Klingensmith,  !iow 
of  Scottdale,  but  formerly  of  Armstrong  county, 
Pa.      They  have  three  children  :    Rebecca,  born 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


April  2,  IHSl';  Annie,  Decoinbui-  11,  188;J,  ami 


r-YY"'''!'^^'  .loSKlMl  M(J»()WKI;i.,  A. 
i\l.,  M.  1).  Of  the  leaiiR'il  piot'cssions 
neither  is  more  important  or  opens  a 
■wider  field  of  usefulness  than  that  of  medicine, 
which  has  always  numbered  among  its  practition- 
ers many  of  the  most  intelligent  and  cultured  men 
in  every  community,  State  and  Nation.  Of  the 
young  and  progressive  physicians  of  this  county 
is  Dr.  William  J.  McDowell,  a  student  of  the 
University  of  Leipsic,  Germany,  who  has  prac- 
ticed his  profession  successfully  for  six  years  in 
Philadelphia,  the  anthracite  coal  regions  of  this 
State  and  at  Scottdale.  lie  was  born  in  Buffalo 
townsiiip,  Washington  county,  Pa.,  on  the  eighth 
day  of  Februaiy,  18G0,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Sarah  W.  McDowell.  John  McDowell  is  a  son 
of  Joseph  McDowell,  who  was  a  son  of  Nathaniel 
McDowell,  who  immigrated  from  Scotland  and 
thence  to  county  Down,  Ireland,  and  thence  to 
America  in  1758. 

Sarah  W.,  wife  of  John  McDowell,  was 
daughter  of  William  Brownlee,  of  Scotch  descent. 
John  McI)owell  was  born  March  St,  1820,  in 
Washingtcjn  county.  Pa.,  where  he  was  reared  on 
a  farm  and  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools.  At  an  early  age  he  engaged  in  fanning 
and  stock-raising  which  he  has  followed  ever 
since  as  his  principal  business,  lie  has  so 
ihuroiighly  Htuilie(l  and  so  well  understands  tiie 
]>rinciples  of  successful  i'arniing  that  he  stands 
to-day  as  one  of  the  prominent  and  foremost 
farmers  and  stock- raisers  of  Washington  county, 
which  has  a  national  reputation  for  tirst-class 
farms  and  fine  merino  sheep.  He  is  a  member 
of  tlie  State  Agricultural  Association,  the 
National  Woolgrowers'  Association  and  presi- 
dent of  the  Penn.sylvania  State  Fair  Association. 
In  1844  he  married  Sarah  W.,  daughter  of 
William  Itruwnlce,  Washington  county,  wlio 
died    Feln-uary     14,    18(30.       There    were    six 


children,  tliree  boys  and  three  girls.  Johti  Mc- 
Dowell is  a  stanch  republican  from  principle, 
lie  is  a  prominent  and  successful  farmer,  an  in- 
telligent and  thorough-going  business  man  and  a 
useful  and  inlhieiitial  citizen. 

Dr.  \Villiam  J.  McDowell  was  reared  on  his 
father's  farm  in  Washington  county.  Pa.  lie 
attended  the  common  schools  until  he  was 
fourteen  years  of  age,  then  entered  Washington 
and  Jefferson  colleges,  from  which  time-honored 
institution  he  was  graduated  on  the  twenty-sec- 
ond of  June,  1881,  and  received  the  degree  of  A. 
M.  in  1884.  Having  accjuired  a  thorough  edu- 
cation he  turned  his  attention  to  medicine  as 
his  chosen  vocation  of  life.  In  order  to  have  the 
advantages  of  European  medical  science  he  en- 
tered in  July,  1881,  the  medical  dejjartment 
of  the  world-renowned  University  of  Leijizig 
(English,  Leipsic)  Germany,  where  he  studied 
for  two  years.  He  then  returned  to  America 
and  attended  Jeiferson  Medical  college  of  Phila- 
delphia, from  which  celebrated  institution  he 
was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1884.  After  his 
graduation  in  Philadelphia  he  practiced  for  one 
year  in  t*^  at  city  and  then  removed  to  the  an- 
thracite coal  regions  of  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
located  at  Trcvorton  and  obtained  a  good  practice. 
In  August,  1887,  he  left  Trcvorton  and  came  to 
Scottdale,  where  he  has  engaged  ever  since  in 
the  active  i)ractice  of  his  chosen  profession. 

In  Philadelphia,  on  November  10,  1884,  Dr. 
McDowell  united  in  marriage  with  Mattie  Beat- 
rice Williams,  a  daughter  of  L.  C.  Williams  and 
born  in  Hichinond,  Virginia,  September  11), 
18G0.      They  have  no  children. 

Dr.  W.  J.  McDowell  is  a  rejiublican  in  politics. 
He  is  a  genial  and  aiVablc  gentleman,  a  well-read 
and  skillful  physician  and  a  thorough  and  classical 
scholar. 

ATHANIEL  MILES,    general   manager 
of    Charlotte    Furnace    Company   and    a 
prominent  citizen  of  Westmoreland  county, 
was  born  in  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  June  27,  18.02.    He 


)  V 

1 


WEHTMORELAND  CO VNTV. 


is  a  son  of  Edwin  ami  Sarali  E.  (Jones)  Miles, 
both  natives  of  Cliestor  eounty,  Pa.  Edwin 
Miles  was  born  in  1812  and  in  1840  removed 
to  IJlair  county,  I'a,,  whcie  lie  was  eoiuieeted 
for  many  years  with  tlie  ".Juniata  Forge  and 
Iron  Company."  From  Blair  county  he  re- 
moved to  Pittsburg  where  he  has  resided  ever 
since.  Mr.  Miles  has  always  been  engaged  in 
the  rolling-mill  and  furnace  business  and  for  the 
last  seven  years  has  been  the  ellicient  chairman 
of  the  "  Charlotte  Furnace  Company,"  limited. 
He  has  been  throughout  life  an<l  is  to-day  not- 
withstanding his  advanced  years  an  active,  ener- 
getic and  successful  business  man.  He  is  one 
who  amid  all  the  cares  of  business  has  preserved 
an  unsullied  rei)Utation  for  honesty,  integrity 
and  morality  and  has  ever  valued  highly  the 
cause  of  religion.  He  is  a  regular  attendant  at 
and  a  liberal  contributor  to  the  Sandusky  street 
Baptist  church,  of  Pittsburg. 

Nathaniel  Miles  Avas  reared  in  Pittsburg. 
He  was  educated  in  the  Western  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  from  which  institution  he  gradu- 
ated June  28,  1870.  Leaving  college,  he  de- 
sired to  obtain  the  benefit  of  a  thorough  and 
practical  business  training  before  engaging  in 
any  commercial  pursuit  for  himself  With  this 
end  in  view  he  entered  the  large  and  wiilely 
known  wholesale  and  retail  grocery  house  of  Ar- 
buckle  Brothers  of  I'ittslnirg.  He  remained 
with  them  for  three  years,  during  which  period 
he  familiarized  himself  with  every  minor  detail 
of  tlu'ir  vast  liusiness  enterprise  as  well  as 
studying  the  general  jniuciples  upon  which  it 
was  founded  and  the  methods  by  which  its  great 
volume  of  daily  transactions  was  conducted. 
Specially  qualified  for  business  life  by  his  three 
year's  services  with  Arbueklc  Brothers,  he  re- 
Tnoved  in  187;J  to  Seottilale  and  became  book- 
keeper and  assistant  manager  of  "'  Charlotte 
Furnace  Company."  limited.  After  ten  years 
of  ellicient  service  in  tliis  position  he  was  made 
general  manager  and  has  served  satisfactorily 
as  such  ever  since.      Since    1M74  Mr.  Miles  has 


served  as  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the 
"  (Jreenlick  narrow  gauge  railroad,"  which  con- 
nects with  the  Mount  Pleasant  branch  of  the 
l^altimore  and  Ohio  railroad.  From  July,  1888, 
to  July,  188'J,  he  was  treasurer  of  the  Scottdale 
Water  Works  Company. 

He  was  married  August  9,  1884,  to  Jennie 
C.  Overholt.  They  have  three  childien  :  Roy 
Overholt,  Edwin  and  Eugene.  Mrs.  Miles  is  a 
daughter  of  Henry  S.  and  Abigail  (Carpenter) 
Overholt.  Henry  S.  Overholt  was  born  in  1810 
and  died  in  1870.  His  father,  Abraham  Over- 
holt, "  the  immediate  progenitor  of  the  large 
family  bearing  his  name  in  Westmoreland  county, 
and  who  made  that  name  a  household  word,  not 
oidy  in  western  Pennsylvania  but  in  almost 
every  region  of  the  country,  was  descended  trom 
immigrant  Martin  Overholt,"  who  came  from 
Germany  to  Bucks  county,  Pa.,  during  the 
early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century.  Abraham 
Overholt  was  "  never  known  to  disappoint  a 
creditor  seeking  payment,  was  gentle  to  his  em- 
ployes and  straightforward  in  all  his  dealings." 
He  was  the  first  discoverer  of  coal  in  his  section 
of  the  county,  was  a  public-spirited  citizen  and 
earnestly  advocated  the  present  common  school 
system  of  Pennsylvania  when  its  adoption  was 
a  topic  of  discussion. 

Nathaniel  Miles  was  a  member  of  the  San- 
dusky street  Baptist  church,  1870  till  1882, 
Since  then  has  been  a  member  of  the  Scottdale 
Baptist  church  and  is  now  serving  as  one  of  its 
trustees.  On  account  of  his  business  ability 
and  sterling  integrity  his  fellow  citizens  have 
several  times  elected  him  to  a  seat  in  the  bor- 
ough council  when  matters  of  more  than  com- 
mon interest  were  to  come  before  that  body. 

•j-OSEPH  CALDWELL  JHJRBOW,  one  of 
t  the  successful  business  men  of  Scottdale 
(2/  and  probably  the  best  auctioneer  in  the 
State  of  Pennsylvania,  is  a  son  of  John  C.  and 
Elizabeth  (Shcppard)  M(;rrow  and  was   born  in 


'jisita 


258 


BIOailAPniES  OF 


East  Huntingdon  township,  Westmoreland 
county,  P;i.,  December  31,  1851.  His  j^reut- 
}|r;in(lfUtlier,  Siiumel  Morrow,  w;is  a  native  of 
comity 'I'yroiu',  Ireland,  inmiigraU'tl  to  Adams 
county,  I'a  ,  ]irioi'  to  the  Uevolutioiiary  war  and 
subseiiuently  removed  to  Westmoreland  county. 
From  him  and  two  of  his  brotiiers,  who  fought 
in  the  war  of  the  Uevolution,  descended  the 
Morrow  family.  The  Morrows  are  widely  scat- 
tered over  this  county  and  in  the  western  and 
south  central  States  of  the  Union.  Samuel 
Morrow  had  a  son,  James  Morrow  (grandfather), 
who  settled  in  South  Huntingdon  township 
where  lie  married  and  reared  a  family  of  thirteen 
children.  One  of  these  ciiildren  is  Jolm  C. 
Miirrow  (father),  wlio  was  born  March  M,  182."), 
and  is  a  resident  of  Mount  Pleasant.  On  Api'il 
'2-2,  1847,  he  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of 
Paoli  and  Catherine  (Tarr)  Sheppard.  Paoli 
Slie]ipard  was  a  soldier  of  the  war  of  I8I1I  and 
the  llute  that  he  carried  while  in  the  army  is 
now  in  the  possession  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  Catlierine  Sheppard,  a  woman  of  much 
intelligence,  was  a  daughter  of  Hon.  Gasper 
Tarr,  who  was  a  son  of  a  Revolutionary  soldier 
and  a  relative  of  Christian  Tarr,  a  Pennsylvania 
member  of  Congress.  The  Tarr  family  was  a 
noted  one  for  their  intelligence.  Paoli  Shep- 
pard was  a  son  of  Henry  L.  Sheppard,  of  Mas- 
sachusetts, a  Revolutionary  sohlier  wliose  father 
was  drowned  in  Boston  bay.  Paoli  Sheppard 
■was  a  blacksmith  by  occupation  ;  lie  was  noted 
for  his  extraordinary  physical  strength  and  ex- 
treme good  nature  and  was  an  industrious  and 
]irudent  citizen.  He  was  over  six  feet  in 
height  and  weighed  two  liundrcd  and  seventy 
piiunds.  His  sons  were  all  large  and  tine  lnok- 
iiig  men  and  all  followed  the  trade  of  their 
father. 

Jiilin  C.  Morrow  reared  a  family  of  four  sons 
and  f(jur  daughters.  One  of  the  sons  is  Paoli 
S.  M(jrrow,  a  well-kno\vn  lawyer  of  Uniontown, 
Pa.  .Idhii  0.  M(jii(iw  is  a  member  (if  the 
Mrlh(idi>l  Kpisciipal  church  and  an  activedemo- 


crat.  He  has  held  all  the  township  offices, 
served  from  187o  to  1870  as  director  of  the  poor 
for  Westmoreland  county,  and  in  1885  was  nom- 
inated by  a  majiirity  of  lour  lor  cnunty  com- 
missioner and  was  only  dcfeatcil  by  a  majority 
of  four  when  the  remainder  of  the  republican 
ticket  was  elected  by  eight  hundred  majority. 

J.  Caldwell  Morrow  received  his  education 
in  the  common  schools  of  Westmoreland  and 
Allegheny  counties  and  Madison  Normal  school. 
From  ten  to  twelve  years  of  ago  he  resided  with 
James  Hutchinson,  then  rejoined  his  parents, 
who  had  previously  moved  to  Buena  Vista,  in 
Allegheny  county,  Pa.,  and  at  sixteen  years  of 
age  began  teaching  in  order  to  procure  the 
means  with  which  to  complete  his  education. 
He  taught  the  first  school  in  Scottdale  borough. 
After  six  years  teaching,  in  1S7-  he  engaged  in 
his  present  principal  business  of  auc'tioneering. 
He  deals  in  real  estate,  is  a  partner  of  J.  M. 
Wood  in  two  stores,  one  at  West  Newton,  this 
county,  and  the  other  at  Rochester,  Beaver 
county,  Pa.,  and  is  also  interested  in  another 
store  at  Sutersville. 

On  September  18,  1873,  he  was  married  by 
Rev.  N.  P.  Hacke  to  Amanda  Walthour, 
daughter  of  Michael  Walthour,  a  well-known 
hotel  keeper  of  the  county.  They  have  seven 
children,  five  sons  and  two  daughters :  Emmet 
Ray,  Clarence,  Maude,  Morrill  Clyde,  Joseph 
Caldwell,  Jr.,  Mabel  Clara  and  Charles. 

J.  Caldwell  jNIorrow  is  a  strong  democrat,  a 
member  of  Scottdale  Lodge,  No.  885,  Inde- 
))endent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Knights  of 
Maccabees  and  the  ^lethodist  Episcopal  church. 
He  was  the  tirst  local  editor  of  the  Scottdale 
Tribune,  corresponded  for  difterent  papers 
throughout  the  United  States  and  was  favorably 
known  as  a  press  reporter.  In  187-  Mr.  Mor- 
row engaged  in  auctioneering  and  has  continued 
successfully  in  that  line  of  business  ever  since. 
He  has  sold  gooils  in  sixty  counties  of  Penns3'l- 
vania,  thirteen  dill'erent  States  of  the  Union 
and  in  selliiiir  ■roods  has  traveled  in  and  tlirou'di 


WESTMORELAND   CO  UNTY. 


twent}^-tlirco  Stutos.  His  success  as  an  auc- 
tioiH'cr  lias  been  wondert'iil,  almost  iilienoiiiunal. 
lie  isalarj^'e  and  fine-looking  man,  weighing  245 
pounds,  intelligent  .courteous,  tall  and  command- 
ing, lie  stands  high  in  his  community  as  a 
gentleman  ami  is  deserving  of  the  success  he  has 
won. 


lEiNJAMIN  F.  OYERIIOLT.  The  ma- 
terial resources  of  '•  southwestern  Penn- 
sylvania" have  never  found  their  equal 
elsewhere.  Of  these  are  the  great  beds  of 
Connellsville  coking  coal  of  world-wide  fame. 
Among  the  many  0]ierators  who  have  been  en- 
gaged in  nianufactui-ing  the  unsurpassed  coke  of 
this  famous  region  is  Benjamin  F.  Overholt, 
who  is  a  gr-.ndson  nf  "the  late  .Muahaiu  Over- 
luilt,  ihe  iniuiediiile  prugcnitnr  of  the  large 
family  bearing  his  name  in  Westmoreland  county, 
and  who  made  that  name  a  houjeiiold  word,  not 
ordy  in  western  Pennsylvania  but  in  almost 
every  region  of  the  country."  Benjamin  F. 
Overholt  is  the  eldest  son  and  second  child  of 
Henry  S.  and  Abigail  (Carpenter)  Overholt 
and  was  born  near  Scottdale,  East  Huntingdon 
townsidp,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  July  I'J, 
1848.  The  Overholts  Of  Pennsylvania  trace 
their  German  lineage  thr(jugh  Martin  Overholt, 
who  came  from  Gernniny  to  Bucks  county,  this 
State,  about  1»09  and  died  in  1846.  One  of 
his  children  was  Henry  Overholt  (great-grand- 
father),  who   was    bdrii    in    17;!'.i.      He  married 

.•\nu    Itcillcr,   by    "I i    hi'    had    five    sons   and 

seven  daughters.  In  INOD,  uccompanied  by 
his  entire  family,  he  removed  to  ^Vestmoreland 
county  and  settled  on  a  tract  of  land  now 
known  as  the  Overholt  homestead  in  West 
Overton.  He  dieil  in  181:!  and  his  widow 
pa.sscd  away  in  l88.j.  His  eleventh  child 'was 
the  widely  and  favorably  known  -Vbraham  (Over- 
holt (grandfather),  who  was  bcn-u  in  Bucks 
county.  Pa.,  in  1780.  He  learueil  and  followed 
the  trade  of  weaving  until   1810,  when   he   en- 


gaged in  farming.  Two  years  later  he  ])ur- 
chased  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  the 
homestead  farm,  including  a  log  distillery,  for 
seventy-five  hundred  dollars,  and  entered  upon 
a  long  and  successful  business  career.  He  built 
a  stone  distillery;  erected  a  brick  mill  and  in 
1859  replaced  them  both  with  one  of  the  largest 
and  best  equipj)ed  distilleries  in  Penn.sylvania. 
He  died  January  L"),  1870,  at  the  advanced  age 
of  eighty-four  years.  '-As  a  business  man  he 
was  distinguished  for  the  order  with  which  he 
conducted  all  his  affairs,  for  his  firmness  and  de- 
cision, for  promptness,  great  energy  and  punc- 
tuality." He  was  kind,  straightforwarci  and 
public-spirited.  He  advocated  at  an  early  Jay 
the  present  common  school  system  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, was  an  ardent  vepublican  and  in  every  w  ay 
was  entitled  to  the  distinction  uf  being  a  prdiiiiiieiit 
and  hoiKUeil  eiti/.en  of  westriii  I'eiinsvlvaiii.i. 
In  180;i  he  married  Maria  ytaiiiVer,  who  died 
in  1874.  They  had  six  sons  and  two  daughters, 
of  whom  three  are  living.  The  eldest  son, 
Henry  S.  Overholt  (father),  was  born  August 
10,  1810,  and  died  June  18,  1870.  On  Feb- 
ruary 10,  1840,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Abigail,  daughter  of  B.  F.  and  Mary  (Sarver) 
Carpenter,  of  Versailles  township,  Allegheny 
county,  Pa.  Their  children  arc:  Sarah  A., 
wife  of  A.  S.  R.  Overholt;  15.  F.,  Maria  C, 
Abigail  C,  wife  of  Dr.  J.  K.  Smith,  of  Cleve- 
land, Ohio;  Abram  C,  of  Scottdale;  Henry  C, 
of  Cleveland,  Ohio;  and  Jennie  C,  wife  of 
Nathaniel  Miles  (see  his  .sketch).  Mrs.  Over- 
holt is  of  Ciernian  descent,  was  born  March  13. 
1824,  and  resides  in  ('leveland,  Ohio.  Henry 
S.  Overholt  was  a  very  honorable  and  successful 
business  man.  He  was  an  active  republican 
and  a  straightforward  man.  He  was  his  father's 
book-keeper  until  1844,  wiieii  he  went  into  part- 
nership with  his  father  in  the  mill  and  distillery 
and  continued  in  that  business  until  his  death 
in  1870. 

Benjamin  F.   Overholt   was   educated  in   tlie 
common  schools,  Wcsterville  Ifniversity  (Ohio), 


ItUIUIUOO    i   -uo 


BIOGRAPHIES  01 


:iii(l  tin'  Mt.  I'lc'isaiit  Institute  of  this  county. 
lie  iitti'iukil  lliy;uit  iiiiil  Stiattoii's  Business 
euUege  at  I'liiladeipliia,  I'a.,  and  graduated  witli 
tlie  lioiuus  of  liis  elass.  On  leaving  school  lie 
engau'ed  in  llie  distillery  liiisiness  \vitli  liis  father 
unt.l  the  death  of  the  latter  in  1.S70.  In  IS?-' 
he  ami  A.  S.  K.  Overliolt  purchased  the  dis- 
tillery and  ran  it  until  1873,  when  they  sold  it. 
They  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  coke  in 
ISTii  and  in  1878  sold  their  si.xty-two  ovens  to 
A.  C.  Overholt  &;  Co.,  who  added  forty-eight 
additional  ovens  to  the  plant.  In  the  last  men- 
tioned year  B.  F.  Overholt  became  the  present 
general  manager  of  A.  C.  Overholt  &  Go's  coke 
business. 

B.  F.  Overholt  was  married  July  IG,  1884, 
to  Florence  M.  Osterhout.  They  have  one 
child,  a  son,  who  is  named  William  II.,  and 
was  born  April  M,  188(J.  ]\Irs.  Overholt  was 
born  at  Glenwood,  Susquehanna  county,  Pa., 
July  19.  1850,  and  is  the  daughter  of  William 
II.  Osterhout,  of  Ridgway,  Elk  county.  Pa. 

B.  F.  Overholt  is  a  member  of  Lodge,  No. 
Tils,  Order  of  Solon,  at  Oreensburg,  i'a.  He 
is  anaeti\e  republican,  has  been  .siiccessfid  in  his 
various  business  enterprises  and  is  a  prominent 
and  favorably  known  citizen  of  .Scottdale. 

•|".\.MI':S    P.  OWKNS    is   a  son   c.f  Jonathan 

J  and  Saiah  A.  Owens  (nee  l)cinoliue),  both 
natives  of  Bedford  county,  Pa.  Jonathan 
Owens  was  a  wagon  and  carriage  manufacturer 
at  ( 'enlicville,  iieilford  county,  where  he  sin'- 
cessfully  canied  on  that  line  of  business  f(jr 
many  years.  lie  was  a  devoteil  member  of  the 
Catholic  ebureh  and  die(l  at  New  llaltiuKjre, 
Somerset  county,  Pa.,  in  IHtid  at  the  age  of 
forty-nine  years.  He  was  a  stanch  democrat 
and  an  exem[ilary  citizen  during  his  whole  life. 
His  wife  died  in  1874  in  Cuniberbind,  Mary- 
land, at  the  age  of  tifty-si.x. 

James  1'.  Owens  is  a  native  of  Be(lfoi-d  county, 
Pa.,  and    was   born  at   Ccntreville,   iMarch    I'J, 


18r);5,  wherc^  In:  remained  till  at  the  age  of  twelve 
years  when  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  New 
Baltimore,  thence  to  Cumberland,  Maryland. 
There  he  was  engaged  as  a  puddler  from  1871 
to  IN7I.  lie  ccinlinued  to  reside  at  (luirdier- 
laiid,  however,  till  the  year  1880,  when  he  came 
to  Westmoreland  county  and  located  at  Scott- 
dale where  he  was  engaged  in  the  iron  business 
up  to  1884.  In  188G  he  was  appointed  by 
President  Cleveland  postmaster  at  Scottdale  and 
took  charge  of  the  office  September  1,  188G. 
He  has  since  very  capably  and  acceptably  filled 
the  office  and  is  the  present  incumbent.  He  is 
an  active  and  influential  democrat,  a  consistent 
member  of  the  Catholic  church  and  has  served 
for  three  years  as  member  of  the  town  council. 

He  was  married  in  1879  to  Eva,  a  daughter 
of  Casper  Glos.  of  Cumberland,  Maryland.  To 
their  marriage  have  been  born  five  children,  of 
whom  three  are  living — one  son  and  two  daugh- 
ters: James  II.,  Margaret  L.  and  Annie  M. 
Mary  E.  died  at  the  age  of  five  years  in  1885 
and  Edgar  died  in  1888,  at  the  age  of  four  or 
five  nmnths. 

James  P.  Owens  is  a  striking  example  of  a 
self'-nnide  man  Starting  in  life  with  nothing 
he  has  overcome  the  many  obstacles  that  arose 
in  his  way  and  has  won  respectable  recognition 
socially  as  well  iis  in  the  business  world.  He  is 
a  stdckhnlder  in  tin:  natural  gas  company  at 
Scottdale,  and  is  also  a  stockholder  in  the  build- 
ing and  loan  association  at  Scottdale.  Mr. 
Owens  iiehuigs  to  that  class  of  young  men  who 
give  to  a  town  or  community  the  business  pros- 
perity it  may  possess. 


•fOHN  S.  PARKFK.  Too  much  cannot  be 
I  said  of  the  representative  and  leading  busi- 
®/  'ness  men  of  Scottdale,  for  it  is  to  their 
intelligence  and  enterprising  spirit  that  the 
borough  owes  its  present  pros[)crity,  and  its 
oldest  and  aiuong  its  most  prominent  and  infUi- 
cntiiil  merchants  is  John  S.  Parker,  whose  busi- 


115 


'A  V 


4' 


^//'//^-^^ 


WESTMORELA  ND   CO  UNTY. 


nes3  ciiroer  tluTo  iliitos  from  187-3,  wlien  the 
town  was  ioiindod.  lie  wiis  born  iie;n'  Wusl 
Newton  in  Scwickley  townaliip,  Westniurulinid 
county,  l';i.,  Jaiiuiiry  l!8,  1812,  and  is  a  sou  of 
Jolin  S.atKlJanc((jrayhain)  I'arkur.  Ilisfatlior, 
John  S.  Parker,  was  born  in  Ohio,  tlien  a  part 
of  tlic  "  Northwest  Territory,"  in  1792.  Wliile 
yet  a  young  man  he  left  Ohio,  which  was  then 
the  western  frontier  of  civilization,  and  came  to 
Westmoreland  county,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business.  He  opened  a  store  at 
West  Newton,  and  meeting  with  good  suceess  he 
established  a  second  store  at  Reagantown  and 
was  one  of  tlie  early  and  well-known  merchants 
of  Westmoreland  county.  He  was  a  soldier  of 
the  war  of  1812,  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  and  died  at  Reagantown  in  1857.  His 
wife,  Jane  (Grayham)  Parker,  was  a  native  of 
this  county,  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
cluirch  and  a  woman  of  remarkable  business 
ability.  After  his  death  she  took  charge  of  the 
Reagantown  store  and  with  the  assistance  of  her 
two  sons  conducted  it  successfully  for  many 
years.  She  was  born  in  1802  and  died  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1882,  an  octogenarian  in  years. 

John  S.  Parker  was  trained  from  boyhood  to 
mercantile  pursuits.  His  education  was  obtained 
in  the  schools  of  Reagantowh  and  West  Newton. 
He  assisted  his  mother  in  conducting  the  store 
at  Reagantown  until  1872.  In  February,  187-J, 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  his  brother-in-law, 
James  B.  Smith,  and  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business  at  Scottdale  under  the  firm  name  of 
I'arker  ^*c  Smith.  Tiiey  began  merclnuulising 
upon  a  small  scale  but  gradually  increased  their 
stock  and  gained  custom  until  1881,  when  they 
were  among  the  leading  merchants  of  the  place. 
During  the  same  year  Mr.  Smith  withdrew  and 
S.  B.  McMillan  and  George  0.  Parker  became 
members  of  the  lirm.  'I'lie  name  was  then 
changed  to  J.  S.  Parker  k  Co.  and  so  continued 
till  lSS-1,  wiien  Mr.  McMillan  retired  and  tlie 
lirm  name  biiaiiu'  .].  S.  I'arker  \  Bro.  This 
firm  has  continued  successfully  until  the  present 


time,  commands  a  large  and  extensive  trade  and 
occupies  a  large  brick  store  building  of  four 
rooms  or  departments,  which  are  heavily  stocked 
with  everything  to  be  found  in  a  first-class 
general  mercantile  establishment.  On  Novem- 
ber 11,  18tJU,  John  S.  Parker  was  married  to 
Pauline  Ruff,  daughter  of  Jonas  lUifl,  of  Mt. 
I'leasant  township,  this  county.  Their  family 
consists  of  five  children  living:  Harry,  Frank, 
Jennie  G.,  Effie  i\I.  and  John  C. 

John  S.  Parker,  in  addition  to  being  the  senior 
member  of  the  firm  of  J.  S.  Parker  &  Bro.,  of 
Scottdale,  is  a  partner  in  the  dry  goods  house  of 
Hurst  k  Co.,  of  the  same  place.  He  built  one 
of  the  first  houses  erected  in  Scottdale,  is  a 
stockholder  in  the  "  Scottdale  Iron  and  Steel 
Company,  limited,"  and  has  always  taken  an 
active  part  in  every  measure  calculated  to  ad- 
vance the  material  interests  or  contribute  to  the 
prosperity  of  the  borough.  ]\Ir.  Parker  is  a 
member  and  trusteee  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
church,  a  successful  business  man,  a  public- 
spirited  citizen  and  a  highly  respected  member 
of  the  community  in  which  he  resides. 


TAMES  II.  POOL,  of  the  firm  of  Zei^rley  k 
'l'  Pool,  planing-mill  men,  of  Scottdale,  Pa., 
^  was  born  November  26,  18.54,  in  Hemp- 
field  township,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  and 
is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Sophia  (Bierer)  Pool. 
His  grandfiither,  Zachariah  Pool,  was  a  native 
of  eastern  Pennsylvania,  but  in  liis  younger 
days  crossed  the  mountains  and  located  in  AVest- 
moreland  county,  where  he  carried  on  farming 
until  his  death  in  1881,  at  the  advanced  age  of 
ninety-eight  years.  Samuel  Pool  (father)  is  a 
native  of  Westmoreland  county,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  until  a  few 
years  ago  when  he  retired  from  active  business. 
His  wife  having  died  in  1««7,  he  now  resides  at 
Greensburg  with  his  son,  Z.  T.  Pool  ;  he  is 
seventy  years  cf  age  and  a  member  of  the  Eng- 
lish   Lutheran  church.     Mr.    Pool   has    always 


ii    Biiii    nm%     .ti>4      .li-jtiSA-j    nnfsttittikl 


BIOGRAPIIlEi,  OF 


been  a  very  active  ami  enerf;etic  iiuui  and  very 
hiicci'ssliil  in  linsiiK'ss.  Jolm  llicrer  (niatoiiiiil 
{^raiKlfutliei)  wa.s  a  native  of  tJuiniany,  and 
came  to  America,  locating  in  Westmoreland 
county,  Pa.,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  earliest 
settlers,  tkere  being  but  few  people  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Greensburg  when  he  arrived  in  that 
section.     He  died  in  1849  at  a  ripe  age. 

James  II.  Pool  remained  at  home  on  his 
father's  farm,  attending  school  in  the  winter  and 
working  in  the  summer  until  he  was  seventeen 
years  old;  he  then  went  to  Greensburg,  learned 
the  carpenter's  trade  and  worked  at  it  for  five 
years,  having  located  at  Manor  station  some 
eight  miles  from  the  county  seat.  In  the  fall  of 
187'J  he  went  to  Scottdale  and  formed  a  part- 
nershi])  witii  S.  J.  /earley,  the  firm  name  being 
Zearley  it  Pool.  'I'liey  engaged  in  the  planing- 
miil  business  whicdi  tliey  have  run  successfully 
ever  since.  They  do  an  innuense  business  and 
execute  some  of  the  finest  work  to  be  seen  in  the 
county  (see  sketch  of  Mi'.  Zeaiiey)-  Mr.  Pool 
is  a  member  of  tlie  Lutheran  church  at  Greens- 
burg, an<l  is  one  of  tlic  most  enterprising  citi- 
zens of  Scottdale,  taking  an  active  part  in  every- 
thing that  tends  to  build  up  and  advance  the 
interests  of  the  town. 

James  II.  Pool  was  married  September  'J4, 
188;'),  to  Ellen,  a  daughter  of  A.  L.  Rainer,  of 
Scottdale,  and  tlieir  union  has  been  blessed  with 
one  child,  a  daughter,  whom  they  have  named 
Kdna,  which  signifies  "pleasure." 

•^OIIN  I.  ROGERS,    of  the  firm   of  J.   I. 

f  liogers  &  Co.,  of  Scottdale,  was  born  July 
Qj  -(),  1855,  near  Springfielil,  Fayette  county. 
Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of  Dr.  Joseph  and  Elizabeth 
(Johnston)  Rogers.  (For  ancestry  see  sketch  of 
Dr.  Alexandei'  J.  Rogers.) 

John  I.  Rogers  was  reared  near  the  mountain 
village  of  S|)ringfield,  attended  the  common 
schools  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  entered  Mt. 
Pleasant  Institute  and  pursued  his  studies  there 


for  one  and  one-half  years.  After  a  summer's 
experience  with  an  engineering  corps  he  returned 
home  and  took  charge  of  his  father's  mills  at 
Fayette  Furnace,  remained  there  two  years  and 
in  1878  went  to  Scottdale  as  clerk  in  the  gen- 
eral store  of  E.  II.  Reed,  in  whose  employ  he 
remained  for  seven  years.  In  1885  he  became  a 
partner  in  the  concern  and  the  firm  name  was 
changed  to  J.  I.  Rogers  &  Co.  (Limited).  Mr. 
Rogers  was  made  manager,  secretary  and  treas- 
urer of  the  firm  and  has  held  these  responsible 
positions  ever  since.  The  firm  is  one  of  the  old- 
est, largest  and  most  substantial  in  Scottdale, 
does  an  immense  trade  and  fully  deserves  the 
liberal  patronage  it  has  been  receiving.  John  I. 
Rogers  is  a  member  of  Marion  Lodge,  No.  5tJ2, 
F.  &  A.  M.  and  adheres  to  the  political  faith  of 
the  Republican  party.  He  is  an  agreeable  gentle- 
num  of  fine  appearance  and  physi(iue  and  pos- 
sesses business  qualifications  of  a  high  order. 
Although  thirty-four  years  of  age  Mr.  Rogers 
lias  successfully  withstood  the  assaults  of  Cupid 
and  is  yet  basking  in  the  sunshine  of  "single 
blessedness." 


LEXANDER  J.  ROGERS,  M.  D. 
Among  the  jjrominent  physicians  of 
Wcstmorchind  county  wiiose  skill  and 
success  have  won  tlicni  reputation  and  honora- 
ble standing  is  Dr.  Alexander  J.  Rogers,  who 
served  in  the  ranks  of  the  grand  old  Army  of 
the  Potomac  and  is  the  oldest  resident  jihysi- 
cian  of  Scottdale.  He  is  a  son  of  Dr.  Joseph 
and  Elizabeth  (Johnston)  Rogers  and  was  born 
at  Fayette  furnace,  Fayette  county,  Pa.,  Octo- 
ber 12,  1834.  Maj.  James  Rogers  (grandfather) 
was  a  native  of  Virginia,  who  emigrated  in  an 
early  day  to  Fayette  county.  Pa.  He  was 
among  the  first  iron  masters  of  western  Penn- 
sylvania. 

lie  afterwards  erected  on  Rush  Creek,  (^liio, 
tiie  pioneer  forge  of  that  State.  He  and  Col. 
Paul  of  Fayette  county.  Pa.,  had  several  adven- 


,  U.ji. 


WESTMORKLANl)  CO UNTY. 


207 


tiircs  with  Indiana  and  served  in  an  expcditioii 
aj^ainst  the  Indians  oi  Dliio.  Maj.  Kuyurs  was 
siu'cossfu!  in  his  i'liinaoe  and  t'ciij:o  vcntiiri's  and 
<li('(|  al  an  advanced  a;^<'  in  ihe  roiirlh  dera<hi  <d' 
Ihe  [irrsenl  rcnlHiy.  I  )r.  .loscjih  Ihii^cih  (lal  h,T) 
wa>  a  naU\e  ul  I'ayultc  county  where  lie  prac- 
ticed medicine  i'or  fifty-five  years.  He  was  a 
graduate  of  tlie  Medical  University  of  I'ennsyl- 
vania.  lie  was  hirgely  and  successfully  engaged 
in  the  iron  business,  served  as  elder  in  the 
I'resliyterian  church,  was  an  old  line  whig  and 
all  his  descendants  are  republicans.  Ilediediu 
tlie  spring  of  1MT4,  aged  eighty  years,  lie  was 
married  in  18-)1  to  Elizabeth  Johnston.  They 
had  five  sons  and  seven  daughters.  Mrs. 
Rogers'  father,  Alexander  Johnston,  came  from 
Ireland.  He  was  one  of  the  early  merchants  of 
Connellsville.  I'a.,  an<l  purchased  large  tiacts  of 
land  at  th.it  place  and  at  /anesville,  (*hio.  He 
served  for  vi'ars  as  elder  in  the  rresliyierian 
church,  was  instrumental  in  building  the  first 
cliurch  of  that  denominatiim  at  Connellsville, 
and  set  aside  a  large  sum  of  money  to  be  paid  to 
the  Presbyterian  ministers  of  his  adopted  town. 
Alexander  Johnston  only  laekeil  eight  years  of 
a  century  when  he  died   in  lS(i;!. 

Dr.  Alexander  J.  Rogers  was  reareil  at 
Fayette  Furnace,  received  his  education  at  Dun- 
lap's  Creek  Presbyterian  academy  near  Merritts- 
town.  Pa.,  and  was  graduated  in  185l)  from  that 
institution.  In  IS.")7  he  joined  a  party  going  to 
(Jalifornia,  was  at  "  Pike's  Peak  "  and  Fra/.ier's 
river,  anil  eani|ieil  wx  the  site  of  Denver  city 
when  there  was  but  one  house  there,  which  had 
been  built  and  was  then  occupied  by  Capt.  Lari- 
mer of  Pittsburg.  In  18()1  he  returned  home 
and  enlisted  in  the  Federal  ;irmy.  He  was  a 
member  of  Co.  F,  eleventh  reg..  Pa.,  A^ols.  He 
participated  in  all  the  battles  of  his  regiment 
until  llie  seven  days  fight  on  the  peninsula, 
wdien  at  Gaines'  Mill  he  was  wounded  in  the 
hand  and  right  leg  and  taken  prisoner  by  the 
confeiU'rales.  He  was  confined  im  Pellc  Island 
till   the    fallowing    October,  ibeii  exchanged  and 


discharged  from   David's  Hospital,  Lung  Ishuid 
in  LSdA. 

On  July  -t,  ISllI,  hi'  was  niiirried  Id  Margaret 
MeCorniirlv,  daiigliliT  of  Noble  M  rCniiiicK,  of 
Connellsville,  I'a.  'I'liry  have  liiieeliild,  Waller 
D.,  who  is  now  a  student  at  the  celebrated  Uni- 
versity of  Virginia. 

One  of  Dr.  Rogers'  brothers  was  the  late  Dr. 
James  K.  Rogers,  who  held  tiie  following  of- 
ficial positions  during  the  late  war:  surgeon,  by 
appointment  of  President  Lincoln  ;  lieutenant- 
colonel  under  commission  of  President  Johnson  ; 
corps  surgeon  under  Gen.  lleintzelman,  and 
assistant  medical  director  of  the  department  of 
Missouri.  He  was  a  man  of  excellent  intellect 
and  great  generosity  ;  was  a  good  physician,  an 
eminently  accomplished  surgeon,  and  died  at 
Connellsville,  Pa.,  March  IS,  1870,  agedthirty- 
eiglit  years. 


AJ.  GEORGE  II.  SEWELL,  chief 
I  f  clerk  of  the  Charlotte  Furnace  Com- 
♦  pany,  of  Scottdale,  was  born  June  -0, 
184U,  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  and  is  a  son  of  Rev. 
Thomas  and  Mary  (ISurnett)  Sewell.  Rev. 
Thomas  Sewell  was  born  in  1804  at  Easton, 
Talbot  county,  Md.,  and  is  a  lineal  descendant 
of  Pocohontas.  In  his  early  life  he  was  a  chair- 
maker  and  carried  on  an  extensive  chair  manu- 
factory at  Baltimore  until  IS.']."),  when  he  was 
a])pointed  Collector  of  tlie  Port  in  Baltimore. 
After  eight  years  in  this  position  he  was  chosen 
cashier  of  the  Franklin  bank  iti  the  same  city, 
retained  the  position  for  a  number  of  years  and 
then  embarked  in  the  commission  and  real  es- 
tate business,  which  he  carried  on  extensively 
throughout  the  south  and  acquired  considerable 
wealth,  but  the  war  came  on,  which  caused  so 
great  a  decline  in  his  southern  property  tiiat 
almost  his  entire  fortune  was  swept  away.  Mr. 
Sewell  was  the  inventor  of  Sewell's  celebrated 
cement,  which  he  maniifictiiied  until  bis  death. 
For  about  twenty  years  during  the  latter  part  of 


.M«n  .r.jj. 


2G8 


BIOGRArillES  OF 


his  life  lie  \v;is  an  itinerant  minister  uf  tlie  M. 
E.  clmich.  lie  niarrieil  in  IS-J")  Mary  J.,  a 
clau;.'liter  of  Samuel  Burnett,  of  Jialtiniore,  who 
was  lidi-n  in  ISOT,  ami  who  liore  him  tc'ii  (-hil- 
(Ircn  :  Thomas  11.,  Ann  K.,  Samuel  It.,  .Mary 
J.,  Sarah  A.,  Klizaheth  B.,  -lames  T.  and  (jeorge 
II.  Thomas  Sewell  died  in  18t!7  and  his  widow 
in  1887  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  Rev. 
(.leorge  Sewell  (grandfather)  was  an  ordained 
minister  of  the  M.  E.  cliureh  and  died  at 
Easton,  Md.,  in  1820.  Ills  first  lieensc  is  now 
in  possession  of  George  II.  Sewell,  liis  grand- 
son. 

George  II.  Sewell  was  reared  in  Baltimore, 
attended  the  public  schools  and  then  entered 
Gallagher's  college,  Baltimore,  Md.,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  18G2.  lie  then  enlisted  for 
service  in  the  army  as  a  drummer  of  Co.  B., 
first  JIaryland  reg  ,  but  was  transferred  to  the 
government  secret  service  in  which  he  remained 
until  the  end  of  the  war.  In  18G7  he  in  con- 
nection with  Col.  Cooper  was  instrumental  in 
quelling  the  "negro  riots"  at  Baltimore.  After 
the  war  Mr.  Sewell  followed  carpentry  for  nine 
years,  and  in  1874  entered  the  service  of  the  B. 
(&  0.  H.  R.  as  "trace  agent,"  witli  head(|uarters 
at  Cumberland,  Md.,  where  lie  remained  till 
1881,  when  he  engaged  as  general  clerk  for 
Everson,  Macrum  k,  Co.,  at  Scottdale,  I'a.  At 
the  dissolution  of  the  firm  he  became  chief  clerk 
for  the  Charlotte  Furnace  Company  of  the  same 
place  which  position  he  still  retains.  He  is  an 
iiclivc  workrr  in  (lie  interests  of  the  Itcpuhlican 
party,  ami  is  now  chairman  of  the  republican 
association  of  Seolldale.  lie  is  a  member  of 
the  Knights  of  j'ythias,  in  which  he  is  district 
deputy,  grand  ehaiieelloi-,  inspector  geneial  of 
the  Uniform  Rank  and  is  one  <if  the  stall' of 
Brig.  Gen.  S.  S.  Simmons.  He  is  district 
grand  chic^f  of  the  Knights  of  tlie  Golden 
Eagle  and  secretary  of  the  I  iiilei>endent  Order 
of  Ileptasophs  ;  also  a  member  of  Scuttilale 
Council,  No.  1U2,  Jr.  G.  U.  A.  M.,  and  (d' 
Chosen  Friends   Lodge,  No.  32,  I.  0.  O.  V.,  of 


Cumbei'land  city.  He  owns  valuable  property 
on  Loucks  avenue,  Scottdale,  and  is  one  of  the 
good  business  men  of  the  place.  Both  he  and 
his  wife  are  mcndieis  of  the  i!a)itist  ehurch  of 
Scottdale.  Mr.  Sewell  is  leader  of  the  choir, 
which  is  considered  one  of  the  best  in  western 
Pennsylvania,  containing  twenty-one  voices,  two 
cornets,  clarionet  and  flute. 

George  H.  Sewell  married  in  1.S72  Jennie,  a 
daughter  of  Samuel  Horn,  of  Allegheny  county, 
Md.,  who  was  born  in  1855,  and  who  is  the 
mother  of  four  children,  all  living:  W.  Lowry, 
born  October  29,  1873;  Thomas  H.,  born  De- 
cember 4,  1875;  Nora  v.,  born  May  12,  1878, 
and  Marion  E.,  born  June  1,  1881. 


-YYII^LTAM  F.  SIIOTTS,  D.  D.  S.,  is  a 
son  of  Elias  and  Catherine  B.  (Eisa- 
inan)  Shotts,  and  was  born  in  Hemp- 
field  township,  Westmorelaiul  county.  Pa.,  Jan- 
uary 8,  18GI .  Elias  Shotts  was  a  native  of  this 
county  and  for  numy  years  resided  in  Heinj)- 
field  townshij),  not  far  from  Grecnsburg.  He 
belonged  to  the  Lutheran  church.  He  died  in 
18G7  at  the  age  of  thirty-four  years.  His  widow 
survives  him  and  now  resides  at  Greensburg; 
she,  too,  is  a  native  of  Westmoreland  county. 

Dr.  W.  F.  Shotts  was  born  on  a  farm  and  at 
ten  years  of  age  left  rural  scenes  to  enjoy  village 
life  at  Aihimsburg,  to  which  place  his  mother 
moved.  After  a  public  school  education  had 
been  rec(Uve(l  he  entered  the  State  Normal 
school  at  Indiana,  Pa.,  where  he  rennuned  two 
years,  from  1877  to  1871b  He  then  took  a 
course  in  Iron  City  Coniinercial  college  at  I'itfs- 
burg,  and  for  the  next  live  years  we  find  hiiu 
engaged  in  fiirming  and  clerking  in  this  county. 
In  May,  1885,  he  began  the  study  of  dentistry 
with  Dr.  (ieorge  Culbertson,  of  Grecnsburg, 
Pa.,  and  in  February,  1887,  he  graduated  from 
the  Pennsylvania  College  of  Dental  Surgery  at 
Philadelphia.  In  the  following  May  he  located 
at  Scottdale,  where  he  has  succeeded  in  buildinir 


'n'i:s'nroRf:LA nd  co  unt r. 


up  a  large  and  lucrative  practice.  lie  is  a  skill- 
ful practitioner  and  his  uork  is  satisfactory  in 
every  respect.  Dr.  Sliotts  is  re;i;ar(le(l  as  one  of 
tlie  lu'st  dental  surgioiis  nf  the  eoiinty.  lie  is 
a  nieniher  of  tlie  Knights  of  I'ytiiias,  Inde- 
pendent Onler  of  lleptasojilis ;  belongs  to  the 
Lutheran  church  and  is  yet  enjoying  "  single 
blessedness."  lie  is  energetic,  upright  and 
reliable  and  is  on  a  fair  way  to  fame  and  fur- 
tune. 

OBERT     SKEMP,    although    a   son    of 
England,  yet  so  intimately  has  he  iden- 

I  tifieil  himself  with  the  development  of 
Westmoreland  county,  that  she  claims  him  by 
right  of  adoption.  He  was  born  at  Bilston, 
South  Staft'ordshire,  England,  January  3,  1858, 
and  is  the  son  of  Robert  Skemp  who  was  a  dry- 
goods  merchant  of  that  place. 

Robert  Skemp  was  reared  at  Bilston  where 
he  received  a  good  business  education  and  was 
trained  at  an  early  age  to  commercial  pur- 
suits. His  first  employment  was  as  a  clerk 
in  his  father's  store.  From  behind  the  counter 
he  passed  at  the  age  of  twenty  to  a  clerkship  in 
the  Regent  iion  works  and  subseciuently  became 
Ciishier  and  assistant  mar^ager  of  that  establish- 
ment. In  April,  1887,  he  emigrated  from  Eng- 
ghind  to  I'eunsylvaniii  and  was  iuiniediatcly  em- 
pliiyed  by  W.  11.  Eversuu  \  Co.,  as  assistant 
superintendent  of  the  Scottdale  iron  works,  but 
had  not  fully  entered  on  the  duties  of  that  posi- 
tion H  hill  llie  business  of  the  fiini  was  lirought 
to  a  close.  When  their  successors,  the  Scottdale 
iron  and  steel  company,  came  into  possession  of 
the  works,  they  felt  the  need  of  Mr.  Ski'inp's 
practical  experience  and  business  ability  and  his 
services  were  scutired.  He  was  made  assistant 
Huperintendent  in  October,  1887,  andsi.x  months 
later  was  placed  in  charge  of  their  entire  works 
as  g(!neral  superintendent.  These  iron  works  arc 
one  oFthj'  most  ini|)ortant  industries  of  Westmore- 
hind  I'onnly.  Tin'  business  of  the  lirm  extenils  to 
every  pai't  of  the  United  States  and  is  in  a  highly 


prosperous  condition  under  the  practical  and 
successful  man.-igement  of  Mr.  Skemp.  He  is 
thorougidy  experienced  in  every  detail  of  iron 
manufacture  and  is  anijily  (jualilied  for  con<luct- 
ing  that  business  with  increasing  success. 

July|28, 1880,  Mr.  Skemp  married  Kate  Sum- 
ner, daughter  of  John  Sumner,  formerly  of  Ilo.x- 
ton  near  Nottingham,  and  now  of  Wolverhampton, 
England.  They  have  four  children  :  Robert, 
Arthur,  Leo  and  Harold. 

Robert  Skemp  is  a  member  of  Marion  Lod^e, 
No.  5G-2,  F.  and  A.  M.,  Scottdale  Conclave,  No. 
172,  Improved  Order  of  Heptasophs  and  First 
Baptist  church  at  Scottdale.  Mr.  Skeniji  is  a 
nian  who  has  gathered  a  large  fimd  of  informa- 
tion from  observation  and  reading,  and  is  one 
who  is  well  acquainted  with  the  current  events 
of  the  world's  history  and  progress  as  well  as 
with  everything  that  pertains  to  the  special  in- 
i  dustry  in  which  he  is  so  actively  engaged.  He 
displays  ability  in  the  management  of  the  ac- 
countant's department  of  the  office  and  in  the 
superintendence  of  the  works,  and  by  his  strict 
honesty  and  close  attention  to  business  he  is 
discharging  the  duties  of  his  position  with  credit 
to  himself  and  acceptably  to  the  company  and 
the  public. 


ATllAN  SMITH  was  born  August  2.'), 
1828,  in  South  Huntingdon  township, 
Westmorelainl  county.  Pa.,  and  is  a  son 
of  Henry  E.  and  Margaret  (Barr)  Smith.  His 
gramlfathor,  Nathan  Smith,  was  born  near  Hub- 
lin,  Ireland,  and  immigrated  to  America  when  a 
young  man,  locating  in  Westmoreland  county, 
Pa.,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  early  settlers. 
He  lived  to  a  ripe  old  age  anil  died  on  the  farm 
up(ni  which  he  first  settled.  Henry  E.  Smith  was 
a  native  of  South  Iluntingilon  township,  this 
county,  where  he  followed  the  occupation  of 
farming  and  stork-raising.  He  was  origiinilly 
an  "  old-line  whig,"  later  a  republican  and  was 
a    niend)er    of    the     Presbyterian    church.      Mr. 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


iSiiiilli  \v;is  a  very  loliiisl  ami  aclivr  uiaii,  liidiis- 
triuiis  ami  cnui-gulic  ami  had  a  miilliuulu  uf 
fiiL-mls.  lie  (lied  in  1S8S  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
five  years. 

Nathan  Siidth  was  brought  up  amid  the  rural 
seent's  ot'  his  native  township,  remained  on  the 
f'arui  until  nineteen  years  iild  and  then  learned 
the  earpenter's  tiade  at  which  he  worked  for 
twenty- five  years.  In  18(30  ho  removed  to  Stark 
county,  Ohio,  whence,  after  four  year's  work  at 
his  trade  he  went  on  west  to  Noble  county,  Indi- 
ana, where  he  continued  to  reside  until  18G1. 
Having  returned  to  Westmoreland  county  the 
previous  year,  he,  in  tSejitember,  18G2,  enlisted 
in  Co.  B,  IGth  Pa.  cavalry  and  served  until  Ap- 
pomatox  decided  the  contest  and  the  Union  was 
.saved.  lie  participated  in  all  the  battles  in  which 
his  regiuient  was  engaged,  was  at  Gettysburg 
and  in  all  the  principal  battles  fought  by  the 
Army  of  the  I'otomac.  He  went  out  as  a  pri- 
vate but  served  almost  the  entire  time  as  ser- 
geant, and  was  honorably  discharged  at  Lynch- 
burg, Va.,  in  June,  18b5.  Returning  homo  he 
followed  faruiing  until  1874,  when  he  went  to 
iScottdale  and  worked  at  his  trade  several  years 
a.'  contractor  and  builder,  and  in  1878  accepteil 
a  ])osition  as  clerk  in  the  liardware  house  of 
Loucks  k  Snyder,  of  Scoltdalc.  In  188:]  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  A.  L.  Slcjuer  of  the 
same  town,  the  firm  name  being  Smith  and 
Stoner.  This  firm  engaged  in  the  general  hard- 
ware liusHK'ss  until  ISSS,  when  1).  li.  Null  pur- 
chii>cd  I  he  iiilerist  of  Mr.  .'-^I'Mier,  siiii'c  which  time 
the  firm  of  Smith  .'i  Null  has  been  successfully 
conducting  the  same  line  of  business.  It  handles 
farm  implements  of  all  kinds  and  everything  to 
be  found  in  a  first-class  liardware  store. 

Nathan  Smith  was  tliree  times  elected  assessor 
of  Scottdale,  though  he  served  bLit  two  terms, 
and  is  now  a  meuiber  of  the  school  board.  His 
first  wife,  to  whom  he  was  married  in  1854,  was 
Nancy  Simmons,  of  Stark  county,  Ohio,  who 
dieil  in  1881  leaving  no  children,  lie  re-mar- 
ried   in    188;!,  his  second    wife   being  Isaphenia 


Ouniiingham  of  Scottdale,  and  to  th<'m  one  child 
was  born  but  ilied  at  the  tender  age  of  two 
months. 

Mr.  Smith  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  11.  and 
takes  a  lively  interest  in  the  alfairs  of  this 
or<ler. 


ARllY  J.  SPRINGER,  a  pliotogra]dier 
^Jl  and  crayon  artist  of  Scottdale,  was  born 
July  Hi,  1804,  at  Rell  Vernon,  West- 
moreland county,  Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  V. 
and  Hannah  ■!.  (Davidson)  Springer.  In  17l)0 
Michael  and  Mary  Ann  Spiinger,  who  were 
natives  of  Sweden,  came  to  Pennsylvania.  The 
former  was  born  at  Stockliolm  in  1727  and  the 
latter  was  a  child  of  rich  Swxnlish  parents.  She 
was  stolen  at  three  years  of  age  and  left  under 
a  tree  where  she  was  found  by  her  husband's 
father,  but  could  not  reccdiect  the  suiiiame  of 
her  parents.  Michael  and  Mary  Ann  Springer 
came  from  Philadelphia  to  Rostravor  town- 
ship, this  county,  in  178-"],  where  Michael 
Springer  took  up  three  hundred  and  lifty-live 
and  one-half  acres  of  land  under  the  title 
of  "  Springersburg,"  ami  dieil  in  17'J7.  'I'liey 
had  five  children  :  John,  Mathias,  who  went 
west;  Michael,  also  went  west;  Mary,  nuirried 
John  Worley  and  emigrateil  west,  and  Uaniel 
who  inherited  the  homestead.  Daniel  Springer 
(greatgrandfather)  was  born  September  15, 
17l)2,  at  Phihideljihia,  and  in  17'>'0  married 
Rachel  lliggins  who  was  born  in  \'iiginia  in 
17U0.  They  had  eight  children  :  Michael,  Ma- 
thias, Joseph,  John,  who  married  Sallie  IJilliter 
and  was  accidently  killed  in  1888;  James  H., 
who  inherited  the  home-farm,  married  Sallie 
Smith  and  died  at  "Webster,  Pa.,  in  l87tj; 
Nancy,  who  died  when  nineteen  years  of  age  ; 
Daniel  and  Martha.  Joseph  Springer  (grand- 
father) was  bi.*n  in  Fayette  county,  Pa.,  and  was 
a  farmer.  Ho  died  at  Rrownsville,  Pa.,  June 
20,  1871.  lie  unirried  Margaict  Driver  who 
passed  away  October  28,   IhOI.      To  their  union 


■In     1 


Z^^^z--  ^^  S/  .<e^i 


Pftoto  hy  Springei 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


wore  born  twelve  cliililren  :  Daniel,  who  married  [ 
Raehel  Jordan  and  died  Oetober  21,  1870;  j 
James  and  Newton,  who  both  died  in  childhood;  i 
Marllia,  wifi:  of  I'arni'tt  Corwin  and  dead  ;  John, 
wlui  niani.MJ  Sarah  A.  liadrv;  .l.is,.|,h  1''., 
l{aeiicl,  married  'I'linis  Carroll  and  ilied  in  lt>7','  ; 
Lydia,  widow  of  Asa  Hastings  ;  Naney,  marrieil 
Edward  Cook  and  is  deail ;  James  M.,  who  mar- 
ried Sarali  Iveeves  ;  William  II.,  who  married 
Margaret  Reed,  and  Margaret,  wife  of  Frederick 
Lrownellcr,  of  Ohio.  Joseph  F.  Springer 
(father)  was  born  in  1830  near  Belle  Vernon 
and  has  always  followeil  farming.  In  187-  he 
removed  to  the  northern  part  of  the  county 
where  ho  remained  until  187'J  when  he  removed 
to  his  present  location  near  Irwin.  lie  nmrried 
in  18.')4  Hannah,  daughter  of  James  Davidson, 
by  whom  he  had  thirteen  children;  Newton, 
James,  Anna,  Emma,  William,  Harry,  Lewis, 
Charles,  Howard,  Hallie,  Mattie,  Elmer  and 
Delia.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Springer  are  members  of 
the  M.  K.  church. 

Henry  .1.  Sjuingcr  was  reared  in  the  rural 
districts  of  Iiuinaml  North  I  luiitingdon  tow  n- 
ship,  attended  the  common  schools  and  in  1SS2 
learned  photography  with  Adams  iV  Lee,  of  Ir- 
win, I'a.,  with  whom  he  remained  about  seven 
months,  wlicii  he  removed  to  West  Newton  and 
thence  to  Mt.  Pleasant,  in  each  of  which  places 
he  remained  about  one  year.  In  1SS4  he  lo- 
cated at  Scottdale  and  had  erected  his  present 
gallery.  lie  does  a  successful  business,  his 
wori<  is  artistic  and  gives  L-x^cUeut  satisfaction  to 
his  numerous  patrons.  He  is  a  republican  an<l 
a  member  of  Fountain  Lodge,  Xo'  44;),  K.  of 
P.,  Scottilale  Conclave,  No.  72,  1.  ().  H.,  Scott- 
(hde  Council,  102,  Jr.  O.  L.  A.  M.  and  also  of 
the  Order  of  Solon.  Mr.  Springer  is  a  well-to- 
do  man.  lie  owns  valuable  ju-operty  on  Market 
street,  Sc<jttdale,  is  an  agreeable  companion  and 
an  honest,  uj)right  citizen. 

He  was  married  in  1SS8  to  Kate,  daughter  of 
Jo.Ncph  \VadsW(u-tli,  of  (JaUfornia,  ^Vashington 
ct)iintv,  Pa. 


AVID  FOX  STONEPi,  a  retired  farmer 
[^^  of  Scottdale,  and  a  rei)re.sentative  of  an 
Id  and  prominent  family  of  southern 
)Vestmoreland  county,  was  born  at  tlie  old 
Sloiier  homestead,  F.ist  Huntingdon  town.sliip, 
Westmoreland  county,  I'a-,  on  August  1."),  l!S2;l. 
He  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Sarah  (Fo.'i)  Stoner, 
the  former  a  native  of  Ijlair  county.  Pa.,  and 
while  yet  a  small  boy  removed  with  his  father, 
Christian  Stoner,  to  East  Huntingdon  township. 
He  worked  on  the  home-farm  till  his  father's 
death  ;  he  afterwards  received  his  share  of  the 
estate  and  was  engaged  in  farming  all  his  life  in 
East  Huntingdon  township.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Mcnnonite  church,  a  whig  in  politics 
until  that  party's  disbandment ;  from  that  time 
on  lie  has  acted  with  the  republicans.  His  death 
occurred  in  185f<.  He  was  a  man  of  great  en- 
ergy and  endurance  ami  was  generally  success- 
ful in  his  business  ventures.  His  wife  Sarah 
(Fo.x)  Stoner,  a  daughter  of  John  Fox,  of  Mt. 
Pleasant  township,  who  died  in  April,  1S2I,  was 
a  member  of  the  Mcnnonite  church.  Loth  the 
Sloiieis  and  Foxs  are  of  (leiiuan  extraition. 

David  F.  Stoner  has  always  been  a  farmer 
and  has  made  his  life  a  success.  In  l8i4S  he 
was  married  to  Kli/.abeth,  daugliter  of  Martin 
Loucks,  of  East  Huntingdon;  she  died  in  1>77 
and  he  was  remarried  in  l^l'J  to  Mary,  daugh- 
ter of  Simon  \Veimer,  of  Ligouier  township,  a 
native  of  Westmoreland  county  and  of  German 
descent.  She  is  a  consistaiit  member  of  the  M. 
v..  church  at  Scottdale.  To  their  marriage 
h;i\e  been  burn  three  children:  Maggie  Pearl, 
Dora  Elizabeth  and  David  Scott.  Mr.  Stoner 
was  engageil  in  farming  near  Scottdale,  on  the 
laini  now  owned  by  Jacob  Loucks,  till  IS;')! 
when  he  removed  to  Bullskin  township,  Fayette 
county,  purchased  a  farm  and  continued  to  re- 
side there  for  eighteen  years.  In  1S72  he  re- 
turned to  East  Huntingdon  touiishi])  and  liudt 
the  lirst  house  at  Scottdale  in  11^72.  lie  is  a 
re|Hililican  in  Jiolitics  and  has  held  the  olllce  of 
aiiditiu'  in  liuUskin    town.ship,     I'ayette    county, 


274 


iiioaiiAi'iiiics  OF 


\v;is  tlio  (irsl  assi'ssor  in  Scottdulo  Ihii'uiij^Ii  uiiil 
Las  bcou  tri'asuiLT  tor  six  vouis.  Mr.  Sloucr  is 
a  incialici'  oi'  the  Scottdalo  M.  K.  cliiirfh  anil 
lias  Ijccii  slcwarddl'  lliis  ciiiircli  lor  nix  years. 


X-NIIAKLKS  W.  STAUKKl.:i!,a  youn-  and 
V^"^  (.-nfrgotic  citi/.L'ii  of  Sc-ottdalc  and  one  of 
its  Icadini^  butchers,  is  a  son  oF  11.  \\'. 
and  Catharine  (Booher)  Staufl'er  and  was  born 
in  Tyrone  township,  Fayette  county.  Pa.,  1805. 
lie  is  a  grandson  of  John  T.  Staufi'er,  who  is 
now  a  resident  of  Mt.  Pleasant,  this  county. 
John  T.  StaulVer  was  born  in  1814.  lie  was  a 
farujcr  in  early  life  but  soon  devoted  his  time 
and  attention  to  the  coal  an»l  coke  business. 
lie  owned  and  operated  the  "  Star  Coal  Mines  " 
and  coke  works,  near  Bridgeport,  Pa.,  for  several 
years,  but  eventually  sold  these  mines  and  works 
to  their  present  proprietor,  A.  C.  Cochran. 
After  this  .sale  Mr.  Staufl'er  engaged  in  stock- 
raising  and  stock-dealing  or  a  number  of  years 
and  then  retired  from  active  business.  He 
reared  a  family  o  eleven  children,  all  of  whom 
are  living.  His  eldest  son,  II.  W.  Staufl'er,  was 
born  in  1H3(S,  and  when  a  young  man  he  en- 
gageil  for  several  ycais  in  butchering  at  Penns- 
ville.  Pa.  In  ]8(il  h'e  enlisted  in  Co  1'],  sixtii 
reg.  I'a.  Vol.s.,  participated  in  all  the  battles  in 
which  his  regiment  was  engaged  and  served  until 
the  close  of  the  late  war.  After  being  mustered 
out  of  the  United  States  service  he  returned  to 
Ins  l''avi'llt'  eniuitv  iiouu',  and  aboul  1S71  ro- 
nh)\ed  to  l'p|ifi-  Tyrone  township,  that  county, 
where  he  purchased  his  present  farm.  He  is  a 
republican  and  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church. 
He  married  Catharine  Booher,  daughter  of 
I'eter  Booher,  of  East  Huntingdon  township,  in 
'[X'V.K  They  have  hail  twelve  children,  of  whom 
eleven  are  living  :  Alice,  wife  of  iVIliert  Herbert 
of  Scottdale  ;  Martin,  (Jharles  \V.,  Susan,  who 
married  James  Murphy  ;  Lizzie,  Albert,  Lucy, 
Laura,  llehecea,  Emma  and  John  T. 

Charles   W.   Slaull'er  pa.ssed   his  bnyhood  on 


his  father's  farm  and  attended  the  common 
schools  of  ills  ncighboriiuoil.  Not  caring  to 
(Uigage  in  farming  he  came  in  1870  to  Scottdalo 
and  eiilcred  iiilo  iho  i)iilelieriiig  business,  wliiili 
he  has  lollowed  uilh  the  bisL  of  Hiiceess  ever 
since.  He  is  a  practical  and  experienced  butcher. 
His  shop  is  conveniently  located  on  Pittsburg 
street  and  is  well  fitted  up  to  acconmuxlate  the 
large  trade  which  he  enjoys.  He  is  an  active 
worker  in  the  Republican  party  and  is  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


LBEllT  W.    STUICKLER,   M.   D.,   a 

well-known  physician  of  Westmoreland 
county  and  a  surgeon  at  Scottdale  for 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company,  is  a  son  of 
John  N.  and  Sarah  (Littell)  Strickler,  and  was 
born  near  West  Newton,  South  Huntingdon 
township,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  Septem- 
ber 15,  1847.  His  grandfather,  Henry  Strick- 
ler, was  born  in  Fayette  county.  Pa.,  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century.  He  was 
engaged  in  farming  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  185(j.  His  father,  John  N.  Strick- 
ler, was  born  in  PS  14  in  Tyrone  township, 
where  he  resided  for  many  years  and  was  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  stock-dealing.  In  1850 
he  purchased  a  farm  in  South  Huntingdon 
townshii),  this  county,  but  after  two  years  resi- 
dence u[)on  it  he  moved  back  to  his  Fayette 
county  home,  where  he  died  aged  forty-four  years. 
lie  was  a  whig,  later  a  re|)ubliean,  and  served 
several  terms  as  justice  of  the  peace.  He  was 
a  consistent  member  of  the  iMethodist  E])iscopal 
church  and  was  an  ardent  believer  in  its  faith 
and  doctrines.  He  reared  a  large  family.  His 
widow  resides  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Poiter, 
who  lives  within  one  mile  of  Scottdale. 

l)r.  Strickler  passed  his  boyhood  days  on  the 
farm,  I'eceived  his  education  in  the  conmion 
schools  of  Tyrone  township,  and  at  an  early 
age  maiU^  choice'  of  medicine  as  his  life-pursuit. 
At   seventeen   years  of  age   he  commenced    llio 


^'KSTMt-iUKLAND  COVyTY. 


study  of  nicdiciiic  willi  Dr.  D.  W.  lli^'j^s,  of 
IV'imsvillo,  Fiiyctto  county,  I'u.  He  ctucrully 
and  closely  pursued  the  prescribed  course  of 
reading,  attended  lectures  at  Jefterson  Medical 
college  uf  I'liiladelpliia,  from  wliicli  lie  was 
graduated  in  1871.  In  ISeptemher,  1871,  lie 
began  practice  at  Broad  Ford,  Pa.,  where  he 
remained  for  six  years.  In  1878  he  sougiit  for 
a  wider  field  of  practice  than  that  afforded  him 
at  Broad  Ford.  He  selected  and  removed  to 
Scottdale  as  a  favorable  point  for  a  permanent 
location,  and  since  1877  has  been  engaged  there 
in  the  successful  practice  of  his  profession. 
While  at  Broad  Ford  he  was  surgeon  for  the 
Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad  Company,  and 
since  1885  has  been  the  surgeon  at  Scottdale  of 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company.  Dr. 
Strickler  is  an  earnest  and  trusted  member  of 
the  jMethodist  Episcopal  church,  in  which  he  is 
a  class  leader,  trustee  and  steward,  llebelievcs 
in  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party,  has 
served  his  borough  as  school  director  and  mem- 
ber of  the  town  council  and  has  the  record  of 
a  faithful  public  servant.  He  is  well  versed  in 
his  profession,  skilled  in  its  practice  and  enjoys 
a  liberal  supjiort  in  his  section  of  the  county. 
Gentlemanly,  courteous  and  kind,  he  is  deserv- 
ingly  popular  in  a  wide  circle  of  acquaintances  and 
friends.  lie  was  the  third  physician  to  locate  at 
Scottdale,  and  is  now  the  second  oldest  resident 
member  of  the  medical  fraternity  at  that  ])lace. 

In  1873  he  was  united  in  njarriage  to  .Mary 
Fj.  'Pownsend,  daughter  of  l)aniel  'rowiiscnd,  of 
lV'rryo|iolis,  Fayette  county,  i'a.  'I'liey  lia\e 
five  children  living,  four  sons  and  one  daughter: 
Judson  T  ,  James  P.,  Albert  J.,  Frank  II.  and 
Mabel  L. 

As  a  citizen  Dr.  Strickler  is  well  likeit,  for 
he  is  always  considerate  of  the  feelings  of  ail 
with  wIkjiu  he  comes  in  contact.  He  is  well- 
known  in  his  honored  jirofession.  lie  is  a 
member  of  the  Westmoreland  County  Medical 
Society,  the  Penn.sylvania  State  Medical  Society 
and  the  American  Medical  association. 


OBFllT  J.  TENNAN'r,  a  boot  and  shoo 
niereiiant  of  Scottdale,  was  born  Octolier 
:!,  18;jy,  in  Wheeling,  \V.  Va.,  and  is  a 
son  of  Thomas  and  Susan  (Legge)  'Tennant. 
Thomas  Tennant  was  a  nalivt^  of  Scotland  and 
came  to  the  United  States  with  liis  parents  in 
1838,  when  he  was  but  seven  years  of  age. 
Tliey  located  at  Frostburg,  Md.,  where  Thomas 
crew  to  manhood  and  lived  until  1861,  when 
he  enlisted  in  a  Maryland  regiment  and  served 
the  Federal  government  throughout  the  war.  In 
1SG5  he  came  north  to  Connellsville  and  en- 
gaged in  the  foundry  business  which  he  con- 
tinued successfully  until  1880,  when  he  removed 
to  Scottdale,  Pa.  In  the  latter  place  he  followed 
the  same  business  during  the  remainder  of  his 
life.  He,  in  addition  to  this,  started  and  carried 
on  a  boot  and  shoe  store  which  is  now  in  the 
hands  of  his  son,  Robert  J.  Tennant.  He  served 
as  school  director  in  the  borougii  of  Scottdale 
and  was  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church  and  of 
the  A.  Y.  M.  Mr.  Tennant  was  a  stirring, 
energetic  man  of  good  business  qualifications  and 
had  a  host  of  friends.  lie  died  November  2(j, 
1888,  at  the  age  of  fifty-seven  years.  His  widow 
survives  him  and  is  now  a  resident  of  Connells- 
ville. 

Robert  .J.  Tennant  left  his  native  State  when 
six  years  old,  going  to  Maryland  where  he  re- 
mained while  his  father  was  in  the  army.  In 
ISGo  he  came  north  with  his  parents  to  Con- 
nellsville, Pa.,  where,  after  leaving  the  public 
schools,  he  engaged  in  the  boot  and  shoe  business 
tor  himself,  meeting  with  excellent  success.  In 
1880  he  went  to  Scottdale  and  entered  his 
father's  store,  but  after  a  year  went  to  Pittsburg 
and  acccjjted  a  ])osition  with  W.  G.  Price  it  Co., 
with  whom  he  remained  till  1884,  having  charge 
of  the  entire  outside  business  of  the  coni])any. 
He  then  went  to  Cincinnati  and  engaged  in  the 
shoe  business  until  1888,  when  he  returned  to 
Scottdale  and  took  charge  of  his  father's  boot 
and  shoe  store,  which  he  has  continued  ever 
since  with  marked  success.      He  is  one  of  the  en- 


BJOOn.WUIl-S   OF 


tcipvisiiig  young  men  ofliistown,  Ciirrics  a  lai'ijo 
ami  «ell  assorted  stock  of  goods  and  has  a  good 
and  rapidly  increasing  trade. 

Mr.  'IViinant  is  a  nieinljcr  of  the  M.  E.  churcli 
and  is  an  upright,  conscientious  genth-inan. 

lie  was  married  in  1882  to  Jennie,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  Cropp,  of  Connellsvilie,  who  died 
in  tlie  same  year. 


•f  UllN  W  AI/rKlJS,  of  the  firm  .d"  Wiley  c^ 
t  Walters,  carpenters  and  contractors  of 
(2/  Scottdale,  I'a.,  was  born  in  Germany  in 
1S81),  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Elizabeth 
(llet/.el)  Walters.  Joseph  Walters  was  born  in 
ISOl  in  \Viirteud(erg,  Germany,  wliere  he  Mas 
a  shoemaker  by  trade;  immigrated  to  .\merica 
abiMit  1st:!  and  settleil  in  Kostraver  township, 
Westmoreland  euunty,  I'a.,  where  he  remained 
ten  years;  then  removed  to  South  Huntingdon 
township,  same  county,  near  West  Newton, 
where  he  remained  until  liis  death  in  ISTT.  His 
wife  was  Elizabeth  llet/.el,  wiiu  bure  him  nine 
children,  of  wdiom  seven  are  living,  the  eldest 
being  John  Walters  of  Scottdale.  I'a.  I  If  those 
living,  (,'atharine  married  W.  S.  Hood,  of  (,'un- 
nellsville,  I'a.;  Mary  E.,  married  iv  1'.  Hear,  of 
l)erry.  Pa.;  Lena  is  the  wife  of 'Haviil  ( hr,  of 
^Vesl  Newton,  Pa.;  Barbara  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  -Vndrew  McCormick,  now  living  in 
Colfa.x  county,  Nebraska  :  Martin  \Valt(  r,  a  res- 
ident of  Mill  Grove,  this  county,  and  Hannah  is 
the  wife  (if  Samuel  P.rewer  o(  ^Vest  NewtiUi,  Pa. 
.Mrs.  Eb/.abetli  (_Het/..l)  Walters  is  still  living 
at  the  age  of  seventy-si.\  years,  and  resides  near 
West  Newtun,  Pa. 

John  Walters  received  a  common  school  edu- 
cation in  \Wstmoreland  county  and  worked  on 
a  farm  by  the  day.  In  August,  18(J2,  he  en- 
listed in  Co,  1,  tifteeiith  Pa.,  cavalry  (Col. 
Palmer),  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war. 
In  ISti.'J  he  was  promoted  from  private  to  orderly 
on  (!en.  Sherman's  stall'.  When  the  war  cIhsimI 
he    relumed   Id   this  county,    where   lu'  has  ever 


since  been  engaged  in  carpentry.  In  187-)  ho 
went  to  Scottdale,  worked  as  journeyman  and 
contractor  for  a  while  and  in  ISMJ  went  into 
partnership  with  liobert  Wiley,  under  the  firiri 
name  of  Wiley  ^:  Walteis,  which  still  continues. 

John  Walters  was  married  in  187.")  to  Mariah 
0.,  a  daughter  of  Jackson  Pyerly  of  Mt.  Pleas- 
ant, Pa.,  and  to  their  union  have  been  born  twa 
daughters:  Viola  May,  born  August  1,1878, 
and  Ida  Marie,  born  March  10,  188!*. 

Mr.  Walters  is  a  republican  who  takes  (juite 
an  active  part  in  political  all'airs,  and  with  his 
wife  belongs  to  the  Presbyterian  churcli.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Scottdale  Lodge,  No.  88r>,  I. 
0.  U.  E.,  and  of  I.  0.  Heptasophs.  He  owns 
valuable  projierty  in  Scottdale  and  is  one  of  the 
leading  business  men  in  his  line  of  the  southern 
part  of  the  county. 


fAMUEL  L.  WALTllOUPi,  a  druggist  of 

Scottdale,  was  born   Eebruary   'I'l,    1807, 

in  tJrceiisburg,  Westmoreland  county,  I'a., 

and  is  a  son  of  Henry  II.  and  Elizabeth  (Bott) 

Walthour.      Henry    II.    Walthour  was    born   in 

1843  in  Henqitield  townshi]i.  near  (iieensburg. 

I    He  was  of  German  parentage  and  lived  at  home, 

attending  school   in   winter  and  working  on  the 

farm  during  the  summer  unlil  nineteen  years  of 

age,  when  he  entered  the   ollice  of  the    Tribune 

'   (ind    JLrald  at   Greensburg    and    learned    the 

luinter's    trade,     remaining    there    about    four 

I   vears.      In    ISii:?  he    enlisted  in  a  regiment  of 

'    Pa.,  Vols.,   as   first  lieutenant  and  served  until 

the  close  of  the  war.     The  mercantile  business 

at   Greensburg  ne.xt  engaged   his   attention   for 

about  two  years,  after  which  he  became  foreman 

I  on  the  Pittsburg  Leader,  which  position   he   re- 

j  taincd  till  187U,  when  he  removed  to  Washing- 

j  ton,  D.  C,  and  worked  in  the  government  print- 

I  ing  department   for   five  years.      After  serving 

!  several   years  as  foreman  on   the  Altuona  Call 

he  removed  to  Wcposter,  Ohio,  where  he  now  re- 

j   sides    and    has    charge    of    the    Wayni;    county 


•it      :■■      j)^Hii'.j     r'u     >••>*.     nOtMg 


WKSTMORKLA  ND   CO  UXTV. 


Democrat.  He  w:is  iii;irrie(l  in  IRGl]  to  Kli/;i- 
liutli,  ;i  (l;iii^litci-  (if  .loliii  C.  ]{ott  of  (irci'iiH- 
biir;.',  wlui  «:is  boni  in  Pittsburg  in  ISJa,  and 
wild  was   till-   ni(itlu-i-   (if   tlii-ce  cliililrcn.  two    of 


fatlier,  John  I'arkur,  was  a  native  of  AVestniorc- 
land  L-ounly  ami  was  a  slonc-ciitlt'i'liy  occupation. 
At  six  years   of  age  Edward    1'.   Wcddcl   re- 
moved from  ISiicna  \'ista  to  Westmoreland  county 


wliom  ale  living:  Samuel  L.,  and  V..  11.,  wlmis  j  ami  was  reared  lo  man's  estali;  on  a  farm.  lie 
now  in  iJaltimoie,  Md.  .Mr.  Waltiioiir  is  a  [  attended  the  common  school  at  .Mars  1  liU,  spent 
democrat,  takes  an  active  part  in  political  work  i  three  years  in  'iVaynesburg  college,  (Ireene 
and  is  a  member  of  the  liUtheran  church.  His  :  county,  I'a.,  and  took  two  courses  in  the 
wife  died  May  '.',  ISS'j.  j   Indiaiui    State    Normal    school,     Indiana,    Pa. 

Samuel  L.  Walthour  received  a  good  coniiuon  I  Equipping  himself  with  a  fine  literary  education 
school  education  and  remained  with  his  parents  !  and  with  laudable  andiitinn  to  succeed  in  the 
until  fifteen  years  of  age,  when  he  went  into  the  '  world,  he  began  life  alone,  lie  sought  no  fine 
drug  store  oi'll.  F.  I'ott  at  (Ireensburg,  where  |  position  but  accepted  the  first  work  tliat  oiTered 
lie  remained  four  years,  1  le  then  engaged  with  I  to  his  hand  and  engaged  in  teaching  in  the 
W.  L.  Kelly,  of  Scottdale,  Pa.,  in  the  same  busi-  [  common  schools.  He  taught  in  the  schools  of 
ness.  Abi.iut  a  year  afterwards  11.  F.  P>ott  pur-  Westmoreland  county  foi-  tiiree  years  and  in 
chased  Mr.  Kelly's  drug  store  and  Mr.  ^Val-  those  of  Fayette  county  for  two  years,  and  also 
thour  remained  in  the  store  with  the  new  pro-  ,  served  as  principal  of  the  Scottdale  schools  for 
prietor  until  October,  IbSS,  when  he  started  in  i  two  yeais.  'J'hese  few  years  of  teaching,  while 
the  drug  business  for  himself  and  is  meeting  |  they  atforded  him  employment  also  gave  him 
with  e.xcellent  success.  He  is  a  democrat,  a  '  time  to  cahnly  survey  the  different  fields  of 
member  of  the  Lutheran  church  and  an  active  '  labor  open  to  ambitious  seekers  upon  the  stage 
young  man  \\ho  has  liright  piosjieets  for  the  i  of  life  and  to  carefully  select  a  future  vocation 
future.  '   con.'-iinant    to    his   inclination    and   congenial    to 

his   wishes,  and   he   nnide  choice  of  the   profes- 

^  1)\VAK1>   P.   WEDDEL,  M.  1).,  a   finely   |  sion  of  medicine.     In  1870  he  commenced  the 

^Sr   educated,    a   remarkably   energetic  and   a  I   ju'osecution  of   his    medical  studies    under  the 

very  successful  young  physican  of  Scott-  1  jireceiitorsiiip  of  Dr.  John  1).  Milligan,  of  Madi- 

dale,  is  .a  son  nf  .lames  and  Sarah  ,\nn  (Parker)   i   son,    Pa.,   attended    lectures   in    llie  medical    de- 


Weddel    and    was    born    at    iiiicna    Vi-^la,   Alle- 
gheny county,  Pa.,.Iune  T),  iSfiti. 

His  grandfather,  (Seorge  Weddel,  was  boi-n 
in  A  llcglirnv  euiuil  v,  where  he  always  resided 
and  whei.'  Ii-  li,.|.  Ill-  .snii,  , lames  Weddel 
(lalher),  wa.-  I.^ii,  .il  l^h/aliel  li,  in  that  county, 
and  setlled  in  Sewiekley  townshipi.  He  learned 
the  trade  of  Idaeksmilh  which  lie  followed  lor  a 
short  time,  and  then (istjli) engaged  inhis  present 
business  of  farming,  lie  is  a  republican,  has 
Served  fortwenlv  years  as  school  director  and 
held  all  the  oilier  various  townshi])  olliecs.  He 
is  no^v  si.xty-eight  years  of  age  but  is  remarka- 
bly active  for  a  man  of  liis  years.  He  married 
Sarali  .\nn    Parker.      She  died  in   1«74.      Her 


|iailment  of  the  Weslern  Iteserve  univeisity  of 
(.'leveland,  Ohio,  and  was  graduated  February 
"27,  1SS4.  In  a  short  time  after  hi  s  graduation 
l»r.  Weddel  opened  an  ollice  at  Painlerville,  this 
county,  where  he  secured  and  enjoyed  a  good 
practice  until  ISSli  when  he  rcmo\  ed  to  Scott- 
dale and  has  been  engaged  there  ever  since  in 
the  active  and  successful  practice  of  his  pi'o- 
fcssion. 

On  April  3,  1SS4,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  a  Miss  Paiiilall. 

Or.  \\'eildel  is  a  membiu'  of  Fountain  Lodge, 
No.  -14.!,  Knights  of  Pythias,  wiiich  was  char- 
tered |irior  to  INSl'.  He  is  president  of  Scott- 
dale   school    board.      He    is    a    member  of   the 


niOOUAPHIES  OF 


State  Medical  society  and  vice-president  of  tlie 
Westmoreland  county  Medical  society  which  was 
organized  November  15,  IS.Oi),  at  Greensburg. 
His  iiirdical  lii)rary  i.s  oium)!' tlie  liiu'st  and  must 
carefully  seloctecl  lo  \tv  liiund  in  ilie  ccmnly.  h 
not  only  contains  the  standard  authors  of  medical 
science  but  is  constantly  increased  by  additions  of 
the  latest  words  on  medicine  and  surgery,  while 
his  literary  library  is  large  and  well  filled  with 
the  choicest  works  of  prose  and  poetry  selected 
from  the  authors  of  Greece  and  Home  and  the 
literature  of  England,  America  and  the  civil- 
ized nations  of  the  world.  Dr.  Weddel  devotes 
his  entire  time  to  Lis  profession  and  has  a 
large  and  remunerative  practice  that  is  rapidly 
increasing.  lie  is  a  thorough  seholar,  a  suc- 
cessful physician  and  is  genial  and  courteous  in 
his  daily   intercourse   with  his  fellow-men. 


'ENllY  TODD  WILEY,  a  well-known 
L'itizcn  and  successful  merchant  of  Scott- 
(*)  dale,  was  born  in  Sewickley  township, 
Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  March  -(),  1838, 
and  is  a  son  of  Sampson  and  Sarah  (Todd) 
Wiley.  His  grandfather,  Sampson  Wiley,  Sr., 
was  a  native  of  county  Tyrone,  Ireland,  wliere 
he  owned  a  farm  of  forty-five  acres,  whose  title 
made  it  his  while  "  grass  grew  and  water  ran." 
He  iinmigrateil  to  the  United  States  in  171M)  ;iud 
settled  in  \Vc:ftmoreland  county,  where  he  died 
in  1825  at  lifty-si.\  years  of  age.  He  married 
Jane  MctJrcw,  a  mendjer  of  the  old  and  wcll- 
rcspected  McGrew  family  of  this  cuunty.  His 
father,  Sampson  Wiley,  wa.s  born  in  Westmore- 
land county  in  180.5  and  died  January  '6,  1888. 
He  was  a  farmer  until  1840,  when  he  engaged 
in  merchandising  and  continued  successfully  in 
that  business  till  1870.  In  the  last  named  year 
he  retired  from  active  life.  He  held  to  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Democratic  party,  was  elected  sev- 
eral times  to  important  local  offices  in  a  strung 
rc|iidilicaii  township,  but  always  declined  t(i  ac- 
cept them.      He    luanied   Jane   Todd,  daughter 


of  Henry  Todd,  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  a 
farmer  of  Westmoreland  county  as  early  as 
1812.  They  had  ten  children.  One  of  their 
sons  is  Sipiiri'  .liUiuvs  \V.  Wiley,  of  Evcr.sdii, 
I'a.,  and  a  siiccessl'iil  coke  o|ierator  of  l''a_velte 
county,  I'a.  Another  son  was  Sam]ison  M., 
who  enlisted  in  Co.  A,  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
fifth  Pa.  Vols.,  was  in  the  battle  of  Gettysburg 
and  died  soon  afterwards  with  typhoid  fever. 
Mrs.  Jane  (Todd)  Wiley  was  born  in  180it  and 
is  a  resident  of  Everson,  Pa. 

H.  T.  Wiley  worked  on  a  farm  until  he  was 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  during  which  time  he 
attended  the  common  schools  and  one  term  at 
Curry  Normal  Institute,  Pittsburg,  Pa.  He 
taught  for  fourteen  years  in  Allegheny  county 
and  one  year  at  Curry  Institute  and  then  (1870) 
became  a  clerk  in  the  mercantile  house  of  A.  J. 
Shank  .*c  Co.,  at  Saltsburg,  Pa.  Five  years 
later  he  assumed  charge  of  W.  II.  Prown's 
Sun's  company  store  at  Boston  on  the  Munun- 
gahela  river,  near  McKeesitort,  Pa.  Under  the 
firm  name  of  H.  T.  Wiley  &  Co.  he  conducted 
this  store  successfully  for  ten  years.  In  1885 
he  removed  to  Scottdale  and  established  one  of 
its  leading  business  houses  under  the  firm  name 
of  II.  T.  Wiley  &  Co.  His  establishment  is  at 
No.  607  on  Pittsburg  street,  and  contains  a 
varied  ami  valuable  stock  of  general  merchan- 
dise. He  keeps  on  hand  all  kinds  of  ini|)orted 
and  domestic  dry  goods,  ladies'  and  gentlemen's 
furnishings,  notions,  groceries,  provisions  from 
farm,  garden,  dairy  and  orchard,  drugs,  glass- 
ware, etc. 

II.  T.  Wiley  was  married  on  July  14,  1808, 

to  Sarah  Jane  Haney,  of  Port  Perry,  Allegheny 

county.  Pa.     She  died  in   1872  and  in  1874  he 

was  united  in  marriage  with  Anna  Belle  Nickel, 

daughter  of  the  late  Dr.  John  11.  Nickel,  of  (Jon- 

nellsville,  Pa.     He  had  b(jrn  to  him  one  child  by 

I  his  first  marriage,  Jane,  who  died  in  1887,  and 

I  has  five  children  by  his  second  marriage  :   Laura 

i   T.,  George  A.,  Harry  B.,  I'.rsMc  B.,and  Li/./.ic  II. 

I        II.  T.  Wiley   is  a   proliibitioiiist  and  a  iiieiu- 


WESTMORELAND  CO UNTY. 


Lor  of  the  Juiiii)!'  ;iiiil  Sfiiinr  Onlci-s  of  United 
American  Mechanics.  He  is  a  nieuiher  (if  the 
JSIethodist  Episcopal  church,  in  which  he  has 
lield  all  the  olliees.  By  slraij^'htfiirward  and 
iHiiKiraiiK^  di'alin;^'  lu!  inis  won  ids  way  into  ihe 
IVonl  rank  of  suljslantial  nierciianls.- 


fAMUEL  J.  ZEARLEY,  senior  member 
of  the  firm  of  Zearley  it  Pool,  was  born 
March  'Jo.  1847,  in  Monongalia  county, 
\^a.  (now  W.  Va.),  and  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Amelia  (Darnall)  Zearley.  John  Zearley,  a 
wool  carder,  who  at  one  time  ran  a  carding-mill 
near  Smithfield,  Fayette  county.  Pa.,  was  a 
native  of  that  county,  and  died  in  1868  in  West 
Virginia,  to  which  state  he  removed  several 
years  previous  to  his  death.  His  widow,  a  na- 
tive of  West  Virginia,  is  now  living  at  Scott- 
dale  and  is  in  the  seventy-eighth  year  of  her 
age. 

Samuel  J.  Zearley  remained  in  his  native 
county  until  sixteen  years  of  age,  when  he  was 
sworn  into  the  service  of  the  government.  After 
two  years'  service  he  was  discharged  at  Win- 
chester, Va.,  September  6,  1804,  after  which  he 
went  to  Nilcs,  Ohio,  and  engaged  in  the  nail 
factory  as  a  cutter.  One  year  later  he  returned 
to  this  State  and  learned  the  carpenter's  trade 
in  Fayette  coutity  willi  his  half-brother,  Isaac 
Zearley,  and  worked  at  it  for  two  years,  tiien 
wi-Mt  hack  to  Mor^'anloWM,  \V.  \a.,  where  he 
worki'd  lis  a  conlraclor  and  cariienlcr  until 
l^7•>.  The  next  year  lie  was  in  a  phiiiiiig  mill 
at  Scotldale,  and  then  again  engaged  in  carpen- 


try, at  wiiich  he  eontiniicil  four  years,  and  then 
became  the  senior  member  of  the  iiriii  of  Zearley 
tt  Smith,  which  established  a  jilaning  mill. 
.After  about  two  years  Nathan  Smith  sold  his 
iiili;|-est  in  the  linn  to  L.  (i.  |{c|i|)iii(l,  and  llie 
new  lirm  was  known  as  Zearley  \  Co.  One 
year  later  James  H.  Pool  )iurchased  Mr.  Uep- 
pard's  interest,  since  which  time  the  name  of  the 
firm  has  been  Zearley  k  Pool.  These  gentle- 
men are  prepared  to  make  estimates  of  all  kinds 
of  buildings,  whether  in  town  or  country.  In 
connection  with  this  they  operate  a  large  planing 
mill  and  factory,  where  they  manufacture  doors, 
sash,  blinds,  frames,  floors,  siding,  etc.  The 
mill  and  factory  are  brick  buildings  and  are 
equipped  with  the  finest  and  most  improved 
modern  machinery,  which  is  operated  by  a  large 
force  of  skilled  mechanics.  This  flourishing  es- 
tablishment was  first  started  in  1870,  and  is  on 
a  firm  and  substantial  basis.  The  members  of 
the  firm  are  highly  respected,  courteous  gentle- 
men, liberal,  fair  and  enterprising,  and  enjoy 
the  confidence  of  the  best  citizens  of  that  sec- 
tion. Samuel  J.  Zearley  is  a  prominent  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  belongs  to 
Marion  Lodge,  No.  562 ;  Urania  Chapter,  No. 
196,  and  Kedron  Commandery,  No.  18,  Knight 
Templars,  Greensburg,  Pa.  ;  he  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  Scottdale  Council,  No.  807,  U.  A.,  and 
of  Scottdale  Conclave,  No.  176,  Independent 
Order  (d"  lle])tasu[)hs. 

S.  J.  Zearley  was  married  in  1876  to  Ellen, 
a  daughter  of  Daniel  Snyder,  of  Keaganlown, 
near  Scottdale,  and  they  have  three  children : 
Bertram  F.,  Daniel  S.  and  (jertrude. 


CUest   ^ievaton 


'ENKY  CIIOUSIIORE,  one  of  the  most 
substiintial  citizens  of  West  Newton,  was 
born  ne;ir  Ailuinsburg,  Westmoreland 
county,  I'u.,  February  1.^,  i827,  and  is  tlie  son 
of  George  and  Margaret  (Baughman)  Groushore. 
The  Croushores  originally  came  to  this  county 
from  (Icniianv,  and  settled  in  Westmoreland 
eouutv  al  a  very  early  period  in  its  history. 
Jnlin  ('roushure  (Kraushaar),  great-grandfather, 
eame  from  Northampton  county,  Pa  ,  and  with 
his  wife  settled  and  took  out  a  patent  for  olH) 
acres  of  land,  in  about  1780,  near  (jrajieville, 
now  known  as  the  old  Sinaile  farm,  where  he 
and  bis  wife  lived  until  their  death.  To  them 
were  born  five  children,  tliree  girls  and  two 
boys.  in  17!I8  the  following  indenture  was 
made  between  fathei'  and  his  two  cbihlren, 
George  and  Henry:  "Know  all  men  by  these 
presents,  that  I,  John  Kraushaar,  of  \Vestmorc- 
land  county,  llenipfield  township,  and  free  State 
of  I'ennsylvania,  have  made  over,  constituted, 
Ciiufirmed  and  by  llie^e  presents  do  make  over, 
eoii>tilute  and  alien  all  my  laml  and  tenements 
or  portion  of  ground  unto  two  sons,  George  and 
Henry  Kr;nishaar,  to  iuive,  hold  unto  tiiemselvcs, 
their  heirs  or  assigns  to  their  own  proper  use 
and  behalf  and  no  other  but  tiieir  iieirs  or  their 
assigns.  The  said  tract  of  land  being  situate  on 
l!rir<h  creek,  adjoining  Thomas  Waitting,  George 
IJover,  Abe.  Yakey  and  I'eter  Oldnian.  contain- 
ing ^i'tO  acres,  more  or  less,  which  laml  both 
brotliers  shall  eipially  diviile  in  the  manner 
follov'in^:   George    Kraushaar    is    to    have   the 


upper  part  of  said  tract  of  land  and  Henry  is  to 
have  the  lower  part  thereof,  with  all  the  build- 
ings ;  reserving  that  the  cattle,  liorses,  sheep 
and  hogs  shall  be  e(iually  divided,  and  that  the 
said  George  Kraushaar  is  not  to  have  possession 
of  his  share  of  the  stock  until  be  has  as  good 
buildings  as  Henry.  The  li;iy  and  second  crops 
of  the  old  ineailow  they  are  to  share  alike,  and 
of  what  new  meadow  they  make  each  has  also 
to  himself  likewise.  George  is  to  have  the 
whole  field  by  the  new  barn  t(j  his  own  use  until 
the  place  is  divided  and  for  the  further  title,  and 
Henry  is  to  help  George  raise  as  good  buildings 
as  are  ou  his  premises.  Further,  the  said 
George  Kraushaar  and  Henry  Kraushaar  are  to 
let  said  John  Kraushaar  have  yearly  fifteen 
I  bushels  of  wheat,  10  bushels  of  rye,  five  bushels 
i  of  corn  and  five  pounds  of  buckwheat,  and  hay 
for  two  cows  during  his  life  time  ;  ami  further 
I  is  to  know  that  all  this  summer  crop  they  are  to 
I  share  alike,  liut  afier  that  they  are  to  earn  in 
I  what  each  (jiie  raises  himself  or  puts  out,  and 
I  likewise  tbcy  are  to  plow  a  half  acre  of  llax 
I'l'ound  for  said  .lohn  Cioushore  (Kiaubbaar). 
Further,  the  girls  are  to  have  50  pounds  of  law- 
ful money  or  the  value  thereof  to  produce  e(iually 
divided  amongst  them  and  hereinafter  men- 
tioned, namely:  Susan,  XltJ  los.  5d.,  Eliza- 
beth, Xir>,  13s.  -Jd.  and  Mary,  €10,  liJs.  T.d. 
Likewise,  the  said  George  and  Henry  Croushore 
(Kraushaar)  pay  the  debts  what  is  to  be  paid  to 
this  date  and  keep  live  head  of  sheep  for  the  old 
man  on    the  ])lace.     Now   for  the  further  and 


'!..h.rt..>"~l-/"''' 


•Lc^iyi' 


,f.       d^lc'i^^/t^CT-^', 


WFSTMORELAND   CO  U^TY. 


true  performance  iinil  all  and  singular  anil 
acreeuients  herein  mentioned,  both  ])ai-ties  have 
intori;hiinj;e;il)ly  set  their  iiaiiils  and  allixed  their 
H<-als  th<'  twnily-ei.L'lilli  of  .\|iiil,   I7NS. 

Siizni'd,  se:iK'(l   and   deliv<'ii'd  m    (lie  ]iri'senee 


[SKAL.] 

[SEAL.] 

[SEAL.] 


JOHN  CKOUSIIORE, 
GEORE  xCHOUSIIOHE, 


henry  x  crousiiore, 

geure"Jsiiible, 

john  wm.  murnwortii, 

jacob  bender. 

Acknowledged  by 

MICHAEL  nUFFNAGLE. 

George  Croushore  (grandf'atlier)  ^vas  born 
near  Grapeville  on  the  farm  now  known  as  the 
olil  Sniaile  farm,  August  \'l.  ITtiiJ,  where  he 
was  raised,  and  mariied  Margaret  Meyers  and 
died  on  the  farm  February  1:!,  1814,  being 
forty-eight  years  of  age:  his  wife  remaining  on 
the  farm  until  her  death  February  25,  1838 
aged  Slovenly  two-years.  He  was  a  stanch 
democrat,  a  leading  member  of  the  German  Re- 
formed church  at  Brush  Creek,  having  served 
as  elder  and  deacon.  To  them  were  born  twelve 
children,  ten  girls  and  two  boys,  all  of  whom  are 
<lead  except  Lucy  (Crousliore)  Shearer,  now  liv- 
ing at  Harrison  City,  Westmoreland  county, 
Pa.,  with  her  daughter  Sarah  MeMiehael,  being 
over  eighty  years  of  age.  On  this  farm  Georgo 
Ciiiiishc.re  (rather)  «a>  iioru  .\iiiil  2il,  18(10, 
where  he  grew  lo  nianlidod  aiid  was  engaged  in 
the  jHiisuils  (,!'  husbandry.  .\t  his  I'alhcr's 
dralii  111-  liMik  cliargr  of  the  fanu  and  aflerwards 
bought  It,  paying  a  dowry  for  twenty-four  years 
to  his  mother.  In  Novenil)er,  ]^^48,  while  on 
the  road  with  a  team  of  four  horses  returning 
from  I'illsbin-g  witii  a  load  of  hiiiibcr,  wluui  iie.ar 
his  lioMU',  going  down  a  steep  liill  on  the  farm, 
and  while  in  the  act  of  placing  the  '•rough 
lock,"  his  clothes  caught  <ui  the  roots  of  a  large 
tiee   near   the   fiot   of  the   hill,  the   reins  of  the 


saddle  horse  breaking,  he  was  thrown  between 
the  roots  of  the  tree  and  the  wagon  wheel  and 
instantly  killed.  Fikc  his  father,  (ieorge  was  a 
stanch  diiiiocrat  and  a  meiiibrr  ol'  the  lieformed 
ciiiirch  at  lliiisli  ('I'eek,  where  he  \\as  a  leadiU" 
member  and  freijuently  acting  as  elder  and 
deacon.  He  married  Margaret  Baughman  and 
to  them  were  born  six  sons  and  four  daughters : 
Adam,  living  on  part  of  homestead,  which  was 
owned  by  Adam  Baughman  (mateinal  grand- 
father) at  the  time  of  his  death;  Henry  (sub- 
ject); Martha  married  Moses  Knappenbeigcr 
and  lives  at  Grapeville  station,  Pa.  ;  Michael 
lives  and  owns  a  farm  in  Fayette  county,  near 
Fayette  City  ;  Caroline  died  June,  185S) ;  Sam- 
uel, who  was  with  his  father  at  the  time  of  the 
death  of  the  latter,  died  April  1,  186");  Sarah 
married  Stanton  Black  and  lives  on  ]iart  of  the  late 
homestead;  James  J.  lives  on  and  owns  a  farm 
ill  Rostraver  township,  near  West  Newtiui,  Pa.  : 
Elizabeth  married  John  Stough  and  lives  near 
Grapeville,  Pa.;  George  \V.  lives  at  (irajieviUe 
station,   I'a.,  and  operates  the   tannery  at   that 

I  place.  Adain  Baughman  (maternal  granfather) 
was  the  third  child  of  Henry  Baugliman  (mater- 
nal  great-grandfather)    and   married    Madaleiie 

I   Hugh.      After  his   marriage    he,  witli   liis   wife, 

!  settled  in  Armstrong  county  on  a  farm  where 
four  children   were  born   tlieiii,  all   of  whom   are 

1  dead.  ,  Adam  Baughinaii,  after  his  brother 
Henry's  death,  sold  his  Armstrong  county  farm 
and  returned  with  his  fimily  to  Westmoreland 
county  and  becaiue  the  owner  id"  the  old  home- 
stead, on  which  he  ilied  .July  -l'-).  18411,  aged 
si.\ty-five  yeais.  On  the  old  houieslead  farm 
the  following  children  were  born  :  I'lli/abelh, 
Margaret  (mother  ol' subject),  who  died  April  1, 
18t)'J,  aged  sixty-four  years;  Peter,  Anna, 
Henry,  Christian  and  Lydia,  all  of  whom  are  now 
dead,  except  Christian,  who  now  residi's  in  the 
west.  .At  the  time  of  Adam  Baiighmaii's  death 
he  owned  seven  largo  farms  in  Westmoreland 
county.  Hi'in-y  Itaughman  (maternal  gieat- 
giaiidfather)  came  from  Hamburg,  Germaiiy,  at 


•.,,..1 


')r  VT  'i:  ■ 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


the  age  of  four  years  with  his  father,  wlio, 
togotlior  with  the  IJyorl^s,  tlie  I'avises  and 
Kuiiklcs  settleil  near  Lancaster  City,  llei-c  he 
married  Catharine  Kuiikle  und  to  them  were 
born  eight  ehihlren,  four  hoys  and  four  girls. 
Tliey  finally  moved  and  settled  in  North  Hunt- 
ingdon towMsliij)  (eastern  ])art),  within  seven  and 
one-half  miles  of  Greenshurg,  wliere  he  pur- 
chased tJOO  acres  at  20s.  per  acre.  It  will  he 
remembered  that  one  of  the  above  early  settlers 
named  Davis,  shot  and  killed  an  Indian  war- 
rior. The  Indians  to  revenge  themselves  after- 
ward killed  Davis  on  his  farm,  which  is  now 
owned  by  Sarali  (Croushore)  Black,  sister  of 
subject. 

Henry  Croushore,  after  leaving  the  common 
schools  learned  the  trade  of  tanner  at  Adams- 
burg.  In  1848  he  went  to  Fairmount,  Va., 
and  worked'  journey  work  there  for  four  years, 
when  he  returned  to  his  native  county  and 
rented  a  small  tannery  near  New  Stanton. 
After  running  this  about  three  years  he  went 
west  to  l)ubui(ue,  Iowa,  and  began  dealing  in 
real  estate  at  which  he  continued  for  some  three 
years.  In  tlie  spring  of  1800  he  bought  the 
lialf  interest  in  the  tannery  at  West  Newton, 
which  at  that  time  was  owned  by  (jeorge  I'lunier. 
and  they  in  partnership  operated  it  until  1807, 
when  tiiey  bought  tiie  interests  of  Mr.  Plumer 
and  operated  it  until  1870.  Mr.  Croushore  has 
been  successful  in  business  and  has  acquired  a 
handsome  competency.  He  owns  a  fine  farm  in 
KosI  raver  township,  more  than  l,100acics  of  coal 
land  along  the  Voughioghcny  river  and  other  \  ahi- 
able  property,  having  conducted  his  own  atl'airs  so 
well  ;  lie  enjoys  the  conhdence  of  his  neighbors 
and  is  fre<pienlly  called  upon  by  them  to  take 
chaige  of  business  matters  and  to  settle  estates 
as  executor,  administrator,  assignee,  etc.  He 
luis  settled  some  large  estates  and  always  with 
satisfaction  to  the  parties  concerned.  An  in- 
stance of  the  kind  was  the  Israel  Painter  estate 
whicii  he,  in  connection  with  Morris  L.  Painter, 
managed  and  uhich  involvc'd   considerably  more 


than  a  fourth  of  a  million  dollars.  At  the  time 
of  Israel  Painter's  death  his  estate  was  supposed 
to  be  insolvent  and  many  of  the  creditors  did 
not  expect  more  than  fifty  per  cent,  of  their 
claims  ;  with  skillful  management  the  full  amount 
of  the  indebtedness  was  paid  and  a  cash  surplus 
of  $P2,00U  remained.  '  In  addition  to  this  sur- 
j)lus  the  executors  retained  the  Willow  Tree 
farm,  the  old  homestead,  containing  430  acres 
and  worth  at  least  5150,000.  Mr.  Croushore  is 
a  pronounced  democrat,  lias  frequently  served 
as  burgess  of  his  borough  and  belongs,  with 
his  wife,  to  the  German  Reformed  church  at 
Brush  Creek.  He  is  a  man  of  strict  integrity, 
careful,  industrious,  shrewd  and  an  agreeable 
companion  and  stands  high  in  the  esteem  of  his 
fellow-men. 

Henry  Croushore  was  married  March  22, 
1800,  to  Elizabeth  Jane  Gongaware  ((Jerinan 
spelling  Gangwehr),  daughter  of  Jonas  and 
Cristina  Gongaware.  Mrs.  Croushore  was  born 
in  North  Huntingdon  township,  this  county, 
February  7,  1840,  the  eighth  in  a  family  of  ten 
children,  all  married  and  settled  in  this  county; 
three  have  since  died.  To  their  union  have 
been  born  three  cliildren,  two  of  whom  are 
living:  Henry  Jonas  and  (Jeorge  L.  The 
former  is  yet  at  home  ;  the  latter  was  married 
March  27,  1884,  to  Lucy  L.,  a  daughter  of 
Balthas  Getchey  (see  sketch  elsewhere  in  this 
volume).  George  L.  Croushore  resides  at  West 
Newton,  where' he  is  engaged  in  the  real  estate, 
insurance  and  steamship  agency  business  and 
lias  successfully  conducted  these  lines  since 
188.5.  He  has  three  children  :  Howard  Wayne, 
Clare  Curtis  (deceased)  and  Allen  Wilfred. 
Like  his  father  he  is  a  Jacksonian  democrat  and 
a  member  of  the  German  Reformed  church  at 
Brush  (Jreek,  near  Adamsburg  ;  his  wife  belongs 
to  the  Lutheran  church  at  West  Newton.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  West  Newton  Lodge, 
No.  440,  I.  0.  of  0.  F..  to  the  Encampment 
Branch  of  same  order  at  West  Newton,  and  to 
West  Newton  (Council,  No.  521,  Royal  Arcanum, 


WKSTMORELA ND   CO  UNTY. 


of  West  Newton,  Pa.  (It  ivill  be  reineinbered 
that  on  July  -1.  I^^TT),  Margaret  0.  Crousliorc, 
the  ihiii;:;liter  of  ihe  .siihjeet  of  the  .skeleli,  was 
in.stanlly  killeil  hy  a  boiler  e\|ih)siiiii  in  I  he 
tannery  when  but  nine  years  ohl).  .J^nas  (Jon;;- 
aware,  fatlier  of  ^Irs.  (J.,  was  born  on  the  farm 
owned  by  Fulton  Thompson,  in  South  Iluntiiig- 
iliin  lownship.  , January  1,  IT'.'."),  was  (iiie  of  a 
family  of  eleven  ehihlren  born  to  l'lulii>  and 
Margaretta  (Miller)  Gongaware  (Gangwehr),  and 
was  married  in  1825  to  Cristianna  Naley. 
Philip  Gongaware  (Gangwehr),  grandfather  of 
Mrs.  Crousliorc,  was  also  born  on  the  farm  now 
owned  by  Fulton  Thompson  in  17G0,  and  died 
in  1829  aged  sixty-nine  years.  His  wife,  Mar- 
garetta, was  a  daughter  of  John  Peter  and 
Catliarine  Miller,  who  died  in  1823  aged  fifty- 
seven  years.  Michael  Gongaware  (great-grand- 
father of  Mrs.  Crousliorc)  was  born  in  IT^:!*), 
in  Northampton  county.  Pa.;  in  early  life  came 
to  Westmoreland  county  and  settled  on  the  farm 
near  Ilarrolds  church,  now  owned  by  his  grand- 
4t  son,  Joseph  Gongaware,  who,  with  his  wife, 
Lydia,  are  living  at  the  advanced  ages  of  eighty- 
five  and  eighty-one  years  respectively.  Mr. 
Michael  Gongaware  died  on  this  farm  October 
2l),  182G,  aged  ninety-six  years;  tiius  it  will  he 
seen  that  the  Gongawares  and  the  Croushdies 
were  very  early  I'ainilies  in  America  It  is 
believed  that  as  far  back  as  the  seventii  gener- 
ation the  Croushores  and  Gongawares  were 
of  American  birth.  Michael  Gongaware,  great- 
gnindfaiher  (d"  Mrs.  (,'roiishore,  was  a  chieL- 
niiiker  by  trade,  and  brought  wilh  him  In  liiis 
coiiMly  an  old  clock  of  his  own  inake  which  is 
Still  a  splendid  time-iiieee  and  is  now  in  the 
posses.sion  of  his  grandson,  Joseph  Gongaware. 
In  fact,  the  Croushore  and  Gongaware  families 
are  of  the  oldest,  most  substantial  and  highly 
esteeiiied  of  the  coiuily,  descended  from  (iernian  | 
stock  its  members  are  sturdy,  persevering,  reliable 
and  honest,  a  class  of  peo{)le  to  whom  niuch  of 
our  iKitiuiial  piKsperily  and  standing  as  a  nation 


fiTJr-REDEHICK  II.  BEPWIIITII,  a  mer- 
I'C  chant  tailor  of  West  Newton,  is  a  son  of 
John  l).an<l  1  lenrietta  (Moses)  iierwirth, 
and  was  born  November  -1,  |8.'")2,  in  (Jarlslniven, 
(Jerniaiiy.  ilis  fatlier,  .John  Herwiith,  was  born 
and  died  in  the  emitire  of  Germany  and  was  a 
tobacconist  by  occupation.  Believing  in  the 
teachingsof  Martin  liUther,  the  great  reformer,  he 
was  an  earnest  member  of  the  Lutheran  church. 

lie  married  Henrietta  Moses,  and  they  had 
fifteen  children,  eight  of  whom  are  living  and 
seven  of  whom  are  in  America.  Of  those  in  the 
United  States,  Christian  lives  in  New  York 
City  and  is  a  cigar  manufacturer;  Caroline  is 
the  wife  of  Mr.  Biedabach,  a  retired  saddler  of 
New  York  City  ;  Sophia  is  the  widow  of  Henry 
Duiker,  and  resides  in  that  city  ;  Henrietta  is 
the  widow  of  .John  Buddenhagen,  and  she,  too, 
is  a  resident  of  the  great  metrojiolis;  Wilhel- 
laina  and  (iotlcib  is  engaged  in  the  shoe  busi- 
ness in  New  York. 

Frederick  II.  Berwirth,  on  October  10,  1873, 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Mary,  a  daughter 
of  Charles  Ilellraan,  of  Triest,  Germany, .  the 
ceremony  being  performed  in  Philadeljihia,  Pa. 
They  have  three  children:  Charles,  Henrietta 
and  Carrie. 

Mr.  Herwirth  after  receiving  some  education 
in  the  schools  of  his  native  country,  learned  the 
tailor's  trade  and  came  to  the  United  States  when 
about  fifteen  years  of  age  and  located  in  New 
York  City,  where  he  followed  tailoring  thirteen 
monlhs.  He  tiien  went  to  I'hiladelphia  and 
I'cniained  there  in  tho  same  business  about 
seventeen  years,  when  he  came  to  \Vest  Ni'Wton 
(l!S87).  For  the  past  three  years  he  has  been 
working  at  his  trade  in  his  new  home  and  has 
succeeded  in  building  up  a  good  business.  He 
is  identified  with  the  Lutheran  church  and  in 
politics  adheres  to  the  ])rinciples  of  the  Uepubli- 
can  Jiarty.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odil  Fellows  of  \Vest  Newton  and 
is  a  good  citizen,  worthy  of  the  respect  and 
conlidenci!  of  all. 


lilOGIiAl'IIIKS   OF 


IIARLES  C.  BROWN,  one  of  the  in- 
dustrious and  energetic  citizens  of  West 
Newton,  is  a  son  of  Cliristoplier  C.  and 
Magdalena  (Tubiicl:)  lirown,  and  was  born  in  tlie 
(I rand  Duchy  of  liaden,  Clrniiany,  May  IH, 
184li  His  ancestors  for  several  generations 
bacic  were  natives  of  Baden,  wiiere  his  father  was 
born  in  1787  and  died  eighty-two  years  later. 
He  was  a  weaver  by  occupation  and  a  strict 
member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  cliurch. 
He  married  Magdalena  Tiiback.  They  had  six 
children,  four  sons  and  two  daughters:  Chris- 
tojiiier  (dead)  ;  John,  .lacob,  Charles  C,  Su- 
sannah and  Elizabeth  (dead). 

CJharles  C.  ]5rown  attended  the  public  schools 
of  Germany  and  then  learned  the  trade  of 
weaver.  He  served  in  the  German  army  two 
years,  the  time  re(iuired  by  law  of  every  citizen  in 
tile  empire.  He  was  a  snldier  in  the  Austro- 
l'iiis>i:in  war  ami  partici]i:iteil  in  several  iieree 
and  stubiiornly  contested  battles  of  that  short 
but  de<'isive  struggle  between  l'rus.-.ia  and  Aus- 
tria for  political  power. 

In  18G8  lie  came  to  New  York  City  but  soon 
went  to  Connecticut  and  Massachusetts,  where 
he  worked  some  time  in  the  woolen  factories  of 
those  States.  From  New  England  he  went  to 
Pliiladel])hia,  then  removed  to  Pittsburg  and 
from  the  latter  place  came  in  1870  to  West 
NewtiiM.  He  riadily  found  employment  in 
Clarkson's  woolen  factory  in  Sewiekley  township 
where  he  worked  until  1872.  In  that  year  Mr. 
Brown  established  his  present  prosjierous  carpet 
and  stocking  weaving  business  at  AVesl  Newton 
and  now  enjoys  a  liberal  jiatronage. 

(Jn  January  -1,  1872,  he  was  married  to  Eva 
Gaider,  of  West  Newton.  To  this  uinoii  have 
been  born  eight  chililren  :  Thomas,  Mary, 
Christina,  John  (dead),  Annie,  Ada  (dead),  Eva 
and  Charles. 

Charles  C.  lirowii  in  jiolities  is  a  republican. 
He  and  his  wife  are  meudjers  of  the  Evangelical 
liUtheran  ciiureh  at  West  Xewlon. 

He    has    built    up   a   very    useful    and    much 


needed  industry  in  his  section  of  the  county. 
He  is  a  skilled  and  experienced  workman  in  his 
particular  line  of  business  and  well  deserves  the 
patronage  which  he  has  secured. 


^.  OBEllT  BROWN,  an  aged  man  who 
has  retired  from  the  cares,  anxieties  and 
toils  of  active  life,  was  born  July  2lj, 
181/J,  in  Fayette  county.  Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of 
Benjamin  and  Sarah  (Farquhar)  Brown.  His 
grandfather,  Samuel  Brown,  was  of  Q'uaker 
origin,  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  migrated  to 
Fayette  count)'.  Pa.,  at  a  very  early  day  and 
settled  near  Fayette  City  where  he  tilled  the 
soil,  lived  and  died.  Benjamin  Brown  (father), 
one  of  his  sons,  was  born  near  Mt.  Holly,  N.  J., 
and  when  young  removed  with  his  jiareiits  to 
h'ayette  county,  i'a.,  where  lie  lived  anil  died. 
He  was  a  cooper  iiy  trade  init  his  ehiel  occupa- 
tion was  firming.  He  was  originally  a  wiiig 
but  later  a  republican.  He  was  born  Marcii  22, 
1792,  and  died  January  21,  1877.  He  was  the 
father  of  eight  children,  of  whom  five  are  living. 
Robert  Farquhar  (maternal  grand-father)  was  a 
farmer  by  occupation  and  lived  and  died  in 
Fayette  county,  Pa. 

Robert  Brown  married  Barbara  A.,  daughter 
of  Jacob  Ijonganecker,  of  Westmoreland  county, 
Pa.,  and  they  have  five  living  children:  Sam- 
uel, married  to  Annie  Lewis,  of  Fayette  county, 
Pa.,  and  who  now  is  a  physician  in  La  Salle, 
Ills.  ;  Charles  E.,  a  carpenter,  who  married  He- 
bceca  Houglass  and  lives  at  West  Newton,  i'a.  ; 
William  F.,  who  lives  on  his  father's  farm  in 
Rostraver  townshij),  Westmoreland  county.  Pa., 
and  whose  wife  was  Catharine  Brown,  of  Fayette 
county,  Pa.,  and  Ida.  B.,  wife  of  1).  J'.  Huiig- 
lass,  an  agricultural  implement  dealer,  of  West 
Newton,  Pa.,  and  La  Una  M.,  wife  of  Augustas 
Swartz  (deceased). 

Robert  Brown  received  a  common  school  edu- 
cation in  I'ayette  county,  I'a.,  ami  began  life  a 
poor  boy.      He   was   first   a    traveling  salesman 


M    if.-|it    HJTH    l>ll       .V-»d   VMX]    i    ibHfrt     I 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


for  a  clock  manufactory  and  accumulated  some 
money  with  wliicli  he  purchased  a  farm  in  Ros- 
traver  township,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.  In 
the  succeeding  yeais  he  bought  and  sold  several 
farms  and  in  ISSI  he  ])urcliased  a  residence  in 
West  Newton  which  he  has  occupied  since  1882. 
He  lias  always  been  a  republican  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  tlie  Baptist  church,  of  which  he  is  a  dea- 
con. Mr.  Brcjwn,  who  is  about  seventy-five 
years  of  age,  is  still  living  in  retirement  enjoy- 
ing the  fruits  of  a  busy  and  well-employed  life. 
In  that  critical  time  when  the  destinies  of  the 
Unionjiung  trembling  in  the  balance  his  eldest 
son,  Samuel,  hastened  to  the  service  of  his 
country  and  eulisteil  in  iNDl  in  the  IGth  reg. 
I'a.  cavalry,  and  remained  in  the  field  to  the 
close  of  the  war.  lie  was  uu  orderly  sergeant 
and  participated  in  about  fifteen  engagements, 
one  of  which  was  the  memorable  and  bloody  bat- 
tle of  Gettysburg. 


'IIOMAS  A.  BYGATE,  a  resident  of 
^Vest  Newton,  a  man  of  good  business 
■>  qualifications  and  the  skilled  foreman  of 
the  large  '•  Markle  paper-mills,"  is  a  sou  of 
Jose])h  and  Mary  A.  (Booth)  Bygate,  and  was 
born  November  10,  1850,  at  Barnesly,  a  mining 
anu  manufacturing  town 'in  the  West  Riding, 
York  County,  England.  His  grandfathers.  By- 
gate  and  l>ooth,  were  natives  of  England,  in 
which  country  they  lived  and  died.  His  father, 
Joseph  IJygate,  was  born  in  1818,  fi}ll()Wed 
weaving  for  a  livehhood  in  I'higiand  and  in  18;";.') 
came  to  Pennsylvania  where  he  lucated  at  Mon- 
ongabela  City,  Washington  county.  He  worked 
in  a  pa|icr  mill-at  that  place  until  INIil,  tbeii 
reiiKurd  ti)  West  Nculdii,  lliis  county,  where  he 
remained  for  twenty-four  years,  and  in  1888  went 
to  Scottdale,  where  he  now  resides.  He  is  a  re- 
publican and  a  meuiber  of  the  M.  E.  church. 
He  was  married  in  England  to  Mary  Ann 
Booth  who  died  in  188ij.  'I'iiey  had  four  chil- 
dren :  Rose  A.,  wife  (d'Levi  llixoii,  a  blacksmitli 


at  West  Newton  ;  Thomas  A.  ;  William  Y., 
who  is  a  jewelry  and  notion  dealer  at  Scottdale, 
and  George  E.,  who  died  at  an  early  age. 

Thoma.s  A.  I'ygate  received  his  education  in 
the  i)uhlic  schools  of  Moiiongahela  (Jity  and 
worked  in  the  paper-mills  of  that  place  and 
West  Newton.  In  1879  he  was  made  foreman 
of  the  pajjer-mill  at  the  last  named  place.  In 
1881  he  went  to  Tyrone,  Pa.,  where  he  superin- 
tended the  erection  of  a  jjaper-mill  for  Morrison, 
Baer  &  Cass.  The  next  year  he  returned  to 
West  Newton  and  resumed  his  jjosition  as  fore- 
man of  C.  P.  Markle  &  Son's  mill,  and  served  in 
that  capacity  until  1883.  From  1883  to  188G 
he  was  superintendent  of  Ingham,  Mills  &.  Go's 
paper-mills  at  Chillicothe,  Ohio.  In  188(J  he 
returned  to  West  Newton  and  again  became 
foreman  of  Markle  i  Go's  pa]ier-iiiill  and  has 
held  that  position  ever  since. 

November  4,  1875,  Mr.  Bygate  was  married 
to  Harriet  Emma  Goldsmith,  who  was  born  May 
29,  1855,  and  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church 
at  West  Newton.  They  have  three  children  : 
Sarah  M.,  born  November  8,  187G  ;  Harry  G., 
born  February  7,  1878,  and  Samuel  R.,  born 
December  5,  1883. 

Thomas  A.  Bygate  has  always  been  a  repub- 
lican and  is  now  serving  as  a  school  director  of 
his  borough.  He  is  a  member  of  the  West  New- 
ton Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  West  New- 
ton Council,  No.  521,  Royal  Arcanum.  He 
owns  a  nice  residence,  understands  thoroughly 
the  manufacture  of  ])aper  in  its  every  detail  and 
is  an  intelligent  ami  courteous  goiillemau. 


*|*OHN   OAROTHERS,   a  comfortably  situ- 

Jated  citi/en  of  West  Newton  and  who  lias 
been  one  of  the  most  successful  farmers  of 
South  Huntingdon  township,  is  a  son  of  James 
and  Elizabeth  (McClure)  Carotl  ers  and  was 
born  in  South  Huntingdon  township,  Westmore- 
land county,  l^a.,  January  18,  1832.  His  jia- 
lenial  grandl'atber,  James  Carothcrs,  came  from 


292 


UIUGRAPIIIES  Of 


the  cilSteni  [lart  ^^{  this  State  and  scttlctl  Oil 
Sc'wickli'v  Clock  ill  Scwickii'V  luwiiship,  this 
county,  lie  was  an  imlustrious  lanuLT,  an  ohl 
line  whig  ami  alter  the  tiie  ileatii  ot  the  \\  hig 
jiarty  liecaiiic  a  stanch  re|iulilieaii.  II  is  nialrr- 
nal  L'lanillathor,  Kiciiaid  MeClure,  came  I'lDni 
one  of  the  eastern  counties  of  Pennsylvania  ami 
located  in  Allegheny  county,  this  State,  where 
lie  was  engaged  in  farming  during  the  remainder 
of  his  life.  His  father,  James  McCluie,  was 
burn  in  178IJ  in  Sewickley  towiishi]!,  where  he 
lived  until  his  death  in  1844.  He  was  buried 
in  '•  Sewickley  Creek  Presbyterian  cemetery." 
He  was  a  whig  in  politics  and  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church.  He  was  twice  married. 
His  first  wife  was  a  Miss  Wood  who  bore  him  two 
daughters,  and  after  her  death  he  married  Eliza- 
beth McClure,  by  whom  he  had  one  eiiild — the 
subject  of  this  sketch. 

John  Carothers  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  his  neighborhood  and  was 
engaged  in  farming  in  South  Huntingdon  town- 
sliip  until  1887.  He  then  removed  to  West 
Newton  in  order  to  secure  better  educatiunal  ad- 
vantages for  his  family  than  was  atlorded  by  tlie 
rural  district  schools.  He  immediately  pur- 
chased a  desirable  lot  in  the  borough  and 
erected  his  pri'serit  fine  and  cuuimodious  resi- 
dence. 

lie  united  in  marriage  in  Movemlier  1870, 
with  Martha  J.  Maikle,  who  id  a  daughter  of 
Jasper  Markle,  of  West  Newton.  To  their 
union  have  hei'ii  born  five  children:  Kli/.aiielli 
M.,  Kileii  1!.,  .Mattie  1!.,  Agnes  M.  and 
James  H. 

John  Carothers  is  a  republican  in  politics  and 
although  always  interested  in  the  success  of  his 
party  and  its  measures,  yet  is  no  politician  or 
seeker  for  office.  He  attends  the  Presbyterian 
church  at  West  Newton,  of  which  his  wife  is  a 
member.  Mr.  Carothers  owns  a  valuable  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  fourteen  acres  of  choice  and 
well  improved  land  in  South  Huntingdon  town- 
ship, this  county. 


SAMUEL  COLDSMlTHwas  born  August 
11,  1818,  in  Eraiiklin  county,  I'a.,  near 
'•J  Chaiubersburg,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel 
and  Kli/.abeth  (Cri.fl)Coldsniitli.  Samuel  Cold- 
sniilh  (I'atherj  was  a  native  of  Krankiiii  cuuiity, 
I'a.,  but  reniovcil  to  near  Ml.  Pleasant,  W'est- 
nioielaiul  county,  in  the  same  State.  He  was  a 
farmer  by  occupation  and  a  ineiuber  of  the  Ger- 
man Reformed  eliuieli.  His  wile  was  Elizabeth 
Croft,  who  became  the  iiKither  of  ten  ehildreii. 
She  was  also  a  member  (if  the  (jeniiau  Ueformed 
church. 

Samuel  Coldsmith,  September  5,  1844,  became 
the  husband  of  Sarah  A.  Longenecker,  of  Simtii 
Huntingdon  township,  Westmoreland  county. 
Pa.,  and  to  them  were  born  four  children  :  Mary 
Adaline,  who  died  in  youth;  Harry  B.,  a  drug 
and  hardware  merchant,  who  married  Adaline, 
daughter  of  Albert  and  granddaughter  of  Judge 
Bell,  of  West  Newton,  where  Harry  resides  ; 
John  W.,  who  is  engaged  in  the  drug  business 
at  Tarentum,  Allegheny  county.  Pa.,  and  who 
is  married  to  Annie  Baljili,  of  Freeport,  Arm- 
strong county.  Pa.,  and  Harriet  Emma,  wife  of 
Thomas  Bygate,  foreman  in  the  AVest  Newton 
paper-mill. 

Samuel  Coldsmith  in  boyhood  was  bound-out 
to  the  service  of  .lesse  Lippincott,  a  merchant 
of  Mt.  Pleasant,  Pa.,  and  consei|uently  hud  but 
liltle  op[ioitunily  for  acquiring  an  edueatiuii. 
He  however  received  some  instructions  in  the 
common  schools  of  the  place  and  learned  the 
trade  of  saddle  and  harness  making  with  a  Mr. 
Kielier,  at  which  he  has  been  working  from  that 
time  on.  In  the  fall  of  1840  he  established 
himself  in  that  business  in  West  Newton,  and  re- 
alizing the  truth  of  the  old  adage,  ''a  rolling 
stone  gathers  no  moss,"  he  has  remained  in  that 
town  and  in  the  same  businesss  ever  since.  He 
has  a  good  trade  and  owns  real  estate  in  West 
Newton  as  a  result  of  his  industry  and  perse- 
verance. In  principle  Mr.  Coldsmith  is  a  pro- 
hibitionist. He  has  served  his  town  as  member 
of  council  and  school  board,    and   is    an    active 


WESTMORELAND  CO UNTY. 


inmiibor  of  tlio  M.  E.  cliurcli,  in  wliicli  he  is  a 
tnistcc,  Ifciisuri'r.  t'hiss  li';nU'c  iiud  was  lor 
thirty-six  years  tho  ubli!  lihrariaii  of  tiie  Sah- 
l)ath  school.  .Mr.  (Jdldsiiiitii  helmigs  tu  the 
American  liCf^ioii  of  Honor,  is  a  kind  huslninil, 
an  inilulj;ent  parent  anil  a  social  gentleman  ^vho 
merits  the  high  standing  lie  enjoys  in  his  com- 
munity. 


*t  AMES   W.   COLLINS,  an  active  and  com- 

Jpetent  engineer  and  a  resident  of  West 
Newton,  is  a  son  of  William  L.  and 
Sarah  (Glendcning)  Collins.  lie  was  born 
January  14,  18411,  at  Connellsville,  Eayetto 
county,  I'a.,  of  which  town  his  lather  and  grand- 
father Collins  were  natives.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  James  Collins,  was  an  expert  and 
successful  tailor  of  Connellsville.  He  was  a 
strong  member  of  the  IJaptist  church  and  in 
political  faith  was  a  whig  and  afterwards  a  re- 
publican, llis  maternal  grandfather,  William 
Glendening,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  who  im- 
migrated to  a  farm  in  Dunbar  township,  near 
Connellsville,  in  the  above  named  county.  He 
was  a  steady  and  industrious  citizen  and  served 
in  the  late  civil  war.  His  fither,  William  L. 
Collins,  was  born  in  ISI'.I  and  reared  at  Con- 
nellsville, where  he  has  always  resided.  He 
learned  the  trade  of  tailor  but  afterwards  studied 
and  practiced  medicine.  1  le  is  an  active  worker 
in  the  Republican  party,  a  prominent  member 
of  the  Ba|)tist  church  and  married  Sarah  (llen- 
deniiig,  by  whom  he  had  twelve  children,  one 
of  whom  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

James  W.  Collins  was  reared  at  Connellsville 
where  he  was  educated  in  the  [lublic  schools 
of  that  place.  He  learned  the  trade  of  moulder 
which  he  followed  for  threeyears.  In  the  mean- 
time having  decided  upon  railroad  engineering 
as  a  life-pursuit,  he  accordingly  abandoned  the 
moulding  trade  and  went  on  the  railroad  in 
1871.  He  has  been  an  engineer  upon  the  road 
ever  since.     In  1881  he  removed  from  Connells- 


ville to  West  Newton  where  he  built  and  now 
(U-cupies  u  very  lino  and  tasti-l'iil   I'esidence. 

On  neceniber  :J.S,  1871,  Mr.  Collins  was  mar- 
ried to  Annie  lloland. 

J.  W.  Collins  is  a  lueiiiber  of  the  Ihotber- 
hood  of  Locomotive  Engineers  and  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  is  one  who  believes 
in  the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party  and 
has  always  supported  its  nominees.  He  under- 
stands well  his  present  line  of  business  and  is  re- 
garded as  a  safe  and  successful  engineer. 


•^LEXANDEIl  iM.  DICK,  one  of  West 
\^t  Newton's  best  and  uiost  popular  men, 
was  born  January  U,  1848,  in  Sewickley 
township,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  and  is  a 
son  of  John  M.  and  Maria  (McClintock)  Dick. 
His  father  was  born  near  Wooster,  Ohio,  in 
180U,  and  was  by  occupation  a  farmer  ;  he  emi- 
grated to  this  county  and  settled  in  Sewick- 
ley township,  where  he  continued  farming  and 
also  kept  hotel  for  a  time.  In  politics  he  was 
a  Jacksonian  democrat  and  his  chosen  denom- 
ination was  the  United  Presbyterian  church. 
He  married  Maria  McClintock,  who  bore  him 
eight  children  :  William,  married  to  Isabella 
Tracy  and  now  living  in  Iowa  :  Jonathan,  at 
home  ;  Samuel,  a  miller  by  trade,  married  to 
Mary  Croft,  now  a  farmer  in  Kansas ;  Jane, 
wife  of  Ephraim  Latta,  of  this  county  ;  James 
M.,  living  in  Michigan  ;  Mary,  wife  of  David  A. 
Hunter,  of  West  Newton;  IJobert  (deceased), 
and  .\le.\ander  ^L 

Alexander  M.  Dick  was  reared  in  the  rural 
atmosphere  of  Sewickley  township,  and  after 
leaving  the  comm^;:!  schools  was  engaged  for  more 
than  three  years  as  manager  of  the  store  of  A. 
Wagoner,  of  Pell's  Mills.  In  1872  he  traveled 
ill  eastern  Pennsylvania  and  later  in  the  same 
year  went  to  West  Newton,  entering  the  store 
of  S.  C.  Weimcr,  in  which  he  remained  thirteen 
years  as  general  clerk.  In  August,  1885,  he 
was  appointed  postmaster   at  AV'^cst  Newton  by 


U' 


BIUGRAPIIIES  OF 


President  Cleveland,  and  has  filled  the  position 
eiliciuntly  and  satisfactorily.  In  connection 
with  tiie  post-office  he  has  a  book  and  station- 
ery store.  In  1HH2,  together  willi  Or.  .1.  II. 
liichey,  of  West  Newton,  lie  purcliascd  the 
"  Old  (Jlivcr  Farm  "  and  laid  out  wliat  is  now 
called  Oollinshurg  (just  Ijflcjw  'West  Newton), 
which  is  now  quite  a  nice-sized  village.  Mr.  Dick 
is  an  uncompromising  democrat  and  takes  an  ag- 
gressive part  in  political  afi'airs.  He  has  served 
as  scluwl  director  of  his  borough  and  is  secretary 
of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  United  Presbyte- 
rian church,  to  which  his  wife  and  daughter  also 
belong.  He  is  secretary  of  the  West  Newton 
gas  company.  Bright  in  intellect,  above  re- 
proach in  character,  agreeable  in  society,  courte- 
ous and  prompt  in  business,  and  quick  yet  care- 
ful in  action,  A.  M.  Dick  is  one  of  the  men  who 
will  push  his  way  to  the  front  in  spite  of  the 
obstacles  in  his  way  ;  he  was  not  "  born  great," 
neither  has  he  had  "  greatness  thrust  upon  him  ;" 
but  whatever  success  has  been  his  he  has 
''achieved  ;  "  wiiat  he  is  he  has  made  himself; 
he  is  the  architect  and  builder  of  his  own 
fortune. 

A.  M.  Dick  was  married  December  2.5,  1873, 
to  Mary  C,  a  daughter  of  John  C.  Benford,  of 
near  Madison,  this  county,  and  they  have  two 
children:  Ada  M.,  born"  N(,veml)er  l;5,  1875, 
and  Mary  E.  C,  l)orn  Kcbniary  14,  IHKO. 


rYY^I'T^l'^'^I  *^'-  r.AU.AGIIFJl,  of  West 
Newton,  was  born  .lanuary  'Jil,  ISiffj,  in 
Somerset  county,  Pa.,  ;iiid  is  a  son  of 
William  and  Eleanor  (Campbell)  Gallagher.  Ilis 
grandfather,  Daniel  Gallagher,  was  born  in 
County  Fermanagh,  Ireland,  and  immigrated  in 
179G  to  the  United  States,  locating  at  Baltimore, 
Md.,  whence  he  subsequently  removed  to  Ilag- 
crstown  in  the  same  Stnle.  At  the  latter  place 
he  married  Elizabeth  P.onbrigH  and  with  her 
went  to  Somerset  county,  Pa.  Jolm  Campbell, 
maternal  grandfather,  was  a  native  of  Somerset 


county  and  joined  the  army  in  the  war  of  1812, 
but  failed  to  return  and  has  never  since  been 
hoard  of.  William  Gallagher  (fatiier)  was  born 
in  Jenncr  township,  Somerset  county,  August 
;>,  1803,  and  died  i88*i  in  Latrobe,  this  county, 
to  wliich  place  he  had  removed  in  1850. 
He  was  u  faiiuer  and  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits  until  within  a  few  years  of  his  death. 
He  was  originally  a  democrat,  but  after  the 
election  of  President  Polk  he  became  a  whig, 
and  upon  the  formation  of  the  Republican  party 
he  identified  himself  with  that  organization.  He 
married  Eleanor  Campbell,  who  bore  him  five 
sons  and  four  daughters,  of  whom  four  sons  and 
two  daughters  are  living. 

William  C.  Gallagher  attended  the  common 
schools  of  his  boyhood  days  and  afterward  be- 
came a  practical  ilistiller.  During  the  fourteen 
years  he  followed  this  work  he  was  nearly  all  the 
time  in  the  employ  of  Thomas  Moore  at  w  hat  is 
now  known  as  Guft'ey's  station.  After  he  (juit 
the  distilling  business  and  while  he  lived  at 
Shaiier  he  began  working  at  the  carpenter 
trade,  at  whicli  he  continued  until  1884;  he  also 
carried  on  the  undertaking  business  at  Shaner. 
In  1884  he  removed  to  West  Newton  where  he 
has  ever  since  been  engaged  exclusively  in  un- 
dertaking, and  has  been  favored  with  a  large 
business  in  the  town  and  surrounding  country. 
Mr.  (jalhigher  is  a  repuljlican  in  political  prin- 
ple  and  has  served  five  years  (1880-1885)  as 
justice  of  the  peace  in  Sewickley  township. 
Hotli  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
M.  K.  churcli  in  which  he  is  a  trustee  and 
class  leader.  For  twelve  years  ho  has  been 
connected  with  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen  anu"  is  now  a  member  of  the  Victor 
Lodge,  No.  95. 

William  C.  Gallagher  was  married  December 
9,  185M,  to  Christiana  L.,  a  daughter  of  John 
Steck  (deceased),  of  near  Greensburg,  and  they 
have  five  children  :  Sarah  Kllen,  wife  of  Charles 
Fellabaum,  of  Shaner,  this  county  ;  Alice  Re- 
becca, Ida  Jane,  John  L.  and  Eleanor  C. 


WESTMOHELAXD   COUNTY. 


295 


]jr\ALTlIAS  GETCHEY,  an  enterprising 
'VSl  resident  of  West  Ni'wton,  wiis  born  VAr 
ruary  H',  ISill,  in  Uurwani^en,  Kinj^iloni 
of  Wlirll'lilliiUL,',  (i<.'riii:uiy,  :Uiil  is  a  sun  (if  l!:iltiiiis 
and  Kli/iibctli  (Uausor)  (Jctrlioy.  iii^  l';itinr  wiis 
born  in  Wurteniburg  in  ITTii,  was  lirst  married 
to  a  Murtz,  and  to  tliem  was  born  one  child, 
Mary,  who  is  now  dead.  After  the  death  of  liis 
first  wife  lie  nuirried  a  second  time  and  to  them 
■were  born  two  children,  Joanna  and  Jacob  F., 
both  of  whom  have  since  died.  Jacob  F.,  came 
to  Ameri'ia  in  1837,  settleil  in  South  Iliinting- 
dou  township,  tliis  county,  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. He  was  married  in  184.0  to  Mary  Yont,  this 
county,  ilis  widow  still  lives  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  county  near  West  Newton.  JJalthas 
Oetciiey,  father  of  the  subject,  was  married  a 
tiiircl  time  to  Elizabeth  llauser,  and  to  thein 
■were  born  one  cliild,  Balthas  Getchey.  After 
the  death  of  his  third  wife  he  was  married 
a  fourth  time  to  Catharine  Speidtel.  Ik-  only 
enjoyed  lliis  fourth  maniago  but  a  short  time. 
lie  ilied  in  18;17. 

Halthas  Getchey  (subject)  was  reared  and 
educated  in  Germany,  where  he  learned  the 
trade  of  cabinet-making  in  \Vurti.'udierg,  and  at 
the  age  of  nineteen  went  to  Switzerland  and 
worked  at  his  trade  there  until  he  \vas  twenty- 
one,  when  he  was  ci;mpelled  to  return  homr  to 
arrange  for  (Jerman  militia.  lie  was  dral'lrd, 
paid  four  hundred  guilders,  or  about  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  dollars  for  a  substitute,  after 
which  he  returned  to  Sxs  it/.eiland  and  remained 
until  1^44,  when  he  started  witii  com|iaiiions 
down  the  Khine  to  Uotteiilam,  tiienee  to  ll.i\ii', 
Franct',  wiiere  they  took  a  vessel  lor  America. 
After  being  on  the  ocean  for  forty-two  days  he 
was  landed  at  New  York.  He  soon  worked  his 
way  to  Westmoreland  county,  and  after  working 
at  his  trade  at  various  jxjints  settled  at  West 
Newton  in  184'J  and  commenced  to  carry  on  the 
cabinet-making  and  furniture  busine.s.s,  where  he 
has  CM  r  sirjrc  rrmaimd  in  llio  same  business. 
In  IM;")  he,   with    his   brother,   .laeijh    K.,  brgan 


drilling  a  salt  well  and  succeeded  in  finding  some 
salt  water  and  also  struck  a  ([uantily  of  gas 
which  they  utilizeil  for  a  number  of  years  in 
boiling  llu^  salt  water.  Mr.  Getchey  was  thus 
liie  lirst  man  to  use  natural  gas  in  this  part  of 
the  country  for  manufacturing  purposes ;  and 
he  believes  that  this  gas  came  from  the  same 
belt  that  has  since  been  supplying  gas  in  such 
vast  quantities.  ]Mr.  Getchey  has  acquired  a 
fiiir  competency  in  life  and  deserves  the  success 
he  has  achieved  by  industry,  honesty  and 
sobriety.  Politically  he  is  a  democrat  and  has 
served  his  borough  as  councilman  and  school 
director.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
church,  is  treasurer  of  the  board  of  trustees, 
and  for  thirty-seven  years  has  been  identified 
with  West  Newton  Lodge,  No.  440,  I.  0.  of  0. 
F.,  and  never  received  one  cent  for  relief;  haS 
been  its  treasurer  since  1870  and  is  a  member 
of  the  Encampment  branch  of  same  order  and 
its  treasurer  since  instituted  at  West  Newton. 

Balthas  Getchey  (subject)  was  married  in 
1840  to  Anna  Barbara  Keck  of  South  Hunting- 
don township,  and  to  their  union  have  been  born 
five  children,  two  of  whom  have  died  (Frank 
Lucas  anil  Anna  M.).  Jacob  F.  is  a  carpenter 
now  Working  at  the  West  Newton  planing-mills, 
where  lie  has  been  ever  since  they  were  built  ; 
was  married  March  o,  187'.i,  to  Jennie  Frew. 
Like  his  father  he  is  a  stanch  tlemocrat.  Eliza- 
beth (Jatharine  was  married  November  28,  1877, 
to  Edmund  ]'.  Cani])bell  and  resides  in  West 
Newton,  I'a.  T'Ucy  E.  was  nnirried  ]\Lirch  '21, 
lS84,  to  George  L.  Croushore  and  resides  in  the 
same  place. 


O'OLOMON  GO0I)?»IAN,  a  man  of  good 
GSj  business  ability  and  a  successful  dry-goods 
(^  merchant  of  West  Newton,  is  a  son  of 
Lazar  (jioodinan  and  was  born  in  Russia  in  18iil. 
He  emigrated  with  his  father  in  1874  from  llus- 
sia  to  the  linilcd  Stales  and  lorated  in  I'll  l.--i)Urg, 
I'a.      lie  remained  in  (he  "  lion  City  "  for  four 


liloaltAl'lUES  OF 


yours  and  tlion  returned  to  the  '"  Doniiniuus  of 
tlie  Czar."  After  ii  second  residence  in  llussiu 
of  four  years  lie  again  crossed  tlie  Atlantic  ami 
came  hack  to  I'itl.iliiiru;,  where  lie  was  engaged 
in  hiu-iness  until  l.">>T.  In  lliat  year  he  re- 
moved to  West  Mewtou  and  opened  his  jnesent 
dry-goods  and  clothing  estahlishnient.  He  car- 
ries a  full  line  of  everything  usually  found  in  a 
dry -goods  store  and  is  constantly  increasing  his 
Stock  to  accommodate  his  numerous  customers. 

On  May  31,  1887,  Mr.  Goodman  unite.l  in 
marriage  with  Tillie  Miller,  a  daughter  of  Ma.x 
Miller,  who  is  a  well  established  merchant  of 
I'ittshurg.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goodman  have  one 
child,  a  S(jn,  who  is  named  Abie. 

In  political  opinion  ^Ir.  Goodman  is  a  repub- 
lican.    He  is  a  member  of  the  Hebrew  church. 


ANIEL  E.  HAMILTON,  a  descendant 
of  two  old  and  substantial  families  of  the 
County,  and  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the 
West  New  ton  carriage  factory,  is  a  son  of  Robert 
and  Eliza  (Greenawalt)  Hamilton,  and  was  horn 
near  Millsboro,  in  Sewickley  township,  West- 
moreland county.  Pa.,  June  7,  18(il.  (For 
paternal  ancestry  see  sketcii  of  ^V.  C.  Hamilton.) 
Robert  Hamilton  was  born  in  Sewickley  town- 
ship, this  county,  March  7,  181.0.  His  life- 
woik  was  farming,  and  in  ISIj;]  he  removed  to 
Clinton  county,  Iowa,  where  he  died  ^Vugust 
13,  18(39.  On  March  4,  1847,  he  married 
Eliza  Greenawalt,  uho  was  horn  April  !>,  182r), 
and  died  July  -7,  lMi7.  They  had  seven 
chililiTii  :  Ihiiily  .J.,  wife  of  Samuel  IJaer, 
fanner  of  Clinton  county,  Iowa;  Samuel  C 
married  Lizzie  Rrooks  and  is  farming  in  Clinton 
county,  Iowa  ;  Caleb  F.,  farmer  of  Sewickley 
townshij) ;  Joseph  F.  and  Daniel,  of  West 
Newton  ;  Mary  F.  and  George  E.,  who  died  in 
infancy. 

His  maternal  grandfather,  Haniel  Greenawalt, 
wa.s  a  grandson  of  Jacob  and  Martha  (llrcnne- 
man)  Greenawalt,  who  were  natives  of  Lancaster 


county.  Pa.,  and  settled  in  an  early  day  in 
Sewickley  township,  where  they  reared  a  family 
of  nine  cliildren.  Daniel  Greenawalt  was  born 
September  :l,  17'.'li.  He  was  an  earnest  mem- 
ber of  Salem  liajitist  church,  foumled  in  17'.l:i 
and  eight  miles  distant  from  his  home.  His 
wife  was  Emily  S(iuihb,  who  was  born  near  (,'on- 
nellsville.  Pa.,  September  4,  1798,  and  was  a 
daughter  of  Caleb  and  Ann  Squibb.  Daniel 
Greenawalt  settled  on  one  hundred  and  ninety-six 
acres  of  land  at  Browns  Ferry,  on  the  Youghi- 
oghney  river,  where  he  died  March  9,  18-38, 
and  his  widow  survived  him  until  April  2G, 
18G8.  They  had  five  children:  Martha,  widow 
of  Col.  J.  15.  Copeland,  who  died  in  Andrain 
county.  Mo.;  Angelina,  widow  of  Dr.  0.  II. 
McAlister,  of  McAlistersville,  Pa. ;  Capt.  Caleb 
and  George  E.,  who  died  in  infancy.  Capt.  Caleb 
Greenawalt  marrieil  Mary  M.  Rell  December 
7,  18G4,  and  was  run  over  and  killed  by  a  train 
of  cars  on  December  '20,  1883,  in  front  of  life 
own  home.  His  death  cast  a  gloom  over  the 
whole  neighborhood.  lie  enlisted  on  July  0, 
1861,  as  second  lieutenant  of  Co.  F,  twenty- 
eit^hth  regt.  Pa.  Vols.,  and  was  promoted  to 
a  captaincy.  He  served  under  Gea.  Tyndale 
at  Harper's  Ferry  both  as  an  officer  and  spy, 
was  with  Gen.  Banks,  and  then  was  trans- 
1  ferred  to  Gen.  Sherman's  army,  fought  at 
J  Atlanta  ami  led  his  company  in  the  "march 
to  the  sea.  ' 

Daniel  Hamilton  received  his  education  in 
the  Western  Pennsylvania  Classical  and  Scien- 
tific Institute  of  ISIt.  Pleasant.  He  went  with 
his  parents  to  Iowa  and  after  their  death  re- 
turned to  Westmoreland  county,  where  he  made 
his  home  with  his  uncle,  Capt.  Caleb  Greenawalt. 
He  was~engaged  from  1883  to  1889  in  farming 
and  dairying  on  the  "Brown's  ferry  farm  "  at 
Buena  A'^ista,  where  he  now  owns  one-half  inter- 
est in  two  hundred  and  seventy-eight  acres  of 
land.  In  September,  1889,  he  purchased  a  half 
interest  in  the  carriage  factory  and  machine 
shoj)s  of  J.  F.  Hamilton  at  West  Newton,  and 


Vi   ir.jU    j.i    iiiJitJiuuili    .  *!   .u    iu    riiOiii!    I     lUltti^ 


II  u*r'j»/  oiiv  .iliiwiiil'rjn 


WKSTMORKLA NO   CO VNTV. 


is  now  activt'ly  engaged  in  carrying  on  the  ex- 
tensive business  of  tiiese  carriage  wnrics.  1  )aniel 
E.  Ifamilton  is  a  woricing  inonil)er  of  tlie  Mars 
llill  l!:i|ilisl  cliinrli,  a  wuriii  IViciiil  of  llic  coiii- 
iiiiiLL  sclinols  anil  MM  ai'live  r('|iiililleaM,  \\lii>  lias 
serveil  as  selioul  director  and  held  various  other 
local  offices.  He  has  alwaj's  been  diligent  in 
the  pursuit  of  his  business  and  is  ever  ready  to 
support  any  movement  or  enterprise  calculated 
to  l»encfit  the  community  in  which  lie  lives. 

•f*  AMES  HAMILTON,  who  is  a  resident  of 
t  AVest  Newton,  was  for  many  years  a  success- 
(1/  ful  woolen  manufacturer  of  southwestern 
Pennsylvania.  He  is  a  son  of  James,  Sr.  and 
Catharine  (Clarkj  Hamilton  and  was  born 
near  Cannonsburg,  Washington  county.  Pa., 
December  2,  1S()4.  James  Hamilton,  paternal 
grandfother,  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  He  im- 
migrated to  America  and  settled  near  (Junnons- 
Lurg,  Washington  county,  Pa.,  where  he  died  on 
his  farm  in  1806.  John  Clark,  maternal  grand- 
fiither,  ^¥as  a  native  of  New  Jersey  wdio  emi- 
grated to  Pennsylvania  and  settled  in  Washing- 
ton county,  this  State,  where  he  died  in  tlieyear 
180().  He  was  a  farmer  by  occu|)atioii,  served 
in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  was  engaged  in  the 
battle  of  Monmouth.  James  llaiuiitnn.  Sr. 
(father)  was  born  in  county  Down,  Irel.ind,  and 
came  to  this  coiintrv  with  his  fatlier  when  (piite 
a  young  man.  lie  settled  in  ^Vashington 
fiiuiilv,  where  he  resided  till  his  death  in  ISi^O. 
He  married  Catherine  Clark  and  reari'il  a  family 
of  four  sons  and  four  daughters,  of  whom  the 
only  one  now  living  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
James  Hamilton  attended  the  schools  of  his 
native  county  and  after  attaining  his  majority 
embarked  in  the  manufacture  of  woolen  goods. 
In  1M29  he  came  to  Rostraver  township,  this 
county,  where  he  was  engaged  for  eighteen  years 
in  manufacturing  woolen  goods.  In  the  spring 
of  1.S47  he  removed  to  West  Newton,  became 
collector  for  the  ^'ougllioghclly  Navigation  com- 


pany and  collected  the  principal  part  of  the 
money  with  which  that  company  built  the  locks 
and  dams  of  the  Youghioglieny  river  from  \Vest 
Nc^wliin  III  I'lll.siiurg.  Ileuiis  then  made  agent 
by  the  same  ciu  [loial  ion  and  was  sliilioiied  al 
West  Newton  for  three  years:  was  apiiointcd 
postmaster  under  Prest.  Lincoln  in  IblJl  and 
served  till  ]8(J9.  Since  then  Mr.  Hamilton  has 
lived  a  retired  life. 

In  1838  he  united  in  marriage  with  Jane, 
daughter  of  John  Patterson.  To  their  union 
was  born  one  child,  James  P.  Hamilton.  He 
married  Jennie  A.  Luker,  of  Allegheny  City, 
and  was  a  prominent  merchant  of  West  Newton 
from  181)0  until  his  death,  February  21,  1885. 
He  had  two  children  :  Bert  L.,  born  October  5, 
1807,  and  died  Deceuiber  11,  1883,  a  very 
promising  young  man  ;  Alfonso  F.,  born  Feb- 
ruary 4,  1S73,  aTid  is  now  living  with  his  wid- 
dowed  mother  \vith  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

James  Hamilton  is  a  republican  and  before 
that  party  came  into  existance  he  was  a  whig. 
He  has  served  as  burgess  and  councilman  of 
West  Newton  and  has  held  all  the  other  offices 
of  his  borough.  Mr.  Hamilton  has  been  a  trus- 
tee for  thirty-five  years  and  is  now  president  of 
the  board  of  numagera  of  the  West  Newton 
Cemetery  Association.  He  is  a  prominent,  in- 
fluential and  useful  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  and  one  of  the  most  highly  respected 
citizens  of  the  borough. 


jf  OSEPII  FRA/IER  HAMILTON,  a  young 
'i'  and  enterprising  business  man  of  AVest 
^2/  Newton,  was  liorn  at  P)uena  Vista,  on  the 
Youghioglieny  river,  'A'estmoreland  county,  Pa., 
September  15,  1857,  and  is  a  son  of  Robert 
and  Ann  Eli/.a  (Greenawalt)  Hamilton.  His 
great-grandfather,  Robert  ILimilton,  was  one  of 
si.x  brothers  who  emigrated  fiiini  Ireland  to 
America  about  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary 
war.  Robert  Hamilton  was  a  weaver  and  set- 
tled in  1782  in  what  is  now  Sewiekley  township. 


BioCiii.irmt's  OF 


He  w;w  an  honorable  arnl  useful  man,  litM  meiii- 
Ler.-hip  in  the  L'nittd  I'resbvteiiun  cluirLh  ami 
died  in  ISlo.  He  tooic  an  active  pan  in  the 
"  Wlii-'key  Insiirrectiuii,"  inarrieil  Mai-L'aret  Har- 
ris anil  I'rareil  a  latiiily  of  nine  eliililren.  of 
■n-honi  one  was  Samuel  Hamilton  (graiulfather) 
who  was  born  in  17i'-J.  He  served  under  Capt. 
JIarkle  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  married  Mary 
Cooper,  daughter  of  John  Cooper,  who  once 
owned  a  part  of  the  ground  on  whieh  the  battle 
of  Gettysburg  was  fought.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hamilton  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  of 
whom  one  is  Hon.  Ale.xander  C.  Hamilton,  of 
West  Newton. 

Joseph  Frazier  Hamilton  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  of  Sewickley  townshiji.  \Vlien 
about  ten  years  of  age  his  father  died  and  he 
then  liveil  on  a  farm  with  his  uncle,  ■fuseiih  Ham- 
ilton, of  Scwickley  township  until  he  ^vas  nine- 
teen years  of  age.  He  wa^  then  proujpled  with 
a  desire  to  do  for  himself  and  began  the  battle  of 
life  with  no  resources  but  a  strong  will  and  un- 
tiring energy.  J]eiiig  naturally  of  a  n:ecliunical 
turn  of  mind  lie  entered  the  shop  of  W.  1!.  (.'hain, 
where  lie  learned  the  trade  of  blacksmith  and 
carriage  builder.  .\t  the  e.vpiration  of  his  a]i- 
jircnliceship  he  took  hold  of  the  .Mill  (irove  car- 
riage factory,  which  had  been  abaiidnnrd  by  his 
predcces.sor  as  unpi'ofitable.  In  a  .short  time 
his  business  had  so  increased  that  it  u:is  neces- 
sary for  bim  to  I'lupliiy  live  nr  six  assistants  in 
order  to  supply  the  demand  made  upon  bim  lor 
\V(irk.  llavnig  shown  ciraily  his  adaplabdily 
foi-  businc.s.s  b\  his  success  bi'  piocccdcd  to  en- 
large the  sphere  of  his  operations  ajid  increase 
his  means  of  prosecuting  the  same,  and  (liSScSj 
removed  his  business  to  \\  est  Newton,  where  he 
erected  a  large  tbrec-stoiy  factory,  o.jxIOO  feet, 
especially  designed  for  his  work  and  fitted 
throughout  with  all  the  necessary  implements 
with  which  to  carry  on  his  Ijiisiness  after  the 
most  improved  plans  of  the  day.  In  adilitiiju  to 
the  main  factory  be  has  built  a  large  wai'chouse, 
llJxGiS  feet,  tliree-stories  hi;:b.      liesides  his  fac- 


,  tory  he  owns  other    valuable   real  estate  in   the 
!  borough.      In    the  spring  of  1^00  he  associated 
]  with  him  iiis  brother,  Daniel  E.  Hamilton  ;   the 
j  firm   name   is    now   Hamilton    Bros.,    and   their 
I  business  has  been  steadily   increa.sing  in  volume 
,  and  popularity.     They  now  eniplo}'  a  large  num- 
I  ber  of  men    and    build   all  styles   of  carriages, 
wagons  and  hearses.     They  receive    orders  for 
work  from  Greensburg,  McKeesport,   Braddock 
and  Pittsburg.      In  political  faith  he  is  a  repub- 
lican and  has  served  as  central  committee-man  a 
number  of  years.     He  is  a  firm  believer  in  the 
principles  of  his  party  and   is   ever   willing  to 
contribute  to  the  promotion  of  the  success  of  the 
party  of  Lincoln  and  Grant.      He  is  a  member 
of  the  Jr.  0.  U.  jM.  at  West  Newton. 

J.  Frazier  Hamilton  is  entirely  a  self-made 
man,  having  won  success  for  himself  by  his  gocnl 
judgment  combined  w^itli  an  iron  will  and  a 
marvellous  capacity  for  hard  work.  His  career 
is  a  practical  veritication  of  Daniel  Webster's 
aphorism  :   "  There   is  always  room  at   the  top." 


ON.  ALEXANDER  C.  HAMILTON 
was  born  Decembi:r  "JT,  DS'il,  in  iSewick- 
ley  lo\vnship,  Westmoreland  county,  I'a., 
and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Mai'y  (Cooper) 
IIaniilt(Ui.  His  grandl'ather,  Robert  Hamilton, 
was  a  weaver  in  Ireland,  but  in  ]7)S2  he  immi- 
grated to  America  and  settled  in  what  is  now 
iSewickley  township,  Westmoreland  county,  I'a., 
where  he  followed  farnring.  Five  of  bis  brolh- 
ers  preceded  him  to  the  United  Slates  and  set- 
tle<l  near  Fort  I'itt,  on  the  present  site  of  I'itts- 
burg,  since  which  time  nothing  has  been  heard 
of  them  or  their  descendants.  Robert  Hamil- 
ton married  Margaret  Harris  and  to  them  were 
i^orn  nine  children.  He  was,  while  in  Ireland, 
a  member  of  the  Covenanter  church,  but  in  this 
country  he  became  identilied  with  the  Associate 
Reformed,  now  the  United  rresbyteriau  church. 
He  was  an  honorable  and  conscientious  man 
and  lived  till  LSI;').      He  took  an  active  jiarl  in 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


the  "  Wliisky  Insurrection  "  of  1794.  Samuel 
Hamilton  (t'atlicr),  one  oi"  liis  sons,  was  born  in 
ITiSo  on  tlio  old  liomestead  farm  in  Scwickley 
towiislii|i,  Westmoreland  eoiinty,  J'a.  In  tlie 
war  of  IHlti  he  served  in  Capt.  Jose[>li  Maikle's 
troop  of  cavalry  and  engaged  at  the  Mississin- 
ewa  towns,  Fort  Meigs  and  in  several  other 
skirmislies  along  the  River  Raisin.  Ilis  horse 
was  wounded,  but  he  brought  him  home,  an<l 
both  the  horse  and  the  wound  are  distinctly  re- 
membered by  his  children.  Like  his  father  he 
was  a  whig,  but  in  later  years  became  a  repub- 
lican, lie  married  Mary  Cooper  and  tliey  had 
six  children.  .Joim  Cooper  (maternal  grand- 
fatlier)  was  a  native  of  (jhester  county,  Pa. 
lie  was  a  democrat,  a  farmer  and  o\wied  part 
of  the  land  on  which  the  iiattlc  of  ( iettysburg 
was  fought. 

Alexander  C.  Hamilton  was  married  to  Eliza 
A.,  daughter  of  John  Marshall,  of  Westmore- 
land county.  Pa.,  and  they  have  live  children  : 
Mary  E.,  John  M.,  married  to  Matilda  Elliott 
and  living  at  West  Newton;  Samuel,  a  carriage 
painter,  also  living  in  West  Newton ;  Madge, 
principal  of  Scott  Haven  schools,  who  was  edu- 
cated at  the  Indiana  State  Normal,  and  Camelia 
J.,  wife  of  C.  r.  Ray,  a  farmer  in  Kostraver 
townshij). 

Alexander  C.  Hamilton  was  eilucated  in  the 
public  schotds  and  began  life  as  a  fariiicr  on  the 
liomesteail  farm  in  Sewickley  tuwnsliip,  West- 
moreland c'luuty,  I'a-  He  is  a  re)iublican  and 
h;is  ;ilttays  laKcH  an  active  pail  in  polilical  af- 
fairs. l''(ir  Icii  years  JK'  M'lvcd  as  jiisliee  id' 
tiie  jicace  in  his  native  tuwnship,  ami  tor 
eighteen  years  he  held  the  ollice  of  scliool  di- 
rector, most  of  the  time  being  secretai'y  of  the 
b<.;ird.  In  ISGD  be  was  elected  to  the  icgis- 
latui-c  (if  I'ermsyh'aiiia  to  represent  the  cdunties 
of  Wesliiiorrl.ind  and  Indiana,  which  be  did 
witli  credit  to  biuisclf  and  satisfaction  to  his 
constituents.  I 'nder  the  administration  of  (irant 
lie  wa.s  a.ssislanl  assessor  and  deputy  collector  of 
inleinal    revenue,   and    during   ihe   war   be   was 


supervisor  of  the  first  Order  of  Draft  in  West- 
moreland county,  Pa.  Although  Mr.  Hamilton 
is  a  resilient  of  AVcst  Newton  he  owns  a  line 
farm  in  Sewickley  townshi|i — a  ]iart  of  the  old 
liomestead.  He  is  a  meiiilier  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  church,  in  which  he  is  a  ruling 
elder  and  is  an  affable  and  highly  respected 
(rentleman. 


OBERT  1).  HUMES  was  born  February 
24,  1833,  in  'rareutum,  Allegheny  county, 
Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of  James  and  ]\Iary  (Neg- 
ley)  Humes.  His  grandfather,  John  Humes, 
was  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  in  bis  youth  immi- 
grated to  America  previously  to  the  Revolution- 
ary war.  He  settled  at  what  is  now  Manor, 
AVestmorelaiid  coiuily,  Pa.,  where  he  tilled  the 
soil  and  ran  a  distillery.  During  the  war  for 
Independence  ho  served  as  a  teamster  under 
Washington,  after  which  be  returned  to  M:inor, 
where  he  remained  until  his  death.  James 
Humes  (father),  one  of  his  sons,  was  born  in 
July,  1793,  at  Manordale, Westmoreland  county, 
Pa.,  and  died  at  Tarentuni,  in  the  adjoining 
county  of  Allegheny,  September  17,  1805.  He 
was  by  occupation  a  farmer  and  a  democrat  all 
his  life  until  the  late  war,  when  he  voted  partly 
with  the  republicans.  He  first  married  Mary, 
daughter  of  John  Vance,  of  Elizabeth  town.ship, 
Allegheny  county,  who  bore  him  two  children. 
His  second  wife  was  iMary,  daughter  of  Felix 
Neglcy,  of  Allegheny  coiinly.  Pa.,  and  they  had 
fourlcen  children,  ten  of  whom  were  sons.  Fe- 
lix Negley  (maternal  grandfather)  was  of  Cu'r- 
man  descent,  and  in  179t)  settled  where  the  bor- 
ough of  Tarentiim,  Allegheny  county.  Pa.,  now 
stands.  In  1797  be  built  a  saw  mill  and  grist 
mill  and  in  18:11  be  built  a  carding  factory  and 
began  cardiiig  in  1821  in  company  with  Alex. 
McAllister.  In  1832  Mr.  Negley  died,  and  his 
son  Felix  cari'it'd  on  the  business  until  18r)2, 
when  he  also  died.  Felix  NcLdey,  Sr.,  married 
llutli  llorloii,  whose  brother   'I'liomas    built   the 


BIOGRAPIllEh   OF 


first  house  in  Tavoiituin,  a  lon;-c!iliin,  wliicli  stood 
oti  tlio  ri.;;;lit  bank  of  Uull  i  ifck,  near  its  luoiilli. 
I'lio  Noi^lcys  and  tlio  lloilons  woro  tlie  foinuici-.s 
of  ^vllat  is  now  llio  lioui-isliin^  borouj;li  of  'J'a- 
I'cntinn,  Alloghony  county,  I'a. 

Kobert  D.  Humes  was  educated  in  the  public 
and  private  sciiools  of  Tarentum,  and  engaged 
for  a  time  in  farming,  but  later  began  the  man- 
ufacture of  brick  at  his  native  town.  In  18G1 
he  went  to  the  oil  region  and  was  in  the  oil 
business  there  about  a  year.  In  August,  18G2, 
he  enlisted  in  Co.  I,  one  hundred  and  t\v(^nty- 
third  reg.  Pa.  Vols.  'J'iie  day  following  his 
cnli.stment  as  a  private  he  was  ]ironioteil  to  the 
captaincy  of  his  company,  in  which  c;i]iacitv  he 
served  until  December  J;!,  ISti-J,  when,  at  the 
battle  of  I'redei'icksburg,  he  was  wounded  in  the 
thigh  by  a  rifle-ball  and  disabled.  His  regiment 
was  part  of  the  time  under  command  of  Fitz 
John  Porter  and  the  remainder  under  "  Fight- 
ing "  Joe  Hooker.  The  Hunieses  have  from 
time  immemorial  been  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian church,  in  which  many  of  tliera  have  been 
elders,  llobert  1).  Humes  is  an  elder  in  the  same 
church  at  West  Newton,  and  held  the  same  po- 
sition before  going  to  that  place  in  1880.  Mr. 
Humes  is  a  re[)ublican  and  an  active  worker  in 
his  parly  but  has  no  political  asjjirations.  Mr. 
lliimcs  has  been  engaged  in  the  drug  business 
ever  since  he  returned  from  the  war. 


TiMANDER  BUKKET  KING,  of  West 
Newton,  was  born  July  2(J,  1847,  in 
Pittsburg,  Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Martha  (liurket)  King.  His  maternal  grand- 
father, Jacob  Buiket,  was  a  native  and  resident 
of  Stoystown,  Somerset  county,  Pa.,  and  fol- 
lowed the  occupation  of  farming.  John  King 
was  a  resident  of  Allegheny  City,  where  he  died 
November  li!,  l.SSi).  He  was  a  mouldei'by 
trade  and  worked  at  moulding  all  his  life.  He 
was  the  father  of  nine  children,  seven  of  whom 
are  livinK- 


Alinander  15.  King  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools,  and  m  LSIJIl,  at  the  age  of  sixteen 
entered  the  service  of  the  (iovernnient  in  the 
second  rog.,  Maryland  Volunteers,  and  remained 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  lie  was  engaged  in 
the  battles  of  Gettysburg,  Fisher  Hill,  Cedar 
Creek  and  various  others.  After  the  war  he 
learned  the  shoemaker  trade,  at  which  he  has 
worked  ever  since  though  not  continuously. 
Since  his  marriage  he  has  lived  at  West  Newton 
and  is  running  a  shoe  store  in  connection  with 
work  at  his  trade. 

On  the  17th  of  December,  lS74,he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Klizabeth,  a  daughter  of  John 
and  Elizabeth  (Bryan)  Mellender.  They  have 
ha<l  live  children  :  John  A.  (deceased),  Cora  M. 
(deceased),  Winfiehl  L.,  Elizabeth  N.,  and  one 
deceased. 

Mrs.  King's  mother,  Elizabeth  (Bryan) 
Mellender,  was  born  March  7,  18-20,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Abraham  Bryan,  a  native  of  Bucks 
county.  Pa.,  who  migrated  to  East  Huntingdon 
township,  this  county,  where  he  died.  Elizabeth, 
one  of  his  nine  children,  was  married  March  20, 
1845,  to  John  Mellender,  who  died  July  18, 
188,').  They  had  five  children  :  Mary  E.,  b(irn 
April  2t),  184(i ;  John  A.,  born   September  2'J, 

1847,  died  in  1874  ;  Samuel  P.,  born  May  27, 
1852 ;  William  D.  H.,  born  November  30, 
1853,  died  in  18l31,  and  Lafayette  P.,  born  Sept. 
22,  185G.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Mellender  is  rather 
a  remarkable  woman.  She  was  left  at  fifteen 
years  of  age  without  a  home;  she  began  earning 
a  livelihood  by  sewing  and  spinning  by  the 
week  at  Mount  Pleasant  and  afterwards  worked 
for  some  time  at  Greensburg.  By  economy  she 
soon  accumulated  suilicieut  money  to  ]iurchase 
a  farm  of  one  hundred  acres  at  the  foot  of  Chest- 
nut llidge,  for  which  she  paid  §500.  After 
living  on  it  for  several  years   she,  on  April   1, 

1848,  moved  to  the  Mount  Pleasant  toll-gate 
and  became  tollkeei)er  on  the  turn](ike,  and 
afterwards  at  the  bridge  across  the  Youghiogh- 
cnv    river    at    West   Newton,   from    Octobei'   1, 


ir^ 


uj:sTM(tRj':LAyi>  couyrr. 


lSC)-2  to  1884.  In  the  luountiiiu'  .slie  l)oj;;ui  to 
deal  in  real  estate,  which  she  has  eontinued  ever 
since.  Mrs.  MeHenilur  was  very  imich  crip- 
pleil  when  a  eliilil  hy  rhciiiiialisni,  hiil  recuvcrin;^ 
IVoni  its  cU'eets  has  heen  a  lh(jniiij^li-;^'oing  and 
active  bu.sines3  woman  ever  since.  With  re- 
markable foresight  slie  purchased  land  where  tlie 
railway  was  afterwards  made  and  realized  hand- 
somely on  her  investments  in  land  as  well  as 
upon  several  houses  which  she  built  and  sold. 
She  owns  bridge  stock  and  built  her  present 
fine  residence  at  West  Newton.  It  is  an  ell- 
shaped  building,  ■20.\40  feet  front  and  a  wing 
lG.\4r)  feet.  That  she  is  a  woman  of  far  more 
than  ordinary  business  ability  is  evidenced  by 
the  fact  tiiat  she  began  with  nothing  and  is  to- 
day worth  at  least  §20.000.  She  is  philan- 
thropic and  liberal  ;  she  built  the  parsonage  of 
the  church  of  (iod  at  a  cost  of  some  §1,800 
and  donated  it  to  that  church,  of  whicli  siie  is  a 
member  and  a  liberal  supporter. 


jOBEIlT  II.  LATIMOUE.  The  Emerald 
Isle,  though  small  in  extent,  has  sent  to 
the  shores  of  America  thousands  of  men 
who  by  industry,  energy  and  good  judgment 
have  worked  their  way  up  to  fortune,  and  not  a 
few  whose  fame  as  oratois  and  statesmen  has 
spread  acro.ss  more  continents  than  one.  AiiKJUg 
tin-  sons  of  Erin  whu  left  the  land  nf  llieir  nativ- 
ity andln'raiiie  American  cili/.rns,  ami  who  have 
foiiL'hl  the  I'allh'  of  lii'e  failiy  and  siirc,-.>ridly 
is  Uoliert  11.  Latimore,  who  was  horn  December 
22,  1842,  in  county  Tyrone,  Ireland,  and  whose 
parents  were  John  and  Mary  Ann  (Armstrong) 
Latimore.  His  great-great-grandfallur  was  a 
native  of  Scotlan<l,  but  inuuigrated  to  Ireland, 
.settling  in  county  Tyrom-.  Kobcrt  Latimore 
(grandfather)  was  born,  li\eil  and  dieil  in  that 
county,  where  by  occupation  he  was  a  tiller  of 
the  soil.  John  Latimore  (father)  was  born  in 
county  Tyione,  Ireland,  in  Lsl."),  inmiigraled  to 
the    Unilrd    Stales    and     hical.'d    in     ScwicKh^y 


townshi]),  Westmoreland  county,  I'a.,  wliere  he 
owns  a  good  farm  on  which  he  lives,  and  also 
engages  in  stock-raising.  lie  married  in  IS'ST, 
Mary  Ann  Arnislrong  and  ihey  have  seven 
chiidr.'ii:  Kobcit  11.;  Kli/.a,  wile  of  William 
IJorons,  a  fanner  of  Sew  ickley  townshii»;  James, 
who  married  Laura  Douglass  of  Rostraver  town- 
ship, who  is  superintendent  of  mines  and  lives 
in  West  Newton  ;  Margaret  J.,  wife  of  Alex- 
ander Moreland,  of  West  Newton  ;  Charles  D.; 
Letitia,  wife  of  R.  R.  Latimore,  of  Mansfield, 
Pa.,  who  is  in  the  coal  business  with  Armstrong 
&  Co.;  and  William  J.,  who  is  at  home  with  his 
father  on  the  farm.  James  Armstrong  (maternal 
grandfather)  was  also  a  native  of  county  Tyrone, 
Ireland,  where  he  lived  and  died.  lie  was  a 
large  land  owner  in  Ireland  and  on  his  property 
was  situated  a  large  flouring  mill.  II is  religious 
faith  was  that  of  the  Covenanters  or  Reformed 
Presbyterians. 

Robert  II.  Latimore  married  December  31, 
1867,  Emily,  a  daughter  of  Abram  Greenawalt  of 
Sewickley  township,  this  county,  and  to  their 
union  have  been  born  four  children  :  Wiliner  A., 
born  October  4,  18G9,  ami  now  at  home  with 
his  father,  engaged  as  bookkeeper  for  the  firm  of 
which  his  father  is  a  member,  having  com,pleted 
a  course  of  study  in  Curry  Business  college ;  Ger- 
trude, born  June  G,  1872,  now  attending  New 
\Vilmington  college,  Lawrence  county,  Pa.,  where 
she  cxjiects  to  graduate;  Mamie,  born  September 
12,  l87r),  and  Maggie,  born  November  5,  188-}. 

ivolieit  11.  Latimore  was  ediicaied  ill  the 
schools  of  Ireland  and  before  coming  to  America 
worked  on  a  farm.  After  his  arrival  in  Penn- 
sylvania he  embarked  in  the  coal  business  as  su- 
perintendent of  the  mines  at  Armstrong  station 
on  the  R.  iSc  O.  R.  R.,  in  which  position  he  con- 
tinued for  seventeen  years  with  no  intermission 
e.\ccpt  a  period  of  three  months  in  which  he 
visited  Port  Rush,  a  famous  watering  jilace  in 
the  northern  part  of  Ireland  The  visit  was 
made  for  the  belielit  of  his  health  and  since  that 
lime  he  has  never  heen  sick  a  siii'jle  week.      At 


niO(.;i:AViiii:s  of 


tlio  t'xpinilion  o(  tliu  sevt'iitccii  yours  lie  ciimii^tMl 
ill  the  (.•(i:il  biisiiio.ss  lor  liiiiisulf  ;it  West  Newton, 
operating  what  is  called  the  Yuiigli  Slope  Ga8 
Coal  (Joinpaiiy's  mines.  This  eoiiipany  mines 
and  ships  Youghiogheny  gas  coal.  Mr.  Lati- 
more  has  been  in  this  business  since  1871t,  and 
in  addition  owns  and  eondiiets  the  business  of  a 
large  general  store  in  W^est  Newton  ;  he  also  ships 
coal  to  his  yards  in  Pittsburg  where  it  is  retailed 
to  the  city  trade.  He  owns  a  valuable  farm  in 
Sewii'kley  townsliip  and  a  fine  brick  residence 
in  West  >,'e\\l(ia  wliieh  he  built  for  a  home. 
lie  removed  to  \Vest  Newton  in  1.'!>7'J  in  order 
to  secure  greater  etliicationul  advantages  and 
all  tlie  benefits  and  enjoyments  of  town  life,  j 
Mr.  liatimoic  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  ' 
success  of  the  liepublican  Iiaity  and  is  a  con- 
sistent mendier  of  the  I'liited  Presbyterian 
chureii  at  \Ve>t  Newton,  uf  which  he  was  one 
of  the  trustees  who  built  the  present  ciiurcli  ; 
edifice  in  LSS:)  ^t  a  cost  of  twenty-three  thousand 
dollars.  Mrs.  Latimore  and  three  of  the  child- 
ren are  also  members  of  the  same  church. 
Robert  II.  Latimore  possesses  i)usiness  qualifica- 
tions of  a  liigli  onler,  a  ver}'  pleasant  and  af- 
fable gentleman,  and  richly  de>eives  the  res- 
pect and  popidarity  lie  enjoys.  It  is  an  old 
saying  that  "  man  is  the  arcliitect  of  his  own 
fortune,"  and  tlie  success  of  Mr.  Latimore  is 
an  evidence  of  its   truth. 


•f  AMK.s  II.  I, AWIIKAI),  M.  D.,  .,  -urcess- 
jj  I'ul  Vi'iihg  pliysician  of  West  Ncwlon,  was 
QJ  born  at  .Moigantuwn,  W.  \'a.,  January  .'), 
l!SG2.  He  entered  the  State  University  and  was 
graduated  from  there  in  the  class  of  l<S8:i.  He 
afterwards  studied  medicine  lor  tliree  years  and 
was  suiisci|Uc'iit]y  graduated  from  llie  .lell'erson 
Medical  college,  I'hdadelphia,  in  ll^S.",.  He  be- 
gun practice  at  Smithfieid,  Fayette  county,  in 
partnership  with  H.  B.  Mathicit,  one  of  the  oldest 
and  most  successful  physicians  of  Fayette  county. 
i)r.   Lawheail   remained  at   Smithlield,  praeliced 


most  successfully  for  two  years  when  ho  with 
Dr.  Mathiot  came  to  AVest  Newton  where  they 
continueil  in  practice  together  for  one  year; 
their  ))artnership  was  then  dissolved,  when  Hr. 
Lawhcad  entered  into  co-ijartliership  with  l->r. 
George  M.  Vandyke  of  ^Vest  Newton.  They 
are  both  young  men  of  ability  and  by  tlieir 
strict  attention  to  business  have  succeedeil  in 
building  up  a  very  lucrative  practice.  He  is  a 
republican  and  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows 
Lodge  at  West  Newton. 

Ur  James  H.  Ijawhead  is  a  son  of  Ashbel  and 
]Mollie(Lee)  Lawheail;  the  latter  was  a  daughter 
of  William  Lee  of  Clarksburg,  W.  Ya.  Ur. 
Lawhead's  maternal  grandfather,  William  Lee, 
was  from  near  AVinehestor,   \  a. 

Ur.  Lawhead  is  one  of  the  best-read  young 
jiliysieians  in  the  county  and  at  West  Newton 
his  practice  is  becoming  quite  extensive  and 
lucrati\  f. 

r^ON.  ELI  C.  LEICHTY,  a  prominent 
11  citizen  of  West  Newton,  was  born  Feb- 
(*)  ruary  11,  1822,  in  Ilempfield  township, 
Westmoreland  county,  I'a.,  and  is  a  son  of 
Jacob  and  Salome  (Leader)  Leighty.  His  grand- 
father, John  Leighty,  was  of  German  descent  but 
a  native  of  eastern  Pennsylvania,  and  removed  to 
Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  where  he  liveil  and 
died.  In  his  cai'lier  days  he  was  a  blacksmith 
but  spent  the  latter  [lortiou  of  his  life  in  tilling  the 
soil.  He  was  a  member  id'  the  Gcriiian  Re- 
formed chinch  and  soldier  in  the  war  of  1S12. 
His  sons,  ,lohn  and  Jacob,  were  his  only  oil'- 
spring.  Michael  Leader  (maternal  grandfather), 
alsi)  of  (ierman  extraction,  was  a  native  of 
Franklin  county.  Pa.,  and  came  to  Ilempfield 
townsliip,  AVestmoreland  county,  Pa.,  where  he 
lived  on  the  farm  adjoining  that  of  John  Leighty. 
Jacob  Leighty  (father)  was  a  mitive  of  West- 
moreland county,  Pa.,  a  farmer  by  occupation, 
and  died  on  the  homestead  farm  in  Ilempfield 
townshi]).  lie  was  mai'ried  to  Salome  Leader, 
and  was  the  father  of  one  eliibl  :    l']li  (J. 


WESTMOIiKLAND   CO  UNTi'. 


Eli  C.  Leiglity  married  ILinnali  I:.  Markle, 
and  they  have  four  chiUlren:  Norman  M.,  John 
M.,  Ada  E.  and  Emma.  Norman  has  been  twice 
married,  the  first  wile  hein^  Sadie  (jiianiiells. 
lie  now  lives  witii  his  sec(jnd  wife  in  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the  express  busi- 
ness. John  M.,  who  is  a  house  and  sign 
painter,  married  AUie  Swem  and  resides  at  West 
Newton.  Emma  is  the  wife  of  II.  A.  Doughiss, 
of  West  Newton,  wlio  under  Cleveland's  admin- 
istration was  appointed  deputy  collector  of  In- 
ternal Revenue. 

Eli  0.  Leight}'  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  after 
which  he  embarked  in  the  drug  business,  in 
which  he  has  been  continually  engaged  from 
184ri  to  the  present  time  and  for  the  last  forty- 
one  years  he  has  occupied  tlie  same  stand.  In 
18G4  he  engaged  in  the  oil  business  in  Venango 
county,  Pa.,  where  he  drilled  several  wells,  and 
owns  at  this  time  a  large  farm  near  Oil  City. 
His  business  ventures  have  been  very  successful, 
and  as  a  result  he  owns  considerable  property 
in  the  borough  of  West  Newton.  Mr.  Leighiy 
is  A  member  of  the  Methoilist  church,  in  which 
he  has  held  every  office  to  which  a  layman  is 
eligible  and  is  now  president  of  the  board  of 
trustees.  In  liSS4  he  was  a  delegate  to  the 
(General  Conference  wliich  met  iu  Philadelpliia. 
Mr.  Vj.  C.  Leiglity  has  always  been  an  active 
worker  in  the  interests  of  the  Democratic  party 
ami  has  served  his  town  as  member  of  the 
CDiiMcil  and  the  school  board.  In  187.S  ho  was 
elected  to  the  Legislatuie  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
served  witli  credit  to  himself  and  the  county. 
He  is  a  member  of  Milner  Lodge,  No.  287, 
A.  Y.  M.,  of  Pittsburg,  and  also  belongs  to  the 
West  Newton  Lodge,  I.  0.  0.  F. 


/p\R.  MARTIN    H.  LUTZ,  D.  D.    S. 

y^J   Although    the    various    professions    are 

overcrowileil   with    ambitious  young  men 

who   lack    either    the    alality    or    some  of    the 


qualities  essential  to  success,  it  is  almost  uni- 
versally conceded  that  "  there  is  room  at  the 
top,"  and  that  is  where  we  find  Dr.  M.  H. 
Lutz,  a  skillful  dental  surgron  of  WcslXcwlon, 
who  is  a  son  of  i)avid  I',  and  Alctba  .\.  (Van 
Swearingen)  Lutz,  and  was  born  May  -i,  1857, 
in  Kostraver  township,  Westmoreland  county. 
Pa.  His  grandfather,  George  Lutz,  was  of  Ger- 
man e.xtraction  though  a  native  of  Fayette 
county.  Pa.,  where  he  followed  carpentry  dur- 
ing the  first  portion  of  his  life,  but  latterly  en- 
gaged in  farming.  David  P.  Lutz  (father)  was 
born  April  11,  1826,  near  Fayette  City,  Pa., 
and  practiced  dentistry  for  many  years,  but  is 
now  retired  and  lives  on  a  farm  near  Fayette 
City.  Besides  this  farm  he  also  owns  property 
in  Fayette  county,  Pa.,  in  Jeannette,  Pa.,  and 
in  the  west.  He  married  Althea  A.  ^'an 
Swearingen  and  to  them  were  born  seven  chil- 
dren :  Josephine,  wife  of  E.  Y.  Beggs,  of  Clear- 
field, Pa.;  George  D.,  a  graduate  of  the  State 
Normal  school  at  California,  Pa.,  who  served 
two  years  as  superintendent  ofschools  at  Kansas 
City,  Mo.,  studied  law  at  Uniontown,  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  and  is  now  practicing  law  at 
Independence,  Mo.;  John  F.,  who  is  engaged  in 
'  the  mercantile  business  at  Jeannette,  Pa.  ; 
I  ]5essie,  wife  of  R.  M.  ^Valdron,  a  veterinary 
I  surgeon,  of  Greensburg,  I'a.;  David  P.;  Charles 
I   S.  and  Martin  11, 

j  George  A^m  Swearingen  (maternal  great- 
I  grandfather)  was  born  in  Scotland,  and  during 
1  one  of  the  wars  concealed  himself  in  a  cask  on 
board  a  ship  bound  for  America  and  was  safely 
landed  in  this  country,  wliich  he  never  left.  His 
son,  George  Van  Swearingen  (maternal  grand- 
father), was  born,  lived  and  died  near  Union- 
town,  Pa.,  and  was  a  carpenter  by  trade 
though  in  his  later  years  he  fulloweil  farm- 
ing. 

Martin  II.  Lutz  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  West  Newton,  Pa.,  and  engaged  for 
one  term  in  "  teaching  the  young  idea  how 
to    shoot."     He  entered  the    St.  Louis  Dental 


lilOGUAPIlIES  OF 


college  in  1878,  tlirough  which  he  iiiiulc  liis  way 
by  liis  own  clVorts.  Heturiiiiig  lioiiio,  lio  priu;- 
ticfil  a  t'ow  yi'ais  us  liis  fathor's  partner,  aftor 
wliich  ho  wont  to  I'ittsburg.  In  188-t  ho  on- 
torod  Phihulolphia  Dental  college  from  which 
he  graduated  in  1885,  standing  second  in  a 
class  of  lii'ty-eight.  lie  then  opened  an  cilice 
in  West  Newton  and  began  the  practice  of  den- 
tistry" in  that  place,  where  he  yet  continues.  Dr. 
Liitz  has  met  with  very  llattering  success  in  liis 
profession  which  has  br'jught  hiui  fame,  and 
fortune  is  ajready  on  the  way.  lie  commenced 
on  thirty  dollars,  made  his  way  through  two 
dental  colleges  and  now  owns  considerable  prop- 
erty in  Independence,  Mo.,  and  in  Jeannette, 
Pa.  His  achievements  certainly  prove  that 
brains  anil  jnish  are  the  open  sesame  to  the 
avenues  of  success.  Dr.  Lutz,  like  his 
father  and  his  grandfather,  is  an  earnest,  in- 
telligent democrat  and  is  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church. 


fllEPAKD  B.  MAKKLE,  JR.,  a  well- 
known  citizen  of  AVestmoreland  county 
and  jiroprielor  of  the  "  Pa]jer  Mills  "  in 
ISewickley  township,  is  a  son  of  (ien.  Cyrus  P. 
and  Sarah  (Ijip])incott)  Markle  and  was  born  at 
Mill  (ir()V(',  Sewickley  towtisliip,  Westmoreland 
county,  Pa.,  iMay  lo,  181  1.  The  founder  of 
the  Markle  family  in  AVestnioreland  county  was 
John  Chrisman  Merklin  (written  in  this  country 
.Markh'l,  "ho  w.isbdiii  at  .\lsacoon  llir  Kliine 
about  I  (ITS.  Ki'ligious  Iroidiles  drovi'  liiiii  (o 
Amsterdam,  Holland,  where  he  married  Jemima, 
sister  of  Admiral  ^Vcurtz  and  in  170^  immi- 
grated to  Salem  Springs,  Berks  county,  Pa.  He 
had  nine  children,  of  whom  the  youngest  was 
(iaspar<l  Markle,  who  was  born  in  Berks  county, 
in  17;i-  and  iiie<l  in  18l',l.  lie  married  I'^liza- 
beth  Grim  and  in  177U  removed  to  Westnmre- 
land  county  where  his  wife  died.  In  1770  he 
married  Mary  i!oail;u  nicl  and  his  oldst  child  by 
this  marriage  was  (Jen.  Joseph   Markle  (grand- 


father), who  was  born  in  South  Huntingdon 
townsiii]),  February  1"),  1777.  Several  of  his 
near  relatives  served  in  lioth  the  war  of  the 
Revolution  and  that  of  ISlii.  He  ilat-boated 
Hour  to  New  Orhsuis  from  il'M  to  18IJ9,  com- 
manded a  company  of  cavalry  under  Gen.  Har- 
rison in  the  war  of  1812  and  shortly  afterwards 
was  elected  a  major-general  of  the  Pennsylvania 
militia.  He  was  a  presbyterian  and  a  republi- 
can. He  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife 
was  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Judge  Jacob  Painter, 
whom  he  married  January  18,  1805.  They  had 
four  children :  Shepard  B.,  Mrs.  Mary  E. 
Boyd,  Elias  R.  and  Gen.  Cyrus  P.  His  second 
wife  was  Elizabeth  Lloyd,  by  whom  he  had 
twelve  children,  of  whom  six  grew  to  man 
and  womanhood  :  Lafayette,  an  editor  ;  Joseph, 
George  W.,  Roxanna,  Sidnie  and  Margaret. 
Gen.  Cyrus  P.  Markle  (father)  was  born  in 
Sewicklcy  township,  April  18,  1810.  He  was 
largely  engaged  in  the  manufocture  of  paper 
and  coke  for  many  years.  On  May  5,  1835,  he 
married  Sarah  Ann,  daughter  of  James  and 
Margaret  Lippincott.  She  was  born  at  Mount 
Pleasant  June  12,  1814,  and  died  November  26, 
1H()',).  To  (len.  au<l  Mrs.  Markle  were  born 
ten  children  :  Margaret  \.  and  Mary  E.  (twins), 
born  Januai'y  28,  18.''(i  ;  Joseph  L.,  born  No- 
vendier  7,  18:17;  Jesse  II.,  born  January  8, 
18;i'.);  Cassius  C,  born  October  ;'.|,  ]K10; 
Shepard  B.,  Jr.,  and  Cyrus  P.  (twins),  born 
May,  15,  1844  ;  Mary  Emily,  born  September 
7,  1810;  Harriet  C.,  born  Srplcmber  28,  18-17'; 
Amanda,  born  July  20,  1.S50,  and  Winlield 
S.,  born  February  14,  1852.  Of  these  Mar- 
garet A.,  Cassius  C,  Shepard  V>.  Jr.,  Mary 
Emily  and  Harriet  C.  are  living.  Gen.  Markle 
was  a  presbyterian  and  a  republican.  He  served 
as  general  of  the  13th  Legion  Pennsylvania 
Militia  for  many  years. 

Shepard  B.  Markle,  Jr.,  was  seriously  cri])- 
pled  for  life  by  a  fall  which  happened  when  he 
was  eighlecn  months  old.  This  fill,  together 
with   his  physician's  orders  lo   take   continu(ju.s^ 


WEST.yfORELAND  COUNTY. 


306 


exercise,  prevented  his  entering  upon  any  ex- 
tenilcd  course  of  St luly  at  seliool.  At  an  early 
age  he  became  his  father's  business  manager  and 
lia.s  been  cuffiff'd  in  acttive  imsincss  ever  since. 
lie  introdiiceil  into  Si!wii-i<K'y  tuwnship  ihc 
first  rugistered  Jersey  cattle  ever  brought  into 
Westmoreland  county.  He  is  successfully  op- 
erating the  steam  paper-mill  which  was  erected 
in  18:17  near  the  site  of  the  frame  paper-mill 
built  in  1811  by  Gen.  Joseph  Markle.  1'he 
latter  was  the  third  paper-mill  erected  west  of 
the  Allegheny  mountains. 

On  June  11,  1874,  Mr.  Markle  united  in 
marriage  with  Isabella,  daughter  of  James  P. 
and  Jane  K.  (iloore)  Carothers.  Mrs.  Markle 
was  born  in  South  Huntingdon  township  Octo- 
ber 18,  185-.  She  is  the  great-granddaughter 
of  the  Rev.  James  Power,  a  pioneer  of  Presby- 
terianism  in  western  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Markle  have  five  children:  Sarah  A., 
Jane  C,  Maggie  M.,  Mary  E.  and  Cyrus  Painter. 

In  politics  Mr.  Markle  is  a  republican.  He 
devotes  his  time  at  present  to  the  management 
of  his  farm  and  paper-mill. 


^jpOIIN  MILLIRON,  an   industrious   citizen 

J  of  West  Newton  and  a  lately  established 
merchant  of  Ilostraver  township,  was  born 
at  New  Stanton,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa., 
September  18,  1858,  and  is  a  son  of  Daniel  and 
Catherine  (Cole)  Milliron.  Ilis  paternal  grand- 
father, John  Milliron,  was  a  resident  of  Stanton 
for  many  years.  He  was  a  blacksmitii  by  occu- 
pation, a  republican  in  politics  and  a  lutheran 
in  religious  faith.  His  father,  Daniel  Milliron, 
who  was  born  in  1831,  lives  in  Sewickley  town- 
ship, this  county.  He  is  a  shoemaker  by  trade, 
a  stanch  republican  and  a  member  of  the  Ger- 
man Reformed  church.  In  180;)  he  enlisted  in 
the  si.\ty-second  reg..  Pa.  Vols.,  served  two  and 
one-half  years  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  and 
was  wounded  in  one  of  the  battles  of  tlie  Wilder- 
ness.    In  1804  he  married  Catherine  Cole,  by 


whom  he  had  seven  children.  Her  father, 
George  Colo,  resided  until  late  in  lil'e  near  Mt. 
Pleasant.  He  moved  to  Irwin  when  well  ad- 
vanced in  years  and  in  a  slioit  lime  tlicicul'icr 
niigi-alcd  to  Ohio  where  iu-  died  Apid,  iMMtJ, 
soon  after  his  arrival.  He  was  a  rej)ublicaii  and 
a  member  of  the  M.  E.  chnrch. 

John  Milliron  received  a  moderate  education 
in  the  common  schools  of  Mill  Grove  in  Sewick- 
ley township,  and  learned  the  trade  of  shoemaker 
with  his  fiUher.  He  worked  at  his  traile  and 
diflerent  kinds  of  labor  until  1880,  when  he  re- 
moved to  West  Newton  and  followed  his  trade 
for  eight  years.  In  the  spring  of  1888  he 
entered  into  the  mercantile  business  and  opened 
a  store  in  Ilostraver  township,  just  across  the 
Youghiogheny  river  from  West  Newton.  He 
is  now  successfully  operating  both  his  store  and 
shoe  shop.  He  owns  his  store  building  besides 
his  residence  and  a  valuable  lot  in  West  Newton. 
Mr.  Milliron  is  one  who  has  never  been  idle 
and  owes  his  prosperity  to  his  own  unaided  but 
persistent  efforts.  He  is  a  republican  who  gives 
his  party  a  hearty  support,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Junior  Order  of  United  American  Mechanics. 

John  Milliron  was  married  on  November  27, 
1879,  to  Emma  Burkhart,  daughter  of  Albert 
Burkhart  of  Mill  Grove.  To  their  union  has 
been  born  one  child,  a  daughter,  who  is  named 
Mamie  Pearl  Milliron. 


6' 


LEXAMDER  MORELAND,  a  brave 
soldier  in  the  late  great  civil  war  and 
the  proprietor  of  one  of  the  leading 
livery  establishments  of  West  Newton,  was  born 
in  county  Down,  Ireland,  May  28,  1845,  and  is 
a  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Spratt)  Moreland. 
His  paternal  grandfather,  John  Moreland,  Sr., 
was  a  farmer  in  Ireland,  where  he  lived  and 
died.  His  father,  John  Moreland,  was  born  in 
1800  and  died  in  1884.  He  was  a  strict  pres- 
byterian,  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  never  left 
his  native   island.      He   married    Mary   Spratt, 


BIOGRArillES  OF 


whose  fatlicr  was  a  well-to-do  fanner.  Unto 
Jdliii  nnil  Mary  Moii^laiiil  wi-i-o  Imhu  ten  cliil- 
(Irc'U  :  William,  .loliii,  Koljcrt,  Joseph,  James 
(dead),  Alexander,  James  A.,  Mary,  Annie  and 
Eliza,  or  these  ehildren  William,  .Joseph,  ,lolin 
and  Alexander  came  to  America.  Joseph  served 
in  the  Fourth  I'a.  Cavalry  in  the  late  war,  was 
captured  at  Waterloo  in  18G-]  and  was  held 
prisoner  at  Andersonville  until  the  war  eloseii. 

Alexander  Moreland  received  his  education  in 
the  schot)ls  of  Ireland  and  immigrated  to  the 
United  States  in  1S60.  During  that  year  he 
worked  in  IJutler  county,  Pa.,  and  in  the  suc- 
ceeding year  (18G1)  he  enlisted  in  Co.  D,  elev- 
enth Pa.  Ueserve  Infantry.  He  participated  in 
the  battles  of  Bull  llun,  Antietam,  Fredericks- 
burg, Seven  Days  Fight  and  the  Wilderness, 
and  was  honorably  discharged  at  Pittsburg,  Pa., 
June  13,  18G4.  He  was  shot  through  the  leg 
at  Fredericksburg  and  was  unable  for  duty  for 
thirteen  weeks.  At  Gaines'  Mill,  September 
•27,  18G2,  he  was  captureil  by  the  Confederates 
and  placed  in  "  Libby  Prison,"  an  here  he  re- 
mained for  three  months  and  twenty-seven  days 
before  he  was  exchanged.  He  was  then  sent  to 
parole  camp  at  Annapolis,  Mil.,  and  rejoined  his 
regiment  in  March,  iSG'i.  After  the  war  closed 
Mr.  Moreland  engagiil  with  Price,  Walker  & 
(Jo.,  of  i'illsbiirg,  i'a,,  in  the  glass  business  and 
remained  wilh  llicm  lor  nine  years.  lie  ihen 
visited  the  island  home  of  his  childhood.  Alur 
one  year  spent  in  Ireland  he  returned  to  Penn- 
sylvania and  srr\(ii  for  eleven  years  as  su|)erin- 
tendent  of  C.  It.  Armstrong's  coal  works.  On 
April  1,  188'J,  Mr.  Moreland  removed  to  West 
Newton  and  embarked  in  the  livery  business. 
He  has  a  large  and  conveniently  arranged  livery, 
sales  and  feed  stable.  He  has  a  large  and  fine 
selected  stock  of  horses,  keeps  excellent  buggies 
and  carriages  and  is  rapidly  building  an  exten- 
sive and  paying  trade. 

H(!  married  INfargaret  Moore,  a  daughter  of 
John  Moore,  wIkj  was  a  contractor  of  Pittsburg, 
Pa.     She  died,  and   on   March    13,  18TG,  Mr. 


Moreland  united  in  marriage  with  Maggie 
Latlimore,  daughter  of  .lohn  I/attimore,  a  Se- 
wickley  township  farmer,  and  sister  to  Koiiert 
jyattiniore,  a  coal  dealer  of  West  Newton.  J5y 
his  second  marriage  he  has  one  child  :  John  L., 
born  March  ir>,  1877. 

Alexander  Moreland  is  a  republican.  He  and 
his  wife  arc  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
He  is  an  intelligent  and  useful  citizen  and  is  a 
prominent  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 


Republic. 


|-^EONARD  N  AH  All,  an  industrious  citi- 
■^'  r  zen,  a  skilled  and  successful  tradesman 
and  a  ]irominent  Odd  Fellow  of  West 
Newton,  is  a  son  of  John  M.  and  Saloma  (Zim- 
merman)  Nabar,  and  was  born  in  Germany, 
July  2;'),  1850.  John  M.  Nahar  was  descended 
from  a  family  which  traced  its  ancestry  away 
back  into  the  early  settlement  of  Germany. 
He  was  a  blacksmith  by  occupation  and  served 
three  years  as  a  soldier  in  the  •'  King's  Guards." 
In  18.f)l  he  came  to  Philadelphia,  this  State, 
and  Nvorked  in  that  city  and  various  ]daces 
throughout  southeastern  Pennsylvania  for  nearly 
two  years.  In  1853  he  was  joined  by  his  wife 
and  children,  who  came  over  from  Germany  in 
that  year.  He  immediately  removed  with  his 
i'amily  to  Westmiirelalid  county  and  located  at 
West  Newton,  where  he  was  employed  on  journey 
work  during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  died 
Novendier  '.•,  18811,  and  was  buried  in  West 
Newton  cemetery.  He  was  a  democrat  and 
had  served  as  councilman  of  his  borough.  Ho 
was  an  Odd  Fellow  and  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  church,  in  which  he  had  held  the 
offices  of  deacon  and  elder.  He  stood  high  in 
his  community  on  account  of  his  honesty  and 
strict  regard  for  truth  and  won  the  regard  and 
good  opinion  of  all  wdio  became  acquainted  with 
him.  He  was  married  to  Zaloma  Zimmerman, 
bv  whom  he  had  twelve  children,  of  whom  five 
are  dead.     Mrs.  Nahar  is  a  worthy  member  of 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


tlie  Lutheran  church  and  still  resides  at  West 
Newton. 

Leonai'd  N;iliar  attended  school  in  Sewickle}' 
townsiiip,  tliis  county,  after  his  ])arents  came  to 
Westmoreland  county.  liCavin;^  school  he  made 
choice  of  and  learned  the  trade  of  blacksmith. 
In  1875  he  removed  to  West  Newton,  where  he 
engaged  in  hlacksmithing  and  has  continued 
ever  since  in  that  line  of  business. 

On  April  IS,  187-,  he  was  married  to  Mary 
Eudora  IJeeler,  a  daughter  of  William  and 
Harriet  Becler,  of  Webster,  tiiis  county.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Nahar  have  seven  children  :  William 
M.,  boin  February  2.'>,  187:i;  Leonard  W., 
boiii  .Jidy  4,  I87rj;  1  latlic  (i ,,  born  Sfptrmber 
8,  1878;  Charhvs  C,  born  .Iiuie  17,  1880; 
John  j\L,  born  January  l.">,  l88.'i;  Alvey  B., 
born  September  lo,  1885  ;  and  Saloina,  born 
November  20,  1888. 

Leonard  Nahar  is  a  democrat  in  polities  and 
ha.s  been  a  member  of  the  borough  council  for 
the  last  three  years.  He  has  acquired  consider- 
able means  by  honest  labor  and  good  manage- 
ment and  owns  a  nice  property  in  the  borough. 
lie  is  a  member  of  and  has  passed  all  the  chairs 
in  West  Newton  Lodge,  No.  440,  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  is  a  Royal  Purple 
Degree  encampment  member  of  the  same  order 
and  belongs  to  West  Newton  Encampment,  No. 
275,  of  the  jurisdiction  of  Pennsylvania. 

•|'OIIN  NEW^L\N,  a  substantial  citizen  and 
f  one  ot  West  Newton's  successful  business 
QJ  men,  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Maggie  (Lejial) 
Newman  and  was  born  in  Germany,  June  27, 
1842.  His  granilparents  on  both  sides  of  his 
liouse  were  natives  and  life-long  residents  of  the 
"  Fatlierland."  His  father,  Henry  Newman, 
was  born  in  18l)7.  He  was  reared  to  farming 
but  soon  turneil  his  attention  to  the  taihn-  trade 
wliicli  be  learned  and  followed  for  several  years. 
Ileniiirried  iMaggie  Hcpal,wb(i  w.-isboni  in  1808; 
and   ihry  inunigralcd    In   lliis   coiiiiliy  in    IS.'iS. 


They  had  five  children,  all  of  whom  were  born  in 
Germany:  Catharine,  Gertruile,  Elizabeth,  John, 
and  Casper.  Catharine  nnirried  John  Strach, 
and  they  have  two  cliildr-en  ;  (icrtru<le  was  mar- 
ried to  Casper  Dral  and  had  si.\  children; 
Elizabeth  became  the  wife  of  Casper  Uecken- 
baugh  and  they  had  eight  children  ;  John  ;  and 
Casper  wedded  Annie  Bosswell  who  bore  him  five 
children.  Henry  Newman  and  his  twin  brother 
are  both  living  and  are  now  eighty-three  years 
of  age  and  enjoying  remarkably  good  health. 

John  Newman  received  his  education  in  the 
schools  of  Germany  and  learned  the  trade  of 
butchering  before  leaving  his  native  soil  to  ac- 
company his  parents  to  the  United  States.  He 
was  for  some  time  at  Uoehester,  Pa.,  then  re- 
moved to  New  Brighton  and  from  there  went  to 
Pittsburg  where  he  worked  for  several  years. 
After  his  marriage  he  settleil  nt  Buena  Arista, 
Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  but  shortly  afterward 
removed  to  Shaner  station.  In  18tJ8  he  came 
to  West  Newton  and  has  lived  there  ever  since. 

He  was  married  November  IG,  1864,  to  Eliza- 
beth Amsler  whose  parents  live  in  Switzerland. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Newman  have  ten  children:  Henry, 
who  married  Fannie  Mallory,  December  28, 
1887,  and  resides  at  West  Newton  ;  Mollie,  Ida, 
Lizzie,  Sadie,  Alexander,  John,  Matilda,  Cecelia 
and  Elva. 

John  Newman  has  always  been  successful  as 
a  butcher  and  owns  considerable  ])roperty  at 
West  Newton.  He  has  been  a  democrat  ever 
since  coming  to  this  country.  Ho  is  a  devoted 
member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church  at 
West  Newton,  Pa.,  in  which  he  has  held  the 
ofhces  of  deacon  and  elder.  He  is  the  worthy 
descendant  of  a  sturdy,  honorable  and  industrious 
race  and  has  been  successful  in  his  various  busi- 
ness ventures. 

•]|'OHN    OBLEY    is   a  son  of    Timothy  and 

J     Elizabeth    (Eisic)    Obley,     ami     was    born 
Deccndier   2.'i,    1811t,    in    the    Kingdom  of 
Wurlendn'rg,  Empire  (if  (Jermuny.     Adam  ImsIc, 


308 


lUOQRAPUIES  OF 


his  iiiateriKil  liiumlliitliur,  a  iiutive  of  (Ifiiiiaiiy, 
was  a  tailor  \i\  iraiio  ami  caiin.'  to  ;ui  iiuliiiioly 
t'liil  ill  Ins  iiati\L'  land  1j_v  ilrowiiiiii;. 

.Iiilni  Olilcy  i i;.'ral(Ml  In  AiiKTica  in  tlic  fall 

of  ISKJaliil  scUlfil  111  \\\'Sl  Newton,  Wcstinorc- 
lanii  comity,  I'a.,  IJoth  in  the  "  Fatlicilaiid  " 
and  West  Newton  he  was  engaged  in  tailoring, 
whicli  he  continued  until  ISlil  wliei\  tlie  civil 
war  began,  lie  then  volunteered  his  services  for 
the  suppression  of  the  Rebellion  and  entered 
Co.  F,  12th  Pa.  reserves  and  served  until  Feb- 
ruary, 18(j;J,  wdien  he  wivs  mustered  out  of  the 
service,  lie  took  jiart  in  the  battle  of  Second 
Hull  Kun  where  he  was  taken  prisoner  and  car- 
ried to  Hay  market.  Having  been  detained  for 
some  time  as  a  prisoner  of  war  he  is  conseiiuently 
able  to  speak  intelligently  of  the  horrors  of  war 
both  in  the  held  and  the  dungeon.  Mr.  C)l)Iey  is 
a  republican  and  has  served  as  nieuiber  of  the 
borough  council.  He  iias  by  diligence  and  fru- 
gality accumulated  considerable  property  in  \Vest 
Newton. 

John  Obley  married  twice ;  his  first  wife  was 
Adaline  Price  of  Marylantl.  They  had  three 
children  :  Benjamin,  Mary  A.  and  Charles  \\ . 
Benjamin  is  married  to  Susan  Eisle  and  lives  in 
\Vest  Newton,  where  he  lias  a  confection  and 
notion  store.  Mary  .\.  was  iiuirried  to  I'Vaneis 
ludand  ^\iio  lived  in  West  Newton,  but  was 
killed  in  the  mines  near  there  in  ll^ST.  Charles 
W.,  who  is  a  painter,  married  Catherine  Eisle 
and  lives  in  the  borough  of  West  Newton.  John 
()bb'v's  second  wife  was  Sailio  Darr  wiin  has 
borne  him  two  children  :    Ivlward  and   May. 


'ENllY  A.  OliLEY,  one  of  the  leading 
'  ■  citizens  and  intelligent  men  of  the  county 
was  born  May  11,  1854,  in  West  Newton, 
A\'<'stinorehind  county.  Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of 
Frederick  and  Su>aiiiia  (I'cteis)  Obley.  His 
grandfather,  Timotliy  Oldey,  was  born  January 
I'd,  17'J8,  in  Wurteinburg,  Germany,  and  iiniiii- 
grated  to  the  United  States  in  1840,  locating  at 


West  Newton,  Pa.,  where  he  lived  until  his 
death.  Before  coming  to  Anieiiea  he  married 
Elizalieth  Eisle  who  bore  him  two  ilaiighters  and 
three  sons,  (d'  whom  two  (the  daughters)  arc 
dead.  'riiiiolliy  Obley  enlisted  in  the  iwiny  id" 
Wurtemberg  on  the  ]8tli  day  of  June,  1814,  and 
was  in  actual  military  service  until  July  18, 
18'21,  and  was  under  obligation  to  servo  an  ad- 
ditional year  if  circumstances  demanded  it.  II. 
A.  Obley's  grandfather  (Peters)  was  of  German 
descent  though  a  native  of  Westmoreland  county. 
Pa.  lie  was  a  farmer  and  resiiled  near  Irwin, 
Pa.,  wdiere  he  died.  Frederick  Obley  (father) 
was  born  in  Germany  August  7,  1824,  and 
came  to  America  with  his  father.  By  trade  he 
was  a  plasterer  and  mason  and  this  business  he 
continued  to  follow  through  life.  In  1802  he 
enlisted  in  Co.  F,  eleventh  reg.  Pa.  Vols.,  and 
served  till  the  close  of  the  war.  At  the  battle 
of  the  Wilderness  he  was  struck  and  wounded  by 
a  portion  of  a  shell.  He  eonlraeted  diseases  in 
the  services  that  caused  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred at  West  Newton  in  IMarcli^  18N2.  Be- 
sides that  of  the  Wilderness  he  was  engaged  in 
other  fierce  and  bloody  battles,  among  which  was 
Bull  Run.  Mr.  Obley  was  a  democrat  from  his 
tirst  to  his  last  vote,  and  a  memlier  of  the 
ehureli  of  God  at  West  Newton,  in  which  he 
was  at  the  time  of  his  death  an  elder  and  repre- 
sentative elect  to  the  general  assembly.  He  was 
an  earnest  member  of  the  I.  0.  O.  F.,  which 
order  conducted  his  furneral  services.  He  mar- 
ried Susanna  Peters  and  they  had  three  sons  and 
four  daughters,  all  of  whom  are  living  except  one 
daughter. 

Henry  A.  Obley  married  Sadie  C,  a  dau"li- 
ter  of  Adam  Kamerer,  who  now  resides  at 
Mclveesport,  Allegheny  county.  Pa.  The  cere- 
mony was  performed  September  lU,  1878,  and 
the  iniion  has  been  blessed  by  the  birth  of  four 
children:  Silvia  1'].,  .May  Etta  (dead),  Madge 
Alta  and  Omer  L. 

H.  A.  Obley  attended  the  iiublie  schools  of 
West  Newton  and   then    learned    the   dru'f  busi- 


WKSTMORICLAND   COUNTY. 


309 


11C.-.S  witli  A  Mr.  Tii'l^'lity  <it"  till'  suiiu'  jilacc.  In 
lSS-_'  l,c  .)|i<-iiril  a  iliii:.^  slm,'  ami  lamirlnMl  iiilo 
tlic  wiilo  liiiviiicHS  \V(iilil  as  tlic  pilut  nl'  his  iiwii 
banjiic.  lie  is  •^till  in  liic  same  imsincss  ami 
lias  siR-ccoileil  in  liuililini:  up  an  cxcclK'nt  trailc. 
In  politics  Mr.  Olilcy  is  an  iinccinirironiising 
donioerat  ami  is  one  of  the  ninst  arlivc  workers 
in  lii.s  party.  He  is  a  nienilier  of  tlie  school 
board,  a  trustee  of  the  West  Neutmi  cemetery 
ami  a  consistent  member  of  the  clnireh  of  God, 
in  which  he  is  a  deacon.  Ho  is  also  a  member 
of  the  I.  0.  0.  F.  and  Royal  Arcanum.  We 
need  bestow  no  eulogy  upon  Mr.  (Jbley  ;  his  life 
and  cliaracter  speak  in  hnider  tones  and  more 
effectively  than  words. 


W.  ORR,  a  prominent  dentist  of  West 
Newton,  was  born  May  18,  1844,  in 
Rostraver  twp.,  Westmoreland  county. 
Pa.,  and  belongs  to  one  of  the  oldest  families  in 
the  county.  His  great-grandfather,  William 
Urr,  a  native  of  Scotland,  crossed  tlie  Irish  sea, 
took  unto  liimself  a  wife  in  Ireland  and  immi- 
grated to  the  United  States  and  settled  in  rcnn- 
sylvaiiia  east  of  the  mountains.  Prior  to  ITIlO 
ho  crossed  the  Alleglienics  and  settled  in  Ros- 
traver township,  this  county,  and  jiurcliased  a 
large  tract  of  land  lui  wliich  he  lesiilrd  until  his 
death.  He  was  a  member  of  tile  Covenant 
church,  in  which  he  was  an  elder,  and  was  the 
father  of  five  children  :  John,  Charles,  Eiibella, 
.lean  ami  I'lleaimr.  John  Urr  (gi  aiidf  itlici')  was 
born  east  of  the  iiioiiiit.iiiis  and  came  witli  his 
father  to  Rostraver  township  where  he  married 
Margaret  Wilson  who  bore  him  twelve  children. 
l)iiring  the  whole'  of  his  life  hi'  was  a  tiller  of 
the  soil  and  died  on  the  old  homestead  in  ISI:). 
William  Orr  (father)  was  born  at  the  old  home- 
stead January  8,  ITSHi,  and  died  in  187.'>.  He 
was  a  whig  and  republican.  He  also  was  a 
farmer  and  was  a  member  of  the  First  United 
I're.sbyteriaii  eliuich  organized  at  West  Ni'Wtoii. 
His  wife  was   Julia    ^Anii    IJowe-n,    whose   father 


died  iliiriiig  her  ebiblliood  near  b'redeiicksbiirg, 
Va.,  wlieie  he  owned  a  small  planlaliiui.  Slio 
Iku'c  him  nine  eliililreii,  four  of  whom  are  liviii": 
llariicl,  James  1'.,  .Viidiew  W.  .and  Mary  1. 
Ilaiiiet  was  married  l'\biiiary  1^,  iMil,  to 
Roberts.  I'atterson  ;  they  have  three  children  : 
'riiouias  Ci.,  Hattie  J.  and  Andrew  .1.  They  are 
living  on  the  old  homestead  in  Rostraver  town- 
sbiji.  James  V.  Orr  was  born  March  1,  1839. 
lie  enlisted  in  the  fifteenth  Pa.  Cav.  August  22, 
18G2,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war  of 
the  Rebellion  ;  took  part  in  a  number  of  battles, 
chief  among  which  were  Stone  River  and  Cliat- 
anooga.  After  the  close  of  the  war  he  read 
medicine  with  I'r.  Ilasson,  of  \Vest  Newton, 
and  graduated  from  the  University  of  jMichii'an, 
at  Ann  Arbor.  He  located  at  West  Bethany, 
Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  and  was  married  in 
j  1878  to  Christian  Suter,  daughter  of  John  Suter. 
He  I'emoved  in  1883  to  New  Cumberland,  Cum- 
berland county,  Pa.,  and  located  in  Pittsburg  in 
1887,  where  he  is  now  practicing.  They  have 
three  children  :   Eunice,  Urban  and  iMerl. 

A.  W.  Orr  was  educated  in  the  public  schools, 
took  a  course  in  the  rudiments  of  dentistry  with 
David  P.  \,\\V/.  of  Rostraver  township,  and  iu 
lS(i(!  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  at 
McKeesport,  Allegheny  county.  Pa.  In  1879 
he  loeateil  at  JelVerson,  (Jreeii  county,  I'a.,  re- 
movt'd  from  there  to  West  Newlon  in  1874, 
where  he  has  practiced  ever  since.  He  is  a 
Mason  and  Knight  Templar,  a  member  of  Ked- 
roii  Commaiideiy,  No.  18,  located  at  O'reeiis- 
biiig.  i'a.,  also  a  member  of  lioyal  Arcanum. 
He  was  twice  the  representative  of  his  council 
at  the  Grand  Council,  once  at  Harrisburg  and 
once  at  Lancaster,  Pa. 

On  May  18,  187(>,  he  was  married  to  F. 
Josephine,  daughter  of  Rev.  Hiram  Winnett 
(now  deceased),  a  Methodist  minister.  They 
have  four  children  :  11.  Winnett,  Ira  D.,  Ralph 
W.  and  Julia  C. 

Mary  I.  Orr  at  jircsent  is  making  her  homo 
with  her  sister  at  the  old  liomostead. 


l^ . 


BIOQRA  L'lllKS  OF 


*j[*AMKS  J.   PATTKltSON,  ox-postiiiastcr  of 
t'    West  Newton,  and  one  ul'  the  most  trusted 
(^     cili/rriH  .-iiicl  lii;;lily   ii^spcctcd  Imsiness  iiii^ii 
111'  iIkiI   |iliicc,    was    lioni    ill   kiLslnivci- liiwiislil|i, 
WcsHuoicImihI  coiinly,   I'ii.,    .Iiilj    li',1,    IH-JI,  and 
is  a  son  of  John  11.   and  JNIaiy  (Orr)  J'atterson. 
His  great  grand-father,  liobert    Patterson,    was 
of    Scoteii-lrish  descent,    immigrated    with  his 
wife    to    America    and    settled    before   1765   at 
"  (_'hestnut  Level,"  Lancaster  county,  Pa.    One 
of  his  sons,  Robert  Patterson  (grandfather),  was 
born  on  the   Atlantic  ocean  on  board  the  vessel 
which  brought  his  parents  to  this  country.     He 
immigrated  when  well  u])  in  years  from  Lancas- 
ter to  Westmoreland  county  and  settled  in  Ros- 
traver  township  on  a  large  tract  of  land  which 
he  owned  until  his  death.      He  was  a  democrat 
in  political  opinion.     Of  his  sons  one  \Nas  John 
II.  Patterson  (father)  who  was  born   in   Lancas- 
ter county.  Pa.,  and  aeconi]ianicd  his  fatiier  to 
Rostraver  when  a  young  man.      He  was  a  [iromi- 
nent  man  in  his  community,  an  earnest  member 
of  the  Betiiesda  and  AVcst  Newton  I'nited  Pres- 
byterian churches,    in    whii:h  he   always   led   the 
singing,    and   died  May   1,   18(J8,   aged  ninety- 
four  years.      He  was  a  democrat  until   the  late 
war  when  he  became  a  republican  and  remained 
a   member  of  that  jiarty  until    his  death.     He 
served  as  overseer  of  the  poor  for    sevei'al  years 
besides  holding  other  township  oflices.      He  mar- 
ried ^lary  Urr,  daughter  of  John   Orr,  of  Ros- 
traver, by  whom  lie  bad  eight  children,  of  whom 
li\e  ari' living  :     Mrs.  Margaret    W.    Cam])bell, 
Manila  Patterson,  Ann  Jane  I'dughis,  James  J. 
and  John  0.  Patterson,  M.  1). 

James  J.  Patterson  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
received  his  education  in  the  rural  schools  of 
that  day.  He  was  engaged  in  tilling  bis  farm 
in  Rostraver  township  until  llSLiT  when  he  re- 
moved to  West  Newton.  On  April  14,  l«i;i», 
he  was  commissioned  postmaster  id'  tliat  place, 
serveil  for  eight  years  and  three  months  and 
tlicn  resigned  to  embark  in  liie  drug  business, 
•which  he  followed  for  several  years.      In  1887 


he  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  which  he  still 
follows. 

Oh  June 'JlJ,  18  17,  hi^  was  married  to  Lima 
I'llliull,  a  liaiiglilei'  uf  Jiibii  f'dliolt,  (d'  b'ayetio 
county,   I'm.,  who  served  in  tluMvar  ol'   I8I'2. 

James  J.  Patterson  is  a  pronounced  rejiuljli- 
can,  has  formerly  taken  rather  an  active  part  in 
politics  and  yet  takes  a  dee[)  interest  in  the  suc- 
cess of  the  jiolitical  principles  which  he  advo- 
cates. He  served  his  native  town  by  acting  si.x 
years  as  councilman.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
West  Newton  United  Presbyterian  church,  of 
whose  board  of  trustees  he  has  served  as  chair- 
man for  many  years.  Mr.  Patterson  has  ac- 
quired good  property,  stands  well  with  all  who 
know  him  and  has  made  himself  worthy  of  com- 
mendation. 


/^AVIl)  FRANKLIN  ROSEN,  a  resident 
t  J  "jI  ^Vest  Newton  and  one  of  the  success- 
ful jewelers  of  that  place,  is  a  son  of  Jon- 
athan and  Catherine  (Funk)  Rosen  and  was  born 
in  East  Huntingdon  township,  Westmoreland 
county.  Pa.,  September  ^,  1855.  His  grand- 
father, Jacob  Rosen,  was  a  native  of  eastern 
Pennsylvania  azid  emigrated  to  the  above- 
named  township,  where  he  followed  farming  for 
many  years  before  bis  death.  His  father,  Jon- 
athan Rosen,  was  born  in  his  father's  eastern 
I'ennsylyania  home.  At  an  early  age  he  came 
west  to  East  Huntingdon  townshi])  where  he 
still  resides.  He  has  made  farming  the  business 
of  his  life,  is  a  republican  in  politics  and  an  in- 
lluential  member  of  the  church  of  God.  He 
married  Catherine  Funk  and  they  had  seven 
children,  of  whom  two  are  dead.  Mrs.  Rosen's 
father,  Christian  Funk,  was  born  in  1798  in 
Rerks  county.  Pa.  He  came  to  East  Hunting- 
don, but  soon  removed  to  Mount  Pleasant  town- 
ship, where  he  died  in  1884.  He  was  a  repub- 
lican, a  member  of  the  Mennonite  church  and 
married  a  Miss  Sherriek,  by  whom  he  had  four 
children. 


WlST.VonELAND  COUNTY. 


Daviil  F.  Koscii  ri'L-oivod  liis  eiliicatioii  in  tlie 
coimnoii  scliools  anil  Mount  l'lu;is:int  :ic!i(lc;iiiy. 
At  eigliteen  ywirs  of  age  lie  engaged  in  teach- 
ing. After  teacliing  tlircc  terms  of  scIkkiI  Ik; 
became  bookkeeper  f<ir  l''(ix,  K'clVer  ^^  Co.,  at 
"Jacob's  Creek."  He  was  willi  them  eighteen 
months,  then  entered  the  employ  of  .1.  Shupe  & 
Son  of  the  same  ])lace,  and  remained  as  a  clerk 
■with  the  latter  firm  for  five  years.  In  1883  he 
embarked  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Port 
Royal,  but  sold  his  store  and  engaged  with  R. 
L.  Stuft't,  a  jeweler  of  Scottdale,  and  remained 
with  him  for  two  years.  He  then  came  to  West 
Newton  and  engaged  in  his  present  jewelry 
business. 

September  9,  1875,  D.  F.  Rosen  united  in 
marriage  with  Loraine  McClaine,  daughter  of 
John  J.  and  Rritta  (Armstrong)  MeChiine,  of 
"  Jacob's  Creek,"  this  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Rosen  have  three  children:  Lulu,  born  Decem- 
ber, 1876;  Charley,  born  April  28,  1878,  and 
Maude,  born  August  IG,  1884. 

David  F.  Rosen  devotes  his  time  principally 
to  the  jewelry  business.  lie  keeps  a  large  and 
well-chosen  stock  of  gold  and  silver  watches, 
solid  and  plated  silverware  and  everything  in 
the  jewelry  line.  He  has  a  good  trade  (or 
the  .short  time  he  Inn  l)een  in  the  jewelry 
business.  Mr.  Rosen  is  a  rejiubliean  and  a 
niember  of  the  Jr.  ()rd(rr  of  United  American 
Mechanics. 


el.AKKNCK  W.  S.\NI)|:KS,  of  West 
Newton,  is  a  son  of  John  and  Mary 
(Johnston)  Sanders,  and  was  born  No- 
veiiiber  IH,  IH.',,'-;,  in  Hancock  coiinly,  W.  \'a. 
I'aiiiel  Sanders,  his  grandfal  her,  was  of  liisii 
extraction,  but  livetl  and  died  in  llancijck 
county,  W.  Va.,  where  he  followed  agricultural 
pursuits.  Samuel  Johnston,  maternal  grand- 
father, was  a  resident  of  Washingtcjn  county, 
Ra.,  where  he  died.  He,  too,  was  a  husband- 
man and  like    l)ani<'l   Sanders  was  a  believer   in 


tiie  principles  of  the  Democratic  party.  John 
Sanders  (father)  was  born  in  Hancock  county, 
\V.  Va.,  about  the  year  18^8  and  died  tiiiie  in 
187(1.  He  was  a  .-tciek  dealer  but  confined 
his  attention  largely  to  buying  and  selling 
horses.  He  married  Mary  Johnston  and  they 
had  one  child,  Clarence  W. 

Clarence  W.  Sanders  was  married  June  30, 
1880,  to  I\Iary,  a  daughter  of  John  A.  Steele, 
of  Wcllsville,  Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  and 
they  have  one  child,  Delia,  born  SeptenJjer  8, 
1889. 

C.  W.  Sanders  attended  the  common  schools 
of  West  Virginia,  but  his  advantages  for  obtain- 
ing an  education  were  limited.  He  has,  how- 
ever, acquired  a  practical  education  by  contact 
with  the  world,  which  is  of  more  value  to  him 
than  a  fine  classical  one  is  to  many  of  the  young 
men  of  our  country.  His  father  having  died 
when  he  was  young  he  was  placed  among 
strangers  to  be  brought  up.  He  lived  with  Mr. 
Scott  until  si.xteen  years  of  age,  when  he  went 
to  work  for  his  uncle,  John  Anderson.  After 
one  year  witii  him  he  went  to  Harrison  couniy, 
Ohio,  and  learned  the  tinsmith  trade  and  then 
went  to  Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  where  he 
married.  Shortly  afterwards  he  removed  to 
West  Newton  (in  18S1),  where  he  set  \i\>  in  the 
tinsmith  business,  after  working  about  three 
years  for  J.  M.  Schroyer  at  the  same  trade. 
Mr.  Sanders  has  succeeded  in  building  up  a  g0(  d 
business  and  commands  the  respect  of  all  good 
people  in  his  locality.  I'olitically  he  is  a  repub- 
lican and  has  .served  as  boroui^h  audiliu'.  IhiIU 
he  and  his  wife  are  useful  mcndjers  of  the  M. 
E.  church,  in  which  he  has  held  the  position 
of  church  steward. 


'I*  ACOH  SCHOAF.  an  enterjirising  business 
f    man  of  West  Newton,  was  born  November 
2y      -4,  ISIO,  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  and  is 
a  son  of  Conrad  and  Louise  (Islie)  Schoaf.    Con- 
rad  Schoaf  was  a    shoemaker  and    farmer  and 


312 


JilUUR.il'lIIliS  OF 


(lit'il  ill  (IcriiKiiiy  ill  llS'iG.  His  wii'o  ilicil  in  i 
LS;i;t.  Jaoili  Sc-IkmI'  \v:is  cdiicaU-il  in  tlio  ci)U\-  j 
moll  schools  ol'  (ieriiuiiiy,  his  "  f'athcrhmil,"  ami 
oaiiic  to  tlio  Unitt'il  States  in  18-lS,  sutlliiig  in 
Wost  Nowton,  Wusluiorehuid  county,  I'a.  iViU^r 
liis  iiiania^c  lie  worked  for  a  lime  in  a  stone 
i|Uiiirv,  thi'ii  lour  years  as  a  common  laliorcr  for  | 
Jacob  liaughman,  after  whicii  he  went  into  a 
tannery,  where  lie  worked  for  twenty  years.  In 
187''jhe|)urcliasedtlie  foundry  belonging  to  a  Mr. 
Downs,  and  since  that  time  has  been  engaged  in 
the  foundry  business.  lie  Las  been  quite  suc- 
cessful and  his  manufacturing  establishment  has 
an  e.Ncellent  trade.  Besides  the  foundry  he 
owns  other  valuable  pro])erty  in  West  Newton, 
including  several  residences.  His  industry  and 
thrift  have  lifted  liini  to  an  honorable  height  in 
the  business  field,  while  his  strict  hinior  and 
agreeable  nature  have  gained  for  him  an  envia- 
ble position  in  the  social  world.  He  is  a  repub- 
lican and  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  borough 
Council,  liutli  he  and  his  wife  belong  to  the 
church  of  (Jod,  in  which  Mr.  Sclioaf  is  an 
elder. 

Jacob  Schoaf  married  Lena  Sively,  of  South 
Huntingdon  township,  Westmoreland  county. 
Pa.,  on  the  'Jtli  day  of  xVugust,  1849.  They 
liave  five  children  living  :  Elizabeth,  now  wife 
(jf  James  King,  a  foundry  man  of  AVashington 
county,  I'a.;  ,)olin  \V..  a  hardware  merchant  of 
Mrlvcesport,  Allegheny  county,  Pa.;  Frederick, 
who  is  married  to  Agnes  Williet,  who  lives  in 
^Vest  New  ton,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the 
fouiidiy  business;  Lena,  wife  of  Ciiiistian 
(leliring,  a  leamster  uf  West  Newton,  and 
Katie. 

The  Sclioafs,  like  all  the  better  class  of  Ger- 
mans who  imijiigratu  to  tliis  country,  are  among 
the  best  citizen.s  of  the  land.  Sober,  hard 
working  and  industrious  they  attend  strictly  to 
tlieir  own  all'airs,  improve  anil  benefit  the  com- 
munity in  wliicli  they  live  and  set  an  example 
which  tiie  present  and  future  generations  may 
follow  with  inestimable  udvaiitajre. 


ILLAKl)  F.  SCROLL  was  born  Jan- 
mf  iKiry  17,  ISf)!),  ill  South  Huntingdon 
♦  townshiji,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa., 
and  is  a  son  of  (.'hristian  and  Alice  A.  (Miller) 
SclioU.  1 1  is  great-greal-giandfatiier  was  a  na- 
tive of  (leiniany  and  immigrated  to  America 
in  the  latter  part  of  the  sixteenth  or  first  part 
of  the  seventeenth  century,  settling  in  \\v- 
ginia,  and  his  great-grandfather  afterward  re- 
moved to  ISethlehem,  Pa.,  where  he  died. 
Charles  SclioU  (grandfather)  was  born  in  Beth- 
lehem, Pa.,  and  in  17'.)7  emigrated  to  Roch- 
ester, N.  Y.,  where  he  built  two  grist  mills. 
In  1800  he  fashioned  a  rude  canoe  out  of  a 
tree  trunk,  which  was  trough-like,  and  in 
which  he  journeyed  down  the  Allegheny  river 
to  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  and  tlieiice  on  the  Monon- 
gahcla  river  and  the  Sewickley  creek  to  \Vest- 
nioreland  county,  where  he  built  a  grist  mill 
on  wdiat  was  called  the  Jacoli  Markle  farm  in 
South  Huntingdon  township,  where  he  mar- 
ried Susan  Markle  who  was  a  sister  of  Gen. 
Joseph  Markle,  and  who  b(jre  him  nine  child- 
ren. About  1817  he  removed  to  what  is  now 
known  as  the  ScluiU  farm  in  South  Hunting- 
don township,  same  county,  and  in  1818  built 
the  stone  house  which  burned  down  January 
8,  18o4.  In  1801  he  built  Lobingier's  mill 
at  LaiirelviUe,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.  Dur- 
ing the  war  of  1812  he  served  in  Gen.  Josc]ih 
Markle's  company  and  took  part  in  various 
battles.  Christian  SclioU  (father)  was  born 
Heeeiiiber  1 1*,  1.814,  in  South  Huntingdon 
tii\Mi>hip,  on  the  old  Joseph  Markle  property, 
and  the  house  in  Avliieh  he  was  born  is  still 
Standing.  He  is  a  farmer  and  still  lives  on  the 
old  homefann.  lie  is  a  republican  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  United  Presbyterian  church.  He  is 
the  father  of  three  daughters,  two  of  Avhom  died 
in  their  infancy  and  four  sons — one  of  whom 
died  when  about  fourteen  years  old,  and  two 
of  whom  are  farmers;  Benjaiuin  Miller  (mater- 
nal grandfather),  a  native  of  South  Huntingdon 
township,  this  county,  was  by  trade  a  shoemaker 


WESTMORELAND  CO  UNTY. 


and  ii  coiisistt'iit  iiicinber  of  tlic  United  I'risliy- 
teriiUi  cliiircli. 

Millard  l'\  Sclioll  received  a  coiniiion  selioul 
education  and  began  to  learn  tlie  carpenter  tiade 
in  lbli8  at  Irwin,  I'a.,  ten  years  later  lie  went  to 
West  Newton,  Pa.,  where  ho  engaged  in  the 
planing  mill  and  liiniher  business  and  is  also  a 
contractor  and  builder.  1  lis  business  is  extensive 
and  his  success  well  deserved.  He  is  a  rejiubli- 
can,  takes  an  active  part  in  political  matters  and 
has  held  the  oflice  of  councilman  in  his  borough. 

Millard  F.  Scholl  married,  October  10,  1870, 
Ruth  A.  Carothers,  a  native  of  Fayette  county, 
near  Fairchance,  who  was  born  July  13,  1854, 
and  who  has  borne  him  seven  children  :  Cyrus 
C,  Mary  M.,  John  U.,  James  C,  Jasper  T., 
Joseph  F.,  and  .Vlice  ^V. 

•fAMES  M.  SCIIROYI<:il  was  born  July 
'l'  o,  1835,  in  Masontowii,  Fayette  county, 
<2/  I'a.,  and  is  a  son  of  William  and  'i'eniper- 
ancc  (Renshaw)  Schroyer.  His  grandiather, 
Tliomas  Schroyer,  was  of  German  descent,  a  na- 
tive of  eastern  Pennsylvania,  and  removed  to 
Fayette  county.  Pa.,  where  he  died.  He  was  a 
cabinetmaker  by  occupation,  an  (jld-line  whig 
and  later  a  republican.  His  political  party  was 
always  favored  with  his  zealous  ellbrts,  as  was 
his  chosen  church,  the  Cundjerland  Presbyterian, 
in  which  he  was  prominent  and  held  the  ollices  of 
trustee,  elder,  etc.     William    Schroyer  (father) 

wa>  JMirii  ill  I'^ivetle  eniiiily,  I'.i,,  and  canird  nil  i 
llie  liu>llir.ss  ol'  cahiliclliiaUilig  and  iilidcrlakilig 
at  Masontown  in  that  county.  He  was  a  whig 
and  republican  and  during  Grant's  administra- 
tion was  government  storekeeper  in  the  Internal 
Revenue  service.  He  also  served  several  terms 
as  postmaster  at  Masonlown,  Pa.  He  married 
Temperance  Kensliaw  and  to  their  union  were 
born  seven  children,  si.\  of  whom  are  living. 
James  Renshaw  (maternal  grandfather)  was  born 
in  Maryland  of  Scotch-Irish  parents,  and  re- 
moved to  Fayette  county.  Pa.,  near  McClelland- 


town,  more  than  eighty  years  ago,  where  he  fol- 
lowed farming  and  cattle  raising. 

James  M.  Schroyer  married  Catharine  How- 
ard, whoso  mother's  maiden  name  was  Sarah 
Gaut,  in  JMareh  1851),  who  bore  him  three  child- 
ren, two  of  whom  are  living  :  Charles  0.,  mar- 
ried to  Catharine  Walker  and  living  at  Dawson, 
Pa.,  and  Frank  C,  a  merchant.  Catharine 
Schroyer  (nee  Howard)  died  February  5,  18G2, 
and  Mr.  Schroyer  married  again,  his  second 
wife  being  Catharine,  widow  of  Solomon  G. 
Wiffle,  whose  maiden  name  was  Ralsinger. 
They  have  had  eight  children  :  Angle  (dead), 
Maggie,  Lena  B.,  Myrtle,  Oscar  Lindsey,  Wil- 
liam Grant,  James  Corbley  and  Ira  Raymond. 
Maggie  is  a  milliner  and  Lena  1!.  a  teacher 
and  dressmaker  at  West  Newton. 

James  M.  Schroyer  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  and  then  learned  the  business  of  under- 
taking and  cabinetniaking.  He  liist  located  at 
Mt.  Morris,  Green  county.  Pa.,  but  latei  inok  a 
trip  to  Kansas  looking  for  a  new  location,  but 
finding  none  to  suit  him  he  returned  to  West 
Newton  in  1878,  where  he  has  since  continued 
to  conduct  his  liusiness.  He  is  an  ardent  re- 
publican and  an  active  worker  in  his  )>arty.  C)ne 
term  he  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  in  Greene 
county.  Pa.,  ami  in  1886  was  elected  to  the  same 
responsible  oilice  in  the  boroiiL'h  of  West  New- 
ton, Pa.  He  was  burgess  of  \Ve.-,t  Newton  in 
1880,  Mr.  Schroyer  is  a  member  of  the  A.  0. 
U.  W.,  and  is  one  of  the  enterprising  citizens 
ol'  the  county. 


EORGE  M.  A^\NDYKE,  M,  1).,  a  lead- 
ing young  physician  of  West  Newton, 
was  born  in  AVashington  county.  Pa.,  ten 
miles  south  of  Washington,  and  is  a  son  of 
lames  11.  and  Mary  (Thoiiias)  A'andyke.  James 
B.  A^mdyke,  who  is  of  (ierman  descent,  was 
born  in  1831,  and  is  a  native  of  Washington 
county,  where  he  was  reared  on  a  farm.  Hoi'e- 
ccived  his  education  at   Washington  and  .Jeft'eison 


t 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


colloj^c  and  at  Oberlin  college,  Obeiliii,  ( ).  Dur- 
ing the  jiast  seven  yeiirs  he  lias  been  i^ngaged  in 
the  mercantile  business  at  California,  Pa.,  and 
was  fur  many  years  a  leading  and  iidluential 
nieiiiber  nf  ibe  \.  O,  O.  1''.  ,),,lin  'I'bdinas  (ma- 
ternal grandlalhei-)  was  a  native.'  of  W'ak's,  but 
crossed  the  Atlantic  to  the  "new  world"  and 
settled  near  ^lorgantown,  Va.,  (now  W.  Va.), 
in  the  "  Forks  of  Cheat."  Mr.  Thomas  was  an 
itinerant  preacher  and  labored  zealously  in  the  in- 
terests of  the  ]ja|)tist,  his  chosen  denomination. 
Dr.  G.  J\[.  Vandyke  received  his  rudimen- 
tary education  in  the  public  schools  and  af- 
terwards attended  California  State  Normal 
school,  from  which  he  graduated  in  the  class  of 
1878.  During  part  of  this  time  and  afterwards 
he  engaged  in  the  profession  of  teaching,  re- 
maining in  the  pedagogic  ranks  nine  years  in 
all.  In  the  latter  part  of  his  teaching  life  he 
read  medicine  at  intervals,  beginning  his  read- 
ing with  Dr.  iMathiot  of  West  Newton.  lie  at- 
tended medical  lectures  at  Jeflerson  Medical 
college,  Philadelphia,  graduating  therefrom  in 
1888.  lie  began  practice  at  West  Newton  as  a 
partner  of  Dr.  II.  B.  IMathiot  and  Dr.  J.  II. 
Lawhead.  After  an  existence  of  seven  months 
this  partnership  was  dissolved,  Dr.  Mathiot  re- 
tiring and  going  back  to  Fayette  county.  Since 
that  time  Drs.  Vandyke  and  Lawhead  have  con- 
tinued as  partners  at  West  Newton,  where  they 
Lave  already  built  up  a  large  and  desirable 
practice,  both  being  recognized  as  able,  skillful 
and  progressive  members  of  their  profession. 
Dr.  Vandyke  is  a  member  of  the  ^Westmoreland 
Medical  Society  and  takes  an  active  interest  in 
its  work.  lie  has  two  brothers  :  John,  who  is 
at  home  in  the  store,  and  William  S.,  cashier  of 
M.  M.  Dick's  bank  at  West  Newton. 


•jf  OIIN  Z.  VANKIRK  is  a  well-known  citizen 

J    and  proprietor  of  one  of  the  finest  livery, 
sale  and  feed /tables  of  West  Newton.     He 
is  a  son  of  William   M.  and  Camelia  (Hayden) 


Vankirk,  and  was  born  in  Uostraver  township, 
\Vestmoreland  county,  i'a.,  November  "Jo,  18i'>. 
His  paternal  granilfatlier  was  John  A'aiikirk, 
who  was  a  resident  of  Allegheny  county,  I'a., 
lor  scvci-al  yrars.  His  maternal  giahdlalher, 
Jeremiah  Ilayden,  lived  in  Klizabeth  township, 
Allegheny  county,  Pa.,  where  he  was  a  well-to- 
do  farmer  and  a  quiet,  steady  and  useful  citizen. 
He  was  an  unassuming  member  of  the  Baptist 
church.  He  was  an  old-line  whig  until  the 
dissolution  of  that  party  and  then  became  one  of 
the  first  in  his  section  to  advocate  the  principles 
of  the  Republican  party.  His  father,  ^Yilliam 
M.  Vankirk,  was  born  in  Allegheny  county, 
this  State,  where  he  lived  and  died.  He  was  a 
farmer  and  stock-raiser,  and  for  many  years 
served  in  a  noted  militia  company  of  his  native 
townshi|).  He  was  a  democrat  in  politics  but 
never  aspired  to  office.  He  united  in  marriage 
with  Camelia  Ilayden,  by  whom  lie  had  four 
children,  three  sons  and  one  daughter  :  Westley 
G.,  who  is  a  farmer  and  married  Elmira  Hutch- 
inson ;  William  A.,  John  Z.  and  Caroline  who 
married  John  Ilayden,  a  merchant  at  Mc- 
Kcesport.  Pa. 

John  Z.  Vankirk  was  reared  in  Rostraver 
township,  where  he  attended  the  common  schools 
and  worked  on  the  farm  until  he  was  of  age. 
He  then  engaged  in  farming  which  he  pursued 
for  eighteen  years.  In  1884  he  removed  to 
West  Newton,  where  he  embarked  in  the  livery 
business  which  he  has  continued  to  successfully 
pursue  till  the  present  time. 

May  7,  187:2,  ho  united  in  marriage  with 
Hannah  Ilibben,  who  was  born  and  reared  at 
West  Newton. 

John  Z.  Vankirk  has  a  large  livery,  sale  and 
feed-stable.  It  is  eligibly  located  and  well-stocked 
with  good  riding  and  driving  horses,  fine  buggies 
and  first-class  carriages.  His  efibrts  to  accom- 
modate and  please  the  traveling  public  arc  well 
appreciated  by  his  many  patrons.  He  owns 
some  valuable  real  estate  in  the  borough  and  is 
a  good  business  man.     In  politics  he  is   rather 


WKsT.UOIlELAyD  CO UXTY. 


315 


in(loi>uink'iit  and  always  voles  fdrwlidiii  he  coii- 
sidcid  tliu  Lust  mail,  llo  is  a  liiciiilici-  uf  West 
Newton  Lodf^e,  No.  440,  I.  (J.  of  ().  F.,  and 
tlu-(»<lcl   l''cllo\v   iMiddWinnil   Associal  ion. 


fEOU(iE  WASIIAlLVrUII,  the  popidar 
restaurateur  of  West  Newton,  was  born 
August  13,  1837,  in  Fayette  county,  Pa., 
not  far  from  j\It.  Pleasant,  and  is  a  son  of 
Thomas  and  Hannah  (Mason)  Washahaugh. 
Ills  grandfather,  John  Washabaugh,  was  also  a 
native  of  Fayette  county,  where  he  lived  and 
died.  lie  was  a  fiirmer  by  occupation  and 
owned  considerable  real  estate  ;  he  was  a  Jack- 
sonian  democrat  and  a  member  of  tlie  Baptist 
chinch.  Tiiomas  Mason,  maternal  grandfather, 
was  a  native  of  Fayette  county,  a  presbyterian 
in  religious  faith,  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  a 
whig  and  republican  in  politics.  Thomas 
Washabaugh  (father)  was  born  in  Fayette  county 
and  died  there  in  the  year  1852.  He,  too,  was  a 
husbandman  and  was  identified  with  the  church 
of  lioil.  He  was  married  to  Hannah  Mason, 
who  bore  him  eight  children,  two  sons  and  six 
daughters,  all  of  whom  are  living  e.\cept  one 
ilaughter. 

George  Washabaugh  after  attending  the  com- 
mon schools  of  his  day  embarked  in  agricultural 
pursuits  which  he  continued  for  about  fifteen 
years.  He  then  took  an  agency  for  sewing 
machines  and  continued  in  tiiat  line  for  about 
si.\  years.  in  ISS;')  he  went  to  West  Newton 
and  engaged  in  the  restaurant  business  which  he 
has  followed  ui)  to  the  present  time.  Politically 
he  is  a  democrat  and  is  active  and  influential. 
He  is  a  good  citizen,  (juiet  and  order-loving, 
cheerful  in  disposition,  acconmiodating,  pleasant 
and  reliable ;  he  is  highly  esteemed  by  all  who 
kno\v'  him.  He  belongs  to  West  Newton  Lodge, 
No.  440,  and  the  Encampment  No.  275  of  I.  0. 
0.  F. 

(leorge  Wadiabaugh  was  married  in  185G  to 
^lary,  a  daugiiter  of   David  (jlassburn,  of  Fay- 


yetfc  county,  and  tiiey  have  riv('  cliildi-eii,  four 
of  whom  are  living:  Lizzie,  born  November  ID, 
1857;  Addie,  born  May  'JO,  ISOS;  Jennie,  horn 
March  4,  INT-J;  Itclle,  born  Sciitembcr  K,  lK7(i; 
Ashiion  (deeeiisrd)  was  horn  Mareii  5,  18(11,  and 
<lied  June  L",t,   18(JL 


EORGE  W.  WASHABAUGH.  Those 
who   have   had   experience  in  war   know 

4^  best  the  value  and  blessings  of  peace,  and 
those  who  fight  the  battles  of  their  country 
should,  when  the  strife  is  ended,  be  especially 
fitted  to  maintain  the  peace  and  advance  tlie 
prosperity  of  their  native  or  adopted  land.  One 
of  the  men  who  has  had  military  experience  and 
who  moreover  possesses  the  qualities  essential  to 
a  good  citizen  in  time  of  peace  is  George  W. 
Washabaugh,  a  son  of  David  and  Sarah  (lluey) 
Washabaugh,  who  was  born  January  4,  1839, 
in  Fayette  county.  Pa.  John  Washabaugh 
(grandfather)  was  a  farmer  of  Fayette  county, 
Pa.,  of  Gerinan  descent.  His  son,  David  Wash- 
abaugh, father  of  George  W.,  was  born  in  1814 
in  Fayette  county,  lived  there  an<l  engaged  in 
farming  till  1852,  when  he  removed  to  Mercer 
county,  Pa.,  where  he  still  lives.  His  wife 
died  .March  1,  188(1.  Four  of  their  children  are 
living,  of  whom  David  J.  is  a  physician  and  re- 
sides at  Anandale,  Butler  county,  Pa.  Robert 
Hucy  (maternal  grandfather)  was  a  native  of 
Ireland  and  immigrated  to  near  Pennsville, 
Fayette  county.  Pa.  He  was  a  farmer  and  a 
very  useful  public  man  in  his  day.  One  night 
he  was  fording  Jacobs'  creek,  when  his  horse 
stumbled  and  fell,  throwing  him  into  the  creek, 
and  he,  being  unable  to  escape,  was  drowned. 
His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Isabella  Ross, 
lived  to  the  age  of  almost  one  hundred  years 
and  died  some  years  ago. 

George  W.  Washabaugh  married  June  22, 
1803,  Maria  E.,  and  daugiiter  of  Aaron  Arnold 
of  Mercer  county.  Pa.,  who  was  a  local  preacher. 
They  have  two  children  :    Belle,  born  March  2:i, 


316 


BWanAPIIIES  UF 


1864,  the  wife  of  Louis  Brelini,  a  native  of 
Beaver  county,  but  now  a  resident  jeweler  ot 
AVest  Newton  ;    Robert  W.,  born  September  12, 

(iciii-;;t)    W.     \Vil.sb;ib:ill;;;b    rci-eiv<Ml    ii  (■.ililliloli 

scbdoi  education,  after  which  lie  enlisted  August 
28,  ISUl,  in  Co.  G,  (Capt.  S.  11.  Brown),  one- 
hundredth  reg.  (the  famous  "Round  Head" 
regiment),  I'a.  \\)ls.  He  served  until  October 
16,  18G2,  and  took  part  in  an  engagement  at 
Hilton  Head,  S.  C,  whence  he  sailed  on  board 
the  (Jccan  Queen,  by  way  of  Port  Royal,  Portal 
entrance  and  Legareville,  a  journey  of  about 
three  weeks,  and  from  there  he  sailed  to  James 
Island,  S.  C,  a  journey  of  about  twenty  miles, 
dining  which  time  the  steamer  was  under 
almost  continual  lire  from  the  enemy.  At  the 
battle  of  James  Island,  S.  C,  June  IG,  18G2, 
Mr.  Washabaugh  was  wounded  by  a  jjortion  of 
a  shell  which  struck  his  head,  and  his  regiment 
retreating,  he  was  left  lying  on  the  lield  for  dead 
and  hiy  there  unconscious  fur  seven  hours. 
This  wound  has  caused  the  partial  loss  of  the  use 
of  his  left  arm,  and  in  fact  his  whole  left  si<le  is 
partially  paralyze<l.  Being  unable  to  re-enter 
tlie  service  he  was  mustered  out  October  10, 
18G2.  After  being  discharged  from  the  army 
he  was  a|)poiuted  assistant  provost  uiarslial,  and 
March  28,  18G4,  ho  was  appointed  [)ostmaster 
at  Jackson  Centre,  Mercer  county,  Pa.,  which 
position  ho  resigned  to  take  charge  of  a  hotel  at 
drove  City,  Pa.,  where  he  remained  for  sixteen 
y.ais.  Whde  there  he  built  n  ln,tel  called  the 
"  \V;i>habangh  House,"  which  is  now  known  as 
the  *•  Filer  House."  From  Grove  City  he  re- 
moved to  Sutervilie,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa., 
in  1S8:1  and  bougiit  a  grist  mill,  which  he  since 
sold  to  Taylor  and  Boggs.  In  1S8.')  he  was 
elected  burgess  of  \Vest  Newt(Ui  and  after 
serving  one  year  was  elected  justice  of  the 
peace.  In  politics  he  is  an  active  republican 
Worker  and  is  a  lut'mber  of  the  Methodist 
cburcli,  ill  wjiich  he  is  ;ui  elllcieiit  .Sabbath  school 
teacher.        lie    was     mcrcanliie     api)raiser    one 


year  in  Mercer  county,  Pa.,  and  was  for  two 
years  the  connnander  of  J.  C.  Markle  Post,  No. 
57,  G.  A.  R.,  at  West  Newton,  Pa.  Mr. 
Washabaugh  is  one  of  West  Newton's  licst 
people  and  uoilhy  of  the  <:oiilidcn(;e  reposed  in 
biiii  by  liis  fellow  men. 


*f*    C.    ZIEGLER   is  a  son    of    Ludwick    and 

I  Catherine  (Mozer)  Ziegler,  and  was  born 
(2/  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  January  18, 
1841.  All  his  ancestors  for  many  generations 
back  lived  and  died  in  the  Empire  of  Germany. 
His  father  was  born  in  1800  and  died  in  1870. 
He  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade  and  in  religious 
belief  adhered  to  the  doctrines  of  Martin 
Luther.  He  was  the  father  of  four  children, 
two  sons  and  two  daughters,  all  of  whom  are  in 
the  "fatherland"  except  the  subject  of  this 
sketch. 

J.  C.  Ziegler,  like  all  the  other  children  in 
Germany,  was  obliged  to  attend  school.  He 
also  in  that  country  learned  the  trade  of  shoe- 
making  wdiich  he  followed  for  some  time.  He 
has  been  twice  married ;  his  first  wife  was  Mag- 
dalene Mutf,  of  Germany,  who  bore  him  one 
child,  Magdalene,  named  for  her  mother.  At 
the  age  of  twenty-six  he  came  to  the  United 
States  and  worke<l  at  his  trade  in  Allegheny 
county.  Pa.,  but  soon  removed  to  West  Newton, 
this  county,  where  he  followed  his  trade  for 
a  time  and  then  took  up  st(>ne-cutting,  which  ho 
followed  two  yeais.  After  mining  coal  a  while 
he  went  back  to  his  trade,  at  which  be  is  still 
engaged.  In  politics  Mr.  Ziegler  is  a  democrat 
and  is  one  of  those  firm,  substantial  Germans 
who  always  stand  by  their  colors.  He  is  an 
excellent  gentleman,  a  model  citizen  and  worthy 
of  the  esteem  of  his  fellow-men. 

J.  0.  Ziegler's  first  wife  ilied  before  he  came 
to  America,  and  after  his  arrival  here  he,  in 
18G*.),  married  Louisa  SchaetVer,  and  they  had 
seven  childien,  all  of  whom  are  dead  except 
one,  Walter  Zieirler. 


Liatrobe 


C.  ALBERT,  one  of  the  experienced, 
stirring  ami  succesiful  business  men  of 
Latrobe,  was  born  in  Unity  township, 
Wcstmoruhuul  county.  Pa.,  August  ±2,  1854. 
lie  is  a  soli  of  Casper  and  Mariaii  E.  (Kistner) 
Albert,  who  were  natives  of  Baden,  Germany, 
and  iiiiniigrated  to  tlie  United  .Slates  whc'U  ipiite 
yuiiiij^.  ('asper  Alliert  eauie  in  ISIll  u,  Ered- 
oriekdbur-!;,  Va.,  and  from  tlieure  to  Unity 
township,  this  county,  wiiere  lie  married  Mariah 
E.  Kislner.  He  worked  at  his  trade  of  shoe- 
maker until  two  years  ago,  wlien  he  retired  from 
business  and  has  since  been  living  with  his  son 
Geor<'e.  He  has  seen  his  si.xty-seventli  birth- 
day and  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church. 
He  was  accompanied  to  this  country  by  his 
father,  Casper  Albert,  Sr.,  if  weaver  by  trade, 
Ijut  who  engaged  in  farming  after  coming  to 
Unity  townslii}!  until  liis  death. 

C.  C.  Albert  attended  the  common  schools 
until  fourteen  years  of  age,  when  lie  became  a 
elerk  for  his  uncle,  Cieorge  Kistner,  at  Crabtree, 
and  remiiined  in  liis  employ  at  that  |ibice  for 
nine  years.  In  ISTG  he-  came  to  Latrobe  and 
was  engaged  as  a  clerk  in  a  grocery  house  for 
two  yeans.  In  1878  he  became  a  member  of 
the  lii-ni  of  Mellon  &  Albert  and  they  were  en- 
gaged in  the  grocery  business  fir  three  years, 
when  John  !!.  .\ndersoii  was  ailmitted  as  a  part- 
ner, and  the  new  tirm,  Anderson,  Mellon  k 
Albert,  limited,  changed  from  handling  groceries 
to  dealing  in  dry  goods,  and  removed  their  store 
to  Depot  street.      In  1882  Mr.  Mellon  withdrew 


and  tlie  firm  became  Anderson  i.*c  Albert.  Two 
years  later  Mr.  Albert  disposed  of  his  interest 
to  his  partner  and  was  out  of  the  mercantile 
business  until  July  1,  1887,  when  he  became  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Mellon  i  Albert.  On 
August  26,  ISS'J,  Simon  Butz  bought  Mr. 
Mellon's  interest  and  the  jircscnt  firm  of  C.  C. 
Albert  &  Co.  was  organized.  They  constantly 
keep  a  large,  varied  stock  of  goods  on  hand  to 
meet  the  demands  of  their  numerous  ])atrons. 
Mr.  Albert,  by  business  ability  and  honorable 
dealing,  has  placed  his  house  among  the  fore- 
most of  its  kind  at  Latrobe. 

C.  C.  Albert  was  married  on  June  22,  1882, 
to  Sadie  G.  Kuhn,  daughter  of  David  J.  Kuhn, 
who  is  now  a  resident  of  Abbeyville,  Mechling- 
biirg  county,  Va.  They  have  four  children: 
\'incent,  David,  Jerome  and  .Mariah. 

C.  C.  Albert  is  a  member  of  the  Chosen 
Eriends,  Catholic  Knights  of  America  and 
Meridian  Conclave,  No.  177,  Improved  Order 
of  lleptasoplis.  He  is  independent  in  his  po- 
litical views  and  is  a  member  of  tlie  Catholic 
church. 

^.EORGE  A.  BAIR,  a  soldier  in  the  late 
civil  war  and  a  well  estaldished  merchant 
*iv  of  Latrobe,  is  a  son  of  .\daiii  and  (Jath- 
eriiie  (Albright)  Bair,  and  was  born  in  Mt. 
Pleasant  township,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa., 
April  15,  18-j-L  Adam  Bair  (father)  was  a 
large  and  portly  man.  He  had  an  iron  consti- 
tution,  possessed    perfect   health,   was    six    feet 


•  ikla\l     ^j 


•Ml     .rtviJlU    I    It^ltt' 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


and  one  inch  in  height  and  weiglicd  one  hundred 
anil  nineiy  pounds.  At  sixteen  years  of  age  he 
went  to  teaming  and  (h-ove  for  man}'  years  on 
tlie  old  pikes  frdiu  I'ldlailelphia  to  I'ittsliurg 
and  from  l*hihidel[)hia  to  I'idtiniore.  Iveaving 
the  road  he  became  a  farmer  and  stock-raiser. 
lie  was  a  republican,  a  member  of  the  Reformed 
church  and  a  man  ever  ready  to  assist  the  poor. 
When  the  free  school  system  went  into  opera- 
tion Adam  Bair  was  one  of  the  first  to  support 
it.  He  died  August  22,  1880,  in  the  eighty- 
fifth  year  of  his  age.  His  wife  died  December 
--,  188G,  aged  eighty-nine  years,  and  was 
buried  in  Pleasant  Unity  cemetery,  where  her 
husband's  remains  are  entombed. 

(iecjrge    A.    J]air  was  reared  on  his  father's 


1  Friends  and  P.  A.  Williams  Post,  No.  4,  Grand 

j  Army  of  the  Picpublic. 

•{•OSEl'lI  C.  llEA^r  is  on  of  the  best  millers 
"'l'  in  the  ytate  of  Pennsylvania  and  is  the 
@/  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Beam  &  Golde, 
wholesale  dealers  in  and  manufacturers  of  roller 
flour  and  feed  of  all  kinds  at  Latrobe.  lie  is 
a  son  of  John  and  Ann  (Ilaynes)  Beam  and  was 
born  in  Somerset  county,  Pa  ,  May  17,  183G. 
John  Beam  was  born  in  Somerset  county  in 
1808,  married  Ann  Ilaynes,  a  native  of  Eng- 
land, 1832,  ami  died  at  Johnstown,  Pa.,  in 
1880.  He  was  a  carpenter  and  mill-wright  by 
trade,  moved  in  1840   to   Cambria  county,  Pa., 


farm,  attended   the   common   schools   and   then      kept  hotel  for  three  years  at  the  foot  of  plane 


lived  the  (juiet  and  uneventful  life  of  a  farmer 
until  18G2.  On  August  22d  of  that  year  he 
enlisted  in  Co.  B,  one  hundred  and  forty-second 
reg.  Pa.  Vols.,  fought  in  eighteen  battles  and 
was  present  at  Lee's  surrender.  At  Gettysburg 
he  was  wounded  in  the  right  leg  by  a  ball  and 
struck  in  tlie  right  knee  by  a  piece  of  shell.  He 
was  promoted  to  sergeant  and  was  honorably  dis- 
charged at  Washington  City  May  15,  18Go.  He 
then  returned  home  and  was  engaged  for  twenty- 
one  years  in  cultivating  and  im[>roving  his  farm. 
In  1887  he  embarkiMl  in  his  ])reseMt  grocery 
Ijusines.s  at  Latrobe  and  has  been  very  successful. 

(hi  Novendjer  22,  1850,  lie  was  married  to 
Mary  A.,  daughter  of  Adam  Stonaker,  of 
Eayclte  county  I'a.  Their  family  consists  of 
three  suns  and  one  daughter  :  (Jbarles  F.,  Adam 
^V.,  Anna  B.  and  Westley  ^V.,  who  is  now  a 
clerk  in  the  Latrobe  post-office. 

His  mercantile  establishment  is  situated  on 
St.  Clair  street.  He  has  a  well-selected  stock, 
embracing  staple  and  fiincy  family  groceries 
and  canned  goods,  and  enjoys  a  large,  rapidly 
increasing  and  paying  trade.  He  is  a  good 
citizen,  a  careful  business  man  and  a  member  of 
the  German  i'.eformed  church.  Mr.  Bair  is  a 
meuJjer  of  Lovalhanna  Council,  No.  Id,  ('hosen 


No.  3  on  the  Portage  railroad,  and  at  No.  4 
for  eleven  years.  He  removeil  in  1854  to  Johns- 
town, where  three  years  later  he  built  a  flouring 
mill  which  he  operated  until  his  death  in  1880. 
He  and  his  wife  were  esteemed  members  of  the 
Baptist  church.  She  died  in  1885,  aged 
In    1S72    Mr 


seventy-one  years. 


Ik 


be- 


came the  founder  of  the  Johnstown  building  and 
loan  association  of  which  he  served  as  president 
and  vice-president.  ■ 

Joseph    C.    Beam    was    reared     in     Cambria 

county,  attended  the  co ion  schools  and  learned 

milhng  and  inill-wrighting  with  his  father. 
From  1854  to  18G4  he  was  engaged  in  the 
milling  business  at  Johnstown.  In  1804  he 
built  a  llouriiig  mill  at  Hillsboro  Summit  and 
operated  it  for  .seven  years.  In  1871  he  sold 
his  mill,  returned  to  Johnstown  where  he  re- 
mained in  a  mill  for  two  years.  In  1873  he 
removed  to  Bolivar,  this  county,  bought  an  in- 
terest in  Reese,  Hammond  &,  Co.'s  mill,  which 
he  retained  for  seven  years.  In  1880  he  and 
his  brother-in-law,  Charles  Von  Lunen,  bought 
his  father's  mill  at  Johnstown  and  ran  it  for 
four  years.  \\\  1884  he  came  to  Latrobe  and 
took  charge  of  the  "  Premium  Roller  Mills" 
which   he   had    purchaseil    the   preceding  year. 


WFSTMORELAND  COUNTy. 


319 


He  remodeled  and  opeiatod  tliein  until  July, 
1S87,  when  John  Golde  bceiuuc  ;i  partner  with 
liini  uniler  the   firm    name  of  ]5eame  t'i;    (Jolde. 


Th( 


with  a  caiiarity  id'  forty 


barrels  ])er  day,  nianufaelun;  llie  eelebrated 
brand  of  "  Gold  Medal  "  Hour  ami  enjoy  a  large 
and  substantial  patronage.  (For  full  descriji- 
tion  of  mill,  see  sketch  of  John  Golde.) 

On  September  "i-l,  18(31,  he  was  married  to 
Julia  A.,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Susan  Berke- 
bile,  of  Somerset  county.  Mr.  Beam  has  six 
children:  Norman  L.,  J.  Artliur,  Ale.x.  11., 
Frank,  Clark  and  Nettie. 

J.  C.  Beam  is  a  republican  and  member  of 
the  town  council.  He  is  a  deacon  in  the  Chris- 
tain  church  at  Johnstown.  lie  is  treasui'er 
of  Excelsior  Lodge,  No.  aOG,  Sr.  C.  U.  A.  M. 
and  trustee  of  Meridian  Lodge,  No.  177,  L  0. 
of  H.  He  i.H  one  of  the  energetic  upright  and 
substanial  business  men  of  Latrobe. 


-ry  OWAllD  S.  BOSSART,  an  enterprising 
I    J    citizen,  a  progressive  business  nnin  and  a 

(«)  leading  clothier  and  furnisher  of  Ijatrobe, 
is  a  son  (jf  .lohn  and  Susanna  (Shirey)  Bossart 
and  was  born  one  mile  south  of  Youngstown,  in 
Unity  township,  Westmoixdand  county.  Pa., 
August  30,  18(J2.  lli.s  ])aternal  grandfather, 
Henry  Bossart,  was  born  in  this  county  in  17'.l:) 
and  lived  to  be  eighty-seven  years  of  age.  11m 
was  a  faithful  member  of  the  Gernnin  Reformed 
chunli  of  Youngstown.  ili>  fallur,  John 
Bossart,  was  a  brick-layer  and  st(inenia>on  and 
togetiier  with  his  brothers,  .loseph,  I'aul,  Henry 
and  Alexander,  worked  in  every  section  of  tlie 
county  and  were  accounted  line  woiknieii.  lie 
was  a  repuliiican,  a  meiidier  ot'  the  Lutlieran 
cinirch  and  died  in  1M«7,  at  si.xty-llve  years  of 
age.  His  widow,  now  in  the  sixty-srvcntli  year 
of  her  age,  resides  at  Youngstown.  Her  father, 
Samuel  Shirey,  who  died  in  1812,  was  a  driver 
on  lh(;  old   I'itlsburg  and  l'bi]atlcl|iliia  \>ikc. 

I  Iowa. d  S.   iioNsart  was  it'ared  iirinii|i:iliv   at 


Youngstown.  He  attended  the  common  schools, 
and  in  1881  with  a  view  to  fitting  himself  for  an 
active  business  life,  he  entered  the  Iron  City 
iJusiiiess  C(jllegc  at  I'iltsbiirg  and  was  graduated 
from  that  institution  Seiitember  1,  1881.  From 
1877  to  1881  he  served  as  a  clerk  in  the  store 
of  John  B.  Anderson  at  Youngstown.  After 
completing  his  connnercial  course  at  Pittsburg 
he  became  bookkeeper  for  Anderson,  Mellon  & 
Albert,  limited,  at  Latrobe.  He  continued  in 
their  employ  as  bookkeeper  and  clerk  for  four 
years.  In  1885  he  established  the  extensive 
clothing  and  furnishing  business  which  he  now 
carries  on  at  Latrobe. 

On  January  24,  1883,  Mr.  Bossart  was  mar- 
ried to  Annie  J.  Cribbs,  daughter  of  James 
Cribbs,  of  Y'oungstown.  Their  children  are  : 
James  C,  Olive:  M.,  John  L.,  and  Howard  S. 
Jr. 

II.  S.  Bossart  is  a  republican  and  has  served 
as  borough  auditor  for  the  last  two  years. 
He  is  a  member  of  Loyalhanna  Council,  No.  10, 
Chosen  F'riends  and  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
church.  In  188()  Mr.  Bossart  embarked  in 
business  for  himseli'.  His  clotldng  and  furnish- 
ing house  is  located  in  the  "Parker  House" 
block  (No.  811)  Ligonier  street,  Latrobe.  'I'li-'ir 
establishment  is  neat,  attractive  and  conunodiou.-, 
in  its  arrangements.  The  .stock  is  \aried  and 
complete,  includes  tiie  latest  and  Ijcst  ready- 
made  clothing  in  the  market  and  is  suited  to  the 
wants  of  all  classes.  Their  hat,  ca])  and  gen- 
tlemen's lumisiiing  department  is  amply  stocked 
with  stylish  and  elegant  goods.  H.  S.  Bossart 
is  a  successful  ami  well-known  business  man 
and  since  the  establisjiment  of  iiis  clothing 
house  he  has  held  a  large  trade  in  his  section 
of  Westmoreland  county. 


ICIIAEL  BOSSART  is  one  of  the  old 
f  /   ])rt)minent  and  substantial  merchants  of 
♦        Latroiie,  and   lias  been  closely  identilicd 
with  tile  general   niercantiii,'  business   for  nearly 


1  ..f.-.) 


BlOGRAPllIES   OF 


fifty  years,  lie  is  a  son  of  John  ami  Elizabeth 
(I'ooniian)  llossart,  and  \vas  born  at  Pleasant 
Unity,  Unity  towiisliip,  Westmoreland  county, 
l"a.,  Man-b  !»,  ISll.  ,I„lu.  I'.ossart  and  his 
wife  were  natives  of  FiMnklin  county,  I'a.,  and 
c;inie  to  ^Vestmoreland  comity  in  1805.  Mr. 
Bosstirt  was  a  tailor  by  trade  but  was  engaged 
in  keeping  hotel  at  Pleasant  Unity  for  several 
years  previous  to  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
182i*.  Mrs.  l>ossart  then  assumed  charge  of 
the  hotel  and  con<lucted  it  for  several  years. 
She  died  at  Blairsville  in  October,  1S42. 

Michael  Bossart  was  reared  on  the  farm  of 
his  uncle,  Michael  Poorman,  until  lie  was 
eighteen  years  of  age,  when  he  went  to  Pleasant 
Unity  and  Irarncd  the  li'adc  of  hatting  with 
John  jVruistrong.  lie  worked  at  halting  for 
about  three  years  and  then  accepted  a  clerkshij) 
with  John  Gralf  at  Blairsville,  on  account  of 
the  eastern  hat  factories  ruining  his  trade,  lie 
remained  with  Mr.  Graff  for  seven  years,  then 
went  to  Oiiio  and  was  engaged  for  two  years  in 
the  mercantile  business  and  operating  an  ashery 
for  making  potash.  In  18  iS  he  returned  to 
AVestmoreland  county,  opened  a  store  at  New 
Derry  which  he  conducted  for  si.x  years,  then 
entertained  an  idea  of  becoming  a  partner  with 
Mr.  GralV,  but  gave  it  up  for  lack  of  ca]iital  and 
went  to  Millersburg,  Ohio.  lie  remained  there 
one  year,  but  not  liking  the  business  methods  of 
that  place  he  bo.xed  his  goods  and  returned 
to  Pennsylvania.  In  llS'iT  he  came  to  riatrnljo, 
npened  a  general  mercantile  store  and  lias  cdn- 
liiiued  sueeessfuliy  in  liiat  line  of  business  until 
the  present  time.  Ilis  mercantile  establishment 
is  at  the  corner  of  Main  and  Ligonier  streets, 
aiul  is  well  filled  with  a  large  and  fine  stock  of 
dry-goods,  notions,  groceries,  glassware  and 
everything  that  is  called  for  in  a  first-class  house 
of  its  kind.  ]\[r.  Bossart  has  a  large  and  per- 
manent trade  and  his  business  has  grown  up 
with  the  borough  in  its  wonderful  material 
development. 

Michael    Bossart  was   married   December  20, 


1840,  to  Ann  Johnston,  a  daughter  of  Hon. 
William  .lohnston,  who  was  a  democrat  and 
served  in  the  Pennsylvania  Legislature  in  1839, 
1810  and  1841.  They  hiive  \\\'ti  children: 
Albert  J.,  Julia  Iv,  Jennie  I''.,  Marlni  1!.  and 
William. 

lie  is  a  republican  in  political  opinion  and 
a:  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
Mr.  Bossart,  in  June,  1888,  sold  seventy  acres 
of  his  land  adjoining  the  borough  to  some 
eastern  capitalists  who  erected  the  Latrobe 
steel-works  on  this  tract.  He  has  been  success- 
ful in  all  his  enterprises  and  has  acquired  quite 
a  comj)etency  by  carefid  management,  good 
judgment  and  judicious  investments. 


a  I)  L.  BHINDLE,  one  of  the  reliable  busi- 
)/  ness  men  of  Latrobe,  and  a  member  of 
the  grocery  and  queensware  firm  of  Kep- 
ple  k  Brindle,  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Margaret 
(Aukerman)  Brindle,  and  was  born  in  Unity 
township,  Westmoreland  county,  November  15, 
1847.  Among  the  early  settlers  of  Unity 
township  who  came  from  Franklin  county.  Pa., 
was  John  Brindle  (grandfiither).  lie  was  a 
member  of  the  lleformed  church,  came  in  1798 
ami  purchased  a  farm  which  has  never  passed 
out  of  the  hands  of  the -Brindle  family.  Jacob 
Ihindle  (father)  was  born  in  180G  on  the  farm 
on  which  he  died  August  3,  1889.  He  lived 
one  and  one-half  miles  from  Youngstown.  He 
\Nas  a  stirring,  energetic  man,  a  prosperous 
farmer,  a  rej)ublican  in  politics  and  an  ollicer  in 
the  Reformed  church.  His  widow,  Margaret 
(Aukcrnnm)  Brindle,  is  descended  from  an  early 
settled  and  well-to-do  family  of  Unity  township 
She  was  born  in  1811  and  is  a  member  of  the 
liUtlieran  church. 

E.  L.  Brindle  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  and  carefully  trained  to  tarm-work  and 
fiirm-managcment.  His  education  was  received 
in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  township. 
Leaving  school,   he  was  successfully  engaged   in 


WKSTMORKLAND   CO UNTV. 


furuiing  and  stock-raisiiif^  for  nearly  twenty 
years.  In  the  spring  of  188G  lie  removed  to 
Latrobe  and  became  a  partner  with  A.  S.  Kep- 
ple  in  llicir  groecry  business  under  tlie  (irm 
name  of  Kcppie  i'^:  Urindie.  'I'licir  cslablish- 
nicnt  is  loeated  at  No.  -lb  Depot  street.  It  is 
wellfitted  up  and  carefully  arranged  for  their 
line  of  business.  Their  stock  comprises  all 
kinds  of  staple  and  fancy  groceries,  glass, 
queens\vare,  tobacco,  cigars,  foreign  and  domes- 
tic fruits,  country  produce  and  every  other 
article  in  the  grocery  line.  The  proprietors 
endeavor  in  every  way  possible  to  fully  merit 
the  extensive  and  first-class  patronage  which  is 
bestowed  upon  them. 

Chi  November  1;'),  1871,  Mr.  Brindle  was 
married  to  Rachel  Lohr,  daughter  of  John  Lohr, 
of  Somerset  county,  Pa.  To  this  union  have 
been  liorn  two  children  :   Alice  C  and  Harry  Ti. 

v..  li.  liiindle  has  been  a  member  iif  the 
Ueformed  church  fur  many  years  and  is  well- 
known  in  business  circles  as  a  gentleman  of  strict 
integrity  and  honorable  in  all  his  dealings. 


rr'AMUEL  E.  BURCIIFIELl),  M.I).,  one 
(^j  of  Latrobe's  bright  and  promising  young 
IS)  physicians,  was  born  December  24,  1854, 
at  Tarentum,  Allegheny  county.  Pa.,  and  is  a 
sun  of  Edwin  U.  and  Rachel  (.McCall)  Rurch- 
field,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Allegheny 
county.  Edwin  R.  Burchfield  was  born  in  Pitts- 
burg, taught  school  in  his  native  county  fo/  a  num- 
ber of  years  and  spent  the  last  twenty-live  years  of 
his  life  in  agricidtural  pursuits.  lie  held  several 
township' oliices  and  was  for  many  years  an  elder 
in  the  Presiiytcran  church  at  Tarentum.  On 
account  of  his  sterling  qualities,  his  social  and 
moral  worth  he  was  highly  esteemed  by  his 
entire  conmiunity.  lie  <lied  in  188G  at  the  age 
of  sixty-three  years,  but  his  widow  yet  survives, 
residing  on  the  uld  homestead.  His  father, 
Samuel  ('.  liurehfield,  was  also  a  native  of  Alle- 
gheny county,  Pa.,  but  lived  a  long  time   in  the 


State  of  Indiana,  near  I'^t.  Wayne.  He  was  of 
English  descent  and  a  farmer  by  occupation. 
He  died  in  1874  at  the  age  of  .seventy-eight. 

Dr.  Sauiuel  !'].  Itui-chficld  was  reared  in  his 
native  town,  iittrnded  tho  ]mblic  slIiuuI,  the 
Tarentum  academy,  the  Oakdale  academy,  the 
Edinboro  State  Normal  school  of  Erie  county, 
Pa.,  and  the  Western  University  of  Pennsylva- 
nia at  Pittsburg.  For  seven  years  he  then 
devoted  his  time,  talent  and  energy  to  the  noble 
though  not  remunerative  jirofession  of  teaching, 
serving  as  principal  of  the  Oakdale  and  the  Tar- 
entum public  schuuls.  In  1878  he  began  reading 
medieine  with  Dr.  Oeorge  M.  Cietze  of  Taren- 
tum, and  graduated  from  the  University  of 
Michigan  Ilonneopathic  Medical  college  June 
30,  1881 :  began  practice  at  once  at  Ionia, 
Michigan,  but  in  October  removed  to  I-atrobe, 
Pa.,  where  he  continued  to  practice  until  March 
1,  188(3,  when  he  removed  to  Houtzdale,  Clear- 
field county.  Pa.  On  account  of  ill-health  he, 
in  July,  1888,  left  the  latter  place  and  went  to 
Tarentum  to  recuperate.  In  September,  1889, 
he  again  located  at  Latrobe  where  he  is  now 
practicing  his  chosen  profession.  Dr.  Hiirch- 
fiehl  is  a  member  of  the  llomicopathic  Medical 
Society  of  Pennsylvania  and  contributes  largely 
to  the  medical  journals.  In  1885  and  1880  he 
was  physici.an  for  the  poor  (jf  Latrobe  and  vicin- 
ity. He  is  a  member  of  the  Houtzdale  Lodge, 
No.  'JUO,  I.  0.  0.  F.  ;  Tarentum  Council,  No. 
91,  Jr.  0.  U.  A.  M.  ;  Tarentum  Tent,  No.  41, 
K.  0.  T.  M.,  and  Loyalhanna  Council,  No  IG, 
0.  C.  F.  In  the  last  named  onler  he  has  filled 
the  highest  offices. 

Dr.  S.  E.  Burchfield  was  married  in  1883  to 
Emma,  a  daughter  of  Ca|)t.  J.  J.  liierer  of 
Latrobe,  who  died  in  1888  leaving  one  child,  a 
daughter  Alice. 

Dr.  Burchfield  is  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  in  which  he  has  lieen  an  ehlerand 
a  Sabbath-school  worker  and  superintendent. 
He  makes  a  specialty  of  the  study  of  botany  and 
geology  and  contributes  liberally  to  the  city  and 


rCiioii  ba 


.-[^!t. 


322 


BWGRAI'llIES  OF 


county  pajiors,  mostly  on  scicntilic  subjocts. 
l,)i-.  Ikircliliclil  bc'lonjjjs  to  (lie  srlmol  ol' hoiiin.^- 
opiitliy  iind  is  uii  excellent  physician  us  well  us 
a  Christian  "■entleuian. 


•foJlN  (;()II(;111';N()IJU.  'M.ieat  lil.nnies 
I  nuike  few  intelligent  men  and  women,  but 
(2/  newspapers  lift  the  nations  into  sunlight." 
A  good  newspaper  is  a  mirror  of  life  itself  and  is 
a  blessing  to  any  community  in  which  it  is  pub- 
lished. One  of  the  fifteen  able  newspapers  pub- 
lished in  Westmoreland  county  that  is  worthy 
of  especial  mention  is  the  Latrobe  Enterprise, 
founded  by  John  Coughenour,  a  son  of  Jacob 
and  Hetty  (Evans)  Coughenour.  He  was  born 
in  Hempfield  township,  Westmoreland  county, 
Pa.,  December  13,  1844.  The  Coughenours 
are  of  German  descent.  Jacob  Coughenour 
was  born  in  1819,  is  a  member  of  the  Reformed 
church  and  resides  on  his  well-improved  farm  in 
Hem|>field  township.  In  1841  he  married  Hetty 
Evans,  dauglitcr  of  AValter  Evans,  who  was  a 
successful  farmer  of  the  above  township  and  a 
strict  lutheran  in  religious  belief. 

John  Coughenour  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm,  attended  the  common  schools  and  learned 
the  trade  of  shoemaker.      He  followed  sboemak- 


and  the  Methodist  Episco[ial  church,  'i'he  La- 
trobe KiUerprUe  is  a  four-page  paper  containing 
thirty-two  columns  and  is  published  at  No.  901) 
Ligonier  street,  on  Wednesday  of  eacli  week  at 
lij!!. 00  per  year.  Ft  is  devoted  to  the  interests 
of  Latrobe  and  vicinity  ami  contains  all  the  local 
news  of  general  interest  besides  a  vast  amount  of 
valuable  information.  .\  complete  job  printing 
department  has  been  added  to  the  ollice  and 
the  firm  has  every  facility  for  executing  neatly 
and  handsomely  all  kinds  of  work  in  that  line. 
Mr.  Coughenour  has  been  successful  in  estab- 
lishing a  first-class  paper  of  wide  circulation  and 
good  reputation. 


ILLIAM   DALE,  who  has  energetically 
and  successfully  carved  out  his  own   ca- 
reer in   life,  and    is    a    member   of  tho 
prosperous   firm   of   Dale  k,   Womer,   merchant 
tailors,  gents  furnishers  and  clothiers  of  Latrobe, 
was  born  in  Clarion  county,  Pa.,  May  28,  1851, 
and  is  a  son   of  Henry  and  Hannah   (Womer) 
Dale.     Henry  Dale  was  born  in  1821   in  West- 
moreland county.  Pa.,  and  his  parents  removed 
to  Clarion  county  while  he  was  yet  an   infant. 
He  died  at  Latrobe  in  1880.      He  removed   in 
early  life   to  Blair  county,  this  State,  where  he 
from  1860  to  1875  and  then  was  engaged  in  i  married  Hannah   Womer,  and    lived  for   many 


tlie  manufacture  of  hosiery  for  eight  years  at 
Irwin  In  1884  he  removed  to  Latrobe,  engaged 
in  the  printing  business  and  in  January,  1885, 
fimndcd  tlu'  f„ili;>lu'  F.nt,rj>riyr  which  he  suc- 
ce>^l'ullv  conducted  until  January  9,  18811,  wlien 
he  admitted  his  two  sons,  IJenjamin  F.  and  Wil- 
liam F.,  into  partnership  with  him  under  the 
present  firm  name  of  J    Coughenour  k,  Sons. 

John  Coughenour  was  married  June  7,  188G, 
to  Harriet,  daughter  of  Joshua  Menscli,  of 
Crecnsi)urg.  'I'liey  have  four  children  :  IJcnja- 
min  F.,  William  F.,  Jenriie  M.  and  Harriet. 

.lolin  Coughenour  is  a  member  of  Excelsior 
Council,  No.  300,  0.  U.  A.  M.,  Meridian  Con- 
clave   No.    177,  Improved  Order  of  Heptasopiis 


years.  In  1880  he  came  to  Latrobe  and  passed 
his  last  <hiys  at  that  place,  where  his  widow  now 
resides  with  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

William  Dale  passed  his  boyhood  and  youth 
in  Hlair  county.  He  attended  the  common 
schools  of  that  county  and  at  an  early  age  went 
to  the  lumber  regions  of  Centre  and  Clearfield 
counties,  tliis  State,  in  (juest  of  more  remunera- 
tive employment  than  he  could  securg  in  Llair 
county.  He  worked  by  the  month  in  the  lum- 
ber camps  of  these  counties  for  about  ten  years, 
and  carefully  husbanded  his  savings  with  a  view 
of  eventually  endjarkingin  some  kind  of  business. 
In  1877  he  had  acipiired  by  hard  labor  sulHcient 
means  to    engage  in    business,   and    acordingly 


WESTMORELAND   COUNTY. 


323 


formed  a  partnership   with   C.  G.  Ilirlinger,  of 
riiilipshurg,  Vix       'i'hcy  opened  a  clothing  store 
at    Ulair.sville,  [ndiMria  county,  Pa.,  whero  tliey 
coliliiiiu'd  ill  liiisiiir-^s  unilcr  (lie  linn  iiairic  cil' ('. 
(i.  Iliilihu'criS:  Co.  lint  il  I  ^7!',  and  liini  moved  to 
Latrobe,  I'a.      Ill    188:i   E.  S.  Wouier,   of  Bhiir 
county,  pureliased  ^^r.  llirliiiger's  interest  and 
the  linn   became  Dale  k,   Wonier,  who  founded 
iheir  present  clothing   and   merchant   tailoring 
establishment,  which  is  eligihly  located  on  the 
corner  of  Ligonier  and  Depot  streets.     It  is  the 
large^^t    house   of   its   kind    at   Latrobe.      Their 
well-stockeil  store  contains  a  must  excellent  and 
carefully    selected    assortment   of    clothing   and  ] 
piece  goods,  including,  also,  the  finest  domestic  ' 
and  foreign  fabrics,  cassimeres,  cloths  and  suit-  ; 
ings.      They   em]iloy   skilled    workmen    in    their   \ 
merchant    tailoring    <lepartment,   allow    nothing 
but  neat-fitting  and  stylish    garments   to    leave  i 
the  store   and  refer  to  their  patrons  for  a   rec-  I 
omniendation  of  their  tailoring.     In   188t)  they  , 
opened  a  branch   store   in  I'hilipsburg,   Centre  I 
county,  and  .Mr.  AVomer  is  now  there   in  charge 
of  it. 

Believing  their  business  would  prosper  better  , 
and  their  many  patrons  receive  better  attention,  ] 
Mr.  Dale  learned  the  art  of  cutting  in  18811,  I 
and  now  pays  strict  attention  to  that  part  of  the  ' 
business  himself. 

On  September  4,  1873,  he  was  united  in  I 
marriage  to  Susanna  Beamer,  daughter  of  Jacob 
A.  Beamer,  of  Centre  county.  Pa.  To  their  I 
union  have  been  born  seven  children,  three  sons  ' 
and  four  daughters  :  Iva  M.,  Klla  V.,  (ieorge  Iv,  | 
Naomi  B.,  Frank  W'..  and  Oakana  It.  and 
Henry  A.,  who  died  in  infancy. 

In  politics  Mr.  Dale  is  a  democrat  and  has 
held  several  township  olTices.  lie  is  a  member 
of  Loyalhanna  Lodge,  No.  -ll'y,  F.  &  A.  M., 
Latrobe  Lodge,  No.  177,  Kniglits  of  Pythias, 
].ioyalhanna  Council,  No.  llj,  Chosen  Friends, 
and  Excelsior  Council,  No.  3G(j,  Order  of  United 
American  Mechanics.  Mr.  Dale  conducts  his 
es>'iblishment    upon    fair    and   correct    businsss 


principles  and  has  secured  a  liberal  share  of 
[lublic  patronage.  His  siiccially  is  fashionable 
merchant  tailoring,  in  which  he  has  achieved 
abundant  and  W(ll-nicrilc(l  success.  Hy  his  own 
e.xerlions  and  energy  he  has  overcome  many 
obstacles  in  his  way  and  achieved  business  suc- 
cess and  social  standing. 


r^ENIlY    LEANDER    DONNELLY,  M. 

F^l    D.      One   of  the  oldest,  most   highly  re- 

(*)   spected   and  widely  known    physicians  of 

Westmoreland    county    is    Dr.   Henry  Leander 

Donnelly,  who  has  been   prominent  in  military 

and  conspicuous  in  political  life. 

He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Margaret  (McGill) 
Donnelly  and  was  horn  in  the  vicinity  of  Free- 
port,  Armstrong  county,  and  near  the  West- 
moreland county  line,  February  "27,  1829.  He 
is  of  Irish  lineage.  His  father,  John  Donnelly, 
was  born  in  the  first  year  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury and  died  in  the  early  prime  of  manhood  in 
xVpril,  1831,  at  Freeport,  Pa.,  where  his  remains 
lie  entombed.  He  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
a  zealous  worker  of  the  Catholic  church  and  at 
the  time  of  his  death  was  actively  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  salt.  His  mother,  Margaret 
(McOill)  Donnelly,  was  born  at  West  Chester, 
Chester  county,  Pa.,  April  17,  1805,  and  wlio 
had  just  passed  the  seventy-fifth  milestone  on 
the  pathway  of  life  the  day  before  she  died. 
Her  father,  James  McGill,  left  county  Derry, 
Ireland,  at  si.xteen  years  of  age  and  settled  in 
Chester  county.  Pa.,  where  he  made  his  home 
until  the  second  war  between  the  United  States 
and  Great  Britain.  At  the  opening  of  that 
great  struggle  he  crossed  the  Alleghcnies  with  a 
team  and  settled  in  Derry  township,  this  county. 
Soon  after  his  arrival  in  ^Vestmoreland  he  was 
drafted  and  served  a  year  under  (!en.  \Villiani 
Henry  Harrison  in  his  camjiaign  on  the  north- 
western frontier  and  in  Canada.  He  was  a  well- 
to-do  farmer,  a  stanch  democrat   and  died  at  his 


i!M(t(ie  A 


ISIOGRAPIIIES  OF 


liiiiiu'  ill   I'l'iry  lM\Mi>lii|]  al  llir  inhMiirnl   ml;^  of 
ciglity-t'i^^la  voais. 

After  tlie  ilf.ith  i.f  liis  fatlicr  Dr.  llniry  I;. 
Ddiinclly  wa.s  liiiMi;;lil  hy  liis  iiinlluT  lu  llcny 
l(i\\  n,slii|i,  wlicrc  lie  was  irairil  U|)oii  llic  lailii 
111'  Ills  liiatcriial  griUiilf'alluT.  lA'a\iiii^  si-luMtl 
;it  cinlitcc'li  yrars  ui'  aj^u  lii.'  eliti.Tfil  the  olllre  iif 
l>r.  J.  \\.  Blaukluirn,  ut'Nuw  Derry,  ami  lirgaii 
the  stiiily  of"  iiieiliciiu'.  Al'tor  two  years'  read- 
ing with  Dr.  Blackburn  he  went  to  Jefferson 
Meilicul  college,  Phihulelphia,  where  he  took  a 
four  years'  course  and  was  graduated  from  that 
institution  March  9,  1853.  In  the  summer  of 
18;>J  he  went  to  Youngstown,  Pa.,  and  formed 
a  jiartnership  witli  Dr.  D.  J.  Cantwell  of  that 
ji'aee  in  the  practice  of  medicine.  One  year 
Dr.  Cantwell  went  to  Blairsville,  Indiana 
county,  Pa.,  anil  two  years  later  Dr.  Dimnelly 
left  a  very  paying  practice  which  he  then  eii- 
joved  at  Youngstown  and  removed  to  Latrohe, 
where  he  became  a  partner  of  Dr.  John  W. 
Coulter.  They  practiced  together  with  good 
success  until  Dr.  (Juulter  was  elected  to  the 
Legislature,  lie  was  postmaster  at  the  time  of 
his  election,  which  office  he  resigned  in  favor 
of  Dr.  Donnelly,  who  was  afterwards  ap[iointe(l 
and  commissioned  postmaster  of  Latrohe  by 
President  Buchanan.  l)r.  Coulter  caught  a 
Severe  cold  at  llarrisburg  in  the  early  days  of 
the  session,  when  he  came  home  and  shortly 
afterwards  died  from  its  effects.  Dr.  Donnelly 
then  g;ive  the  po.stoffice  over  to  Dr.  ('milter's 
w  idovv  and  gavi'  his  entire  attention  to  his  pro- 
fession. His  own  practice  was  .steadily  increas- 
ing and  succeeding  to  Dr.  Coulter's  he  found 
himself  in  possession  of  quite  a  large  ]iractice. 
The  civil  war  came  with  all  its  horrors  and 
among  the  first  who  responded  to  their  coun- 
try's call  for  troops  in  the  dark  and  trying  days 
of  ISdl  was  Dr.  Donnelly,  who  enlisted  April 
20, 18G1.  He  was  commissioned  first  lieutenant 
of  Co.  K  (Capt.  W.  B.  Coulter),  eleventh  reg. 
Pa.  Vols,  and  served  his  lliiee  monllis'  leiaa  id' 
eidistiuent  along   the   uppei-  J'otomac.      He   was 


with  his  r'ginuni  whin  il  and  the  h'irst  Wiscon- 
sin met  and  defiMled  the  ('(Jiil'rdrralis  al  the 
battle  of  l''alling  Waters,  "where  tlu'  aflerwards 
famous  name  of  'Stonewall  .lacd^son  '  was  lirsl 
heaid."  'I'he  elevi'lilh  w.is  inilslcred  ililo  ihe 
United  Stales  service  April  l!i),  and  iimslcied 
out  August  1,  LS(H.  Dr.  Donnelly  reluriied 
home  and  in  August,  ll^llii,  recruited  in  fmir 
days  a  company  of  lOl  men  fioiii  Latrohe,  Lig- 
onier  and  New  Alexandria.  One  half  of  the 
members  of  this  company  w  ere  law,  medical  and 
college  students  and  school  teachers  and  min- 
isters. It  became  Co.  G  of  the  one  hundred 
and  thirty-fifth  reg.  Pa.  Vols.,  and  Dr.  Don- 
nelly was  commissioned  its  cai)tain.  He  was 
in  command  of  the  company  at  the  battle  of 
Chancellorsville,  and  soon  after  that  fight  he 
was  attacked  with  acute  rheumatism  which 
confined  him  to  his  bed  for  several  months  and 
from  which  he  has  never  fully  recovered.  He 
was  compelled  to  resign  and  return  liome.  After 
recovering  his  health  he  resumed  and  has  con- 
tinued successfully  in  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession. Dr.  II.  L.  Donnelly  is  a  Jeffei'son 
democrat  and  was  the  worthy  nominee  of  his 
party  in  188G  for  Congress  in  the  district  com- 
posed of  Fayette,  Greene  and  Westmoreland 
counties,  but  was  defeated  by  dissensions  in  his 
own  party.  In  1888  he  was  unanimously  nom- 
inated for  Congress  by  the  democrats  and  re- 
ceived the  solid  vote  of  that  party,  but  was  de- 
feated, as  the  district  which  was  then  composeil 
^'i'  the  counties  of  hidiana,  JelVersoli,  Armstrong 
and  Westmoreland  was  ho[)elessly  republican 
that  year  by  over  5,000  majority. 

In  1870  he  married  Mary  Beaver,  daughter 
of  James  A.  Beaver,  of  Indiana.  They  have 
one  child  :      Pauline  M. 

Dr.  Donnelly  is  chief  surgeon  of  one  of  the 
divisions  of  the  Penn.sylvania  railroad,  surgeon 
for  St.  Vincent  college  and  St.  Xavier's  acad- 
emy and  president  of  the  [jension  examining 
board  of  this  district.  He  is  a  nicinber  of  the 
Catholic  church,  president  (jf  the  Latrohe  water 


WESTMOIIELAND   COVM  Y. 


3-25 


company  ami  a  ilircctcir  of  tlio  ok'ctric  \\\i\\i 
coiiipaiiy  oF  iIkU  iilaic.  Ho  is  jilaiii,  iiiiassiiiii- 
iiii^  ami  ratliLT  rcscrvol  in  inaiuicr,  CDiii^ciiial 
ami  is  an  I'Xi'cllciit  oiinvci'salionalisl,.  Ho  is 
proficifiU  in  instiiry,  possesses  a  vast  stole  of 
general  information  ami  is  a  very  fine  statisti- 
cian. Not  given  to  jmblic  sjn'aking,  yet  his 
articles  on  public  and  inijjortant  subjects  are 
compreliensive  and  able  and  whieli  evince  care- 
ful thought  and  ample  preparation.  Logical  in 
thought  and  clear  in  language  he  is  strong  and 
forcible,  lie  is  charitable  and  generous,  and 
in  thirty-five  years  of  practice  as  a  physician 
nover  sent  any  of  his  jjatrons  a  iiill  or  brought 
suit  against  any  one  lor  medical  services.  lUit 
over  and  above  all  in  making  a  record  of  Dr. 
Donnelly  is  his  umpiestioned  integrity  and  moral 
character,  which  is  witiiout  blot  or  stain  and  is 
above  the  breath  of  .suspicion. 


-r^ENRY  G.  DONNELLY  is  an  enterpris- 
I  J  ing,  energetic  and  thoroughly  reliable 
(»)  gentleman  and  one  of  the  prominent, 
well  established  and  important  business  men  of 
Latrobe  and  of  Westmoreland  county  as  well. 
He  is  a  son  of  Col.  'J'homas  and  Elizabeth 
(Cirey)  Donnelly  and  was  born  in  Dcrry  town- 
ship, AVestmoreland  county,  I'a.,  March  1-, 
1S;!1.  Col.  1'homas  Donnelly  was  born  and 
reared  in  Ireland,  where  he  was  educated  for  the 
priesthood  in  the  Roman  Catholic  church,  but 
he  preferred  a  secular  to  clerical  caicer  and  de- 
clined 111  bccoMu-  a  piiesl.  \\v  inniiigrate(l  at 
an  earlv  age  to  the  I'nited  States  and  eventually 
foutid  einployiucnt  at  tiie  salt  wells  on  the  Alle- 
gheny river,  Pa.  lie  was  steady  and  indus- 
trious and  invested  his  liard-earned  savings  in 
land.  In  a  few  years  he  had  accpiircd  means 
suilicient  to  engage  in  the  salt  manufacturing 
business  which  he  prosecuted  successfully  for 
many  years.  In  the  meantime  the  oil  excite- 
ment arose  ami  he  fouml  his  land  to  be  situated 
within  the  greatest  coal-oil   region   of  the  worhl 


and  sold  it  for  several  hundi'c(l  thousand  dollars. 
He  then  reuiovi'il  to  {'ittsimrg  \\  lieie  he  pur- 
chased a  controlling  int<rest  in  the  Fourth 
National  bank  of  I'iltsburg,  of  wjiich  he  served 
as  vice-president  foi'  one  year  and  president  for 
over  twenty  years.  He  died  April  15,  188G,  in 
the  eighty-fourth  year  of  his  age,  at  his  resi- 
dence on  Butler  street  in  the  eighteenth  ward 
of  Pittsburg.  He  was  thorough-going  and  per- 
severing in  all  of  his  enterprises  and  never 
seemed  contented  unless  he  was  actively  engaged 
in  business.  Devotion  to  duty  was  a  prominent 
trait  of  his  chai'acter  as  well  as  good  judgment 
and  clear  insight  into  everything.  He  never 
endangere<l  his  business  by  venturesome  specu- 
lations, but  slowly  and  safely,  by  perfectly 
honest  and  legitimate  means,  aciiuired  a  hand- 
some fortune  of  over  tiiree-fourths  of  a  million 
dollars.  He  was  an  exemplary  member  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  church  and  was  always  ready 
to  help  those  who  were  in  distress.  He  married 
Elizabeth  Gray,  daughter  of  Martin  Gray,  who 
was  a  resident  farmer  of  Westmoreland  and  a 
native  of  Berks  county,   Pa. 

Henry  G.  Donnelly  was  reared  in  Derry 
township,  this  county,  and  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools.  On  attaining  his  majority  he  en- 
gaged and  continued  in  the  general  mercantile 
business  at  Livermore  fi>r  over  two  years.  In 
18r)4  he  removed  to  Latrobe  when  it  contained 
only  a  few  houses  and  established  his  present 
large  and  prosperous  mercantile  establishment. 
In  ISSti  he  adiiiilled  liis  two  sons,  Harry  and 
Joseph,  into  the  paitnership  under  the  firm 
name  of  11.  G.  Donnelly  I'i  Sons;  he  intrusted 
in  their  hands  the  active  management  of  the 
store  and  since  that  time  has  given  his  attention 
largely  to  real  estate  transactions.  The  large 
mercantile  establishment  of  Mr.  Donnelly  is 
centrally  located,  well  arranged  for  conducting 
the  business  and  displaying  the  immense  stock 
of  goods  which  he  carries  to  su]iply  his  large 
patronage  among  all  classes.  Dry  goods, 
notions,  groceries,  wall  papers,  carpets  and  every- 


M.OU 


lUUGRAPHIES  OF 


tliin;^  of  gcnerul  inei-e-liiuidisL'  tluit  inmlern  con- 
vcnifiiccs  cull  suggest  or  jirc^cnt  iiue-L'ssilius  dc- 
iiiiunl  uri;  to  be  fomiil  in  liis  sioclc. 

ill  isr.d  Mr.  |)oiiiicll_v  uas  iiianicd  to  M.Mrtlia 
ll.iirv,  il.ni-litiT  (if  ('(MMirod  lluiiry,  of  DiTry 
township.  She  died  in  ISlJI)  lea.ving  t\v(;  .soils  : 
'I'lionias  and  Ilari-y.  In  18G2  he  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Kate  MeCallej,  daughter  of  Nathan- 
iel McCalley,  a  cousin  of  George  Bancroft, 
America's  great  historian.  P.y  the  second  mar- 
riage he  haslivecliihlrcn  :  Josepli,  ISIaggic^  Kate, 
Januarius  and  Mamie. 

11.  G.  Donnelly  is  a  man  of  push  and  enter- 
prise and  is  thoroughly  conversant  with  every 
jihase  ami  feature  of  the  diil'ercnt  lines  of  busi- 
ness in  which  he  is  so  actively  and  successfully 
engaged.  He  has  accumulated  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  $50,000  worth  of  property  at  Latrobe 
besides  numerous  other  investments.  He  is  a 
strong  democrat,  a  good  school  director,  a  use- 
ful member  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church  and 
director  of  the  First  National  bank  of  Latrobe. 
He  has  often  been  asked  to  allow  the  use  of  his 
name  as  a  candidate  but  has  always  steadily  and 
firmly  declined,  as  his  large  business  interests 
demand  all  iiis  time. 


•[•.\MKS  T.  DoNOill'K.  Of  late  years 
"t'  pluiiiliiug  has  attracted  the  notice  which  its 
(^J  iiiipoilancc  demands  and  the  pluuilicr  has 
bccunie  essential  to  our  comfort  and  health. 
Among  those  engaged  in  this  business  is  James 
T.  Donohue,  of  Latrobe,  uho  has  followed 
plumliing  for  twenty-cne  years  in  iMigland,  New 
York  and  Pennsylvania.  He  is  a  son  of  \Villiam 
and  Margaret  (Murray)  Donohue,  and  was  born 
in  the  city  of  Liverpool,  EngUind,  A])ril  2;j, 
1847.  William  Donohue  was  born  in  I'higland 
in  ISi^d,  learned  the  trade  of  shipbuilder,  which 
he  jiiii-siicd  ill  the  city  of  Liverpool  until  his 
death  in  LSSti.  lie  was  a  Very  industrious  man, 
a  <'ood  workman    and    a   consistent    niciidjer    (;f 


the  Catholic  church.  He  married  Margaret 
Murray  and  reared  a  family  of  children.  Mrs. 
DnnoliLie  is  a  native  of  Lngland,  a  devout  mem- 
ber of  liie  Calliolic  chinch  ami  resides  in  liiver- 
pool.  She  is  now  in  the  si.ity-second  year  of 
her  age. 

James  T.  Donohue  was  reared  in  liiverpool 
and  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  that  great  commercial  city.  He  learned  the 
ti-ade  of  plumbing,  came  to  the  United  States  in 
LSOO  and  located  at  Niagara  Falls,  New  York, 
where  he  continued  to  reside  for  two  years.  He 
then  removed  to  HutTalo,  in  the  same  State,  \vhere 
he  pursued  his  trade  for  ten  years.  At  the  end 
of  this  time  he  migrated  to  iJradford,  I'a.,  and 
followed  the  jdumbing  Ijusiness  for  si.x  years 
when  he  removed  to  Latrobe  where  he  opene<l 
his  present  plumbing,  gas  and  steam-fitting 
establishment.  He  has  constantly  on  hand  a 
thorough  assortment  of  plumbers',  gas-titters", 
water,  ventilating  and  steam  supplies  of  every 
description.  He  is  also  a  contractor  in  his 
branch  of  trade  and  is  always  preiiared  to  (it 
up  buildings  of  all  kinds  in  a  satisfactory  man- 
ner. In  jiolitics  Mr.  Donohue  is  a  re]uiblican. 
In  religious  belief  lie  is  a  Catholic. 

James  T.  Donohue  united  in  marriage  in 
1871  with  Ellen  Nolan,  daughter  of  Luke  and 
Mary  Nolan,  of  Liverpool,  England.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Donohue  are  the  parents  of  seven  chihlren : 
Frank,  Nellie,  (i  race,  Agnes,  Meliceiit,  Luke  and 
Honora. 


I^j  EUBEN  EISEMAN,  M.  D.,  a  young 
and  rising  physician  and  surgeon  of 
Latrobe,  who  has  a  ])roinising  future 
before  him,  is  a  son  of  Lewis  and  Margaret 
(Ferguson)  Eiseman,  and  was  born  in  Unity 
township,  Westmoreland  county,  I'a.,  February 
12,  18(32.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Henry 
l-liseman,  was  an  extensiv(,'  farmer  and  popular 
sto(d;-dealcr  in  his  day.  lie  owned  several 
hundred   acres  of  land,   settled   a   lar''e    number 


]Vi:.STMOHliLANl)   CO UNTY. 


327 


of  estates  and  was  a  ineiiilicv  of  the  Liitlieiaii 
I'limrli.  His  luatoriial  |;iaiiiiratli(.T,  William 
l'"erj^ilson,  owned  one  uf  tliu  best  i'aniis  in  I  lie 
county  near  Heatty's  htalmn,  and  was  a  iricni- 
bcr  of  tlie  I'lesbyterian  cliiirch.  His  fatiier, 
Lewis  Eisenian,  who  now  resides  with  his 
daugliter,  IMrs.  Laura  Kuhn,  owns  one  of  the 
best  gas  iiivnis  in  llie  eounty.  It  is  three  miles 
'northwest  of  Latruhe.  He  is  a  member  of  tlie 
Lutlieran  clinreh,  while  his  wife,  wlio  died  June 
14,  LS88,  belonged  to  the  Presbyterian  ehurch. 
He  was  born  in  18:21,  is  a  straight  demoeiat, 
and  has  held  the  odiees  of  tax  collector  and  as- 
sessor iu  Unity  township. 

Dr.  Reuben  Eiseman  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools,  Latrobe  and  Youngstown  higli 
schools  and  the  celebrated  college  at  (Jberlin, 
Ohio.  He  taught  school  for  live  years,  and  in 
ISSl;  he  ciimmenced  tiie  study  (if  uu'duini'  with 
Lis.  Dnniu'lly  and  Anderson,  cif  l.alriibe. 
After  four  years  reading  he  attended  lectures  at 
Jeft'erson  Jledical  college,  Philadelphia,  and  was 
graduated  from  that  institution  April  4,  1887. 
While  at  Philadelphia  he  took  a  sitecial  course 
with  Prof.  .J.  \^  8humaker,  a  specialist  on  the 
diseases  of  the  skin,  and  a  special  course  also 
with  Prof.  Charles  Meigs  AVilson,  an  eminent 
specialist  on  diseases  of  wouun.  .Vfter  gradu- 
ation he  returned  to  Latrobe,  opened  an  otlice, 
and  has  successfully  practiced  medicine  there 
ever  since.  Dr.  Eiseman  is  a  member  uf 
Latrobe  Lodge,  No.  .'■)41,  1.0.  of  0.  F.,  Jr.  (). 
U.  .\.  M.  Ill  politieal  matters  his  interol  is 
al\Mi\s  uitb  the  1  >eiHijeialie  parly  and  his  vole 
cast  for  Its  ndiiniK'is.  He  is  a  freijiu-nt  contribu- 
tor to  medical  journals  and  is  a  member  of  the 
"  Westmoreland  county  Medical  Society."  Dr. 
Eiseman  has  paid  particular  attention  to  the 
diseases  of  the  eye,  and  has  been  remarkably 
successful  in  the  trealmeiitof  all  cases  (d'  that 
kind  that  have  couk>  under  his  care.  He  is  a 
C(mrteous  and  obliging  gentleman  and  a  skillful 
physician  ami  surgeon,  who  is  achieving  success 
in  his  chosen  profession. 


•foHN    D.    EVANS,    i\L    D.     Am.u.g    the 
l'    leading    pliysiciaiis  and   siibslantial    eili/Aiis 
^     <if    Latrobe    is    Dr.   .1.    D.   Mvaus,    who   uas 
born  May   10,   l,s:;(i,  at  Ui|.ley,  Ohio,  and  whose 
jiarents    were    .loiin     D.    and    Jane    (Courtney) 
Evans,  both   natives   of    Kentucky;  the  former 
having  been  born  in  Le.\iiigt(jn  and  the  latter  in 
Lath    county.     John    1).    J'^vans    (father)     was 
((uite  young  when  his  father_removed  to  Ohio  and 
j  located   near  liipley.     When  he  grew    to  man- 
hood he  engaged  in  tlie  general  mercantile  busi- 
I  ness   and   also   in  trading   with  New   Orleans — • 
1  domestic  commerce  it  would  now  be  called.      He 
died  at  Ripley,  Ohio,  aged  fifty  years,  and   his 
widow  survived  till  1878,  when  she  was  gathered 
,  to  her  fathers,  being  seventy-seven  years  of  age. 
'       Dr.  J.  D.  Evans  was  educated  in  the  Miami 
I   University,  O.xford,  Ohio,  from  which  he  gradu- 
ated    in     l!Sr).S.        In     18t;()     he    began     reading 
I   medicine   but   in  tlii'   fall  of   l.'Sdl    coiicludeil   to 
take  up  arms   in  defence  of  the  I'nion    and  en- 
!  listed  in  the  naval  service.      He  went  on  board 
the  iron-clad  Indianola,  which  ran  u  blockade  at 
Vicksburg  in  February,  1863,  running  up  and 
down  the  Mississippi  from  Memphis  to  the  Yazoo 
river.      After    the   Indianola    ran   the  blockade 
she    with    other   vessels    steamcil   dmvn    to    the 
;  mouth  of  the   Red  river  where  they  met  a   Con- 
!  federate  fleet,  which   being  too  strong  for   them 
I  chased  the   northern   vessels   up   the   river,  and 
twenty  miles  below  Vicksburg  overtook  and  cap- 
'   tured    the    Indianola    with    all    her    crew.      The 
llebels  said<  llie  iron-elail  and   Itiok   tlii'  ci'ew   to 
\'ieksburg,  thence    to    Jackson,   thence    after    a 
month     to     Richmond,    and     iinally    to     Libby 
i  prison,  where  they  were  kept  four  months  before 
I  being  exchanged.     Mr.  Evans  then  went  to  Cin- 
I  cinnati,  and  from  there   down  the  rivci'   on    the 
I  gun-boat  (Champion,  on   which   he   remained   as 
sergeant-steward  until    he  was  ilischargecl  at   the 
I  mouth   of  the    Ked   river,    December   l!o,   18li4. 
He  then  returned  to  Cincinnati  \vhere  he  read 
!  mc<iicine   with    Dr.  .lobn    M.  S.  udder,  the   pro- 
I   fcssor   of  'i'heory   and     Practice  in  the    Uclectie 


L   Id  nokitt^. 


32S 


BlOallAl'llIES  OF 


jNIcdicul  coUogo  of  tliat  city.  After  two  years 
of  reading,  Joliii  D.  Evans  attended  a  course  of 
lectures  in  sanie  college  in  188G,  and  remained  in 
Dr.  Scudder's  oillce  till  IST'J  assisting  liini  in 
his  jjractice.  In  1870  and  1871  lie  continued 
Lis  studies  in  the  college  and  graduated  there- 
from in  1871.  Immediately  thereafter  he  re- 
moved to  Latrobe,  Pa.,  where  he  has  ever  since 
been  engaged  in  active  practice,  which  is  large 
and  lucrative  and  in  which  he  is  very  succes.sful. 
Dr.  Evans  is  a  member  of  the  Central  Eclectic 
Medi<'al  Socictv,  the  I'risliytciiau  cliurch,  the 
lioyal  .\rcaiiiini,  the  (!.  .\.  li.,  the  A.  Y.  i\l., 
also  of  the  Northwestern  Masonic  Aid  Society. 

In  18GtJ  Dr.  J.  D.  Evans  united  in  marriage 
■with  Elizabeth,  a  daughter  of  David  Crawford, 
of  Cincinnati.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Evans  have  no  chil- 
dren of  their  own,  but  have  an  adopted  daughter, 
Nellie,  to  whom  they  are  warmly  attached. 

Dr.  Evans  has ■•  ably  served  his  borough  as 
school  director  and  councilman,  having  been 
elected  on  the  republican  ticket,  which  he  sup- 
j)orts.  He  is  a  successful  physician,  an  agree- 
able companion,  an  excellent  citizen  and  a  man 
of  moral,  mental  and  social  worth. 


eAlT.  15KNJAMIN  F.  GEIGEll,  a  soldier 
of  the  '•Western  Frontier"  and  who  is 
making  a  fine  record  as  justice  of  the 
peace  for  Latrobe,  is  a  son  of  John  and  Margaret 
(McAdams)  Geiger,  and  was  born  at  Greensburg, 
Wi'stmoichnnl  couMly,  Pa.,  January  '2^,  18:11. 
Joiin  Geiger  was  born  in  liancaster  in  17'.ll  and 
was  reared  in  Westmoreland  county.  He  fol- 
lowed farming  in  Unity  township  for  a  few  years 
and  then  removed  to  Somerset  county.  Pa., 
where  he  ri'sided  on  a  farm  until  his  death  in 
1850.  He  married  Mar:i;aiet  McAdams  wjuj  was 
born  in  li'claiid  in  l^Hiland  died  in  Suuierset 
couutv,  r.i..  in  lss;i.  They  wi'i'c  bolh  Hiciiibers 
of  tlie  Liilheran  church. 

Benjamin  F.    Geiger  was  reared  on  a  farm  in 
Somerset  county.      He  received  his  early  educa- 


tion in  the  common  schools  and  attended  one 
term  at  a  higli  school.  At  eighteen  years  of 
age  he  hft  the  farm  and  learned  the  coach  paint- 
ing business  at  Stoystown,  which  he  followed  in 
Somerset  county  until  18.'jtJ.  In  that  year  ho 
emigrated  to  Wappello  county,  Iowa,  where  he 
continued  to  reside  until  1861.  On  May  10, 
1861,  he  enlisted  in  the  4th  Iowa  cavalry  as  a 
musician,  but  was  soon  [jromoted  to  first  lieutenant 
in  the  regimental  commissary  department.  Au- 
gust 24, 1863,  he  received  an  order  of  promotion 
to  the  rank  of  captain  and  assistant  (juartcrmas- 
ter,  ami  was  directed  to  report  from  his  home  in 
Iowa  to  the  secretary  of  war.  lie  did  so  and  was 
ordered  to  report  in  person  to  Gen.  McCane  at 
Omaha.  From  the  latter  place  he  was  sent  to 
Fort  Kearney,  Nebraska,  and  served  there  until 
May  21,  1866,  when  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged from  the  United  States  service.  In 
1866  he  returned  to  Somerset  county,  this  State, 
whei-e  he  was  engaged  in  coach  painting  for  the 
ne.xt  nine  years  In  1875  he  removed  to  La- 
trobe and  became  a  florist.  His  efforts  in  that 
direction  were  rewarded  with  success  until  the 
spring  of  1889  when  he  retired  from  the  floral 
business.  At  the  February  election  of  1889 
Mr.  Geiger  ran  for  justice  of  the  peace  on  the 
denrocratic  ticket,  and  was  elected  in  a  borough 
largely  republican.  lie  is  serving  his  third 
term  as  a  democratic  county  committee-man  of 
Westmoreland  county. 

On  the  29th  day  of  November,  1855,  he  was 
married  to  Martha  J.,  daughter  of  Jacob  M. 
Smith,  of  Somerset  county.  Pa.  Their  children 
are:  Annie,  Minerva,  Maggie,  Mattie,  George 
W.,  Albert  J.  and  AVilliam  W. 

Squire  Benjamin  F.  Geiger  has  been  an  Odd 
Fellow  for  the  last  thirty-seven  years  and  since 
1880  has  served  as  a  inember  of  the  board  of 
managers  for  the  Pennsylvania  Odd  Fellows 
l"]ndowment  Associatinn.  He  is  an  earnest  mem- 
ber of  the  Lutheran  church.  As  a  citizen  he  is 
well  liked.  As  a  justice  of  tiic  peace  he  is  giv- 
ing satisfaction. 


.iiniJ'j);l3iJ|M  ^rn 


WESTMORELAND   CO UNTY. 


•fOIIN  GOLDK,  a  goiitlomaii  of  twenty-five 
I  years  exiicricncc  a-<  a  business  man  ami  a 
ij/  member  of  tbe  enterprising  firm  of  Beam 
&  Golile,  proprietors  of  tiie  I'remium  Flouring 
Mills  at  Latrobe,  was  born  in  ICast  I'ittsburg, 
Pa.,  December  '2-i,  184'J,  and  is  a  son  of  Con- 
rad and  Catharine  (Solile)  Golde.  Tliev  were 
natives  of  Germany  who  immigrated  in  1849  to 
the  United  States  and  settled  at  Pittsburg,  where 
Con. ad  Golde  engaged  in  market  gardening  with 
satisfactory  results,  lie  was  among  the  pioneers 
in  this  line  of  business  at  the  Iron  City.  In 
1857  he  removed  to  Johnstown,  Cambria  county, 
Pa.,  and  continued  in  market  gardening  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  1877.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Lutheran  church,  a  steady,  in- 
dustrious citizen  and  a  successful  business  man. 
lie  died  in  his  seventieth  year.  Ilis  widow  was 
born  in  1817,  resides  at  Johnstown  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Lutheran  church. 

John  Golde  was  eight  years  of  age  when  his 
parents  removed  from   Pittsburg  to  Johnstown  ; 
there  he  attended  tiie  public  schools  for  seven 
years.      In  18(J4  he  became  a  clerk  in  the  cloth- 
iiig-iiouse  of  D.  C.  Morris  where  he  remained  for 
eighteen  months.      He  then  accepted  a  clerkship 
in   the  clothing    and  dry   goods   department  of 
Wood,  Morrell  k  Co's  mercantile  establishment, 
and  continued   in  their  employ  for  fifteen  years. 
In  1883  he  went  to  Beaver  Fulls,  Beaver  county. 
Pa.,  and  engaged  in  general  mercantile  business 
which   he   ])ursued    for   nearly    two    years.      In 
ISS.')    he    disposed   of   his    store,    engaged    witii 
Boggs  ^'i:   Buhl,  a  dry  goods   firm  of  Allegheny 
City,    I'a.,   and    remained   with    them    for    two  i 
years.      July  1,  1HS7,  he   entered   into   partner-   | 
ship  with  .1.  (.'hirk    Jn-am,  llie    firm  naiiir   being 
lieam  >*i  (iolde.      'I'hey  purchased  the  "  I'remium 
l''louring  Mills  "    of  W'm.  Anderson   at  Latrobe, 
aiul  have  conducted  them  energetically  and  sue    j 
cessfully    until   the   present   time.      The   mill  is  i 
situateil  on  the  corner  of  Bailroad  and  Jefferson 
strecls.       It    is  tour  stories  hii;b,    I'l  .\  TiO  feet  in    ' 
dimensions    and     is    eiiuiliped     tbroUL'houl    willi 


first-class  nuichinery.  The  premises  endorace 
two  lots  of  ground  situated  in  the  central  part 
of  Latrobe,  fronting  along  the  Pennsylvania 
railroad  with  siding  running  past  the  doors. 
An  excellent  well  supplies  all  the  water  needed 
for  the  boilers  even  in  the  dryest  season  of  the 
year.  The  firm  has  a  large  run  of  custom  and 
enjoys  a  good  reputation  for  first-class  work. 
The  capacity  of  the  mill  is  forty  barrels  per  day. 
They  use  roller  process  and  are  wholesale  and 
retail  dealers  in  and  manufacturers  of  roller  Hour 
and  feed  of  all  kinds  ;  they  make  the  celebrated 
"  gold  medal  "  flour.  Mr.  Golde  was  married 
on  September  1,  1873,  to  Angeline  Beam,  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Ann  Beam,  of  Johnstown,  Cam- 
bria county.  Pa.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Golde  hav.e  two 
children:  Anna  K.  and  Lottie  R. 

John  Golde  is  a  member  of  Latrobe  Lodge, 
No.  541,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
which  was  chartered  May  22,  1858.  He  is  one 
of  the  solid  and  substantial  business  men  of  the 
t<jw  n. 

VYID  PORTER  llARR  (deceased). 
^  '  One  of  those  wdio  risked  their  lives  to  ]ire- 
serve  the  American  Union  was  the  late 
David  Porter  Harr,  who  was  for  a  quarter  of  a 
century  known  throughout  the  State  as  one  of 
the  most  efficient  and  courteous  passenger  con- 
ductors on  the  Pennsylvania  railroad.  Ho  was 
a  son  of  Henry  and  Martha  (Brittain)  Harr  and 
was  born  at  Lockport,  AVestmoreland  county. 
Pa.,  August  21),  lS;;s.  The  llarrs  are  of  Ger- 
man descent.  His  grandfather,  Henry  Ilai'i', 
was  a  native  of  Prussia  and  followed  farming  in 
this  county  till  his  death.  His  maternal  grand- 
father, Horace  Hrittain,  was  born  in  wliatisn<jw 
Indiana  couiity.  Pa.,  served  through  the  Revo- 
lutionary war  and  died  soon  after  returning  to 
his  home.  His  father,  Henry  Harr,  was  boin 
in  the  Ligonier  A^ alley  while  his  mother,  who 
died  in  1S5U,  at  sixty-two  years  of  age,  was  ii 
nati\e  of  l''airlield  townshi|).  Henry  Harr  built 
boals  on  the  ('oneiiiaugli  river  for  several  years. 


330 


BIOailAl'HIES   01' 


liflped  to  Construct  tlie  PcmisylviUiiu  cuiial 
and  tlicii  engaged  in  hotel  kee|iing  ;it  Lockport 
wlicre  lie  dieil  in  1872,  aged  seventy-nine 
years. 

David  1'.  11  air  was  reared  at  IiOck|ioi-t  and  in 
its  ininiediate  vicinity  until  he  was  lil'leen  years  { 
of  age,  when  he  went  to  Latrobe  and  learned  the 
trade  of  carpenter.  In  1859  he  went  on  the  P. 
11.  R.,  where  he  served  as  freight  brakeman, 
fircTian  and  freight  conductor.  On  the  2tlth  of 
August,  IStJl,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  D,  fourth  Pa., 
cavalry  and  served  till  the  spring  of  IStiii,  when 
he  was  discharged  on  account  of  disability,  but 
shortly  afterward  was  made  sergeant  of  the  Pro- 
vost Guards  in  Philadelphia  and  served  until  the 
close^of  the  war.  In  1865  he  became  a  brake- 
man  on  a  passenger  train  and  during  the  follow- 
ing year  was  jtromoted  to  passenger  conductor 
and  ran  as  such  between  Pittsburg  and  ^Vltoona 
for  twenty-four  years.  During  that  time  he 
never  had  an  accident  or  had  a  passenger  hurt. 
lie  died  on  March  11,  18'J0,  and  his  remains 
were  interred  by  the  Free  JM.isons. 

lie  was  a  member  of  the  M.  K.  church  and  the 
Masonic  fraternity.  He  was  a  straight  demo- 
crat, had  been  a  member  of  the  borough  council 
and  served  as  school  director  for  twelve  years. 

D.  P.  Ilarr  was  married  December  15,  18G4, 
to  Indiana  V.  Elbcrti,  daughter  of  Lawrence 
l']llierti  of  Ticwistown,  Pa.  'I'o  Ml',  and  Mrs. 
Ilarr  were  born  two  sons  and  two  daughters  : 
Lawrence  II.,  Pattie  E.  (deceased) ;  Lottie  P., 
a  teacher,  ami  lia  v   i  *. 

Lawrence  II.  Ilarr,  the  eldest  son,  was  mar- 
ried Uelober  lli,  LS«7,  to  Mary  L.,  daughter  of 
K.  S.  Elliott  of  New  Florence,  and  has  one  child, 
a  daughter,  who  is  named  Imogen  F.  L.  II. 
Ilarr  is  engaged  in  llie  retail  bout  and  shoe  busi- 
ness at  Latrobe.  He  is  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Ilorrell  \,  Ilarr,  limited.  They  carry  a  fine 
stock  of  boots  and  shoes  and  have  a  good  trade. 
L.  II.  Ilarr  is  a  young,  jirogressive  and  jiopular 
merchant,  a  man  of  good  business  ability  and  a 
courteous  and  alfable  ;rentleman. 


'jt'AMES  W.  IIAUTMAN,  funeral  director, 
I  endialmer  and  dealer  in  fine  furniture,  is 
(*y  one  of  Lat robe's  leading  and  successful 
busiiu'ss  men.  lie  was  boi  n  in  Faiilield  town- 
ship, Westmoreland  eoiinly,  Pa.,  .Si'[)tendier  5, 
1S51,  and  is  a  son  of  k^aniuel  and  Eli/.abetli 
(Wiley)  Ilartinan.  His  grandfather,  Ilartman, 
was  a  native  of  \Vcstmoreland  county,  this  Stato. 
He  was  a  farmer  and  undertaker.  He  made 
his  coffins  and  used  a  lieavy  wagon  to  carry  the 
dead  to  their  last  resting  place.  His  father, 
Samuel  Hartman,  was  born  on  his  father's  farm, 
reai-ed  to  farming  and  engaged  extensively  in 
that  line  of  business.  He  was  a  democrat, 
an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  died 
December  10,  1885,  aged  si.\ty-five  years.  He 
stood  high  in  his  community  where  he  had  a 
large  circle  of  friends.  In  184-3  he  married 
Elizabeth  Wiley,  daughter  of  James  ^Viley,  a 
Westmoreland  county  farmer.  Mrs.  Hartman 
was  horn  in  1824,  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian church  and  resides  at  Derry  station. 

James  AV.  Hartman  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
received  the  educational  privileges  alVorded  by 
the  common  schools  of  his  native  township.  At 
eighteen  years  of  age  he  went  to  Johnstown, 
Cambria  county,  Pa.,  to  learn  the  trade  of  car- 
penter which,  however,  he  completed  at  New 
P'lorenee,  this  county.  In  1877  he  renujved  to 
Derry  station,  Derry  township,  and  engaged  in 
the  carpentering  and  house  contiacting  business 
for  si.\  years.  During  the  last  year  of  this  time 
he  operated  an  umlertaking  establishment.  Pe- 
tlecting  upon  the  advantages  to  be  derived  from 
establishing  his  business  in  a  larger  town,  he 
nuido  choice  of  Latrobe  as  a  favorable  site  and 
I'cinoved  in  the  fall  of  1883  to  that  place,  where 
he  purchased  of  Joseph  Nichols  the  oldest  nndei-- 
taking  establishment  of  Latrobe.  His  calcula- 
tions were  more  than  justified  and  the  trade  that 
he  built  up  exceeded  his  expectations.  I  lis  cus- 
tom had  so  increased  by  188',(  that  he  was  war- 
ranted in  providing  new  and  more  ample  quar- 
ters for  its  accommodation.      He  tore   down    his 


WESTMORELAND  CO  UNTY. 


slio])  and  crccti'd  on  its  site  ;it  No.  3"22  IVIiiiu 
Mtri'i't  liis  |H\'.sciit  (.'slaljlislinu'lit.  'I'liis  Imililiiij^ 
is  ;i  tliroL'-story  biick  with  u  IjasfiiR'Ht  iiiul  is 
lUUx-.S  f'uc't  ill  (liinciisioiis.  Jt  is  fi|ui|iin'il  willi 
])latL'-j;l;isH  wimlows  ;iii(l  is  lillcil  with  (jiic  of 
tlic  largest  anil  finust  stocks  of  furniture  and 
funeral  caskets  to  be  found  in  the  county.  His 
enlarged  stock,  new  buildings  and  added  facili- 
ties for  business  has  been  met  on  the  part  of  the 
public  by  an  increased  volume  of  trade.  In  ad- 
ditior.  to  his  furniture  and  undertaking  business 
Mr.  Hartman  successfully  conducts  all  kinds  of 
embalming. 

lie  was  marrieil  on  September  1,  1887,  to 
Frances  K.  Saxman,  daughter  of  Matthias  Sax- 
man,  who  is  a  well-known  coke  manufacturer. 
They  have  one  child,  a  daughter  :  Marion   11. 

Step  by  stc])  Mr.  Hartman  has  made  his  own 
way  from  an  a|iprenticeship  to  the  pi'ojirietor- 
ship  iif  a  large  establishment.  Latrobe  is  well 
known  for  its  enterj)rise  and  energy,  but  in  no 
branch  of  business  in  the  town  has  greater  pro- 
gress been  made  than  in  that  of  fine  furniture 
and  undertaking  as  exhibited  by  the  re]jrescnta- 
tive  house  of  J.  W.  Hartman.  He  is  u  self- 
niade  man  and  stands  in  his  line  of  business 
second  to  none  in  the  county. 

•f-OHN  A.  ilAKT.MAN,  D.  I).  S.  West- 
f'  moreland  county  lias  many  skilled  practi- 
£/  tioners  of  dentistry  and  |>roniinent  among 
liiem  is  l>r.  .lohn  A.  llarlmaii,  a  wclikiiown  and 
popular  di-ntal  suigcon  of  Lali'iihe.  He  is  a  son 
of  Dr.  Abraham  B.  and  Catharine(George)  Hait- 
man,  and  was  born  in  Oleny,  Illinois,  Septem- 
ber ir>,  l.SC.U.  Dr.  .Vbraham  B.  Hartman  was 
a  native  of  New  York  City,  New  York.  He 
was  a  good  physician  and  dentist.  In  medicine 
he  made  a  specialty  of  surgery  and  in  dentistry 
of  fine  gold  Work.  He  reuiovcd  in  18. if)  to 
Biairsvilie,  Indiana  county.  Pa.,  and  a  year 
later  came  to  Latrobe  where  he  remained  for 
three  years.     In  1S;J8   he  joined   the  westward 


emigration  to  Illinois  and  settled  in  that  State 
at  Oh'UV,  whert'  he  was  making  a  line  record 
and  building  u|)  a  large  practice  as  a  physician 
at  tiie  time  of  his  ileatli,  which  oceun-cd  Novem- 
ber, ISliO.  He  was  ]iious,  ron.icientious,  IVank 
and  friendly,  and  won  many  warm  friends 
wherever  he  went.  August,  1858,  he  married 
Catharine,  daughter  of  the  late  John  George, 
of  Unity  township,  this  county.  Mr.  George 
was  born  in  1811,  served  as  an  officer  in  the 
Presbyterian  church  for  years  and  died  in  188G. 
Mrs.  Hartman  was  born  in  1839  and  makes  her 
home  with  the  doctor  and  her  daughter,  Mrs. 
Mary  D.  Miller. 

Dr.  John  A.  Hartman  was  brought  by  his 
mother  to  Westmoreland  county  in  ISGl,  and 
was  reared  on  his  maternal  grandfather's  farm 
until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age.  He  then 
begjin  the  study  of  dentistry  with  Dr.  A.  C. 
Keepers  of  Latrobe.  After  two  years  study  he 
entered  the  ohl  Piiiladelphia  Dental  college  in 
18TS  ami  the  next  year  became  a  student  in 
the  Philadelphia  School  of  Anatomy.  He  was* 
graduated  from  both  these  institutions  in  1880. 
From  the  former  January  and  fi-om  the  latter 
February  Li.  He  was  one  of  the  youngest 
students  tliat  ever  graduated  from  either  of 
these  well-known  schools.  In  tlie  summer  of 
1880  he  came  to  Latrobe,  engaged  in  the  active 
practice  of  dentistry  and  has  succeeded  in 
building  up  a  large,  profitable  and  desirable 
practice.  His  dental  parlors  are  in  Citizens' 
KiUional  bank  building.  They  are  pleasantly, 
conveniently  and  tastefully  arranged  and  are 
fully  equipped  with  special  electrical  and  all 
modern  ap})l'ances  for  rapid,  thorough  and  pain- 
less dental  operations. 

On  November  19,  1884,  he  was  married  to 
II.  Ella  Fulton,  of  Latrobe.  They  have  two 
childi'cn,  a  son  anil  daughter  :  ^Llry  D.  and 
George  F.  iSIrs.  Hartman  is  a  daughter  of 
Abraham  P.  and  Elizabeth  Fulton.  The  Ful- 
ton family  is  a  branch  of  the  l5oyd  family. 
The  Fulton  family  is  one  of  the  oldest  families 


inoGRAPlIlEii   OF 


ill  the  State  of  Pemisylvaiiia,  ami  traces  its 
lineage  back  for  two  liuiulreil  and  fifty  yL'-Ava 
through  many  iirceeding  generations  to  the  his- 
toric   highlamls    ol'  Scollaml    eie    ihat    king.l 

became  a  pail  ol'  Ureal   liritain. 

I)r.  llartman  is  a  member  of  llie  Inilepemlent 
Order  of  lle])tasoii]is,  Loyallianna  Loilge,  Y. 
A.  M.,  No.  -T-").  and  the  Presbyterian  church. 
In  dental  surgery  he  has  made  a  specialty  of 
fine  gold  work,  such  as  gold  crowns  and  ilclicate 
platings.  Earnest  and  enthusiastic,  he  has 
always  been  a  close  student  in  his  chosen  pro- 
fession and  has  thoroughly  studied  its  every 
detail.  lie  is  a  good  dental  surgeon,  a  pleasant 
and  affable  gentleman.  He  is  engaged  in 
several  business  enterprises  but  does  not  allow 
any  commercial  matter  to  interfere  with  the 
duties  of  his  profession  or  strictest  attention  to 
his  many  patrons. 


(f^KWIS  A.  HOKE,  one  among  the  oldest 
^  [  business  men  of  Eatrobe  and  its  Icailing 
grocer,  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Sarah  E. 
(Eyster)  Hoke,  and  was  born  in  iMeC'dniicnsbiirg, 
Eulton  county,  I'a.,  March  1^2,  IMIJS.  His 
father,  Henry  Hoke,  was  engaged  lor  niidiy 
yisus  in  the  stove  and  tin  business  at  .Mct'on- 
nellsliurg,  where  he  died  in  1S7S,  at  eighty-four 
years  of  age.  IK'  was  a  prominent  and  siicci^ss- 
fiil  merchant,  a  rcspecteil  cil  izeii  and  an  elder 
in  the  Presbyterian  ciuirch  for  over  half  a 
century.  Ilis  wife  was  a  presbylerian  and 
passed  away  in   lSli',  .-igrd  Ibrly-live  years. 

Lewis  ,\.  ll.iko  Icfl  McConnellsbiirg  when 
(piile  a  boy  and  entered  a  stoic  in  Chambers- 
burg,  where  he  remained  until  he  was  eighteen 
years  of  age.  He  then  b'ft  Chambei  ^biiig  and 
Went  west,  where  h<'  engaged  as  a  traveling 
Malesiiian  and  collcelor  willi  llie  wholesale 
clothing  house  ,d'  lioberts,  Hradford  \  Co., 
h)eating  at  No.  HI  North  Main  sheet,  St.  Louis, 
Mis.souri.  lie  r<'maine<l  in  tlieii-  employ  Ibr 
Hcverai  years  and   traveled  over  a  wide  ana    of 


western  territory  in  making  sales  and  collections. 
In  180:2  he  returned  to  his  native  town  where  he 
fjrmed  a  coiiartnership  with  1>.  H.  Nace,  iiiuler 
the  firm  name  of  llojce  &  Nace,  and  engaged  for 
two  years  in  the  general  mercantiK-  business. 
In  liSlil  Mr.  Hoke  sold  out  bis  interest  to  Mr. 
Nace  and  removed  to  Latrobc,  where  he,  in  con- 
nection with  William  Iloke,  purchased  the  ex- 
tensive dry  goods  establishment  of  William  S. 
Head  iS;  Pro.,  and  was  successfully  engaged  in 
the  dry  goods  business  for  15  years,  at  which 
time  he  concluded  to  devote  his  time  and  atten- 
tion to  some  special  branch  of  the  general  mer- 
cantile business  and  selected  that  of  grocery, 
provisions  and  house  furnishing  goods.  He 
embarked  in  this  line  of  business  on  a  large 
scale  and  has  been  amply  rewarded  by  a  large 
and  permanent  custom  in  his  section  of  the 
county.  His  business  house  i.s  located  at  No. 
214  Depot  street  and  is  ne.xt  door  to  the  jiost- 
oilice.  It  is  commodious  and  well  arranged  to 
hold  and  display  his  large  and  excellent  stock  of 
goods,  consisting  of  stajile  and  fancy  groceries, 
provisions  and  house  furnishing  goods  (jf  all 
kinds.  Mr.  Iloke  is  a  member  of  Eoyalbanna 
Lodge,  No.  27',,  A.  Y.  M.,  the  Uoyal  Arcanum, 
K'nights  of  Honor  and  Ancient  Order  of  United 
^\'orkmen.  He  is  rejniblican  and  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church. 

On  October  20,  LSIIl,  he  was  married  to 
L;uira  M.  Hoke,  (htiighter  of  William  Hoke, 
formerly  of  Mc(Jonnellsburg  but  now  living  in 
Latrobc.  'I'hcy  have  three  children  living: 
(ieorge  P.,  who  is  bookkeeper  in  his  lather's 
st(U'e,  William  II.,  who  is  assistant  bookkci'per 
at  the  Derry  eo.il  works,  and  Emily  M.,  married 
to  Joseph  Kelley,  of  Latrobc.  Mary  \{.  Iloke, 
another  child,  died  April  1(1,  Lsj:),  ;iged  five 
years,  nine  months  and  eight  days. 

Ill  I Im' grocery  business  Mr.  Iloke  is  enabled 
to  oiler  special  advantages  to  his  jialrons  and  to 
fill  all  order.s  promptly  and  satisfactorily.  His 
house  is  ^videly  know  II  and  his  reputation  for 
honorable  dealiii;:  is  well  established.     I  ie  .stainls 


\v]':stm()Ri:la sd  co  usty. 


333 


^Ycll  us  :i  citizL'ii  :itn.l  is  liij^lily  cstocinoil  in  tlic 
I'rcsbytcMiiiii  cliiirch  of  wliicii  liu  is  uii  active 
inembtT,  aiiJ  of  wliose  Sunday  seliool  he  lias 
l)(.'cn  siipcrintcniK'nt  for  tiw-v  niiioti'rn  years. 


XHWIN  N.  IIOltRKLL  is  the  oklest  son  of 
I  Jolm  and  Nancy  IIoiicll  and  was  born  in 
t  Fairfield  township,  AVestmoreland  county, 
Pa.  His  father,  John  Ilorrell,  was  a  native  of 
I'ennsylvania  ;  fornearly  forty  years  he  lived  in 
Ligonier  working  at  the  tannery  business,  lie 
was  a  republican  in  politics  and  nievnlier  of  the 
M.  E.  church.  In  Ib-SS  he  married  Mrs.  Xancy 
jNIcKinstry,  of  Ligonier,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Nancy  Potter,  who  was  a  native  of  Mary- 
land and  who  still  lives  in  Ligonier  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  eighty-nine,  hale  and  well 
preserved.  The  father  died  in  1.^74  aged 
ijcventy-si.x. 

Irwin  N.  Ilorrell  was  reared  principally  at 
Ligonier  where  he  attemled  the  common  schools. 
lie  served  an  apprenticeshii)  of  three  years 
learning  the  boot  and  shoe  trade  with  William 
Ashcom.  At  the  close  of  his  apprenticeship 
lie  married  Miss  Sarah  Ritter,  of  Ligonier  and 
Worked  at  his  trade  in  that  place  until  the  war 
broke  out,  when  he  enlisted  for  nine  months  in 
Co.  (I,  one-liumlred  and  thirty-fifth  Pcnna.  A''ols. 
and  participated  in  all  the  engagements  in 
which  his  regiment  t(i(ik  ]/ait.  .\fter  being  dis- 
charged at  the  e.xijiratiun  nf  lii.s  time  lie  Uclit  to 
Pillsbtirg  and  was  engaged  for  >ome  time  in 
making  cartridges  for  the  Inited  States  govern- 
ment. In  1SI)4  he  again  enlisted,  tliis  time  in 
the  United  States  Signal  (,'or]is,  and  was  on 
active  duty  until  the  close  of  the  war,  when 
he  was  lionoraldy  discharged  at  ^Vashington 
and  returned  home.  During  his  last  term  of 
service  his  wife  and  baiie  dieil  (two  of  his 
children  had  died  before),  leaving  him  but  one 
surviving  child — a  daughter.  He  with  his 
child  remained  in  Ligonier  working  al  his 
(ra<ie.        In    ISil,",    he     uas   married    to    .Miss    .M . 


J.  McGaughlin,  of  Pleasant  Unity,  and  con- 
tinued working  at  the  shoe  traile  in  Ligonier 
until  187G,  when  he  removed  to  Latrobe  and 
become  foreman  of  AVhilcmaii  iV  Deiiman's 
bool  and  sho(,'  I'artoiy  wiieii'  In;  rem.ained  tor 
seven  years.  In  ISSl  Mr.  Horrell  and  Mr. 
II.  I'.  Hartley  foriiie<l  a  co-partnershiii  under 
the  firm  name  of  Horrell  vt  Hartley  and  em- 
barked in  the  retail  boot  and  shoe  business. 
Li  188;')  Mr.  A.  Shumaker  ami  Mr.  M.  15. 
Collins  were  admitted  into  the  firm  which  was 
then  reorganized  and  became  the  celebrated 
"Latrobe  Manufacturing  Company."  I'efore 
the  close  of  the  year  Mr.  Collins  withdrew 
from  the  firm;  in  18S(j  a  further  division  of 
the  firm  took  place,  Mr.  Hartley  taking 
charge  of  the  retail,  Mr.  Shumaker  the  whole- 
sale business  and  Mr.  Horrell  taking  entire 
charge  of  the  manufactory.  From  18.SG  until 
the  jireseiit  time  Mr.  Horrell  has  continued  to 
manufacture  hand-made  boots  and  shoes  suc- 
cessfully ;  he  ships  his  goods  over  a  wide  area 
of  territory  besiiles  fiirnisliiiig  the  home  trade. 
I.  N.  Ilorrell  is  a  member  of  Loyalhanna 
Lodge,  No.  'JoO,  Knights  of  Honor,  and  of  P. 
A.  William  Post,  No.  4,  G.  A.  U.  ;  is  a  reiuib- 
lican  in  politics  and  a  member  of  the  M.  E. 
church.  Mr.  Ilorrell  is  a  pleasant  and  ac- 
comodating gentleman  and  stands  at  the  head 
of  a  worthy  and  successful  industry  of  Latrobe, 
that  is  well  known  throughout  a  wide  section  of 
country  by  its  jiopular  brand  of  "Latrobe 
Manufacturing  Company's  hand-made  boots  and 
shoes." 

•jjrOIIN  W.  HUGHES,  M.  D.  A  gentle- 
i'  man  of  high  repute  in  his  profession  and 
(^  a  leading  physician  and  surgeon  of  Latrobe 
as  well  as  a  man  greatly  esteemed  in  the  various 
walks  of  life  is  Hr.  John  W .  Hughes.  He  is 
the  fourth  child  of  Samuel  I!,  and  Mary  (Wilson) 
Hughes  and  was  born  near  Corsica,  Jelferson 
county.  Pa.,  in  March,  ls:iS.  The  Hughes 
ai'e  of  Scotch-I  I'isli  descent  and  wcie  amon;;   the 


B  IGOR  API!  U:S  OF 


early  settlors  west  ot"  the  Aile^jlieiiy  mountains. 
William  Unfiles  (i^riiuillatlier)  was  ii  liirnier  anil 
in  early  lite  niarrieil  a  Miss  liarnett.  Slie  was 
u  niiiiilier  ni'  llie  Hainell  family  wlio  liveil  insir 
tiie  site  (if  New  HeiTy,  Westnuu'elanil  ediinty, 
and  wei'e  nuteil  piesliyteiians.  Sanniei  !>. 
llii^rlies  (fatlierj  was  Loin  near  Latrcjbo  ami  died 
in  1.S74,  aged  sixty-five  years.  lie  was  engaged 
in  mereliandising  and  lumbering  at  Punxsu- 
tawney  and  Brookville,  Pa.  He  was  a  repub- 
lican and  a  member  of  tlie  Cumberland  Presby- 
terian eliureli.  About  1!S28  he  was  married  to 
Mary  Wilson,  by  whom  he  had  five  eliildren. 

Di-.  John  W.  Hughes  received  his  education 
in  the  common  schools  and  Glade  Run  academy, 
lie  read  medicine  with  Dr.  A.  J.  Johnson,  of 
Jett'erson  county,  and  attended  lectures  at  the 
"  College  of  ^ledieine  and  Surgery  "  of  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  from  wliicli  he  was  graduated  in 
lS(i2  and  istj;;.  After  graduation  he  entered 
the  service  of  the  I'nited  States  as  assistant 
surgeon,  but  was  soon  promoted  to  surgeon  of 
the  fifth  Pennsylvania  cavalry  and  served  until 
the  close  of  the  war.  lieturning  from  the  army 
he  Idcated  in  ISIjlJ  at  Leechburg,  Armstrong 
county,  Pa.,  for  the  jiractice  of  his  jirofession, 
btit  only  remained  one  year  and  then  went  to 
lilairsville,  Pa.,  where  he  was  surgeon  fur  the 
I'ennsylvania  railroad  besides  enjnying  a  large 
jiraetiee  fur  wver  lil'leen  yeais,  In  l.^Sl  lie  re- 
moved to  Latrobe  and  practiced  successfully 
until  the  present  time.  P>esides  liis  large 
griiciai  praiiii-i-  he  gi\es  sprri.il  allentinn  to  the 
e\e,  ear  and  uiise,  throat  and  tiie  tre;itiiient  of 
catarrh  and  in  those  specialties  is  building  up  a 
fine  ))racliee.  In  ISll.i  Dr.  Hughes  took  a  eom- 
]ilimrntary  and  special  course  at  .lell'erson 
]\ledieal  colK'ge,  IMiiladelphia,  and  in  lH8o  lie 
attended  special  medical  courses  at  the  above 
named  institution  and  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania, lie  is  a  memlier  of  lioy.aliiannii 
Lodge,  No.  liT.'i.  K.  .^  A.  M.,  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Keliows,  and  !'.  A.  Williams 
I'ost,  No.  4,  Clraiid  Army  of  the  Uepuldic. 


Dr.  Hughes'  first  wife  was  Anna  Torrenee, 
(laughter  of  lion,  .lames  'rorrrence,  of  I'lUixsut- 
awnev,  l*a.>  whom  he  married  July  'i,  ISCii), 
and  who  died  in  1 STO,  leaving  liim  two  sons: 
James,  born  .May  IS,  IhCiC,  \\lio  is  a  clerk  in  the 
ollice  of  the  J'lttsburg  &.  St.  Louis  railroad  at 
Pittsburg,  and  Samuel  P..,  born  January  13, 
1868,  and  now  reading  medicine  with  his  father. 
Dr.  Hughes'  second  and  present  wife,  Jennie  E. 
(Zimmers)  Hughes,  whom  he  married  January 
4,  1877,  is  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Zimmers  of 
Blairsville,  Pa.  15y  the  second  union  he  has 
two  children:  P>e.ssie,  born  January  28,  1879, 
and  John  Jacob,  born  January  10,  1884. 

Dr.  Hughes  is  a  republican,  a  member  and 
trustee  of  Latrobe  Presbyterian  church  and 
president  of  the  "  Citizens'  National  bank  of 
Latrobe."  He  is  an  able  and  skillful  physician 
and  surgeon  and  is  well  read  on  all  subjects  re- 
lating to  medicine,  while  his  attention  is  ever 
engaged  and  enlisted  in  any  movement  calcu- 
lated to  benefit,  advance  or  elevate  the  medical 
profession.  Dr.  John  AV.  Hughes  is  an  active 
member  of  the  ^Vestmoreland  county  Medical 
Society  and  Pennsylvania  State  Medical  Society. 
He  is  enrolled  in  the  American  Medical  Asso- 
ciation and  holds  iiieinbership  in  the  Inter- 
national .Medical  (_'on;:ress. 


R.  A^IERICUS  COLUMBUS  KEEP- 
P^  ERS,  a  .skillful  and  successful  dentist 
and  a  prominent  citizen  of  Latrobe,  was 
born  October  27,  1848,  at  Connellsville,  Fay- 
ette county.  Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and 
Elizabeth  (Shaw)  Keepers,  both  of  whom  were 
ntUives  of  Connellsville.  Joseph  Keejiers  (grand- 
father) was  born  October  6,  1795,  at  Connells- 
ville, wdicre  he  was  engaged  in  the  hotel  busi- 
ness for  a  number  of  years  iind  where  lie  died 
October  Hi,  I  S:;U.  His  wife  was  I'llizabetli 
Haven,  who  was  also  born  at  Connellsville, 
h'eliruary  11,  171IS.  The  Keepers  family  was 
one    of   the   very    oldest    in    Connellsville    and 


1 1  'EST MO  RE  LA  ND   CO  Ui\T  V. 


335 


raised  six  children  :  Aiiiiie,  wife  of  Jolni  Uob- 
biiis ;  Miiry,  wife  of  Joii.-itliau  Eiios ;  Klizii, 
married  to  Jonathiin  Neweoiiier ;  Crtthiirine, 
wife  of  John  Kurtz,  all  four  residing  ut  Con- 
nollsvillu;  Isiiac  M.,  of  I.titiohe;  and  .Ii)sc]di, 
Jr.  Joseph  Kccpors  (fatlier)  was  born  l)eceni- 
ber  111,  18:22,  waa  reared  at  ConnellsviUe,  where 
lie  learned  the  blaeksniith  trade  and  where  be 
made  his  lionie  until  ISTO,  at  «bieb  time  be 
removed  to  Newark,  N.  J.,  and  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business,  which  he  has  successfully 
continued  ever  since.  lie  has  beeti  a  member 
of  the  INI.  E.  church  for  fifty-five  years,  and 
was  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  the  efficient 
superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school  at  Con- 
nellsviUe. Ills  wife  was  Miss  Elizabeth  Shaw, 
born  August  15,  1824,  and  to  their  union  were 
born  nine  chihlrcn  :  .Joseph  T.,  born  September 
1;"),  1844  ;  Alice  M. ;  Americus  C,  born  (Jcto- 
ber  27,  1846 ;  Ira,  born  May  4,  18,51  ;  Henry 
L.,  born  April  18,  1853;  William  M.,  born 
March  2(J,  185G  ;  Isaac  M.,  b.,rn  June  11,  1858; 
l''rank,borM  November  4,  IMH*;  and  Charles  1!., 
boni  April   20,  I8ti7. 

l<r.  A.  C.  Keepers  was  reared  at  Connells- 
viUe, I'a.,  attended  the  public  schools,  and  then 
learned  the  trade  of  machinist  in  the  1>.  and  <_). 
car  shops.  Growing  tired  of  this  labor,  how- 
ever, he  began  studying  dentistry  with  Dr.  Wil- 
liam Mullen,  of  Dawson,  Fayette  county,  I'a., 
and  finished  with  Dr.  J.  ('ranc,  of  Newark, 
N.  ,1.  After  a  thorough  examination  he  began 
practising  in  187:i  at  Dawson  :  removed  shortly 
to  Uerlin  in  the  adjoining  county  of  Sonjcrset, 
thence  in  I87tj  to  Latroljc.  where  be  has  con- 
tinued ever  since  in  the  ])ractice  of  his  chosen 
profession.  His  practice  in  this  town  has 
always  been  a  large  one  and  his  work  gives 
excellent  satisfaction.  He  procures  all  the 
latest  appliances  as  soon  as  they  are  introduced 
and  is  thoroughly  prepared  to  do  all  kinds  of 
dental  work.  He  is  one  of  the  leading  dentists 
in  the  county  and  his  success  is  well  merited. 
Dr.    Keepers  wa.s   elected   burgess  of  Latr<ibe  in 


188ti  on  the  re]iublican  ticket  and  served  with 
credit  to  biniself,  satisfaction  to  his  Constituents 
and  profit  to  the  borough.  He  b.as  been  a 
member  of  ihc  A.  V.  .M.  sim-e  1877,  and  of 
the  Northwestern  Masonic  .\id  A>sociali(jn  of 
Chicago,  111.,  carrying  in  it  a  §o,5UU  life  insur- 
ance policy.  He  is  a  leading  member  of  the 
M.  E.  church,  a  genial  companion,  a  devoted 
husband  and  father,  an  excellent  business  man 
and  a  far-seeing,  public-si}irited  citizen. 

Dr.  A.  C.  Keepers  united  in  marriage  Feb- 
ruary 13,  1871,  with  Alary  E.,  a  daughter  of 
Isaac  and  Lydia  Cochran,  of  Dawson,  I'a.,  and 
they  have  been  blessed  with  but  one  child,  a 
son,  whom  they  have  named  Isaac  J.  Keepers. 

•f"  AMES  Q.  LEMMON,  M.  D.,  a  student  of 
i  '''o''  stan<ling  in  his  classes  at  school  and 
2/  who  graduated  with  high  honors  from  a 
leading  medical  college,  is  now  a  prominent  and 
successful  physician  of  Latrobe.  He  is  a  son 
of  Nathan  W.  and  Margaret  (<,>uinn)  Lenimon, 
and  was  born  in  Fairfield  township,  AVestmore- 
land  county,  I'a.,  January  28.  1852,  and  in 
1858  with  his  parents  removed  to  Derry  town- 
ship. His  paternal  grandfather,  I'hoinas  Lem- 
mon,  was  born  in  1780  in  eastern  Pennsylvania 
and  emigrated  to  Fairfield  township,  where  he 
followed  farming  for  a  livelihood.  He  was  a 
life-long  member  of  the  Unitetl  Presbyterian 
church  and  died  in  18(J3.  His  maternal  grand- 
father, James  C'liinn,  was  born  and  grew  to 
manhood  in  county  Derry,  Irelaml.  In  1817 
he  embarked  on  a  vessel  bound  for  America  and 
which  went  to  pieces  on  the  stormy  coast  of 
Labrador,  where  he  bad  to  swim  one-half  mile 
through  a  heavy  and  rough  sea  to  reach  the 
shore.  It  was  supposed  that  the  captain  wrecked 
the  vessel  to  obtain  a  heavy  insurance  which  he 
had  secured  on  her  before  sailing.  James 
Quinn  lost  all  bis  personal  effects  by  this  shi])- 
wrcck  ;  worked  his  way  from  Labrador  to  West- 
moreland   county,    where     by    thrift,    economy 


n  mail. I  PI  [IKS  of 


ami  priiilciici.'  lie  :ic([iiirc(l  coiisidfiabic  IuihUmI 
]ioss<'^>iiiii-^  lu'l'iur  Ills  lUatli,  wliich  iii'i'iincil  in 
1S(;S.  lie  was  Im.iii  in  ITIi"  and  his  s|mn  of 
lilr  lia.l  slirlrlinl  liry,,nil  Irian's  alhillc.l  lliic- 
sc.iic  anil  Icn  vcais.  His  lallicr,  Nallian  W. 
JiCiunioii,  \\as  burn  in  ISlid  in  FaiiTu'ld  tuwn- 
slii]i,  tliis  county,  and  is  rfniarkaldy  wuU  pre- 
served and  active  for  his  years.  He  is  an  exten- 
sive raniier,  a  strong  deniocrat,  lias  served  as 
school  director  and  is  a  man  of  good  reputation 
and  a  nienilier  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
cluireli,  of  which  his  wife  is  also  a  member. 

I'r.  James  (}.  Lemmon  was  reared  in  Derry 
township  and  attended  the  common  schools  of 
his  neighborhood  and  Latrobe.  He  completed 
his  education  at  the  '"  Pennsylvania  State  col- 
lego,"  in  Centre  county,  where  lie  took  a  special 
course  in  classical  studies  and  in  the  leading 
branches  of  mathematical,  natural  and  physical 
science.  In  chemistry,  es])eeially,  he  made 
rapid  progi'ess  and  became  very  ellicicnt.  In 
ISTS  and  IST'J  lie  read  medicine  with  Dr.  J.  Y. 
Hale  of  I'cntro  county,  and  in  September, 
1870,  entered  the  medical  department  of  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  I'hiladelphia,  where 
he  attended  three  winter  and  two  spring  courses 
of  lectures.  He  was  graduated  with  second 
honors  in  a  class  of  U)'.',  of  whom  117  were 
graduated  March  l.">,  ISSl'.  After  graduating 
he  removed  to  Latrobe  and  entered  upon  the 
practice  of  medicine.  Although  comparatively 
a  Y<J""n  I'laii  he  t'ujoys  a  good  practice  and 
stands  well  as  a  plivsician  in  his  section  of  the 
county. 

Dr.  licmmon  was  married,  .Iiine  27,  188.'5,  to 
Martha  Steele,  youngest  daughter  of  James 
Sle<le,  of  I'liitv  township.  'I'iiey  have  one 
child,  who  is  named  (leorge  S. 

Dr.  Lemmon  has  one  of  the  finest  brick  resi- 
dences and  the  most  hanilsome  oilice  in  ^Vest 
Latrobe;  iiotli  are  heated  throughout  by  steam. 
Measured  by  success  and  popularity  in  his  com- 
munity. Dr.  James  Q-  Lemmon  rightfully  enjoys  i 
the  reputation  that  he  has  honestly  won  of  being  | 


a  skillful  and  well  ipialificd  physician.  He  is  a 
democrat,  lucinbci'  ni'  llic  I'nilcd  Presbyterian 
chinch  and  the  owner  of  a  vi'iy  line  literary 
and  meiiical  library. 


eOLLIS  LOVEIjY,  a  prominent  member 
of  the  Union  Ijabor  party  and  propri- 
etor of  a  well  established  boot  and  shoe 
store  at  Latrobe,  is  a  son  of  Peter  and  Julia 
(Laforner)  Lovely,  and  was  born  at  AVestiord, 
Vermont,  February  21,  1855.  His  parents 
were  natives  of  Canada,  emigrated  to  Vermont 
in  1847  and  ten  years  later  removed  to  ]\Lirl- 
boro,  Massachusetts,  where  Peter  Lovely  died 
in  1872,  aged  fifty-two  years.  He  was  an  e.x- 
pert  carpenter,  a  good  citizen  and  a  faithful 
member  of  the  Catholic  church.  His  widow 
was  born  in  1823 ;  she  is  a  member  of  the 
Catholic  church  and  continues  to  reside  at 
Marlboro,  jNLxssacliusetts. 

At  two  years  of  age  (Villis  Lovely  was  taken 
by  his  jiareiits  from  the  "  tireen  ^L)untain 
State"  to  the  "Bay  State."  By  reverses  of 
fortune  after  removing  to  jrassachusetts  they 
were  placed  for  a  time  in  straightened  circum- 
stances and  could  only  alford  him  but  one  term 
in  the  highly-lauded  free  schools  of  New  Eng- 
land. He  left  the  school  to  go  upon  the  shoe 
bench.  After  learning  his  trade  he  began  to 
study  at  night,  and  in  the  course  of  time  with- 
out a  tea(dier  became  reasonably  prolicient  in 
the  Common  branches.  He  continued  to  work 
at  his  trade  in  iMassachusetts  tmtil  1878  when 
he  came  to  Pittsburg,  worked  four  years  and 
then  pushed  down  the  Ohio  river  to  Cincinnati, 
where  he  labored  at  his  trade  for  three  and  one- 
half  years.  March  1,  18S5,  he  came  to  Latrobe 
and  worked  steadily  at  his  trade  until  December 
1,  1888,  when  he  opened  a  boot  and  shoe  estab- 
lishment and  has  continued  siicci-ssfiilly  in  that 
lineof  businessuntil  the  presenttime.  Heisencr- 
getic,  persevering  and  hardworking,  and  has  been 
remarkably  successful  for  his  limited  opportunities. 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


337 


Oil  September  "2(i,  187."»,  he  was  united  in 
inairiaj^e  uitli  Marj^aret  MeMalioii,  daiigliter  of 
James  and  Sarah  (Buwesj  McMahijii,  of  (Queens 
county,  Trehiiid.  Mr.  ami  Mrs.  Lovely  have 
three  eliildreii:  I'cler  A.,  Charles  ('.,  and 
Mary  A. 

Politically  Mr.  Lovel}'  is  a  member  of  the 
Union  Labor  pai-ty  and  has  been  quite  promi- 
nent in  the  county,  district  and  State  conven- 
tions of  his  party.  lie  was  made  a  delegate 
several  times  to  State  conventions  of  the  Labor 
party  in  Pennsylvania  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Labor.  He  has  a  convenient  and 
well  arranged  store  at  No.  213  Main  street, 
Latrobe,  carries  a  very  fair  and  well-selected 
stock  of  boots,  shoes  and  rubbers  and  is  build- 
ing up  quite  a  good  trade. 


rYYTI'TJAM  C.  ^L^cMILLAN,  a  skillful 
druggist  and  [iroprietor  of  the  oldest  and 
largest  drug  house  of  Latrobe,  is  a  son 
of  Mattliew  C.  and  Lovinia  (Fetter)  MaeMillan 
and  was  born  in  Mt.  Pleasant,  AVestmoreland 
county,  I'a.,  October  i'J,  1S4'J.  .^Llttilew  C. 
MaeMillan  was  Inirn  January  13,  181;"^,  in  Fa- 
yette county,  Pa.,  and  dieil  at  Latrobe  Novem- 
ber llT,  ISS.'i.  \lv  was  a  character  to  beget  and 
insjiire  coiifidenct'  in  the  worth  nf  man.  He  was 
not  rii-h  but  commanded  respect  and  reverence 
by  his  honor  and  u|iriglitness.  He  was  one  wiio 
was  llttcd  by  his  calm,  judicial  mind  for  wi'igiiing 
mm    luid   uiolivo,    testing    tin-    truth    or    fid^ily 

I.I'     lll('nl|r>      tMlh      UlillM'loUS      >kill.         He      hit      a 

widow  and  six  cliildreii,  liis  death  being  the 
first  in  the  family.  His  oldest  and  youngest 
(lauglitcr.s  were  married  to  ATetiiodist  ministers: 
Hev.  John  0.  Iligli  and  Hev.  \V.  A.  lUciiard.n. 
His  iiKither  was  drowned  when  he  was  (piile 
small,  and  while  yet  a  boy  he  \seiil  to  live  with 
Charles  Mctilaugiilin,  a  blacksmith,  of  L'nity 
township,  this  county.  He  learned  the  black- 
smith trade,  followed  it  a  short  time,  moved 
to    Mount    I'leasaiit   and   durin;/   his    residence 


there  served  as  justice  of  the  peace,  and  was 
an  express  messenger  for  some  time  on  the 
Pennsylvania  railioad.  He  afterwards  moved 
to  Tiycippus,  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness, where  he  was  also  ],ostmaster.  Ouriiig 
the  war  of  the  rebellion  he  moved  to  liatrobe, 
where  after  a  short  tiuu:  he  bought  a  drug  store 
and  continued  in  the  drug  business  until  his 
death  in  18S3.  In  183'J  he  married  Lovinia 
Fetter,  of  Unity  township,  who  was  born  March 
30,  1818.  He  had  brothers  named  Thomas, 
John  and  William  and  a  sister  named  Nancy 
Jane.     Thomas  and  Nancy  are  still  living. 

"William  C.  MaeMillan  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools  and  Allegheny 
college  at  Meadville,  Pa.  After  teaching  school 
and  assisting  his  father  in  the  drug  store  for 
some  years  lie  went  to  Philadelphia  and  other 
eastern  cities,  where  he  completed  his  pharma- 
ceutical education,  ac([uiring  a  large  and  varietl 
e.xperience  in  the  dispensing  and  compounding 
of  medicines,  and  in  the  filling  of  physician's 
prescriptions,  thus  attaining  to  a  high  degree  of 
]iroficiency  in  the  business  and  practice  of 
pharmacy  in  all  its  relations.  Iteturning  to 
Latrobe  he  became  a  partner  with  his  father  in 
the  drug  business,  tlie  firm  name  being  Mae- 
Millan it  Son.  Upon  his  fiither's  death  he  suc- 
ceeded to  the  entire  business  of  the  firm  and  the 
establisliment  became  known  by  its  present 
title  of  MaeMillan  k  Go's  family  drug  store." 

"(In  .May  I '.I,  IMTI,  he  was  married  to  .Mary 
iv  ('laig,  daughter  nf  .lnhn  ('.  <'raig,  who  is  a 
drsiH'od.int  of  an  early  settled  family  of  the 
county.  Mrs.  iMacMillan  died  in  1887  leaving 
four  children :  jNLiy,  Daisy,  Willie  and  Pearle. 
Mr.  MaeMillan  wa.s  married  in  1888  to  Nannie 
M.  Craig,  a  sister  to  his  liist  wife." 

"The  old  family  drug  store  of  .MaeMillan  k 
(Jo.  is  located  at  No.  8(1',)  Ligonier  street, 
William  C.  MaeMillan  being  the  proprietor. 
In  ^^i8"J  he  erected  a  two-story  brick  addition, 
greatly  adding  to  the  beauty,  comfort  and  con- 
venience  of   his  already    large    store-room   and 


BIOGKAPIIIES  OF 


almost  iloiibling  its  size.  Since;  uiiluif^ing  liis 
place  of  business  lie  has  been  continually  en- 
larging aiul  aililing  to  his  stock  the  very  best 
gdixls  obtainalile,  his  desire  ix'in;,'  to  please  ihe 
nio>i  exaiiiui^  in  ijuaiily,  vaiiely  ami  priee,  llius 
keeping  his  the  leailing  apothecary,  book  ami 
stationery  store  in  Latrobe.  In  drugs,  blank- 
books,  school  books,  stationery,  etc.,  his  busi- 
ness has  been  constantly  increasing.  This 
great  increase  in  his  business  obliging  him  to 
enlarge  both  building  and  stock,  may  be  attri- 
buted (at  least  in  part)  to  tlie  great  care  he 
exercises  in  buying :  his  efl'orts  to  ])leasc  cus- 
tomers with  goods  of  the  very  best  (juality  for 
the  ])rice,  giving  his  entire  personal  attention  to 
his  business,  employing  only  temperate,  intelli- 
gent, careful  salesmen  and  having  an  aim,  niutto, 
guarantee  and  belief  which  lie  bus  maile  founda- 
tion stones  in  the  business  he  is  building.  He 
enjoys  the  deserved  reputation  of  being  a  careful, 
competent  as  well  as  conscientious  druggist,  ami 
well  deserves  the  confidence,  large  pationage  and 
prosperity  that  he  now  enjoys." 


TY^f'I^I-^^f  I^-  MELLON,  the  efficient  and 
energetic  superintendent  of  the  '■  West- 
moreland and  Cambria  Natural  Gas 
Company"  at  Latrobe,  was  born  in  Unity 
township,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  April  14, 
IS'ill,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  A.  and  Marv  A. 
(Steele)  Melhui  and  a  grands(ni  of  Armour 
Mellon,  who  was  a  native  of  county  Tyrone, 
Ireland.  Armour  Mellon  was  born  in  178-3,  mar- 
ried Sarah  White  in  1808  and  immigrated  to  the 
United  States  in  one  month  after  his  marriage. 
He  settled  on  a  firm  near  Crabtrce  in  LT,,ity 
township,  which  is  now  in  the  possession  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  and  was  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits  until  he  passed  into  the  dream- 
less sleep  on  March  23,  IS.5.5.  lie  was  a  man 
of  supei'ior  intelligence  and  ability  for  his  jiosi- 
tion  in  life  ami  was  very  highly  respected  by 
bis  friend.-i  and  acipiaintances.      lie  was  a  great 


reader  ami  a  clear  thinker.  His  thoughts  took 
a  theological  turn  and  he  could  discuss  '•  ])re- 
destination"  and  "free  will,"  which  allijrded 
the  chief  Imne  of  conleiilinn  Ix'tuccn  the  cal- 
vinisls  and  njelhodists  nf  his  neighborhood, 
with  such  logical  acumen  that  even  the  best 
read  of  the  ministers  found  it  difficult  to  antago- 
nize him  upon  these  subjects.  His  only  son, 
Samuel  Armour  Mellon,  was  born  March  (ith, 
182G,  and  retained  the  homestead  farm.  Il(; 
was  noted  for  his  intelligence,  his  industry  an  1 
his  honesty.  For  these  and  his  many  other 
commendable  qualities  of  head  and  heart  he  was 
highly  esteemed  by  the  w  ide  circle  of  his  friends 
and  ac(puiintances.  He  married  Mary  A.  Steel, 
Uctuljcr  -Jij,  1S4S,  wh(j  was  a  daughter  of  a 
neighboring  firmer  and  \sho  died  -Vugust  22, 
iSliG.  Mr.  Mellon  died  in  the  prime  of  life, 
leaving  three  sons  and  three  daughters  ;  Armour, 
Thomas,  \Villiam  L.,  Lizzie,  Maria  and  Anna. 
They  were  all  born  to  the  inheritance  of  a  good 
name  and  lia\e  a  just  reputation  for  intelligence, 
energy  and  industry. 

William  L.  Mellon  was  reared  on  the  old 
homestead  farm  and  attended  the  common  schools 
until  he  was  twenty  years  of  age.  He  then  left 
the  scenes  of  rural  life  and  accej)ted  a  position  in 
the  bank  of  T.  Mellon  i  Sons  at  Pittsburg, 
where  he  remained  until  188G.  In  the  fall  of 
that  year  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of- 
the  AVestmoreland  and  Cambria  Natural  (ias 
Company  at  Latrobe  and  has  held  that  position 
ever  since. 

On  l^ecember  24,  1885,  he  married  Ella 
jMcLaughlin,  whose  fatiier,  J.  T.  McLaughlin, 
resides  at  Beatty's  station,  this  county.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Mellon  have  two  children,  both  daugh- 
ters, whose  names  are  Mary  and  Mabel. 

The  introduction  of  natural  gas  into  the 
towns  of  western  Pennsylvania  as  a  fuel  marks 
an  important  epoch  in  the  history  of  our  manu- 
factures as  well  as  working  a  revolution  in  the 
present  luetlKids  of  household  heating.  One  of 
tiie    companies    engaged   in    supplying    the   de- 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


339 


mand  for  natural  gas  is  tlie  Westmoreland  and 
Cambria  Comi)aii_v,  uliose  su[)erintciKlc'nt  is  Mr. 
Mellon.  lie  is  an  enerj^etie,  elear-headed  busi- 
ness Tnan  wliu  lias  managed  so  sueeessl'uliy  the 
all'air.s  of  liis  eouiiiany  as  to  ffiin  tlie  eonridenee 
of  his  emiiinyers  and  the  respeet  of  tiie  publie. 
W.  L.  Mellon  is  a  eonaervative  republiean  and 
a  consistent  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 


(TJf^UEDERICK  MET/OEll  (deceased).  The 
'I'V  late  Lieut.  Frederick  Metzger,  one  of  the 
leading  paper  numufacturers  in  tlie  west- 
ern part  of  the  State,  a  brave  soldier  of  the  late 
civil  ^var  anil  a  public-spirited  citizen  of  La- 
trobe,  was  born  in  tiie  city  of  Pittsburg,  Pa., 
Febriuiry  17,  l>i4o,  and  was  a  son  of  Adam 
and  Magdalene  (Keller)  Metzger,  both  natives 
of  Germany  and  residents  of  Pittsburg,  where 
they  were  married  after  conung  to  the  United 
States. 

In  the  public  schools  of  Pittsburg  Frederick 
Metzger  received  a  very  fair  education  which  he 
afterwards  turned  to  good  account  in  life.  His 
introduction  to  business  life  was  through  a 
clerkship  in  the  i)ublishi)ig  house  of  AV.  S. 
Ilagen  of  his  native  city,  lie  applied  himself 
so  diligently  and  intelligently  to  the  discharge 
of  his  diiferent  duties  that  his  services  soon  be- 
came invalualde  to  his  employers  and  he  was 
given  a  permanent  position,  which  he  held  from 
185-i  to  18G0,  excepting  four  years  spent  as  a 
soldier  in  the  Union  armies.  In  1809  he  re- 
signed his  position  at  Pittsburg  to  accept  an 
interest  and  become  a  partner  in  the  Brighton 
Paper  Mill  Company  at  Beaver  Falls,  Iieaver 
county,  Pa.  Here  his  business  ability  and  ex- 
perience and  good  judgment  in  no  little  con- 
tributed to  the  success  of  the  company.  iU'ter 
two  years  passed  pleasantly  and  prolitably  at 
Biaver  Falls,  he  withdrew  from  the  firm  in 
order  to  embark  in  a  company  then  organizing 
to  purchase  the  Loyalhanna  Paper  Mills  at  La- 
trobe,  this  county.     He  became  a  partner  with 


his  brother,  Edgar  Metzger,  of  Pittsburg,  and 
James  Peters,  and  they  operated  the  Loyal- 
hanna Paper  Mills  from  1871  to  October,  187'.*, 
when  it  caught  lire  and  burned.  U])on  the 
ruins  of  the  mill,  iis  sdcm  us  the  aslics  were 
cold,  Mr.  Metzger  and  his  partners  began  their 
preparations  for  rebuilding  and  in  January  fol- 
lowing the  present  Loyalhanna  Paper  Mills  had 
arisen  on  the  site  of  its  unfortunate  predecessor. 
The  former  was  a  frame  and  the  latter  is  a  brick 
structure.  The  building  proper  is  llGJxSO 
feet,  with  a  [lulp  room  ;")5xo0  and  a  finishing 
room  G.")x32  under  the  roof  of  a  second  build- 
ing. Mr.  Metzger  removed  from  Beaver  Falls 
to  Pittsburg  in  1871  and  six  years  later,  in 
order  to  give  closer  personal  supervision  to  his 
business,  became  a  resident  of  Latrobe,  where 
he  died  November  14,  1883.  ^Vhile  in  charge 
of  the  mill  he  manufactured  manilla,  roofing 
and  wrapping  papers.  He  once  had  a  contract 
for  over  two  million  pounds  of  paper.  He  em- 
ployed forty  hands  and  made  daily  fourteen 
thousand  jjounds  of  paper.  He  had  two  large 
paper  stock  and  warehouses,  one  on  the  grounds 
and  the  other  at  Pittsburg.  These  works,  when 
under  Mr.  Metzgcr's  charge,  covered  two  and 
three-quarter  acres  of  ground  ami  required 
three  hundred  and  fifty  bushels  of  coal  daily  to 
run  them. 

On  November  2,  1809,  Mr.  Metzger  was 
married  to  Margaret  Johnson,  daughter  of  John 
M.  Johnson,  of  Pittsburg.  They  had  two  chil- 
dren :  John  A.  and  ^Villiam  J.  Mrs.  JMetzger 
and  her  two  sons  reside  at  their  beautiful  home 
at  Latrobe. 

In  1801  Frederick  Metzger  enlisted  as  a 
private  in  the  fiftii  Pa.  Heavy  Artiller}',  was 
promoted  second  lieutenant  anil  served  through- 
out tiie  war.  He  was  a  member  of  P.  A.  Will- 
iams Post,  No.  4,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  ; 
Loyalhanna  Lodge,  No.  950,  Knights  of  Honor, 
and  Latrobe  Lodge,  No.  308,  Royal  Arcanum. 
As  president  of  the  school  board  in  1882  he 
was  hugely  instrumental  in  securing  the  erection 


IlloORAl'HIES  OF 


of  tlie  ])rcsciit  lino  Lntrobe  piililic  sclionl  builil- 
ing.  lie  was  an  earnest,  cunsistent  and  useful 
member  of  tbe  Presbyterian  cliureli.  Freileriek 
IMetzu'er  was  a  pulilie-spiritetl  citizen  in  every 
sense  of  tbe  term  ami  bis  e.;r!y  deatbwas  deeply 
dejilored  and  bis  untimely  loss  long  felt  in  tbe 
community  be  bad  cbosen  for  bis  permanent 
bome. 


AVID  AV.  McCONAUGHY,  ^^1.  D,,  a 
distinguisbed  pbysician  of  Latrolie,  was 
born  February  13,  18-28,  in  Ligonier 
Valley,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  and  is  a  son 
of  Jobn  and  Margaret  (McCurdy)  McConaugby. 
His  fatber  was  born  February  22,  1783,  in 
Fulton  county,  Pa.,  but  renioveil  in  later  years 
to  tliis  county,  settling  in  Ligonier  Valley, 
wbere  be  followed  farming  very  successfully, 
lie  was  originally  a  whig  but  later  republican 
and  an  abolitionist;  also  a  mendier  of  tbe  Pres- 
byterian ciiurcb,  of  wliicb  be  was  an  elder,  and 
strong  advocate  of  temperance,  being  one  of  tbe 
first  men  in  the  county  to  banish  whiskey  from 
his  premises.  On  tbe  31st  of  ^larcb,  1808,  ho 
married  Margaret,  a  daughter  of  James  Mc 
Curdy,  of  this  county,  who  was  a  relative  of  the 
llev.  Elisha  McCurdy,  and  who  bore  him  eleven 
children,  six  of  whom  are  living :  Jane,  wife  of 
Samuel  Ncsbit ;  James  (Dr.),  formerly  of  Mount 
I'leasant ;  Francis  (l^r.),  a  resident  of  Mount 
Pleasant;  Mary  .\nn,  wife  of  Jubn  Hell,  living 
in  Nebraska:  Pavid  \\'.,  and  .Mclinda,  wife  of 
Lloyd  Sballenberger,  of  I'lariun,  Pa.  Jobn 
McConaugby  (father)  died  July  21,  1870. 
(irandfatber  McConaugby  settled  in  Ligonier 
Valley  near  the  beginning  of  tbe  nineteenth 
century,  but  afterwards  removed  t(\  Indiana 
county,  Pa.,  where  some  of  his  descendants  still 
live. 

Dr.  D.  W.  McConaugby  attended  tbe  public 
schools  and  Ligonier  academy,  after  which  he 
tauglit  scliool  for  several  trruis.  In  lK;'ili  be 
entered  JcU'erson   Medical    college  at    I'biladel- 


pbia.  Pa.,  and  was  graduated  from  that  institu- 
tion in  18i>8.  Peginning  tbe  jiractice  of  his 
cbosen  profession  at  Madison,  this  county,  be 
continued  there  until  1^)07  when  be  rciiiuvcd  to 
Latrobe,  where  be  has  ever  since  remained, 
having  an  cxellent  practice  and  all  be  cared  to 
do.  He  is  a  member  and  also  treasurer  of  the 
Westmoreland  county  Medical  society  ;  tbe 
American  Medical  Association ;  tbe  State 
Medical  Society  of  Penn.sylvania ;  is  also  a 
member  of  Loyalbanna  Lodge,  No.  275,  F.  k 
A.  M.,  of  Latrobe.  Dr.  McConaugby  is  an 
elder  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  takes  a 
leading  part  in  churcn  work  geneially.  In 
politics  he  is  a  zealous  republican  and  does 
much  etl'ective  work  for  bis  jiarty.  A  strict 
party  man,  be  belivcs  in  supporting  the  nominees 
ami  has  never  voted  anything  but  tbe  republican 
ticket. 

Dr.  D.  W.  McConaugby  was  united  in  mar- 
riage February  4,  18113,  with  Anna,  a  daughter 
of  James  L.  Brown,  of  Madison,  Pa.,  Kev. 
Thomas  Johnson  performing  the  ceremony. 
JNlrs.  McConaugby  was  born  iMay  19,  1842, 
and  is  a  consistent  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church. 

Not  only  is  Dr.  McConaugby  a  skillful  and 
successful  physician  and  a  conscientious  Chris- 
tian gentleman,  social  and  agreeable  by  nature, 
but  be  is  also  a  man  of  strict  integrity  and  un- 
usual intelligence;  a  logical  thinker  who  is 
thoroughly  conversant  with  the  public  questions 
and  issues  of  tbe  day;  a  diligent  student  of 
human  nature ;  a  close  observer ;  a  constant 
reader  of  general  and  scientific  literature;  a  man 
of  warm  and  generous  emotions,  whose  ideas  of 
justice  and  ecjuity  between  man  and  man  or 
between  citizen  and  State  appro.ximatc  to  those 
of  tbe  ideal  citizen  or  subject  of  a  free  govern- 
ment, and  whose  religious,  social  and  political 
opinions  are  practical,  safe  and  conservative. 
Dr.  McConaugby  is  a  director  and  tbe  vice- 
president  of  the  "  (Citizens'  National  baid;  of 
Latrobe." 


WKSTMOBELAND  CO  UNTr. 


EV.    EDWARD    ^FtKEEVER,  a    fine 

bcliular,  a  ]iiilislictl  ami  cultured  gentle- 
man, a  ]ileasaiit  eoiivei-sationalist  ami  a 
Siifce.s.srul  ami  ]M.|iiilar  paslcji-  nf  the  Catholic 
cliiireh,  >vas  hoin  in  I'ltlslmrj;,  I'a.,  Kehniaij 
10,  1S4S.  He  is  a  sun  of  William  ami  (.'athe- 
rine  (Mullen)  McKeever.  They  were  natives  of 
Ireland  uhere  the  former  was  hum  in  county 
Monaghan  in  lb09,  and  the  latter  in  county 
Tyrone  in  1811.  They  were  members  of  tlie 
Catholic  church,  came  to  Baltimore  in  18l!"2, 
an<l  from  thence  journeyed  by  stage  across  the 
AUeghenies  to  Pittsburg,  wliere  Mr.  McKeever 
engaged  successfully  in  the  grocery  business  and 
Avas  interested  iu  several  other  profitable  enter- 
prises, lie  ilied  July  7,  1^^.S0,  and  seven  years 
later  his  widow  passed  away  on  February  2, 
1887. 

Kev.  Edward  McKeever  attended  the  paro- 
chial schools  attached  to  St.  Paul's  cathedral 
and  at  that  time  under  charge  of  the  "  Fran- 
ciscan Brothers."  In  these  schools  he  studied 
Latin  for  two  years  under  the  direction  of  Mr. 
McCann  and  Father  James  McCaiin.  In  18G2 
he  entered  St.  Michael's  seminaVy  where  he 
finished  his  classical  course  and  took  a  full 
course  in  philosophy  and  theology.  lie  was 
ordained  to  the  jiricsthood  on  December  20, 
1871,  by  JJishop  ]\Iichacl  Domenec,  ami  on  the 
same  day  was  appointed  assistant  of  St.  Peter's 
church  in  Allegheny  City.  (Jn  September  22, 
1873,  he  was  appointed  rector  of  St.  Simon  and 
Jude's  church  at  Rlairsville,  Indiana  county, 
I'a.,  where  he  found  a  difiicult  field  of  labor 
before  him.  He  entered  upon  his  work  Avith 
zeal  and  energy  and  was  signally  successful 
He  lifted  a  church  debt  of  twenty-seven  hundred 
dollars,  placed  a  hall  over  the  school  buildings, 
erected  a  new  pastoral  residence  and  made  ex- 
tensive repairs  on  the  churcli.  Rev.  McKeever 
was  highly  appreciated  during  his  sixteen  years 
residence  at  Rlairsville  by  bis  own  pco])lc  and 
the  whole  community  and  he  looks  back  with 
pleasure  and  satisfaction  to  the  time  he  spent  at 


lilairsviUe.  On  tlic  eve  of  bis  departure  from 
there  for  his  newly  assigned  lield  of  labor  at 
Latrobe,  he  was  jiresented  by  his  church  mem- 
bers and  others  with  a  gold  \\atcb,  a  sum  of 
money  ami  several  other  valuable  and  beautiful 
tokens  of  resjiect  and  good  will.  On  January 
ItJ,  188'J,  he  left  Rlairsville  and  assumed  his 
present  pastorship  of  the  Holy  Family  church 
of  Latrobe,  where  he  is  meeting  with  highly 
gratifying  success  in  his  ])astoral  labors.  He 
has  already  erected  a  large  hall  and  has  in  con- 
templation many  other  valuable  improvements. 
His  field  of  laboi-  includes  cjne  hundred  and 
twenty  families  rejjcsenting  six  hundred  souls. 
Rev.  Edward  McKeever  has  just  returned  from 
an  extended  European  tour.  While  in  the  old 
world  he  traveled  through  England,  Ireland, 
Belgium,  Germany,  Austria,  Italy  and  France. 
During  his  sojourn  in  Italia's  land  of  sunshine 
and  flow^ers  lie  spent  a  fortnight  in  Rome  and 
viewed  the  many  sacred  places  and  the  num- 
erous historic  buildings  of  the  "  Eternal  City." 


R.  HENRY  J.  MILLER.  Of  late  years 
^  '  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  proprietary 
medicines  in  the  United  States  has  in- 
creased wonderfully,  and  one  who  is  successfully 
engaged  in  that  business  is  Dr.  II.  J.  Miller  of 
Latrobe,  the  discoverer  of  the  "  II.  J.  Aliller's 
FamUy  Medicines."  He  is  a  son  of  Lieut. 
Jacob  A.  and  Nancy  (Casabeer)  Miller  and  was 
born  in  Somerset  county,  Pa.,  May  IG,  1844. 
His  grandfather,  Adam  Miller,  was  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  Somerset  county,  to  which  he 
had  immigrated  when  a  young  man  from  the 
north  bank  of  the  Rhine  in  Bavaria,  Germany. 
Soon  after  his  arrival  he  married  Elizabeth 
Snyder  of  the  town  of  Somerset,  which  at  that 
time  was  a  mere  hamlet  of  three  or  four  houses 
at  most.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  a 
good  business  man  and  died  in  1853  when  in 
the  eighty-second  year  of  his  age.  His  only 
son  was  Lieut.  Jacob  A.  Miller,   who  was   born 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


in  ISOO  ;uiil  (liod  in  ISO'J.  ][o  was  .mo  of  tlie 
siu'cessl'iil  i'iiniicrs  of  SouuTsot  county  ;nnl  ix- 
ceivcil  a  coiniiiis.si(jii  from  (iov.  Joseph  IJitiicr 
on  Ailj:iisl  ;l,  I.S;;'(,  a.Sii  liciitclKilil  oi' lli.:cl;;lilll 
ri'j!;.,  J':i.,  luililiii.  'I'liis  L'ommi.-i.sKjii  uml  ;i  r:uL; 
old  silver  watch,  which  was  presented  to  liiui  by 
an  uncle  residing  in  Bavaria,  are  now  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Lieut. 
Miller  was  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Luth- 
eran church  and  married  Nancy  Casebeer,  who 
is  now  residing  in  her  Somerset  county  home 
and  is  in  the  seventy-seventh  year  of  her  age. 
They  had  three  sons  and  three  daughters,  of 
whom  one  son  and  two  daughters  are  living. 

Henry  J.  Miller  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  at- 
tended the  common  schools  in  the  winter  months 
until  1862,  when  he  enlisted  in  Co.  D,  one 
hundred  and  forty-second,  Pa.,  Vols.,  and  served 
until  November  10,  1803.  lie  then  was  trans- 
ferre<l  to  the  U.  S.  Signal  Service  in  which  he 
continued  till  the  close  of  the  late  war.  He 
then  returned  to  Somerset  county  where  he  was 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  until  the 
spring  of  1877,  when  he  came  to  Latrobe  and 
embarked  in  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  his 
well-known  proprietary  medicines.  The  firm  of 
John  J.  Miller  i&  Co.  are  now  jjroprietois  of  II. 
J.  jNIiller's  family  medicines,  consisting  of 
"Sweepstakes  Liniment,"  "Constitution 
Searcher  "  and  "  Blood  Purifier,"  "  Sweet 
AVorm  Powder  "  and  "Opaline."  They  also 
manufacture  fruit  syrups,  essences  and  flavoring 
extracts.  These  remedies  of  II.  J.  Miller  are 
sold  largely  throughout  Westmoreland,  Somerset, 
Bedford,  Indiana,  Cumbria  and  Fayette  counties 
and  western  Pennsylvania  generally  and  by  the 
wholesale  dealers  in  Pittsburg.  Dr.  Miller's 
business  in  1877  did  not  reach  $1000,  but  the 
demand  for  his  specialties  has  been  such  for  the 
last  twelve  years  that  the  annual  .sales  of  his 
remedies  are  now  from  twelveto  fifteen  thousand 
dollars.  Many  of  his  patrons  think  there  are 
no  remedies  in  the  United  States  so  efl'eetual  as 
his.      Ho  is  a  republican,  a  member  and  trustee 


of  Trinity  Lutlieran  church,  of  whose  Sunday 
school  lie  has  beLii  su|ierintendeut  for  many  years. 
He  united  in  marri:ige  on  ihefith  day  (jf  May, 
1 «()',»,  with  Mary  NaNg]<',  dauglitei-  of  .Joseph 
Naugle,  a  resident  (jf  Laughiinstown,  thiscounly. 
Their  union  has  been  blessed  with  two  children  : 
Ida  B.  and  Milton  N. 


ICIIAEL  B.  MURRAY,  a  successful 
I  f  and  popular  tobacconist  and  confectioner 
♦  of  Latrobe  and  one  who  has  labored 
over  a  wide  area  of  the  great  Mississippi  valley, 
was  born  in  Ireland  November  9,  1848.  He 
is  a  son  of  Peter  and  Julia  (Daley)  Murray, 
both  natives  of  County  Roscommon,  Ireland. 
The  former  was  born  in  182G  and  the  latter 
died  in  Philadelphia  in  1853,  aged  thirty-one 
years.  Peter  ]»Iurray  was  a  contractor  in  his 
native  country,  lie  came  to  Philadelphia  in 
1851  and  eight  years  later  removed  to  St.  Louis, 
Mo.  He  is  a  strong  democrat,  a  member  of  the 
Catholic  Knights  and  Catholic  church.  For 
the  last  twenty  years  he  has  been  very  active  in 
politics  and-  is  now  serving  as  assistant  post- 
master of  St.  Louis.  At  three  years  of  age 
iMichael  Murray  was  brought  by  his  jiarents  to 
Philadelphia,  and  two  years  later,  after  the 
death  of  his  motliei',  he  accompanied  his  aunt, 
Mary  Murray,  to  Greensburg  and  remained 
with  her  and  went  to  school  until  he  was  twelve 
years  of  age.  In  18G0  he  rejoined  his  father 
at  St.  Louis,  i\Io.,  and  attended  the  schools  of 
that  city  for  two  years. 

During  the  late  war  he  and  nineteen  other 
young  men  equipped  themselves  with  horses  and 
arms  and  started  to  join  Gen.  Price,  but  were 
captured  by  the  Union  forces  and  pressed  into 
the  United  States  service  as  bridge  guards  on 
the  Iron  Mountain  railroad  for  six  months. 
Returning  from  the  army,  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing until  1870  with  his  father  on  a  farm  that 
the  latter  owned  within  si.x  miles  of  St.  Louis. 
From  1870  to  1878  he  was  in  M.ssissippi  and 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


343 


Louisiana,  where  lie  acted  as  paymaster  for  Jolin 
Scott  Avlio  was  a  large  contractor  for  biiililiiig 
and  repairing  levees  in  those  States.  In  1878 
Mr.  Scott  became  a  large  contractor  on  the  con- 
struction of"  that  section  of  the  Atchison  it 
Topeka  railroad  between  Leadville,  Col.,  and 
Santa  Fe,  N.  M.,  and  gave  Mr.  Murray  the 
important  position  of  general  foreman.  lie 
served  in  this  capacity  very  acceptably  for  two 
years.  In  1880  he  returned  to  Pennsylvania 
and  became  foreman  for  Booth  &,  Flinn,  con- 
tractors on  the  Cambria  and  Somerset  railroad, 
and  later  was  stationed  as  foreman  at  the  ''  Blue 
Rock "   quarries   in   the   Ligonier   Valley.     In 

1883  he  was  specially  selected  as  superintendent 
of  the  force  that  put  in  the  syphon  pipe  at 
Highland    Avenue    reservoir,    Pittsburg.       In 

1884  he  opened  his  present  cigar,  tobacco  and 
grocery  establishment  at  No.  906  Ligonier 
street,  Latrobe,  and  has  built  up  a  fine  trade  in 
his  special  line  of  business. 

On  July  '20,  1880,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Annie  M.  Williams,  daughter  of  Thomas 
and  Elizabeth  AVilliams  of  Latrobe.  (Jf  this 
marriage,  four  children  have  been  born : 
Thomas   B.,   Harry  B.,  John  B.  and  Paul  M. 

iSI.  B.  Murray  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
churcli,  the  Catholic  Knights  and  iMcridian 
Conclave,  No.  177,  Improvi-d  Order  of  Ilepta- 
sojdis.  He  is  a  democrat  and  is  borough  audi- 
tor. He  keejis  in  stock  the  best  brands  of 
tobacco,  makes  a  specialty  of  cigars  and  always 
lias  tiie  latest  and  best  confections.  He  is  full 
of  push  and  vim  and  his  life  has  been  one  of 
activity.  As  time-keeper,  paymaster,  foreman 
and  superintendent  his  services  were  always 
satisfactory,  and  as  a  merchant  his  large  trade 
attests  his  popularity  and  success. 


/pv  AVID  R.  NEWINGHAM,  a  highly  rc- 

yfJ   spected  citizen   ami    the  largest   harness 

and  saddlery  nianui'actiirer  and  dealer  of 

Latrobe,  is  a  son  of  David  and  Sarah  (Snyder) 


Newingham.  He  is  the  si.xth  of  a  family  of 
thirteen  children,  all  of  whom  are  living,  and 
Avas  born  in  Mt.  Pleasant  township,  Westmore- 
land county.  Pa.,  January  5,  184.'J.  His  father, 
David  Newingham,  was  born  in  1811  in  Hun- 
tingdon county.  He  married  Sarah  Snyder, 
who  was  born  November  7,  1812,  and  removed 
in  1832  to  Greensburg,  where  he  opened  and 
conducted  a  saddle  and  harness  shop  for  many 
years.  He  is  a  democrat  and  in  1843  was  ap- 
pointed sheriff  of  Westmoreland  county  to  serve 
until  the  ne.xt  election  in  place  of  Sheriff  James 
Ilarvey,  who  died  in  1843.  Mr.  Newingham 
and  his  wife  reside  at  Greensburg  and  are  mem- 
bers of  the  German  Reformed  church  of  that 
place. 

David  R.  Newingham  was  reared  principally 
at  Pleasant  Unity  and  received  his  education  in 
the  common  schools.  He  learned  the  saddle 
and  harness  trade  with  his  father,  and  at  eighteen 
years  of  age  engaged  in  business  for  himself  at 
Mt.  Pleasant,  where  he  remained  for  thirteen 
years.  In  1870  he  removed  to  Latrobe,  opened 
a  saddlery  and  harness  establishment  and  has 
continued  successfully  in  that  line  of  business 
ever  since. 

He  was  married  in  1807  to  Katie  C.  Mc- 
Clelland, daughter  of  IJobert  IMcClelhuid,  of 
New  Alexandria.  To  this  union  have  been 
born  five  children:  Howard,  Annie,  who  died 
at  eleven  years  of  age,  James,  Gohlia  and 
Emmet 

David  R.  Newingham  is  the  oldest  as  well  as 
the  largest  saddlery  and  harness  manufacturer 
in  Latrobe.  His  establishment  is  on  Ligonier 
street  and  he  manufactures  and  deals  in  harness, 
saddles,  collars,  whips  and  everything  to  be 
found  in  a  first-class  saddlery  and  harness  house. 
He  transacts  a  large  business  and  his  trade  has 
every  appearance  of  rapidly  increasing  in  the 
fature.  By  close  attention  to  business  and 
honorable  dealing  with  his  patrons  he  has  won 
his  way  into  the  front  rank  of  respected  and 
substantial    merchants.      Mr.    Newiii;rham   is    a 


344 


BIOGHAPimCS  OF 


conyorviitivo  iliiiUKTat,  a  uscrnl  liiciiilici'  of  llir 
I'rcshytcriaii  (,-liui\'h,  ami  lias  Ikiiuc  lor  iiiaiiy 
years  the  rt'piitatidii  of  an  upriLilit  ami  Inmost 
man. 

^f  Y^I^l^^-^^'  OliUlKxX,  the  uhlest  and  lead- 
ing contractor  and  builder  and  lumber 
merchant  of  Latrobo,  was  born  in  Pitts- 
burg. Pa.,  October  14,  1830,  and  is  a  son  of 
James  and  Mary  (Mallon)  UUrien.  James 
O'lirien  was  born  in  1802  at  Baltimore,  Mary- 
laud,  and  when  but  a  mere  youth  came  to  Pitts- 
burg. He  here  learned  and  worked  at  the 
carpenter  trade  until  1848.  In  that  year  lie 
removed  to  Unity  township,  this  county,  and 
was  engaged  in  forming  until  1^75,  when  he 
retired  from  active  business.  He  sold  liis  farm 
and  came  to  Latrobe,  where  he  passed  his  re- 
maining days  of  life  and  departed  from  earth 
March  27,  18Sl.  He  was  a  standi  democrat, 
an  honest,  hardworking  man  and  a  member  of 
the  Catliolic  church.  He  was  married  to  Mary 
Mallon,  a  native  of  county  Tyrone,  Ireland. 
She  came  to  tliis  country  at  eight  years  of  age, 
was  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church  and  died 
in  1878,  aged  sixty-four  years. 

At  twelve  years  of  age  William  O'Hiicn  ac- 
companied his  parents  from  I'lttshiii-g  to  Unity 
township,  Weslnioii-huid  county,  where  he  com- 
pleted in  the  rural  schools  the  branches  that  lie 
had  been  studying  in  the  parochial  schools  of 
that  city  jirevious  to  his  I'emoval.  lie  then 
learned  the  trade  of  eai  pelilt'r  which  lie  pursued 
at  dllferent  places  in  the  county  until  LStlti. 
In  that  year  he  removed  to  Latrobe  and  estab- 
lished his  present  extensive  contracting  business. 
In  1870  he  opened  a  lumber  yard  and  has  suc- 
cessfully operateil  it  until  the  present  time. 
Mr.  O'Brien  has  been  engagcil  since  18;VJ  as  a 
contractor  and  builder.  He  is  the  oldest  con- 
tractor in  Latrobe,  has  erected  some  of  the 
finest  and  largest  liuildings  of  that  place  and 
bears  the  reputation  ol'  being  a  good  nicchanic. 
His   large  shop   is    fiilly  eipii[iped    with   all    the 


latest  and  best  machinery  which  is  used  in  Ids 
line  of  business.  His  workmen  have  all  learned 
their  trade  with  him,  while  stuiie  of  them  have 
been  in  his  eiii|iloy  for  o\  ei'  eighteen  years.  He 
is  a  nu.'liibel-  of  the  (Jalholic  ehiireli,  a,  strong 
and  unswerving  dcuiocrat  and  has  served  as  a 
member  of  the  borough  council. 

On  January  25,  ISfiO,  Mr.  O'Brien  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Agnes  Kuhn,  daughter  of 
John  Kulin,  of  Unity  township,  this  county. 
Their  union  has  been  blessed  with  one  child,  a 
son:  Edward  O'Brien,  who  is  a  civil  engineer 
and  now  pursuing  the  study  of  some  of  the 
higher  branches  of  his  profession  at  Paris, 
France. 

•f  xVJIES    PETERS.        The    manufacture   of 

J  paper  is  one  of  the  imjiortant  industries  of 
western  Pennsylvania  tliat  has  made  great 
procress  within  the  last  twenty  years.  A  repre- 
sentative firm  in  a  special  branch  of  this  busi- 
ness is  James  Peters  \-  Co.,  ])roprietors  of  the 
Loyallianna  Paper  iMills  at  Latrobe.  The 
senior  partner,  James  Peters,  an  honorable,  suc- 
cessful business  man,  a  wounded  soldier  of  the 
late  war,  was  born  in  Hanover  township.  Beaver 
coiintv,  I'a-,  Janu:iiy  II,  Isll,  anil  is  a  son  of 
William  and  Jane  (Sloan)  I'eters.  The  former 
was  a  nati\e  of  county  i>o\Mi  and  the  latter  was 
born  in  county  Antrim,  Ireland.  They  were 
married  and  immigrated  to  the  United  States 
in  18;i2  and  settled  in  Pitt.sburg.  William 
Peters  there  engaged  for  several  years  in  the 
grocery  business  on  what  was  then  known 
as  Dickson's  corner  (now  corner  ot  Seventh 
avenue).  From  Pittsburg  he  removed  to  near 
Hanover,  Beaver  county,  this  State,  where  he 
bought  a  farm  and  became  a  dealer  in  horses. 
He  purchased  large  numbers  of  liorses  and  sold 
them  in  the  eastern  maikcts  to  which  he  drove 
them  over  the  Allegheny  mountains.  On  the 
eom|ilction  of  the  Pennsylvania  railroad  Mr. 
I'eters  abandoned  dealing  in  horses  and  em- 
Ijarked  in  tiie  mercantile   business  in  Hanover, 


■!;JnrJ-rj 


WESTMORELAND  CO UNTY. 


wIktc  lie  I'liilt  tin' lirstlirick  house  at  tliut  i.lacc. 
In  |sr,li  lie  lo^t  liis  t'ye-.sight  wliicli  ciinii.cllcd 
liiiM  to  (jiiit  business  ;  lie  lost  liis  wife  tlie  sinno 
yciir  Ijcforc  iiiovin;:;  lo  ]'ill.-.liiii';:;  lie  then  I'c- 
liiiiM'il  Id  rillNliini;  w  111  re  in  iIk!  .siiiiii'  v''i''lii) 
liiiil  llio  sad  luisl'iirtauc  to  lose  his  wife,  who 
in  dossing  a  street  w;is  nui  over  and  killed  hy 
a  runaway  team.  William  Peters  survived  his 
wife  but  one  year  and  was  laid  to  rest  in  1857. 
He  was  successful  in  business  life  and  was  a 
member  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  church, 
of  wliicli  his  wife  was  an  esteemed  member. 
His  children  were:  William  J.  (dead) ;  Robert 
S.,  James  and  Sarah  J.  William  J.  was  a  car- 
penter, enlisted  in  18til  in  Col.  Rouley's  old 
thirteenth  rcg.,  for  three  months,  re-enlisted  the 
same  year  in  Battery  F  (Hampton's),  Light  ar- 
tillery and  served  faithfully  as  a  soldier  during 
the  war.  In  18G8  he  fell  from  a  cherry  tree  at 
Hillsdale  near  Pittsburg,  and  broke  his  neck. 
Robert  S.  is  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  enlisted  in 
August,  18(V2,  in  Hampton's  Battery,  was 
wounded  at  Harper's  Feriy,  remained  in  Chest'- 
nut  Hill  hos))ital,  Baltimore,  for  several  months, 
rejoined  his  battery  and  served  with  it  until  the 
close  of  the  war.  He  is  now  engageil  in  the 
creamery  business  at  Moundsville,  W.  A'^a. 

At  twelve  years  of  age  James  Peters  accom- 
panied his  jiareiits  from  iJeaver  county  to  Pitts- 
burg and  attended  the  public  schools  of  Alle- 
gheny City  for  three  years  more  or  less.  He 
then  engaged  with  .Tames  Reese,  a  steam  engine 
maiiiiraeturer  of  I'illsliurg,  to  learii  the  traile  of 
steam  engine  building.  <  hi  August  1,  lS(i:2, 
he  enlisted  in  Hampton's  Battery  F,  light  artill- 
ery. He  was  at  Second  Bull  Run,  Antietam, 
was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Chancelloisville  in 
both  legs  and  sent  to  Douglas  hospital,  J).  C. 
When  about  recovered  lie  received  a  thirty-five 
days  furlough  and  at  its  expiration  in  Sejiteiii- 
ber,  18G3,  he  returned  to  his  company  and 
served  until  the  close  of  the  Great  Rebellion. 
He  was  promoted  from  corporal  to  sergeant 
some  time  before  he    was   honorably    discharged 


with  his  eompany  from  the  service  at  Pittsburg, 
.liiiie'Jti,  isilf).  l'\jr  six  yiMis  alier  reliirniiig 
frijui  the  army  he  \vorkeil  al  engine-building  in 
I'itlshiiig.      Ill   ISTI  li(.'  removed  lo  lialrolH!  and 

bee ea   liiemlier  oT   llie  linn  of    .Melzger    Kros. 

\.  Co.  The  oilier  partners  were  I'Mward  and 
Frederick  JMetzger  (see  sketch  of  the  latter). 
They  purchased  the  Loyallianna  Paper  Mills 
and  operated  it  until  1874  when  the  company 
was  reorganized  under  the  present  firm  name  of 
James  Peters  ^:  Co.  The  Loyallianna  Pajier 
Mills  were  established  in  1805  by  Bierer,  \Vatt 
&  Co.  and  subse(piently  bought  by  G.  S.  Christy 
&  Co.,  who  sold  to  Metzger  Bros.  &  Co.  in 
1871.  In  October,  1870,  the  mill  burned,  and 
in  1881  the  present  brick  one  was  completed. 
In  October,  1879  to  1881,  they  rented  the 
Beaver  Falls  Paper  Mills  and  thus  kept  all 
their  mill  hands  employed.  They  have  run 
steadily  and  successfuly  from  1881  until  the 
present  time  and  have  increased  their  capacity 
from  time  to  time  as  it  has  been  reipiired  until 
they  can  make  thirty  thousand  pounds  of  paper 
]ier  day.  They  em])loy  forty  men  and  iiianu- 
ficture  mostly  felt  pa]ier.  'J'lieir  works  cover 
over  three  acres  of  ground.  Their  rag  room  is 
3'2xG0  feet  and  the  bleaching  room  00x80. 
Tiiey  have  two  beater  buildings  one  a  two-story 
with  haseiueiit,  i)0x7ll,  and  the  other,  one-story 
and  basement,  ;i'2x70.  'J'he  machine  room  is 
oUxlPi?.,  boiler  house  7^x44,  and  the 
ware  and  linishing  house  is  a  t^vo-stol■y  struct- 
ure ;'>"Jx71,  with  an  olliee  attached  which  is 
1  lx"28  in  diuK'iisions. 

In  18G7  he  was  married  to  Susanna,  daughter 
of  John  M.  Johnson,  of  Pittsburg.  They  have 
five  children  :  Mary  A.,  Jennie  M.,  \Villiain  H., 
James  F.  and  JMalinda  B. 

.James  Peters  is  a  republican  and  has  served 
one  term  as  burgess  of  l^atrobe,  three  terms  as 
a  member  and  is  now  jiresident  of  the  town 
council.  He  is  AV.  M.  of  Loyallianna  Lodge, 
No.  275,  A.  Y.  M.,  Past  lU'geiit  ol  Latrobe 
Council,  N.  of  R.  A.  and  is  ser\'ing  a  second 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


term  as  Commander  of  Post  No.  4,  G.  A.  R. 
He  is  a  charter  member  and  present  director  of 
the  First  National  bank  of  Latrobe  and  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  church. 


•ENRY  B.  POTTIIOFF,  the  leading  as 
well   as  the  most  progressive  jeweler  of 

(S)  Latrobe,  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Cathe- 
rine (Wessendorff)  Potthoft"  and  was  born  in 
Essen  on  the  Ruhr,  kingdom  of  Prussia,  April 
5,  1858.  Henry  Potthoft'  is  a  descendant  of  an 
old  and  honest  German  family  whose  ancestry 
goes  back  into  the  early  history  of  the  Father- 
land. He  was  born  in  Essen,  Prussia,  on  the 
river  Ruhr  in  1832  and  has  always  followed 
coal  mining  for  an  occupation.  He  has  always 
lived  in  Essan,  is  an  active,  hard-working  man 
and  a  devout  member  of  the  Catholic  church. 
His  wife  was  Catherine  Wessendorft",  who  was 
a  native  of  Prussia,  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
church  and  died  in  18G4,  Kaving  two  cliildren, 
Henry  and  Herman. 

Henry  B.  Potthoft'  was  reared  in  Essen  where 
he  attended  the  excellent  public  schools  of 
Prussia.  He  learned  the  trade  of  jewler  and 
watchmaker.  After  completing  his  required  ap- 
prenticeship and  being  recommended  as  a  skilled 
workman  by  his  employers,  he  traveled  over 
I'russia  for  si.\  years  and  worked  at  watch 
making  ami  repairing.  At  the  end  of  this  time 
(1880)  he  came  to  the  United  States  and  located 
at  I'lliensburg,  (Jambria  county,  this  State, 
where  lie  worked  for  six  months  with  Carl  Re- 
viuius,  after  wiiieli  hecommeiieed  in  tlic  jewelry 
business  for  himself  at  Carrolltown,  in  the  same 
county.  He  left  a  very  good  trade  at  the  last 
named  place  in  18SG  to  locate  at  Latrobe,  where 
'lie  has  remained  ever  since  and  has  been  actively 
ami  suceessfidly  engaged  as  a  jeweler  and 
dealer  in  watches  and  clocks.  His  store  is  a 
spacious  and  attractively  litted  \\\i  apartment 
and  contains  in  the  line  of  stock  carried  a  com- 
plete and  well-arranged   assortment  of  beautiful 


and  artistically  designed  wares,  including 
watches,  clocks,  jewelry  and  silverware  of  every 
descri])tion.  He  is  a  courteous  gentleman,  ii 
skilled  workman  and  has  achieved  a  well-deserved 
as  well  as  a  well-earned  success. 

Henry  B.  Potthotf  united  in  marriage  on 
July  29,  1884,  with  Mary  Wirtuer,  daughter  of 
Benjamin  Wirtuer,  of  Carrolltown,  Cambria 
county,  Pa.  Their  union  lias  been  blessed  with 
two  children,  both  sons :  Benjamin  H.  and 
Henry  B.  Potthoft;  Jr. 


-rVARRY  F.  SEANOR,  one  of  Latrobe's 
I  J  enterprising  young  men  and  a  member  of 
(*)  the  firm  of  Seanor  &  Bierer,  dealers  in 
agricultural  implements,  was  born  at  Fort  ^Vayne, 
Indiana,  July  29,  1860,  and  is  a  son  of  Adam 
and  Salina  (Tweedy)  Seanor.  He  is  of  Ger- 
man-Irish descent.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
Adam  Seanor,  was  a  native  of  Salem  township, 
where  he  followed  farming  and  was  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church.  His  maternal  grand- 
father, William  Tweedy,  was  born  in  Westmore- 
land county  and  pursued  farming  for  a  liveli- 
hooil.  His  father,  Adam  Seanor.  Jr.,  was  born 
in  LSI 9  in  Salem  township,  this  county,  where 
he  n(jw  owns  a  fine  farm  of  two  hundred  and 
sixty-five  acres  of  land.  He  is  a  republican, 
deals  in  stock  and  is  an  etlieient  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church.  He  murrie<l  Salina 
Tweedy  and  they  resided  in  Indiana  for  a  few 
years  before  making  their  permanent  home  in 
AVestmoiehind  county. 

At  five  years  of  age  Harry  F.  Seanor  was 
brought  by  his  parents  fruUL  Foi't  Wayne, 
Indiana,  to  Salem  township,  this  county.  He 
attended  the  common  schools  and  was  engaged 
in  farming  until  he  was  twenty-two  years  of  age. 
He  then  became  a  traveling  salesman  fjr  an 
agricultural  implement  house  and  remained  with 
them  for  four  years.  In  1881)  he  removed  to 
Latrobe  where  he  engaged  in  the  agricidtural 
implement,  hay  and  feed  business,  but  in   1889 


WEST^fORELAND  COUyTY. 


347 


was  compelled  to  drop  the  last  naiued  business 
on  account  of  the  increase  of  liis  trade  in  aj;ri- 
cultural  implements.  lie  has  the  largest  estab- 
lishment of  ils  kiiiil  in  Latrobe,  if  not  in  the 
county,  whii'ii  is  heavily  stocked  with  reapers, 
mowers,  hay  rakes,  sulky  plows,  improved  liar- 
rows,  corn  planters  and  grain  drills.  He  next 
entered  into  partnership  with  Mr.  Bierer,  the 
firm  name  being  Seanor  ife  Bierer.  lie  is  a  re- 
gular attendant  upon  the  services  of  the  Presby- 
terian church.  He  is  a  republican,  an  energetic 
and  successful  business  man  and  a  member  of 
the  Royal  Arcanum. 

In  1881  he  was  married  to  Laura  McKelvey, 
daughter  of  John  McKelvey  of  Latrobe.  They 
have  three  children :  James  C,  Fred  M.  and 
Harry. 

The  prosperity  of  a  nation  is  largely  based  on 
the  vocations  of  agriculture,  and  the  success  of 
agricultural  jmrsuits  now  largely  depend  upon 
the  improved  machinery  that  has  been  intro- 
duced into  general  use  during  the  last  quarter  of 
a  century.  A  new  industry  has  been  created  to 
manufacture  this  machinery,  and  one  of  the 
most  reliable  houses  for  its  sale  is  the  popular 
and  well-patronized  establishment  of  Seanor  i*iL 
Bierer,  dealers  in  agricultural  implements 


'IIOMAS  W.  SHIELDS,  a  young  busi- 
J^  ness  man  of  Latrobe  and  junior  member 
-I-  of  the  firm  of  I).  Sliirlds  Oi;  Son,  manii- 
facMirers  and  wholesale  ami  retail  dealers  in  line 
carriages,  buggies,  cutters,  carts  and  harness,  is 
a  son  of  David  and  Sarali  E.  (Humes)  Shields 
and  was  born  in  Salcin  tounship,  Westmoreland 
county,  i'a.,  Jidy  11,  IHIiU.  David  Shields  is 
a  descendant  of  the  Shields  family  of  Franklin 
county,  whose  ancestors  immigrated  from  the 
north  of  Ireland.  James  Shields  (grandfather) 
was  born  in  1770  near  (Iliambersl)urg,  married 
Elizabith  Wilson  ami  removed  to  Salem  town- 
ship in  I7!I8.  lie  ilied  in  ISll  nnd  his  widow 
passed  away  ^larch  -ii,  187o,  when  lacking  but 


one  year  of  being  a  centenarian.  They  had 
nine  children,  seven  sons  and  two  daughters,  of 
whom  David  was  the  fifth  son.  He  was  born  in 
18 It!  and  was  a  farmer  in  Salem  township  until 
1.^72.  In  that  year  ho  removed  to  Latrolie  and 
established  his  present  business  of  manufactur- 
ing carriages  and  buggies.  He  married  Sarah 
E.  Humes  who  is  descended  from  an  old  and 
highly  respectable  family  of  Westmoreland 
county.  Mr.  Shields  is  a  good  business  man, 
honorable,  liberal  and  fair  in  his  dealings  and 
well  respected  by  all  who  know  him.  He  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
Thomas  W.  Shields  was  reared  on  a  farm 
until  six  years  of  age  and  then  was  brought  by 
his  parents  to  Latrobe.  He  attended  the  com- 
mon schools,  took  a  full  course  at  Duff's  Com- 
mercial Business  college  at  Pittsburg  and  was 
graduated  from  tliat  institution  in  1884.  In 
the  spring  of  1885  he  became  a  partner  with  his 
father  in  the  manufacture  of  carriages  and 
buggies  and  has  continued  until  the  present  as  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  D.  Shields  &  Son.  Their 
factory  is  a  large  three-story  frame  building, 
fronting  fifty  feet  on  Miller  street  and  extending 
one  hundred  feet  back.  Their  warerooms  are 
on  the  corner  of  Jefferson  and  Kailroad  streets. 
They  employ  twenty  men  in  their  works  and  are 
manufacturers  and  wholesale  and  retail  dealers 
in  fine  carriages,  buggies,  cutters,  carts,  harness, 
whips  and  robes.  They  make  a  specially  of  the 
celebrated  bay  spindle  wagon  and  have  a  largo 
and  extensive  wholesale  trade  to  which  they 
principally  give  their  attention.  Thonias  \V. 
Shields  is  a  republican  in  political  belief  Ho 
has  good  busiiu'ss  ability  and  is  ciuuteous,  polite 
and  gentlemanly  in  appearance. 


'TYf^'^'T'^'^'  ^^-  SIIOWALTKK.  One  of 
the  mos  inlluential  and  substantial  citi- 
zens and  the  oldest  resident  iidiabitant 
of  Latrobe  is  \Villiaiu  A.  Showalter,  who  is  a 
successful  and  highly    respected    liiisincss    man. 


348 


BIOORAPUIES  OF 


lie  is  :i  sdii  (if  .Tolin  ami  Alavy  Ann  (Hdnnully) 
t^liowaltcr  and  \vas  Ijuin  in  \Vliitcly  tnwn.sliip, 
(irocnc  county,  Pa.,  ] )rccHilier  4,  LS2ii.  His 
fiitlicr,  Jiilm  Sliinvaltcr,  was  Imrn  in  \'ii;;j;inia  in 
17!)tj  anil  U'arncil  tlic  tradu  of  bricklayer  and 
burner.  He  crossed  the  Allejrlienies  into  I'eiin- 
sylvania  temporarily  halting  for  a  year  in  Fay- 
ette county  on  his  way  to  Greene  county,  where 
he  resided  within  ten  miles  of  Waynesburg  for 
twenty-five  years.  He  owned  a  farm  there 
which  he  tilled  when  not  engaged  at  liis  trade. 
In  1845  he  came  to  Westmoreland  ciuinty  and 
lived  on  the  "  Convent  farm  "  in  Unity  town- 
ship. He  made  the  brick  for  the  convent  build- 
ing and  was  industriously  employed  in  farming 
and  at  his  trade  for  many  years.  His  death  oc- 
cured  August  11,  1880.  He  was  a  strict  mem- 
ber of  the  Catholic  church,  a  line  workman  and 
a  democrat  in  politics.  His  wife  came  from 
Ireland  at  two  years  of  age  ;  she  was  a  member 
of  the  same  church  as  her  liu.sband  and  passed 
away  March,   1851. 

William  A.  Sliowalter  resided  with  bis  parents 
in  Greene  county  until  he  was  nineteen  years  of 
age  when  he  accompanied  them  to  Westmore- 
land county.  He  followetl  farming  and  brick- 
jnaking  with  his  lather  until  liSrr2,  then  moved 
to  Latrobeand  has  continued  to  reside  there  ever 
since.  Mr.  Sliowalter  found  but  the  mere  be- 
gining  of  a  to\vn  at  Lati'obe  in  1^5-J,  yet  iiis 
judgment  proved  not  al  I'ault  in  selecting  it  f/r  a 
future  busines.s  center.  He  grew  uji  with  the 
town  and  his  liusiness  extended  as  the  town  in- 
creased in  prosjierity.  In  185(j  be  engaged  in 
his  present  butchering  business.  He  made  the 
brick  for  and  erected  some  of  the  finest  brick- 
houses  in  the  borough.  In  1883  he  built  the 
''Sliowalter  Opera  House,"  which  is  one  of  the 
finest  buildings  of  its  kind  in  the  State  outside 
of  the  cities.  He  owns  the  opera  block  sijuare, 
on  which  he  has  erected  several  fine  brick  build- 
ings, besides  other  valuable  and  desirable  proj)- 
crty  in  Latrobe. 

On   October    1:2,   1848,    he    was   married   to 


Celia  Burgcion,  whoso  parents,  Jacob  and  iMartha 
Jiurgoon,  Were  natives  and  resiilents  of  West- 
moreland county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sliowalter 
have  live  sons  .and  two  daughters:  M.iry  .M., 
John  A.,  .James  A.,  Daniel  J.,  Klleii  T.,Wniiam 
A.,  Jr.  and  Harry  H. 

In  polities  Mr.  Sliowalter  is  a  stanch  demo- 
crat and  in  religion  an  earnest  member  of  the 
Catla-ilic  church.  In  the  fall  ot  1851  he  wit- 
nessed the  trial  trip  of  the  first  locomotive  that 
ever  ran  into  Latiolie.  It  was  called  the  Henry 
Clay  and  ran  lietween  Latrobe  and  Beatty's 
station  on  the  Pennsylvania  railroad.  Like  all 
men  who  have  won  there  own  way  to  success  and 
influential  standing,  Mr.  Sliowalter  e.xperienced 
hard  work  and  trying  times  in  beginning  the 
battle  of  life.  He  mauled  rails  for  fifty  cents 
per  day  and  labored  at  all  kinds  of  farm  work  at 
very  low  prices,  but  having  the  will  to  succeed 
he  never  despaired  but  worked  steadily  on  until 
his  prospects  brightened.  William  A.  Show- 
alter  is  one  of  Latrobe's  pioneer  citizens.  He  has 
added  to  that  town  many  fine  buildings  which 
are  a  credit  and  ornament  to  the  place  and  are 
so  many  monuments  to  his  enterprising  nature. 


NANIAS    SHUMAKER,  one    of    the 

prominent  citizens  and  substantial  busi- 
ness men  of  Latrobe,  is  the  subject  of 
sketch,  who  is  the  jiioneer  of  one  of  the  lead- 
ing industries  of  that  borough  and  is  largely 
interested  in  the  wholesale  jobbing  shoe  busi- 
ness. He  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  I'olly  (Hoover) 
Shumaker.  He  is  the  third  of  five  children 
and  was  born  in  Somerset  township,  Somerset 
county,  Pa.,  May  -'1,  184'2.  'i'he  Shumakers 
are  of  German  descent.  His  lather,  Jacob 
Shumaker,  was  a  son  of  Peter  Shumaker,  who 
was  a  native  and  well-to-do  farmer  of  Somerset 
county.  Jacob  Shumaker  was  born  on  his 
father's  farm  in  1804  and  died  in  1850.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church  and 
married  Polly  Hoover.     Slie  was  born  in  1812> 


WESTMORELAND   CO UNTY. 


survivc'il  lier  Imsliaiid  twcnly-i'iuii'  yi'ai's  anil 
lUcil  in  L'nuk  townshiii,  tliis  (.Miiiily. 

Ananias  J^liuniakiT  was  reavcd  on  a  Somerset 
county  farm  until  sixtcon  years  of  ago  when 
lie  beeame  an  apiu'cntioe  to  karn  the  .siioeniaking 
trade.  After  serving  the  reiiuireil  three  years 
of  an  apprenticeship  he  !^tarted  a  small  shop 
for  himself  at  home  and  soon  gained  a  large 
custom.  In  ISG:^,  after  si.\  months'  work,  he 
closed  his  shop  to  serve  his  country.  August 
20th,  1862.  he  enlisted  in  Co.  F,  14-2d  reg. 
Pa.  A'ols.,  and  served  until  May  LlMth,  ISH.J, 
■when  he  was  honorably  musteied  out  of  the 
service  at  Washington,  D.  (.'.  He  participated 
in  all  the  battles  of  his  regiment  from  the  first 
Fredericksburg  fight  until  the  close  of  the  war, 
and  during  his  term  of  service  never  asked  for 
and  never  received  a  furlough.  When  he  re- 
turned from  the  array  he  came  to  Stahlstown, 
this  county,  to  which  his  mother  had  moveil 
some  time  previous,  lie  staited  a  shoe  making 
shop  near  that  place,  but  did  not  continue  long, 
until  he  removed  to  Mount  ILdly,  Knox  county, 
Ohio,  where  for  two  years  he  operated  a  shoe 
shop  and  small  retail  shoe  store.  He  sold  out 
his  Ohio  business  in  the  fall  of  LSLiS  and  emi- 
grated we.stward  acr()?s  the  "  Father  of  AVaters  " 
in  (pK'st  III'  a  good  Ineatimi  on  the  westiTU 
jiraiiies.  lie  went  to  Taiiiii'  Cily,  Tamer 
county,  Iowa.  There  he  was  not  [ileased  with 
the  prospects  for  his  line  of  Ijusiness  at  that 
place  or  elsewhere  he  had   seen  nu  his  westward 

jouniey  and  i lediately  reluilied  lo  this  eoiuily. 

In  iMl'.i  he  reiiin\ed  to  Lalinbe,  where  he 
<ipened  ii  siioe  shup  and  slioe  store  in  Young's 
bloek  and  continued  until  l^T'J,  when  he  sold  a 
share  in  his  business  to  William  lloberts  of 
Woodbury,  i'a  ,  and  a  year  later  disposed  of 
his  remaining  interest  to  Mr.  lloberts,  Mr. 
Shumaker  having  secured  his  jnesent  ]iosiiion 
as  ti-a\eling  sab'sman  \vilh  ibe  wholesale  Imot 
ami  shoe  lii-m  i.f  (iralV,  Sun  \  Co.  of  I'hiladel- 
phia,  I'a.  Iti  the  spiing  ui'  \>^>'-'>  be  I'omied  a 
partnership  with  I.  iS.  Horrel  and    11.  P.  Hart- 


ley under  the  name  of  Latrolie  Manufacturing 
Company  and  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
men's  shoes,  and  two  years  later  he  withdrew 
from  the  comjiany  to  engage  in  the  wholesale 
jobbing  shoe  business  in  which  he  handled  exclu- 
sively the  product  of  the  Latrobe  company  till 
April  1st,  188U.  In  1888  he  formed  a  jiartner- 
ship  with  J.  B.  Anderson  and  C.  II.  McLaugh- 
lin, under  the  firm  name  of  Anderson,  Shumaker 
i  Co.,  and  engaged  in  the  retail  shoe  business. 
At  the  present  time  he  is  successfully  engaged 
in  both  his  wholesale  and  retail  shoe  business. 

On  January  29,  18GG,  Mr.  Shumaker  was 
married  to  Mary  Ann  Campbell,  by  whom  he 
has  had  five  children,  two  sons  and  three 
daughters:  Milton  W.,  Blanche  (dead);  Ada 
(dead);  Ella  and  Charles  W.  The  eldest  son, 
Milton  W.,  graduated  from  the  Latrobe  High 
school  in  lM8o.  attended  the  Indiana  State 
Normal  and  was  in  the  senior  class  at  Dickinson 
college  when  he  was  engaged  to  teach  in  the 
Latrobe  High  school  and  left  college  to  accept 
that  position.  After  two  years'  teaching  he 
accepted  his  present  position  as  bookkeeper  for 
the  firms  of  A.  Shumaker  k  Co.  and  Anderson, 
Shumaker  &  Co.,  and  in  1888  became  a  member 
of  the  former  firm.  Mrs.  Shumaker  is  a  member 
of  the  M.  Iv  ebiireb,  and  is  llie ■youngest  living 
child  of  William  11.  and  Sarah  Campbell,  both  na- 
tives and  residents  of  Cook  township,  this  county, 
and  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

Ananias  Shumaker  is  a  member  of  Latrolie 
liodge,  No..')()S,  Moyal  .\rcanuni;  Latrobe l..odge, 
No.  ;50,  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen; 
Latrobe  Lodge.  No.  177,  Knights  of  Pythias; 
P.  A.  Williams  Post,  No.  4,  Grand  Army  of 
the  Ucpublic,  and  iiatrobe  Methodist  Episcopial 
church. 

•'I'AMKS    A.    STOHY,    of    Fiiglish    descent 

J  and  the  oldest,  most  enterprising  and  lead- 
ing livei'yman  of  Latrobe,  \\as  born  in 
Jacksonville,  Indiana  county.  Pa.,  June  l^i, 
1840,  and  is  a  son  of  John   and   i\lary  (Pease) 


BIOORAPHIES  OF 


Story.  Tlie  Storys  are  of  Eiiglisli  linoage. 
JauR's  A.  Story's  great-grandt'atlior  Story  came 
from  New  Jersey  to  near  tlie  site  of  Latrobe 
and  |iinclia.s('il  a  largo  tract  of  land  in  an  early 
period  (d'  the  eoiinly'M  history.  Ilo  was  tlic 
founder  of  the  Story  family  west  of  tiie  Alle- 
ghenies.  One  of  his  sons  was  the  father  of 
John  Story,  whose  son  James  A.  Story  is  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  John  Story  was  born  in 
lbl2,  and  in  after  years  went  from  Westmore- 
land to  Indiana  county.  He  was  employed  for 
several  years  in  boating  coal  from  Pittsburg  to 
New  Orleans.  Leaving  the  l>hio  and  ]Mississippi 
rivers  he  engaged  in  blacksmithing  at  Jackson- 
ville and  followed  that  business  steadily  for  over 
thirty  years.  In  ISTlS  he  returned  to  West- 
moreland county,  where  he  died  three  years 
later.  He  was  a  democrat,  an  industrious  citi- 
zen and  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
His  wife  was  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church 
and  died  at  Jacksonville,  Pa.,  in  1JS72,  at  the 
age  of  fifty-seven  years. 

James  A.  Story  was  reared  at  Jacksonville 
and  educated  in  the  common  schools.  In  1874 
he  came  to  Livermore  and  engaged  in  the  livery 
business  and  also  in  buying  and  selling  horses. 
In  the  fall  of  1875  he  left  Livermore,  removed 
to  Latrobe  and  established  his  present  livery, 
sale  and  feed  stables,  which  he  has  personally  con- 
ducted until  the  present  time,  except  two  years 
(l.S.Sti-S7)in  the  same  business  at  Greensburg,  Pa. 
(In  October  !.'>,  ISdS,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage Willi  Mary  C.  Cnisaii,  of  New  .Mexiindria, 
Derry  towiishiii.  Their  family  consists  of  three 
children  :  William  1'.,  Ward  C,  and  Floyd  A. 
James  A.  Story  is  a  democrat,  has  served 
three  years  as  member  of  the  town  council  and 
is  now  serving  his  second  term  as  school  director. 
He  is  a  member  of  Latrobe  Lodge,  No.  541, 
and  Shallum  Encampment,  No.  141,  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  ;  Loyalhanna  Lodge,  No. 
950,  Knights  of  Honor,  and  Latrobe  Lodge,  No. 
177,  Knights  of  Pythias.  A  well-ei[uipped 
livery  is  now  a  marked   feature  of  any   )irogres-  I 


sive  town,  and  in  this  respect  Latrobe  has  no 
reason  to  complain,  as  it  contains  the  excellent 
and  carefully  conducted  livery  concern  of  James 
A.  Slory.  His  livery,  sales  and  feed  Htables_ 
are  situated  on  Depot  sinct.  lie  lias  a  largo 
number  of  carriages  and  buggies  and  a  large 
stock  of  excellent  and  carefully  chosen  saddle 
and  harness  horses.  His  patronage  is  large  and 
constantly  increasing.  For  the  last  ten  years, 
in  addition  to  his  livery  business,  Mr.  Story  has 
been  engaged  in  buying  and  shipping  horses. 
He  is  a  man  of  enterprise  and  ability  in  his 
particular  line  of  business,  and  is  well  worthy 
of  the  success  which  he  has  achieved. 


PROF.  WILLIAM  W.  ULERICH,  one  of 
Westmoreland  county's  foremost  teachers 
and  principal  of  tlie  Latrobe  public 
schools,  is  a  son  of  John  N.  and  Mary  Ann 
(Caylor)  Ulerich,  and  was  born  in  Ligonier 
township,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  February 
5,  18(30.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Samuel 
Ulerich,  came  from  Germany  to  Carlisle,  this 
State,  and  afterwards  removed  to  AVestraoreland 
county,  where  he  died  in  1876,  aged  seventy- 
six  years.  One  of  his  sons  is  John  N. 
Ulerich,  who  was  born  in  1831.  He  is  a  promi- 
nent farmer  and  stock-dealer,  of  Ligonier  town- 
ship, where  he  owns  two  hundred  acres  of 
valuable  and  well-improved  farm  land.  He  is 
a  n-puliliean  and  lias  served  ten  years  as  school- 
director.  In  religious  belief  be  is  a  methoilist 
and  has  been  for  over  thirty  years  a  consistent 
member  of  the  Ligonier  church,  of  that  persua- 
sion, in  which  he  has  served  for  many  years  as 
a  trustee  and  class-leader.  Ilis  wife  was  a 
native  of  Westmoreland  county,  a  devout  mem- 
ber of  the  M.  E.  church,  and  died  in  1873,  at 
forty-two  years  of  age.  Her  father,  John  Cay- 
lor, was  a  farmer  of  Unity  township,  this  county. 
Professor  Ulerich  received  his  rudimentary 
education  in  the  common  schools,  attended  the 
academy  at  Ligonier,  entiMed  the  State  Normal 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


school,  Imliiinu,  Pa.,  April  7,  1881,  and  was 
j^radiiatoil  t'roiu  that  favuiahly  known  inslitiilion 
July  14,  1884.  Ho  taught  six  tciins  in  the 
ciiinnion  scIkxiIs  wiiilo  imrsuing  lii^  acailciiiic 
ami  Slair  Ndinial  couiscs.  Ai'lvv  •fi-ailnalini; 
liu  was  L'lcrti-il  viix'-piincipal  >.if  the  I  ruin 
schools  anil  sorvcd  one  year.  In  188.)  lie  was 
elected  principal  of  the  Latrobe  public  schools 
and  was  re-elected  in  188G,  1SS7,  1888  and 
1889  to  that  important,  honorable  an<l  respon- 
sible position.  The  Latrobe  school-work  is 
satisfactory  to  the  directors  and  patrons  of  the 
schools,  and  shows  clearly  the  wisdom  of  the 
Latrobe  School  Board  in  selecting,  placing  and 
retaining  at  the  head  of  their  schools  such  a 
man  as  Professor  Ulerich,  who  is  a  gentleman 
of  high  character,  eminent  ability,  thorough 
education  and  professional  training.  For  the 
past  four  years  he  has  been  elected  a  member  of 
the  AVestmoreland  county  examining  committee 
for  State  permanent  certificates,  serving  most  of 
the  time  as  its  chairman.  In  1888  he  was 
elected  trustee  of  the  "  Ridge  A'iew  Park  Asso- 
ciation." He  is  a  republican  in  his  political 
views  and  is  a  member  of  Meridian  Conclave, 
No.  177,  Improved  Order  of  Heptasojihs.  Pro- 
fessor Ulerich  is  a  member  of  Ijatrobe  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  and  has  been  the  ellicieut 
su])erinteudent  of  its  Sunilay-school  for  several 
years. 

jf^OUIS  WEBER,  one  of  the  county's 
L-f  l'''"''",T  (iernian  citizens  and  prospiTous 
niLMcliants  of  Lalrobe,  is  a  native  of  the 
Kingdom  of  Prussia,  Enqiiro  of  (.iermany,  w  here 
he  was  born  April  1,  1851,  and  is  a  son  of  Nich- 
olas and  Elizaljcth  (Keiber)  Weber.  Niciiolas 
Weber  was  born,  reareil  and  educated  in  Prussia, 
where  he  learned  and  followed  the  trade  of  shoe- 
maker. He  was  an  inilustrious  and  honest  man 
and  member  of  the  Protestant  church.  Ilin  death 
occurre<l  in  November,  185.j.  He  was  a  man 
of  considerable  means.  He  married  Elizabeth 
(Keiber)   Klein,  widow  of  George   Klein.       He 


left  two  children,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  and 
Peter,  a  leading  druggist  of  Pittsburg. 

Louis  Welier,  with  his  mother  and  step-brother 
and  sister  came  to  I'ittsbuig  from  (iermany  in 
ISUL  His  mother  was  boin  in  ISlO,  icniii  of 
Octolier,  resides  in  Pittsburg  and  is  a  consistent 
member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church. 
He  attended  public  school  in  Gernumy  from 
six  years  up  to  thirteen.  From  the  age  of 
thirteen  years  Louis  Weber  sujiported  himself 
and  educated  Jiinjself  at  the  night-schools  in 
Pittsburg,  where  he  made  good  use  of  his  time 
and  opportunities.  While  he  remained  in  that 
city,  by  his  faithfulness  and  industry  he  gained 
the  confidence  of  his  employers  and  was  never  out 
of  work.  He  has  lieen  a  citizen  of  Westmoreland 
county  since  1870;  in  that  year  he  settleil  at 
Latrobe  and  engaged  on  a  small  scale  in  the  gro- 
cery and  queensware  business.  From  year  to 
year  he  has  steadily  enlarged  his  stock  and 
gradually  increased  his  sales  until  he  has  at  the 
present  tin.e  a  large  and  well-filled  store-room 
and  a  substantial  and  fiourishing  liusiness.  His 
place  of  business  is  situated  at  the  corner  of 
Ligonier  and  Thompson  streets. 

On  17th  of  January,  1871,  Mr.  Weber  was 
married  to  Louisa  Kraling,  of  Pittsburg,  who 
is  the  daughter  of  the  late  Casper  Kraling,  a 
loading  business  man  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.  To 
this  marriage  iiave  Ijcen  born  nine  children,  of 
whom  six  are  living  :  Louisa,  Edward,  Philip, 
Lydia,  Nellie  and  I'aul.  The  tiii'ee  deceased 
ones  were:  Louis,  .Ir.,  born  in  1S72,  died  in 
1878;  Lizzie,  burn  in  l87o,  died  in  187!' and 
Stella,  born  in  i><H-2  and  died  in  ISSG. 

Louis  Weber  is  a  democrat  uf  the  Jeflersonian 
type  but  he  takes  no  active  jiurt  in  political 
matters.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Lodge  No. 
541,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  a 
substantial  member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
church  of  Latrobe.  Mr.  AVeber  is  a  gentleman 
of  afl'able  manners,  of  honesty  of  purpose  and 
is  deserving  of  the  confidence  of  the  peojile  and 
the  success  he  is  achievini'. 


Jeannette,  JVIanor  and  Penn 


,ROF.  JACOB  BEAMER  >Yas  born  March 
'22,  18-30,  near  Murrysville,  Franklin 
townsliip,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  and 
is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Elizabeth  (Lauffer) 
Beauier.  John  Beamer,  his  grandfather,  avIioso 
trans-Atlantic  ancestors  were  natives  of  Switzer- 
land, was  born  near  llagerstown,  Md.,  and  was 
a  nian  of  extensive  knowledge,  wdiich,  together 
■with  his  integrity  and  energy,  made  him  a  pro- 
gressive leader  in  his  community.  In  church 
matters  he  was  prominent,  being  instrumental  in 
having  a  Reformed  church  erected  which  was 
known  as  the  "Beamer  church;"  he  was  also 
an  old  time  democrat.  He  married  Eva  Buten- 
barger,  a  native  of  Maryland.  Henry  Beamer 
was  born  in  Maryland  but  about  the  beginning 
of  the  nineteenth  century  was  brought  by  his 
parents  to  Westmoreland  county,  I'a.,  at  the  age 
of  si.x  years.  He  became  a  successful  farmer 
and  advocated  the  principles  of  the  Democratic 
fiarty.  He  identified  himself  with  the  Reforme(l 
church  in  which  he  served  as  an  olHcer  nearly 
all  his  life.  He  married  Elizabeth,  a  daughter 
of  Jnhu  Lauil'er,  cjf  IV'im  tnwnship,  by  whom  he 
had  seven  children:  John,  Henry,  Setli,  Jacob, 
Michael,  Sarah,  and  Susan,  ail  living  except 
Seth  and  Susan. 

I'rof  Jacob  Beamer  has  all  his  life  been  a 
very  diligent  student  of  scientific  subjects,  in- 
cluding geology,  asti'onomy,  ethnology  and  phre- 
nology, and  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  ceutuiy 
he  has  lectured  on  these  subjects,  traveling 
thronghout  the  United  States  and  Canada  as 
well  as  in  I'jirope.  October  1(1,  iSlil!,  cniisteil 
ill    Co.    K,    1  li;tii    regl.    I'a.    Vcds.   (C,,i.  Jack), 


and  served  until  discharged  July  13,  18G3.  He 
was  a  sergeant  in  the  ranks  but  was  kept  on  de- 
tached service  most  of  the  time  in  the  Carolinas 
under  Gen.  Foster.  Prof.  Beamer  is  a  member 
of  Greensburg  Post,  No.  21C),  G.  A.  R.,  has  for 
eight  years  been  a  prohibitionist  in  principle  and 
is  connected  with  the  Presbyterian  church. 

On  March  22,  1853,  Jacob  Beamer  was  mar- 
ried to  Susanna,  a  daughter  of  Col.  Paul 
Brinker,  of  Penn  township,  by  whom  he  had 
eight  children,  six  of  whom  are  living:  Asaph, 
born  October  31,  18G2,  who  is  a  prosperous 
barber  at  Manor  ;  William,  born  September  25, 
1865,  who  owns  and  runs  a  large  general  store 
at  Apollo,  Pa. ;  Emma,  born  April  19,  1854, 
who  is  the  wife  of  John  Best,  a  leading  brick 
and  stone  building  contractor  of  (rreensburg ; 
Rosalia,  born  June  18,  1850,  who  is  married 
to  E.  'L.  Grablc,  a  contractor  and  builder  of 
Manor;  Ella  M.,  born  June  11,  1860,  now  the 
wife  of  Jacob  Best,  a  slioe  merchant  of  Manor, 
and  Permillia  C,  born  June  22,  1868,  who 
married  ^Villiam  Brinker,  u  merchant  at  Layton 
Station,  Fayette  county.  Prof.  Beamer's  wife 
Susanna  died  July  22,  1872,  and  in  1875  he 
took  unto  himself  a  second  wife  in  the  person  of 
JMary  Jane  Hunter,  whose  father,  James  Hun- 
ter, of  Butler  county,  Pa.,  was  a  descendant  of 
Scotch-Irish  ancestors.  ()f  three  children  born 
to  this  union  two  are  living — James  H.,  born 
September  it,  1880,  and  Mary  Belle,  born  Feb- 
ruary 21,  18K7.  Lillie  May,  born  November  2, 
1877,  was  killed  Mareli  2,  1885,  on  the  P. 
R.   R.  while  (111  iier  way  to  seliool. 

Prid'.    Reamer,    aUlioiigii    having    juissed    his 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


sixty-ninth  mile-stone  on  the  journey  of  life, 
weii^lis  over  two  liuinlicil  |Mimiils,  is  lull  ot" 
iietivily  iinil  liis  vil;ii  tcii:u-ity  .seems  to  i;iiiu;iutee 
MUcilluT  f^eoi'e  of  years,  liie  :iver:ige  iiije  of  lii.s 
aneestnrs  bein''  in  iLe  eiirhtie-S. 


•-N  ()L.  HENRY  BOQUET.  Historians 
V^  have  so  fur  failed  to  aeconl  to  Col.  Henry 
Ijoquet,  who  was  one  of  the  prominent 
military  characters  of  the  French  and  Indian 
war,  lii-s  rightful  place  in  the  colonial  history  of 
the  American  Republic.  He  was  born  about 
nVJ  at  RoUe,  Canton  Berne,  Switzerland. 
At  seventeen  years  of  age  he  enlisted  in  the 
I'egiment  of  Constance  as  a  cadet  and  was  pro- 
moted to  an  adjutancy  for  distinguished  services 
in  the  campaigns  of  the  King  of  Sardinia 
against  the  combined  forces  of  France  and  Spain. 
In  1748  he  entered  the  service  of  the  Dutch  Re- 
public as  a  Lieut. -Col.  of  the  Swiss  Guards  and 
served  for  si.x  years  under  the  Prince  of  Orange 
in  Holland,  where  he  devoted  uwch  of  his  time 
to  the  study  of  military'  science  and  tactics. 
In  1754  when  England  and  France  entered  into 
contest  for  the  possession  of  the  North  American 
continent,  Boquet  was  offered  and  accepted  a 
command  in  tlie  British  army.  He  was  com- 
niissioneil  as  Colonel  and  sent  to  America,  where 
he  iissumi'd  commuml  ol'  the  Koyal  Americans. 
He  became  very  popul.ir  in  Pennsylvania  and 
Virginia ;  first  distinguishing  himself  in  the 
services  of  England  in  1758,  under  Gen.  Forbes 
whom  he  induced  to  cut  out  a  road  from  Carlisle, 
I'a.,  via  Bedford  and  Loyalhanna  creek  to  Fort 
Duquesne,  instead  of  taking  the  old  Braddock 
road,  which  was  highly  recommended  and 
warmly  advocated  by  Washington.  In  1703 
when  the  mighty  Ottawa  chieftain  Pontiac,  who 
was  the  greatest  Indian  warrior  America  ever 
produced,  sought  to  sweep  the  Anglo-Saxon 
race  from  the  Valley  of  the  Mississippi,  Col. 
Bocjuet  was  ordered  by  Gen.  Amherst  to  re- 
lieve   the    western    garrisons    of  Pennsylvania. 


He  raised  the  siege  of  Ft.  Ligonier  and  marched 
for  the  relief  of  i"'t.  I'itt  wilh  about  five  hun- 
ilred  Seotcii  liighlanders  and  Colonial  volunteers. 
Not  profiting  by  the  sad  fate  of  liradiloek,  he 
allowed  himself  to  be  <lrawn  into  an  Indian  am- 
buscade on  August  5,  1708,  near  the  site  of 
Harrison  City,  this  county.  Darkness  saved  his 
army  from  defeat  and  on  the  next  day,  by  mas- 
terly generalship,  he  drew  the  Indians  into  an 
ambuscade  by  a  feigned  retreat  and  finally 
routed  them  with  great  slaughter.  This  battle 
of  Edge  Hill  or  Bushy  Run  cost  the  brave  Col. 
Bouquet  one-fourth  of  the  whole  force,  but 
taught  him  a  valuable  lesson  in  Indian  warfare 
and  it  proved  the  death  blow  to  Pontiac's  scheme 
of  Indian  empire.  In  1704  he  organized  a 
force  of  fifteen  hundred  Pennsylvania  and  Vir- 
ginia volunteers  and  cut  a  road  from  Fort  Pitt 
into  the  Indian  country  along  the  Muskingum 
river.  The  Indians  failed  in  various  attempts 
at  surprise  or  ambush  of  Col.  Boquet,  sued  for 
peace  and  delivered  up  all  of  their  prisoners. 
The  legislative  bodies  of  Pennsyluania  and  Vir- 
ginia voted  him  their  thanks  and  recommended 
him  for  promotion  in  the  British  army.  The 
King  promoted  him  to  the  rank  of  Brigadier- 
General  and  placed  him  in  command  of  the 
southern  colonies,  where  the  Indians  were  then 
troublesome.  In  the  discharge  of  his  duties  in 
west  Florida  he  contracted  a  fever  and  clied  at 
Pensacola  in  the  autumn  of  1705.  Col.  Bo- 
quet was  a  man  of  fine  personal  appearance, 
splendid  physique  and  extraordinary  qualities  of 
mind  and  heart.  He  sleeps  on  the  shores  of  the 
great  Gulf  in  the  sunny  South,  but  hearts  in  the 
North-land  cherish  his  memory  and  fame. 


AUL  R.  BRINKER,  an  estimable  citi- 
zen of  Penn  township,  a  prominent  busi- 
ness man  of  Manor,  and  one  who  has 
always  sought  to  promote  the  best  interests  of 
his  town  and  township,  is  a  son  of  Josiah  and 
Anna  (Kistler)  Brinker  and   was  born  near  old 


BIOORAPJTIES  OF 


Manor  churcli,  in  Franklin  to\vnsliip(no\vPcim), 
Westmoreland  county,  I'a.,  February  IS,  1841. 
His  father,  Josiali  Brinker,  was  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial fanners  of  Penn  township.  lie  in- 
herited throe  hundred  acres  of  fine  farming  land 
to  which  he  added  three  hundred  acres  more  by 
his  industry  and  good  management.  Farming 
was  the  business  of  his  life  until  five  years  before 
he  died  when  he  removed  to  j\Ianor.  Besides 
his  farming  land  which  was  heavily  underlaid 
■with  coal,  he  owned  valuable  property  in  Manor 
and  Harrison  City.  lie  was  an  old-time  demo- 
crat, a  ]ir(iuiincnt  member  of  the  Reformed 
church  and  a  remarkably  successful  farmer  and 
business  num.  lie  had  served  as  school  director, 
lield  all  the  local  offices  of  his  church  and  stood 
hit^h  in  the  estimation  of  his  neighbors.  He  was 
born  October  27,  1810  and  died  at  Manor  on 
July  lU,  1881'.  He  was  a  son  of  Jacob  Brinker, 
who  was  a  native  of  Iluntingdmi  county.  Pa., 
and  married  Catherine  Berlin  and  came  to  West- 
moreland county.  Josiah  Brinker  married  Anna 
Kistler,  daughter  of  Jonas  Kistler,  by  whom  he 
had  five  children  :  Lydia  (deceased),  who  first 
married  Leivis  Klingensmith  and  after  his  death 
became  the  wife  of  Jacob  Ament;  Paul  B.,  Jacob 
A.,  Hiram,  Mary,  wife  of  Hon.  John  G.  Bright. 
Mrs.  Brinker  died  and  jNIr.  Brinker  was  again 
married  to  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Ament;  by  his  second 
nuirriago  he  had  two  children  :  Saraii  M.,  wife 
of  David  Miller,  who  is  a  lawyer  of  (ireensburg, 
and  Ida  May. 

I'aul  B.  ISrinker  enjoyed  t)ie  limited  adv;in- 
ta"es  of  tiic  common  schools  and  made  farming 
his  occupation  till  1874.  In  that  year  he  re. 
moved  from  his  farm  to  Manor,  where  he  was 
en<'a'Ted  in  the  lumber  business  as  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  Waugaman,  Brinker  i  Co.  July  8, 
1875,  he  withdrew  from  this  firm  aud  opened  a 
large  establishment  on  Race  Street,  where  he 
dealt  extensively  in  groceries,  hardware,  furni- 
ture, stoves,  house  furnishing  goods  ami  farming 
implements  till  December  4, "18.S!i.  ( »n  the  morn- 
in"  of  that  fateful  day  for  Manor,  a  destructive 


fire  swept  away  the  principal  business  part  of 
the  village  and  its  relentless  llame-waves  con- 
suvued  Mr.  Brinker's  building,  embracing  his 
dwelling  and  store.  At  the  lowest  calculation 
he  has  lost  §10,UU0  by  that  fire.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Royal  Arcanum,  Order  of  Solon  and 
A.  0.  U.  W.  He  is  an  active  democrat,  was  a 
justice  of  the  peace  and  served  under  President 
Cleveland's  appointment  as  postmaster  at  Manor 
from  October,  1885  to  June,  1889.  He  is  a 
trustee  of  the  new  Reformed  church. 

On  February  19,  18(31,  Mr.  Brinker  united 
in  marriage  with  Susamui,  daughter  of  Peter  and 
Mary  A.  (LauiVer)  Waugaman,  by  whom  he  has 
two  sons  and  three  daughters  :  Anna  M.,  born 
July  16, 18(33,  and  wife  of  D.W.  Evans;  William 
F.,  born  March  16,  1865,  and  married  to  Clara 
B.,  daughter  of  Prof.  Jacob  Beamer  ;  Araminta, 
born  December  "27,  liS(37,  and  married  to  W. 
0.  Rankin  ;  Charles,  born  July  29,  1869,  and 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Layton 
station.  Pa.,  and  Robert  F.,  born  July  26,  1876. 
Mrs.  Brinker  is  a  granddaughter  of  Peter 
Waugaman.  (For  his  history,  see  sketch  of  Dr. 
'/..  Waugaman). 

P.  R.  Brinker  contemplates  erecting  a  new 
building  on  the  site  of  his  burned  structure  and 
again  engage-  in  the  hardware  and  grocery  busi- 
ness. 

J"^  OBERT  S.  BYERLY,  one  of  Penn  town- 
ship's active  and  prosperous  farmers  and 
a  great-grandson  of  the  old  ))ioneer  hero, 
Andrew  Byerly,  was  born  in  North  Huntingdon 
township,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  C>ctober  9, 
1825,  and  is  the  only  son  and  youngest  child  of 
Andrew  and  Ann  (Smith)  Byerly.  His  great 
grandfather  was  the  famous  Andrew  Byerly,  of 
French  and  Indian  war  fame  and  whose  history 
will  be  found  in  the  sketches  of  C  Cribbs  and 
C.  A.  Cope.  His  grandfather,  Andrew  Byerly, 
Jr.,  was  a  justice  of  the  ])eace  in  North  Hunt- 
ingdon townshi[i  for  uumy  yairs.  He  married 
Christina  Fruit,  of  Lancaster  county,   who  bora 


<  I  '■J  Mfi.iivi ; ' 


]^'EST^^ORELAND   COUNTY. 


liiui  twelve  cliiMreii,  ut'  wlidin  nine  lived  to  be 
iin'n  ;inil  WDiiii'ii  :  M;ny,  wliu  niarrieil  Williuiii 
McKulvey;  Su.^an,  wife  of  Cliristiun  Funks; 
Aiiani,  iiaeliel,  wife  of  .J;iuie3  ilindnian;  Jacob, 
Catbarine,  ANJfeof  l'liili|)  Keek  ;  Andrew,  Saiali, 
■wbo  nianied  Peter  Uyerly.  Mr.  liyerly  died  in 
1S.")0.  Andi'ew  IJyerly  (fatber)  was  burn  in 
iS'ortb  Huntingdon  townsbijj,  December  18, 
1800,  and  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  lie 
died  Marcb  7,  1842.  His  wife  was  AnnSmitli, 
a  daughter  of  Robert  Smith  uf  Jacob's  Creek. 
'They  were  the  parents  nf  five  children  :  Pliebe, 
wife  uf  Martin  Uynier;  Mary,  who  married  ^Vil- 
liam  Kirkwuud;  Nancy,  wife  uf  Micliael  F. 
Kistler  ;  Martha,  who  married  Col.  Samuel 
Jackson;  and  Uobert  S. 

liobert  S.  Byerly  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
attended  the  subscription  schools  of  his  neigh- 
borhood until  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age. 
He  then  engaged  in  his  present  occupation  of 
farming.  On  March  18,  1852,  lie  removed  to 
Penn  township  where  he  purchased  the  farm 
upon  which  he  now  resides. 

On  June  8,  1848,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Catbarine  Ann  George,  daughter  of  Peter  and 
^[ary  (Jeorge  of  Franklin  township,  tliis  county. 
Hubert  S.  liyerly  has  been  actively  engaged  in 
farming  for  nearly  fifty  years,  yet  has  found 
time,  aside  from  bis  agricultural  pursuits,  to  de- 
\ote  to  religious  mattei's  and  politics.  He  is  a 
member  uf  the  Harrison  City  Presbyterian 
church.  Politically  he  has  always  voted  and 
worked  in  the  interests  of  the  Democratic  party, 
and  has  served  bis  township  as  school  director, 
besides  holding  several  other  oHices  of  trust  and 
responsibility. 


•|"OSEPH  TURKEY  CORT,  a  descendant  of 
'V  an  old  and  well-known  family  of  the  county 
Qj  and  a  leading  insurance  aii<l  real  estate 
a"i'nt  at  Jeannelte,  is  a  sun  ti'i  llun.  Jacob  and 
Jane  (Carson)  Cort  and  was  burn  at  Mununga- 
iiebi  City,  Washingtun  cuiinty,  I'a.,  August  27, 


1838.  The  Corts,  wbo  settled  iti  the  Keystone 
State  were  a  ( iod-fearing,  tnith-loving  and 
honest-acting  I'ace  uf  people,  and  the  fuinily  was 
noted  fur  the  many  ministers  it  sent  furtb.  His 
))aternal  graiidfatlier,  I)aniel-(.'urt,  was  born  in 
Henipfiehl  turtnsliip,  this  cuunty.  llun.  Jacob 
Cort  was  born  near  Adamsburg  in  llenipfield 
tuwnsbip,  this  cuunty,  on  September  2,  1801*. 
He  followed  tinning  for  many  years,  then  en- 
gaged in  the  foumlry  business  at  Monongahela 
City  from  wiiicb  be  removeil  in  March,  1855, 
but  only  remained  a  few  mijntbs  when  he  was 
taken  sick  and  returned  to  bis  native  tuwnsbip, 
where  he  died  October  lo,  18..i5.  He  never 
enjoyed  many  educational  advantages  in  boy- 
hood, but  acquired  a  fair  education  by  reading 
and  study  after  arriving  at  manhood  and  became 
an  excellent  mathmetician.  He  was  elected  in 
1848  as  a  member  of  the  Pennsylvania  Legisla- 
ture. His  opponent  Avas  George  V.  Lawrence, 
and  it  was  the  only  time  tiiat  noted  politician 
was  ever  defeated.  Li  1850  Mr.  Cort  was  re- 
elected by  an  increased  majority.  He  served  as 
chairman  of  the  democratic  county  committee  fur 
many  years,  was  a  Jacksonian  democrat  and  a 
highly  esteemed  mi'mber  of  the  Reformed 
church.  Mr.  Curt  was  married  on  June  21, 
1835,  to  Jane  Carson,  by  whom  be  had  nine 
children,  si.x  sons  and  three  daughters,  of  w  bom 
five  are  living.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Andrew 
and  Ruth  (Clayton)  Carson  and  passed  away 
March  17,  1878. 

J.  T.  Cort  attended  the  schools  of  Mononga- 
hela City.  He  removed  in  1855  to  Illinois 
where  he  was  engaged  in  Ogle  and  Lee  counties 
in  farming,  stock-raising  and  real  estate  business 
until  1883.  He  then  returned  to  this  county 
and  located  at  Stewart's  station,  where  be  re- 
sides in  the  house  in  which  he  was  married.  On 
March  1,  188U,  be  entered  15.  W.  Caldwell's 
real  estate  ollice  at  Jeannette,  Init  he  soon  pur- 
cb.'ised  Mr.  Caldwell's  interest  and  is  now  suc- 
cessfully conducting  a  large  and  prosperous  real 
estate  business. 


r.iri 


j  ,ii:  tmtp^> 


3o6 


niOGR.lPIIIES  OF 


On  June  22,  1870,  he  was  unitcil  in  inan-iage 
to  INIaitha  II.  Shaw.  Iltr  paionts  arc  Juliu  and 
]Murtha  (Smith)  Sliaw  of  Stewart  station.  The 
Shaws  have  always  been  inihistrious  and  well 
situated  in  life.  Mr.  ami  Mrs.  (_'urt  ha\  e  lour 
children  :  .Fohn  S.,  Iiurn  Aprd  7,  1.S77,  and  is 
attending  school  at  liraddock,  Pa. ;  Charles  E., 
March  14,  1S79  ;  Stewart  J.,  March  Hi,  ISbl, 
and  Mary  M.,  December  7,  188o. 

J.  T.  Cort  cast  his  ballot  for  Douglas  in  18G0, 
but  from  that  year  until  187ti  he  sujiported  the 
Kepublican  party.  He  left  tlierej)ul/lican  ranks 
to  Vote  for  I'eter  Cooper  and  is  now  au  ardent 
prohibitionist.  lie  enjoys  a  high  rejiutation  for 
business  integrity  and  is  an  active  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church. 


ORRIS  DAVIS,  justice  of  the  peace, 
i  ^  notary  public  and  the  pioneer  merchant 
♦  of  Jeannette,  was  born  in  Baltimore, 
Md.,  IMarch  14,  185'J,  and  is  a  son  of  Rabbi 
Jacob  and  Rosa  (Reis)  Davis.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  Rabbi  David  Davis,  was  a  native 
of  Prussian  Poland,  where  he  resided  for  many 
years  at  the  town  of  Prossnitz.  lie  was  a  rabbi 
in  the  Jewish  church  for  fifty-one  years,  and 
ranked  high  a.s  a  teacher  and  doctor  of  the  Mo- 
saic law.  He  lived  a  praiseworthy  life  and 
passed  from  the  scene  of  his  earthly  labors  at 
the  age  of  seventy-two  years.  His  father.  Rabbi 
Jacob  Davis,  was  born  in  Prussian  Poland.  July 
21,  18r>8,  immigrated  to  the  United  States  and 
had  charge  (if  a  congregation  at  IJaltimore. 
After  residing  for  some  time  at  the  '•  Monu- 
mental City  "  be  renioved  to  Cincinnaai,  where 
he  engaged  for  many  years  in  the  mercantile 
business  ami  then  went  to  New  York  City.  lie 
is  a  republican  and  was  married  in  18;")!  to  Rosa 
lleis,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children.  Five  of 
these  are  living,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  is  the  second  in  order  of  age. 

Morris  Davis  attended  tin-  ]iublie   schools  and 
the  lii^li  school  of  Cineiniiali   and  in   1^7  1    l(jok 


a  full  business  course  at  Dud's  Comniercial  col- 
lege, of  Pittsburg,  Pa.  From  1871  to  187(1  ho 
was  a  collector  for  Albert  A.  Moore,  a  brick- 
maker  of  the  latter  named  city.  In  187(i  he 
engaged  in  the  produce  and  eonnnission  business 
and  three  years  later  embarked  in  the  wholesale 
liijuor  business  on  Penn  avenue.  In  1884  he 
went  to  Altoona,  where  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  N.  Wayne,  and  they  opened  a  wholesale 
notion  house.  The  next  year  he  became  a  trav- 
eling salesman  for  I.  iJt  .V.  ^Vayne,  of  New  York 
City.  During  1880  he  was  engaged  in  the  man- 
ufacture of  infants'  apparel.  In  1887  he  was 
located  at  Dubois,  Pa.,  in  the  wholesale  and  re- 
tail dry  goods  business,  and  on  the  18th  of  June, 

1888,  his  store  was  burned.  On  August  14,  of 
the  same  year,  he  removed  to  West  Jeannette, 
ojiened  the  first  general  mercantile  store  of  that 

j  ]ilace  and  afterwards  established  a  painters'  sup- 
ply store  at  East  Jeannette.  Piesides  operating 
these  two  stores  he  is  now  erecting  a  large  brick 
business  structure  on  the  corner  of  Fourth  street 
and  Clay  avenue,  which  when  completed  will  be 
one  of  the  finest  buildings  of  Jeannette.  June 
18,  188U,  he  was  elected,  and  on  November  1, 

1889,  commissioned  justice  of  the  peace.  He 
ran  on  the  Citizens'  ticket  and  was  the  success- 
ful one  of  four  candidates  for  the  position.  He 
was  appointed  notary  public  the  preceding  year 
and  re  elected  justice  of  the  )ieace  February  18, 

1890,  He  is  an  active  republican,  a  progress- 
ive business  man  and  a  niendjer  of  Vovmieu.v 
L(jiige,  Knights  of  Pythias. 

•fAMES  A.  DEWALT,  an  industrious  citi- 
T  zen  and  a  contractor  and  builder  of  Maimr, 
(2/  is  of  French  descent  and  was  born  near  the 
old  Manor  church,  in  Penn  township,  West- 
moreland county.  Pa.,  October  28,  1849.  His 
parents,  Henry  and  Elizabeth  (Hill)  Dewalt, 
were  natives  of  Westmoreland  county.  Henry 
Dewalt  was  a  son  of  llenrv,  dr.,  and  Catharine 
(,\ment)  Dewalt,   ami    was  Ikui]    in    \^\l.      He 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


357 


■was  a  cai'iionter  ami  a  contraetur.  As  a  ileiiio- 
fiat  he  was  very  active  in  the  interests  of  his 
]iulitieal  |iart_v.  Ilis  services  were  :iii])reciateil 
Ly  the  (leiiiinrats,  \\]\i<  eh'cte'l  liini  us  aiiililor  of 
\\'e^liu(irehiiiil  eiHinly  in  In.'jS.  Hi.s  rt'Cdid  as 
a  puhlic  oHicial  was  liighly  eieiiilahle  to  himself, 
and  death  cut  him  down  in  isGo  when  the 
chances  were  in  his  favor  fur  further  political 
preferment.  lie  was  an  earnest  and  zealous 
meniher  of  the  Evani^elical  Lutheran  church. 
In  1847  he  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of 
James  Hill,  who  resides  near  llakland  X  roads. 
She  died  in  18.'>.j. 

At  nine  years  of  age  James  A.  r)ewalt  went 
to  reside  with  Josiali  Berlin.  wh(;  then  i-esided 
near  Murrysville,  but  aftei'wards  removed  to 
Manor  .station.  Mr.  l)e\valt  did  nut  enjoy  the 
privileges  of  attending  very  many  terms  of 
school,  but  nevertheless  by  a  diligent  use  of  his 
spare  moments  aci|uired  a  fair  business  educa- 
tiun.  In  I8l3.j  he  went  to  Venango  county,  Pa., 
where  lie  was  engaged  in  well-drilling  with  dif- 
ferent firms  for  thirteen  years.  In  1S78  he  re- 
turned to  Manor  and  became  a  coiitractor  in  the 
oak  lumber  business  for  the  •'  Pennsylvania  Gas 
Coal  Company  "  and  has  been  in  their  service 
ever  since. 

On  September  "20,  1870,  he  married  Lucimla 
Gibb,  daughter  of  James  Gil)b,  of  St.  Peters- 
burg, Clarion  county.  Pa.  To  this  union  have 
been  born  three  children,  one  son  and  two 
daughters:  Elverda,  born  March  4,  1878; 
Harry  K.,  born  January  12,  l^SO,  and  Sarah 
]].,  burn  March  ID,  l^^M. 

J.  A.  Dewalt  with  commendalde  energy  and 
industry  has  made  Ins  own  way  in  life  and  has 
overcome  many  obstacles  in  his  pathway  to  suc- 
cess that  would  have  defeated  a  less  determined 
num.  He  is  a  member  of  Philanthropy  Lodge, 
No.  22.0,  F.  and  A.  M. ;  Manor  Valley  Lodge, 
No.  87'J,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows; 
Westmoreland  Lodge,  No.  Ul!,  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen,  and  ^lanur  Station  Council, 
No.  71li,  Royal  Arcanum.      He    carries  a   con- 


siderable amount  of  insurance  in  the  last  two 
named  orders  and  has  served  as  secretary  of  Odd 
Fellows  and  Uoval  Arcanum  lodges  at  Manor. 
Mr.  Dewalt  is  a  eonservati\'c  democrat  and  an 
honest  and  industrious  citizen.  He  and  his  wife 
are  meudjcrs  of  the  Uefurmed  church. 


A.  EBERHART.  a  leading  glass  worker 
of  Jeannette,  was  born  .Vugust  U,  1S44, 
at  New  lieneva,  Fayette  county,  Pa., 
and  is  a  son  of  A.  B.  and  Permelia  Eberhart. 
Adolph  Eberhart,  his  grandfather,  was  born  in 
Maryland  on  the  Monocksey  river.  His  father, 
JIartin  Eberhart,  and  his  motlier  came  to  th^ 
country,  settled  in  Maryland,  and  married  four 
years  afterwards.  Adoljih  Eberlutrt  learned  the 
trade  of  glass-blower  at  the  works  of  Albert 
Gallatin,  one  mile  above  New  (ieiieva,  on  (ior- 
ges  creek,  and  after  working  at  his  trade  in 
Cincinnati  for  some  time  he  returned  to  New 
Geneva,  Fayette  county,  Pa.,  wdiither  he  had 
formerly  removed  from  Maryland.  He  was  a 
successful  business  man  and  at  his  death  which 
accurred  at  a  ripe  old  age  left  each  of  his  five 
children  .  a  farm.  His  wife  was  Elizabeth 
Phillips,  a  daughter  of  Theophilus  Phillips,  who 
lived  on  a  farm  one  mile  from  New  Geneva,  in 
Springhill  township.  His  son,  A.  B.  Eberhart, 
was  born  in  Fayette  county.  Pa.,  August  'J, 
1807.  In  company  with  his  brother,  Martin 
Eberhart,  he  embarked  in  tiie  window  glass 
business,  running  a  factory  at  New  Geneva  from 
1847  to  1854.  In  politics  he  has  always  been  a 
pi'ominent  democrat  having  cast  his  first  presi- 
dential vote  for  Andrew  Jackson  in  1828.  He 
has  been  on  tiie  school  board  for  a  number  of 
years,  and  is  identified  with  the  Presbyterian 
church.  He  first  married  Catharine  Ilertzog, 
by  whom  he  had  four  children,  all  of  whom  are 
living  in  Fayette  county:  Isaac  P.,  Sarah  P., 
Margaret  J.,  and  Permelia  S.  Isaac  P.  Ebor- 
liart  married  Rebecca  Davenport ;  Mar"aret 
married   H.  T.Davenport;   Permelia  S.  is  the 


35S 


lUOGEAPIIlES  OF 


many  and  ditd  at  Manor  station  June  23,  1885. 
lie  k'ai'hcd  tlie  trade  of  tinner  prior  to  iinniigra- 
tin;^'  to  llie  I'nited  States  and  after  liis  arrival 
ill  lliis  ciiiniliv  .sclllcd  ill  \\'e>tniorelaiid  ciiiinty, 
where  lie  worked  fur  suiue  lime  at  tiiiiiinj^',  ear- 
jientering  and  ealiinet  making.  He  tlien  pur- 
clia.sed  the  distillery  ikjw  operated  by  Fry  & 
Mathias,  but  soon  sold  it  and  removed  to  Wc- 
Keesport.  In  1S77  be  returned  to  Penn  townsbip 
wliere  he  bought  his  former  distillery,  entered 
into    partnership   with   Jaeob    Matbias   and    was 


wife  of  W.  0.  Saekett,  and  Sarah  was  married 
to  J.  0.  Gans.  The  second  wile  of  A.  \'>. 
Eberhart  was  rermelia  I'hillips  Williams,  a 
daimbler  of  'I'hoiiias  Williams,  lv-ii|.,  by  whom 
lie  lias  three  ehildreli  living:  John  !'.,  a  glass- 
eiitler,  of  l'itl-~burg  ;  doMiina,  wife  of  Adeli.iert 
lihoailes.  of  Masontown,  Fayette  eounty,  and 
Adolph  A. 

A.  A.  Eberhart  was  educated  in  the  public  and 
jirivate  schools  of  his  native  county.  In  August, 
18tj2,  at  the  age  of  eighteen  lie  enlisted  in  Co.  G, 

llJth  regt.,  Pa.  Cavalry  and  remained  with  the  engaged  in  distilling  until  bis  death.  He  was  a 
rei'iinent  two  years,  but  was  made  dispatch  or- 
derly on  the  stall"  of  Gen.  Wright,  of  the  6tb 
(jorps  ;  was  with  Gen.  Sheridan  in  all  liis  raids 
up  to  the  time  of  leaving  tlie  regiment  in  July, 
1864,  and  was  mustered  out  July  3,  18(55,  at 
Lyncbburg,  A'^a.,  being  then  but  twenty-one 
years  old.  After  the  war  be  worked  at  oil 
drilling  for  a  time,  and  having  returned  in  1808 
from  a  short  stay  in  Missouri,  worked  one  and 
one-half  years  with  bis  brother  Isaac  at  Sligo 
factory.  With  the  exception  of  two  years  he 
lias  been  with  A.  &  D.  II.  Chambers  ever  since 
1870,  and  in  September,  1889,  Avas  made  fore- 
man of  the  cutting  department  in  the  great 
glass  works  at  Jeannette ;  from  Seiiteniber, 
1879,  to  June,  1884,  be  held  the  same  position 
for  Mr.  Ciiambers  at  McKeesport.  Mr.  Eber- 
hart is  a  member  of  the  Jr.  0.  U.  A.  M..  the 
Baptist  church,  and  the  Glass-blowers'  Associa- 
tion, ill  which  be  has  served  on  the  executive 
council.  He  is  a  man  of  decided  views  and 
convictions,  of  excellent  character,  upright, 
faithful  and  just.  Un  July  liO,  1870,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Bettie  A.,  a  daughter 
■of  Thomas  Nettle,  of  Port  Tobacco,  Maryland. 


(|7^RANKLIN  L.  FRY,  a  leading  pharma. 
'jir  cist  of  Manor,  was  born  at  McKeesport, 
Allegheny  county.  Pa.,  July  13,  1867, 
and  is  a  son  of  Dominic  and  Sarah  (Gross)  Fry. 
Dominic  Fry  was  horn  August  U,  18:25,  in  Ger- 


democrat  who  always  toidc  an  active  part  m 
political  campaigns  and  a  member  of  the  (lerman 
Keformed  church  who  always  contributed  liber- 
ally to  his  own  and  many  other  churches.  He 
was  "■enerous,  accommodating  and  popular.  On 
January  29,  18G3,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Sarah  Gress,  by  whom  he  had  three  children  : 
Warren  G.,  born  August  0,  1804,  who  is  engi- 
neer for  Fry  lV  Matbias,  and  married  Francis 
A'.,  daughter  of  John  Kenierer,  of  Manor  sta- 
tion, Franklin  L.  and  Clarion  George,  born 
March  7,  1869.  Mrs.  Sarah  Fry  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  Gress,  who  lived  near  Adamsburg. 
She  was  born  September  26,  1837,  and  died  on 
July  23,  1872. 

Franklin  L.  Fry  attended  the  public  schools 
and  then  took  a  full  business  course  at  the  Iron 
City  Business  college.  In  1886  he  served  as 
bookkeeper  for  Kemercr,  Moore  &  Co.  About 
April  1,  1887,  be  purchased  the  Bcamar  drug 
store  at  Manor  and  has  continued  successfully 
there  in  the  drug  business  ever  since.  His 
establishment  is  one  of  the  most  reliable  and 
popular  in  his  section  of  the  county.  During 
the  winter  of  1886  he  took  a  thorough  course 
in  the  "  Pittsburg  College  of  Pharmacy,"  and 
since  then  has  given  special  attention  to  com- 
pounding physicians'  prescriptions.  He  carries 
a  complete  stock  of  drugs,  chemicals,  proprietary 
medicines,  toilet  articles  and  druggists'  sundries. 
He  contemplates  removing  liis  drug  store  at  an 
early  day   to    a    larger    and    more    commodious 


Wi:STMnIii:LA.\D   VOUXTY. 


351) 


room,  :iii(l  liiul  ]mi'i'li;isc(l  siu'li  a  nmiii  in  the 
WauLiaiiian  biiililiiig  wliicli  -was  iiarlially  von- 
smiic'il  ami  totally  tlainagL'd  by  the  .Manor  (lie 
of  ISMll.  ^[|■.  Kry  is  a  nicnilici-of  l'liilaiitlirii|iy 
l-o.l-o,  N(,.  L'-J.".,  l\  \  A.  .M.,  .Manni  Slav  l„»l,-r. 
No.  1,111!,  Knights  ami  Ladies  uC  lienor  and 
past  councillor  of  Trovilla  Council,  No.  158.  Jr. 
0.  U.  A.  M.  He  is  an  active  young  democrat, 
a  member  of  the  Manor  Reformed  church  and 
an  expert  and  successful  druggist. 


ARTIN  GOEIIRING,  JR.,  an  ener- 
1/  gt^t'C  business  man  and  a  prosperous 
♦  merchant  of  Manor  station,  was  born 
near,  Stuttgart  the  capital  of  the  kingdom  of 
Wurtemburg,  southwestern  (icrmany,  December 
IG,  18(55.  He  is  a  son  of  Martin,  Sr.  and 
JIary  (Hunter)  (.loeiiring.  both  natives  of  tiie 
Fatherland.  Martin  Goehring  left  the  land  of 
his  nativity  in  August,  18U9,  and  came  to  the 
United  States.  He  locateil  at  West  Newton 
where  he  still  resides. 

He  is  a  democrat  and  a  local  officer  in  the 
Evangelical  Lutheran  church.  ^L-.  and  ^Ls. 
Goehring  have  seven  children :  Martin,  Jr., 
Ciiristiaii  G.,  John  G.,  druggist  at  West  New- 
ton;  Mary,  Frederick,  wlio  is  a  painter;  ^Vil- 
liam  L.,  a  clerk  with  0.  C.  Price,  and  Anna. 

]\Lirtin  Goeiiring,  Jr.  was  reared  at  West 
Newton,  and  received  liis  educatiim  in  tin:  public 
schoiils  dl'  that  place. 

He  ariv\-\vards  bccanie  a  ricrk  in  the  nicrcan- 
tile  cslabli.-linicnt  I'f  S.  C.  Weiliicr  at  West 
Newton,  and  served  in  that  capacity  for  three 
years.  He  was  tlien  em|)hiyed  to  take  cliarge  (if 
tlie  coni]iany  stoic  of  K.  II.  Lalimer  k  Co.  and 
in  1H8;{  became  a  njcmber  of  the  (inn.  In  18)54 
the  company  combined  with  another  company 
under  tiie  firm  name  of  Patterson  &  Co., 
limited,  and  he  became  manager  of  tiicir  com- 
bined stores.  This  position  he  held  until  No- 
vember, 1888,  when  he  resigned  on  account  of 
ill  bcalliiand   took  a  long-needed    vacation.      In 


February,  1881),  ho  formed  a  co-partnership 
with  Hirman  .\ultnian  of  Adamsburg,  and  they 
engageil  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Manor 
station,  'riicir  store  is  in  the  new  ()<ld  Fellow 
building  and  they  curry  a  full  line  <if  dry  goods, 
staple  and  fancy  groceries,  notions,  boots  and 
shoes,  glassware  and  everything  which  is  called 
for  in  their  line  of  business.  They  are  rapidly 
building  up  a  substantial  trade,  are  already 
doing  a  business  at  the  rate  of  6-5.000  jicr 
year. 

Mr.  Goehring  lost  all  his  household  effects  by 
the  fire  at  [Manor  on  Wednesday,  December  4, 
1889. 

On  May  19,  1887,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Lucy  A.  Shrader,  daughter  of  "William  Shrader. 
They  have  one  child,  named  Mary  Elizabeth. 

Martin  Goehring,  Jr.  is  a  member  of  West- 
moreland Lodge,  No.  518,  A.  Y.  ^1.,  of  Greens- 
burg,  and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows. He  is  energetic  and  persevering  in  what- 
ever he  undertakes  and  has  been  remarkably 
successful  in  the  mercantile  business  for  so 
young  a  man  in  years.  He  is  a  democrat  in 
politics.  He  ami  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Evangelical  Lutlieran  church. 


P.\UL  GOOD,  SR.,  one  of  Penn  township's 
most  industrious  and  thoroughgoing  citi- 
zens and  a  piactical  and  successful  mar- 
ket gardener,  was  born  in  Franklin  township 
[now  I'cnn),  ^\'estMlorcland  county.  Pa.,  Janu- 
ary -4,  18:27,  and  is  the  eldest  son  of  Henry 
and  Margaret  (Naly)  Good.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  Lawrence  Good,  was  a  native  of 
Northampton  county.  Pa.,  where  he  married 
Margaret  Ilufl'man  and  some  years  after  hi.s 
marriage  emigrated  to  llempficld  township, 
Westmoreland  county,  Pa.  He  purchased  and 
lived  on  a  farm  now  owned  by  Mr.  Isaac  Kling- 
elsmith,  the  farm  upon  which  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  resides.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Good  were  the 
parents  of    twelve   cbildien  :    Christian,    Henry, 


>ii   ,iii«(iiii'iii  ■  :  i»9'>i»ii 


lilOUIiArillK.'i   OF 


Isaac,  Danifl,  Daviil,  Joliii,  Mary,  Catlitriiic 
8arali,  llainiali.  Lvilia  amt  M.hiIki.  llcmv 
(Iciml  (lallin)  \\;is  Imi-u  ill  N(irtliaiii|itiiii  <'iiniilv 
ami  accoiiipaiiiril  hi^  |iairHls  In  lliis  ciuinlv. 
lie  wa^  a  .■aliuirl  iikiLiT  \<y  liailc,  a  iimiiiIpci-  (if 
tlio  llrloriiUMl  churrli  .if  .M;iii(.i-  ainl  \Urd  AilLTUSl 
21,  IM):).  lie  was  an  t'arucsl  (,'liiistian,  liuliest 
ill  all  his  l)U>iiii,'ss  transai-tirius  and  noted  fnr  liis 
U|)ii_L;litnoss  and  inleniitv.  lie  nianied  Mar- 
f^uret  Naly,  a\1iu  is  a  daugliter  id'  I'liilip  and 
Sarah  (Smith)  Naly  and  resides  now  in  reiin 
townshij).  To  Henry  and  ilargaret  Good  were 
born  twelve  cliildren,  of  whom  eleven  are  living  : 
Paul,  Sr.,  Jesse  (dead),  Caroline,  who  is  mar- 
ried to  John  Ilosaek  ;  Maria  R.  (dead),  Avil'e  of 
William  1\.  Moore  ;  Hannah,  who  is  married  to 
Josiali  Wagner  ;  Aaron  M.,  Henry  P.,  Cen- 
jarnin  F.  (deail),  James  J.,  George  W.,  and 
Soiiliia  M.,  who  is  the  wife  of  Henry  lUiskhaygcr. 

I'aul  (iood,  Sr.  was  reareil  on  u  firm  and  at- 
tended the  sidiseiiiition  sehools  until  he  was 
sixteen  years  of  age.  For  the  iie.xt  four  years 
lie  Worked  a^  a  laborer  and  then  learned  the 
trade  of  earjienter.  Soon  after  learning  his 
trade  he  eiigageil  in  buteliering  wliieh  lie  f  d- 
lowed  eontiniioii.-ly  and  siiceessfiiUy  f)r  twenty- 
five  years.  He  then  embarked  in  his  present 
oceupution  of  market  gardening. 

On  August  G,  lS4',t,  lie  married  Julia  Ann 
Peterson,  who  bore  him  eight  children  :  George 
P.,  Paul,  James  L.,  Jolin  N.,  Sophia,  wife  of 
Samuel  Walthour ;  Sarah,  who  is  married  to 
Seth  (iossarl  ;  Anna,  wile  of  AVilliaui  Aiik  and 
I'lniiiia,  who  is  married  to  \Villiaiii  Gossart. 
Mrs.  (!ood  was  a  daughter  of  John  and  Anna 
Peterson,  who  came  from  (iermany  in  1840. 
She  died  in  18S0  and  on  November  i'J,  I8b3, 
Mr.  Good  united  in  marriage  with  Anna  Martha 
Ank.  To  this  second  union  have  Ijeen  born 
twi)  ehihlren  :   Jennie  Grace  ami  .Samuel  Ira. 

I'aul  <iood,  Sr.  is  a  member  of  the  Kefiniied 
chiiieli  at  .Manor.  In  polities  he  is  a  democrat. 
lie  ihoioughly  understands  the  science  and  art 
of  successful  ''ardeniuiT. 


XDKEW  JACKSON  GOOD  was  born 

.\pnl  HI.  ].s  I,",,  II,  I',. nil  l(,\Miship,  We^l- 
iiioiclaiid  eoiiiil  V,  I'a.,  and  is  a  son  of 
Henry  and  .M.ngarcl  (Naly)  Good.  Hi-  graiid- 
I'.illicl-  ua-  j.awrclicr  Goo. I, a  iiali vc  of  Gmiialiy, 
w  ho  iiiiiuigraled  to  Anii'iica  at  an  early  day, 
settling  in  Lancaster  couuly.  Pa.  lleiiry  Good 
(father)  was  born  February  ."),  180;!,  in  Lancas- 
ter county,  I'a.,  whence  he  relumed  to  Pcnn 
township,  tlli:^  countv,  when  a  young  man.  J?y 
trade  he  was  a  cabinet-maker,  but  purchased  a 
farm  in  Peuii  township  and  followed  agricultural 
pursuits  in  coimection  with  his  trade.  He  was 
a  democrat  of  Jacksonian  tyjie  and  named  one 
of  his  Sons  in  honor  of  '•(Jld  Hickory."  He 
died  August  21,  I8b-J.  He  was  married  April 
6, 182(j,  to  Margaret,  a  daughter  of  Philip  Naly 
of  Penn  township,  and  to  them  were  born  ten 
ehihlren,  of  whom  seven  are  living. 

.Vlidrew  .lack-on  (iood  in  his  eailier  life  fol- 
lowed rarmiiig,  but  later  became  a  member  of 
the  distillery  linn  operating  uiuler  the  name  of 
Fry  v^  Mathias.  He  is  an  estiinalde  gentleman, 
a  loving  hu-band  and  fither,  a  true  friend  and  a 
good  citi/.eii.  Mr.  (iood  i>  an  ■•Andrew  Jack- 
son "  deiiiociat  and  a  valiant  worker  for  his 
partv.  He  is  a  member  of  Westmoreland  Lodge, 
No.  . SIS,  A.  Y.  M.  :  Urania  Chapter,  No.  VJ-2, 
H.  K.  A.  M.  ;  ainl  Keilron  (.'ommandery.  No. 
18,  Knights  Templar;  also  of  St.  Clair  Lodge, 
No.  53,  A.  O.  V.  W. 

A.  J.  Good  was  married  December  15,  1874, 
to  Sophia  J.,  a  sister  of  Joseph  i\rathias,  whose 
sketch  ajipears  in  this  ^vork.  They  have  one 
child,  Jacob  Mathias,  born  June  1,  187G. 


•f  COLLINS  GREEIL    one   of    Penn    town- 

d  ship's  foremost  merchants  and  successful 
business,-,  men  and  the  [iresent  jiostmaster 
at  Claridge,  was  born  in  Indiana  county,  I'a., 
August  PJ,  lMio,and  i-  a  son  of  licv.  J.  C.  and 
Jennie  (Shryock)  (ireer.  His  grandfither, 
'Scjuire  William  <ireer,  was   biu-n   in  Westmore- 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


land  county,  Pa.,  February  G,  1802,  and  served 
for  many  years  as  justiee  of  the  peace  in  I'enn 
townsliip.  lie  niarried  Abigail  Collins,  daughter 
of  Old.  J^seidi  and  Abigail  (Dyram)  Collins  of 
reiiu  tDwnsliip,  by  whom  he  had  ten  ehildien  : 
Uev.  J.  (.".,  Agnes,  who  married  Uev.  John  JNI. 
-MeKlruy,  D.  I).  ;  James  M.,  Elizabeth  J.,  Will- 
iam ^.,  Caroline  K.,  wife  of  Matthew  Wilson; 
Mary  J.,  Sarah  I>.,  wife  of  J.  B.  Bratten ; 
Eunice  E.,  wlio  married  Rev.  James  McElroy; 
ami  Abigail,  wife  of  James  I'atterson.  Kev.  J. 
C.  Greer  (father)  was  born  February  lo,  1827, 
and  was  reared  on  a  farm,  lie  was  graduated  at 
JefVersun  college,  Cannonsburg,  I'a.,  in  the  class 
of  1852.  lie  then  entered  the  ministry  and 
prearjic'd  for  si.\  years  at  Lumlier  City,  Clear- 
iiehl  county,  I'a.,  where  he  founded  the  Lundjcr 
City  academy.  In  April,  I8ti4,  he  entered  the 
Union  army  as  caijtain  of  Co.  II,  20Gtli  reg..  Pa. 
'S'ols..  jjarticipated  in  the  siege  and  capture  of 
Pichmond  and  is  entitled  to  the  proud  distinction 
of  being  the  liist  I  nion  minister  to  ]ireaeh  in 
thai  rity  after  its  f^ill.  lie  wa.v  mu.-tered  out  of 
the  L  nited  States  service  Juno  2U,  liSLi.").  re- 
sumed his  ministerial  labors  in  western  Pennsyl- 
vania and  is  now  pastor  of  the  First  I'liited 
I'resb^-terian  church  of  Johnstown,  Pa.  In 
IB')"  he  married  Jennie  S.  Shryock.  Pev.  J. 
C.  Greer's  grandmother  was  captured  at  eight 
years  of  age  by  Indians,  wlio  held  her  as  a  caji- 
tive  at  Niagara,  New  York,  for  si.K  years.  Pev. 
and  Mrs.  <ireer  have  si.\  children  :  Willi;im  S., 
I»,nhl  N.,  .leimie  .M.,  wih'  ofOr.  J.  M.  Cooper; 
Harry  1-.,  George  C.  W.  and  J.  (Jollins. 

J.  t'oUins  Greer  at  nine  years  of  age  removed 
to  laiuibei'  City,  i'a.,  where  he  attended  the 
academy  I'oundcd  by  liis  father  ibr  several  years 
ami  then  came  to  the  old  (ireer  homestead  in  this 
county,  which  he  farmed  for  si.K  years.  At  tlic 
end  of  this  time  he  removed  to  MurrysviUe, 
where  he  folhjWed  teaming  for  one  year,  then 
wa.s  in  the  livery  busiuss  for  two  years,  after 
which  he  removeil  lo  Claridge  and  purc'liased  a 
half-iiilcie>t    ;n  a  ^torc    at   that    place.      In  nine 


months  he  jiurchased  his  partner's  interest  and 
since  then  has  conducted  a  vci'y  successful  mer- 
cantile business  at  (jlaridge. 

He  was  married  September  23,  1885,  to  Sarah 
J.  Cooper,  daughter  of  Jo-hua  ami  Sarah 
(McWilliaius)  Cooper,  by  whoui  he  has  two 
children  :    Sarah  Elbi  and  Joseph  W. 

J.  Collins  Greer  is  a  member  and  trustee  of 
the  MurrysviUe  United  Presliyterian  church. 
He  is  a  republican  and  has  been  postmaster  at 
Claridge  since  March  1.  Is8'j.  Mr.  Greer  is 
energetic  ami  enterprising  and  is  a  man  of  varied 
business  experience. 


ARTIN  E.  (iPIFFITII,  M.  D.,  an  in- 
I  f  telligent  gentleman  and  a  well-read  and 
♦  skillful  young  jdiysician  of  Manor,  is 
the  eldest  son  of  E.  C.  and  Martha  (Stephens) 
Grillith,  and  was  born  near  Fayette  City,  Fayette 
county,  Pa..  July  14,  iMil. 

His  pjarents  reside  in  Fayette  county.  'I'iiey 
reared  a  faiuily  of  three  children:  l>r.  Martin 
E.,  Samuel  A.,  engaged  in  farming  and  Aila, 
who  is  a  telegraph  operator.  His  father  is  a 
republican,  a  successful  farmer  and  a  man  of 
decided  convictions.  His  mother  is  a  daughter 
of  Thomas  Stephens,  who  was  a  member  of  the 
very  numerous  and  highly  respectable  Stephens 
family  of  Fayette  county.  Pa.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  Hon.  Sannul  (".  Grillltli,  was  born 
at  15rownsville,  I'a.,  and  died  at  Fayette  City. 
I'a.,  in  l^To.  He  was  a  man  ot'  more  than 
ordinary  aljility.  He  was  an  excellent  mathe- 
matician, a  tine  penman,  a  good  surveyor  and  a 
successful  tcaeher.  He  taught  for  over  forty 
winters,  was  principal  of  the  Fayette  City  school 
for  many  year.-?,  did  ,-urveying  in  all  parts  of  his 
native  county,  was  a  whig  and  afterwards  a 
republican,  ami  served  one  term  as  a  member  of 
the  Pennsylvania  Legislature.  He  was  rearcil  a 
(,>uaker,  but  by  marrying  outside  the  ])alc  of  the 
Fiienils'  church  cancelled  his  coinicition  with 
that  religious  tlemimination.    He  marricil  Ivslher 


JJIOGRAI'lHES  OF 


Y:\ri\\\]\:\r,  wlio  still  survives  liini  iind  who  is  ;i 
(liUiglitiT  of  'riuiiiKis  F:iiijuli;ir,  wlio  \sas  of 
Scotch  (k'scciit.  'I'liey  li:iil  six  cliihlrcii,  all  of 
■whom  aic  living.  His  fatlicr  was  William 
Grillith,  who  was  a  son  of  imniigiaut  William 
Grilhth,  Sr.,  who  was  a  native  of  Wales  and 
the  founder  of  the  Griffith  family  in  northern 
Fayette  county,  Pa.  Dr.  ]Martin  E.  Griffith 
was  reared  at  Fayette  City,  Pa.,  attended  the 
public  school  and  the  "  Southwestern  I'ennsyl- 
vania  State  Normal  school"  at  California,  and 
after  leaving  school  made  election  of  medicine 
as  his  life  profession.  From  ISTU  to  1881  he 
read  medicine  with  Dr.  J.  Y.  Porter,  and  in 
the  latter  year  went  to  Charity  Hospital  in  the 
city  of  New  Orleans,  La.,  where  he  spent  the 
winter  in  tiie  study  of  diseases  and  surgery. 
lie  no.\t  entered  "  Ohio  Medical  College  "  at 
Cincinnati,  and  spent  one  winter,  and  in  1883 
matriculated  in  Jefferson  jMedical  college  at 
Philadelphia,  and  was  graduated  from  that  time- 
honored  institution  in  1885.  In  the  same  year 
of  his  graduation  he  opened  an  otliee  at  Fayette 
City,  Pa.,  where  he  soon  came  into  and  held  a 
large  practice,  which  was  rather  remarkable, 
as  young  physicians  generally  grow  slowly  into 
public  favor  and  extended  practice.  In  May, 
188!l,  he  removed  to  Manor,  this  county,  and 
formed  a  pai  liiershi|)  witii  Dr.  I.  N.  Ijey<hi. 
'Thi'y  have  a  hirgu  and  extensive  practice. 

Politically  Dr.  Griffith  follows  in  liie  ibot- 
Ptejis  of  his  fatlier  and  irrandfather  and  is  an 
active  rc|iiiMic;in.  lie  is  a  skilled  phy.-^ician 
wlu)  lias  e\eiy  [irnspect  of  a  lung  ami  successful 
career  befoie  him.  He  is  at  present  a  general 
practitioner  of  medicine,  but  took  several  special 
courses  while  attendiii";  lectures. 


•jfOIlN  W.   HEINTZLEMAN  was  born  Dc- 
f '    cemlier  1^1,  l^Vl,  at  Larimer,  \Vestmoreland 
(i/     county,  I'a..  and  is  a  son  of  Andrew  11.  and 
JLiry  (Wilson)  Heint/.ieman.      His  great-grand- 
father was  born  in  the  Empire  of  CJermany  but 


came  to  America  and  settled  in  Adams  county, 
i'a.  Chri.stiaii  11.  iieint/.leman  (grandfather) 
was  a  native  of  Adams  county  but  removed  to 
Penn  township,  this  county,  at  the  beginning  of 
the  [iresent  century.  He  was  a  coojier  by  trade 
and  married  Mary  Laull'er,  by  whom  he  had  ten 
children.  lie  was  a  full  cousin  of  Gen.  Samuel 
P.  Ileintzleman,  one  of  the  famous  corps  com- 
manders of  the  civil  war.  Andrew  H.  Ileint- 
zleman (father)  was  born  in  Penn  township 
February  14,  1825.  He  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade,  which  he  still  follows  and  at  which  he 
has  been  quite  successful.  Ilis  wife  was  Mary 
^Yilson,  daughter  of  William  Wilson,  who  was 
also  a  carpenter,  and  who  emigrated  from  Ire- 
land to  America  in  early  days,  settling  in  West- 
moreland county.  Andrew  II.  Ileintzleman  is 
the  father  of  ten  children,  seven  of  whom  are 
living.  He  is  a  republican  and  takes  an  active 
interest  in  his  party's  welfare;  he  has  held 
various  offices  in  his  native  township. 

John  W.  Ileintzleman  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools,  attended  St.  Vincent's  college, 
and  in  1870  was  graduated  from  Duff's  Business 
college  at  Pittsburg.  He  was  then  employed 
for  seven  years  by  the  I'enn  Gas  Coal  Co.  as  a 
mechanic  and  in  1883  was  made  superintendent 
of  the  car  shops  of  that  company  at  Penn  station, 
which  position  he  still  retains,  having  been  in 
the  employ  of  this  comj)any  continuously  for 
more  than  thirteen  years.  Being  industriotis, 
carefid  and  economic,  he  has  acipiired  a  goodly 
amount  of  real  estate  and  has  mole  than  a  fair 
start  in  life.  He  is  a  member  of  Koyal  Ar- 
canum, Ancient  Order  United  ^Vorkmen  and  of 
the  Sons  of  Temperance  and  Order  of  Solon. 
He  is  identified  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  in  which  he  has  filled  all  the  various 
offices  and  has  served  his  borough  as  a  school 
director. 

John  W.  Ileintzleman  was  married  January 
25,  1875,  to  Anna,  a  ilaughter  of  Dunlevey 
Smith,  of  Coultersvillo,  Allegheny  county,  Pa., 
and  their  union  has  been  blessed  with  six  children. 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


all  of  wliDin  are  living:  Bert,  lioi-ii  Marcli  27, 
l.^Tti;  Hoy,  Ikh-u  Octolier  ;!,  1S7S;  Aiulrew, 
born  SepleiMlK'i-  1:1,  ISSD;  l!oss.  Imiiii  May  1  "2, 
l^S:!;  Liilii,  lioi-n  Feliniary  21,  ISS};  ami  Earl, 
born  Nc)veniber  2'),  lb8l). 


■f^IV-UGII  HENRY,  of  Jeannotte,  is  a  pliysi- 
1^1  cian  who  has  well  qualified  himself  in  the 
(j)  medical  colleges  and  hos])itals  of  the 
United  States  and  England  for  the  successful 
practice  of  his  jirofession.  He  was  horn  in 
Sewickley  townsliii),  Westmoreland  county,  Pa., 
January  20,  18r)4,  and  is  a  son  of  Edward  and 
Susan  (Coughenour)  Henry.  The  Henrys  are 
of  Scotcii-Irish  descent.  Edward  Henry,  Sr., 
lived  to  be  one  Inmdred  and  five  years  of  age 
and  was  the  father  of  Edward  Henry,  Jr.,  who 
was  ihe  father  of  Kdwaid  lUnry  whose  son  is 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Edward  Henry  Jr., 
was  born  in  Westmoreland  county,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming  as  his  life-pursuit.  Edward 
Henry  was  born  in  180'J  on  the  homestead  farm 
near  Mailison.  He  has  always  been  a  farmer 
and  stock-raiser.  He  is  a  republican  in  politics 
and  united  in  marriage  with  Susan  Coughenour, 
by  w  honi  he  had  seven  sons  and  three  daughters. 
Siic  is  a  native  of  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  A'ir- 
ginia,  where  the  Coughenours,  wlio  were  of 
tiernian  extraction,  settleil  at  an  early  day  in 
its  colonization  by  the  English  cavaliers. 

l)r.  Hugh  Henry  received  his  elementary  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools,  fitted  for  college  at 
Ureensburg  academy  and  attended  •'Waynes- 
burg  college"  m  Greene  county,  i*a.  He  taught 
for  about  eight  years  in  the  common  schools  of  his 
native  county  before  entering  upon  the  study  of 
medicine.  In  May,  1880,  he  commenced  read- 
ing with  Dr.  Loughery  of  Manor  station,  who 
is  now  located  in  Pittsburg.  In  September, 
1880,  he  entered  Cleveland  Medical  college  and 
received  private  instruction  from  Professor  J. 
IJennett.  In  June,  1883,  he  studied  surgery 
in  the  college  hospital  and  in  the  ensuing  August 


was  made  assistant   resident  hos]>ital  physician. 
He  also  practiced  with   Drs.  liennett  and   Scott 
and  devoted  his  time  especially  to  the  treatment 
of  diseases  of  the  eye,  ear  and  throat.      In   (Jc- 
tober,  1885,  he  opened  an  office  at  Arroyo,  Elk 
county,  Pa.,  where  he  practiced  successfully  for 
nearly  two  years,  but  determining  on  ijualifying 
himself  for  a  wider  field  of  practice  he  went  in 
July,  1887,  to  London,  England,  where  he  spent 
one  year  in  the  •'  London  Hospital,"  on  White 
Chapel  row,  under  the  instructions  of  the  noted 
English  physician.  Dr.  Stephen  McKenzie.     He 
I  received  and  holds  a  highly  commendatory  letter 
I  from  Prof.  II.  N.  Lewis,  assistant  physician  of 
j  the   hospital.      Returning    home    from    London 
I  he  located  in    May,    1880,    at    Jeannette   as    a 
I  favorable  field  tor  tlie  practice  of  his  profession 
'  and  the  increase  of  his  jiractice  has  been   com- 
mensurate  with    the   growth    of    the   place.      In 
!  medicine,  law,  theology  or  teaching,   principles 
j  and   practice  are   the   "wedded   Avords"    which 
j  constitute  the  sum  total  of  each  profession,  and 
I  Dr.    Henry,   while   diligently   studying   theory 
also  qualified  himself  for  practice  by  e.\tensive 
and  successful  hospital  work. 


LBERT  M.  IIOEY,  a  prominent  young 
business  man  and  a  successful  druggist 
of  Harrison  City,  was  born  in  Eranklin 
township,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  March  15, 
1857,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Susanna 
(Dcwalt)  Iloey. 

Samuel  Hoey  was  born  in  Franklin  township, 
June  2'.l,  1814.  He  is  a  farmer  by  occupation, 
a  republican  in  politics  and  was  elected  jury 
commissioner  of  \Vestmoreland  county  in  1883. 
In  1870  he  was  a  census  enumerator  for  Frank- 
lin, Washington  and  Bell  townships.  In  1841 
he  married  Susanna  Dewalt.  To  their  union 
have  been  born  nine  children  :  Margaret  J.,  wife 
of  David  Allshouse;  James,  who  was  a  soldier 
in  the  war  and  died  in  Andcrsonville  prison  ; 
William    II.,  Ellen,  who  is    married  to  T.   H. 


3i;i 


irl 


•ph    L., 


luoanA  I'll  IKS  01' 

hnu\     Iv,    ' 


lid   «;is 

lUlO     ol 


lie  of  llie  ]iiuiK'fr.s  ill  |)iiiiiiiiM;ikiii;^, 
ic  lirsl  iii;i(l.'  in  Alli'^'liniy  Cily 
11  iiiaiiul'aclini.'il  liy  iiiiii.  I  Ic  scivnl 
111  sonic  oT  llic  rally  lii<liaii  wars  of  llio  coiiiilry 
ami  was  in  many  icsiicrts  (jiic  ol'  llir  Irailin;^ 
luon  of  liis  Jay.  (Icorgi!  W.  Jackson  ilatlier) 
Avas  also  boiu  in  ^Vcst  ^'i^giniu  anil  is  now  a 
sawvLT  anil  a  nicinljcr  of  the  firm  of  81mlty 
&  Co.,  planiui:  niill,  of  Pittsburg,  lie  has 
been  with  this  finn  thirteen  years  and  has 
been  very  sueee.-sful  in  business.  lie  was  a 
private  in  the  late  war,  having  enlisted  fur  three 
years,  but  became  in  a  short  time  the  foreman  of 
a  company  of  men  whose  business  it  was  to 
manufacture  soldiers'  supplies,  such  as  knap- 
sacks, lint,  etc.,  which  position  he  filled  until  the 
close  of  the  war.  lie  married  Mary  llannan, 
a  daughter  of  Lawrence  llannan.  who  was  for 
forty-nine  years  a  ship  captain  (^n  the  Atlantic 
ocean.  ^Irs.  Jackson  is  an  eminent  pliysician 
and  a  skillful  surgeon  of  the  South  Side.  I'iits- 
burg,  anil  is  now  about  fifty-four  years  of  age. 
She  is  the  manufacturer  of  salves  that  are  used 
in  every  State  of  the  I'nioii,  and  is  consulted 
I  professionally  by  niaiiy  of  the  best  physicians  of 
Pittsbiirii.  She  is  a  remarkable  woman,  talented 
in  lier  ))rofession  and  successful  in  business, 
owning  the  finest  residence  on  the  South  Side, 
Pittsburg.  ISoth  she  and  her  husband  arc  de- 
voteil  memliers  of  the  Catholic  church,  and  Mr. 
Jackson  is  an  active  democrat,  who  has  been 
twice  elected  a  member  of  tlie  (,'ommon  Conn  'il 
of  his  cily. 

J.    I''.   Jackson  is   the   eldest  of    ten   children, 
and  was   educated   at   St.   Peters   and   St.  Paul's 
scliools  in  Allegheny.      He  learned  the  traile  of 
sawyer  with  his  fatlier,  remaining  with  the  same 
among    the    earliest    settlers    of    Virginia    and  |  firm  for  nineteen  years.     He  then  went  into  tlie 
Ohio.      Robert  Jackson  (grandfather)  was  born  |  hotel  business  at  No.  1401   Carson    street,   but 


A'crner;     Sai 

Albert  M.  an<l  (ieorge  W.   W. 

Albert  i*l.  lloey  received  his  education  in  the 
commoh  mIiiioIs  and  Laiid  InMiliilral  Muiiys- 
Vllle.  Al  nineleeli  years  of  age  be  Irfl  scboij 
to  wiuk  with  his  brother  al  the  tinning  trade. 
In  1^11  he  went  to  Missiuiri  where  he  remained 
two  years  and  nine  months  ami  then  returned 
to  Pennsylvania.  He  next  served  as  a  clerk  in 
a  store  at  McKecsiiort,  Pa.,  fir  thirteen  months. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  he  engaged  in  the  drug 
business  at  Murrysville,  which  he  (|uit  after  one 
year  in  order  to  make  a  trip  to  California.  He 
remained  in  the  "  Golden  State  "  until  ISSG, 
when  he  returned  to  liis  native  county  and 
opened  his  jn-csent  drug  store  at  Harrison 
City.  His  stock  is  well-selected  and  embraces 
a  full  line  of  drugs,  medicines,  toilet  articles  and 
l)erl'uniery. 

Mr.  lloey  is  experienced  as  well  as  careful  in 
handling  drugs  and  has  the  prospect  of  a  long 
and  prosperous  business  career  before  him. 

On  February  '22,  1887,  lie  united  in  marriage 
with  Anna  M.  Shuster,  daughter  of  AVilliam  (J. 
and  Sophia  Shuster  of  Harrison  City.  .Mr.  and 
Mrs.  lloey  liave  one  child,  Harris  O. 

In  religion  Mr.  lloey  is  a  member  of  tlie 
Presbyterian  church.  He  was  appointed  post- 
master of  Hariison  City  in  May,  ISS'J.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Junior  f>.  I'.  A.  M.  and  the 
lloyal  Arcanum. 


c 


I''.  JACKSO.N,  of  .Icaunette,  was  born 
April  l!il,  ISo.!',  in  Allegheny  City,  Pa., 
and    is  a   son    of   Geori;e    AV.    and    Marv 


(llannan)  Jackson.      The  Jackson   family  were 


in  that  jiart  id'  A'irginia  now  known  as  West 
Virginia,  and  he  together  with  his  uncle 
killed  the  first  Indian  ever  killed  un  Black's 
Island,  lie  was  the  lii'st  man  that  ever  iiiloted 
a    raft    down    the    Allegheny    and    Ohio    livers 


after  a  year  went  west  wliere  he  was  employed 
in  the  lumber  business  for  several  years  in  .Michi- 
gan. July  1(J,  1.S.SS,  he  located  at  Jeannette 
and  has  grown  up  with  the  town,  for  when  he 
arrived  there  werelmt  threi' houses  in  the  place. 


Wr:STMOR h-LAND   CO  VNTY. 


305 


^fr.  Jackson  is  ]irc's'uk'iit  nt'  tln^  Aiicliipr  lliiiit- 
iug  uiiil  Fisliiiij;  Cliil)  of  llic  iiiiw  V.W'jir  anil 
tliriviiig  boi'OUL'li.  IK-  is  an  aitive,  aggiessivi; 
re]>ulilii;an  Imt  liruail  iniiulcil  ami  liberal ;  he  is 
a  pleasaiit  ami  foiirteuu.s  geiitlrmaii  anil  a  juvial 
cuni[iauiun. 

J.  V.  Jackson  was  nianieil  to  MatiMa  Pioilen- 
hagon,  whose  fatiier  is  Theuiluie  liuileiihagen, 
one  of  the  ohlest  uierchant  taihjis  of  tlic  ^^outh 
Side,  Pittsbui-g. 


rYYlI-I^I-^^I  ^-  JONES,  the  jaesent  as  well 
as  the  first  burgess  ci  Jeannette  and 
bookkeeper  for  the  great  Hint  gla>s  firm 
of  McKee  Bros.,  is  a  son  of  Evan  E.  and  Mary 
A.  (Davis)  Jones  and  wa^  Irvrii  in  rittslmrg 
(south  side),  Pa.,  x\pril  24.  \^u\^.  His  father, 
Evan  E.  Jones,  was  boi'n  ami  reared  iu  A\  ales, 
■where  he  learned  the  trade  of  furnace  builder 
and  soon  became  a  thorough  and  e-xpert  work- 
man in  that  particular  line  of  business.  In 
1837  he  crossed  the  Atlantic,  landed  in  the 
United  States  and  settled  in  ilie  \\ extern  ]iart  of 
this  State.  lie  did  not  have  hing  to  wait  for 
paying  employment.  His  wmk  was  sulllcieut 
recommendation  to  secure  liim  large  and  impor- 
tant  furnace  cmitracts.  He  erected  the  tirst 
furnaces  for  the  welbknown  lirni  nf  Oliver  iSros. 
&  l'hillii)s,  of  Titlsburg,  and  kept  them  in  re- 
pair for  twenty-two  years.  He  built  the  1  nitcd 
States  Tin  Plate  (Jumpany's  furnaces  at  Mc- 
Keopiu  t,  .Mle^lii'iiv  nuiuty,  Pa.,  and  a  number 
of  nllirr  milU  and  ua^  engaged  in  the  cnuslriic- 
tion  and  repair  uf  furnaces  until  a  ^vw  years 
ago,  wlien  he  retired  friun  all  active  pursuits  of 
life  and  became  a  resident  nf  the  '-Chiss  City." 
In  politics  he  is  a  repuidican  and  in  religinu  he 
is  a  Disciple,  often  called  (Jam]ibellite.  His 
wife  is  a  daughter  of  Evan  Davis,  and  was  born 
in  Wales,  Cardiganshire.  Of  the  twelve  chil- 
dren born  unto  them  five  are  now  living. 

AVilliain   S.  Jones    was    reared    in    his  native 
city,  attended  the  public  sclmols  and  was  gradu- 


ated from  the  "  Pittsburg  high  sclmol  "  in  the 
class  of  1878.  He  then  was  employed  iu  a 
rolling  mill  and  then  was  engaged  as  a  clerk  for 
the  firm  of  McKeo  Pros.  In  Iss-i  l,e  was  pro- 
moted to  bookkei'])er  and  when  the  firm  erected 
their  fireproof  Hint  glass  factory  in  1888  at 
Jeannette,  this  county,  Mr.  Jones  becanie  a  resi- 
dent of  the  "  Gla.«s  City."  This  great  factory 
consists  of  three  iifteen-pot  furnaces  and  one 
tank  furnace,  together  with  all  shops  and  build- 
ings necessary  to  the  prosecution  of  the  business 
and  all  the  latest  imjirovements.  The  factory 
runs  day  and  night.  em])loys  a  large  force  of 
men  and  sends  its  glass  not  only  throughout  the 
United  States  and  Canada  but  even  to  foreign 
ports,  where  foreign  factories  formerly  monopo- 
lized the  glass  trade.  Mr.  Jones  is  a  republican 
in  his  political  ojiinions,  was  elected  l.iurgess  of 
Jeannette  in  188','  and  is  very  yiopular  as  a  pub- 
lic otficial.  Mr.  Jones  is  an  unassuming  and 
modest  gentleman,  and  is  kind,  obliging  and 
popular  with  ail  whom  he  meets. 

D.  KAUFF.MAX,  of  Jeannette.  was 
I  »  born  August  2U,  ISGO,  in  Hesse  Darm- 
♦  stadt.  Germany,  and  came  to  the  United 
States  in  IS77.  He  is  a  son  of  Nathan  and 
Jeannette  (Lehman)  Kaull'nian.  For  genera- 
tions liack  his  ancestors  have  resided  in  tlie  city 
of  Darmstadt.  There  Nathan  Kautlimm  (father) 
was  born  and  rai-ed  and  was  fir  many  years  a 
cattle  dealer  but  is  now  retiicd.  Daniel  Kaull- 
man  was  also  an  extensive  cattle  dealer  and  a 
very  prosperous  man  of  business. 

M.  D.  KaulVmaii  is  the  third  of  five  children 
and  i-eciMVed  a  good  edui.'aliou  in  the  srliooU  of 
his  native  country.  .Vfter  his  arrival  in  this 
country  he  was  eniployed  for  some  years  in  the 
store  of  his  cousins,  the  Kauffman  Bros.,  wiio 
conduct  the  immense  clothing  house  on  Fifth 
avenue,  Pittsburg,  after  which  he  spent  several 
years  in  large  clothing  stores  iu  (Jhicago,  Kan- 
was   City  and    Omaha.      In  .\]iril,  IMMi,  hi'  de- 


.KiittmO   l>ifn  vt(()  turn  \  -i 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


ci<lcil  ti>  Idiiito  ill  tlic  i;i(j\viii;^'  town  of  .Ie;iii- 
lu'ltc,  iiii'l  iuiHuclialcly  iipfiioil  :t  l;irj;o  ninlv- 
iii.-nlo  fliJiliiiig  o>t;il)lisliiufiit,  wlicTi'  he  IkiihUos 
^'fiils  I'liniisliin:^'  i.'(i(iils,  li;i(s,  c;i[is,  etc.  Ho  o:ir- 
rios  :i  l:ifgo  and  ciiiuiiloto  stoolc  of  cvorytliing  in 
lii.s  line  ami  is  rapiiUy  building  up  an  inmionso 
business.  The  store-room  is  a  large  two-story 
brick  and  the  stock  is  sold  strictly  at  one  price. 
Mr.  Kauft'man  is  a  cultured  and  affable  gentle- 
man and  treats  his  customers  fairly  and  hon- 
estly, lie  is  not  connected  \Yith  any  city  firm 
but  is  himself  tlie  proprietor  of  the  '•  One  Price 
Clothing  Store"  of  Jeannette.  Mr.  KautVumn 
is  a  republican  in  ])olitics  but  takes  no  active 
part  in  party  aflairs.  lie  is  a  member  of  I.  0. 
II..  K.  of  r.  arid  Roval  Arcanum. 


AVID  KEISTER,  one  of  the  reliable 
citizens  and  substantial  farmers  of  I'enn 
township,  was  born  in  Franklin  township, 
Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  February  14,  1824, 
and  is  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Jane  (Aber)  Keister. 
He  traces  his  paternal  ancestry  back  to  Phillip 
G.  Keister  (grandfather),  who  was  born  in  east- 
ern Pennsylvania  in  1749,  came  to  this  (bounty 
in  ITV.'ior  Ijctwceu  tliat  and  1780,  and  jwssed 
olV  the  stau'c  uf  life  in  18:34  at  eighty-five  years 
of  age.  He  was  a  iarmer  by  occupation  and 
shared  in  the  common  perils  of  the  Westmore- 
land frontiers  from  Indian  incursions.  One  of 
his  suns  was  Daniel  Keister  (father),  wlio  was 
born  July  7,  17S1,  and  died  August  'JO,  18(12. 
He  was  a  farmer,  an  elder  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  of  Murrysville  and  a  prominent  man  in 
his  own  cumiuunity.  (hi  June  11,  1817,  he 
married  Jane  Aber,  a  daiigliter  of  Selnistiaii 
Aber,  of  Franklin  townslii[),  by  wIkjui  he  had 
five  s(jns  and  two  daiiglilers  :  James,  Deborah, 
wjiii  married  lleiiiy  Weister  ;  John,  Elijah 
N.,  Da\id,  I'iiilip  (i.,  and  Ann,  wife  of  (.'harles 
Weister. 

David     Keister    attended     the      subscription 
schools   of  his   neiirliborhood   until   he  was  six- 


teen years  of  ai.'e,  when  lie  engaged  in  firming 
whicli  he  has  pursut'd  witli  giiod  suci'ess  ever 
since. 

IK'  married  on  June  ^(^  1814,  Anna  Mar- 
garet Laull'ir,  daughter  uf  Chrislian  and  i*'Ji/,a- 
beth  Lauil'er,  of  Penn  township.  To  Mr.  and 
jMrs.  Keister  have  been  born  eleven  children  : 
John  L.  (deceased) ;  James  D.  (dead)  ;  Simon 
D.,  Anna,  wife  of  Samuel  K.  Ilocy  ;  William 
E.,  David  A.,  Elijah  0.,  Elizabeth  J.,  wife  of 
John  F.  Mull ;  Ulysses  G.  and  Charles  I. 
When  the  late  rebellion  broke  out  the  eldest 
sons  entered  the  Union  army  and  made  a  sjden- 
did  war  record.  John  L.  was  wounded  in  one 
of  the  terrible  battles  of  the  Wilderness  and  died 
in  a  confederate  field  hospital  May  30,  18(34. 
James  D.  fought  bravely  through  the  war,  was 
wounded  at  Hatcher's  Run  and  died  April  '1, 
1875.  Henry  C.  served  in  the  Union  army  a 
few  months  at  the  close  of  the  war,  but  was 
in  no  battles  and  was  honorably  discharged  at 
the  close  of  the  war. 

I'avid  Keister  is  a  republican  in  politics  and 
an  elder  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  at  Harrison 
City.  He  has  given  his  time  principally  to 
farming  and  stock-raising  and  is  pleasantly  and 
comfortably  situated  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  many 
years  of  steady,  honest  and  honorable  labor. 

'\  OHN  F.  LANDIS,  the  oldest  living  resi- 

Jdent  of  Penn  borough,  was  born  October 
2il,  1.SB4,  near  Grapeville,  Westmoreland 
county.  Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of  David  and  Anna 
M.  (Smeltzer)  Landis.  His  grandfather,  Jacob 
Landis,  a  confectioner,  whose  father  was  a  native 
of  Switzci'land,  was  born  November  2',l,  1773, 
in  York  county.  Pa.,  and  on  tiie  'Jth  of  .July, 
17'J3,  married  Nancy  Flora,  who  was  also  a 
native  of  York  county,  where  Daviil  Landis 
(fiither)  was  born  April  8,  18(14,  and  whence  he 
removed  in  1814  with  his  parents  to  Westnmre- 
land  county.  David  Landis,  who  died  January 
'J,   18'J0,  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years,  spent 


WESTMOliELAND  CO  UNTY. 


the  last  seventy-five  years  of  his  life  in  this 
cuuiity,  where  he  followed  the  oecupatiuiis  of 
fanning  and  earpeiiteriiii;. 

Ill-  was  always  an  earnest  (Knidcrat  and  cast 
his  lirst  ])resi<lential  vote  foi-  Andrew  Jackst^n. 
Jle  was  overseer  of  the  |Mxa'  I'ur  two  teiiiis  ;  was 
a  nieniher  of  the  Lutheran  elnireh  in  which  he 
fretjuently  served  as  an  otlieer.  He  married 
about  the  year  1828,  Anna  M.  Snieltzer,  of 
Ilempfield  township,  by  w  honi  he  had  fotir  sons, 
all  living;  Samuel,  a  farmer  of  Ilempfield 
township  ;  David,  sextdU  of  the  I  nion  ei'uie- 
ti'ry  at  Bruslicieek  ;  John  ]''.,  and  L'aleb,  a 
stiine-mason  by  trade,  who  lesidos  at  Adams- 
burg. 

John  F.  Landis  after  leaving  the  common 
schools  embarked  in  the  mercantile  business  at 
I'enn,  which  he  continued  for  a  number  of  years. 
lie  has  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  for  more 
than  fifteen  years,  being  now  in  his  fourth  term  ; 
he  is  also  engaged  in  the  real  estate  and  insur- 
ance business  and  has  excellent  trade.  Being 
a  man  of  deep  convictions  he  is  unswerving  in 
his  fealty  to  the  princiides  of  the  Democratic 
jiarty.  lie  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church 
and  an  u]iriglit,  conscientious  man,  diligent,  en- 
ergetic ;uid  poj)ular.  Being  possessed  of  a  good 
memory  and  sound  judgment  he  makes  an  ex- 
cellent justice,  deciding  tiie  cases  that  come  be- 
fire  iiim  in  strict  accordance  with  law,  justice 
and  ecpiity.  When  he  located  at  I'enn  in  1858, 
there  were  but  six  houses  in  the  place,  and  he 
is  entitled  til  much  credit  fir  what  hi'  has  done 
in  tile  past  three  decades  tnward  building  iij)  his 
adopted  town. 

John  F.  Landis  married  August  "20,  1SG4, 
Susan,  a  daughter  of  Simon  Miller,  of  Harrison 
City,  and  to  their  union  ha\e  been  born  f  mr  chil- 
dren: William  II.,  born  JNIaich  lo,  IStiij,  who 
is  assistant  postmaster  and  clerk  in  I.  II. 
AVilson's  store  and  wdio  is  married  tn  Sai'ali  E., 
daughter  of  Jacob  I'otts  ;  A.  Frank,  liorn 
Manli  21,  IMliS,  wli.iisa  derk  f.ir  IF  S.dlers 
McKcc   at    the    Jcannette  glass   works;     Sarah 


Arabella,  born  June  14.  187 F  and  Anna  Mary, 
born  April  28,  1874. 


ENRY  I'AFL  LA FFFFIJ,  ex-justice  of 
the  ])eacc  ami  one  of  tlie  enterprising  and 
i)  prosperous  farnuTS  of  I'enn  township,  and 
a  lineal  descendant  of  the  Laufi'er  family  planted 
in  Westmoreland  county  in  Indian  times,  is  a 
son  of  John  and  Esther  (Brinker)  Laufl'er  and 
was  liorn  in  Feun  tnwnship,  Westmoreland 
county,  I'a.,  February  1],  ISFS.  One  hundred 
and  twelve  years  ago  his  great-grandfather, 
Christian  Laufl'er,  came  from  Northampton 
county,  Pa.,  and  settled  with  his  family  at  West- 
moreland. One  of  his  sons  wlio  was  born  in 
Northampton  cinmty  on  March  8,  17lJ'J,  was 
John  Laufl'er,  Sr.,  grandfather.  He  married 
Susan  Kemery,  by  whom  he  had  fourteen  child- 
ren, of  whom  six  are  yet  living  :  John,  Esther, 
wife  of  a  Mr.  Silvis  ;  Seth,  Sarah,  married  to 
Simon  Miller  ;  Jacob,  and  Catherine,  who  is  mar- 
ried to  Ilezekiah  Waugaman.  John  Laufter, 
father,  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Harrison  City 
and  was  successfid  in  having  that  place  named 
in  honor  of  President  William  Henry  Harrison. 
He  married  Esther  Brinker.  Mr.  Laufl'er  voted 
for  Gen.  Harrison  in  1840  and  has  steadily 
voted  the  republican  ticket  since  the  organiza- 
tion of  that  party. 

At  eighteen  years  of  age   Henry    P.   LaufVer 
left  school  and  engaged  in   farming  and  stock- 
raising,    which   business  he   has    pursueil     ever 
I  since. 

On  Independence  day,  184U,  he  married  Lucy 
Ann  Frick,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Mary  Frick 
of  Penn  township.  She  died  in  1S50  and  left 
one  child,  Rev.  Michael  F.,  who  is  now  pastur  of 
the  Lutheran  church  of  Goshen,  Indiana.  On 
January  12,  1853,  Mr.  LautVer  united  in  mai- 
riage  with  Mary  Holtzer,  who  is  a  ilaughter  (if 
John  and  Catharine  Htdt/.er  nf  I'enn  tdwnshiji. 
Of  his  second  marriage  se\en  children  ha\e  been 
born,  of  whom  three   ilied    in    infancv.      1'liose 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


\\\\\\'j:  are  :   llciuy  A.,   Ellii.  -wife   uf  Fiiiley  V>. 
Mi-Crcw:  WilliMin  V.  S.,  ^iii.l  VAw.xvA  .M. 

Ilciiry  1'.  I.aullri-  is  not  ;i  highly  riliicatfil 
ii];iii  yc-t  liu  is  \veil-iuf'oriii(.'il  ii[)i)ii  uU  jmhlic 
inalteis  llf  has  made  a  special  study  of  lethal 
alVaivs  witli  which  he  is  cunversaiit  and  is  able  to 
give  soiiiul  and  sate  advice  ujion  nuestiuiis  uf 
law.  lie  is  a  democrat  in  jiolitics.  was  elected 
justice  of  the  peace  for  i'enn  township  in  1S72 
and  served  creditably  as  such  for  ten  years. 
Sijuire  Laufi'er  is  a  good  business  man  ami  has 
been  an  influential  and  useful  member  of  tlie 
Reformed  church  at  Harrison  City  for,  many 
years.  ^^ 

"^  SAAC  LAUFFER,  of  Ilarvison  City,  a  re- 
'l  tired  farmer  of  Peim  township,  was  bi^ra 
t  May  VI,  ISoil.  His  father,  Henry  l.autVer- 
was  a  grandson  of  Christian  LaulVer  of  North- 
liauipton  county,  I'a.  His  ancestry  can  be 
traced  back  one  hundred  and  thirteen  years, 
when  Christian  Laufi'er  lived  in  Moore  town- 
shi|),  Northampton  county,  fifteen  miles  west  of 
Easton,  Pa.,  and  five  miles  from  the  Blue  moun- 
tains. Christian  Laufl'er's  si.x  sons  were : 
Bartlioloniew,  Adam,  Peter,  Christian,  Henry, 
John  and  five  daughters  :  Mrs.  Drum,  Christ- 
man,  Rice,  Wentzel  and  Bash.  Adam  Laufler 
was  a  sohlior  in  Washington's  army  during  the 
Revolutionary  war  and  died  on  Long  Island. 
The  father.  Christian  LauiVer,  his  four  sons, 
ISarthulomew,  Henry,  John,  (Christian  and  the 
tivi'  daiighler.s  came  t(i  wcsiein  Pennsylvania. 
I'cter  remained  on  the  "  old  hdmestead  "  in 
Northampton  county.  \Villiam  R.  and  Jacob 
Laulfer,  the  wholesale  merchants  of  Allentown, 
are  his  grandsons.  Isaac  Lauffer  is  a  grandson 
of  Henry  LaulVer,  who  resided  near  tlie  present 
Mutual  station.  His  sons  were  :  Henry  and 
John  and  two  sisters:  Mrs.  Ilartzell  and  Mrs. 
Jacob  Gress.  Henry's  sons  were  :  Jacob  F., 
Samuel  B.,  Isaac,  Simon  P.  and  two  daughters  : 
Mrs.  Hannah  Baer  of  Ludwick  and  Mrs.  Mary 
Ann  Wauiraman  of  Manor  station. 


Isaac  LaulVer  \vas  an  industrious  faruH'r  for 
over  thiiiy  yars  but  is  nuw  retired.  He  mar- 
ried l,ydia  Ftix  in  IS.VJ.  His  sons  are:  \Vil- 
liam  1).,  farmer;  ['"rank  E.,  minister  of  the 
gospel;  Henry  J.,  and  I'^lnier  E.,  farmers ;  and 
two  daughters:  Mrs.  .J.  S.  McKeever  and  Mrs. 
M.  Mcllvane  ;  also  two  sons  and  one  daughter, 
Lizzie  F.,  having  '•  fallen  asleep  in  Jesus." 


r^ENRY  A.  LAUFFER,  one  of  the  lead- 
i  J  ing  and  most  successful  merchants  of 
(S)  Westmoreland  county,  was  born  on  tlie 
Laufi'er  homestead,  four  miles  north  of  Manor 
station,  Penn  township,  Westmoreland  county, 
Pa.,  March  10,  ISfiO,  ami  is  a  son  of  Jacob 
and  Susanna  (^Cribbs)  LaulVer.  His  grand- 
father, Henry  Laufi'er,  was  a  farmer,  owned  a 
wi/oleu  factory  and  transacted  a  large  amount 
of  business.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Reformed 
church,  an  active  republican,  an  influential  cit- 
izen and  died  April  18th,  lS7o,  aged  TD  years, 
;5  months,  'I'l  days.  His  father,  Jacob  Laufi'er, 
was  born  in  1822.  He  is  a  farmer,  has  dealt 
extensively  in  live-stock  and  real  estate  and  has 
ac(juired  considerable  jiroperty.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Reformed  church  for  many 
years  but  recently  connected  himself  with  the 
Lutheran  church.  Upon  all  subjects  of  general 
interest  he  has  ])0sitive  views.  In  political 
afi'airs  ho  is  an  active  republican.  In  184.3  he 
married  Susanna,  sister  of  the  late  Capt.  George 
Cribbs  (sec  sketch  of  Cristopher  Cribhs).  They 
had  ten  children,  of  whom  three  sons  and  five 
daughters  are  living.  The  two  dead  are: 
Oliver,  who  was  accidentally  shot  by  a  com- 
panion while  out  hunting  on  December  23, 
1871),  and  Hannah,  who  died  April  22,  1877. 

II.  A.  Laufi'er  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  and  for  some  time  lie  attended 
the  Salem  academy.  Ho  followed  farming 
until  187tJ  ;  in  that  year  he  opened  a  general 
mercantile  store  at  Penn  station  where  he  was 
successfully  engaged  in  business  for  seven  years. 


^vI■sr^roRELA nd  co u^'Ty. 


In  188-i  he  removed  to  Manor  where  he  erected 
his  present  "  ^laninioth  Store"  on  Nortli  lluce 
street.  Ilis  Imildiiij^  is  sixty  toot  wide  by 
cil^lilv  li'cl  1(1111,'  :i)iii  lliici'  sloiics  ill  lii'ii:lil,  willi 
a  laii;t'  liasciiu'lit  divided  into  two  n[i.irliiii'iits. 
His  assortment  of  goods  is  one  nl"  the  very 
largest  in  tlie  county  and  embraces  dry  goods, 
groceries,  caps,  boots,  slioes,  clotliing,  carpets, 
stoves,  hardware,  builders'  supplies,  crockery, 
sewer-pipe  and  furniture.  His  building  is  finely 
fitted  up  and  admirably  arranged  to  accommo- 
date his  large  and  extensive  business.  Ever}' 
department  i->  well  dpiipped  with  its  special  line 
of  goods  and  ciiurteous  salesmen  give  prompt 
attention  to  all  who  enter  the  establishment. 
The  amount  of  business  transacted  liy  Mr. 
Lauffer  now  aggregates  forty  thousand  dollars 
yearly. 

H.  A.  Laufter  was  united  in  marriage  June 
'21.  1*^72.  to  Jose[iliine  L.  IJeamer,  of  Harrison 
<'iiv,  ridest  daughter  of  Henry  Beanier,  who  is 
a  siilistantial  farmer  of  renii  township.  To 
this  union  have  been  burn  three  children — 
two  sons  and  one  daughter :  Charles,  born 
July  '27,  1875  ;  Maud,  born  December  1,  1880  ; 
and  llaymond,  born  December  11,  1883. 

H.  A.  liaiill'er  is  a  member  of  Manor  Council, 
No.  7115,  Royal  Arcanum,  and  treasurer  of  the 
Keformed  church  of  which  he  has  been  a  useful 
member  for  many  years.  In  ]iolitical  matters 
he  has  always  advocated  the  principles  of  the 
Ecpublican  party.  Mr.  LuulVer  is  an  honorable 
and  progressive  business  man  and  is  one  of 
Westmoreland's  most  enterprising  as  he  is  one 
of  her  most  successful  merchants. 


f  SAAC  NEWKIRK  LEYDA,  M.  D.,  who 

't'  became  a  citizen  of  Manor  in  1880  and 
t  who  has  lived  there  ever  since  in  the  active 
practice  of  his  profession,  is  a  son  of  George 
and  Lu/.anna  (Newkirk)  Leyda  and  was  born  at 
r>cnllrvsvillc,  'Washington  coiiiity,  I'a.,  March 
;'),   lS|."j.      Ilis  grral-giandralliri'  Leyda  was  one 


of  the  earliest  settlers  of  that  county.  His  grand- 
father, r>enjamin  licyda,  was  born  near  the  site 
of  Relitleysville,  served  ^vith  distinction  as  a  sol- 
dit'r  in  the  war  of  IN12  and  was  a  deac-on  of  ihe 
I'resliyterian  cbiiieli.  I  le  was  an  active  and  use- 
ful man  and  his  widi^w,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Elizabeth  Myers,  lived  to  be  ninety-eight  years 
of  age.  His  father,  George  Leyda,  was  an  infiuen- 
tial  farmer,  a  prominent  member  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian church  and  a  strong  republican.  He  held 
during  his  life-time  many  responsible  positions. 
In  1825  he  married  Luzanna  Newddrk,  daughter 
of  Cyrus  Newd<irk.  The  Newkirks  were  nu- 
merous in  Washington  county  where  many  of 
them  were  very  prominent  in  jiolitical  utVairs. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Levda  had  ten  children,  all  of 
whom  are  living. 

Dr.  Leyda  was  fitted  for  college  at  Messinger's 
academy  and  entered  the  Junior  class  at  Wash- 
ington and  Jetl'erson  college  in  ISG'J.  After 
finishing  his  collegiate  course  he  read  medicine 
with  his  brother,  Dr.  J.  11.  Leyda  of  Allegheny 
City,  attended  lectures  at  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
the  class  of  1875.  During  the  summer  of  1875 
he  located  at  Fayette  City,  Fayette  county.  Pa., 
where  ho  [iracticcd  successfully  for  live  years. 
In  1880  Dr.  Leyda  came  to  ^lanor  and  ever 
since  has  been  a  jirominent,  active  and  leading 
pliysician  in  that  part  of  the  county. 

On  Septemljcr  2G,  188U,  he  was  married  to 
Jennie  I'atterson,  daughter  of  John  Patterson, 
an  extensive  liuubcr  dealer  of  Pittsburg.  She 
was  born  in  Charleston,  S.  C,  May  12,  1853. 

Dr.  Leyda  is  a  very  good  horseman  and  has 
owned  at  ditl'erent  times  some  of  the  finest 
horses  ever  reared  in  or  brought  to  the  county. 
In  political  matters  he  is  a  republican  and  gives 
his  vote  and  influence  in  favor  of  the  measures 
of  that  party.  A  physician  to  be  successful 
must  thoroughly  understand  the  cause  of  a  dis- 
ease and  be  able  to  forecast  its  course  by  its 
jiurlicuhir  .sym)itoms.  Tested  bv  this  rule  i)r. 
Leyda's   success   bears   UTuiuestionalde   evidence 


370 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


of  his  skill  as  a  ])liysician.  IIo  has  a  large  and 
■well-.seleck'il  iiicili(.-ul  library  and  enjoys  a  Im-ra- 
liv<'  praiiiiT.  ill'  is  a  inciiilicr  111'  thr  Prcshy- 
triian   (.'liiircii,  aiid   iiidsI   h[  iIk^   varimis   jud^rcs. 


'\  F.   LUTZ,  a  rolialjle  and  cntorprisint;  mer- 

J  chant  of  Joannetti.',  was  born  February  3, 
ISili.',  in  Kij<traver  t(jwnship,  Westmoreland 
county,  I'a.,  and  is  a  sou  of  David  1'.  and  Al- 
lethia  A,  (Swearingen)  Lutz.  llis  grandfather, 
George  Lutz,  was  a  German  and  a  carjjenter  by 
trade,  but  after  a  short  time  he  abandoned  car- 
jjcntry  and  purchased  a  lai'ge  tract  of  land  in 
Fayette  county.  lie  was  successful  in  life, 
having  started  a  poor  boy  and  died  rich.  lie 
married  Martha  Patton,  of  Fayette  county,  hy 
whom  he  had  a  large  family  and  livdl  to  the 
age  of  seventy-live  years.  David  1'.  Lutz  (lather) 
was  born  in  Fayette  county  and  has  practiced 
dentistry  in  West  Newton,  Allegheny  City  and 
other  )daces.  He  has  been  fortunate  in  I)usi- 
ncss  matters,  and  now  owns  a  valuable  farm  in 
Uostraver  township,  where  he  has  held  the  otlice 
of  justice  of  the  peace  for  five  years.  In  poli- 
tics lie  is  a  democrat  and  was  once  elected  to 
tiie  State  senate  from  Fayette  county.  He  mar- 
ried .Vllethia  A.  Swearingen,  a  daughter  of 
(icorgt'  Swearingen,  of  near  Uniontown,  by 
whiim  he  has  seven  living  children. 

J.  F.  Lutz  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Rostraver  township  and  West  Newton. 
Farnung  and  the  lumber  business  first  engaged 
his  altentiou  ;  about  one  year  ago  he  removed 
to  Jeannette  and  openeil  a  grocery  store  on 
Second  Street,  AVest  Jeannette,  where  he  erected 
a  store-room  and  dwelling  house  combined.  He 
lia.s  been  enjoying  a  good  trade  which  is  steadily 
increasing.  He  carries  a  full  line  of  groceries, 
provisions,  liaichvMir  and  (jucensware,  hay,  feed, 
etc.,  in  connrclioii  with  which  he  runs  a  plumb- 
ing (lei)artment  and  deserves  a  large  patronage. 
Allliougli  a  democrat  lie  is  no  politician;  he  is  a 
member  of  tlie  I'lesbyteriali  congregation  latclv 


organized  at  Jeannette,  and  belongs  to  the  Order 
of  Solons  and  to  Crystal  Council,  No.  ;'>l)l),  Jr. 
<).  U.  A.  M. 

J.  1''.  liUlz  was  united  in  marriage  Se|)lend)cr 
:2r>,  lSH;j,  Nvitb  Alice  McLain,  a  dauglitcrof 
John  jNIcljain,  of  Smitbton,  I'a.,  a  [irominent 
farmer  of  that  section.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lutz 
have  two  children  :  Pansy,  born  June  --3,  1S8G, 
and  Josephine,  horn  Noveudjcrl,  1S89. 


r^ENRY  ]\IcKEEVER  was  born  July  11, 
1^1  1827,  in  Penn  township,  Westmoreland 
(S)  county.  Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of  Henry  and 
Sarah  (Naly)  JMcKeever.  Henry  McKeever,  his 
grandfather,  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  of  Scotch- 
Irish  descent  and  a  member  of  the  church  of 
England.  He  came  to  the  United  States  when 
a  young  man  and  settled  in  Cecil  county,  Md., 
where  he  married  a  Miss  Hitchman,  a  sister  of 
the  grandfather  of  William  J.  Hitchman.  of  INIt. 
Pleasant.  He  came  from  Maryland  to  West- 
moreland county  when  it  was  yet  a  wilderness 
and  followed  the  occupations  of  weaving  and 
farming.  During  the  Revolutionary  war  he 
served  in  the  capacity  of  a  teamster.  Henry 
McKeever  (father)  was  born  near  Haniuist(^\vn, 
this  county,  in  Ajiril,  1783,  and  died  ScptenJjer 
KJ,  1870,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-seven 
years.  He  was  a  large  and  powerful  man  of 
strong  and  vigorous  constitution.  He  was  an 
old  line  whig,  later  a  republican,  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church  and  a  man  of  more  than 
ordinary  intelligence.  He  married  Sarah,  a 
daughter  of  Paul  Naly,  of  Penn  township, 
formerly  of  Northamjiton  county,  and  they  had 
seven  children. 

Henry  McKeever  is  the  si.\th  of  his  father's 
seven  children  and  was  educated  in  the  common 
or  subscription  schools  ami  at  the  (jireensburg 
acailemy  ami  the  academy  at  Dayton,  Pa.  After 
teaching  for  si.x  years  he  followed  farming  for 
eleven  years  and  then  embarked  in  the  diug 
business  at  Dclmont,  in  which  lie  remained    two 


WESTMORELAND   COUNTY. 


yi-'iirs,  iiiiMiiwliile  ilculiiig  in  wdoI  uml  livo-.stock. 
lie  wus  lh>t  lieiiteiiuiit  of  ;i  coiii|i;uiy  of  I'oiuisyl- 
v:iiiia  militiu  at  tlie  break iiig  nut  i)f  the  war, 
lia.s  Ijueii  ])(.stiiiastrr  at  Manor  aud  is  uow  actiii;; 
])().stiiiastL'r  at  tliat  [ilacu.  lie  is  i'leiitilieil  wilii 
tlie  Presbyterian  clmieli,  the  Kepuhliuaii  party 
and  is  a  nieniher  of  I'hihuithropy  Lodge,  No. 
2-_>:),  A.  Y.  M..  Urania  Chapter,  No.  VJ-2.  II.  U. 
A.  M.  and  Keih-dU  ( 'niiiniandery,  No.  IS,  Kniglits 
'J'eniphir. 

Henry  MeKeever  first  married  Fhjrinda,  a 
daughter  of  Robert  Sliiehls  of  Salem,  by  'wliom 
he  liad  one  cliihi.  Ilis  wife  died  in  November, 
18G3,  and  he  in  November,  187  J,  married  Lizzie, 
a  (hiughter  of  ex-Sherifi'  Iluglies  of  Delmont, 
and  tiiey  liad  tliree  ehildren.  one  of  whom  is 
living — Anna  Mary  MeKeever. 

•j*  ESSE  M.  MILLER  was  born  December  4, 
*f'  ls2y,  near  Ailamslnirg,  Westmoreland 
(2J  county,  Pa.  :  his  parents  were  John  P.  and 
Sarah  (Wegley)  Miller.  Philip  Miller  (grand- 
father) was  born  in  Northampton  county,  but 
removed  to  Greensburg,  this  county,  and  settled 
there  when  the  stumps  of  trees  yet  filled  her 
streets.  lie  married  a  Miss  Aultman,  whose 
brother,  formerly  a  sickle  and  scythe  maker  at 
Canton,  Ohio,  was  the  originator  of  the  famous 
Aultman  threshing-machines.  John  P.  Miller 
(fatliei)  was  born  March  o,  17'.l5,  at  Greensburg, 
where  in  early  life  he  folhiwed  shocmaking  but 
later  jmrchased  a  tarni  in  llempfield  township 
and  became  a  husbandman.  In  politics  lie  was 
a  democrat  until  the  Fremont  campaign  in  185U. 
when  hcbecame  a  republican.  He  was  a  great 
reader  and  a  well-informed  man. 

Lsaac  Wegley  (maternal  great-grandfather) 
was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Pennsylvania,  was 
of  German  lineage  and  Ixjrn  in  Northampton 
county,  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  French 
and  Indian  war  and  once  marched  with  Gen. 
Washington  from  Philadel|ihia  to  Eort  Pitt. 
l)uringhis  niiiitaiy  career  he  look  jjossession  ol 


three  hundred  and  twenty-seven  acres  of  land 
lyini'  between  the  present  villages  of  Manor  and 
Peiin,  part  of  which  is  now  owned  by  the  West- 
moreland Coke  Co.,  and  jiart  by  Abraham  II. 
Wegley,  a  great-grandson,  who  now  occupies  the 
same. 

Jesse  M.  Miller  being  the  eldest  child,  and 
owing  to  limited  edneati(jnal  ad\antages  of  the 
earlier  days,  had  meagre  o]iportunities  for  ac- 
([uiring  an  education.  He  began  life  as  a  far- 
mer and  after  eighteen  years  of  e.vperience  in 
that  line  he  embarked  m  the  grain  business  at 
Manor  in  18lJ7,  ^vllieh' he  still  continues.  In 
connection  with  this  he  has  also  engaged  in  stock- 
dealing.  An  active  re])ublican  and  a  man  of 
good  business  qualifications,  he  was  appointed 
postmaster  at  JIanor  station  in  May,  188'J.  He 
belongs  to  I.  0.  U.  F.,  A.  0.  U.  W.,  and  Jr. 
0.  U.  A.  M. 

Jesse  M.  Miller  was  married  November  4, 
1852,  to  Charlotte,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Harold 
of  North  Huntingdon  township,  by  whom  he 
has  three  ehildren  :  David  A  Miller,  born 
February  G,  1857,  the  bright  young  law  partner 
of  John  F.  AVentling,  of  Greensburg  ;  Asher 
1).,  born  July  '-■],  lM5',l,  who  was  educated  at 
^\■ashington  and  JelVersoii  college  and  at  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  of  which  he  is  a 
medical  graduate,  and  Richard  Horace,  born 
October  28,  18G2,  who  is  married  to  Sarah 
Rurkholder  of  Lebanon  county.  Pa. 


EORGE  E.  MOURE.  The  United  States 
contains  many  men  who,  emerging  from 
^  obscurity  and  poverty,  have  climbed  high 
the  ladders  of  fame  and  wealth.  No  other 
country  aflbrds  half  the  opportunities  for  young 
men  of  limited  means  to  rise  to  prominence  and 
allluence,  yet  in  spite  of  the  many  advantages  a 
vast  number  of  young  Americans  fiul  to  profit 
by  them — fail  to  realize  that 

''Tlii'ii'  i'.  n  liik'  ill  iiii-  iiiiirusur  iiu'ii, 

Wllirll,  tllk.H    ill    ill    llu,,,!,   Iiii.Ib    1.11    lu    fnllllllO." 


ninGRAPJHES   OF 


Too  many,  expect  the  "  tiJe  "  tu  sweep  them 
"  on  to  fortune  "  -witliout  ;uiy  ftiort  whiitcviT  on 
tlicir  p;ii-t:  lliey  spend  tlicir  li\os  in  wailin;^ 
lor  "  siiiiiclliin;;  In  liiiii  up."  I  lanl  wnrk.  pa- 
tience anil  peisevei-anee  are  necessary  In  those 
whu  umst  hy  force  of  eirciniistanees  becdnn'  the 
aveliitect  of  tlieir  own  fortunes.  One  (if  tliose 
whn  reah/.e  tliat  "There  is  no  e.xeeUenee  witli- 
out great  lahor  "  is  George  E.  ^loore,  the  efli- 
eient  manager  of  Chambers  i'  McKee's  im- 
mense ghiss  phint  at  Jeannette,  wliich  is  the 
hirgest  -winilow-ghass  foctory  in  the  world  lie 
was  horn  January  10,  1852,  at  Blount  Savage, 
Allegheny  county,  Md.,  and  is  a  son  of  Leonard 
and  Julia  ]M.  (Larkin)  Moore.  The  Moores  are 
an  old  fomily  in  ^laryland,  the  ancestors  for 
several  generations  back  having  been  born  there. 
Leonard  Moore  (father)  was  born  in  Hancock 
county,  near  Ilagerstowii.  Md..  in  1M4  and 
died  there  m  IS.Vt.  He  was  a  butcher  by  trade 
and  followed  that  occupation  all  his  life.  Al- 
though an  active  political  worker  he  was  no 
aspirant  nor  wouhl  lie  accept  any  office.  lie 
was  a  member  of  the  Catholic  churcii  but  was 
by  no  means  bigoted,  lie  attended  Protestant 
services  and  recognized  a  religion  of  charity 
broad  enough  to  embrace  the  whole  world.  He 
married  Julia  M.  Larkin,  by  whom  he  became 
the  father  of  nine  chihlren,  of  whom  all  are 
living  but  one. 

deorge  E.  Moore  attended  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  townshiji,  but  left  them  to 
work  in  a  tan-yard  at  Wellevsburg,  I'a.,  at  the 
age  of  nine  years,  receiving  the  namitiecnt  sal- 
ary of  one  dollar  and  lifly  cents  per  week. 
Shortly  afterwai'ds  (1^'i-)  his  father  removed 
to  I'itlsbin'g,  I'a.,  where  George  went  to  school 
two  terms  in  the  Twenty-ninth  ward.  In  the  fail 
of  lSlj:3  lie  began  to  work  for  Andrew  11.  Chani- 
bers  in  the  IJattle  house  paidung-room,  being  then 
eleven  years  old  and  getting  tliree  dollars  a 
week.  In  the  line  of  promotion  he  was  made 
boss  packer  in  IhllH,  and  three  years  later  he 
was  made  manatrer  of  the  entire  works  of  Mr. 


Chambers,  retaining  that  position  until  1889, 
when  his  employer  formed  a  iiartnershi[(  with 
11.  iSellers  McKee,  ami  Mr.  Moiuc  was  iiuulc 
manager  of  llie  eiilire  glass  plant  at  Jeaiinetle, 
which  employs  about  si.v  hundred  men.  George 
1'].  Moore  has  erected  a  fine  residence  in  North 
Jeannette,  and  is  a  ]>ros]ierous  and  progressive 
citizen,  an  energetic  and  capable  man  of  busi- 
ness, a  manager  possessing  fine  executive  aliility 
and  a  social,  pleasant  companion.  During  the 
twenty-six  years  he  has  been  with  Mr.  Chambers 
he  never  was  sick  a  week,  never  lost  a  week's  pay. 
Mr.  Moore  having  never  drunk  a  drop  of  intox- 
icating liquor,  nor  smoked  a  cigar  nor  chewed 
tobacco,  stands  among  us  like  an  oasis  in  the 
Great  Sahara.  In  politics  he  is  an  independent, 
casting  his  ballot  for  the  nian  who  in  his  judg- 
ment is  best  fitted  for  the  position.  He  is  a 
meuibcr  oi  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  and  Jr.  0.  U.  A.  M. 
George  E.  Moore  was  married  in  Octolier, 
187ll,  to  Sarah  11.,  a  daughter  of  James  and 
Jane  Esler,  who  was  born  in  Lawrenceville 
(now  Seventeenth  ward),  I'ittsburg.  and  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  that  city.  ^Irs. 
iloore  is  a  consistent  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  and  is  the  mother  cf  four  chihlren : 
George  E.  (deceased),  Charles  Leonard,  John 
T.  and  Edna  Florence. 


11.   JOHN   WESLEY    MoKUISON,  of 

l£J  Jeannette,  is  a  jihysician  of  over  forty 
years'  experience  who  has  successfully 
practiced  his  prolession  in  tlie  States  of  Illinois, 
Iowa,  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania.  He  is  a  son  of 
William  and  Jane  (Cunniiigham)  Morrison  and 
was  born  near  Somerset,  Somerset  county'  Pa., 
April  12,  182G.  William  Morrison  was  born 
in  Huntingdon  county,  I'a.,  and  died  in 
Somerset  county,  this  State.  His  business 
was  tanning,  in  which  he  was  suceessllil  and 
by  which  he  ac(piired  a  coniijctency.  He 
was  a  strong  whig  and  a  zealous  member  of 
the   Discijile   church.     He   inanied  Jane  Cuii- 


1 1  'E.S  TMO  R  EL  A  ND  CO  UNT  Y. 


373 


iiin^liiiiu,  a  (l;iiii;litrr  (jf  Knlicit  < 'uiniiiij^'liiiui, 
who  \\;is  ii  substantial  lariiuT  <il'  S(iiiici>ct 
cuuuty,  I'a.  ('1'  this  marriage  nine  chihlien 
^s^■\\'  liorii,  nf  whom  tlirco  aro  living.  \Villiaiii 
Miirrison  was  a  snri  of  Saiiiui'i  Miirris(iii,  wIhp 
was  a  iiativo  of  lliintingilnu  ami  a  raniici-  tit' 
Soniorset  county,  whcru  ho  settkil  sikui  after 
attaining  liis  majority. 

Dr.  J.  W.  Morrison  attended  the  subscription 
schools  of  Somerset  county  and  Marshall  college 
at  ^Mercersburg,  Pa.  In  1840  he  began  to  read 
medicine  with  Dr.  Michael  Fierkey,  who  at  tliat 
time  was  one  of  the  best  ])liysician3  of  Somer- 
set county.  Two  years  later  he  attended  lec- 
tures at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in 
Philadelphia.  In  the  spring  nf  1S40  he  com- 
menced to  practice  meilicine  at  Meyersdale  in 
his  native  county,  but  soon  removed  to  Illinuis 
and  opened  an  ofllce  at  Iludsonville,  in  that 
State.  lie  remaitied  at  that  ]ilace  tor  two  years 
ami  was  then  compelled  tu  leave  on  account  uf 
ague.  He  next  locateil  in  Iowa  where  he  re- 
mained but  a  short  time,  lie  then  returned  to 
Pennsylvania  where  he  practiced  for  one  year 
at  Lavansville.  In  1854  he  came  to  ^Vestmore- 
land  county,  located  at  Donegal  and  juacticed 
medicine  for  thirty-one  years,  excepting  one 
year  spent  at  Staldstuwn,  I'a.,  anil  a  brief  resi- 
dence at  Cedar  Kapids,  luwa.  In  18H.')  he  re- 
moved to  Connellsville,  Pa.,  where  two  years 
later  his  resilience  and  otlice  were  liurned.  dur- 
ing IhST  he  purchased  a  hiitcl  at  Lima,  Ohio, 
parting  \Nilli  it  and  luiying  anutlicr  nne  at 
(irccnviUe,  that  State,  which  he  also  sold  in  a 
short  time,  hi  ISSS  he  removed  to  Ureensburg 
and  opened  an  oflice.  On  April  1,  18^1',  he 
came  to  Jeannette  and  has  cimtinucd  there  suc- 
cessfully ever  since  in  active  practice. 

Dr.  Morrison  was  married  on  January  1, 
18r)-2,  to  Elizabeth,  daughter  nf  Thomas  Pent- 
foril,  of  Somerset  county,  Pa.  They  have  had 
si.x  children,  of  whom  three  are  living:  Kunna, 
wife  of  George  lirakeville,  of  near  Pleasant 
Unity;   llattie  ami  Thomas  Spurgcim. 


l)r.  J.  \\ .  Morrison  is  a  stanch  republican. 
j  lie  is  a  member  of  the  Paptist  church  and  the 
[  Masonic  fraternity,  lie  is  a  successful  physi- 
I  cian  and  a  fine  S]iecialist  in  some  branches  of 
I   bis  orofcssioji. 


•foSEPII  MATIIIAS  was  born  November  5, 
1850,  in  Sewickley  township,  Westmore- 
land county.  Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and 
Hannah  (Se'anor)  Mathias.  jMichael  Mathias, 
his  grandfather,  was  born  in  eastern  Pennsylva- 
nia and  removed  at  an  early  day  to  Ilenipfield 
township,  this  county,  where  his  son,  Jacob 
]\Iatliias  (father),  was  born  August  G,  1818. 
Tiie  latter  has  been  interested  in  farming  all  his 
life,  but  has  also  been  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business  at  Madison.  In  1878  he  became  asso- 
ciated with  Doniineck  Fry  in  the  distiller}'  at 
Manor  Station,  Pa.  In  1882  they  built  a  lar"-o 
new  distillery  uhich  was  burned  to  the  ground 
in  May  of  the  following  year  ;  they  immediately 
rebuilt  and  conducted  the  business  under  the 
firm  name  of  Fry  it  Mathias.  In  1885  Mr. 
Fry,  the  senior  member  of  the  firm,  died  and 
Mr.  Mathias  assumed  control  of  the  entire  busi- 
ness. Since  188G  he  has  had  associated  with 
liim  his  son  Joseph  and  A.  J.  Good.  This  dis- 
tillery has  a  capacity  of  thirty-three  bushels,  and 
its  products  are  not  confined  to  a  small  territory 
but  wiiiskey  is  shipped  to  States  as  far  west  as 
Missouri.  At  this  plant  is  manufactured  the 
crlciiratcd  old  rye  whiskey  called  "  Old  West- 
moreland," which  has  a  wide  reiiutation.  Mr. 
Mathias  all  his  life  has  been  an  active  worker 
in  the  cause  of  democracy.  He  is  an  honest 
and  reliable  business  man.  a  faithful  friend  and 
an  excellent  citizen.  He  was  married  to  Han- 
nah, a  daughter  of  Philip  Seanor,  of  Ilemjifield 
township,  who  is  the  mother  of  si.x  children, 
live  of  whom  are  living. 

Joseph  Mathias  was  reared  on  a  farm,  attended 
public  school  and  began  life  as  a  tiller  of  the 
soil.      In  18711   he  went   to  Manor  and   cio'a"cil 


374 


HIOGRAriniiS  OF 


ivith  his  father  and  ^Mr.  Fry,  ^^ho  in  connection 
with  tlicir  ilistillory  c;in-ic<l  on  a  large  dairy 
and  crranKT}',  and  since  18S(i  he  has  hoen  asso- 
ciaU-il  ill  liiisiiicss  al  Manor  wilii  his  Cathcr  and 
A.  .1.  (;.M.d.  .JoM'iili  .Malliias,  raiiiiliarly  called 
'•.luc,"  is  a  Yoiing  man  nf  excellent  hiisiiicss 
qualities  and  a  social,  most  entertaining  coni- 
jianion.  He  is  a  "  dyed-in-the-wool  "  deniocrat, 
a  inemher  of  Manor  Star  Lodge,  No.  1,110,  K. 
and  L.  iif  II.,  and  of  Trovilla  Council,  No.  1.58, 
Jr.  ( >.  I'.  A.  M.  He  is  genial,  whole-souled 
and  .strictly  honorable. 

Joseph  Mathias  on  May  16,  1871.  married 
Malinda  J.,  a  daughter  of  Philip  Fisher,  of 
Madi>(jii,  and  they  have  three  children:  Mary 
Edith,  burn  October  V2,  1872.  Clara  H.,  boni 
Ajiril  11.  187fJ,  and  Joe,  born  March  12,  1880. 


•f-OIIN   R.  MORROW,  M.  D.,  a  genial,  pop- 

diilar  and  intelligent  ])liysician  of  Jt-aii- 
nette,  was  biuii  Octobi-r  I'.i,  lS(;;i,  in 
Beaver  county,  I'a..  and  is  a  son  of  Hugh  and 
Jane  (McDonald)  Morrow.  The  Morrows,  who 
are  a  sturdy  and  well-to-do  people,  originally 
came  ficnn  the  northern  part  of  Ireland.  \Vil- 
liaiii  Murrow  (grandfather)  was  a  native  of 
liaiicastcr  county,  I'a.,  and  removed  to  lna\er 
ciiiinty  about  1835.  He  was  a  farmer  and 
dealer  in  real  estate  and  succeeded  in  accumu- 
lating a  great  deal  of  wealth.  In  his  neighlior- 
hood  he  was  a  prominent  and  highly  respected 
man  and  «as  identilied  with  the  V  P.  church. 
Hugh  .Morrow  ( lather)  was  born  January  18, 
]s;l.'>,  in  l!ea\er  county,  and  is  at  present 
engaged  in  the  oil  business  and  in  managing  his 
farm  ;  he  is  one  of  the  successful  business  men 
of  his  county.  Politically  he  is  an  unswerving 
democrat  and  has  been  honored  with  township 
and  county  oflices.  In  18.')'.)  he  was  mairieil  to 
Jane,  a  daughter  of  John  R.  and  Rebecca  (Reed) 
McDonald  of  Beaver  county,  by  whom  he  has 
five  children,  the  eldest  of  whom  is  John  R. 
M&rro^v. 


Dr.  John  R.  Morrow  attended  the  public 
schools  (.if  Reaver  and  Beaver  county  and  in 
1882  entered  Geneva  college  at  Ik-avcr  Falls, 
i'a.,  in  which  institution  he  remained  two  years, 
pursuing  the  e.xceUeiit  coiiisi'  of  .study  laid  down 
by  its  olliccrs.  He  then  prosecuted  his  medical 
studies  in  the  office  of  Dr.  William  A.  Langfitt, 
a  prominent  physician  of  Allegheny  City.  In 
188(j  he  entered  Jefferson  Medical  college  at 
Philadelphia,  from  which  he  graduated  in  April, 
1888.  Dr.  Morrow  at  once  located  in  the  new 
and  rapidly  growing  '■  Glass  City,"  Jeannette, 
where  he  was  the  first  disciple  of  Esculapius  to 
arrive.  Between  college  sessions  Dr.  Morrow 
was  a  resident  physician  at  St.  Francis  hospital, 
Pittsburg,  where  he  obtained  a  practical  expe- 
rience so  useful  to  young  physicians. 

At  Jeannette  he  enjoys  a  large  and  constantly 
growing  general  practice,  and  is  rapidly  earning 
an  enviable  reputation  as  a  skillful  and  success- 
ful jiractitioner.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church  ;  of  Jeannette  Lodge,  L  ().  0.  F. ; 
Crystal  Council,  No.  800,  Jr.,  0.  U.  A.  M. ;  and 
of  Jeannette  Council,  1144.  In  ])olitics  Dr.  Mor- 
row is  a  Jackson ian  democrat  and  in  188;3  was 
mercantile  a]ipraiser  of  his  native  county  and 
secretary  of  the  democratic  county  committee. 
Ho  is  a  good  elassieal  scholar  whose  intellect 
is  bright  and  keen  and  whose  character  is  above 
susr)ici(jn. 


T^^  C.  OAKLEY,  an  energetic  and  enter- 
J^J  prising  business  man  and  sui)erintenilent 
y*)  (d'  the  "  Western  Land  and  liiiprove- 
nient  Company,"  of  Jeannette,  was  born  on  the 
corner  of  North  avenue  and  Webster  street, 
Allegheny  City,  Pa.,  September  25,  1853,  and 
is  a  son  of  A.  G.  and  i\Iary  A.  (Wolf)  Oakley. 
His  great-grandfather,  Tolbert  Oakley,  was  a 
farmer.  He  was  born  on  the  banks  of  the  Hud- 
son river,  where  he  lived  and  died.  His  grand- 
father, Jesse  R.  Oakley,  was  born  in  1785; 
came  from  the  Hudson  river  to  Beaver  county, 
Pa.,  ab(;ut  181'J  and  settled  at  Ecoinjmy,  where 


WESTMORELAND   COUXTY. 


lie  Iniilt  a  liouse  for  E]ilir;iini  r>l,iin(',  father  of 
lion.  Jaiias  (!.  IJluine.  .Mr.  Oakluy  was  en- 
gaged at  his  trM(h'  of  carpriitcr  (Uiriiiir  his  life- 
time and  iiiiilt  iiKiiiy  of  the  ohi  liniiscs  in  his 
srction  of  IJM'  coiintv.  II. ■  srrviMJ  as  i,  soMicr 
in  the  war  of  1^1  li,  was  a  whig  and  a  niendier 
of  the  U.  a.  ehurch.  IJis  wife  was  Mar}- 
Steele,  by  whom  he  had  three  sons  and  three 
daughters.  Her  fother  was  Robert  Steele,  who 
was  an  old  Revolutionary  soldier.  His  father, 
A.  G.  Oakley,  was  born  at  Rochester,  Beaver 
county.  Pa.,  February  fS,  1«24 ;  learned  the 
trade  of  carpenter  with  his  father  and  has  been 
enga  ed  in  carpentering  for  over  fifty  years. 
He  erected  the  Orphans'  Home  on  Ridge  ave- 
nue, the  Thirty-second  Ward  school  building, 
the  asylum  for  the  insane  at  Dixmont,  I'a.,  and 
many  other  large  and  valunble  buildings.  He 
is  a  republican  and  has  served  as  school  director 
in  his  township  for  over  twenty  years.  He  is  a 
prominent  member  of  the  Lutheran  church  of 
Stockton  avenue,  Allegheny  City,  I'a.  Diiriu"- 
thc>-  last  war  he  was  employed  by  the  United 
States  government  and  sent  to  Nashville,  Tenn., 
where  he  spent  si.x  months  in  building  [lontoon 
bridges  for  the  Union  army.  On  Miirch  20, 
1840",  he  married  Ann  Wolf,  dauglitcr  of  Abra- 
liam  Wolf.  They  have  live  childrm.  Thoir 
three  sons  are  J.  T.,  who  is  a  carpenter  in  Pitts-  ' 
burg,  I'a.  ;  A.  C,  an  en'_niiccr  un  the  river,  and 
H.  0.  '  I 

H.  C.  Oakley  w^as  educated  in  the  sehools  of  I 
Allegheny  City  and  after  leaving  school  learned  I 
the  trade  of  carpenter  with  his  fatiier.  He  has  | 
followed  carpentering  and  eontracting  ever  since  \ 
learning  his  trade  e.x'cepi  tud  ^vintl  is  wlieii  lie  ! 
taught  in  the  coinmon  selmois.  lie  has  erected  i 
many  line  and  beautiful  Ijiiildiiigs  in  and  around  ; 
Allegheny  City.  On  October  'J,  ISSS,  he  was  j 
employed  as  general  siqierintendeiit  of  the  I 
^\  cstern  Land  and  liiipi-oveinent  (.Company  of 
Jeannette,  and  since  tlien  lias  been  actively  I 
engaged  in  the  maiiageiiienl  of  their  extensive  j 
and   iiu[iortant   business.      -Mr.  Oakley    has   just  I 


erected  a  very  handsome  residence  for  himself 
at  Jeannette  on  the  hill  above  the  main  portion 
of  the  town,  wifli  whose  material  interests  he  is 
so  largely  identified. 

On  Oeceiiiber  :J.S,  ISMS,  he  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Emma  Hagerman,  daughter  of  Chris- 
tian Hagerman,  a  well-known  merchant  tailor, 
who  came  from  Germany  to  Pittsburg,  Pa. 

H.  C.  Oakley  is  a  republican  and  has  served 
as  assessor  of  Jeannette.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  L  0.  0.  F.,  Royal  Arcanum,  K.  of  P.  and 
Jr.  O  IT.  A.  M.  Mr.  Oakley  is  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church,  a  gentleman  of  excel- 
lent business  qualifications  and  although  con- 
servative yet  fully  imbued  with  tlie  true  Sjiirit 
of  enterprise. 


OBERT  JL  ORR,  one  of  the  pioneer 
settlers  of  Jeannette  and  its  leading 
butcher,  was  born  at  Maysville,  Arm- 
strong county.  Pa.,  August  9,  1858,  and  is  the 
eldest  son  of  James  and  Catharine  (Clawson) 
Orr.  Josejih  Orr,  grandfather,  came  from 
Ireland  to  Armstrong  county.  Pa.,  where  he 
purchased  a  large  tract  of  land  upon  which  the 
town  of  Maysville  has  since  been  built.  He 
was  active  in  politics  and  religion  and  served 
ni'arly  all  of  his  life  as  justice  of  the  peace. 
He  married  a  Miss  Manors,  by  whom  he  had 
several  chihlren.  He  laid  out  and  was  largely 
instrumental  in  building  up  JLiysville.  James 
Orr  (father)  was  born  about  fifty-seven  years 
ago  at  Maysville,  and  was  engaged  in  farming 
and  merchandise  for  many  years.  He  now 
owns  a  farm  in  Ijoyalhanna  towns!ii|),  this 
county,  up(Ui  wdiicli  he  resides  at  ]uesent.  He 
is  active  in  politics,  supports  the  Democratic 
party  and  has  served  as  a  justice  of  the  peace. 
He  married  ('atharine  Clawson,  a  daughter  of 
I'eter  Clawson,  who  was  a  merchant  at  I'Veeport, 
I'a.  'fhey  reared  a  family  of  se\'en  children, 
all  id'  whom  are  living. 

Kobert  M.  Orr  was  reared  on  a  farm,  received 


370 


BIOOEArillES  OF 


liis  education  in  the  common  schools  of  Avm- 
stronj;  county,  and  engaged  in  farming  which  he 
lias  folhiwed  for  several  years,  llereniovcd  to 
IJell  townslii)!,  tliis  couiity,  in  IHTT,  wliere  lie 
tilled  a  farm  fur  seven  years.  In  1S84  he 
emharked  in  the  livery  business  at  Greensburg, 
in  which  he  continued  for  some  time  when  he 
went  to  McKeesport,  Pa.,  and  became  proprie- 
tor of  a  marble-cutting  and  tombstone  establish- 
ment. On  March  10,  1888,  he  removed  from 
McKeesport  to  the  site  of  Jeannette,  erected 
one  of  the  first  houses  of  that  place  and  en- 
gaged in  teaming.  On  October  14,  ISS'J,  he 
oiiened  a  fir.st-class  meat  market  and  commodious 
hutcher-slioi)  on  First  street,  North  Jeannette, 
where  lie  kee]is  constantly  on  hand  a  good 
assortment  of  beef,  pork  and  all  other  meats 
called  for  by  his  customers. 

On  April  5,  1877,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Anna  E.  Burgette,  a  daugliter  of  IJuston 
Burgette,  of  Jefferson  county,  lijiio  To  their 
union  have  been  born  five  children,  of  whom 
one,  Oliver,  is  dead.  Those  living  are:  Ger- 
trude, Florence  P.,  James  Monroe  and  one 
whose  name  is  not  given.  Mrs.  Orr  is  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

li.  M.  Orr  owns  a  nice  [jroperty  in  Jeannette 
and  iias  a  tasteful  residence.  In  jiolitics  he  has 
ever  been  a  stanch  democrat  from  jirinciple. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Jr.  0.  U.  A.  'SI.  and 
the  Presbyterian  church  at  Jeannette.  Mr.  Orr 
is  affable  and  obliging,  has  built  up  a  large 
trade  in  bis  line  of  business  and  his  prospective 
future  seeuis  full  of  promise  and  assured  success. 


■FNllY  A.  ItUIIE,  of  Jeannette,  was 
Ijorn  July  27,  l>iijr>,  in  the  city  uf  I'itts- 
(i)  burg.  South  Side,  and  is  a  son  of  Henry 
F.  and  I'hillipina  (Weaver)  Uulie.  Henry  L. 
Puhe  was  born  near  liremeii,  Germany,  and 
came  to  the  United  States  early  in  life,  locating 
al  i'lll^bui-g.  Ill'  was  a  gla>s  engraver  and 
fuieiiKUi    ol'  the    departiiienl    of  Fngraving    for 


H.  Sellers  McKee  for  about  thirty-five  years. 
He  was  a  well-read  man  and  enjoyed  a  good 
education.  <  )i'iginally  he  \vas  a  democrat,  but  in 
later  years  he  bec:inie  a  republican  ;  he  was  a 
member  of  the  German  Futheran  church  on  the 
South  Side  and  was  for  years  president  of  its 
board  of  trustees.  Formerly  he  was  an  active 
worker  of  secret  societies,  but  for  some  years 
previous  to  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1884, 
he  was  not  an  active  member  of  any  order. 
He  was  a  supporter  of  the  Fhiion  and  during 
the  troublous  times  of  the  late  war  he  assisted 
in  building  Fort   (iarrison  near  Pittsburg. 

Henry  A.  Uulie  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Pittsbui'g,  and  in  1883  was  graduated 
from  HutV  Commercial  college  of  the  same  city. 
All  his  life  except  his  school-days  has  been 
spent  in  the  glass-works  of  IF  Sellers  McKee, 
for  whom  he  has  worked  about  fourteen  years. 
He  learned  the  art  of  engraving,  which  he 
followed  until  1888,  when  he  was  made  foreman 
of  the  engraving,  cutting  and  general  finishing 
department  of  the  immense  glass-works  of  Jean- 
nette. In  his  deiiartment  from  eighteen  to 
twenty-five  hands  are  employed,  and  Mr.  Ruhe's 
work  and  superiiiteiidence  are  highly  satisfiictory 
to  both  employers  and  employes.  In  politics  he 
is  a  republican  and  takes  quite  an  interest  in 
the  atlairs  of  his  party.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Royal  Arcanum,  Jr.  0.  U.  A.  M.,  and  adheres 
to  the  doctrines  of  the  Lutheran  church. 

Heiiiy  A.  Huhe  united  in  marriage  with 
Anna  Ullrich,  a  daughter  of  the  late  Henry 
Ullrich,  of  South  Side,  Pittsburg,  where  he  was 
proprietor  of  the  South  Side  Diamond  Hotel 
and  Restaurant,  and  to  their  union  has  been 
born  one  child,  Edna. 


y^YlI'^^I^^^'  ^'-  ^Ilt-'STER,  e.x-poor  house 
I  I  I  director  and  ex-auditor  of  Westmore- 
land county,  a  well-known  and  leading 
democrat  and  a  i'eiii:iikably  successful  man  of 
Harrison    Cilv,    is    a   son  of    Isaac  and   Anna 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


(Blose)  Slmster  and  was  born  in  Ilempfield  town- 
sliip,  Westmoreland  eoiuity,  I'a.,  April  ;">,  18^54. 
Isaac  Sinister  was  born  in  this  county  in  1788 
iiiid  died  ill  \^'''-y  II';  was  a  shMidy,  Imncst 
l-uuirr  and  a  nuiulicr  and  dracou  of  the  i'lvaii- 
.'clical  Lutheran  church  oi'  Urcensburg.  His 
wife  was  Anna  Blose,  born  in  1T8G,  died  in 
188-2,  formerly  of  Norlhampton  county,  Pa. 
They  had  ten  children :  Elizabeth,  wife  of 
Jacob  Shutt;  George,  John,  Sarah,  wife  of 
Christian  Iluftman ;  Isaiah,  Joseph,  Daniel, 
Ann,  wife  of  Michael  Kepple  ;  "William  G.,  and 
Eli,  who  died  at  eighteen  years  of  age. 

\Yilliam  G.  Sinister  attended  the  eouimon 
schools  of  Hempfield  township  until  he  was 
twenty  years  of  ag(^.  He  then  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, stock-dealing  and  butchering,  which  lines 
of  business  he  pursued  successfully  for  about 
twenty  years.  In  18G4  he  removed  to  Harrison 
City  where  he  purchased  forty  acres  uf  land 
underlaid  with  coal  and  limestone,  a  tannery, 
two  dweUiiig  houses  and  a  geiiei-al  mercantile 
^;k)rc  which  he  has  succcs-sfiiUy  conducted  ever 
since.  Al>o  in  the  undertaking  business  for 
twenty  years.  For  thirty-six  years  he  has  been 
active  and  successful  in  his  various  business  en- 
terprises and  stamls  high  in  commercial  circles 
as  an  Imiiorable  and  fair-dealing  man. 

()u  Marcli  1,  \'!^^>'>,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Sophia  Siuail.  daughter  of  Jcihn  and 
Catharine  Smail  of  lleiiiprield  towiishi]..  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sinister  have  been  born  six  chil- 
tlieii,  (d'  whom  loiii-  are  living:  ^\■|lllam  1., 
Emery  M.,  Anna,  wife  of  A.  M.  Hoey  (see  his 
sketch),     and  Solomon  (!. 

\V.  (i.  Sliusler  is  a  democrat  and  has  made  a 
very  creditable  political  record.  He  served 
fifteen  years  as  school  director,  three  terms  as 
assesor,  three  terms  as  treasurer  and  twice  as 
tax  C(dlector  of  Tenn  township;  was  elected 
oouiilv  auditor  in  l^Tf)  and  served  acceptably 
us  iioorh.mse  director  from   ISSl!  to   LSSii.      He 


of  tiie  Lutheran  church  at  Harrison  City.  He 
is  a  member  of  Manor  Lodge,  No.  90,  Ancient 
Order  of  United  AVorkmen  and  Harrison  City 
Lodge,  No.  11-2,  Kiiighls  and  Ladies  of  Honor. 
i\L-.  Sinister  is  a  man  wi'll  Known  for  his  iii- 
te-n-itv,  fair  dealing  and  business  ability. 


.  was  a  deacon  in 
for  eighteen  yeai 


r>iii-h    Creed.    Lullieran   clnirch   i   townshi|i,  (.'n 


d  is  now  an  active  menilier  i  an 


HAKLES  JACKSON  SKELLY,  M.D. 

one  of  the  young,  ambitious  and  promis- 
ing i)hysiciai\s  of  the  county  and  a  resi- 
dent of  Harrison  City,  was  born  in  Hempfield 
township,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  Augu.-t 
l.i,  1859,an(Hs  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Jane  (Boyd) 

Skelly. 

The  doctor's  paternal  grandfather,  William 
Skelly  was  born  in  Ireland  about  1788  and 
was  brought  to  this  county  when  he  was  about 
six  years  of  age.  He  was  a  soldier  of  the  war 
of  \>^\1,  in  which  he  served  with  credit.  In 
ISO'J  he  married  a  Miss  Byerly,  who  bore  him 
ei'dit  children  :  J(din,  Sarah,  who  nnuried  a 
Mn  Carver;  .Joseph,  dane,  wife  of  Capt.  George 
Cribbs  (see  sketch  of  C.  Cribbs)  ;  William  An- 
drew, Eliza,  wife  of  David  Bankin,  and  Susan, 
who  married  John  Doy  and  after  his  death  be- 
came the  wife  of  Asher  Walker.  Joseph  Skelly, 
(father)  was  born  in  North  Huntingdon  town- 
ship, October  li'.i,  IM-J.  At  fourteen  years  of 
a'a>  he  engaged  in  teaming  from  Pittsburg  to 
l'lnladel[)liia  and  15altimore,  which  he  followed 
conlimioiisly  for  twenty-one  years.  In  1847  he 
mariied  .lane  Lovd,  a  daughter  of  James  Boyd 
of  near  deiiiiers  Cross   Boads,  Somerset  county. 

Pa.,  by    whom    he   had   eight   children  :   Joseph 

and    Catherine,     who    both    died     in    infancy  ; 

Elizabeth,     died     at    fourteen     years    of    age; 

William   B.,  James  P.,   who  died  at  seventeen 

years    of    age;    ^Lirgaret    J.,    wife    of    Dr.    M. 

S'>wa-;h  ;    Sadie  S.  and  Charles   J. 

Dr.  Charles  J.  Skelly   receiveil  his   ediicati(,in 

in   the  common   .schools   of  Nmth    Huntingdon 
and    (ireeii^biirg  academies 
Mdiool.       He 


il    Indiana   (l',t.)    State   Ni 


rjoGRArniES  of 


tauglit  in  tlie  couiinon  schools  for  eight  years 
anil  then  iUtcuilrd  the  University  of  ^lichigan 
■\vliero  lie  tonk  the  preparatory  course  in  niedi- 
eiiic.  He  tliiii  entered  JelTerson  Mediial 
Cnliege  of  I'hlhhlrlplii:,,  fluMI  uliich  Ceh-lu  ;i  lc,l 
institution  iu'  \v:is  giadiiateil  in  tlie  class  uf 
1889.  Immediately  after  graduation  he  located 
at  Harrison  City,  opened  an  office  and  has  re- 
ceived a  very  flattering  practice  for  a  young 
physician. 

Dr.    Skelly  is    an  affahle  gentleman,    a   fine 
conversationalist  and  a  well-read  physician. 


ryYlLLIAM  II.  SLICKER,  of  Jeannette, 
was  born  January  24,  1853,  in  wliat  is 
now  tlie  Thirtieth  ward,  Pittsburg,  Pa., 
and  is  a  son  of  Peter  and  Alice  (Dunn)  Slicker. 
His  grandfather,  John  Slicker,  a  glass-blower, 
was  a  native  of  Germany  and  immigrated  to  the 
United  States,  settling  in  New  Jeney.  Peter 
Slicker,  a  son,  was  horn  in  Sarbreaka,  Germany, 
and  was  hrouglit  to  America  by  liis  jiarcuts 
about  the  year  l^-'!li.  Like  his  fatiier  he  was  a 
glass-blower,  and  in  fact  the  Slickers  for  genera- 
tions back  have  been  glass-workers.  Peter 
Slicker  became  a  tending-lio}'  !it  the  age  of  nine 
years,  blowing  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  and  lor 
thirty-live  years  worked  for  A.  \  D.  II.  Cliani- 
birs,  now  of  .Iraiinclte.  He  is  still  living  and 
keeps  the  Point  \'iew  Hotel,  on  the  road  from 
Pittsbui'g  to  liniwnsviUe.  In  polities  lie  is  an 
ardent  denioci:it  ;  he  \Nas  reared  in  the  Catholic 
faith  and  still  leans  Idwanl  that  dennniinatinn. 
lie  is  a  self-made  man  and  a  highly-respected 
citizen.  His  wife  was  Alice  Dunn,  who  was 
born  in  Ireland  and  brought  to  this  country  in 
lier  youth  by  her  father  and  mother. 

William  II.  Slicker  was  educated  in  the  piddic 
scliools  of  Pittsburg  and  made  gooil  use  of  his 
tinie,  never  playing  truant  a  single  day.  At 
the  age  of  eighteen  he  entered  the  cutting  de- 
j'artmont  of  the  glass  works  of  A.  iS:  I).  II. 
'.'hambers  and  has  remained  with  the  same  iirm 


ever  since,  this  being  his  twentieth  year.  II& 
has  been  (piito  active  in  the  AVimlow-glass 
Workers'  Association,  in  which  he  has  held 
evm-y  office  except  those  (if  prcsiilent  and  secre- 
tal'V.  At  the  present  liuir  hi'  is  [iresiilenl  of 
the  Universal  ]'\(lerati(in  of  Glass  Wcjrkers  iu 
the  United  States,  Belgium,  France,  Italy  and 
England,  and  in  the  coming  July  (1890)  will  go 
to  Europe,  accompanied  by  delegates,  as  presi- 
dent of  the  organization  which  meets  there  at 
that  time.  Mr.  Slicker  is  an  active  republican 
and  takes  a  lively  interest  in  the  party  of  his 
choice ;  while  in  Pittsburg  he  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  republican  county  committee.  He  is 
a  gentleman  of  intelligent  and  liberal  views,  an 
earnest  and  honest  advocate  of  the  rights  of 
labor,  a  skilled  and  faithful  employee  and  a 
worthy  and  respected  citizen. 

'William  H.  Slicker  on  July  7,  187G,  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Jessie  F.  Henry,  a 
daughter  of  Samuel  Henry,  an  old  resident  of 
Allegheny  City,  and  they  have  had  one  child,  a 
daughter,  Alice  JIaud,  who  was  born  February 
9th,  1878,  but  who  was  carried  from  earth  to 
heaven  by  the  Angel  of  Death  on  the  ]><th  day 
of  July,  1884,  at  the  tender  age  of  six  years, 
five  months  and  nine  days. 


f^  C.  SMITH,  a  useful  citizen  of  Jeannette 
'jTY  and  one  whose  industry  and  energy  liave 
served  him  well,  was  born  in  Milllin  coun- 
ty. Pa.,  October  24,  1S48,  and  is  the  youngest 
living  son  and  ninth  chihl  of  John  and  Mary 
(Loveall)  Smith.  His  jiaternal  grandfather 
Smith  came  from  Germany  to  the  L'nited  States 
when  a  young  man  and  resided  in  Pennsylvania 
until  his  death.  John  Smith  (father)  was  born 
at  Marietta,  Columbia  county.  Pa.,  but  soon 
after  becoming  of  age  removed  to  Midiin  county, 
I'a.,  where  he  resided  until  his  death  in  1882. 
He  was  a  carpenter  and  contractor  ami  a  suc- 
cessful business  man.  He  was  a  democrat  in 
politics,   a  mendicr  of  the   Dunk;ird   church  and 


WESTMORELA  ND   CO  UNTY. 


nian-iod  Mary  Lovcall,  a  ilau^rlitcv  of  .losciili 
aiiil  Miiiv  1-nvrall  of  ('haiiilicr-^liurg,  I'a.  .Mi-, 
anil  Mrs.  Smith  liiul  nine  cliiKlreii,  of  -wlioiii 
ci^^lit   aro   living'. 

L.    ('.    Siiiilli    was   iMliicalcil    in    llio    (.■nuiiiioii 
scIkjiiI.s    ..f    .Millliii     Ci>iiMty.       Ilu     lcarii(.-il    the 
traik'    t>f    carpenter    witii    liis  father  whieli  he 
has    folhjwed    ever     since.       In    July,    ISG-i,  i 
when  only  sixteen  years  of   age,     he    enlisted  j 
in     Co.    II,  one    hundred  and  ninety-fifth  reg.   j 
Pa.  Vols.,   and  secured  his  term  of  enlistment  | 
in  the  Shenandoah  ^'alley,  Virginia,  Avhere  he  j 
experienced  the  privations    of    a    soldier's  life  \ 
in    wearisome    marching    as    well    as    in    hard  i 
fichting.     He  was    honorably  discharged  from  i 
the  service  of- the  United  States  at  Ilarrisburg,  j 
in   June,  1865.     Returning  home    he   pursued  j 
his  trade  until  1870,  when  he  removed  to  Brad- 
dock,  Pa.,  and  accepted  the  position  of  foreman 
in    E.    11.   Dowler's  large   planing   mill  at  that 
place,     lie    discharged    the   duties  of  his  posi- 
tion so   successfully   and   satisfactorily  that   he 
remained    in    ^Ir.    Dowler's    employ    for    ten 
years.      On  August  25,    lS>i8,  he  came   to    the 
newly  -  established    atul     wonderfully-developed 
town  of  Jeannette,  where  lie  became  foreman  for 
the  Jeannette  Planing  Mill  Company.      He  got 
their  large  mill  in  running  order.     An  idea  of 
the  importance  and  responsibilty  of  his  position 
mav   lie   derived   from   the   vast   amount  of  lirst- 
class    and     highly    satisfactory    work      that     is 
turned  out  by   the  mill.      To  this  practical  and 
thoroiiu'h    kni>wlc-dge    of    carpentering    a    large 
porlinu  of  (lie  success  of  tlie  mill  is  attributable. 

On  the  'JTtli  day  oi'  November,  187:i,  ]\Ir. 
Smith  married  Mary  E.  Soles,  a  daughter  of 
Hugh   II.   Soles  of  Praddock,   Pa. 

L.  C.  Smith  in  political  matters  acted  with 
the  I'euiocratic  party  uj)  to  IS.SIJ,  but  since 
then  has  labored  in  the  interests  of  the  Pro- 
hibitionists. He  is  a  strong  temperance  advo- 
cate, a  member  of  the  United  Brothers  church 
and  a  man  of  good  judgment,  untiring  energy 
and  business  sagacity. 


't'.VMES  15.  SMITH  was  born  December  17, 
"l'  185',i,  in  Couhersville,  Allegheny  county 
(^  I'a.,  and  is  a  son  of  Michael  D.  and 
Lueinda  (Painter)  Siiiitli.  Micliacl  Smith,  his 
grandfallier,  a  native  of  .\nuiica,  was  by  occu- 
pation a  riverman  and  served  during  the  civil  war 
as  a  captain  and  was  killed  in  battle.  Michael 
D.  Smith,  who  was  born  in  1835  in  Allegheny 
county,  was  a  pilot  on  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi 
rivers  and  came  to  his  death  by  drowning  in 
18G1.  lie  was  married  to  Lueinda,  a  daughter 
of  George  Painter  of  Allegheny  county.  Pa., 
who  bore  him  four  children,  of  whom  James  B. 
is  the  third.  When  the  late  war  broke  out  and 
the  call  of  the  Union  for  men  went  forth,  all 
of  George  Painter's  sons  except  one  went  to 
the  front  and  fought  gallantly  under  the 
"stars  and  stripes"  for  tlie  preservation  of  the 
Union. 

James  B.  Smith  attended  the  public  schools 
of  McKeesport  and  Tarentum,  and  learned  the 
blacksmith  trade  with  his  step-father,  Charles 
Slacker,  which  he  has  followed  ever  since.  For 
four  years  he  has  been  in  the  employ  of  the  Penn 
Gas  Coal  Company  at  Penn  station,  winch  is 
ab\indant  evidence  of  his  inilustry  and  skill. 
Mr.  .Smith  is  a  republican,  and  with  his  wife  be- 
longs to  the  M.  E.  church,  in  which  he  has  been 
steward  and  trustee.  He  is  a  member  of  Manor 
Council,  No.  71ti,  R.  A. ;  Manor  Valley  Lodge, 
No.  879,  I.  0.  O.  F.  ;  Penn  Council,  No.  10(3, 
Jr.  O.  U.  A.  M.,  and  of  the  Order  of  Solon. 
In  1>>:1  he  instituted  Irwin  Lodge,  No.  -o.  In- 
dependent Order  of  Good  Teni|ihirs  at  Irwin  ; 
he  is  a  zealous  worker  in  the  interests  of  temper- 
ance and  sobriety.  Mr.  Smith,  being  of  a 
genial  disposition  and  an  inveterate  punster,  is 
an  agreeable  and  pleasant  companton. 

lie  was  married  January  17,  1884,  to 
Priscilla,  a  daughter  of  Jackson  Swonger  of 
Westmoreland  county.  Rev.  W.  F.  Connor  of 
Irwin,  performing  the  ceremony.  They  have 
had  four  children,  three  of  whom  are  living: 
Minnie  B.,  born  April  18,  1880  ;   Frank  1)., 


380 


BIUQRAPUIES  OF 


born    Dctobcr    C),    1SS7  ;     and    Mary    Emma, 
born    ^ScplcnibiT   'J,    1881). 


GIIAKLES  R.  SMITH,  of  Jcannelto,  a 
courteous,  intelligent  gentleman  and  the 
efficient  cashier  of  the  First  National 
bank  at  tiiat  wonderfully  j)rosperous  town,  is 
the  youngest  son  of  Jacob  and  Sarah  (George) 
Smith  and  was  born  near  Ijatrobe,  Westmore- 
land county.  Pa.,  November  :20,  Ib.'iO.  His 
grandfather,  Henry  Smith,  was  born  and  reared 
near  Pleasant  Unity  during  the  latter  half  of 
the  eighteenth  century.  He  married  ^lagdalena 
Richard,  by  whom  he  had  ten  children,  six 
boys  and  four  girls.  One  of  their  sons  is  Jacob 
Smith,  who  was  born  November  30,  1811,  and 
whoso  life  work  has  been  farming,  lie  is  a 
democrat  and  a  nieuibor  of  the  Uefurmed  church. 
On  Sejitember  10,  1835,  he  married  Sarah, 
daughter  of  Peter  George.  They  had  seven 
children,  of  whom  five  are  living. 

Charles  R.  Smith  was  educated  in  Latrobe 
public  schools.  Sewickley  academy  and  Mercers- 
burg  college.  Leaving  college,  he  determined 
\i|Min  a  business  career  in  life  and  accriited  in 
ISTl  tlie  a.ssislaiit  cashiership  of  liic  I'ailiKMs' 
National  bank  of  Greensburg.  In  IST."),  when 
that  bank  became  the  Fifth  National  bank  of 
Pittsburg,  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania railroad  and  for  three  years  was  en- 
gaged in  their  Pittsl)urg  and  Philadelphia  offices. 
in  l8S|  ills  services  were  soliciled  liy  ihe 
"  Greensljurg  Hanking  Company,"  and  acee))ting 
their  oiler  he  served  them  faithfully  and  effi- 
ciently until  1888.  In  that  year  he  took  a  vaca- 
tion for  the  benelit  of  his  Ijealth.  In  a  few 
months  he  recovered  his  wonted  slate  ol  health 
and  ill  August,  1^S'.),  he  became  cashier  of  the 
"  JMr.sL  National  bank  of  .Jeaniiette,"  which  is 
one  of  the  well-manageil  and  prosiierous  fiscal 
corporations  of  Westmoreland  county.  This 
bank  was  duly  JMcorporated  under  a  national 
eliai  ler  A  Mgust   13,  18S1),  entered   into   iuisiuess 


under  the  most  favorable  auspices  and  has 
already  taken  its  place  among  the  j)ermanent 
and  leading  banks  of  the  county. 

C.  U.  Smith  is  a  director  of  tlio  First 
National  bank  of  <jreen>buig  ami  the  First 
National  bank  of  Jeannette.  He  is  thoroughly 
ac(|uainted  with  the  principles  of  successful 
baid-cing,  has  had  fifteen  years  of  valuable  ex- 
perience as  cashier  and  director  and  is  recognized 
in  business  circles  as  a  correct  business  man  and 
a  irood  financier. 


APT.  J.  A.  M.  SEITZ,  of  Jeannette, 
was  born  April  20,  1837,  at  Fite's  Eddy, 
Lancaster  county.  Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  and  Julia  AV.  (Hastings)  Seitz.  His 
grandfather,  John  Seitz,  was  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, but  in  his  younger  days  immigrated  to 
America,  settling  in  Lancaster  county.  Pa., 
where  he  followed  the  occupation  of  farming. 
John  Seitz  (father)  was  born  in  York  county, 
Pa.;  removed  in  1838  to  South  Side,  Pittsburg, 
where  he  died  in  1852.  He  was  by  trade  a  wagon- 
muker,  but  at  Pittsburg  he  was  superintendent 
of  shipjiing  for  a  coal  o]ierator  on  the  Mononga- 
heia  river.  He  was  iiianied  to  Julia  Hastings, 
a  daughter  of  Simeon  Hastings,  of  Lancaster 
county,  this  State,  whose  ancestors  were  among 
the  very  early  settlers  of  tliat  county  and  who 
were  of  the  sect  call  Quakers,  or  Society  of 
Friends.  Mr.  Seitz  was  a  successful  business 
man  highly  esteemed  by  all,  and  in  politics  a 
whig  though  liberal  in  his  views. 

Capt.  J.  A.  M.  Seitz  is  the  youngest  of  four 
children  and  received  his  education  in  tlie  public 
schools  of  South  Side,  Pittsburg.  Owing  to  his 
father'.s  death  in  1852,  when  Capt.  Seitz  was 
but  liftcen  years  of  age,  he  was  obliged  to  make 
his  own  way  in  the  world  and  began  by  study- 
ing in  the  evenings  and  attending  niglit  school. 
At  the  age  of  seventeen  lie  went  on  the  river 
and  followed  coal  boating  until  the  breaking  out 
of  the   war   (serving   iii    the  capacities  of  pilot 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


381 


and  captain).  In  18G1  he  enlisted  in  Co.  B, 
si.xty-second  reg.,  I'a.  Vols.,  rcciuitud  in  Pitts- 
burg under  Capt.  J.  W.  Pattersun.  Tiiis  regi- 
uu'iit,  went  into  the  service  July  4,  lS(il,  ;iud 
with  it  dipt,  ^■eit/.  served  t'ur  niure  than  three 
years.  lie  was  a  stall' oliicer  two  years  ami  was 
then  promoted  to  tirst  lieutenant.  xVt  Gaines' 
Mill  he  was  wounded  though  not  severely  and  at 
Gettysburg  he  was  seriously  wounded  by  being 
shot  through  the  left  side.  After  the  war  he 
followed  tiie  river  again  until  1ST4,  serving  as 
pilot  and  captain;  the  next  year  he  traveled  over 
the  plains  for  his  health.  Returning  east  in 
1880  he  embarked  in  the  grocery  business,  but 
Avas  washed  out  by  the  the  flood  at  Martin's 
Ferry,  Ohio,  in  1884.  By  no  means  dis- 
heartened he  again  started  up  in  business,  and 
in  September,  1888,  came  to  this  county,  locat- 
ing at  .leannette.  where  he  erueted  the  hotel  he 
now  oecupiL-s,  wbieh  was  the  second  structure 
biult  in  \VfSt  JuanuL'ttc.  (/apt.  Scitz  is  one  (jf 
the  Uien,  who,  though  running  licensed  houses, 
do  not  themselves  imliibc.  In  politics  lie  is  a 
republican  and  fre(|uently  niake>  himself  i]uite 
useful  to  bis  party.  In  Martin's  Ferr}'  he  was 
one  of  the  original  trustees  of  the  water-works 
but  never  aspired  to  political  ollice.  In  religi- 
ous views  he  is  liberal  and  contributes  to  all  ilc- 
nominations,  regardless  of  creed  or  color.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Masonic  Fraternity,  in  which 
he  has  risen  to  the  rank  of  Knight  Templar. 


r..    SFLl.lN'.VX.  .,f  the  finn  of  Sullivan 
'^   \  lu.tii,  carpenters  and  luiihlers,  of  Jean- 
Mede,   Was    boi  ii    Seplelnher    7,     ISllI,    jn 
Shenandoah    \'alley.    Sheiiandnaii    county,   \  a.,    I 
and  is  a  son  of  l>enipsey  an<l  fallen  (Foley)  Sul- 
livan.     His  grandfather,  Tinioiliy  Sullivan,  was 
born,  lived  and  died  in  the  hind  of  Va'iu,  where  j 
I'empx'V  Sullivan  (father)  \\a>    Imrn,  in    county   ' 
Keriy,  and  w  lieiiei'   he    iiuuii'_'ialed    lo   Auieiiea 
about  I8r.lt,  settling  at  ^Va-hillgtoll,  D.C.      He   1 
■was  engtigeci   in    the  navy  dejiaitiiient,  being  a   [ 


soldier  in  the  marine  service,  in  which  he  re- 
mained until  the  close  of  the  war.  The  contest 
having  ended  he  ■went  to  ^'irginia,  bought  a 
jilanlation  and  began  speculating  and  dealing  in 
stock,  Nvhich  he  still  follows,  though  not  exten- 
sively, as  he  is  about  si.xty-hve  years  of  age. 
He  is  a  republican  and  a  member  of  the  Cath- 
olic church.  His  wife  was  Ellen  Foley,  who 
came  to  this  country  with  her  brother  when  but 
si.x  years  of  age.  His  brother,  Daniel  Sullivan, 
settled  many  years  ago  in  Virginia,  where  his 
sons  are  now  prominent  republican  politicians. 
Another  brother,  Patrick  Sullivan,  died  from  the 
eftect  of  wounds  received  in  the  artillery  service 
of  the  Federal  government  during  the  late  war. 
D.  B.  Sullivan  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Virginia  and  the  high  school 
of  Woodstock,  that  State.  He  learned  the  car- 
penter trade,  serving  an  apprenticeship  of  four 
years,  after  which  he  engaged  in  the  insurance 
business  for  two  years  as  a  S))eeial  agent  in  the 
Mutual  Life.  Part  of  the  time,  however,  he  was 
contracting,  and  on  the  I'Jtli  of  August,  1888, 
he  located  at  Jeannette,  wlieie  he  was  among 
the  tirst  arrivals.  He  did  the  finishing  work  on 
the  numerous  houses  that  were  erected  by  the 
Land  and  Improvement  Conijiany,  and  is  now 
contracting,  doing  a  large  and  successful  busi- 
ness in  which  he  emjiloys  some  twenty  men. 
Mr.  Sullivan,  for  prompt  and  regular  attend- 
ance, was  awarded  a  medal  by  Co.  (J,  second 
\;i.  reg..  State  militia,  of  which  he  w;is  for  five 
years  a  member.  In  jiolitics  he  is  an  active  re- 
publican and  in  religious  faith  adlni-cs  to  the 
doctrines  of  the  Catholic  church,  of  which  he  is 
a  devoted  and  useful  member. 


FORGE  S  SUTTON,   M.   D.,  of  Jean- 
nette,   was    born    October   2"2,    Ls.".;'),    in 
'l'       Kli/,abelli    township,    Allegheny     county, 
Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of.bisepli  and  ."^ahina  (.'~>liields) 
Sutton.      His    paternal   graiiilfaiher,  .loliii    Sut- 
ton, was  a  native  of  Fii;/land  and  iinnii'Tated  lo 


382 


nrOGRAPIIIES  OF 


Aniei-ica,  settling  neav  West  Newton,  this 
ciiuntv.  lie  was  a  cabinetmaker  by  ocenpation, 
anil  niarrinl  Aniv  Buibl,  a  nieniber  of  tlic  old 
liiuM  I'aniily,  \sliieli  is  so  well-known  in  West- 
niorelanil  eminty,  by  whom  lie  had  five  children, 
of  whom  tour  grew  to  maturity,  one  of  them 
being  r»r.  Lewis  Suttnn,  of  West  Newton. 
Joseph  Sutton  (father)  was  born  in  1821  near 
^Vest  Xewtun,  this  county,  and  successfully  fol- 
lowed farming  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  1805.  In  politics  he  was  a  republican  and 
an  abolitionist,  giving  liberally  of  his  means  to 
support  the  cause  of  anti-slavery.  He  took  a 
deep  interest  in  the  cause  of  education  and  did 
much  in  support  of  the  common  school  system. 
The  religious  denomination  of  his  choice  was  the 
Raptist  church,  in  which  he  was  a  deacon  from 
the  time  he  reached  maturity  until  his  death, 
lie  married  Sabina  Shields,  a  daughter  of  John 
Shields,  who  was  the  first  saddler  in  Elizabeth, 
a  town  on  the  Monongahela  river,  and  whose 
wife  was  the  Hrst  milliner  there.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Shields  were  married  in  North  Ireland,  the  land 
of  their  nativity,  but  when  young  immigrated  to 
this  country,  where  Mrs.  Shields  died.  Iler 
husbaml  returneil  to  Ireland  on  a  visit  and  died 
while  there. 

George  S.  Sutton,  who  is  of  English  descent, 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  California 
State  normal,  (Jannonsburg  academy,  Chanibers- 
hurg  academy  and  Mount  Union  college  and 
graduated  from  its  medical  department  in  ISSO. 
After  practicing  two  years  in  Arkansas  he  re- 
turned to  Pennsylvania  and  entered  Jefferson 
Medical  college  of  Philadelphia,  fn.m  which  he 
graduated  in  1883.  He  then  came  to  this 
county  and  practiced  at  Mendon  with  his  uncle, 
l)r.  Lewis  Sutton,  for  five  years.  'I'iie  last  two 
years  he  spent  at  West  Newton,  and  on  October 
•2-1,  1880,  located  at  West  Jeannette,  erecting  a 
dwelling-house  and  a  drug  store  building  corner 
Second  street  and  Penn  avenue.  Dr.  Sutton  is 
actively  .■iiL'agcd  in  the  practice  of  his  |u-iifession 
and   enjoys   a   large   and    increasing    patronage. 


lie  is  a  rejiublican  but  does  not  neglect  his 
business  to  attend  to  piditical  affairs;  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  I.  <>.  O.  I'.,  the  Jr.  O.  U.  A.  M., 
the  Patrons  of  Husliandry  and  behjiigs  to  the 
Masonic  fraternity — the  Hlue  Lodgt',  Chapter 
and  Coniniamlery. 

Dr.  George  S.  Sutton  on  January  17,  188-1, 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Josephine,  a 
daughter  of  Josephine  and  Catharine  (Shupe) 
llouifh,  of  near  Smithton,  this  county.  Mrs. 
Sutton  is  a  qualified  assistant  in  the  drug  busi- 
ness and  attends  to  the  store  while  her  husband 
follows  his  profession. 


•f"  OSEPII  THEOBALD,  an  enterprising  lum- 
"t'  ber  dealer  of  Penn  station,  was  born  Octo- 
(i)  ber  5,  1850,  in  St.  Ingbert,  Bavaria,  and 
is  a  son  of  Franz  and  Anna  Theobald,  who  had 
si.\  children.  Joseph  being  the  fourth. 

Joseph  Theobald  left  the  European  continent 
at  the  age  of  eighteen  years  and  came  to  Amer- 
ica, making  the  long  journey  alone  and  landing 
on  the  shores  June  17,  186J>.      He  remained  in 
New   York  but  a  few  days  and  then    went  to 
Pittsburg,  where  he  did   his  first   work   in   this 
country,  mining  coal  for  two  years.     In  1871  he 
removed  to  Penn    station  and  continued  in  the 
mines   four   years   longer,  at    the    expiration  of 
which  time  he  went  to  hotel-keeping   as  propri- 
etor of  the  "  Thomas  House,"  whiih  he  ran  for 
twelve    years.       In    1SS7    he   began    to    deal    in 
lumber  ami  take  contracts  for  building.      He  is 
in  the  same  line   yet  and  is  succeeding  remark- 
ably well.      1  hiring   the   summer  of    1888  and 
188'.)  he  built  more   than    two  dozen  houses  and 
does  an  annual  business  of  tens  of  thousands  of 
dollars.      Mr.  Theobald  owns  considerable  prop- 
erty in  Penn  and  is  one  of  the  progressive  men 
of  the  place.      He  has  always  been  an  unswerv- 
ing democrat,  an  active  and  influential   worker 
in  the  interests  of  his   jiarty.      He  is  a  member 
of  William    IVnn    Lodge,  No.  ;V2,  A.  O.  U.  W., 
in  which  he  has  taken  an  active  part. 


WESTMORELAND   CO UNTY. 


383 


Josepli  'I'licdbald  in  l."^":^  was  married  to  Au- 
gusta, a  ilau^htor  of  (iotleib  Tlidiiias,  ut'  rouu 
station,  ami  tlK'ylia\e  ^ix  L-liiKhen  :  Aiii.'u><la, 
lidiii  |l((rml„|-  1  I,  l,s7;;:  Anna,  l.oi  n  I  )(Tcm- 
l.cr  lli,  l.sTii;  Lena,  l)(irn  Aii^ni^t  'J,  ISTH; 
.)os(.-|ili,  Lorn  NovLMiihei-  11,  ib^-1:  IlcniT,  bora 
Se]>teiiiber  8, 1S8(],  ami  Thomas,  b(3rn  bt'cuiabcr 
8,  IS.ss. 

Q)  DWAUL)  J.  A'INTON,  proprietor  of  the 
Merchant's  Hotel  at  Jeanuette,  was  born 
November  8,  184y,  in  Youngstown,  Ohio, 
ami  is  tlie  only  son  and  child  of  \Villiani  T. 
and  Margaret  (Jones)  A'inton.  Thomas  A^inton 
(grandfather!  was  a  native  and  citizen  of 
South  Wales,  where  he  was  manager  of  an 
iron  works  at  Dowles.  Later  in  life  he  eanie 
to  America  and  built  at  Palmyra  one  of  the 
first  blast-furnaces  erected  in  the  State.  His 
cousin,  John  A'iiiton.  a  Baptist  minister  was 
also  a  manager  of  iron  works,  having  charge 
(.if  twenty-one  bla.st-furnace.'^  in  Wales.  John 
J.  Vinton  (uncle)  is  now  engaged  in  the 
iron  bul^iness  at  Fmdlay.  (_)liii>.  William 
T.  A'lnton  was  born  in  South  Wales  and 
immigrated  to  the  United  States  when  about 
twenty-two  years  of  age.  He  wa^  a  graduate 
of  London  college  and  in  this  country  followed 
book-keeping  and  the  teaching  of  music.  Ilis 
wife,  who  (lied  in  1884  and  by  whom  he  had  one 
child,  was  a  native  of  South  AVales  but  a  re.->i- 
dent  of  Mercer  county,  I'a.,  at  tiie  time  of  her 
marriage. 

Kdward  J.  \'inli)n  was  educated  in  the  pidi- 
lic  .scbo.ils  of  lront..n,  Ohio,  and  al  ihe  age  of 
nineteen  years  had  charge  of  a  pair  of  lolls  in 
tlie  iron  \vorks  at  licdford,  I'a.,  having  first 
worked  in  the  iron  works  at  Johnstown.  In 
ISTl  he  emliarkeJ  in  the  wholesale  confectionery 
business,  which  lie  ([uit  to  engage  in  contracting 
for  the  building  of  liridges,  masonry,  etc.  In 
the  midst  of  his  business  at  Johnstown  he  went 
to  Jeannctte  November  1,  1888,  and  immediately 
erected  the  Merchant's    Hotel  on   Third  street, 


at  that  new  and  thriving  "glass  city."  Mr. 
Vinton  is  now  Imilding  four  stororooms  on  the 
corner  of  Third  street  and  Clay  a\-enue  and 
owns  valuable  lots  in  ihc  borou'jh.  lie  is  one  of 
Jcannettit's  active  and  enlcrpiising  citizens. 
In  politics  he  is  a  reiniblican  ami  formerly  took 
a  prominent  part  in  the  jiolitieal  all'airs  of  his 
county.  lie  served  as  burgess  and  treasurer  of 
his  borough,  Millvale  and  was  a  highly  re- 
spected citizen  (jf  Cambria  county.  He  is  a 
member  of  K.  of  IL,  Royal  Arcanum  and  of  the 
Mystic  Chain  and  the  Maccabees. 

Edward  J.  Vinton  was  married  July  30, 1873, 
to  Sarah,  daughter  of  William  Reese,  of  Johns- 
town, Pa.,  by  whom  he  has  had  seven  children  : 
William  T.,  born  June  21,  1874,  and  now 
cashier  in  Haines  k,  Company's  store,  at  Jean- 
nette ;  Gertrude,  born  April  4,  1877;  Edgar 
Lawrens,  born  July  1(3,  l87it;  John  J.  (de- 
ceased), born  September  7,  1881  ;  Margaretta 
(deceased),  born  November  "2(1,  1MS2;  Romig. 
born  JMarch  It!,  1885;  and  Mary,  born  July 
31,  1887.  jNIargaretta,  the  tiftli  child,  was  one 
of  the  unfortunate  victims  of  the  terrible  Hood 
at  Johnstown,  which  caused  thousands  of  hearts 
to  bleed  for  those  who  were  near  and  dear  to 
them. 

ITT)  K.  WALTIIOUR  was  born  November  1, 
jjp^  184(i,  in  llemptield  township,  near  Manor 
Station,  ^Vestmoreland  county,  Pa. :  he  is 
a  sonof  Josejjh  and  Eliza  (Wentling)  Waltliour. 
His  grandfather,  Jacob  \Valtliiuir.  was  one  of  tiie 
old  settlers  of  I'enn  tou  n>hi]i,  and  at  (jne  time 
owned  the  tract  of  land  on  which  Harrison  C!ity 
IKJW  stands.  He  \\as  a  farmer,  and  married 
Barbara  Knajipeidjcrger.  J(Dseph  Walthour, 
one  of  his  sons,  was  born  December  2,"),  1817, 
in  Penn  township  and  died  August  27,  1S()7. 
He  was  a  siK'cessful  i'ai-nier  and  at  his  death 
owned  a  line  farm  which  he  acipiired  Ijy  his  own 
ellorts.  He  was  a  democrat  (jf  the  Jacksonian 
tyi)e  and  an  active  wcirker  for  his  party's 
success.       He    was    identified    with    the    Lu- 


niOGEAPIIIES  OF 


thcran  church  at  Ailanisburg  and  was  highly 
I'sti'ciiK'il  by  liis  lU'ighlioi-s,  being  a  man  nF  do- 
ciileil  views  and  conviftions.  Ho  united  in 
niarviage  with  I'lliza,  a  dauglitei-  (if  D.  D. 
AVeiitling,  cif  Ailamsburg,  wliu  was  bnin  in 
182o  ami  who  bore  him  ten  children,  of  whom 
but  four  are  living :  Frank  P. ;  Lydia  Ann, 
wife  of  S.  P.Waugaman,  a  dentist  of  McKeesport, 
Pa.;  Jnsephine,  wlio  is  at  home  with  her 
mother  ;    and  Benjamin  R. 

B.  R.  Walthour  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  and  began  life  as  a  farmer.  Upon  ar- 
riving at  manlionil  lie  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade  which  lie  followed  for  ten  years.  In 
August,  1><77,  he  opened  a  li\ery  stable  at 
Manor;  in  l>^8n  built  tiie  fine  new  barn  which 
he  now  occupies,  and  keeps  a  comjilete  stock  of 
everything  jiertaining  to  liis  business.  He  is  a 
democrat,  not  because  liis  forefathers  were,  but 
because  he  believes  in  the  great  principles  it  has 
taught  from  the  time  of  Jefferson  down  to  the 
present.  He  is  a  member  of  Planer  Lodge,  No. 
90,  A.  0.  U.  W.,  and  of  Trovilla  Council,  No. 
158,  Jr.  0.  U.  A.  M.,  in  winch  he  takes  an 
active  interest. 

B.  R.  Waitliour  was  married  September  24, 
1874,  to  Sarah  J.,  a  daughter  of  David  Uankin, 
of  lira]ievillo,  this  t'ouuty.  who  was  born  Apiil 
0,  18r)4,  and  their  union  has  been  blessed  with 
four  children:  (tertrude  Finrence,  Ikuii  July 
14,  187.');  Howard  C,  born  January  IH.  1S8U ; 
Edna,  born  December  1'2,  1883;  and  Josephine, 
born  >rarch  27,  1887. 


jf^EWIS  C.  WESTBROOK  was  born 
''\J  March  L'7,  18.'.2,  in  Huntingdon,  Pa., 
and  is  a  son  of  Levi  E.  and  liosanna 
(Derer)  Westbrook.  His  grandfather,  Levi 
Westbrook,  was  a  native  of  the  same  county, 
where  he  folj.iwed  tiie  trade  of  cradle  making 
in  Huntingdon.  He  was  a  siiccesstid  business 
man  and  an  idd-tinie  democrat.  Levi  I'].  ^.Vest- 
brook  (fatherj  was   also  boiii   in   that  county  in 


1812,  where  he  still  lives,  having  retired  from 
active  work.  H<',  too,  was  a  cradle-nniker,  and 
([uitu  successfid  in  the  alVairs  of  life,  lie  is  a 
democrat  but  never  aspired  to  [lolitical  olficc ; 
having  received  a  thorimgh  education  he  is  a 
fine  scholar  and  a  man  of  liberal  views  and 
decided  convictions.  He  was  married  to  Ros- 
anna  Derer,  by  whom  he  had  ten  children,  of 
whom  five  are  living. 

Lewis  C.  Westbrook  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  and  began  business  life  at  Altoona, 
serving  an  apprenticeship  as  a  bricklayer  with 
the  P.  II.  R.  From  there  he  went  to  Tyrone, 
Pa.,  and  engaged  in  contracting  for  brickwork 
which  lie  has  continueil  ever  since.  lie  went 
to  Jeannettc  about  May  1,  1888,  and  purchased 
the  first  lot  and  erected  the  first  house  in  West 
Jeannette,  the  only  brick  structure  now  there  ; 
be  is  at  present  engaged  in  tank  building  for 
the  Chambers  it  McKee  Company.  In  politics 
he  is  independent,  casting  his  ballot  for  the  men 
he  believes  best  fitted  for  the  positions  to  which 
they  aspire.  He  is  the  pioneer  of  West  Jean- 
nette and  an  enterprising,  reliable  man  ;  he  is 
a  member  of  the  Masonic  Fraternity  and  of  the 
I.  0.  O.  F.  Mr.  Westbrook  is  a  fine  workman  ; 
he  was  foreman  in  the  erection  of  the  new  jail 
building  at  Greensburg;  was  the  contractor  for 
the  outer  wall  of  the  Reformatory  and  warden's 
residence  at  Huntingdon,  Pa.,  and  has  done 
much  work  in  this  and  other  counties. 

Lewis  C.  Westbrook,  on  the  14th  of  October, 
1870,  was  united  in  marriage  with  Rebecca 
Morgan,  a  daughter  of  \Vm.  Morgan,  late  of 
Blair  county.  Pa.,  who  is  a  farmer  ami  a  highly 
respected  citizen  of  that  county.  The  only  child 
of  this  union  is  a  daughter,  Ida,  who  was  born 
in  1873  and  who  is  at  lionie  with  her  parents. 


AMUEL    WALTHOUR.      Much   of  the 

history  of  any  country  clusters  around  its 

•ading    characters;   so    in    a    county  the 

history  of  the  early   settled  families  whose  du- 


WESTMOnELAND  COUNTY. 


scemlants  dwell  among  us  furnishes  a  record  at 
once  uniiiue  and  valualde.  Sucli  a  funiily  we 
have  now  under  consideration.  Samuel  ^Val- 
thiiur,  line  of  its  livin;^  rciiresculalives,  was 
lioru  at  Manor,  Westuiorehmd  county,  A]iril  I;'i, 
1815,  and  is  a  son  of  Christophel  and  Catharine 
(Drum)  Walthour.  His  great-grandfather,  a 
native  of  Germany,  immigrated  to  this  country 
and  settled  in  Lancaster  county,  whence  he 
removed  to  what  is  now  North  Huntingdon 
township,  this  county,  about  1750.  Where  the 
town  of  iManor  now  stands  Christoplier  Wal- 
tliour  in  1785  built  a  ilouring  mill  which  is  ^till 
in  running  order.  He  had  a  son  born  in  Lan- 
caster county  prior  to  1750,  whom  he  named 
Christopher  Waltliour  in  honor  of  iiimself. 
After  the  family  had  settled  in  tliis  county 
young  Christopher  married  Dorotliy,  daughter 
of  Abraham  Lenhart,  of  Allegheny  county,  Pa., 
and  settled  in  the  neighborhood  of  Manor, 
where  his  son  Christophel  was  born  in  1792. 
At  the  age  of  about  twenty  Christophel  enlisted 
fur  service  in  the  war  of  Ibli',  but  owing  to 
some  cause  now  uid<no\vu  failed  to  get  into  the 
ranks. 

He  married  Catharine,  daughter  of  I'hilij) 
Hriim,  of  Franklin  township,  who  bore  him 
seven  children,  three  of  whuui  yet  survive : 
Christophel  C,  who  is  married  to  Miss  Davis, 
of  this  county,  and  resides  in  Armstrong  county; 
Lewis,  ;i  resident  of  McKeesport,  whose  wife 
was   .lane    I'roiist.  of    ( ireensliurg,  and   Samuel. 

I'hilip  Drum,  tlic  nialeriial  grandfather  of 
these  suns,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Kevulutionary 
war,  and  in  fact  all  the  Drums  were  of  a 
military  character.  One  of  the  descendants  is 
Adjutant-<j!cneral  Drum,  formerly  of  Greens- 
burg  but  now  of  \Vashington,  D.  C.,  and 
another  is  Simon  Drum,  now  Mayor  of  Alle- 
gheny VAly. 

Samuel  Walthour  was  a  school-boy  in  the 
days  »lien  unsurmountable  dillieulties  lay  acrcjss 
tlir  patli  of  the  poor  boy  who  wisheil  to  journey 
up    ill,'    cducnlioiud     lidl.      The    .dunty    srhool- 


houseswere  built  of  logs  covereil  with  clapboards 
and  absolutely  without  comforts.  Young  Wal- 
thour hail  to  walk  four  miles  tlirough  nmd  and 
snow  for  the  privilege  of  uttending  even  these 
riulo  and  uneomlbrtable  places  of  learning. 
\Vitli  but  little  education,  therefore,  he  began 
life  for  himself  as  a  farmer  and  huckster.  He 
continued  in  this  calling  six  years  and  since 
then  has  been  engaged  in  milling  and  grain- 
dealing,  as  well  as  farming  and  stock-raising. 
He  has  a  grain-house  at  Manor  and  owns  five 
farms  containing  nine  hundred  acres.  Mr. 
Walthour  has  been  very  successful  in  business, 
as  he  began  life  a  poor  boy  and  lived  through 
all  the  panics  of  the  century.  He  is  an  active 
member  and  supporter  of  the  Lutheran  church 
and  in  politics  is  a  staneh  democrat.  Mr. 
Walthour  is  a  remarkably  well-preserved  man 
for  one  of  his  age  who  has  performed  so  many 
and  so  arduous  labors.  His  integrity,  business 
capacity  and  intelligence  are  beyond  question, 
and  he  is  a  citizen  of  whom  not  only  Penn 
township  but  the  whole  county  may  feel  justly 
prouil. 

Samuel  Walthour  married  .Mary,  daughter  of 
Abraham  Sinister,  of  Penn  township  in  1835, 
and  to  them  were  born  three  children,  all  of 
whom  are  living:  Elizabeth,  Susan  and  Samuel, 
Jr.  Susan  is  the  wife  of  Joseph  Schoder,  who 
lives  in  East  Liberty;  Samuel,  Jr.,  married 
^Liry,  daughter  of  Pliilip  Klingensmith,  of 
Salem  township  and  resides  at  Manor. 

Samuel  Walthour,  whoso  first  wife  departed 
this  life  April  27,  1887,  has  taken  unto  himself 
a  second.  The  wedding  ceremony  was  per- 
formed August  2y,  1889,  the  bride  bein"' 
Sophia,  daughter  of  Paul  Good,  of  Penn  town- 


C^  11.  WKAVKI!,,  a  remarkably  suecessful 
(^^j  and  well  ediicalcd  business  man  and  the 
V*j  grneral  manager  of  tliu  Jeaiinette  I'laning 
.Mill  ('oiupany,  was  liurn  on  I'oplai-  slicct,  .Alle- 
gheny   t'ily,    I'a.,    Di-erniliL'r    9,    |S5'.),   und    is  a 


386 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


son  of  Ciipt.  Cliai'les  and  Susan  (Chai^)  Woavei'. 
His  fatlici',  Ciipt.  (Jliailfs  Weaver,  was  buni  in 
Adams  county,  I'u.,  in  IH-Ii.  In  IS-l'.l  lie  cunie 
to  I'ittsburg,  wliere  he  engaged  in  his  present 
hiisiuess  of  contracting  on  hrick  and  stone  work, 
lie  enlisted  in  one  of  the  I'ennsylvania  volun- 
teer regiments  during  the  late  war,  was  promoted 
from  Second  Lieutenant  to  a  Captaincy  and 
.servetl  until  liis  regiment  was  discharged.  He 
married  Susan  Craig,  of  Butler  county.  Pa. 
They  iiavo  had  five  children,  of  whuni  limr  are 
living.  Capt.  \Veaver  is  a  republican  frcjui 
principle,  an  advocate  of  "high  tariff"  and  a 
member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Uepublic. 
He  has  erected  several  fine  buildings  in  Jean- 
nelte  and  is    a  sueci'ssl'ul  business  man. 

S.  11.  \Ve;ivrr  ua-,  educated  in  the'  Third 
Ward  school  of  Allegheny  City  and  the  \Vestein 
University  of  I'ennsylvania.  Some  time  after 
comjiloting  the  scientific  course  at  the  university 
he  became  (lcS7(i)  general  manager  foi-  A.  ,J. 
I'eiitacost  of  I'ittsburg,  who  was  cngageil  ex- 
tensively in  the  real  estate  business.  In  1878 
he  was  engaged  to  fill  a  vacancy  as  invoice  clerk 
fji-  the  Union  Malleable  Iron  W^orks,  but  in 
three  months  was  made  bookkeeper  which  posi- 
tion he  held  until  1884,  when  he  became  gen- 
eral manager  for  Slack  A:  Shoals,  who  were 
engaged  in  the  stcandniat  building  and  pl.miiig 
mill  business.  In  ISSS  be  canir  to  Weslmore- 
bind  county  and  on  September  1  of  that  year 
be  became  a  member  ami  general  manager  of 
the  Jeanuette  I'laning  Mill  Company.  Their 
bu>inc>s  has  met  with  well-deserved  success 
under  the  ellieient  management  of  Mr.  AVeaver. 
'J'he  bo.K  shop  of  the  works  employs  forty  men 
ami  turns  out  one  thousand  bo.xes  per  week. 
The  lumber  and  carpentering  departments  no^^ 
employ  one  hundred  men  and  use  ten  cars  of 
lumber  per  week.  The  output  of  the  plaiiing- 
mill  will  be  doubleil  when  the  glass-works  put 
in  their  new  tanks.  The  sawdust  is  sliijiped  to 
I'ittsburg. 

In  IbSl  he  married  Bella  Shoals,  daughter  of 


James  A.  Shoals,  who  is  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  Slack  .'<;  Shoals.  Mr.  and  .Mrs.  \Vcaver  have 
two  children — James  A.  and  Clara. 

S.  II.  W\'avcr  is  a  republican  but  gives  little 
attention  to  politics  and  devotes  his  time  prin- 
cipally to  his  extensive  and  rapidly  increasing 
business.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Independent 
(jrder  of  Odd  Fellows,  Jr.  U.  U.  A.  M.  and  A. 
Y.  }il.  In  the  last  named  order  he  has  passed 
through  chapter  and  commandery  and  is  a 
thirty-second  degree  Mason.  The  Jeannette 
Planing  Mill  t  ompany  has  been  largely  instru- 
mental in  promoting  the  material  interests  of 
that  [dace,  which  is  "  (jueeii  of  the  glass  cities 
of  the  world."  A  full  Ibrce  of  experienced 
workmen  are  employed,  and  umlcr  Mr.  W(.'aver's 
personal  super\ision  is  produced  the  sujH'rior 
work  for  which  the  mill  is  noted.  He  is  a  man 
of  business  ability  and  successful  ex]ierience. 
He  is  full  of  energy  and  push  and  is  one  of  the 
busiest  men  at  Jeannette  to-day. 


EORGE  AVURZEL,  an  enterprising  citi- 
zen of  Jeannette,  was  born  in  Pittsburg, 

Y  P;i-,  South  Side,  December  4,  1854,  and 
is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Apollonia  W^irzel.  His 
graiidfithcr  AVurzel  was  a  native  of  Germany,  a 
prtmiineiit  man  in  his  cumuiunity  and  a  burgo- 
master in  his  native  town.  Henry  AVurzel 
(lather)  was  born  in  Hesse  Harmstadt,  Germany, 
and  innnigrated  to  the  United  States  about  1834, 
locating  at  Pittsburg.  He  was  a  shoemaker 
until  a  few  years  prior  to  his  death,  when  he 
became  a  taxidermist.  Politically  he  was  a 
democrat  and  his  chosen  religious  denomination 
was  the  Catholic  church,  of  which  he  Avas  a  de- 
voted member.      He  died  in  1888. 

George  W'urzcl  is  the  second  of  seven  children 
and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  the 
Twenty-ninth  AVard,  Pittsburg,  and  in  Schaefter's 
Business  college.  For  seven  years  he  worked  in 
King's  glass  works  and  then  went  to  the  nut 
works    of   Oliver   Bros,    i*^    Phillijis,   remaining 


Tfriuuiw  ,(M)tiUH~i    »   .«!«TO   "»»*fi«>    m   »jiivrw  ,  k» 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


387 


tliere  sixteen  year; 
j;roei'ry  >lcirr  fnr  Mi 
(li:il  l)ii--iiicss  ever 
cic.-lcl  un   .M:iiii  .sli. 


;    then    took    eliarge    of   a 
,    Diehol.l    aii.l    ha.s    l.eeii  ill 
siiKV.      Dirl.ol.l    .V    Wmv.el   [ 
■1    the    lir'.L    Imsiiirs.s    liuiisc 


paign  was  exceoiliii;:;ly  activo  in  tlic  iiitcrest.i  of 
liis  [larly,  as  in  fui-t  lie  always  is. 

(ii'or^'e  Wui/.el  was   iiiiileil    ni   niavriaf^e   willi 
liel.'n,  a    .laii-lilcl-    of    .loliii     'I'ra-rsser,    one    of 


<if  any  kinil  in  .leannelte,  ami    llu(m;:li  llie  all'a-       llie    pioneers   of  the    Soiilli    Side,    J'illslnirg,  by 
bility  of  iMr.  ^Vurzel  the  tirni   has   biult  up  one  i  whom  he  has  two  ehildren  :    Clara,  aged  eleven, 


of  clie  largest  trades  in  the  county.  Under  the 
Cleveland  administration  George  Wuizel  was 
postmaster  at  Jeannette,  receiving  the  appoint- 
ment November  12,  1888.  In  1889  he  was 
sent  to  the  democratic  State  convention  by  an 
almost  unanimous  vote  and   in  the  recent  cam- 


and  Leo,  aged  five  years.  Mr.  AVurzel  is  a 
jjleasaut  and  extremely  active  business  man, 
faithful  to  his  friends  and  courteous  and  obliging 
to  all.  He  will  in  the  near  future  open  a  branch 
store  at  Grapeville  which  will  no  doubt  be  as 
successtul  and  pojiular  as  the  Jeannette  store. 


-*f2s  P.'^ <i  CO  '3  fi'~ a 0 Q 


Ipuxin  I  J^ot^th  Htintingdon 


j[  OIIN  0.  BLACKBURN.    Among  the  most 

i  important  branches  of  commercial  business 
(y  is  that  of  general  merchandise,  and  this 
essential  industry  has  an  experienced  and  able 
representative  at  Larimer  in  John  0.  Black- 
burn, ^vlio  is  one  of  the  most  successful  and 
prominent  business  men  of  that  place.  He  is  a 
son  of  William  and  Susan  (Kee)  Blackburn  and 
was  born  in  the  city  of  rittsl)urg  Septemljcr  '12. 
lt>53.  His  parents  are  natives  of  the  north  of 
Ireland,  who  immigrated  to  tlie  United  States  in 
ly4r>  and  were-  residents  of  Diiladelphia  for 
several  years  'I'liey  ne.\t  removed  to  Pittsburg, 
where  they  lived  fur  over  thirty  3'ears  and  were 
engaged  in  the  dairy  businc.-s.  Tn  ISTlJ  tiicy 
reMi()ve<l  to  a  farm  in  I'rnn  tnwnship,  tiiis 
CdUiity,  which  Mr.  lilackiiurn  buuL'ht.  lie  is  a' 
republican  in  [lolitics  and  has  nmv  letired  fiuui 
busintvis.  His  wife  is  active  fjr  her  years  and 
is  a  cdiisistent  member  (jf  the  United  Presby- 
terian cluu-ih. 

Jiibn  (».  lUaikburn  rrceivnl  his  fdiiralinn  in 
theexcellenl  jiublicschools  of  Piitsburg.  Leaving 
school,  he  entered  Duft's  (Juiiimercial  Business 
college  ami  tuok  the  thoruugh  coui'se  of  that 
well-known  institution.  Li  Ls77  went  west, 
spent  four  years  iu  California,  returning  in 
18S1  lie  furmeil  a  partnership  with  his  brother, 
James  C,  and  they  engageil  in  tlie  grocery 
business  at  Larimer  under  the  linn  name  (jf 
J.  C.  J51aekburn  i  Brother.  After  five  years 
John  0.  JJlackliurn  bou.lit  out  his  brother's 
interest   and  included  the  grocery  in  a  general 


mercantile  store,  which  he  then  established  and 
has  continued  to  conduct  it  till  the  present  time. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  in  December, 
LSS'.i,  with  Daisy  Daum,  daughter  of  Simon 
I)aum,  of  Stewart's  station. 

Li  politics  Mr.  Blackburn  is  a  republican. 
His  large  mercantile  establishment  is  conducted 
on  correct  business  principles  and  in  consc- 
([uence  has  met  with  popular  favor  and  com- 
mands a  patronage  that  is  most  desirable  as  well 
as  extensive.  He  is  a  man  of  good  taste  and 
judgment,  and  has  a  choice  and  well-selected 
stock  of  general  merchandise  which  fills  up  all 
the  available  space  of  his  large  store  and  ample 
warerooms.  He  is  an  energetic  and  active  busi- 
ness man,  thoroughly  understands  niercbaiidising 
in  all  of  its  details  and  generally  succeeds  in 
whatever  he  undertakes.  Mr.  Blackburn's 
liolitical  preference  is  for  the  Bepublican  party, 
which  he  always  supports  with  liis  ballot  and 
his   iiilluence. 


EullGE  BROWN  (deceased).  The  late 
George   Brown   was    a    highly   respected 

^  citizen  and  a  popular  merchant  of  Irwin. 
He  was  born  in  Northumberland  county,  En"- 
laiul,  March  20,  IS.'Jl,  and  was  a  son  of  Thomas 
and  Mary  (Whiteheail)  Brown,  who  are  still 
living  in  their  native  county  in  iMiglaiid. 

(Jeorge  P>r(jwn  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Northumberland  county,  England.  In  IbSl  he 
immigrated  to  the  United  States,  where  he  loca- 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


toil  at  Conucllsville,  Fayette  county,  Pa.,  and 
remaineil  two  years.  In  1883  he  came  to  Irwin 
and  engaged  in  mining,  but  finding  tliat  his 
healtii  would  not  allow  that  kind  of  work  lie  en- 
gaged in  the  general  toy  and  music  business. 
Once  started  in  this,  his  last  vocation,  he  rose 
rapidly  in  means  and  the  confidence  of  all  until 
Lis  store  could  not  be  equalled  in  any  town  of 
the  size  of  Irwin.  He  was  a  momber  of  the 
Sons  of  St.  George  and  the  Presbyterian  church, 
with  which  he  united  in  EnL^land.  AVliile  yet  a 
comparatively  young  man  lie  was  stricken  down 
by  iho  hand  of  death  and  in  October,  ISS8, 
jiassed  to  lii.s  eternal  home. 

George  Brown  was  married  April  21,  1878, 
to  Jane  Dryden,  who  was  a  daughter  of  George 
Dryden,  and  a  native  and  resident  of  Xorthuni- 
berlaml  county,  England.  They  had  one  child, 
George  W.  After  Mr.  llniwu's  death  his 
widow,  who  is  a  woman  of  uncummon  business 
ability,  continued  the  store  and  has  increased 
the  stock  and  the  trade.  By  her  husband's 
death  Mrs.  Brown  was  left  with  a  small  child  in 
a  strange  land,  but  instead  of  going  back  to  her 
people  and  friends  in  England,  as  ninety-nine 
out  of  a  humlred  Women  would  have  done  had 
they  been  placed  in  her  situation,  she  resolved 
to  make  her  own  way  in  life.  She  took  charge 
of  the  store,  sur[)rised  every  one  by  the  success 
she  achieved,  and  now  displays  a  very  large  and 
e.xcellently-selected  stock  of  goods.  iMrs.  Brown 
is  a  thorough  and  capable  business  woman  w  hose 
large  trade  has  been  gained  by  close  attention  to 
the  wants  of  her  patrons  as  well  as  by  business 
ability. 

George  Brown  had  gained  many  friends  at 
Irwin.  Those  who  were  well  acipiainted  with 
him  in  his  daily  walks  in  life  paid  many  warm 
tributes  to  his  memory.  1'hc  Irwin  Ai'tanJard 
in  its  issue  of  (Jctober  i',  1S8.S,  says  :  "  The  un- 
loiiked-l'iir  death  mi  iMiday  evening  uf  uur  es- 
teemed and  valualile  li'icnd,  (ienrge  I'.niwn, 
caused  many  expicssinns  of  gi'icf  frnui  our  citi- 
zens.     He  was  a  useful,   inllueiitial    and   highly 


respected  man.  His  remains  were  interred  in 
the  Union  cemetery,  where  a  large  concourse  of 
people  that  followed  him  to  his  last  resting  place 
— spoke  better  of  his  earthly  good  qualities 
than  we  can.  He  was  a  genial,  thorough-going, 
honest,  zealous  and  influential  citizen.  The  whole 
community  feels  that  it  has  lost  a  man  of  sterling 
worth." 

^]ifYlLLIAM  H.   CARROLL,   the   popular 

foreman  of  the  south  side  mines  at 
Irwin,  is  one  of  the  many  sons  of  the 
Emerald  Isle  who  honored  the  land  of  his  adop- 
tion, not  forgetting  that  of  his  birth.  He  is  a 
son  of  William  and  Maggie  (Hamilton)  Carroll, 
and  was  born  in  county  Kerry,  Ireland,  on  the 
24th  day  of  June,  1841.  In  18G7  his  father 
came  to  Greensburg  from  Ireland  wheie  he  re- 
sided until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1873. 
He  was  eighty  years  old  at  his  death.  He  mar- 
ried Maggie  Ilaniiltoii,  a  member  of  the  cele- 
brated Hamilton  family,  to  which  Alexander 
Hamilton  belonged.  They  all  protested  against 
the  Catholic  religion. 

AVilliam  II.  Carroll,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  reared  on  a  firm,  educated  in  the  national 
schools  ot  Ireland  and  received  a  classical  educa- 
tion at  Bally  Donohoe  school  from  Daniel  Col- 
lins. In  180lj  he  shipped  from  London  on  a. 
merchantship  to  visit  Africa  and  sailed  along  all 
its  coasts  where  he  remained  a  short  time,  then 
went  to  the  Ivory  coast  and  finally  to  Cape  Coast 
Castle  where  he  remained  until  18G8.'  In  the 
latter  part  of  that  year  he  came  to  Greensburg 
and  was  engaged  as  clerk  in  the  grain  depot  of 
Donohoe  &  Kulins.  In  1873  he  embarked  in 
the  mining  business  and  has  since  held  the 
position  of  mine  foreman  in  the  employ  of  the 
Westmoreland  Coal  Company. 

On  June  24  he  married  Kosanna  Murphy, 
who  is  a  native  of  Camanbaae,  county  Dcrry, 
Ireland,  and  their  union  was  blessed  with  two 
children  :  AVilliam  M.,  who  died  November  28, 
1887.  and  Mary  E.,  a  charming  yoiiiig  lady. 


jU()ai:M'jrfi:s  of 


W.  U.  Carroll  is  a  incinber  of  tlio  Catholic 
c-liiircli  ami  a  t^[ilcniliil  example  of  a  seif-mailo 
mall,  llis  ilomcstic  life  is  sin;;nlarly  liajipv 
ami  he  may  always  be  found  at  home  when  re- 
leased from  business  cares  at  the  familv  fireside. 
He  is  a  genial  companion  but  never  intrudes 
himself  upon  those  around  him.  lie  holds  his 
old  time  friendshijJS  singularly  saered.  lie  has 
a  briu'lit  future  before  him. 


TYILLIAM  F.  CARUTIIERS,  who  has 
been  especially  identified  with  the  de- 
velopment of  the  coal  industry  in  the 
vicinity  of  Irwin,  was  born  in  Chester  county, 
Pa.,  November  5,  1814,  and  is  a  son  of  Isaac 
and  Sarah  (Davis)  Caruthers.  Isaac  Caruthers, 
a  native  of  Montgomery  county,  was  born  about 
the  beginning  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  in  which 
two  of  his  uncles  served  throughout  the  entire 
contest,  one  of  them  being  under  the  command 
of  Gen.  Wayne,  familiarly  known  as  "  Mad 
Anthony."  About  the  beginning  of  the  present 
century  Isaac  Caruthers  moved  to  Ohio  where  lie 
purchased  and  lived  on  a  farm  which  is  now  the 
site  of  part  of  West  Zanesville.  He  was  twice 
married,  his  second  wife  being  Sarah  Ilindnian, 
of  Westmoreland  county,  who  died  but  a  few- 
years  ago.  Jason  I).,  who  is  a  resident  of  Lan- 
caster county,  and  William  F.  are  the  only  chil- 
dren that  survive  their  father,  who  departed  this 

lifeinisr.;. 

William  F.  Caruthers  was  educated  in  the 
subscription  or  pay  schools  that  existed  in  the 
days  of  Andrew  Jackson,  and  worked  on  the 
farm  until  he  attained  the  age  of  twenty-five 
when  he  abandoned  agricultural  pursuits  and 
tried  railroading  a  few  years.  This  not  suiting 
iii.s  tastes  he  entered  the  arena  of  trade  and  en- 
gaged in  the  mercantile  business.  In  l.sfjS  he 
came  to  Irwin  for  the  purpose  of  developing  the 
coal  mines  in  the  surrounding  neighborhood  and 
was  superintendent  of  the  company,  operating 
the  Works  until  185(3  when  the  AVestnioreland 


Coal  Company  bought  them.  Mr.  Caruthers 
was  superintendent  of  this  eompany  from  the 
time  it  jiurehaseil  the  works  till  \f<l'2  when  he 
coneludeil  to  resiL'ii.  The  eomjiany,  however, 
were  loth  to  part  witii  his  valuable  services  and 
elected  him  paymaster  and  superintendent  of 
faims  and  buildings,  which  position  he  held  for 
five  years  and  then  on  account  of  declining  years 
resigned  with  the  intention  of  retiring  from 
business  cares  and  anxieties.  Shortly  after  this, 
however,  he  was  prevailed  upon  to  take  charge 
of  the  "'winding  up"  of  the  affairs  of  the 
Youghiogheny  Coal- Hollow  Coal  Company,  and 
in  three  years  succeeded  .in  closing  up  its  affairs 
to  good  advantage.  Since  that  time  (1880)  he 
has  been  leading  a  retired  life,  attending  only  to 
the  affairs  of  his  farms. 

In  1843  Mr.  Caruthers  married  Martha  Atlee 
Spear,  of  Columbia,  Lancaster  county,  who  died 
in  1876,  leavingone  son,  Charles II.,  who  resides 
in  Huntingdon  county,  Pa.  In  1879  he  remar- 
ried, his  second  wife  being  Catherine  A.  Kenney, 
of  this  county,  who  has  borne  him  four  children  : 
William  F.,  born  January  22,  1881  ;  Carroll, 
born  August  17,  1882  ;  John  Little,  born  July 
0,  lS8i],  and  Bayard,  born  June  2,  1889. 

While  living  in  Columbia,  Lancaster  county, 
\Villiam  F.  Caruthers  was  elected  justice  of  the 
peace ;  he  was  appointed  postmaster  at  Irwin  in 
1855  by  President  Pierce  and  served  till  1860, 
being  the  second  of  Irwin's  postmasters.  Mr. 
Caruthers  has  an  elegant  ami  well-furnished 
home,  owns  large  and  valuable  tracts  of  land  and 
is  a  stock-holder  in  the  W^estmoreland  Coal  Com- 
pany. He  is  an  exceedingly  pleasant  and  social 
gentleman  and  possesses  business  abilities  of  so 
high  an  order  that  so  prominent  a  corporation  as 
the  Westmoreland  Coal  Company  Avas  very  re- 
luctant to  accept  his  resignation  after  twenty-one 
years  of  service.  In  politics  Mr.  Caruthers  is  a 
Jacksonian  democrat.  He  voted  twice  against 
William  Henry  Harrison,  once  when  he  was  suc- 
cessful and  once  when  he  was  defeated  by  Martin 
Van  Buren.      Mr.    Caruthers    also    voted   once 


ri:.STM(iI!lCLAND  COUNTY. 


iigiiiiist  tlio  gnmdsoii  of  " 'l"i|j]i(."'iiii<io,"  ;iiul 
juilu;ilig  fl'oin  Ills  jiri'scnt  ln'altli  and  vi;^iir  liu  will 
live  to  cast  his  ballot  tor  sovural  piwitlunts  yet 
to  conic. 

iCIIAKi.  Ci.OilK.SSV,  one  of  the  en- 
ergetic   ami    sLiccessful    business    incn 

"^  of  Irwin  and  who  lias  been  pre-emi- 
nently the  architect  of  his  own  fortune,  was 
born  in  county  Clare,  Ireland,  August  "20,  1814, 
and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Mary  (IMcCallen) 
Clohessy.  Thomas  Clohessy  was  descended  from 
the  old  and  well-known  Clohessy  family  which 
was  scattered  throughout  the  counties  composing 
the  jii-ovince  of  Munster.  Ho  was  borti  in 
County  Clare  in  IHllT.  11  is  ocfU|iation  was  farm- 
ing and  his  acres  were  always  well  tilled.  lie 
was  steady  and  industrious  and  was  a  consistent 
member  of  the  Catholic  church.  He  married 
Mary  McCallen  who  was  a  native  of  county 
Clare  and  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church. 
After  his  death  she  remained  in  Ireland  for 
eleven  yeais,  then  immigrated  to  this  county 
and  settled  in  Noith  Huntingdon  township.  8he 
died  at  Irwin  in  187t>,  iiged  fifty-eight  years  and 
lier  remains  were  buried  in  the  Catholic  cenn;- 
tery  at  Greensburg. 

Michael  Clohessy  was  reared  in  Ireland 
where  he  attende<l  the  excellent  schools  nf  that 
country  until  he  was  sixtei'U  years  age  wlien  he 
aecumpaided  his  mother  to  llie  I'liited  Slates. 
He  located  at  Irwin  where  he  has  resided  e\cr 
since.  lie  began  llic  Mni-gh'  of  life  fur  hiiii- 
.sclf  liy  engaging  as  a  water-boy  at  the  Slaiiilard 
stone  (juarry  where  be  received  nt'ty  cents  per 
day  for  his  wdrl<.  He  snon  left  the  (jiiacry  to 
become  a  miner  in  the  eiiiplov  of  the  Weslniore- 
lalid  Coal  Company.  In  a  few  years  he  had 
saved  a  small  sum  of  money  which  he  invested 
in  merchandise  and  opened  a  sinre  at  I'aiiiters- 
ville  in  lb7l>.  He  met  with  fair  success  but 
only  remained  three  years  when  he  sold  his  store 
and  made  arrangements  to  engage  in  the  hotel 
business.      He  purchased  his  present   hotel   ]iro- 


perty  at  Irwin  in  1S73.  .After  thoroughly  re- 
fitting, rejiairing  and  remodeling  the  house  ho 
opened  it  as  a  hotel  which  he  has  successfully 
conducted  ever  since.  In  the  spring  oflSSl  he 
piirchaHcd  a  farm  of  onc!  biindreii  ami  iilty-oiie 
acres  of  well-improved  land  on  the  pike,  one 
mile  east  of  Irwin.  This  farm  is  heavily  under- 
laid with  coal  and  in  1889  he  atklcd  seventy- 
seven  acres  of  adjoining  land  to  his  first  purchase 
and  now  has  a  valuable  tract  of  two-hundred  and 
twenty-eight  acres  besides  other  property  which 
he  owns  in  the  borough.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Catholic  church,  active  worker  in  the  Demo- 
cratic party  and  has  frequently  served  as  a  cen- 
tral committeeman  and  as  a  return  judge  of  the 
primary  elections. 

He  united  in  marriage  18G9  with  Alice 
Chambers,  daughter  of  the  late  Patrick  Cham- 
bers. To  their  union  have  been  born  six  chil- 
dren, four  sons  and  two  daughters:  Thomas, 
Michael,  Jr.,  John,  William,  Catherine  and 
Mary.  Mrs.  Clohessy  was  born  in  Ireland  and 
came  to  this  country  with  her  father  Avhen  she 
was  young. 

ISesides  the  supervision  of  his  hotel  and  the 
management  of  his  well-stocked  farm,  ^Ir. 
Clohessy  is  interested  in  several  enterprises 
calculated  to  benefit  and  improve  his  borough. 
One  of  these  is  the  Irwin  (ias  ami  ^Vater  Com- 
jjany  of  which  he  is  a  stock-holder.  He  has  l)een 
closely  identified  with  the  growth  and  pri«pei-ity 
of  Irwin  since  becoming  one  of  its  citizens. 
Within  till'  last  year  he  has  enlarged  the  held  of 
his  business  o]ierations  and  has  in  process  of 
erection  on  his  farm  a  brick  factory.  This  es- 
tablishment when  compU'ted  will  cost  .SIC, (100 
and  will  fiirnislnvork  for  a  large  number  of  hands, 
besides  adding  to  the  ]irosperity  of  Irwin  and  the 
county. 

KORGE   W.  FINK,  one  of  the  successful 
young  business  men  of  Irwin  and  a  mem- 
'!»      ber  of  the  drug  firm  of  Sowash  ..*»:  Fink,  is 
!  a  son  of   Daniel  H.  and  Susan  (Kenierer)  Fink, 


BIOGRAPHIES  Of 


ami  was  born  in  Penn  township,  Westmorelanil 
county,  Pa.,  October  30,  18G4.  Among  the 
oblcst  resident  fauiilies  of  Penn  township  are  tlie 
l''ini<s.  The  suliject's  great-grainU'atlier,  Michael 
Fink,  wasboni  in  llie  almve mentioned  township, 
where  lie  followed  farming  and  died  at  the  age 
of  eighty-four  years.  Uue  of  his  sons  was  Jacob 
Fink  (grandfatlier).  He  was  a  farmer,  a  faith- 
fid  member  of  the  Lutheran  churcli  and  lived 
to  be  seventy-six  years  of  age.  He  had  five 
children:  t>amuel,  who  lived  to  be  twenty-two 
years  of  age  and  died  of  fever  on  the  day  on 
which  he  was  to  have  been  married ;  Lucy,  who 
died  of  fever  at  twenty-one  years  of  age  ;  Daniel 
B.  (dead) ;  Jacob,  a  farmer,  who  had  ten  chil- 
dren, of  whom  five  are  living,  and  Michael,  like- 
wise a  farmer,  who  had  ten  children,  of  whom 
six  are  <lead.  Daniel  Fink,  father,  was  born  in 
18  n,  and  like  his  father  and  grandfather  before 
him  was  a  farmer.  He  was  an  earnest  Lutheran 
and  died  of  fever  in  1865  when  just  entering 
into  active  life.  His  widow  afterwards  married 
John  Iloltzer,  and  lives  at  Manor  station.  She 
is  a  djiughter  of  Jacob  Kemerer,  a  farmer  of 
Penn  townshij),  who  died  in  the  eighty-second 
year  of  his  age. 

George  AV.  Fink  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
attended  the  common  schools  of  his  native  tow  n- 
sliip  until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age.  He 
tlieh  niti'red  Greensbiirg  seminary  where  he  re- 
njaint'd  for  two  years.  Leaving  the  seminary 
lie  taught  a  district  school  in  Penn  township  ibr 
one  winter  Irim  of  livi'  montiis.  In  18S;!  he 
ln'calne  a  clerk  in  llie  drug  stole  of  (leiuge 
JS(iwa>h  at  Irwui.  A  tier  lilteen  months  uf  ex- 
perience as  a  clerk  he  entered  into  partnership 
with  Mr.  Sowash  in  the  drug  business.  Their 
drug  establishment  is  located  on  Main  street  at 
H'w  in,  and  they  do  business  under  the  firm  name 
di'  SiMvash  \  V'\nl.  They  liave  oue  of  llie 
hugesl  diiig  hoiiM'S  ill  I  he  wcslcrn  pari  (if  llie 
ciiiiiilv,  and  cuiiiiii:umI  a  llihle  tli:it  rMciids  far 
beyi'iid  ihe  liiiiil-;  n|'  Irwiii  and  Nnilli  lliiiiliiig- 
duii  tiiwnship.      Mr.  I'ink    is   a    democrat   and  a 


member  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  He  is  a 
member  of  Irwin  Council,  No.  794,  Royal  Ar- 
canum, Irwin  Conclave,  No.  175,  I.  0.  IL,  and 
Irwin  Lodge,  No.  ''>■'>,  Order  of  Solons. 

October  D;,  l^.sij,  he  married  Agnes  J. 
]]ow man.  Tliey  have  two  children :  John 
Scott  and  Frances  P.  Mrs.  Fink  is  a  daughter 
of  W.  S.  Bowman  and  a  granddaughter  of 
AVindom  Brown,  who  lives  at  North  Wales,  Pa., 
and  has  re.iched  the  rare  age  of  ninety-five 
years.  None  of  her  paternal  uncles  or  aunts 
are  married.  She  has  four  brothers  and  three 
sisters:  Edward,  a  Presbyterian  minister  at 
Ebensburg,  Pa.;  Laura,  AVinfiehl,  Kitty,  wife 
of  J.   0.  Martin  ;  John,  Gertrude  and  George. 

George  W.  Fink  is  one  of  the  energetic  and 
successful  business  men  of  ^\  estmoreland,  who 
preferred  to  remain  in  his  own  county  and 
stiive  for  success  instead  of  seeking  for  position 
and  wealth  in  western  States  or  territories. 


•ON.  HENltY  DONNELL  FOSTER. 
One  w  hij  was  prominent  in  political  life 
and  commanded  the  undivided  respect  of 
all  i)arties  and  without  whose  biography  the  his- 
tiirv  of  Westmoreland  county  would  be  incom- 
plete, was  lion.  Henry  Doiinell  Foster,  a  cousin 
of  John  C.  l!reckiiiridge  and  a  relative  of 
Stephen  C.  Foster,  the  gieat  musical  comj)oser. 
Henry  D.  Foster  was  born  at  Mercer,  Mercer 
county.  Pa.,  December  I'J,  1808,  and  was  a  son 
ofSannnd  i'llair  and  Elizabeth  (Donnell)  Foster, 
lie  was  of  Scotch-English  and  Dutch  descent. 
The  Fosters  were  diiven  by  persecution  from 
Scotland  to  the  north  of  Ireland.  Ol'  tliis  stock 
was  Alexander  Foster,  who  immigrated  in  1725 
from  the  "Emerald  Isle  "  to  New  Jersey.  His 
Son,  liev.  William  Foster,  settled  in  (Jhester 
county  where  he  died  in  17MI,  aged  forty-iuio 
\i-,iis.  lie  maiiicd  Hannah  Ulair,  who  was  a 
de^ecudant  o|  the  fjigli-h  l.oid>  Townlev  and 
left  a  family  of  eight  children.  The  eldest  ^on 
was  Samuel  Blair  F(J^ter,  the  falliei'  of  tlie  sub- 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


jeet  of  tliis  sketch.  Samuel  Blair  Foster  was 
one  of  the  most  eminent  an<l  Ijrilliant  kwyers  of 
his  day.  lie  niarrieil  Elizaljctli  I'onnell,  daiigli- 
ter  111'  Jii^lge  llonnell  of  Nurtliumberlaml 
county. 

Henry  1).  Foster  received  liis  education  at  a 
college  at  Meadville,  read  law  with  his  uncle,  | 
Alexander  W.  Foster  of  Greensljiirg,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  Westmoreland  county  bar,  Au- 
gust 2U,  1829.  He  soon  rose  to  an  eminent  po- 
sition in  his  profession  and  ranked  as  one  of  the 
greatest  lawyers  and  jury  pleaders  of  Pennsylva- 
nia. For  nearly  half  a  century  he  was  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He  was  a  co- 
temporary  with  Black  of  Somerset,  Ewing  of 
Fayette  and  (jov.  Johnson  of  his  own  county. 
They  were  a  <iuartette  of  lawyers  and  jurists 
■who  honored  and  gave  fame  to  the  '"  Keystone 
State."  From  the  field  of  his  lega.1  labors  and 
triumphs  Henry  D.  Foster  was  often  called  by 
the  Democratic  party  and  made  its  honored  rep- 
ri'scntative  in  the  State  Legislature  and  Na- 
tional Congress.  He  served  in  the  Cungresses 
of  1842,  1844  and  1870  and  was  defeated  for 
those  of  18GG  and  1808.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Pennsylvania  Legislature  during  the  sessions 
of  1857  and  1858.  He  was  the  democratic  can- 
didate for  governor  in  18G0  and  afterwards 
wouM  have  been  elected  to  the  L^.  S.  Senate  but 
fur  a  defection  in  democratic  ranks.  He  was 
several  times  offered  a  nomination  for  a  judgo- 
sliip  of  the  supreme  lieucli  when  bis  Jiarty  was  i 
in  |p(i\M'r  in  I'rnn.-vlvania,  wliieli  lie  always  de-  I 
clined.  In  1S7'.*  lie  rumoved  to  liwin  where  he  ' 
roidcd  until  Ids  death,  Octdber  l(i,lSSl),  when  | 
in  tlie  st'venly-sccnnd  year  (if  iiis  age.  ! 

He   niarrii'd    Mary    .lane  \'ipiing.  daiiL^btrr  (if  1 
Jud-c  .John    Voin,-."     'i'Uvy    bad    live    ejiildren, 
all    daughters:    Mary     de     ('.,     Elizabeth     1).,   i 
Frances  F.,  Emily  F..  an(l  Hetty  B. 

Henry  D.  Fo>ter  made  I'm'  himself  a  lirilliant 
record  while  he  srr\ed  in  (.'(ingress,  and  one  (if 
his  jiigical  anil  el'ii|Uenl  speeches  won  the  uii- 
<pialilie(l   prai-e   id'    .luhu    <^iiiincy   Adams.      lie 


was  a  man  of  great  intellect,  of  noble  impulses 
and  unswerving  honesty,  adndred  and  beloved  by 
his  friends  and  acquaintances  and  respected  and 
honored  by  all  who  knew  him.  Eminent  as  a 
hiwvei'  and  jurist  and  distinguished  as  a  states- 
man and  political  leader,  Henry  D.  Foster  needs 
no  eulogy  here  to  add  to  the  brightness  of  the 
fame  he  enjoyed  while  living,  or  monody  to  fitly 
sound  the  regret  with  which  all  who  knew  him 
received  the  tidin:.'s  of  his  death. 


IIAULES  W.  GAUT,  one  of  Irwin's 
most  enterprising  men,  was  born  in  Se- 
wiekley  township,  this  county,  in  the 
vear  1853,  and  is  a  son  of  Robert  and  Catherine 
(Goehring)  (.iaut.  llobert  Gaut  was  ijorn  in 
Mt.  Pleasant  township  in  18t)2.  He  was  raised 
a  fanner  and  removed  to  Sewickley  township 
where  he  married  and  bought  two  farms,  on 
which  he  lived  till  his  death  which  occurred  in 
1S5',I.  He  married  Catherine  Goehring  in  the 
year  Iski.  This  union  resulted  in  the  birth  of 
seven  chihlren  :  Martha  I\I.  is  the  wife  of  George 
W.  Bverly,  of  Circleville;  Henrietta  is  married 
to  Silas  McCormick,  Esq.,  of  Irwin ;  Robert  is 
unmarried  and  resides  with  his  mother  in  Irwin. 
John  Gaut  (grandfather)  was  born  in  Ireland, 
immigrated  to  this  countrj'  and  settled  in  Mt. 
Pleasant  township.  He  was  the  father  of  nine 
children,  the  two  eldest  being  born  in  Ireland. 
Charles  \V.  Gaut  was  educated  in  the  jiublic 
sehoiils  and  in  MiUersville  State  Normal,  where 
he  look  a  thorough  commercial  course.  After  a 
year's  e.xperienee  on  bis  fitber's  farm  he  engaged 
in  tiie  mercantile  luisiness  in  Irwin,  the  lirni 
name  lieing  llailje  .V  (iaiit.  At  ibe  expiration 
of  live  years  he  embarked  in  the  real  estate  and 
insurance  business,  which  he  carried  on  for  five 
years.  He  was  then  appuinted  pnstniaster  at 
Irwin  1iv  I'l'esident  Cleveland  in  wliieh  position 
be  leinains  at  ibis  time. 

In  August,  l.'sS-l,  be  mairied  liilla  .1.,  daugh- 
ter id' ('liarles  Fiilebman,  uf  li'wi)i.     Their  union 


niOGRAPIIIES  OF 


has  been  blessed  with  two  chiklren,  one  of  whom 
is  living.  Ilcr  niinic  is  Maria  Cathar  lie,  and 
the  date  of  her  birtii  is  July  ;J0,  l,ss',). 

Vj.  W .  (laiit  is  u  iiiuii  of  excellent  JMisiness 
(jualilieatioiis  and  a  vuiy  |ileasaiit,  modest  gen- 
tleman, lie  is  u  presbyteriaii  in  religion  and 
in  ]iolitics  is  an  active,  untlincliiiig  democrat. 


fA.MlKL  1».  HAMILTON,  of  Irwin,  is  a 
son  of  Samuel  and  Isabella  (Pinkerton) 
Hamilton,  and  was  bom  September  16, 
1857,  in  North  Huntingdon  township,  West- 
moreland county,  Pa.  His  parents  were  natives 
of  county  Antrim,  Ireland,  and  immigrated  to  the 
United  States  in  1851,  locating  in  Westmoreland 
cciiintv  along  liic  Vniigh  river.  Samuel  Hamil- 
ton was  a  coal  miner  and  resided  in  the  vicinity 
of  Irwin  for  a  number  of  years.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and 
died  in  18S0  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years.  His 
wife  is  still  living  at  the  age  of  seventy-two,  and 
she  too  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church  of 
Irwin,  where  she  now  resides. 

Samuel  D.  Hamilton  received  his  education 
in  the  common  schools,  after  which  he  worked 
for  several  years  with  his  father  and  in  1882 
engaged  in  the  grocery  business  at  Iruin,  coii- 
tinuiiig  at  that  about  eigliteeii  inontlis  w  hen  he 
sold  out.  In  ^larch,  l!S84,  he  started  uj)  in 
his  present  line  of  business  which  he  has  suc- 
cessfully continued  ever  since,  having  built  up  a 
large  and  excellent  trade.  He  keeps  a  confec- 
tionary sloie  and  in  cuuiiectiou  with  it  runs  a 
restaurant  and  luanutactuics  ice  cream  which  he 
sells  at  retail  and  wholesale.  The  cream  is  made 
iiy  steam  and  has  a  wide  reputation  for  richness 
and  purity.  Mr.  Hamilton  carries  a  large  and 
e.xcelleiit  stock  of  goods,  does  a  large  business 
ami  is  located  ;it  ;1l'm  Main  street.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  K.  \  L.  of  11.,  Jr.  U.  l'.  A.  M., 
the  Heptasoplis  and  the  (jood  1'emplars.  He 
is  identified  witli  tiie  .M.  E.  church  at  Irwin,  (jf 
which  he  is  steward  ;   he  is  also  librarian  of  the 


Sunday  school.  In  politics  he  is  a  republican 
though  by  no  means  a  bigoteil  jiartisan.  Intel- 
ligent and  liberal  in  his  views,  courteous  in  man- 
ner and  progressive  in  spirit,  he  is(ine  of  the 
enterprising  young  men  of  Irwin — a  man  of 
good  qualities,  excellent  reputation  and  unblem- 
ished character. 

In  the  fall  of  1881  Samuel  D.  Hamilton  was 
uiiiteil  in  marriage  with  Annie  15.  Hope,  a 
daughter  of  Samuel  Hope,  formerly  of  Illinois, 
and  they  have  two  children- — Pearl  and  Samuel  C. 


CtJ^TETCHER  IIODGDEN,  one  of  the  en- 
|lr  terprising  men  of  North  Huntingdon 
townshi]),  was  born  in  Delaware  countyi 
Ohio,  April  II,  1.S.'38,  and  is  a  son  of  Henry 
and  Catherine  (IJockoverj  Hodgden.  Henry 
Hodgdeii  was  born  in  Connecticut  in  the  year 
ISOO.  After  receiving  a  fair  education  in  that 
State  he  removed  to  Ohio  about  the  time  the 
father  of  President  K.  B.  Hayes  settled  there. 
Mr.  Hayes  and  i\lr.  Hodgden  both  settled  in  the 
same  county  and  lived  side  by  side  for  many 
years.  Henry  Hodgden  was  a  farmer  but  was 
engaged  much  of  his  time  in  settling  up  estates, 
auditing,  etc.  He  was  a])pointed  during  Tyler's 
administration  to  take  the  census  of  Delaware 
county.  Mr.  Hodgden  was  a  cousin  of  Gen. 
Halleck,  a  wdiig  in  politics  and  a  man  of  more 
than  ordinary  intelligence.  In  1S28  Henry 
Hodgden  married  Catherine  Bockover,  whose 
lather  came  from  Germany  and  settled  in  New 
Jersey.  They  had  seven  children,  five  of  whom 
are  still  living :  Perry,  Monroe,  Henry,  Fletcher 
and  Eugenia.  The  first  three  reside  in  Kansas 
and  are  large  landowners.  Perry  was  elected 
treasurer  of  his  county  and  also  served  a  term 
as  postmaster  under  Grant's  administration. 
The  sister  resides  at  Columbus,  (_)hio.  Henry 
Hodgden  (father)  died  in  July,  1880,  and  his 
wife  in  1877.  Henry  Hodgden  (grandfather) 
was  a  native  of  Great  Britain  and  inimigated  to 
Connecticut  while  quite  young.     He  was  a  ship- 


'  I'iUiittK''  inin  tlira  1 — ik  i 


WESTMOUF.LA SD  COUiVTV. 


builder  ami  mniisscd  ;i  considcrablo  fortune  i'or 
tliose  days,  lie  also  engaged  in  tiadini:  and 
once  lost  a  vessel  and  cargo  of  white  oil, 
wliieli  Were  destoyed  by  (ire  after  the  vessel  ijad 
laiide.i. 

l'"leteher  llodgden  was  ediieated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Delaware  county,  Ohio.  In  iSoS  he 
removed  to  Westmoreland  county  and  purchased 
a  farm  in  Sewiekley  township.  Since  then  he 
has  been  engaged  in  farming  and  in  dealing  in 
horses  and  cattle.  Besides  some  coal  leases  he 
holds  one-thinl  interest  in  Fairmont,  a  new  town 
adjoining  Irwin,  where  he  now  resides.  Fair- 
mont'is  owned  by  a  stock  company,  of  which 
Mr.  llodgden  is  president.  In  politics  Mr. 
Hodgdcn,  adhering  to  his  mother's  faith,  is  an 
ardent  follower  of '' Old  Hickory."  As  an  evi- 
dence of  his  popularity  it  is  only  necessary  to 
say  that  he  was  once  unanimously  chosen  justice 
of  tiie  peace  in  the  strung  republican  township 
of  Sewiekley. 

Fletcher  llodgden  married  in  1858  Martha 
J.  Greenawalt,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Mary 
Grcenawalt,  of  Sewiekley  township.  They 
were  married  at  the  home  of  the  bride's  parents, 
having  first  met  as  school  children  in  the  public 
schools  of  Delaware  county,  Ohio.  They  have 
liad  three  cliildren :  Jacob  II.,  born  18GS; 
Anna  ('.,  burn  18(J4,  and  Mary,  burn  18GU, 
who  died  September  11,  1871.  Anna  is  the 
wife  of  K.  G.  Cope,  of  Sewiekley  township,  und 
has  one  child,  burn  <  k-tubcr  18,  l88(i,  ;ind  which 
is  n:,mrd  I'lelrher  I).  Cupe.  Jaeub  11.  is  nn- 
manird  :ind  is  engaged  in  manaractiiring  car- 
riages, buggies,  agricultural  implements,  etc. 
His  partner  is  Jacob  Parr  and  their  place  of 
business  is  Irwin.  Jacob  Grcenawalt,  Mr. 
Ilodgden's  father-in-law,  was  a  very  enterpris- 
ing num  and  accumulated  not  less  than  $50,000 
worth  of  property.  He  was  born  in  1802  and 
died  April  8,  1878  :  his  wife  was  born  in  1807 
and  died  October  20,  1858.  They  had  tliree 
children :  Hun.  Abram  Grcenawalt,  of  West 
Newton,  Sarah  Ann  and  Martha  Jane. 


•j*  AMES  0.  HOWELL,  a  merchant  of  Irwin, 
'l'  Westmoreland  county,  I'a.,  was  born  there 
(t)  on  the  15tli  of  October,  ISliO,  and  is  a  son 
of  James  O.  ami  Ellen  (Kennedy)  Howell.  His 
father  was  a  nativi^  of  this  State  and  lived  along 
the  Monongahela  river  where  he  followed  min- 
ing. For  a  number  of  years  prior  to  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1872  at  the  age  of  forty 
years,  he  resided  in  Irwin,  where  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  His 
wife,  who  was  also  identified  with  this  church, 
and  a  native  of  Westmoreland  county,  died  at 
the  age  of  thirty-seven  yeai's. 

James  0.  Howell  was  reared  at  Irwin  where 
he  received  his  education.  After  leaving  school 
he  engaged  in  mining  for  about  eight  years  and 
in  March,  1884,  accepted  a  position  as  clerk  in 
the  general  merchandising  establishment  of  A. 
Frank  at  Irwin,  which  he  resigned  at  the  end 
of  a  year  to  accept  a  similar  position  with  D. 
M.  Davis  of  the  same  place.  He  remained 
with  Mr.  Davis  until  October  18,  1889,  when 
he  purchased  the  general  store  of  J.  C.  Black- 
burn of  Irwin.  Mr.  Howell  iuis  since  then 
been  conducting  this  store  and  is  meeting  with 
excellent  success.  He  has  a  good  building  and 
location  on  INIain  street  and  -carries  a  large  and 
complete  stock  of  general  merchandise,  which 
with  his  years  of  valuable  experience  in  this 
line  will  enable  him  in  a  few  yeai's  to  become 
one  of  the  leading  merchants  of  the  county. 
Intelligent,  courteous  and  reliable,  as  well  as 
industrious  and  pushing,  he  has  the  nualities  oi 
a  successful  business  man,  and  a  little  patience 
will  place  him  well  up  in  the  commercial  world. 
James  O.  Howell  was  united  in  marriage 
]\Iarch  2G,  1885,  to  Emma  Millburg,  a  daughter 
of  Edward  Millbury;  of  Irwin. 


rZVENRY  IRWIN,  a  soldier  of  the  Army  of 

1*1    the  Potomac  and  a  prosperous  merchant 

(l»)   of  Irwin,  is  a  son  of  John   and  Martha 

(McDonald)  Irwin  and  was  born  in  Allegheny 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


county,  I'd.,  in  1849.  Juliii  Irwin  (futlier)  was 
born  in  one  <il'  llic  cDunlies  in  tlio  oasturn  ]iart 
of  tlic  State.  )[(_■  rcnitivcd  to  AUui^licny  county, 
I'a.,  wlicn:  lie  nianir,!  Martini.  McDonald.  Si'io 
A\as  liuin  iM  l.^ll  and  died  in  Norlli  iliiuliiijj;- 
diin  t(i\ui.--hi|],  iliis  c>>unly,  in  ISti:;.  Mr.  Jrwin 
■was  cngagcil  in  nnninix  tor  >uvcral  years,  then 
removed  to  tlie  almvc-naineil  tii\vnshi|i  and  I'ol- 
loweil  iaiininj.'  until  iMll.  In  tlii'  sprin;;  of 
tliat  year  lie  enlisted  in  C».  K,  one  liuiidred  ami 
filth  I'a.  ^'ols.  After  one  year's  service  he  died 
in  18tJ2  at  Fortress  Monroe,  ^vhere  his  remains 
were  interred.  He  \vas  an  exemplary  member 
of  the  M.  E.  church.  Three  of  his  sons  served 
in  the  Union  army  :  Henry,  John,  ^vho  was  a 
member  of  Co.  K,  one  hundred  and  fifth  Pa. 
Vols,  and  was  killed  during  the  second  day's 
fight  at  Gettysburg,  and  William,  who  was  in  a 
battery  of  heavy  artillery  which  was  recruited 
in  Pittsburg,  Pa. 

Henry  Irwin  was  reared  prineiiially  on  a 
AVestmoreland  county  farm  and  received  his 
education  in  the  common  schools.  On  February 
13,  18G4,  he  enlisted  in  ('o.  K,  one  hundred 
and  fifth  Pa.  A'ols.,  participated  in  all  the  skir- 
mishes, raids  and  battles  of  his  regiment  from 
that  time  until  tlie  war  closed  and  was  honora- 
bly discharged  in  July,  iSila.  He  then  re- 
turned home,  followed  mining  for  twenty  years 
and  in  July,  188;'),  engaged  in  the  general  mer- 
cantile business  at  Irwin,  which  he  has  con- 
tinued in  successfully  ever  since. 

Henry  Irwin  was  married  in  March,  18G7, 
to  Catherine  Peters,  daughter  of  Leonard  Pe- 
ters, of  North  Huntingdon  township,  this 
County.  Tliev  have  four  children  living  :  Mary 
E.,  Joiin  W.,  Leonard  and  Howanl. 

In  politics  Mr.  Irwiu  is  a  republican.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Knights  ami  Ladies  of  Honor 
and  Captain  8.  S.  iMarchand  Post,  No.  PHJ, 
Grand  Army  of  the  Pepublic.  He  commenced 
merchandising  upon  a  small  scale  iind  with  a 
limited  capital,  but  his  efforts  were  attended 
with  ;:ood  success  and   he   now  has  a  large  and 


well-stocked  store.  Ho  carries  a  full  line  of 
dry  goods,  notions,  groceries  and  all  articles 
usually  found  in  a  first-class  general  mercantile 
esf.iblisliiiiciit.     r>y  his  courtesy,  promiitness  and 

li ..s(y    he    has    buill.    up   a    vciy    remiilierativu 

patronage,  lie  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcojial  church. 

'f'OllN  LAN(iHA]\L  a  courteous  gentleman, 
'l'  a  successful  business  man  and  a  prosperous 
]J  merchant  and  brick  manufacturer  of  West- 
moreland City,  is  a  son  of  John  and  Jane  (Wal- 
lace) Langham  and  was  born  in  Hartfordshire, 
England,  February  27,  1839.  His  parents 
were  natives  and  life-long  resiilents  of  Hartford- 
shire. They  were  unostentatious  but  useful  and 
consistent  members  of  the  church  of  England. 
The  father  was  an  industrious,  steady  farmer, 
who  thoroughly  tilled  his  protluetive  acres  and 
regularly  attended  the  church  of  his  choice  for 
over  half  a  century.  He  died  in  November, 
186(3,  aged  si.\ty-five  years.  The  mother  was  a 
neat  and  tidy  woman  who  gave  her  time  to  her 
household  affairs,  the  training  of  her  children 
anil  the  duties  of  her  church.  She  was  born  in 
the  same  year  as  her  liusbaiid  and  survived  liiin 
but  one  month. 

John  Langham  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  England.  At  an  early  ago  he 
went  to  Yorkshire,  where  he  worked  in  the  iron- 
ore  mines  of  that  place  until  the  year  1858. 
During  that  year  he  left  Great  Britain  and 
came  to  Allegheny  county,  Pa.,  where  he 
located  at  McKeesiiort  and  worked  for  twelve 
years  in  a  coal  mine.  In  1870  he  went  to 
Coultcrsville  in  the  same  county  where  he  fol- 
lowed mining  coal  for  two  years.  In  1872  he 
removed  to  Westmoreland  City,  this  county, 
where  he  has  continued  to  reside  ever  since. 
Shortly  after  arriving  in  AVeslmoreland  county 
he  opened  a  very  fine  grocery  and  by  strict 
attention  to  hi.s  bu-iness  so  prospered  that  he 
successively  added  to  his  stoek  dry  goods,  boots 


■ICsTMOIiKLAyi)   COVSl  Y. 


juiil  .sliiirs,  lials  Mini  cniis,  liiirilw.iri',  riiniitiiri'  j 
alicl  |)i()V  isiiiiis.  Ill  .sixlcrli  v.il.i  lii,^  ciisluiii  ! 
liiul  utUiiiifil  siifli  iimiioiliijiis  tli;it  his  huililiiig 
w.is  Uh)  .sin;ili  In  fuiilMili  ;i  stuck  ni'  l'hhiIs  siilli- 
cii'iil  til  sii[i|ilv  il.  :iiicl  Mr.  I.:iliu'li;iiii  I'diilnl  it 
luH'L'ssary  in  ISSS  lo  (.Tri-t  Ins  present  large 
Iniiliiiiig  at  W'estiiioiL-lainl  City.  The  upiier 
part  is  hi.s  residence.  The  loner  part,  whicli  is 
<liviileJ  into  two  large  rooms,  is  filled  with  a 
large,  assorted  and  complete  stock  of  general 
merchandise.  His  constantly  increasing  trade 
extends  over  a  wide  area  of  surrounding  coun- 
try and  his  store  is  recognized  as  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  important  mercantile  estab- 
lishments in  that  sectiuri  of  the  ccunty.  In 
18S2  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  brick 
and  to-day  finds  a  ready  market  for  all  that  he 
can  make.  In  politics  he  is  indeiiondent  as  to 
local  ollices,  always  voting  for  wliom  he  deems 
the  best  man  ;  but  in  state  or  national  elections 
he  supports  the  democratic  ticket. 

lie  was  married  in  ISiiO  to  ^arah,  a  daughter 
of  Mariot  Wilds  and  a  native  of  I-angdon?hire, 
England.  To  their  union  lia\e  been  burn  five 
children:  George,  Jane,  A\  illliam,  John  and 
Mariot. 

IJesides  his  large  sture  and  resilience  he  owns 
five  dwelling  lii.nises  in  W'e^tiiiuicland  City. 
Mr.  Langhani  has  achieved  his  prosperity  by 
his  own  unaided  eti'urts.  He  lias  inherited 
fruin  his  Kiiglisli  ancestors  those  sturdy  and 
cuiiiiiiendalilc  ipialities  nf  |ier>everaliee,  energy 
and  delei  liiinalioii  which  Ikim'  enabled  the  Mlig- 
lisli  race  In  overcmne  seemingly  uiisLirinount- 
;ible  obstacles  in  every  (jiiarler  n^  the  globe. 

'If-  i;r;Sll  LlvMlAKT,  niie  of  Nnrih  llunt- 
I  iiigdnu  tnwiisliip's  llln^t  successful  fanners, 
(ZJ  was  burn  in  that  township  nii  the  l^.")tli 
of  March,  l.S4lj.  He  is  a  smi  of  Joseph  and 
Elizabeth  (Baughnian)  Leiihart.  Jnseph  Leii- 
hart  was  Imrii  Octnber  11,  iMi.",.  in  AVilkins 
tnun^hip,  .Mlegheuy  cniinly,  where  he  alteiiiled 


such  schonls  us  llinse  early  days  all'orded.  .Mier 
leaving  his  fallier '^  I'ariii  be  l.niigbt  one  nf  bis 
own  and  to  obtain  money  for  the  payment  of 
ta.xes  he  hauled  llniir  to  ritlsbiirg  and  snld  it  at 
three  dnibiis  a  liarrel.  Oilier  lariii  jirndiice 
was  delivered  in  the  same  market  at  ei|Ually 
low  prices.  Many  long  journeys  were  made  by 
Mr.  Lenliart  on  horseback,  the  saddle  being  one 
of  the  old-fashioned,  uncomfortable  wooden 
pack-saddles.  Notwithstanding  the  surround- 
ing difficulties  he,  by  his  industry  and  thrift, 
furnished  each  of  his  children  with  a  bum.  He 
married  May  2:^,  1826,  Elizabeth  Baughmaii, 
of  tlis  county.  Six  of  their  ten  children  are 
vet  living.  In  181)2  his  wife  died,  and  in  1807 
he  married  Elizabeth  Underwnod.  daughter  of 
riiilip  Loughner,  of  I'enn  township.  They 
have  no  children,  and  live  alone,  nicely  situated 
in  Irwin.  'J'he  following  are  children  of  his 
first  wife  who  are  yet  living:  Harriet,  born 
July  20,  1831,  living  at  Englewood,  111. ;  Sarah 
Ann,  born  December  2."j,  18:34,  wife  of  John  H. 
Flowers,  of  Irwin  ;  Lucy  Ann,  born  January  2, 
18r]7,  wife  of  'William  Sclieibelcr,  of  Irwin; 
Mary  J.,  born  March  'J,  1841,  wife  of  Adam 
^Vhitehead,  of  near  Irwin  ;  Margaret,  born 
May  2,  184,'),  wife  of  James  Mc(iill,  of  Irwin, 
and  J.  Rush,  subject  of  this  sketch.  Abraham 
Lenhart  (graiidfither)  was  liorn  in  Allegheny 
county  about  the  time  of  the  llevolutioiiary 
war.  He  remained  there  fnlbiwing  bis  nccupa- 
tiiin  of  I'arniiiig  unlil  abnut  l>^2ll.  when  he 
removed  to  near  llarrisnii  City,  this  cniinty, 
where  he  lived  till  his  death.  In  iStU  be  mar- 
rieil  Sarah,  daughter  of  Michael  llyerly,  of 
Ilempfield  (imw  I'cnii)  township.  To  them 
were  born  ten  children,  eight  of  whom  survive: 
Joseph,  Annie,  wife  nf  Samuel  Keck,  of  ^\'ash- 
ington,  1).  0.  ;  Sarah,  relict  of  Jaeoli  Kunkle 
of  I'enn  town>liip;  Susanna,  relict  of  Joseph 
Gongawaro,  of  Wooster,  Ohio;  Lavina,  wife  of 
George  Knappenberger,  now  of  Illinois,  and 
Michael  who  resides  in  Grecusbiirg.  Abraham 
Lenhart    died    in    1S:)7   and   his   wife    in    184o. 


3U8 


BIOORAPIIIES  OF 


Cliristie  I.i'iiliait  (gi\'at-;.'r;in(lt'atlu'r)  was  born 
in  (ieriiiany,  ainl  iiinnii^rafed  to  .ViiK'rica.  settling 
ill  Wilkins  tii\vn-:liip,  AllciflR'n)-  county  wlu'i'c 
lie  iiian-inl  ami  (.•nniiimcil  tn  live  until  liis  death 
in   ISIII. 

J.  Itusii  Lenliart  while  at  homo  attended  pub- 
lic seliouls  and  worked  on  his  father's  farm.  lie 
afterwards  bought  the  farm  and  still  lives  on -it. 
In  1862  he  married  Leah,  daughter  of  Adam 
Whitehead  of  tlie  same  township  and  had  two 
eiiildren,  one  of  whom,  J.  William,  is  living. 
His  wife  soon  died  and  in  IStiG  he  married 
I-ydia  A.  Miller.  Of  the  eight  children  born 
to  this  union  seven  are  living  at  home :  David 
11.  yi.,  Samuel,  Leslie  Ottis,  Nellie,  Lizzie  L., 
Lucy,  and  Alice  Irwin.  Flora  died  during  the 
past  year  at  the  age  of  fourteen. 

J.  liush  Lenhart  is  u  farmer  and  also  an  im- 
porter of  fine  draft  and  driving  horses.  He  is 
a  genial,  outspoken,  straightforward  gentleman 
whose  word  is  as  good  as  his  bond.  lie  is  a 
member  nf  the  Lutheran  church,  lie  takes  a 
great  interest  in  the  history  of  tlie  Lenhart 
faindy,  of  whieli  he  mav  be  justiv  proud. 


\(iNUS  E.  LINDERLAl),  a  thorongh- 
i  /  going  business  man  and  the  energetic 
♦  manager  of  the  "Peoples'  Corporalion 
Store"  at  liwin,  was  born  in  the  district  of 
Skone,  Swedeii,  Oetolier  o,  L'^4t],  ami  is  a  son 
of  Christian  and  Christina  (Malenstrom)  Linde- 
blail.  His  parents  are  both  nalivi'S  of  Sweden, 
wheie  they  now  reside  m  the  district  of  Skone, 
which  has  been  their  lionie  fir  many  years. 
They  are  hundile  ami  devout  members  of  the 
Evangelical  Lutheran  church.  'I'he  fither  is  an 
excellent  cabinet-maker  of  many  years  experi- 
ence and  still  labors  at  his  trade. 

Magnus  E.  Lindeblad  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  iiis  native  district  in  Sweden.  Leav- 
ing school  he  leariietl  and  followed  the  cabinet- 
making  traile  with  his  fither.  In  the  fall  of 
18GiJ  lie   embarked   on   a    vessel   bound  for  the 


LTnited  States  and  in  a  few  weeks  landed  at 
New  York  City.  lie  soon  came  to  Westmore- 
land county  where  he  located  at  Irwin  and  en- 
gaged in  roal  digging  for  a  short  time.  In  a 
few  weeks  be  loiiiid  work  in  a  carpenter  shoj) 
and  continueil  to  work  steadily  at  carpentering 
for  twelve  years.  In  the  autumn  of  1881  he  be- 
came a  clerk  in  the  "  Peoples'  Corporation 
Store,"  at  Irwin,  which  position  he  held  for  five 
years.  In  iSStl  he  was  made  manager  of  this 
store  and  has  served  creditably  in  that  capacity 
ever  since. 

In  1S72  Mr.  Lindeblad  was  united  in  marri- 
age to  Annie  Nystrom,  daughter  of  Peter 
Nystrom,  of  district  Skone,  Sweden.  Their 
union  has  been  blessed  with  five  children,  four 
sons  and  one  daughter  :  Claus,  Victor,  Albert, 
Clara  and  Charles. 

Magnus  E.  Lindeblad  is  an  encampment 
member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows and  al>o  a  memlier  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias.  He  is  a  jn-ominent  member  and  the 
ellicient  treasurer  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
church.  Mr.  Lindeldad  is  a  republican  in  ]K)li- 
tics.  lie  is  one  of  the  juiblic-sjiirited  and  eritcr- 
prising  citizens  of  the  progressive  and  wide- 
awake borough  of  Irwin.  His  abundant  suc- 
cess has  liceii  Well  merited  and  amply  deserved 
by  his  steiliiig  integrity  and   patient  industry. 


ICnOLAS  LOMMEL,  of  French  descent 
and  a  prominent  citizen  and  successful 
nierehant  of  Uolibin's  station,  was  born 
in  the  village  of  La  Madelaine,  in  the  Grand 
Duchy  of  Lu.xenibourg,  Germany,  March  I'J, 
184;}.  He  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Catherine 
(Thill)  Lonimel,  who  were  natives  of  France. 
Joseph  Lommel  was  a  cooper  by  trade,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Catholic  church  and  shortly  after  his 
marriage  reiiiovi'il  to  l,a  Madelaine,  (ieriiiany, 
where  he  resided  until  his  death  in  March, 
]87'2,  at  seventy  years  of  ago.  His  wife  was 
born  in  1800  and  passed  away  in  January,  1872. 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


399 


Nicholas  LouiukI  was  rcarcil  at  La  Mailclaino 
until  lie  was  eleven  veai's  ul  ai^o,  when  lie  was 
sent  to  France,  atlemle'l  the  )]iililie  selnjols  of 
that  cuuiitiy  ami  IbOli  left  tiie  Fieneii  Km- 
pire  for  the  United  States.  He  fii>t  located  in 
St.  Louis,  Mo.,  reinaincil  a  bhoit  time  in  that 
city  and  then  renioveil  to  lielleville,  Illinois. 
lie  here  engaged  in  the  coal  mining  and  farm- 
ing. Four  years  latter  he  migrated  eastward  to 
Indiana.  After  one  year's  stay  he  made  a  visit 
to  his  native  land,  married  and  came  buck  to  the 
United  States  where  he  took  up  his  residence  at 
Osceola,  Allegheny  county,  Pa.  In  six  months 
he  removed  to  Coultersville,  in  the  same  county, 
where  he  lived  for  three  years.  In  187(3  he 
left  Allegheny  county  and  came  to  llobbins. 
The  ne.xt  year  he  endjarked  iii  the  general  bus- 
iness, which  he  has  successfully  pursued  until  the 
j)resent  time.  He  is  a  democrat  and  served  as 
postmaster  at  Robbins  station  from  18>S4  to  1889. 

On  August  -0,  l.'STil,  Mr.  Lomniel  was  mar- 
ried in  Luxembourg,  Germany,  to  Christina  Ries, 
daughter  of  Jacob  Uies,  w Im  was  a  government 
officer  of  Luxembourg.  To  their  union  have 
been  born  five  children:  Eva,  born  188U  ; 
Mary,  born  1881;  Josephine,  born  18S2; 
Catherine,  born  188G  ;  and    Hilda,  born  1888. 

Nicholas  Lommel  is  one  of  ^^'estulorelaud 
county's  energetic  and  prosperous  citizens. 
Landing  upon  the  shores  of  the  new  wdrld  with 
no  capital  or  means,  Mr.  Lonuiiel  has  steadily 
labored  and  prospered  until  lie  is  now  comforta- 
bly situated  at  Kohbins.  He  has  a  complete 
and  assorted  stock  of  general  merchandise,  re- 
ceives his  fidl  shai'e  of  public  patronage  and 
owns  his  store  room,  residence  and  other  proji- 
erty  in  the  village.  He  is  a  man  of  eneigy,  en- 
terprise and  good  judgment. 


fAMUEL  C.  LONG,  a  successful  and  pop- 
ular druggist   of  Larimer  and  postmaster 
of  that  village  under  President  Cleveland's 
administration,  is  a  son  of  Benjamin  and  Mary 


Iv  ((Carpenter)  Long,  and  was  l)oni  in  idling 
township,  Indiana  <diiiily,  I'a.,  .November  I'.l, 
ISlil.  IJenjamin  Long  is  a  prosperous  fanner 
of  Indiana  county,  of  which  he  is  a  native,  lie 
has  always  been  cngageil  in  agricultural  pursuits 
and  takes  especial  pride  in  his  farm  and  stock. 
He  is  one  of  the  leading  farmeis  in  his  section 
of  that  county.  He  is  a  member  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  church  and  a  democrat  in  politics, 
and  has  served  his  township  in  all  of  its  various 
offices.  In  1853  he  married  Mary  E.  Carpenter, 
a  daughter  of  Daniel  Carpenter,  who  was  a  native 
of  this  county  ami  moved  to  the  State  of  Indiana, 
where  he  followed  his  occupation  of  farming  for 
several  years  before  his  death. 

Samuel  C.  Long  spent  his  boyhood  days  on 
his  father's  farm.  He  received  his  rudimentary 
education  in  the  connnon  schools  and  attended 
"Elders  Ridge  academy,"  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1888.  His  first  employment  in 
life  for  himself  was  teaching,  which  he  followed 
for  three  years.  In  188t)  he  removed  to  Larimer, 
where  he  embarked  in  his  present  estaljlishment. 
He  has  a  first-class  stock  of  drugs,  proprietary 
medicines,  toilet  articles  and  stationery  and  is 
careful  in  compounding  prescriptions.  His  store 
is  well  arranged  and  of  a  size  to  accommodate 
the  remunerative  trade  which  lie  has  secured. 

Samuel  C.  Long  is  a  democrat  in  political 
sentiment,  takes  an  active  ]iart  in  the  interests 
of  his  [)artyand  served  for  three  years  and  two 
months  as  postmaster  of  Larimer  by  appointment 
of  President  Cleveland.  Mr.  Long  is  one  of 
Larimer's  enteiprising  young  men  who  takes  an 
active  jiart  in  everything  calculated  to  advance 
the  interests  of  that  prosperous  village.  He  is 
punctual,  exact  and  honest  and  is  always  to  be 
found  at  his  pleasantly-located  jilace  of  business. 


OBERT  PRICE  McCLELLAN.  M.  D., 

a  successful  and  rising  young  physician  of 
Irwin,  is  a  son  of  Robert  P.  and  Margaret 
(Matthews)  McClellan  and  was  born  in  \Vharton 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


townsliip,  Fayette  county,  Pa.,  December  13, 
18(1:2.  The  MeClellans  were  originally  fVoin  the 
i'a>tei'n  [lart  of  Pennsylvania.  The  (loetor'a 
fatlirr,  Rohert  P.  iMcC'lellan.  is  a  native  of 
\\'ashin_i;ti)n  enmity  (near  Cannoiisburg),  this 
State.  In  early  life  he  removei!  to  Preston 
County,  AV.  Va.,  and  then  to  AVharton  township, 
Fayette  county.  Pa.,  where  he  purcliasetl  a  farm 
near  the  village  of  Gibbon's  Glade,  and  engaged 
in  farming.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  late  war 
and  served  in  the  fourteenth  reg.  Pa.  Cavalry 
A'lils.  He  now  gives  his  attention  principally 
to  the  management  of  his  farm  and  stock-raising. 
lie  has  served  aceeptalily  as  justice  of  the  ]ieace, 
has  always  taken  an  active  interest  in  educa- 
tional matters  and  is  conservative  and  liberal  in 
his  views.  He  has  Ijeen  successful  in  agricul- 
tural pursuits  and  is  one  of  the  prominent  and 
well-known  citizens  of  his  township.  In  1851 
he  married  ^largaret  Matthews,  daughter  of 
James  Matthews,  who  was  an  old  ami  highlv- 
respected  citizen  of  the  township.  They  lia\e 
four  children  living. 

Dr.  U.  P.  jNIcClelhui  received  his  rudimentary 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
town-hip,  attended  the  celelirated  old  ••(ieorges 
(,'rcck  academy"  at  Smithlicid,  Pa.,  and  after- 
wards studied  at  the  ^Vestern  rennsylvania  .Sci- 
entilic  and  Classical  Institute  of  Mt.  Pleasant, 
this  county,  but  sickness  compelled  him  to  leave 
that  institution  before  completing  his  course. 
He  taught  four  winters  in  the  rural  schools, 
was  principal  of  the  public  schools  of  new  tialem. 
Pa.,  for  three  yiars  auil  of  a  noruuil  school  at 
the  same  place  for  two  years.  In  1884  he  began 
to  read  medicine  with  l)rs.  F.  C.  Robinson  and 
I;  Sjiringer  (iaddis,  of  I'liioiitnwn,  Pa.  After 
coni])leting  the  re(piired  course  of  reading  with 
them  he  attended  (188G)  one  course  of  lectures 
at  the  college  uf  Physicians  and  Hurgeons  in 
P)aliiHHPii'.  Mil.,  and  in  18S7  111'  entered  .lellerson 
Medical  e.ilb-v  ,,r  rhilailelphia,  from  which  in- 
slitiilidu  he  wa.-.  giadu:iled  April  I,  iSSS.  In 
dune  of    tiiat    year    he    located    at    Irwin,    this 


county,  where  he  has  rapidly  and  steadily  built 
up  a  very  good  practice.  He  is  u  mendjcr  of 
Irwin  Council,  No.  44,  Jr.  0.  11.  A.  M. ;  J.  P. 
Saam  Camj),  No.  148,  Sons  of  Veterans,  and 
Westmoreland  Lodge,  No.  415,  K.  of  P. 

On  January  2,  1890,  Dr.  McClellan  united 
in  marriage  with  Mary  F.  Larimer,  daughter  of 
the  late  Hamilton  Larimer,  of  Irwin,  who  was 
a  prominent  citizen  of  the  county  and  a  lineal 
descendant  of  the  old  and  pioneer  Larimer 
family. 

Dr.  R.  P.  ^IcClellan  is  a  republican  in  poli- 
tics. 1  le  is  a  courteous  and  honorable  gentleman. 
He  was  a  leading  teacher  of  his  native  county, 
is  a  close  student  and  well-read  in  the  standard 
medical  literature  of  to-day,  which  constitutes 
the  basis  for  excellent  professional  work,  and  has 
already  established  a  rejiutation  as  a  .skilled,  in- 
telligent and  successful  physician. 


NDRKW  LEWIS  McFARLANE,  one 
of  Westmoreland's  leading  citizens,  was 
born  near  New  Castle,  Mercer  county 
(now  Lawrence),  September  l!l,  1825.  He  is 
the  youngest  son  of  Francis  and  Mary  (McWil- 
liams)  McFarlano.  Francis  McFarlane  and 
.Mary  McWilliams  were  born  in  county  Tyrone, 
Ireland,  innnigrated  to  Anieiica  in  17U4,  and 
settled  in  Westmoreland  county,  where  they 
were  nnirried.  They  soon  removed  to  Mercer 
county  wdiere  they  spent  the  rcnniinder  of  their 
days.  Nine  sons  and  thi-ee  daughters  were 
born  to  them,  of  whom  Andrew  L.  is  yet  living. 
Francis  McFarlane  hail  a  brother  Andrew  who 
came  from  Ireland  and  'settled  in  Washington 
county.  In  one  of  tlie  Pritish  and  Indian  wars 
in  which  he  was  engaged  he  was  cajjtured  and 
confined  in  a  I'ritish  fort  for  about  a  year. 
One  day  a  I'.rili-h  ollleer,  by  impiii-y,  learned 
that  he  had  nuised  Mel''arl:ine  when  an  infant 
in  li'eland,  whereupon  he  i-suid  an  order  re 
leasing  him.      Amlrew  married  a  Virginia  lady 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


by  tlio  name  of  Lewis,  a  sister  of  tlie  famous 
Lewis  wiio,  witli  Clarke,  exjilureil  the  iMissis- 
siii])i  ^'aile}'  and  territory  west. 

James  McLarlane,  another  brother,  also  came 
from  Lehmd,  settled  in  Washington  county  and 
beeame  a  great  trader.  lie  built  a  steamboat 
and  carried  on  business  as  far  south  as  New 
Orleans,  eventually  becoming  ijuite  wealthy. 
Among  other  properties  he  owned  several  thou- 
sand acres  on  which  the  city  of  Iie.\ington,  Ky., 
noAV  stands  and  ten  acres  on  what  is  now  Fed- 
eral street,  Allegheny  City.  James  McFurlane 
was  a  colonial  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war, 
and  for  valiant  service  was  soon  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  major.  AV  hen  the  whiskey  insurrection 
broke  out  he  was  chosen  commander-in-chief  of 
tlie  armed  force,  and  at  the  head  of  a  large  force 
of  the  insurgents  marched  to  the  ofllce  of  the 
excise  collector,  some  ten  miles  from  Elizabeth, 
Allegheny  county,  and  demanded  the  surrender 
of  Neville  and  his  commissions.  xVfter  some 
promiscuous  lighting  j\Lijor  McFurlane  stepped 
to  the  front  ludding  up  a  cane  with  a  handker- 
chief attached  to  one  end  as  a  Hag  of  truce. 
No  attention  was  paid  to  the  ilag,  liowever,  and 
ahiiiist  immediately  he  was  shot  liy  one  Kirk- 
fialrii'k,  who  was  in  the  olliec.  The  ball  sevt-rcd 
an  arlt-ry  in  ihe  ihiL'h  and  Mfl''arlane  hied  tn 
death,  being  liclil  up  unld  he  died  by  the  fuller 
of  llaniel  (».  Uarr,  editor  (d' the  I'iltsbing  /'i.at. 
Kiikpauiek  e.>eape<l  t(j  Fort  I'itt  or  he  Would 
ha\e  been  torn  to  pieces  by  the  infuriated  insur- 
gents. Maj(ir  .lames  McFarlane  lies  buried  in 
Mingo  cemetery  on  Mingn  circk,  AUcghenv 
ciiunly. 

Andrew  T,.  McKarlane  was  educated  in  llie 
pidjlie  and  academic  schools  of  what  is  now 
Lawrence  county.  He  came  to  Westmoreland 
couniy  in  LSI  t  andliegan  farming.  The  I'ollnw- 
iug  year  lir  luanicd — in  the  house  which  is  now 
his  residence — Mai'y  F..  daughter  of  William 
Larimer,  ."^r.,  of  this  county,  and  a  sister  of 
Gen.  Larimer,  of  I'ittsbuig.  'I'hcy  had  five 
children,  two  ol  whom  are  livin;? :   (_ie(jrire,  a  resi- 


dent of  East  End,  Pittsburg,  where  he  is  secre- 
tary of  the  Pittsburg  Traction  Company  ;  and 
Ella  Fullerton,  now  the  wife  of  Thomas  Boggs. 
Mrs.  McFarlane  died  in  180:3  in  the  thirty- 
seventh  year  of  her  age.  In  May,  18(J5, 
Andrew  L.  McFarlane  married  Jennie  A.  Davis, 
of  Fayette  county.  Two  of  the  three  children 
born  to  them  are  now  living:  Lyda  W.,  wife  of 
AVilliam  Stanton,  of  Philadelphia,  but  now  re- 
siding in  Allegheny  City  ;  and  A.  Lewis,  who  is 
yet  at  home. 

Andrew  L.  McFarlane,  owing  to  his  industry, 
energy  and  good  judgment  has  been  a  remark- 
ably successful  business  man.  lie  owns  two 
large  farms,  a  considerable  portion  of  a  silver 
mine  near  Idaho  Spring,  Colorado,  and  a  great 
deal  of  stock  in  banks,  besides  being  a  heavy 
stockholder  in  the  AVestmoreland  Coal  company 
and  the  lledstone  Oil,  Coal  and  Coke  company, 
in  Fayette  county,  the  president  of  which  is 
Jacob  Ilidgway,  a  millionaire  of  Philadelphia. 
Mr.  McFarlane  is  iaiiiiliarly  called  "  ( 'ulonel," 
though  he  lays  no  claim  to  military  honor.  He 
is  genial,  outspoken  and  generous  and  deserves 
all  the  sucess  his  integrity  and  business  capacity 
have  earned  lor  him.  He  lives  most  of  the  time 
with  his  family  at  Circleville,  tliis  county,  where 
be  has  a  line  residence. 


•jj'ACOB  L.  McKEEVEP.,  one  of  North 
■|'  Hinitiiigdon's  enterprising  citizens  and  a 
(ij  pnispeiMus  merchant  cif  the  village  of 
Shaftiin,  (Ml  the  Pennsylvtmia  railroad,  is  a  son 
of  Jolin  tiiid  Martha  (I;udwick)  McKeever  and 
was  born  in  Penn  township,  Westmoreland 
county.  Pa.,  July  ."),  1847.  His  grandfathers, 
Henry  McKee\cr  and  Jacob  Ludwick,  were 
farmers  ui'  I'cnn  township.  The  former,  who 
was  (d'  Irish  descent,  ilied  in  ISTIJ,  aged  eighty- 
two  years,  and  the  latter,  of  German  extraction, 
lived  to  be  four  score  yetirs  of  age.  John  Mc- 
Keever (father)  was  reared  on  a  farm   in   Penn 


BIOORAPIHES  OF 


township  and  followed  carpentering  and  favniing 
as  an  oecuiiation  until  his  death,  which  took 
jilacc  July  2,  1888.  Ho  liad  gone  un  that  day 
to  ]\[aiior  station,  where  he  intendeil  t(i  take  a 
train  tor  East  Liberty,  I'a.,  and  remain  for  a 
day  or  so  with  his  daughter,  Mrs.  A.  C.  Ellis, 
who  resided  at  the  latter  place.  He  was  stand- 
ing on  tiie  railway  track  and  was  struck  and  in- 
stantly killed  by  the  fast  line.  He  owned  a 
good  farm,  was  a  republican  in  polities  and  a 
consistent  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
He  was  born  February  21,  181tj,  and  married  j 
Martlia  Liidwick,  burn  Feliruary  21,  1821,  wlio 
resides  at  East    Liberty,  I'a. 

Jacob  L.  McKeevcr  lived  on  a  farm  and 
attended  the  common  schools  until  lie  was  of  age. 
He  then  commenced  farming  which  he  followed 
with  profitable  results  until  188G.  On  February 
15,  1880,  he  engaged  in  the  general  mercantile 
business  at  Shafton,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa. 
He  commenced  upon  a  small  scale  but  now  has 
a  first-class  store  which  is  well  stocked  with 
every  article  that  is  usually  called  for  in  a 
mercantile  establishment.  By  close  attention  to 
the  wants  of  his  customers  he  has  secured  an 
extensive  and  liberal  patronage. 

On  December  23,  18G'J,  he  married  Nancy 
Ellis,  daughter  of  James  Ellis,  of  Ludwick,  this 
county.  Their  children  are  :  Etta  M.,  John  S., 
Clark  E.,  Isabella  M.,  Mary  L.,  Charles  C, 
ISiancy  J.,  James  E.,  Robert  L.,  Paul  11.  and 
Margaret  E. 

Jacob  L.  McKeever  is  a  member  of  Irwin 
Council,  No.  71)4,  Royal  Arcanum,  Irwin  Con- 
clave, No.  175,  Improved  Order  of  Ileptasophs 
and  Equitable,  No.  53,  Order  of  Solons.  He  is 
a  republican  from  principle  and  a  ruling  elder 
of  Irwin  Presbyterian  church  ]Mr.  McKeever 
owns  a  small  but  desirable  farm  of  fifty-five 
acres  of  well-improved  land  which  lies  along  the 
railway  just  opposite  Shafton.  He  is  a  plain, 
unassuming,  industrious  man,  whose  cliarac- 
teristics  are  judgment,  energy  and  perseve- 
rance. 


AMUEL  B.  MILLER,  of  Irwin,  was  In.rn 
October  llj,  1837,  in  I'ittsburg,  Pa.,  and 
l»i  is  a  .•^Du  iif  Miciiael  and  Caroline  (Carr) 
Miller.  His  fither  was  a  native  of  Allegheny 
county,  born  near  Elizaljcthtowu,  and  was  a 
steamboat  buihler  or  ship  carpenter,  working 
most  of  the  time  at  Pittsburg.  He  died  in 
1882  at  the  age  of  seventy-si.K  years  at  Monon- 
gahela  City,  which  was  his  home  at  that  time ; 
his  wife,  who  was  a  native  of  England,  died  in 
October,  1«43. 

Saniut'l  B.  Miller  was  reared  in  the  city  of 
his  liiith.  attending  the  nld  west  ward  public 
•school  until  fmirteen  years  of  age,  when  he  went 
to  Monongahela  City  to  learn  the  tinsmith  trade 
witii  his  two  ste})brothers,  E.  Downer  &  Bro. 
With  them  he  remaineil  three  years,  afterwards 
working  at  his  traile  in  Pittsburg  until  18G1, 
when  he  enlisted  in  Co.  A,  thirteenth  Pa. 
Infantry  for  three  months'  service  His  time 
having  expired,  he  re-enlisted  August  7  of  the 
same  year  in  (Jo.  L,  fifth  Pa.  Cavalry  for 
three  j'ears,  and  after  serving  more  than  two 
years  he  again  re-enlisted  for  three  years  in  the 
same  company,  and  served  till  the  close  of  the 
war.  He  was  in  the  ranks  four  years,  three 
months  and  seventeen  days,  and  was  discharged 
at  Philadelphia,  after  which  he  returned  to  Mo- 
nongahela City,  whence  he  soon  removeil  to 
Pittsburg,  and  there  continued  to  work  at  his 
trade  until  1871,  with  the  exception  of  one  year 
spent  in  Butler  county.  In  1871  he  located  at 
Irwin,  then  a  small  town,  and  there  worked  at 
his  trade  until  January,  1888,  when  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  his  son  Henry  A.,  the  firm 
name  being  S.  B  Miller  k  Son.  They  are  en- 
gaged in  the  tinning  business  and  have  suc- 
ceeded in  securing  a  large  patronage,  which  they 
justly  deserve. 

Samuel  B.  Miller,  in  18(J7,  was  married  to 
Rebecca,  a  daugiiter  of  Henry  Blount,  of  this 
county,  and  they  have  six  children,  three  sons 
and  three  daughters:  Carrie  B.,  Henry  A., 
Maggie  C,  John  G.,  George  V.,  and  Annie  R. 


WESTMORELAND   CO  UNTY. 


"t'OlIN  II.  OVER,  tlie  loading  sliuc  nicr- 
I  chant  cif  Irwin,  \va.s  born  February  lit, 
<$)  isr.j,  in  PxMlfonl,  Bodfonl  county,  I'a.  He 
i.s  !i  Hiin  of  .lacnb  anil  I'lliziibctli  (Claar)  Over. 
Jacob  Over  was  born  in  f^trawsbury,  Franklin 
•county,  October  >i,  IT'Jo.  He  married  Elizabeth 
Olaar,  wlio  was  a  native  of  Bedford  county. 
They  bad  eleven  children,  two  of  whom  arc 
<lcail.  Of  those  living,  Mary  married  David 
Elsrode,  anil  resides  in  Pittsburg  ;  Charlotte  is 
the  wife  of  Captain  Joseph  Schell  Reed,  and 
lives  at  Ilulton,  Allegheny  county  ;  Emma  mar- 
ried Alex.  J.  Henderson,  who  was  formerly 
sheriff'  and  treasurer  of  Bedford  county  ;  Hester 
is  the  wife  of  Jacob  Berkstressor  of  Wolfsburg, 
Bedford  county  ;  Anna  is  married  to  Adam  K. 
Pensel,  and  resides  in  Bedford  county  ;  Sarah, 
now  Mrs.  Charles  Bradley,  resides  with  her 
husband  in  Huntingdon  county  ;  AVilliam  mar- 
ried Angeline  Dias,  of  Irwin,  where  he- now  re- 
sides. .Jacob  Over,  though  he  never  aspired  to 
political  ofHce  himself,  was  nevertheless  a 
prominent  republican  politician  of  Bedford 
county.  His  snn-in-law,  A.  J.  Henderson,  was 
the  first  republican  sherilf  elected  in  that  c(junty 
for  many  years.  Mr.  Over,  who  died  in  June, 
1^74,  was  identified  with  ihe  Befornied  church, 
in  whose  interests  he  was  a  zealous  and  inde- 
fatigable laborer. 

John  H.  Over,  the  youiigest  of  the  family, 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Bedford 
county.  At  the  ago  of  si.xteen  he  left  his  native 
county  and  i-ame  tn  Irwin,  where  he  entered  his 
brother's  imot  and  shoe  store.  After  nine 
years'  experience  in  that  line  he  embarked  in 
the  foundry  business  under  the  firm  name  of 
Cunningham  k  Over,  in  which  ho  continued  for 
five  years  with  remarkable  success.  He  next 
engaged  in  milling  under  the  firm  name  of  Cort, 
Over  &  llichey,  and  after  several  years  he  sold 
out  and  started  a  boot  and  shoe  store  in  Irwin, 
determined  to  "paddle  his  own  canoe."  Mr. 
Over,  when  he  left  Bedford  county,  had  to  bor- 
row money  to  bring  him   hero,  but  owing  to  his 


indomitable  pluck,  energy,  and  business  ability 
has  accumulated  considerable  wealth,  although 
([uile  a  young  man,  all  of  which  has  been  earned 
by  his  own  persistent  ell'orts.  Mr.  Over  is  a 
member  of  the  lufiuiued  church,  in  which  he  is 
a  deacon  and  a  trustee. 

In  September,  1879,  he  married  Sarah  Jane 
Eisaman,  a  resident  of  Allegheny  county,  but 
who  with  her  family  were  natives  of  Westmore- 
land county.  They  have  two  children,  both 
girls:  Lucy  Reamer,  born  May  :21,  ISSO.  and 
Hester  IMinerva,  born  October  Itj,  1S85. 


HOMAS  W.  PAINTER,  one  of  the  lead- 
ing farmers  of  North   Huntingdon  town- 

^  ship  and  a  descendant  of  two  substantial 
old  Scotch-Irish  families  of  the  county  was  born 
on  the  farm  in  which  he  now  resides  in  North 
Huntingdon  township,  Westmoreland  county, 
Pa.,  September  1.3,  1827,  and  is  a  son  of  John 
and  Harriet  (Parks)  Painter.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  Thomas  Painter,  was  of  Scotch- 
Irish  descent  and  came  from  York  to  Westmore- 
land county.  Pa.,  in  1787.  In  17'Jt)  he  pur- 
chased the  farni  on  which  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
now  resiiles.  His  maternal  grandfather,  AVilliam 
Parks,  was  a  native  of  York  county,  this  State. 
He  was  Scotch-Irish  by  nationality  and  a  fanner 
by  occupation.  He  married  Margaret  Larimer 
of  Oxford  township,  Chester  county,  the  last  of 
December,  1754,  came  to  North  Huntingdon 
township  about  1787  and  died  in  18o2  at  G7 
years  of  age.  His  father,  John  Painter,  was 
born  in  1781  and  was  a  Quaker  in  religious  be- 
lief as  was  his  father  before  him.  He  was  a 
prosperous  farmer  and  died  January  15,  1841, 
aged  <!0  years.  He  nuirried  Harriet  Parks,  who 
was  a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
church  and  died  in  1SS2  at  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty-seven  years.  « 

Thomas  W.  Painter  was  reared  on  a  farm  at 
a  time  when  farmers'  sons  did  not  have  the  op- 
portunities which   they  now  enjoy.      His  educa- 


BIUGRAPUIES  OF 


tioii  lie  (ilitiiiiicil  ill  tlic  old  siiliscriptii)ii  hcIhkiIs, 
and  >vliil(j  not  as  tlioroiigli  iiml  aitvaiicoil  as  that 
iiiiliartc'il  liy  tlif  ciiiiiiiniu  scliouls  of  to-day,  yet 
was  jiraulical  and  siillicic-nt  for  all  ordinary  liiisi- 
nosH  jiiirsuits.  lie  was  trained  to  taiiiiiiig  which 
he  has  always  followed  as  an  occujiation.  lie 
has  always  kept  abreast  of  the  times  in  agri- 
cultural matters,  as  his  highly  cultivated  and 
well-improved  farm  ■  will  attest  to-day.  His 
farm  consists  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres 
of  choice  land  and  is  situated  two  miles  from 
liobbins'  station  and  three  and  one-half  miles 
southwest  of  Irwin. 

Thonnis  W.  I'ainter  was  married  on  July  1, 
1852,  to  Eveline  I'ainter,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Isaac  Painter,  of  Washington  county,  Ohio. 
They  have  si.x  children,  one  son  and  five  daught- 
ers :  Margaret  A.,  Eliza  J.,  Mary,  Thomas  E., 
Eva  M.  and  Rachel  R.  Margaret  A.  was  mar- 
ried to  William  II.  Goehring,  who  died  in  Sep- 
tember, 1883.  Eva  M.  is  the  wife  of  Elmer  E. 
Ilileman,  who  is  running  a  foundry  at  Irvona, 
Pa.  Thomas  E.  married  Sadie  E.,  daughter  of 
Henry  McDonald,  of  Sewickley  townshiji,  this 
county. 

T.  W.  Painter  is  a  republican  in  politics  and 
attends  the  United  Presbyterian  church.  He 
has  served  his  township  acceptably  as  school 
director,  is  one  of  its  reliable  citizens  and  en- 
joys the  confidence  and  esteem  of  his  neighbors. 


ellAKLKS  L.  I'ALMKK,  of  Irwin,  was 
born  January  31,  IS  11,  in  Preston  town- 
ship. New  London  county,  (Connecticut, 
and  is  a  son  of  (Charles  anil  Lucy  A.  (Hyde) 
Palmer.  His  lalhcr  was  a  native  of  llie  same 
place,  where  he  engaged  in  the  pursuits  of  agri- 
culture and  became  a  prosperous  farmer.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Congregational  church 
and  departed  this  life  in  March,  188!l,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-four  years.  l-ui-y  A.  Hyde  is  a 
native  of  the  same  county  in  ( 'onnectirul  and  is 
now  liviii'T  there  on  the  old  hoiMc-ilcail. 


('liarh'.s  L.  Palmer  was  leaied  on  the  I'arm, 
educated  in  the  common  and  select  sciiools  and 
in  the  fall  of  18(12  enlisted  in  (Jo.  15,  twenty- 
si.xth  (Conn,  reg.,  serving  one  year  and  jiarlic- 
ipating  in  all  the  battles  of  his  regiment.  Re- 
turning home  from  the  battle-field  ho  remained 
on  the  farm  in  the  summer  and  taught  school 
two  winters.  In  18(jG  he  accepted  a  position  as 
clerk  in  a  grocery  house  at  Norwich,  Conn.,  re- 
maining there  two  years,  and  in  the  sjiring  of 
1870  came  west  to  Irwin,  this  county,  where  he 
engaged  in  the  general  mercantile  business, 
which  he  has  continued  ever  since,  being  one  of 
the  oldest  merchantsof  Irwin.  He  located  there 
when  Irwin  was  but  a  small  place  and  grew  up 
with  it.  He  has  been  very  successful  in  his 
business  and  is  now  one  of  the  leading  mer- 
chants of  the  town,  having  a  large  patronage 
and  reliable  customers.  He  belongs  to  the 
Solons,  the  Presbyterian  church  and  the  Repub- 
lican party. 

In  1870  Charles  L.  Palmer  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Lena,  a  daughter  of  Abel  Booth, 
of  New  York  city,  and  they  have  two  living 
children  :      (Charles  E.  and  Lucy  H. 


ARGARET  PARKINSON,  an  intelli- 
gent woman  of  unusual  good  business 
aliility  and  postmistress  at  Larimer's 
station,  is  a  daughter  of  David  and  Jane 
(Thompson)  Warnock,  and  was  born  in  Reaver 
county.  Pa.,  dune  4,  1832.  Her  lather  was 
born  in  171'8,  in  Beaver  county,  of  which  ho 
was  a  life-long  resident  and  in  which  he  died 
May  12,  18GS,  soon  after  completing  his  three 
score  and  ten  years.  He  was  an  inllnential 
member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church,  in 
which  his  opinions  and  counsels  were  highly 
prized.  Besides  being  a  valued  and  prominent 
member  of  his  church  he  was  greatly  esteemed 
in  his  coiiimmiity,  in  which  he  stood  high  as  a 
man  of  honor,  integrity  and  ti'ulhfiiliiess.  Mrs. 
Warnock  was  born  in    17110  in  the  same    county 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


as  her  linsbiind  ;inil   passod  iiway  on   Novcmlicr 
1-2,  ISflii. 

Mar'Mi'c't  I'arkiiisiiii  was  rcarnl  tci  udiiiaiilKuxl 
in  J5cavor  cnuuty  ami  rcofivcil  her  oihicatinii 
in  the  cotnmoii  schools  ami  iJeaver  Female 
seminary. 

She  was  married  in  ^^!5^^  to  Warren  B.  Park- 
inson, of  Carlisle,  Pa. 

In  the  spring  of  the  same  year  they  removed 
to  Larimer,  -where  they  opened  a  general  mer- 
cantile establishment  and  soon  secured  a  very 
good  trade.  ]Mr.  Parkinson  died  in  18G'2,  aged 
sixty-three  years.  He  was  a  member  of  tlie 
United  Presbyterian  church  and  is  remembered 
to-day  by  those  who  knew  him  as  a  strictly 
honest  njan  who  enjoyed  the  confidence  of  his 
comnninity. 

I}y  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Parkinson 
was  left  with  a  store  and  a  considerable  amount 
of  business  on  her  hands.  Instead  of  selling 
off  the  store  and  property  and  returning  to  her 
relatives  in  Dcaver  county,  as  most  women 
would  have  done,  she  assuuied  charge  of  the 
store  and  gave  her  personal  attention  to  the 
management  and  the  settlement  of  her  husband's 
estate.  With  the  experience  derived  from  as- 
sisting her  husband  in  the  store  she  was  enabled 
to  conduct  the  mercantile  business  with  little  or 
lio  trouble.  Possessing  natural  business  ability, 
she  has  increased  her  stuck,  held  the  custom 
which  they  bad  and  has  constantly  increased 
the  number  of  her  jiatrons  lor  the  past  twenty- 
eight  yiars,  until  it  is  now  the  largest  in  Lari- 
mer. .Mrs.  I'arkinson's  store  is  the  oldest 
mercantile  establishment  in  Larimer.  Her  store 
is  neatly  ami  tastefully  arranged  and  is  well 
filled  with  an  ample  and  complete  stock,  which 
embraces  everything  in  the  line  of  staple  and 
l'aiu;y  groceries,  dry  goods,  hardware  and  all 
other  articles  generally  fouml  in  a  first-class 
mercantile  establishment.  iler  unusual  success 
in  merchandising  well  attests  In  r  enterprise  and 
business  ability.  Mrs.  Parkinson  has  been 
postmistress   at   Larimer's  station    for  neaily   a 


(|uarter  of  a  century.  She  was  appointed  by 
Piesident  Lincoln  in  I8G1,  and  served  under 
the  administrations  of  Lincoln,  Johnson,  Grant, 
Hayes,  Garfield  and  Arthur.  After  Harrison's 
inauguration  she  was  again  appointed  postmis- 
tress and  is  now  serving  very  acceptably  as  such. 
She  is  a  member  of  Bethel  United  Presbyterian 
church,  and  in  the  history  of  Larimer  and  its 
business  interests  Mrs.  Parkinson  will  always 
occupy  a  prominent  place  on  account  of  her 
personal  worth,  remarkable  enterjn-ise  and  busi- 
ness success. 


•][•  ACOB  PARR,  one  of  Westmoreland  eoun- 
"i"  ty's  substantial  citizens  and  proprietor  of 
(^  a  large  wagon  manufacturing  establishment 
at  Irwin,  was  born  in  Prussia  September  21, 
1850,  and  is  a  son  of  George  and  Mary  A. 
(Shorn)  Parr,  who  were  both  born  on  Prussian 
soil  and  were  devout  members  of  the  Catholic 
church.  George  Parr  was  a  wagonmaker  who- 
thoroughly  understood  his  trade  and  was  a  suc- 
cessful workman.  In  18G7  he  left  his  native 
country  and  came  to  the  United  States,  where 
he  located  at  Covode,  Indiana  county.  Pa.  He 
followed  his  trade  sucessfully  until  a  few  years 
before  his  death,  which  occurred  in  188o.  He 
was  born  in  1821  and  marrie<l  Mai'y  A.  Shorn, 
who  dieil  in  Prussia  in  ISfil. 

Jacob  Parr  came  with  his  fiither  to  the  United 
States  in  18(17.  He  received  his  education 
chieily  in  the  schools  of  Pi-ussia,  and  after  ar- 
riving at  Covode,  Pa.,  he  continued  to  work 
with  his  father  at  the  wagonnuikin"  business 
for  three  years.  In  1870  he  engaged  in  car- 
pentering which  he  followed  for  seven  years, 
and  Avorkcd  during  most  of  this  time  at  Irwin. 
One  of  these  years  (187.'!)  he  spent  in  New 
York  and  Brooklyn,  where  he  worked  un  several 
im])ortant  buildings  in  those  cities.  In  1877 
he  founih'd  at  Irwin  his  present  wagonmakin"- 
and  blacksmithing  establishment.  Four  years 
later  he  engaged  in  the  sale  of  agricultural   im- 


BroonAPniEs  of 


v^ 


40C 

l)kMiiciits,  lias  a  large  and  woU-stockoa  salesroom 
anil  supplies  an  extensive  trade.  He  also  deals 
in   earria;.;es  and  biijrgies. 

Jae.ib  I'arr.  «u  July  2;'),  1877,  united  in  niar- 
ria-.-e  with  TiHie  J.  Howell,  daughter  of  Aaron 
Howell,  of  Irwin.  Their  union  has  been  blessed 
Avith  two  children :   Karl  N.  and  Mary  A. 

Jacob  Tarr  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church 
and  a  democrat  in  politics,  lie  takes  an  active 
part  ill  local  political  matters  and  has  served 
three  years  as  borough  committeeman  of  his 
party.  Mr.  Tarr  is  one  of  Irwin's  enterprising 
citizens  and  has  built  up  a  large  custom  in  his 
various  lines  of  business. 


a.EXANDER  II.  POOL,  Irwin's  lead- 
ing butcher,  is  the  son  of  Alexander  II. 
and  Salome  (Bierer)  Pool.  He  was 
born  October  13,  ISnS,  in  Hemptield  township, 
AVestuioreland  county,  Pa.  His  grandtatlier 
was  Zachariaii  Pool,  a  fanner  who  came  from 
east  of  the  mountains  to  this  county,  where  he 
remained  until  his  death,  which  occurred  about 
1877.  Alexander  II.  Pool  (father)  was  a  native 
of  Hempfield  township,  where  he  was  a  prosper- 
ous farmer  until  his  death  in  1859  at  the  age  of 
thirty-five  years.  Mrs.  Salome  (Bierer)  Pool, 
also  born  in  Hempfield  township,  is  now  the  wife 
of  John  Waugaman,  a  resident  of  Delinont,  and 
is  (■(iiinected  with  the  Pvcformed  church.  Her 
f:ith.-r  was  Joliii  P.iever,  a  farmer  and  Imtchcr  of 
(;recii>burg.  and  his  father  was  Everliart  Bierer. 
(Fur  the  history  and  ancestry  uf  the  Bierer  fam- 
ily see  sketch  of  ('apt.  Z.  P.  P.icrer  in  lliis  vol- 
Uliie.) 


Ai.'xand 
and  attcnil 
years  of  a;. 


II.  I'nul  was  reared  on  llie  farm 
the  coiniiinii  schnols  until  fifteen 
when  he  went  to  learn  the  trade  of 
butchering.  In  lfi78  he  located  at  Irwin,  and 
two  years  later  engaged  as  butclier  for  the 
People's  (jo-operativc  Company  of  that  place, 
wilh  wiiich  he  remained  nearly  five  years.  In 
ly.S")  he  bean  business  for  hiiiiself  and  has  con- 


tinued succe«fully  over  since,  having  built  up 
the  largest  trade  in  his  section  of  the  county. 
His  success  is  owing  to  his  courteous  treatment 
of  all,  strict  attention  to  business,  honorable 
methods  and  the  excellent  quality  of  the  meat 
he  handles.  Mr.  Pool  is  a  social  companion,  a 
good  citizen,  a  worthy  man,  and  has  by  honest 
and  industrious  methods  accumulated  some 
valuable  property.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Foresters  and  is  connected  with  the  Re- 
formed church.  Politically  he  is  a  stanch 
democrat. 

Alexander  H.  Pool  in  1879  was  married  to 
Mary  M.,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Kemerer,  of 
Penn  township,  and  they  have  four  sons :  Sam- 
uel W.,  born  December  11,  1879;  Charles  0., 
born  December  19,  1881 ;  Algernon  P.,  born 
May  3,  1883,  and  Clitl'ord  A.,  born  May  6, 
18S.5.  ^^^ 

'^  OSEPII  D.  HEED,  of  Scotch-Irish  descent 
■f  ■    and  a  well-established  merchant  of  Larimer, 
(l)     is  a  son  of  James   and   Mary  Ann  (Dufl') 
Reed   and   was  born    in    Penn    townsliip,  West- 
moreland   county,    Pa.,    September    28,    1853. 
llis  grandfather,  Hon.  Joseph  Reed,  emigrated 
from  the  n.irth  of  Ireland  to  the  United  States 
in  1790.     He  first  settled  in  Lancaster  county, 
subseijuently  (1790)  removed  to  Westmoreland 
and  in  1803  went  to  Allegheny  county,  where  he 
died.  He  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  in  1813 
and  two  years  later  was  appointed  sherilV  of  his 
county  by  (iov.  Ritner.      lie  followed  farming, 
school    teaching    and    surveying.       His    father, 
James  Reed,  was  born   in    this   county  in    If^Ol, 
removed   to   Allegheny  county  when   a   hoy  and 
in    1^17    learned    the    trade    of    carpenter  with 
Joseph   MeConniek,  who   lived   near   the  site   of 
Larimer.      He  taught  school,  farmed  and  worked 
at  his  trade  until   1852,  when  he  came  to  Penn 
township  and  was  engaged    in   farming   till   his 
death    in    1875.      He   was   a   republican   and   a 
member    of    the    United    Presbyterian    church. 
He  married  Mary   A.  Dufl',  a  daughter  of  Rob- 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


crt  Dufl',  \\][o  was  a  native  of  Wcstinorelaml 
county,  a  fai  luor  nl'  Scotcli-Irisli  tl(.'Sfc'iit,  of  this 
county,  wild  dicil  in  1S;!4,  aj^c<l  lifty-six  yx''"'^- 
She  was  horn  in  iMlo  and  is  a  nicnihcr  of  tiie 
United  I'resln'tcrian  church. 

Joscpli  U.  UeeJ  was  educated  in  the  coinnion 
scliools  and  Irwin  academy.  Leaving  school  lie 
engaged  in  fanning  which  he  followed  as  a  busi- 
ness until  ISSl.  In  that  year  he  removed  from 
his  Penn  township  farm  to  Manor  where  he  be- 
came a  member  of  the  mercantile  firm  of 
Warnock  &  Reed.  At  the  e.xpiration  of  two 
years  the  firm  removed  to  Larimer  and  were 
successfully  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business 
until  the  spring  of  1887,  when  he  sold  his  inter- 
est in  the  store  to  L.  D.  Warnock,  his  partner. 
In  the  fall  of  1888  Mr.  Warnock  concluded  to 
retire  from  tlie  store.  He  sold  it  to  Mr.  Reed, 
who  again  entered  into  general  merchandising 
and  has  continued  successfully  in  that  sjiecia' 
line  of  business  until  the  present  time.  His 
mercantile  establishment  is  22  by  132  feet  in 
dimensions  and  is  conveniently  arranged  to  dis- 
play his  complete  and  assorted  stock  of  dry- 
goods,  groceries,  notions  and  everything  usually 
kept  in  a  general  mercantile  establisliment.  lie 
is  well  patronize<l  by  the  public. 

Joseph  D.  Reed  is  unmarried.  lie  is  a 
re]jublican,  a  member  of  the  Tnited  Presbyterian 
church  and  a  courteous,  unassuming   gentleman. 


^■I'KPllKN  (\  RK>L^P.Kl!(;,\vho  has  been 
i^^j  a  popuhir  justice  of  the  pe:ice  I'nr  tweiily- 
(^  five  years  at  Irwin  and  is  one  of  the  first 
graduates  from  Marshall  college,  Lancaster, 
I'a.,  is  a  son  of  John  and  f'atherinc  (C'nbli'nt/.) 
Remsberg  ami  was  born  in  Frederick  county, 
M<1.,  August  1,  18-30.  The  Remsbergs  arc  of 
Cierman  descent.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
John  Remsberg,  was  born  in  Berks  county.  Pa., 
in  17G0,  and  in  early  life  removed  to  Frederick 
county,  Md.,  wlien  it  was  almost  all  woods  and 
had  but  few  settlers,      lie  bouiilit  a  tract  of  land 


and  engaged  in  farming,  lie  died  in  1845.  Ilis 
maternal  grandfather,  .lohn  Phillip  Coblent/, 
was  a  S(jn  of  llarman  Coblentz,  who  came  irom 
Germany  to'Frederick  county,  Md.,  about  the 
middle  of  the  eighteenth  century.  John  P. 
Coblentz  was  born  in  1773  and  died  in  l^.;l. 
He  was  a  farmer,  a  life-long  resident  of  that 
county  and  a  strict  member  of  the  German  Re- 
formed church.  John  Remsberg  was  a  pros- 
perous farmer  of  '•  Middletown  Valley"  in 
Frederick  county,  Md.  He  was  born  in  1800 
and  died  February  19,  18G5.  He  was  an  ener- 
getic man,  a  useful  member  of  the  Reformed 
church  and  enjoyed  tlie  respect  and  confidence 
of  his  neighbors.  His  wife  was  a  native  of  the 
same  county,  a  member  of  the  Reformed  cliurch 
and  died  in  1860  in  the  forty-second  year  of  her 
age. 

Stejihen  C.  Remsberg  received  his  elemen- 
tary education  in  the  district  schools  of  Mary- 
land and  at  twenty  years  of  age  entered  Marshall 
college  at  Merccrsburg,  Franklin  county.  Pa. 
This  college  was  moved  tliree  years  later  to  Lan- 
caster, Pa.,  and  Prof.  Remsberg  was  a  member 
of  the  first  class  that  graduated  from  it  at  Lan- 
caster. After  graduating  in  1853  he  taught  for 
three  years  in  the  Merccrsburg  High  school.  In 
IS,")!)  he  made  an  extensive  tour  through  the 
west.  Returning  home  he  became  principal  of 
Miildletown  academy  which  position  he  held  for 
four  years.  In  April,  18(10,  he  came  to  Irwin, 
was  principal  of  the  Irwin  High  school  for  three 
years  and  when  tiiat  school  changed  into  a  pub- 
lic school  he  Conducted  it  for  three  years.  Ho 
next  served  three  years  as  bookkeeper  for  Jacob 
Goehring.  In  iKiif;  he  was  elected  justice  of  the 
jieacc,  is  now  serving  out  his  fifth  consecutive 
term  of  live  years  each  in  that  ollice  ami  since 
1800  has  given  his  entire  attention  to  his  office 
duties  and  conveyancing  aiid  collecting.  Mr. 
Remsberg  is  a  member  of  the  Chosen  Frierids 
and  the  Reformed  church.  He  is  a  republican 
and  has  served  as  burgess,  councilman  and  school 
director  of  Irwin. 


BTOGRAPHTES  OF 


On  December  23,  18G2,  he  marrieil  SallieR., 
ilauj^liter  of  Holicit  Ihuina  of  Irwin.  They 
have  one  cliild  living,  a  ilaii<;liter,  wlio  is  namcil 
Jane.  ( tn  December  2;i,  ISH7,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Keuisberj'  celebrated  their  "  Silver  Weddinj;." 


T  HIRAM  RINGER,  M.  D„  of  Larimer,  one 

dot'the  talented  and  popular  3'oung  physicians 
of  the  county,  was  born  at  Salem  (Delmont), 
Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  October  7,  1855, 
and  is  a  son  of  Isaac  and  Catharine  Ann  (Ber- 
lin) Ringer.  His  grandfather,  Cliristo]iher 
Ringer,  Avas  a  native  of  Gerniany  but  immigrated 
to  the  United  States,  locating  in  Franklin  town- 
ship, this  county,  when  the  settlers  were  so 
scarce  that  his  nearest  neighbor  lived  four  miles 
away.  lie  married  and  became  the  father  of 
eight  children:  William,  Mieliael,  Jacoli.  Isaac, 
George  ^^deceased),  Mary,  Elizabeth  and  Ann 
(deceased).  Mary,  now  the  widow  of  George 
Russell  lives  in  Iowa,  and  Elizabeth  is  also  the 
relict  of  Daniel  Metzgar.  Jacob  Ringer  resides 
at  Clarion,  Ohio  ,  William  Ringer  makes  his 
liome  with  his  brother  Isaac  and  Michael  lives  on 
the  old  homestead  in  Franklin  township.  Elias 
Berlin,  maternal  grandfather,  was  born  in  what 
is  now  Penn  township  in  1S(I2.  For  some  time 
he  was  colonel  of  the  ''  Cornstalk  militia,"  which 
freipiently  paraded  at  Clover  Hill,  AVashington 
township,  where  the  parades  were  attended  by 
all  the  people  in  the  surrounding  country  and 
were  memorable  occasions  indeed.  Col.  Reilin 
mariicd  Catli.-iiinc  Anient,  who  boi'o  him  nine 
cliiliheu,  six  of  whom  are  living:  Mahala,  wife 
of  Nicholas  King  of  Salem  township;  Catharine 
Ann  (mother) ;  Esther,  married  to  Jose])h  Lanf- 
fer,  of  Franklin  township,  (mother  of  I.  E. 
Laufl'er,  district  attorney)  ;  Henry,  married  to 
Martlia  Blose  and  now  living  in  Franklin  town- 
shi]i  ;  Scrnali,  wife  of  James  Chaiidtcrs,  of  that 
township,  and  Cornelius  E.  Berlin,  a  well-known 
and  popular  resident  of  Franklin  township,  who 
is  married  to  Nancy  Dull'.    Isaac  Ringer  (father) 


was  born  in  Franklin  township,  April  7,  18"21.  In 
1854  he  niariied  Catharine  Ann  lierlin  and  they 
had  five  children,  two  of  whom  are  living  :  Mag- 
gie Ann  and  J.  Hiram.  He  was  a  carpenter  by 
trade  and  during  the  oil  excitement  Vivut  to  the 
oil  country  where  he  remained  eightor  ten  years 
as  a  contractor  and  builder.  When  he  married 
he  removed  to  Salem  township  where  he  still  re- 
sides and  where  he  continued  his  occupation  of 
contracting.  In  1873  while  erecting  Moore's 
distillery  near  McKeesport  he  fell  from  the  build- 
ing and  sustained  injuries  so  severe  that  he  has 
since  been  unable  to  do  heavy  work  ;  for  a  year 
thereafter  he  was  unable  to  leave  the  house.  His 
constitution  however  was  strong  and  he  is  still 
quite  well  preserved  and  has  not  retired  alto- 
gether from  tlie  active  duties  of  life.  He  is  a 
man  of  quiet  and  reserved  disposition  and  says 
nothing  i)ut  w  hat  lie  means.  1  le  is  an  otiicer  in  the 
Lutiieran  church,  a  man  of  strict  integrity  and 
of  few  words,  but  his  word  is  as  good  as  his 
bond. 

Dr,  ,T.  Hiram  Ringer  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic and  select  scliools  of  Salem  and  at  Edinboro 
State  Normal  school,  of  Erie  county,  after  which 
he  engaged  successfully  foi-  six  terms  in  the  ped- 
agogical ranks.  In  1881  he  was  elected  auditor 
of  Westmoreland  county  on  the  democratic 
ticket  and  served  for  three  years.  In  1882  he 
went  into  the  Pullman  service  and  got  leave  of 
absence  for  three  months  to  attend  the  audit. 
The  next  year  the  company  would  not  excuse 
him  and  he  resigned,  but  after  the  audit  was  com- 
pleted was  re-instated.  Having  commenced  to 
read  medicine  with  Dr.  U.  M.  Snyder  of  Del- 
niont  while  yet  teaching  school,  he  in  1885  quit 
the  Pullman  service  and  continued  his  medical 
studies.  In  188G  he  entered  West  Penn  medi- 
cal college  at  Pittsburg  and  between  sessions 
read  with  Dr.  L.  R.  Metzgar,  then  at  Delmont. 
Graduating  March  22,  1888,  Dr.  Ringer  located 
at  ])cliiiont  where  he  ]iiMcticed  his  profession 
with  excellent  success  and  much  encouragement 
until  January,  18'J0,  when  he  left  Delmont  and 


II  'BSTMO  It  EL  A  ND  CO  UNTY. 


409 


went  into  the  employ  of  the  Westmorehuul  Coiil 
Conijiuny  as  physician  and  surgeon.  Dr.  Uin^^er 
stuml  hi;^h  in  ini'ilical  collej^c,  was  cUx'tuil  vii'o- 
p|■(•^ill(•lll  111'  ill!'  class  ol"  'S,H,  ami  tlir  same  year 
Mils  cliiHcii  vici'-|iirsiilciil  (if  llic  Almiini  Assn- 
cialiiiii.  lie  is  an  uiiussuiiiiiii^  j^ciillciiiaii,  Imt 
for  iiitelligenee,  courtesy,  integrity  and  honor 
stands  higii  in  the  estimation  of  all  who  know 
him.  lie  is  a  niemher  of  Carmel  Lodge,  No. 
[)4-2,  I.  ().  O.  F. ;  Delmont  Council,  No.  08, 
Jr.  0.  U.  A.  M.,  and  Delmont  Grange,  No. 
S^A\,  Patrons  of  Husbandry. 


a  I)  DWARD  EVERETT  R015RINS.  One 
5/  of  the  young  and  pojjular  rejmblieans  of 
I'ennsylvauia  and  a  prominent  and  well- 
known  lawyer  of  Westmoreland  county,  is  a  son 
of  Jose|>h  and  Rachel  G.  Robbins,  and  was  born 
in  North  Huntingdon  township,  Westmoreland 
county,  l*a.,  September  27,  18o"J.  The  Rob- 
bins  family  of  ^Vestmoreland  county  is  a  braneii 
of  one  of  the  numerous  Robbins  familes  of  New- 
England,  who  are  all  descended  from  a  Rolibins, 
who  (it  is  stated)  with  his  wife  and  children 
came  over  from  England  in  the  next  ship  after 
the  Mayflower,  that  anchored  along  the  then 
wild  and  bleak  New  England  shore.  Half  a  cen- 
tury later  his  descendants  nearly  all  perished  in 
King  Philip's  war  in  llJTo.  Savage  makes  re- 
cord in  Connecticut  of  a  John  Robbins  of 
Weathersfield  in  1G38,  a  Richard  Robbins  of 
Cambridge  in  Ill-'IO  and  a  Renjamin  Robbins  of 
AVallingford  in  iLiST.  From  these  Connecticut 
Robliins  laiiiilies  came  many  distinguished  men 
of  New  England,  eminent  divines,  classical 
scholars,  judges  of  the  courts,  members  of  the 
Legislature,  governors  and  United  States  sena- 
tors. Of  the  latter  was  Hon.  Ashur  Robbins, 
an  eminent  lawyer,  and  who  between  182">  and 
182',t  was  one  of  tlie  U.  S.  Senators  fi'om  Rhode 
Island.  He  was  an  impressive  speaker,  a  classi- 
cal scholar  and  an  able  statesman.  Among  sev- 
eral of   the    Robbins  who  were  officers  in  the 


Revolutionary  war  was  Lieut.  Brintnel  Robbins 
(great-grandfather),  who  was  a  brave  and  distin- 
guished olliccr  and  foiiglit  under  Wasliingtciu's 
iiiimcdiatr  coiiiiiiiuiil.  Al'lcr  peace  was  declared 
lie  engaged  in  iiiiiiiing  a  I  railing  vessel  belwecui 
Couneclicut  and  tlie  West  Indies,  but  sull'ered  a 
severe  loss  and  migrated  west  in  ITH'J  to  retrieve 
his  broken  fortunes.  He  stoj)ped  for  a  time  at 
Connellsville,  Pa.,  worked  at  old  Alliance  Fur- 
nace on  Jacob's  creek  and  on  its  owners'  failure 
received  his  pay  in  castings  which  he  traded  on 
a  farm  at  I'ort   Royal. 

After  owning  two  or  more  farms  and  running 
a  grist  mill,  he  j)urchascd  in  ITl'.'j  the  "  Craw- 
ford sleeping  place"  of  two  hundred  and  nine- 
ty acres  and  four  hundred  and  ten  acres  of  addi- 
tional land.  On  this  farm  he  erected  a  house, 
.saw  and  grist  mill  and  a  distillery.  In  1803 
or  1804  he  moved  to  Pittsburg,  soon  bought  a 
farm  of  Too  acres  at  the  mouth  of  I'liim  creek 
and  built  two  vessels  in  1812  for  the  lower  trade, 
one  of  which  was  lost  and  the  other  he  sold.  By 
reijuest  of  the  government  he  built  the  boats 
which  conveyed  Scott's  troops  across  the  Nia- 
gara river  into  Canada.  He  moved  to  Greens- 
burg  about  1824,  kept  hotel  and  afterwards  re- 
moved to  the  Wegley  farm  near  the  county  home, 
lie  died  July  2.5,  1836,  aged  eighty  years  and 
four  months  and  was  buried  in  Harold  grave 
yard  near  Greensburg.  Lieut.  Brintnel  Rob- 
bins was  widely  known  and  highly  respected  as 
one  of  the  prominent  business  men  of  his  Jay. 
He  married  Mary  Boardnian  of  Danish  descent 
and  his  children  were  :  Archibald,  Hezekiah, 
Moses,  Joseph,  David,  William,  RLiry,  Keziah, 
Rachel  anil  Elizabeth.  Moses  Robbins  was  born 
in  February,  ITUO,  and  died  Marcii  10,  1870. 
He  was  one  of  the  first  shijipers  of  coal  by  flat 
boat  to  Cincinnati  and  St.  Louis.  His  children 
were  :  Mary  J.,  Loreii,  Rachel  G.  and  James 
W.  William  N.  Robbins  married  Agnes  Sloan, 
who  was  of  Irish  descent.  He  died  young  in 
1834  of  cholera.  His  ehildri'ii  were:  Joseph, 
Mary,  Morrison,  Hezekiah,  Elizabeth,   Gilinore, 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


William  ami  Ke/.i\.  Joscpli,  olilest  sdn  (fatlier) 
was  Im.iil  April  1,  1824,  aii.l  inanicl  l!:uhfl  G. 
Kobliiiis,  who  was  a  tlauglitiT  of  Moses  Kuhliins, 
and  ili(Ml  ill  ISll  I,  Icaviii;^'  Iwci  cliiltlrcii  :  lion. 
I'Mwanl  I'l.  ainl  (intrihli'.  in  iHllS  Mr.  Ifol/liins 
nianiod  Mai'^aiut  (Jliistry  and  by  tliis  second 
niavriage  has  five  children  living  :  Elizabeth, 
Rachel,  Agnes  M.,  jMorrison  and  Joseph,  Jr. 
Joseph  Robbins  uas  engaged  for  many  years  in 
mining  and  shipping  coal  to  Cincinnati  and  New 
Orleans.  OF  late  years  he  has  resiiled  on  the 
farm  at  Robbins  station  and  is  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, besides  being  still  largely  interested  in  the 
coal  trade  and  other  business  enterprises. 

Edward  Everett  Robbins  attended  the  common 
schools,  pursued  his  academic  studies  and  fitted 
for  college  at  Elder's  Ridge  academy  and  the 
Normal  school  of  Indiana,  Pa.  On  September 
7,  1877,  he  entered  the  freshman  class  of  Wash- 
ington and  Jefl'erson  college  and  was  one  of  the 
first  ten  of  liis  class  of  forty-five  members  which 
was  graduated  from  that  noted  institution  of 
learning  on  June  _6,  1881.  He  was  president 
of  the  class  in  college  to  which  he  belonged  and 
delivered  an  oration  at  commencement  on  the 
"  Irish  Land  (Question."  In  January,  1882,  he 
entered  the  odice  of  John  F.  Wentling  of  Greens- 
burg  as  a  .student  of  law  and  after  taking  the  full 
course  of  Cohimiii.i  Law  school.  New  ^'mk  Cilv, 
was  admitted  to  the  Westmoieland  county  bar 
April  8,  18S4.  In  1884  he  became  assistant 
Secretary  of  the  repuijlicaii  county  committee 
and  the'  next  year  as  chairmaii  lie  conducled 
the  raiMpai_'ii  with  sucli  [lolilical  sagacity  and  so 
successfully  that  Westuuirehuid  county,  for  the 
first  time,  gave  a  majority  fi)r  the  re|iuhlican 
Stale  lickrl  and  rccordeil  401  votes  more  for 
Col.  Quay  than  for  his  opponent  for  State  treas- 
urer. In  I88(j  Mr.  Robbins.  was  nominated  by 
l?)*).*]  majority  for  district  attorney  but  was  de- 
feated. In  !!S,SS  he  was  given  the  rcpiddican 
nomination  for  the  State  senate  and  after  a  long 
and  closely  contested  campaign  was  elected  to 
represent  the  Thirty-ninth  Senatorial  district  of 


Penn.sylvania,  composed  of  the  county  of  West- 
moreland, fur  a  term  of  four  years.  At  the 
time  of  his  election  ami  induction  into  the  senate 
he  was  the  youngest  liul  one  (d'  llu'  mendiers  of 
that  honorable  body.  As  a  legislator  Senator 
Robbins  has  never  been  remiss  in  any  duty  and 
has  served  his  constituents  so  faithfully  as  to 
win  the  respect  of  his  political  opponents  and  in- 
crease his  popularity  with  the  members  of  his 
own  party. 


>C>rDAM  SCIIADE.  Among  the  young  and 
\^  J  successful  b^isiness  men  of  the  county  is 
Adam  Schade,  who  is  a  member  of  the- 
mercantile  firm  of  Tresher  and  Schade,  of  Irwin. 
He  was  born  in  Germany  in  ISGli  and  is  a  son 
of  John  and  Annie  Schade.  His  parents  are 
natives  of  Bremen,  formerly  a  republic  but  now 
a  part  of  the  German  Empire.  They  came  in 
1808  to  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  and  located 
at  Larimer,  in  North  Huntingdon  township, 
where  they  have  continued  to  reside  ever  since. 
John  Schade,  after  his  arrival  at  Larimer,  en- 
gaged in  mining,  which  he  pursued  until  1882, 
when  he  retired  from  active  life  and  since  that 
time  has  enjoyed  the  peace  and  (piiet  of  his 
Comfortable  lujiue. 

;\dam  Schade  left  (iermany  before  he  was  old 
enough  to  be  much  bcneliled  by  the  excellent 
schools  of  that  country.  lie  was  brought  by 
his  parents  to  Larimer  where  he  received  his 
education  in  the  common  schools.  When  he  left 
school  he  engaged  in  mining  and  followed  that 
business  until  18S7.  In  that  year  he  formed  a 
liartnership  with  John  11.  Trescher  (see  his 
skeleh)  and  they  endiarked  in  the  general  mer- 
cantile business  at  Irwin,  under  the  firm  name 
of  Trescher  &.  Schade.  Their  establishment  is 
in  the  opera-house  building  and  they  are  dealers 
in  dry  goods,  groceries,  boots,  shoes,  oil-cloths, 
wall-paper,  glass  and  qncensware  and  country 
produce.  They  commenced  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness with  a  small  store  but  have  gradually  in- 


WKnTMoiiELAyD  CO uyrv. 


urc;i.si'il  tlicii-  miHiuiit  of  gi)o<ls  until  lliey  now 
liuvL'  ;i  huge  Hud  woll-iiasorteil  stijck  nl'  uvury- 
tliing  usL-fiil  ur  ornamental  in  tliuir  line  of  busi- 
ness. 'I'liey  liave  received  tlieir  lull  slime  of 
jiatiouage  anil  arc  amply  prepared  to  ueeouinio- 
dalc  tlicir  largo  custom. 

Adaui  Scliade  was  united  in  marriage  in 
1878,  with  Mary  Tresclier,  daughter  of  John 
Trescher,  of  Cumberland  county,  Md.  To  their 
union  has  been  born  one  child,  a  son,  John  E. 

Adam  Schade  is  a  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  Reformed  church. 
lie  is  one  who  gives  close  attention  to  his  busi- 
ness affairs  and  has  been  successful  in  whatever 
he  has  undertaken. 


ILLARD  F.  SO  WASH,  a  leading  phy- 
sician and  one  of  the  brightest  men  of 
Irwin,  was  born  January  LJ,  1S4U,  in 
Rrowntown,  Xoi-th  Huntingdon  township,  this 
county,  and  is  a  son  of  George  and  Elizabeth 
(Bankcrt)  Sowash,  who  named  liim  in  honor  of 
Millard  Fillmore,  Vice-President-elect  of  the 
United  States.  George  Sowash  was  also  born 
in  North  Huntingdon  township,  February  14, 
180(3.  In  his  earlier  days  he  was  a  fuller,  but 
most  of  his  life  was  spent  in  agricultural  pursuits, 
by  means  of  which  he  accumulated  considerable 
money.  On  the  14th  of  April,  18;!;"),  be  married 
Elizabeth  Rankert,  who  was  born  near  ('nmbrr- 
laiid,  Md.,  and  wliosc  parents  came  to  Wcstuinre- 
land  euiinty  while  Kli/.abetli  was  yet  a  child 
and  settled  in  the  vicinity  of  Irwin.  Seven 
children  were  born  to  this  union,  of  whom  five 
are  living.  George  Sowash  died  in  September, 
1882,  and  his  wife,  January,  1883.  The  follow- 
ing are  their  descendants  :  John  Sowash,  born 
June  G,  183G,  married  a  daughter  of  John  Rose, 
and  after  her  death  in  1884  he  espoused  a 
daughter  of  Joshua  Cooper,  a  retired  business 
man  of  Claridge,  this  county.  John  Sowash 
lives   on   the  old  homestead   in   I'enn   townshii) 


and  has  seven  children  living,  the  ehlest  being 
t'.Ncnty-one  years  of  age  and  a  student  at  col- 
lego.  William  Henry  Sowash,  born  September 
Hi,  ]8.'!8,  lives  on  Sixth  slieet,  Irwin,  and  was 
married  to  Annie  Lauller,  of  I'enn  township. 
Of  their  four  ciiildren  but  two  are  living.  Mat- 
thias Sowash,  born  September  10, 1840,  married 
Eliza  Jane  Byerly,  of  North  Huntingdon  town- 
ship and  now  resides  with  his  wife  and  three 
children  near  Donohoe,  a  few  miles  east  of 
Greensburg.  George  Sowash,  born  October  15, 
1851,  wedded  Sarah,  daughter  of  William  A. 
Stewart,  and  resides  on  Main  street,  Irwin. 
They  have  two  children,  a  boy  and  a  girl. 

Dr.  M.  F.  Sowash  attended  the  public  schools 
and  Harrison  City  academy  and  studied  the 
classics  and  other  branches  privately.  He  at- 
tended medical  lectures  at  Jefi'erson  Medical 
college,  Philadelphia,  graduating  March  4,  1874, 
alter  which  he  located  in  Latrobe  and  practiced 
there  till  August  3,  1875,  when  he  removed  to 
Irwin  to  succeed  Dr.  Blackwood.  From  that 
time  on  he  has  been  continuously  engaged  in  the 
duties  of  his  profession  and  enjoys  a  large  and 
lucrative  practice.  We  say  "enjoys"  and  say  so 
advisedly,  for  Dr.  Sowash,  instead  of  considering 
his  work  a  drudgery  takes  a  special  delight  in 
it.  He  is  one  of  the  borough  school  directors 
and  a  member  of  the  board  of  trade  besides 
being  interested  in  the  gas  and  water  companies. 
In  polities  he  is  an  ardent  republican  though 
not  a  bigoted  jiartisan.  His  home  on  Main  street 
is  one  of  the  llnest  and  best  appointed  in  the 
county. 

On  April  3,  1879,  he  married  Margaret  Jane 
Skelly,  of  Circleville,  a  sister  of  ^Villialn  R.  and 
Dr.  Charles  Skelly  and  to  them  four  children 
have  been  born,  one  of  whom,  Millard,  born 
November  tJ,  1880,  died  on  the  10th  of  July, 
1887.  George,  born  November  2, 1 81 V ;  Charles, 
born  October  17,  1881 ;  and  Jane  Boyd,  born 
July  3U,  1883,  are  yet  spared  to  brighten  the 
daily  lives  and  lighten  the  multifarious  toils  and 
labors  of  their  beloved  parents. 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


.rSTAVE  A.  SPEIS,  one  of  tlie  i>io,i;rcs- 
sivi'  yoiiiii;;  bii.siiu'ss  incii  nt'  Trwiii  ami 
^m^■  (if  llic  liiicsl  jcwi'liTS  in  llic  i-ciiinly, 
was  lioiii  at  l>(!rloliiirg,  (.icnnauy,  ami  is  a  son 
of  George  and  Joliaiia  (iMellsolV)  Speis,  both 
natives  of  Westphalia  (German  Wcstphalen), 
Germany.  George  Speis  is  one  of  tiio  finest 
jewelers  and  watchmakers  in  Germany,  and 
learned  tlie  trade  with  his  father,  wiio  was  never 
excelled  in  iiis  da3^  as  a  fine  workman.  George 
Speis  and  his  father  constructed  two  very  com- 
plicated and  remarkable  timepieces ;  one  is  an 
astronomical  clock  made  for  the  Grand  Duke  of 
Westphalia,  and  the  other  is  a  large  clock  at 
Steubenville,  Ohio.  It  runs  twelve  months  with- 
out winding,  strikes  the  half  and  quarter  hours 
and  beats  the  seconds.  George  Speis  married 
Johana  Meilsoft",  who  died  in  1881,  at  forty- 
eigiit  years  of  age.  He  was  born  about  1^20, 
does  nearly  all  his  fine  work  by  hand  and  is  a 
member  of  the  (ierman  Lutheran  church. 

tiustave  A.  Speis  was  reared  in  his  native 
town  and  attended  school  at  Wetzler,  1  lessen, 
Germany.  Leaving  school  he  learned  the  trade 
of  jeweler  with  his  father.  In  1882  became 
to  this  country  antl  located  at  Steubenville,  Oliio, 
with  hisbrothci',  William  G.,  who  had  immigrated 
to  America  some  years  previous  to  that  time. 
In  1883  he  went  to  Allegheny  City,  where  he 
iiccepted  a  position  with  Otto  E.  Ileineman,  a 
leading  jcAveler  of  that  city.  He  worked  for 
Mr.  Ileineman  for  three  years  and  then  came 
to  Irwin  wliere  he  engaged,  on  April  1,  I88(j, 
in  liis  prosrul  succes>rni  J;;\u'lrv  Inisiness. 

In  1S,SS  Mr.  Speis  married  .Vmamla  Kline, 
daughter  of  Louis  Kline,  of  J>()(juet,  this  county. 
Their  union  has  been  blessed  with  one  child,  a 
daughter,  Avhose  name  is  Olive. 

Gustavo  A.  Speis  has  built  up  a  good  trade 
and  keeps  in  his  jewelry  establishment  one  of 
the  finest  safes  to  be  found  in  the  county.  He 
carries  a  full  line  of  jewelry,  has  all  the  watch 
movements  which  are  manufactured  and  does  all 
kinds   of  repairing.     He    attends    the    German 


Heformed  church  and  is  a  member  of  Improved 
Hejitasophs  and    Knights  and.  Ladies  ol"  Honor. 


TOSEl'H    F.    SrUINGER,    the    fourth    in 

I    lineal     descent    from     immigrant     Michae 

(ZJ    Springer,  of  Stockholm,  Sweden,  is  one  of 

North    Huntingdon's  prosperous  farmers.       He 

was    born     in    ^Vashington    township,   Fayette 

j  county.  Pa.,  September  lit,  1830,  and  is  a  son 
of    Josepli    and    Margaret    (Driver)    Springer. 

I  His  father,  Joseph  Springer,  was  born  in 
Fayette  county  in  1797  and  died  in  1871.     He 

I  was  a  member  of  the  Disciple  churcli,  a  demo- 
crat in  political  opinion  and  a  man  who  was 
well  liked  by  all  who   knew-  him.      He  married 

I  -Margaret  Driver,  a  daughter  of  Gideon  Driver, 
who  was  a  native  of  Virjiinia  and  emitrrated  to 
(Jreene  county.  Pa.,  where  lie  followed  farming 
as  long  as  he  lived.  Mrs.  Springer  was  a 
devout  member  of  the  Disciple  church  and 
died  in  18(J7  at  the  age  of  si.xty-five  years. 
The  founder  of  the  Springer  family  in  Fayette 
and  Westmoreland  counties,  this  State,  was 
^lichael  Springer  (great-grandfather),  who  came 
from  Sweden  in  1700.  A  most  interesting 
account  of  Michael  Springer  and  his  descendants 
will  be  found  in  the  sketch  of  Harry  J. 
Springer  of  Scottdale. 

Joseph  F.  Sjiringcr  attended  the  common 
schools  for  several  years,  after  which  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Fayette  county  until  1872. 
In  that  year  he  removed  to  AVestmoreland 
county  wiiere  he  bought  a  farm  in  Burrell 
township  and  resided  upon  it  for  six  years.  In 
1878  he  disposed  of  his  farm  and  went  to  Har- 
rison City  where  he  remained  one  year.  Pre- 
ferring a  rural  to  a  town  life  he  came  to  North 
Huntingdon  township,  where  he  rented  a  farm 
and  resumed  his  temporarily  interrupted  occu- 
pation of  farming,  which  he  followed  until  the 
present  time  with  his  usual  success. 

Joseph  F.  Springer,  on  the  21st  of  December, 
1854,   united    in    marriage    with     Hannah    J. 


M'KSTMOnELA ND  CO VNTY. 


Diividson,  wlio  is  a  <laiiglitcr  of  Jiiiiies  David- 
son, of  Belle  Vernon,  Fayette  county,  Pa. 
Tliey  have  nine  diildren  living,  seven  sons  and 
two  diiiiglilcis :  TliDMias  N.,  .liiniis  (!.,  iMiniiii, 
llarryJ.,<if  S.(.lldal.'(sceliissi.,-I.|i),  1,,'uis  W., 
llharlcs  A.,   Howard,  llallie  M.  and    I'lliiici-  K. 

In  religious  faith  Mr.  Springer  is  a  niethodist 
and  in  ijolitical  opinion  he  is  a  repuldican. 
Farming  has  been  the  principal  business  of  his 
life ;  to  it  he  gives  the  most  of  his  attention 
and  has  been  rewarded  with  good  success.  Mr. 
Springer  while  noted  as  a  successful  farmer 
also  bears  the  reputation  of  a  useful  citizen. 


lORENZO  H.  TAYT,(»R.  Among  the 
coninicreial  ostuldisiniicnts  of  Irwin  whose 
steady  career  and  extensive  transactions 
make  them  landmarks  in  the  jiast  history  of  the 
town  and  important  factors  in  its  present  pros- 
perity is  that  of  Lorenzo  II.  Taylor,  a  gentle- 
man whose  energy  and  enterprise  have  made 
him  conspicuous  as  a  furniture  dealer  and  un- 
dertaker. It  is  only  witiiin  the  last  twenty-five 
years  that  any  visible  progress  has  been  made 
in  tlie  custom  for  the  burial  of  the  dead,  and  it 
is  entirely  duo  to  the  rclincmcnt  and  exacting 
re(|uirements  of  to-day  that  undertaking  has 
been  taken  from  the  hands  of  those  who  count 
it  a  trade  and  given  into  the  care  of  such  men 
as  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  stuily  it  as  a 
jirofessiiin.  Lorenzo  ii.  Taylor,  (jue  (if  the 
(inest  funeral  directors  of  the  county  ^ind  ])ro- 
pricior  oi'  tile  leading  fiirniline  and  undi'rtaking 
<>stablisbinent  of  Irwin,  w:is  l.orn  in  Ligonier 
Valley,  Westmoreland  county,  I'a.,  .August  8, 
IH-li),  nnil  is  a  son  (d'  William  and  Susanna 
(i{oop)  Taylor.  William  Taylor  was  a  native 
of  iMassachusetts  and  migrated  from  New  I'jiig- 
land  to  I'cnnsylvania,  where  he  was  successfully 
engaged  in  the  llouring-mill  business  and  died 
in  lHG;i  (for  his  history  in  full,  sec  sketch  of 
Jacob  V.  Taylor,  of  Irwin). 

Lorenzo    II.  Taylor  was   reareil   on  a  I'arni    in 


Ligonier  Valley  where  he  received  his  education 
in  Lilierty  and  Morris  Hill  school  houses.  At 
eighteen  years  of  iige  ho  jiushed  westward, 
loeateil  in  Indiana  iind  followi'd  teaming  for  two 
yciirs.  lie  llii'ii  bid  adi<'ii  to  llie  "  lloosier 
Slate"  anil  ri'tiii-iied  to  this  (tounty  wliere  he 
was  engaged  for  the  next  three  years  in  butch- 
ering with  his  brother,  J.  P.  Taylor,  at  Irwin. 
In  1872  he  accepted  a  sewing-machine  and 
organ  agency  for  Greene  and  Westmoreland 
counties,  in  wdiich  he  did  a  successful  business 
for  nearly  nine  years.  In  1881  he  engaged  in 
the  furniture  and  undertaking  business.  Ilis 
first  establishment  was  at  New  Derry  where  he 
continued  i'or  about  six  months  until  he  could 
secure  a  fnorable  location  at  Irwin.  During 
ISSl  he  opened  his  present  business  house  at 
No.  407  Main  street.  He  occupies  a  large  two- 
story  brick  building,  18  x  90  feet  in  dimensions, 
of  fine  appearance  and  amjily  equipped  with 
every  facility  for  the  successful  prosecution  of 
his  business.  He  carries  a  large  and  well- 
assorted  stock  of  pallor  and  kitchen  furniture 
of  all  kinds  and  descriptions,  pursues  undertak- 
ing in  all  of  its  branches  and  makes  a  specialty 
of  embalming.  He  has  built  up  a  liberal  and 
inlluenlial  patronage.  He  attends  funerals  re- 
gardless of  distance  when  his  services  are  re- 
(juircd  and  as  a  funeral  director  Mr.  Taylor  has 
always  given  entire  satisfaction  to  bereaved 
friends  and  relations. 

In  1881  he  married  Hannah  McOauley, 
daughter  of  the  late  Andrew  McCauley  of  Irwin. 
Their  union  has  been  blessed  with  two  children  : 
Charles  II.  and  Mary  H. 

1,.  II.  Taylor  is  a  member  of  the  A.  O.  IJ.\V., 
Hoyul  Arcanum,  Improved  Order  of  llepta- 
sophs,  dr.  ().  IJ.  A.  M.,  Order  of  Solons, 
A.  Y.  M.,  II.  U.  A.  M.,  and  is  a  Knight  Tem- 
plar. He  is  a  republican  and  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church.  Mr.  Taylor  is  an  obliging 
gentleman  and  has  made  many  friends  in  con- 
sequence of  his  social  ipialities  and  honorable 
business  methods. 


BIOGRAPHIES   OF 


lOr.ERT   FULTON    THOMPSON,    one 

uF  tlio  progressive  ;iiul  well-to-do  fiiniiers 
of  Norlli  I  liiiitiiijrilciii  tounsliip,  was  liorii 
I''eliniiirv  I',  l^'l-,  in  ScuiiUlry  lo\viislii|i,  Wesl- 
liiorehiiiil  eouiily,  I'a.,  ami  is  a  sou  of  Isaac 
anil  llaiuiali  (Lewis)  Thompson.  Isaac  Thomp- 
son, Ills  father,  was  a  native  of  Lancaster  county, 
this  State,  anil  was  brought  to  this  county  about 
tiie  year  IS  14,  wlien  he  was  about  six  years  of 
age.  lie  resided  in  what  is  now  Sewickley 
township,  and  was  by  trade  a  stone-mason. 
He  came  to  his  death  accidentally,  falling  from 
a  barn  loft  in  1864.  His  wife,  Hannah  Lewis, 
was  born  in  1796  in  New  Jersey  and  was  gath- 
ered to  her  fathei-s  in  lt^6S  at  the  age  of 
seventy-two  years. 

R.  F.  Thompson  was  sent  to  the  country 
schools  until  twelve  years  of  age,  when  he  was 
hired  to  a  farmer  at  one  dollar  per  month 
except  in  harvest,  when  he  received  two.  In 
184'.',  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  he  undertook  to 
learn  the  carpenter  trade,  at  which  he  continued 
for  twenty-five  years,  working  in  this  county 
all  the  time  except  two  and  one-half  years  that 
he  was  in  Allegheny  county-  He  was  at  the 
site  of  Irwin  when  there  was  nothing  on  the 
gioMiid  but  a  saw-mill.  .Vt  the  end  of  his 
career  as  a  njechanic  he  began  speculating  in 
real  estate,  buying  farms,  imjirnviiig  and  selling 
them,  in  which  he  lias  been  very  successful. 
In  1879  he  bought  the  farm  on  which  Jeannette 
now  stands,  selling  it  in  1887  to  a  Mr.  Brickell 
for  (^handlers  I'i  .MeKee.  'i'liree  years  ago  he 
purchased  from  Jacob  Gongaware  his  present 
farm  of  1"J6  acres  of  choice,  well-improved 
land,  lying  two  miles  east  of  Irwin  on  the  pike. 

H.  F.  Thompson  in  1864  enlisted  in  Co.  E, 
20Gtli  reg.,  I'a.  Vols.,  and  served  till  the  close 
of  the  war,  participating  in  all  the  imjjortant 
engagements  of  his  regiment  and  remaining 
from  April  --i  till  i\Iay  "^4  in  the  city  of  llich- 
inond. 

lie  was  married  in  1856  to  Sarah  Jane,  a 
daughter  of  John  L.  Kunkle  (see  sketch  of  J.  L. 


Kunkle).  They  have  four  children  :  John  L., 
Sarah  S.,  (leorgc  1'.  and  Catharine  K.  Jcihn 
L.  Tlioin|ison  has  been  twice  niairicd,  bis  first 
wile,  Mal/.eiia  Sliniiii,  lining  but  one  year  aflcr 
her  marriage.  lie  next  married  Mary  .Mlmali, 
of  ^Last  Jeannette,  where  he  now  resides. 
Sarah  S.  Thompson  is  the  wife  of  William 
Seanor,  a  farmer  of  Hempfleid  township,  and 
George  P.  Thompson  is  married  to  Elizabeth,  a 
daughter  of  Michael  Earhart,  of  the  same 
township.  ,  Catharine  K.  Thompson  is  the  wife 
of  John  Lentner,  who  is  also  a  resident  of 
Ilempfield  township. 

Robert  F.  Thompson  is  a  stanch  democrat, 
a  most  excellent  man,  a  good  neighbor  and  an 
enterprising  citizen. 


•{•OlIN  II.  TRESCIIER,  a  leading  merchant 
I  of  Irwin,  an  energetic  and  enterprising 
cil  citizen  of  Westmoreland  county  and  the 
proprietor  and  editor  of  the  Jeannette  Dispatch, 
which  has  taken  its  place  as  one  of  the  spicy  and 
sparkling  newspapers  of  this  part  of  the  State, 
is  a  son  of  Ainiie  E.  Schroeder  and  John 
Trcscber  and  was  burn  at  Eckbart,  Allegheny 
county,  Md.,  Febiuary  l-'l,  I'^iW.  His  parents 
:ire  natives  of  Germany  and  emigratecl  forty 
years  ago  from  their  native  land  to  Maryland, 
where  they  settled  at  Cumberland,  Mil.,  in  which 
they  reside  to-day.  Mr.  Trescher,  Sr..  learned 
the  trade  of  machinist  in  Germany.  After  his 
arrival  in  Maiyland  he  worked  for  eighteen  years 
on  engines  at  Eckliart,  Md.,  then  purchased  a 
farm  and  engaged  in  his  present  fruit-growing 
and  stock-raising  business.  He  is  a  skilled  ma- 
chinist, a  prosperous  flirmer  and  a  member  of 
the  Reformed  church.  He  is  now  in  the  fifty- 
seventh  year  of  his  age  and  owns  two  fine  firms 
which  aggregate  five  hundred  acres  of  laiul.  In 
politics  he  is  an  independent  and  has  served  as 
school  director  of  his  township. 

John  II.  Trescher  was  reared  at  Eckhart  and 
on  his  father's  farm.      He  attended  the  common 


]vi:sTMi)ni:LAyD  couyrv. 


415 


schools,  took  a  literary  course  at  the  State  Nor- 
mal university  of  lUiiiois  ami  took  the  lull  busi- 
ness course  of  the  Iron  (?ity  Business  college  of 
I'illsbur;^,  frmii  \\hirli  <i)iniiii-icial  iii^titul imi  he 
was  gradualcil  in  ISS,',.  In  ISSi^  he  uiinic  a 
tour  of  the  Western  States  and  territories,  visjitetl 
all  their  principal  cities  and  studied  frontier  life 
as  it  really  exists  to-day.  From  1882  to  1887 
he  assisted  his  father  in  the  management  of  his 
fruit  and  stock  farms.  Being  anxious  to  enter 
into  commercial  life,  for  which  he  was  well  qual- 
ified, he  selected  Irwin  as  a  favorable  location 
on  account  of  its  many  advantages  for  business 
enterprises.  In  January,  1887,  he  formed  his 
present  partnership  with  Adam  Schade,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Trescher  and  Schade.  They 
are  engaged  in  the  general  mercantile  business 
in  the  spacious  room  in  the  opera-house  build- 
ing. (For  an  account  of  which  see  sketch  of  i 
Adam  Schade.) 

After  three  years'  experience  as  a  successful 
merchant  he  incidentally  visited  Jeannette  in 
the  autumn  of  1888,  and  in  its  wonderful  growth 
on  a  site  that  six  months  In-fore  was  a  farm  he 
noted  its  future  importance  and  likelihood  to 
rank  as  a  great  manufacturing  city.  Instead  of 
looking  for  a  mercantile  enterprise  in  \sliich  to 
invest  he  bought  a  number  of  lots  in  a  favor- 
able location  and  from  time  to  time  made  prolit- 
able  turns  in  real  e.itate.  He  kept  this  up  and 
watched  with  interest  the  S])rcadinLr  Imrders  of 
.leanneltc.  In  the  sjiring  of  ISS'.)  he  saw  what 
he  ilei-idrd  was  a  faviuabie  hews|.aper  iield. 
Being  possessed  nf  mure  than  ordinary  andji- 
tion  and  having  a  decided  taste  for  journalism, 
he  in  comjiany  with  Mr.  J.  C.  Longhead,  of 
Irwin,  who  is  a  practical  and  experienced 
jirinter,  established  the  Jcamtette  JJispittch,  the 
first  number  of  which  ajipcared  on  Friday,  May 
3,  1880.  It  is  a  four-page  sheet  of  thirty-two 
columns,  neat  in  tyjiographical  appearance  and 
well  editeil.  It  is  largely  devoted  to  local  news 
and  home  interests,  yet  presents  in  its  columns 
much   of  instructive,  interesting  and  entertain- 


ing miscellany.  One  of  its  constant  features  is 
to  give  the  latest  local  and  the  most  interesting 
State  and  county  news.  The  Jeannette  Dis- 
/lalch  is  published  at  the  remarkably  low  price 
of  one  dollar.  In  llic  short  prriud  cjI'  its  exist- 
ence it  has  attaiueil  a  wide  circulation,  secured 
a  large  patronage  and  used  every  possible  effort 
to  please  its  many  readers.  It  receives  an  en- 
couraging amount  of  home-advertising  and  job 
printing.  It  is  independent  in  tone  and  senti- 
men,  but  is  always  courteous  though  candid  in 
the  treatment  of  any  subject  which  it  discusses. 
John  II.  Trescher  is  well  qualified  for  the  field 
of  journalism  into  which  he  has  entered,  and 
with  his  usual  characteristic  energy  and  pro- 
gressive spirit  he  has  projected  a  daily  pajier 
which  he  will  soon  issue  at  Jeannette. 


PETER  WHITEHEAD,  a  worthy  descend- 
ant of  one  of  the  old  and  prominent  fiim- 
ilies  of  AVestmoreland  and  an  honorable 
citizen  of  North  Huntingdon  township,  is  a  son 
of  Peter  and  Barbara  (Ilighberger)  Whitehead 
and  was  born  on  the  farm  in  which  he  now  re- 
sides, in  North  Huntingdon  township,  West- 
moreland county,  Pa.,  July  '21,  1830.  The 
Whitehead  family  traces  its  ancestry  back  to 
^'^alentine  Whitehead  (grandfather),  who  was 
born  in  Richmond,  ^'a.  He  came  across  the 
Alleghcnies  when  quite  young  and  became  one 
of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Westmoreland  county. 
He  did  guard  duty  at  h'lU't  Pitt,  served  on  the 
frontiers  of  the  county  during  the  Indian  trou- 
bles and  made  his  first  settlement  in  Sewickley 
township,  where  he  took  up  a  huge  tract  of 
land.  He  left  tiiat  township  after  a  short  resi- 
dence and  came  to  North  Huntingdon,  where  he 
patented  the  farm  which  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  now  owns.  He  was  well  known  through- 
out the  early  settlements  of  tlie  county  for  his 
firmness  and  courage.  His  cabin  was  twice 
burned  by  Indians,  his  stock  was  often  killed  by 
war   parties   who    sought  for   his   scalp.     Once 


416 


BIOORAPIUES  OF 


wliilo  ])lowing  his  lioi'Sf  rcfiisi'il  to  20  towards  a 
piece  nf  woods  ;it  one  ciitl  uf  llio  ticM  in  wliifli 
lie  Uiis  WoilviliL'.  I  lilcliili;,'  \\\^  Iciiiu  lii^  ih;mIi'  u 
circiiil  Kiiiud  llic  lield  lliinii^di  tiie  uckjiIs  mid 
sluiL  ail  liuliau  wiio  was  coiiei-alcd  in  the  tiiiiljer 
for  the  purpose  of  securing  ^\  hiteliead's  scalp. 
One  of  his  sons  was  Peter  Whitehead,  Sr. 
(father),  who  was  born  in  1795  on  the  liome 
farm  on  which  he  always  resided  until  his  death, 
May  0,  187"2.  lie  was  a  stirrin^  man,  a  pros- 
perous farmer,  a  member  of  the  lleformed 
church  and  a  strong  democrat.  lie  served  one 
term  as  county  commissioner  and  was  married 
to  l?arbara  lligliberger,  who  was  a  native  of 
Montgomery  county,  I'a.,  and  dieil  Novendier 
21.t,  lb34,  aged  forty-one  years.  Her  lather, 
Daniel  Ilighberger,  came  to  Sewickley  township 
where  he  followed  farming  until  his  death. 

Peter  Whitehead  attended  the  connuon  schools 
of  his  neighborhood  and  commenced  life  for 
himself  as  a  farmer.      He  has  successfully  ])ur- 


sued  farming  and  stock-raising  since  attaining 
his  majorily. 

<»n  O.-hilier  |l>,  is,",  I,  )„■  married  Sarah 
I'lisaman,  daiiglilcr  iil'.jacni)  I'lisaiiian,  of  ilemp- 
lield  township.  They  have  ten  children  :  Alice 
A.,  Agnes  E.,  wife  of  John  Kerr;  William  0., 
who  nuirried  Alice  Gongaware,  and  lives  in 
Barker  county,  Kansas ;  Susan  M.,  married  to 
James  A.  Seanor ;  Edwin  G.,  Jacob  E.,  a 
teacher ;  Harry  W.,  who  follows  teaching ; 
Sadie  E.,  Olive  C.  and  Laura  M. 

In  politics  Mr.  Whitehead  is  a  democrat.  Ho 
is  a  member  of  the  Patrons  of  Husbandry  and 
the  Reformed  church,  of  which  he  has  been  a 
trustee  for  several  years.  He  owns  one  of  the 
best  farms  in  the  township.  It  contains  one 
hundred  and  fifty-four  acres  of  very  fertile  and 
well-kept  land.  He  has  always  led  a  peaceable 
and  (juiet  life.  He  gives  his  entire  attention  to 
his  own  business  affairs  but  is  over  ready  to 
oblige  a  neighbor  or  assist  a  friend. 


Derry,  JWt.  Pleasant,  St.  Clait?  |  Unity 


y^NDREW  J.  ALLISON,  one  who  has 
II  won  a  competency  in  life  by  his  industry 
and  economy,  and  a  reliable  and  honor- 
able citizen  of  Derry  township,  was  born  in 
Washington  county,  I'a.,  March  lU,  ISliS,  and 
is  a  son  of  Andrew  and  Sarah  (^lartin)  Allison. 
His  paternal  grandfather,  John  Allison,  came 
from  Ireland  when  young  and  settled  in  Wash- 
ington county,  where  he  owned  three  farms  at 
the  time  of  his  death.  He  reared  a  family  of 
seven  children,  one  of  whom,  a  daughter,  young- 
est daughter,  is  now  in  the  ninety-third  year 
of  her  age.  One  of  the  sons,  Andrew  Allison 
(father),  was  born  in  the  latter  part  of  the  eight- 
eenth century.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occu]iation, 
served  as  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  lbl2  aiut  died 
in  1873.  He  married  Sarah  Martin,  a  native 
of  New  Jersey,  by  whom  he  had  eight  children  : 
William,  of  Derry  township ;  Thomas  and 
Robert,  who  reside  in  Iowa;  Mary  Ann,  widow 
of  Archie  Balden,  of  Washington  county,  Pa.; 
Catherine,  wife  of  Andrew  Laudeback,  also  of 
Washington  county,  Pa.;  George,  who  lives  in 
the  Ligonier  Valley  ;  James,  who  enlisted  in  Co. 
E,  two  hundred  and  eleventh  reg.  I'a.  Vols.,  and 
was  killed  before  Petersburg;  and  Andrew  J. 
Mrs.  Sarah  Allison  died  in  1877  at  ninety 
years  of  age.  Her  father  came  from  New  Jersey 
to  near  Lake  Erie  and  finally  removed  to  Wash- 
ington county.  Pa.  Mrs.  Allison  when  a  child 
was  captured  by  the  Indians  but  was  ransomed 
by  her  father,  who  met  her  and  her  captors  as 
he  w;is  riiuuiin;:  Irum  mill. 


Andrew  J.  Allison  was  brought  by  his  father 
to  Westmoreland  county  at  two  years  of  ai'e. 
He  was  reared  near  Hannastown  and  worked 
for  neighboring  farmers  until  his  marriage  in 
1851,  when  he  began  farming  in  Hempfield 
township,  which  he  followed  for  eighteen  years, 
part  of  the  time  on  the  shares  and  part  of  the 
time  at  ten  dollars  per  month.  In  IStJ'J  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  near  Hillside,  in  Derry  township, 
which  he  has  improved  and  made  very  produc- 
tive. By  hard  work  and  strict  economy  Mr. 
Allison  has  made  all  that  he  has  and  deserves 
great  credit  for  the  successful  efforts  which  he 
has  made  in  gaining  a  comfortable  competency. 

He  was  married  on  August  -1,  1851,  to  Susan 
Dible,  daughter  of  John  Dible,  then  of  Arm- 
strong but  now  of  Westmoreland  county.  Of 
their  marriage  have  been  born  nine  children  : 
James  M.,  born  July  20,  1852  ;  John  D.,  born 
October  4,  185.3,  resides  at  Chester  Pa.,  and 
has  three  children ;  William  0.,  born  January 
28,  1855,  now  residing  in  Henry  county,  Illin- 
ois ;  Andrew  F.,  born  Hecember  17,  185G,  and 
lives  in  Morris  county,  Kansas;  Elizabeth 
Frances,  born  MarcJi  18,  i860,  married  Joseph 
Barron,  and  died  December  2;^,  18StJ  ;  Joseph 
0.,  born  October  19,  18111,  and  lives  at  Blairs- 
villo  Intersection;  Elmer  E.,  born  August  30, 
18G3  ;  Westley  Grant,  born  March  15,  1805, 
resides  at  Derry  station  and  is  an  engineer  on 
the  P.  R.  R.;  and  David  V.,  who  was  born  Jan- 
uary 8,  1808,  and  is  unmarried. 

iVndrew  J.  Allison  served  in  the  Army  of  the 


•j:\i   ...    "i-i  : 


418 


BIOanAPHIES  OF 


Potomac.  He  enlisted  August  31,  18(3-1,  in  Co. 
Iv,  two  liundred  and  eleventh  leg.,  l':i.  Vols., 
and  wa.i  niiistorcd  out  ;it  Alexandria,  Va.,  .liine 
•2,  ISGf).  lie  was  in  tlie  ijattles  of  Fort  Stcad- 
nian  and  Petersburg. 


•f"()SEPII  AUKERMAN,  a  descendant  of 
■|'  one  of  the  old   and   substantial    families   of 

(jj  Unity  township,  is  a  son  of  Henry  and 
Catharine  (Smith)  Aukerman  and  was  born  in 
Unity    township,    Westmoreland    county.    Pa., 

January  24,  1838.  At  some  time  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  eighteenth  century  three  brotliers  by 
the  name  of  Aukerman  migrated  from  Lancaster 
county  to  what  is  now  Unity  township,  where 
each  "of  them  located  and  cleared  out  a  large 
farm  for  himself.  One  of  these  brotliers  was 
I'liihp  Aukeruian,  the  grandfatlier  of  Joseph 
Aukerman.  As  oi'.e  of  the  early  settlers 
Philip  Aukerman  was  exposed  to  many  of  the 
triaU  and  privations  of  frontier  life.  He 
was  a  farmer  and  lived  to  an  advanced  age, 
while  his  wife,  who  survived  him,  lacked  but 
ei'dit  years  of  being  a  centenarian.  She  re- 
tained lier  senses  unimpaired  to  tlie  last  and 
but  a  few  months  previous  to  iter  death  related 
to  iier  grandson,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  how 
she  liad  witnessed  the  killing  of  widves,  wild 
turkeys  and   deer  on   her  husband's  farm,   and 


been  engaged  in  farming.  He  owns  a  farm  of 
fifty-four  acres  of  land  adjoining  the  town  of 
Lycippiis.  He  is  a  <lemocrat  in  jiolitics  and  a 
member  and  ileacon  of  St.  Paul's  Evangelical 
Lutheran  churcli. 

October  IT),  18tjl,he  united  in  marriage  with 
Sarah  E.  Launtz,  a  daughter  of  Andrew  Lauiitz, 
of  Unity  township.  Tliey  arc  the  parents  of 
nine  children,  six  sons  and  three  daughters  : 
Harry,  Delia,  Edward,  David,  Emma,  Nathan- 
iel, John,  Christina  ami  Trauger.  Harry 
Aukerman,  the  eldest  son,  married  Elizabeth 
Critzer  and  resides  at  Lycippus. 

•{"OIIN  R.  AUKERMAN,  a  reliable  citizen 
■|'  and  a  thrifty  farmer  of  LTnity  township,  is 
?J  a  son  of  Henry  and  Catharine  (Smith) 
Aukerman,  and  was  born  in  Unity  township, 
Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  December  11,  1848. 
Tlie  present  generation  in  this  county  knows 
but  little  of  the  hardships  endured  by  the  early 
settlers  of  the  territory  between  Chestnut  Ridge 
and  the  Monongahela  and  xVllegheny  rivers. 
Among  those  pioneers  who  settled  in  Unity 
township  wiii'ii  it  was  an  almost  unbroken  stretch 
of  forest  were  three  brothers  by  the  name  of 
Aukerman.  They  were  natives  of  Lancaster 
county  and  came  west  of  the  Alleghenies  at  the 
close  of  the  Revolution.     One  of  these  brothers 


turkeys  aim   ueer  on   iiui    mi^..,..,..  ^ ir  ,i      x       i      .     i- 

how  upon   one    occasion  she   had   caught   up  an      was  Philip   Aukerman  (grandfather),  who  took 

'  ,.  ■  1    ►   .A    l..v,,l    ...wl   ii.oiit    iri^iiiv   vp;irs 


axe  and  killed  a  deer  which  had  got  fast  in  a 
feme  through  which  it  was  trying  to  firce  its 
way.  Henry  Aukerman  (father)  was  bum  in 
l.SOI  and  lived  in  Unity  township  until  April 
5,  1885.  He  was  an  industrious  and  prosper- 
ous farmer,  a  member  and  deacon  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Lutheran  church  ajid  an  earnest  and 
active  democrat.  He  married  Catharine  Smith, 
by  whom  he  had  nine  children,  four  sons  and 
five  daughters. 

Joseph  Aukerman  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm,  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  township  and   has   always 


up  a  large  tract  of  land  and  spent  many  years 
in  clearing  out  a  farm.  He  lived  to  be  (|uite 
;iii  old  man  and  reared  a  family  of  industrious 
\nd  respectable  children.  His  widow  survived 
him  for  several  years  and  passed  away  in 
the  ninety-third  year  of  her  age.  She  was  a 
woman  of  strong  mind,  remarkable  courage  and 
in-eat  fortitude  (see  sketch  of  Joseph  Auker- 
man). Henry  Aukerman  (father)  was  born  in 
181)1  and  died  in  1885,  aged  eighty-three  years. 
He  was  a  democrat  and  a  Lutheran.  He  was 
a  man  who  was  kind  to  the  poor  and  needy  and 
his  word  was  as  good  as  his  bond  wherever  he 


WESTMORELAND  CO  UNTY. 


419 


vas  known.      He  uiarrietl  (Jatliarinc  Smith,  wlio 
\va^  a  native  nf  tliis  county. 

.lolin  K.  Auixi'iiuan  was  rcaix-il  on  a  I'ann  anil 
icccivrcl  a  Tail'  riliiialioii  in  ihc  cniiiinon  sclioois 
of  liis  native  lonnsliij).  heavinj^  .school  he 
onga^'ed  in  I'arininy  which  he  has  pursued  ever 
since.  His  present  farm  of  fifty-tliree  acres  of 
well-iinproveil  land  is  four  miles  south  of 
Ijatrohe.  In  aildition  to  farming  he  is  engaged 
in  stock-raising. 

In  1874  he  married  Anna  C  Siiiry, 
<laughter  of  Jacob  Sliiry,  of  I'nity  to\vnshi[i. 
'J'hey  arc  the  parents  of  live  eliildreu,  twcj  sons 
and  four  daughters:  Mary  C,  Ada  C,  Minnie 
E.,  John  II.,  Olive  and  Henry.  j 

Politically  he  is  a  democrat  of  the  Jacksonian 
type  and  is  a  very  strong  believer  in  the  prin-  , 
ciples  of  his  party.  John  K.  Aukerman  served  j 
his  township  as  ta.x  collector  in  18<S4,  and  is  j 
now  a  member  of  the  Unity  township  school  j 
board.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical 
Lutlieran    church    and    Patrons   of  llusbandrv.   ! 


.EOIIGE  F.  AUSTIIAW,  a  Union  vet- 
eran of  tlie  late  ci\il  war  and  a  ])n)Sper- 
ous  nuTcliant  (d'  Millwood,  was  boiii  in 
Lig(jnicr  Valley,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa., 
November  ^0,  1843,  and  is  a  son  of  John  M. 
and  Hannah  (Freeman)  iVuslraw.  John  M. 
Austraw  was  a  saddler  by  trade.  He  was  one 
v['  the  first  teachers  who  oi'gani/ed  music  classes 
in  lirdford,  Somerset  and  W'cslinoreland  coun- 
ties, and  was  accidentally  killed  wliilc  i-nga^ed 
in  erecting  a  saw  mill.  'I'lie  saddle  horse  id'  the 
team  which  ho  was  driving  toward  the  saw  mill 
stumbled  and  fell  and  crushed  Mr.  Austraw  to 
death  against  a  tree.  He  married  Hannah 
Freeman,  a  daughlei'  of  (Jcorge  l''reeman,  of 
(!ook  township,  vlio  was  an  early  settler  in  the 
Ligonier  Valley.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Austraw  were 
the  parents  of  eleven  children  :  Eliza,  widow  of 
Edward  O'Connor;  Martha  (dead);  Agnes 
(deeeaseil);  Susan  (.lead);  John  K.,  Samuel  .M., 


Mary  Ann,  wife  of  A.  ^V.  Akers,  of  Topeka, 
Kansas;  James,  llafiison  and  (ieorge  F.  Mrs. 
Austraw  died  October  17,    l.s7n. 

(icorge  !''.  Austraw  was  reared  in  the  Ligo- 
nier Valley  and  attended  the  scIkjcjIs  of  idgo- 
nier.  On  August  18,  1»L)4,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  K, 
two  hunilred  and  eleventh  reg.  Pa.  Vols,  and 
jiarticipated  in  the  battles  of  Hatcher's  Pun,  Ft. 
Steadman  and  Petersburg,  besides  several  minor 
engagements  and  sharp  skirmishes.  At  Peters- 
burg, on  A|iril  "J,  ISiif),  he  was  wounded  by  a 
gun-shot  in  the  right  thigh  Irom  wdiich  he  has 
never  fully  recovered.  Shortly  after  being 
wounded  he  was  taken  to  tho  held  hospital  and 
then  to  City  Point,  from  thence  was  sent  to 
Carver  hospital,  ^Vashington  City,  where  he  re- 
mained until  July  10,  18G5,  when  he  was  honor- 
ably discharged  from  the  service  of  the  United 
States  On  September  18,  18b"5,  he  came  to 
Millwood  and  secured  a  clerkship  in  a  store  at 
that  place  which  he  held  until  1868,  wheil  he 
erected  a  storeroom  and  engaged  in  his  present 
mercantile  business  at  Millwcod.  In  1871  he 
erected  a  very  fine  dwelling.  July  11,  1868, 
he  was  appointed  postmaster  iind  has  served  in 
that  capacity  ever  since  with  the  exce]ition  of 
six  months  in  1HS7.  He  has  a  varied  and  com- 
])reliensive  assortment  of  dry  goods,  groceries, 
notions  and  everything  usually  found  in  a  first- 
class  general  mercantile  establishment. 

(Jeorge  F.  Austraw  was  married  on  March 
;n,  1S7U,  to  Agnes  V.  Kaum,  Millwood,  Herry 
lownshij).  Their  union  has  been  blessed  with 
two  children:  Alice  M.,  born  January  o,  1x7'), 
and  Annie  Laura,  born  November  "J,  1876. 

In  polities  Mr.  Austraw  has  always  been  a 
republican.  He  has  been  successful  in  the 
mercantile  business  ;ind  enjoys  a  good  trade. 
Mrs.  A.  \.  Austraw's  mother's  maiden  naino 
wasiViina  itaiton,  from  liedford  county.  The 
Barton  family  is  a  very  old  one  in  the  history  of 
this  county  ;  they  were  originally  English  and 
settled  in  the  State  of  New  Jersey  jn-ior  to  the 
lievolution,  during  which  conllict  they    took  ;ui 


420 


activu  iutrit-st.  Col.  ]'>;uliiii  lvjiui 
tile  iMiiliiiL'  (if  'I'iiiioiini  ishiiiil  liuliiu 
jiliia.  'I'lu' c'liiiiK'iit  I'r.  Ilaitoii,  SI)  1 
fcs>nr  in  .IcIlVrsnii  .Mclical  colk^jr,.,  i,<i' 
is  a  ilrsccmlaiit.  Miw.s  Anna  Itarlciii. 
om^  1)1'  llii;  iiislniclois  in  ilic  Wnnnn 
college  of  riiilmlelpliia.      Dr.  IJaiton, 


BIOGRAPHIES  Of 

iinleil    at 


I'InIa 


a  nil 


ac'crasea 
M.  I).,  is 
1  M.Mlical 
of  Hume- 


Stead,  is  a  full  cousin  of  Mrs.  Austiaw. 

lie  is  a  member  of  the  rresbyteriau  cliurcli 
at  Deny,  and  P.  A.  Williams  Post,  No.  4, 
Grand  Army  of  the  llepublic. 


eW.  BANKS,  M.  D.,  a  well-read  and 
successful  jjhysician  of  Livermore  and 
medical  examiner  for  the  relief  depart- 
ment of  the  Pennsylvania  railroad,  is  a  son  of 
Dr.  Morgan  K.  and  Nancy  J.  (Long)  Banks 
and  was  born  at  Livermore,  Westmoreland 
county.  Pa.,  May  1,  ISo'l.  His  great-grand- 
father, Banks,  was  a  native  of  Maryland,  where 
his  son  Joshua  IJanks,  grandfather,  was  born. 
Jo.shua  Banks  migrated  to  Dcrry  townshij)  where 
he  soon  quit  farming  and  engaged  in  the  mer. 
cantile  business,  lie  married  Catharine  liees, 
a  native  of  Wales,  who  bore  him  seven  children, 
of  whom  but  two  arc  living:  Dr.  Morgan  II. 
nntl  Klcanor  Crcery,  of  Clicrry  'I'rce,  Indiana 
county,  Pa.  Dr.  Morgan  U.  Banks  was  burn 
in  Derry  townsiiip  March  !j,  iMl.'),  read  medi- 
cine with  Dr.  Thomas  Mabon  of  Indiana  county, 
now  of  Allegheny  City,  and  graduated  from  the 
Allupalhie  Medical  sehuul  „f  Cleveland,  ().,  ill 
is:,\.  Iiiiniedialely  after  giailiialiun  he  located 
at  Livermore  wIutc  he  has  juacticed  medicine 
ever  since. 

He  is  an  experienced  and  successful  physician, 
and  but  few  members  of  his  profession  in  the 
county  surpass  him  in  years  of  practice.  lie 
■was  married  to  Nancy  .1.  Long  and  tu  tliem  have 
lict'ii  iioin  fniii-  children  :  .Jcssii:  May,  wife  of 
Oscar  .).  .MeCreery,  a  cuntiactor  of  McKeespurt,  |  horn  in  iJerry  tuwnsiii|i,  Westmoreland  county, 
Pa.,  Dr.  C.  W.,  Samuel  M.,  deceased,  and  Clara,  |  Pa.,   May   27,    1830.     The  Barnett  family  are 


Mrs.  lianks  is  a  daiigliter  of  James  Long,  who 
came  lu  heriy  luwnship  IVuiii  euiiiity  Derry, 
Ireland.  He  was  born  about  the  time  of  the 
Kevululiuiiary  \\ar  and  married  Miss  Fair  of 
Indiana  euiinty,  I'a.,  by  wliuni  he  had  six  ehil- 
.lieii. 

Dr.  C.  W.  Hanks  was  reared  at  Livermuro 
and  received  his  education  in  the  imhlic  and 
select  schools  of  that  place  and  Blairsville 
academy,  when  the  latter  institution  was  under 
the  charge  of  Pruf.  A.  J.  Polar.  He  read  medi- 
cine with  his  father  and  entered  the  college  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons  where  he  remained  one 
year.  He  then  (1P81)  went  to  Starling  Medical 
college,  Columbus,  0.,  where  he  pursued  his 
medical  studies  till  1882  when  he  entered  Toledo 
Medical  college,  Toledo,  0.,  from  which  insti- 
tution he  was  graduated  in  April,  1883,  as  vale- 
dictorian of  his  class.  After  graduation  he 
located  at  Livermore  where  he  has  been  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession  till  the  present 
time.  With  his  wide  range  of  medical  reading, 
with  the  advantages  derived  from  prosecuting 
professional  studies  in  three  leading  medical 
colleges  of  the  land,  and  with  seven  years  of 
actual  and  successful  practice,  he  is  amply  quali- 
fied to  win  success  in  the  future.  He  is  exceed- 
ingly alfable  and  euurteuus  and  is  a  man  of  line 
personal  ai)jicarance. 

June,  1881,  Dr.  C.  W.  Banks  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Ida  M.  Walkinshaw,  daughter  of 
James  Walkinshaw  of  this  county.  Their  union 
has  lu'en  iih'sscil  with  one  chihl,  ^Villie  U.,  who 
was  burn  September  -'■>,  1HS2. 

.  -v 

WILSON   BARNETT,  the 

chant  of   Hillside,  a  man  of 

ability  and  one  whose  talents  and  labor 
have  wrought  out  marked  success,  is  a  son  of 
Julin   and    Nancy   (Morrison)   Barnett,  and   was 


J 


I'ading  mer- 
ine  business 


deceased. 


old  settlers.     John  Barnett  was  born  in  Chester 


WESTMORELAXD  CO USTY. 


county,  Pa.,  of  Scotch-Irish  parents  and  was  a 
1{ evolutionary  sohlior.  Marriiil  Kacliol  Crosby, 
of  Fojrgs  Manor,  anil  canu'  tn  \VesliiiurolaM(l 
county  in  1T7H,  .sctllcil  in  Dcrrv  Uiwnsiiip 
on  a  tract  of  land  near  Mew  l)erry  in  17^4,  died 
in  18:^5;  his  wife  in  1833.  Children:  ISanuiel 
married  JJebecca  MeClure,  \Villiain  married 
Jane  Wallace,  John  nunricd  Nancy  Morrison; 
daughter  of  John  Morrison,  of  Unity  township, 
Elizabeth  married  AVilliani  Hughes,  Martha 
married  Isaac  Taylor,  Rachael  married  John 
Laird.  John  Barnett,  Jr.,  was  a  man  of  influ- 
ence in  Derry  township,  a  good  thinker  and  of 
great  strength  of  character  ;  took  a  leading  part 
in  the  establishment  of  the  common  school  sys- 
tem in  Derry  township.  He  died  in  1S84  in 
liis  nintieth  year  and  his  wife  died  in  I87tj. 
Their  children  were:  Jane  Elizabeth,  died  in 
infancy  ;  Uachel,  born  June  24,  18"24,  married 
Rev.  W.  M.  Donaldson,  died  April  4,  18r)4; 
Rev.  John  Morrison,  born  iMay  '20,  1826,  mar- 
ried Martha  R.  Elder;  ilartha  Jane,  born 
March  26,  1828,  married  Thomas  L.  Pollock, 
both  dead;  Nancy,  born  July  10,  1833,  married 
Rev.  J.  Shearer  Elder,  D.  D. ;  Elizabeth  Irving, 
born  June  20,  1830,  died  May  27,  183'J  ;  Mary, 
born  January  27,  1837,  married  Thomas  Bar- 
nett Elder;  James  Wilson,  born  May  27,  1839. 
J.  Wilson  Barnett  was  reared  on  a  farm  in 
Derry  township  and  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  his  neighborhood  and  Elder's 
Ridge  academy,  Indiana  county.  Pa.  He  left 
the  ai'ademy  in  1861  to  enter  ibe  ranks  of  the 
Union  army.  Enlisted,  with  t'apt.\\'.  It.  Coulter, 
Co.  K,  lifty-third  reg.,  Pa.  Vols.,  September 
16,  1861,  as  a  private;  promoted  to  regiment 
Commis.sary  Sergeant  December  25,  I8(i2,  and 
Quarter-master  Sergeant  March  1,  1863.  Par- 
ticipated with  the  regiment  in  all  the  battles  of 
the  army  of  the  Potomac  up  to  November  1, 
1863,  wlien  he  was  promoted  to  First  Lieuten- 
ant, tenth  U.  S.  H.  Troo]>s ;  A.  A.  (.,».  M. 
Eastern  Shore,  Va.,  February  1,  1864,  and  of 
first    brigade,    tliird    division,    eighteenth     A. 


C,  June  27,  1864;  A.  A.  Quartermaster-dcn- 
er.al,  first  brigade,  third  division,  Twenty-iifth 
A.  C,  Septenilicr  1,  1865;  Depot  Quartermas- 
ter, (ialvcston,  Te.\as,  ^Lirch  14,  18(;6.  Mus- 
tered out  June  20,  1866,  being  in  continuous 
service  four  years  and  nine  months. 

After  the  war  lie  taught  one  term  of  school  at 
Hillside  and  then  went  to  Pittsburg,  where  he 
served  one  year  as  clerk  in  a  mercantile  estab- 
lishment. In  the  sj)ring  of  1868  he  opened  a 
store  at  Johnstown,  Pa.,  which  he  conducted  for 
two  years.  In  1870  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  F.  G.  Stewart  and  ¥.  D.  Beltz  and  they 
opened  two  stores,  one  at  Derry  station  and  the 
other  at  Hillside.  Four  years  later  they  dis- 
solved and  Mr.  Barnett  retained  the  Hillside 
store  which  he  has  conducted  successfully  ever 
since.  He  has  been  postmaster  at  Hillside  for 
the  last  ten  years  and  has  served  as  ticket,  freiglit 
and  express  agent  at  that  place  since  1886. 

On  April  19,  1870,  he  married  Sophronie  C. 
Gore,  daughter  of  Thomas  Gore,  of  Johnstown, 
Pa.  They  have  five  children  :  John  Irving, 
born  August  21,  1871  ;  Ella  Amanda,  born 
June  8,  1874 ;  Nannie  Elder,  born  June  17, 
1875  ;  Mary  Olive,  born  January  19,  1878,  and 
Ralph  Pitcairn,  born  May  3,  1886. 

J.  W.  Barnett  is  a  republican  in  politics  and 
is  well  known  throughout  the  township  as  an 
infiuential   and  important  worker  in  his  party. 

He  has  been  successful  in  the  management  of 
his  own  aflairs  and  his  excellent  business  (pialiti- 
cations  have  recommended  him  t(i  the  confidence 
of  his  neighbors,  who  have  constantly  demanded 
his  services  of  late  years  as  administrator,  guar- 
dian and  in  other  positions  where  good  manage- 
ment and  trustworthiness  are  essentials. 


LEXANDER  BARNHART,  a  progres- 
sive business  man  and  a  public-spirited 
citizen  of  Pleasant  Unity,  is  a  son  of 
George  and  Mary  (llartzell)  Barnhart  and  was 
born   near   Latrobe,  in    Unity    townshij),  \Vest- 


422 


BIOallAPniES  OF 


luori'lMiiil  county,  P;i.,  M;iy  1",  l!S41.  (lourji;o 
]!;irnliarl  was  limii  in  ITl'A  iiml  died  JiiMimry 
'!'■),  iMll,  when  in  iIk^  .sixly-ninlli  year  of  his 
:i;^('.  lie  u:is  u  icsidcnl  of  I'lcasanl  Dnily, 
wlicrc  lie  liillnwcil  li(ilclicriii;j;  |iii-  many  y<'ai,s 
j)riur  to  lii^  dcatli.  Ilo  was  ;i  democrat,  ;i  moni- 
ber  of  the  (jerman  llofoimed  church  and  ener- 
getic business  man.  He  was  twice  married. 
His  first  wife  was  a  Miss  Sliupe,  who  died  in  a 
few  years  after  marriage  and  left  him  two  sons. 
For  his  second  wife  he  married  jNlary  llartzell, 
who  died  March  13,  1873,  wlien  she  was  well 
advanced  into  her  seventietii  year.  By  this 
second  marriage  lie  had  issue  of  six  sons  and 
two  daughters  :  David  (see  sketch),  Jacoij,  Dan- 
iel, George  \V.,  Alexander,  James,  Surah  and 
Lobina. 

Alexander  Barnliart  was  reared  in  Unity 
township,  where  he  received  his  education  in  tiie 
common  schools.  Jlc  then  learned  the  trade  ot 
butchering  with  his  liitiier-  and  in  l.'S(J4  he 
openetl  a  butcher  shop  at  I'leasant  L  nity  which 
he  conducted  till  ISTo.  For  the  next  live  years 
he  was  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  and 
operated  a  saw  null  in  order  to  till  the  bills 
which  he  received  during  that  period  of  time. 
In  188U  he  returned  to  Pleasant  Unity  where 
lie  opened  his  present  butchering  establishment 
and  meat  market,  lie  commands  u  good  trade 
and  is  able  to  lurnish  at  a  monu'nl's  notice  any 
kind  of  meat  which  is  desired  by  his  ]iatrons.  In 
politics  he  has  been  a  demowrat  until  last  fall 
when  he  allilialed  liiliiself  witli  tin'  Prohibition 
party  and  Voted  for  its  nominees.  He  is  a 
memlier  ol  the  Order  of  Chosen  Friends  and 
J'leasaiit  Unity  Methodist  l']piscopal  church,  of 
wliicli  he  is  also  class-leader  and  trustee  and 
superintendent  of  its  Sunday  sciiool. 

In  IJSTl-)  he  united  in  marriage  with  Susan 
(ieltemy,  daughler  (jf  Jonas  (Jetlemy,  of  Unity 
township.  'I'luy  have  two  cliildieii,  one  son 
and  one  daughter,  Mary  K.  and  Scott  K. 

In  the  prosperity  of  Pleasant  Unity  Mr. 
Barnliart  has  always  been  interesteil  and  he  has 


erected  more  houses   in  that  thriving  town   than 
any  othci-  eili/.en  of  the  place. 


.Wll)    I!,\KN11,\I{T.      One  of   the   pio. 

^V  neers  of  the  (.Colorado  gold  lii'Ids  and  a 
veteran  Pennsylvania  soldier  who  fought 
amid  the  clouds  on  Lookout  Mountain,  is  David 
Barnliart,  now  a  well-established  merchant  of 
Pleasant  Unity.  lie  was  born  in  Derry  town- 
ship, Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  April  15,  183"J, 
and  is  a  son  of  George  and  Mary  (llartzell) 
Barnliart.  George  Barnliart  was  a  resident  of 
Pleasant  Unity,  where  he  followed  butchering 
for  a  livelihood.  He  was  a  democrat  in  politics, 
a  member  of  the  German  Reformed  Presbyterian 
church  and  a  stirring  thorough-going  business 
man.  He  died  in  1S(J4  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine 
years.  He  married  a  Miss  Sliupe  and  hud  two 
Sons  and  then  married  Mary  Hurtzell,  by  whom 
he  had  live  sons  und  two  duugliters.  She  wus 
u  member  of  the  sunie  as  ubove  and  passed 
away  March  13,  1873,  aged  sixty-eight  years, 
ten  months  and  seven  days. 

David  Barnliart,  although  a  native  of  Derry, 
yet  was  reared  principally  in  Unity  township, 
where  he  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools.  When  a  boy  he  learned  the  trade  of 
shoemaker,  but  in  lisr)7  went  to  Schuyler  county, 
HI.,  from  there  to  Oohnado  ;  in  18;VJ  left  his 
business  pursuits  in  the  cast  to  join  the  tide  of 
adventurous  sjiirits  then  setting  westward  to  the 
new  discovi-ied  goKl-lields  along  the  liocky 
nioiuitains.  He  became  one  of  the  pioneer  gold 
miners  of  (,'olorado  and  remained  in  the  territory 
of  the  "  Ceiiti'iinial  State"  until  18tJl,  when  he 
returned  to  Pennsylvania.  In  September,  18tJ2, 
he  enlisted  in  Co.  B,  fifteenth  Pa.  Cavalry,  jiar- 
ticipated  in  the  battles  of  Antietara,  Stone  river, 
Chieamauga  and  Missionary  Bidge,  and  was  dis- 
chargeil  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  June  21,  1 8t)a. 
Beturning  home  he  was  in  the  butchering  busi- 
ness with  his  brother  for  three  years.  From 
18ti8  to  187'2  he  conducted  a  store  at  Pleasant 


WESTMORELAND  CO  UNTY. 


423 


Unity.  In  1872  he  purchnsed  a  portable  saw- 
mill which  he  oi)Ciatoil  for  four  years.  In  1H82 
he  built  his  present  store-rooms  and  engaged  in 
the  general  mercantile  business  which  he  has 
successfully  pursued  ever  since.  His  store-i'ooins 
are  sj>aeious,  wcll-li;;hti'd  and  well-stocked  with 
full  and  choice  selected  lines  of  groceries,  dry 
goods,  notions,  hardware,  clothing  and  provi- 
sions. The  growth  of  his  trade  has  been  com- 
mensurate with  the  constant  increase  of  his  stock. 
While  in  Colorado  he  and  Charles  Cowdrey 
and  Andrew  Sellers,  who  were  both  from  Illinois, 
started  the  first  manufacturing  establislunent  in 
Denver  City — it  being  a  furniture  factory. 

On  the  5th  of  April,  1870,  David  Barnhart 
married  Ida  C.  Leacock,  daughter  of  Joseph  B. 
Leacock,  of  Stahlstown,  Cook  township,  this 
county. 

David  Barnhart  is  a  conservative  democrat 
and  a  useful  member  of  Cyrus  Chambers  Post, 
No.  f)31,  G.  A.  K.  His  life-work  has  been  a  re- 
markable one  as  a  gold  miner,  soldier  and  mer- 
chant, and  the  success  which  he  has  achieved 
luis  been  the  result  of  his  natural  ability  and  great 
(^^wrgy-  _     ^^ 

fAMUEL  BAKU,  one  of  the  old  and  liighly 
esteemed  citizens  and  comfortably  situa- 
ted and  prosperous  faiiiiers  of  Dcrry 
townsliip,  was  born  witliin  one  mile  of  New 
Derry,  Derry  township,  Westmoreland  county, 
Pa.,  May  4,  1811,  and  is  a  son  of  AVilliam  and 
Klizabclh  (Hell)  Hair.  Ill-  paternal  giaiid- 
fatlier,  John  i>air,  was  of  lri>ii  descent  but  «;isa 
native  of  eastern  Pennsylvania,  where  he  lived  and 
died.  One  of  John  Barr's  brothers  was  liobert 
liaiT,  who  cauic  t(j  l>eiiy  hi\\  nship  aliout  17'.K) 
and  |imciiascd  the  iarui  uiiiui  which  the  sulijeet 
of  tiiis  sketch  was  born.  lie  died  in  iMi-J. 
AVilliaui  IJarr  (father)  was  burn  about  177;]  in 
an  eastern  county  of  this  State  and  caoje  to 
Westmoreland  county  when  (|uite  a  young  man. 
He  settled  in  J)erry  townsiiip  wiu  le  lie  resided 
until    181^,   in   which  year  be  died  of  measles. 


Prior  to  the  year  1800  he  married  Elizabeth 
Bell,  who  was  a  mendier  of  the  (dd  Picll  family 
of  this  county.  After  living  a  wiilow  seven 
years  she  married  Samuel  Moorhead  about 
18-20.  Samuel  Moorhead  died  in  March,  18;"):i, 
ana  his  wife  died  in  May,  18.')-i.  Samuel  Moor- 
head was  a  strong  democrat  and  a  good  citizen. 
They  had  seven  children,  of  whom  two  dieil 
young  and  of  the  five  who  reached  manhood  and 
womanhood  two  are  yet  living :  Samuel  and 
Robert,  who  reside  at  Fort  Madison,  Iowa. 

Samuel  Barr  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  Derry 
township,  where  he  has  always  lived  and  been 
engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising.  He  has 
resided  on  the  farm  on  which  he  now  lives  for 
over  forty  years,  and  in  addition  to  it  he  owns 
two  other  good  farms  in  the  township. 

Samuel  Barr  has  been  twice  married.  His 
first  wife  was  Jeannette  George,  who  was  a 
daughter  of  William  George  and  lived  but  one 
year  after  marriage.  On  November  10,  lS58, 
Mr.  Barr  united  in  marriage  with  Mary  Ann 
Lewis,  daughter  of  Evans  Lewis,  of  Young  town- 
ship, Indiana  county,  I'a.  'I'o  their  union  were 
born  si.\  children,  of  w  horn  two  dieil  in  infancy. 
The  four  living  are  :  Sarah  Elizabeth,  who  mar- 
ried W.  T.  McFarland  and  has  had  four  child- 
ren :  Mary  E.,  Cora  B.  (dead)  ;  Hattie  R.  and 
Samuel  Barr  (dead)  ;  Samuel  Ijcwis,  Rebecca 
J.,  who  married  M.  F.  Douglass  of  the  grocery 
firm  of  Hamilton  k  Douglass;  and  ^Villiam. 

Samuel  Barr  was  originally  a  whig  ;  he  now 
belongs  to  the  l!c|iMbbcau  p;nly  but  takes  no 
active  pari  in  polities.  He  retains  his  eyesight 
reuKukably  well  iiu'  one  of  his  years  and  can 
read  and  write  without  tlie  use  of  glasses.  Mr. 
Barr  and  wife  are  eonsistiiit  luembers  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  (d'  Hiairsville,  Pa. 


I  y  OIIN  n.  BASH,  one  of  the  well-known  citi- 
]  'i'  zens  and  remarkably  successful  farmers  of 
\QJ  Mt.  Pleasant  lowiishi[i,  is  a  s(jn  of  .AlieliMel 
I   and  Sarah  (Uugh)  Bash   and   was   born    on    the 


lUOCRAVniKS  OF 


farm  on  wliicli  he  now  resides  in  Mt.  rieasaiit 
township,  Westniorehind  county,  Pa.,  September 
11,  1819.  Ilis  paternal  grandfather,  Martin 
Hash,  was  a  native  of  eastern  Pennsylvania  and 
Settled  near  Pleasant  Unity,  in  Unity  town- 
ship, where  he  died.  He  purchased  a  farm  of 
one  hundred  ami  fifty  acres  of  land  which  is 
now  owned  by  a  xMr.  Summers.  He  was  a 
Lutheran,  a  whig  in  politics  and  married 
JI;irgaret    Akerinan. 

Hon.  Jacob  Hugh,  maternal  grandfather,  was 
born  in  the  lichigh  A'alley,  tiiis  Slate,  and 
settled  when  a  young  man,  near  dreensburg 
where  he  owned  three  hundred  acres  of  land. 
He  was  a  democrat,  served  in  the  Legislature 
of  Pennsylvania,  held  membersiiip  in  the  Luth- 
eran churcli,  and  married  Sevilla  Mechlin  of 
his  native  county.  Michael  IJasli  (father)  was 
horn  in  IT.S'.l  and  died  August,  11S(J2.  He 
Avas  an  industrious  farmer,  an  old-line  whig 
and  an  active  member  and  worthy  deacon  of 
the  Evangelical  church.  His  children  were: 
John,  who  died  in  infancy  ;  John  H.,  Jacob, 
■who  married  \\  Miss  Hutl'man,  followed  farm- 
ing and  died  February  "22,  1889  ;  AL.hael  U., 
die(i  at  two  years  of  age  ;  and  Susanna,  widow 
(if  .larcili    Koaibniin   dI'  near    Kcckslung. 

Joiin  II.  liash  was  reared  on  his  fuher's 
farm  and  trained  to  habits  of  industiy  and 
ee<jnomy.  Ilis  educational  advantages  consisted 
of  thi-ee  months  attendance  upon  the  old  sub- 
scription schools,  where  he  learned  to  read 
and  write  and  nblained  a  fair  knowle(ln;c  of 
till'  tundanieiital  rules  uf  ai-itlinictie.  He  has 
always  been  engaged  in  farming  and  stock- 
raising,  and  lias  been  very  successful  in  all 
of  his  firniing  operations  and  business  ven- 
turi's.  lie  cdiunienecil  firming  for  his  father 
but  soon  engaged  in  tliat  line  of  bii.siness  fir 
hinisell',  and  now  owns  tlii'ee  large  and  pro- 
ductive farms:  one  of  Kirj,  another  of  194 
and  the  third  of  l-'!4  acres  of  land.  He  is  a 
republican  in  polities  but  is  no  ollice-seekcr. 
He   is   a   member   of  the    Lvan^elieal    Lutheran 


church  and  is  well-known  for  his  push,  enterprise 
and  business  ability.  He  is  careful  and  correct 
in  all  of  his  dealings,  has  shown  himself  to  be 
a  good  manager  and  possesses  a  very  fiir  com- 


petency. 


•|*  OHN  BEATTY,  Jr.,  a  prominent  citizen, 

J  a  leading  school  director  and  a  substantial 
and  progressive  farmer  of  Unity  township, 
is  a  son  of  Hamilton  and  Sarah  (Anderson) 
Pcattv  and  was  horn  on  the  farm  on  which  he 
now  resides  in  Unity  township,  Westmoreland 
county,  I'a.,  September  14,  182(j.  The  Beatty 
family  has  long  been  resident  in  Ireland,  from 
which  ]5enjamin  Beatty  (grandfather)  emigated 
when  a  boy  of  not  more  than  si-xtcen  years  of 
age.  He  came  to  the  eastern  part  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. It  is  highly  probable  that  he  served  as 
a  soldier  in  the  Continental  army  as  there  is 
still  indisputable  evidence  in  existence  of  his 
having  helped  guard  British  prisoners  in  Phila- 
delphia during  the  Revolutionary  war.  He 
came  from  Adams  to  AVestmoreland  county  in 
1810  and  settled  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  He  died  in  1«31  at  the 
age  of  eighty-six  years.  Hamilton  ISeatty, 
(fuller)  was  a  native  ol'  Adams  county,  I'a.,  and 
came  with  his  fitlier  to  Washington  county  in 
1809.  His  latiier  purchased  in  the  spring  of 
1810  a  farm  of  three  hundred  acres  in  Unity 
township,  Westmoreland  county,  known  as  the 
"sportsman  farm."  He  imiucdiatily  moved  on 
it  and  built  the  first  baidc  barn  in  the  township 
the  i'oUowing  year.  He  served  as  a  soldier  in 
the  war  of  1812  and  helped  to  build  Fort  Meigs. 
This  farm  had  been  patented  by  James  Hunter 
in  1790.  He  with  his  brother  John  purchased 
the  farm  from  his  hither  in  1824  and  at  their 
death  the  subject  of  this  sketch  became  the 
owner.  Ilamiltiui  Healty  was  an  industrious  man, 
a  prosperous  farmer,  a  strong  democrat  an<l  an 
elder  in  Unity  Presbyterian  church  for  fifty-six 
years.  He  was  respected  as  a  citizen,  served 
his  township   in  various  local    ollices  and  died  at 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


■BcMtty  station  July  10,  1871,  at  the  age  of 
ciglity-tive  years.  lie  was  niarrieil  to  Sarali, 
clilest  (laughter  of  Col.  Aiulersoii,  September  11, 
ISIT,  liv  whom  he  liuil  seven  cliiliji-eii. 

.Iiihli  liLMtty,  .Ir.,  w:is  kcuimmI  nii  the  fiiin  on 
which  he  now  resides.  He  reeeived  his  edueation 
in  tlie  common  schools  and  Ehler's  Ridge  acad- 
emy, Indiana  county.  Pa.  He  commenced  life 
as  a  farmer  and  has  continued  successfully  in 
fanning  till  the  present  time.  He  owns  tlie  old 
Beatty  homestead  near  JJeatty's  station.  It 
contains  two  hundred  acres  of  land  and  is  in  a 
fine  state  of  cultivation.  Mr.  Beatty  is  a  well 
read  agriculturalist  as  well  as  a  practical  fanner 
and  conducts  his  farming  operations  scientifically 
and  successfully.  He  is  a  democrat  and  has 
served  for  twenty  years  as  a  school  director. 
He  is  a  member  of  Gravel  Hill  Grange,  No.  849, 
Patrons  of  Husbandry  ;  Latrobe  Lodge,  No.  30, 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  and  Unity 
Presbyterian  church,  of  which  he  served  a  num- 
ber of  years  as  trustee,  was  an  active  member  in 
the  erection  of  the  new  church  in  1874  and 
spent  time  and  labor  in  preparing  the  ground 
and  laying  out  the  beautiful  cemetery  of  Unity. 

June  20,  1855,  he  married  Eliza  Jane  Cham- 
bers, only  daughter  of  William  and  Elizabeth 
(Leasure)  Chambers  and  ^islrr  <if  Eli  Chambers, 
treasiuer  of  Westmoreland  county  (see  his 
sketch).  To  their  union  have  been  born  seven 
children  :  Charles  Albert,  who  was  a  graduate 
of  Washington  and  Jefl'erson  college  and  a  siu- 
deiil  nf  .Ictlerson  Medical  college,  I'hihidelpliia, 
I'a.,  at  ihe  time  of  his  death,  and  died  March  ol, 
1882,  aged  twenty-five  years;  Lizzie  Leasure, 
Jessie  Quindora,  who  died  March  15,  18(33, 
aged  one  year  and  twenty-two  days;  John 
Hamilton,  Sara  Stella,  Lilian  May  and  William 
Chambers. 

■r^'ENRY  E.  BELSTEL,  one  of  six  brothers 

I    J    wiio  served  in   the  Union  armies  during 

(*)   the  late  war  and  an  industrious  farmer  of 

Mt.   Pleasant    township,  was    born    in  Donegal 


township,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  February 
2'2,  1835,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Mary 
(Fultz)  Beistel.  His  ]iaternal  gnindfatlier,  John 
lieistel,  was  a  iiirmcr  of  Mt.  Pleasant  townKliip. 
His  maternal  giaiidl'ather,  l''ulty,,  was  of  German 
desccntand  resided  in  Unity  tow  nshi])  Hisl'atlier, 
John  Beistel,  was  reared  in  Unity  township, 
learned  the  trade  of  tailor  at  Greensburg  and 
removed  to  Donegal  township,  where  he  owned 
one  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  land  and  fol- 
lowed farming  until  his  death  in  18(37  at  the 
age  of  si.\ty-two  years.  He  was  a  republican 
and  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church  and  mar- 
ried Mary  Fultz,  by  whom  he  had  eight  sons  and 
five  daughters.  Six  of  these  sons  served  in  the 
Union  armies  during  the  late  war.  They  were: 
John,  who  served  five  months  toward  the  close 
of  the  war  in  Co.  B,  one  luimlred  and  first  leg. 
Pa.  Vols.  ;  George,  enlisted  in  Co.  B,  fourth  Pa. 
Cavalry,  in  1861,  participated  in  thirty  battles 
and  served  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  until 
close  of  war,  18(j5;  Jacob,  who  enlisted  in  Co. 
B.,  one  hundred  and  first  reg.  Pa.  Vols,  and 
died  in  the  service;  Henry  F.,  in  Co.  I.,  one 
hundred  and  sixty-eighth  reg.  and  re-enlisted  in 
one  hundred  and  first  reg.  ;  David  did  guard 
duty  at  Washington  City  ;  William  and  Manoah, 
who  both  enlisted  in  Co.  B,  twenty-eighth  reg. 
Pa.  ^'ols.  anil  were  under  Sherman  in  (ieorgia 
and  in  his  march  to  the  .■^ea.  John  and  Manoah 
are  dead.  George  resides  at  Ligonier  and  Wil- 
liam lives  in  Donegal  township. 

Henry  F.  lieistel  was  reared  on  a  farm,  at- 
tended the  rural  schools  of  his  township  and 
engaged  in  farming  which  he  pursued  until  18li2. 
In  (Jetober  of  that  year  he  was  drafted  and 
served  the  required  nine  months  in  Co.  I,  one 
hundred  and  sixty-eighth  reg.  Pa.  Infantry.  On 
March  'J,  1865,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  B,  one  hun- 
dred and  first  reg.  I'a.  A'^ols.  and  served  till  the 
close  of  the  war.  Since  1865  he  has  been  en- 
gaged in  farming.  In  1880  he  purchased  a 
farm  of  forty-nine  acres  to  whicli  he  has  added 
fifty  acres  more.     Mr.  Beistel   is   a    reiiublican 


>/;it 


inuauAi'iiiKs  OF 


and  has  served  as  iin  assessor  of  his  township. 
lie  is  a  member  of  St.  I'aal's  Evangelical  Lu- 
theran church  and  member  of  Post  No.  531, 
(irand  Army  td'  tlic  i{c|iiddic  at.  l'leas;iiit 
Vnity. 

(Jii  iSepleiiiber  'JO,  liSliO,  he  married  Nancy 
, Ev:ina,  a  daughter  of  William  Evans,  of  Mt. 
lMeas;int  townshij).  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  lieistel 
have  been  horn  ten  children:  AViUiam  E.  (dead); 
Lydia,  wife  of  Edward  iJaker;  Ida  M,  married 
to  James  Marks ;  Ella,  wife  of  Melvin  Zimuier- 
mau,  of  Ilempfield  township;  Franklin,  who  is 
attending  Edinborougli  State  Normal  school  and 
■Nvill  graduate  in  June,  1890  ;  Clara  M.,  Dorotha, 
Alice  and  Nettie. 


Al'TAIN  WILLIAM  BENNETT  is  a 
man  of  fine  personal  appearance,  of  genial 
dis])Osition,  of  engaging  manners  and 
sterling  integrity.  Lk-scendcd  from  an  old  and 
wortiiy  English  fimily  wliose  honorable  reputa- 
tion he  has  well  supported.  Capt.  ISeunett  has 
been  prt>ndnently  identilied  witii  tlie  agricultural 
and  commercial  interests  of  Pennsylvania  for  over 
half  a  century  and  now  at  the  advanced  age  of 
seventy-seven  is  in  active  management  of  his 
large  Virginia  (ilantation.  lie  was  born  in 
Parish  of  Westry-lllack  Auton,  l>ev()i>shii'e, 
England,  jVugust  ;!<),  LSPi,  and  i.s  a  S(in  of 
'Japt.  John  and  Jane  (<Joade)  Pcnnett,  both 
natives  and  residents  of  the  "  Mother  Country." 
In  ISli.S  C:i]il.  .bihu  licnnett  uitli  iiis  family 
v'lanie  to  ^Vesll]lor<•hlnd  CDiiiity,  wliere  he  located 
in  [)erry  tnwii^liip  and  rcuiainiMJ  there  until 
■JStJS,  wlien  at  llie  ;ige  of  eigiity-fnur  he  retired 
and  went  to  live  «  itii  his  daiigiiter  Elizabeth,  wife 
of  Stephen  Young,  at  Parnassus,  where  he  re- 
mained until  his  death,  July  25.  ISTI.  He 
was  born  Septembrr  10,  1788,  received  a  good 
cduea(i(in  and  enlcicd  llie  regular  ;niMy  of 
England  in  whicli  lie  served  fur  sevej:d  years 
as  ii  captain  :uiii  then  resigned.  iiis  wife,  Jane 
(Coade)  Pennett,  was  born   September  1,  17'J'2, 


and  passed  away  exactly  sixty-nine  years  later, 
on  the  first  day  of  Se]jtend)er,  1801. 

Capt.  William  Pennett  was  reaied  on  a  farm 
in  a  rural  district  of  liie  county  of  Devonshire 
and  attended  s(jnie  of  tlie  iiest  private  schools  of 
England  then  in  existence.  At  iifteen  years  of 
age  he  came  with  his  parents  to  Westmoreland 
county  where  he  was  successfully  engaged  in 
farming  for  several  years.  When  the  Pennsyl- 
vania canal  was  opened  in  1835  he  rented  his 
farm  and  purchased  several  canal  boats,  which 
he  ran  and  commanded  until  the  canal  was 
abandoned.  In  1853,  when  the  railroad  was 
finished  as  far  as  Johnstown  he  carried  tlie 
Adams  express  from  there  to  Pittsburg  by  boat 
until  the  road  was  finished  and  the  canal  aban- 
doned. Having  become  well  aeijuainted  with 
Thomas  A.  Scott  when  a  boy  in  the  collector's 
oQice  at  Ilollidaysburg,  was  appointed  by  him 
as  first  train  disjiatcher  in  Pittsburg  in  1853  ; 
while  there  he  became  acquainted  with  Andrew 
Carnegie,  who  was  then  a  boy  in  Scott's  office. 
After  some  time  he  ]mrciiased  a  boat  and  left 
Pittsburg  for  Wabash,  Indiana,  where  he  lost 
his  boat  and  several  horses  and  contracted  fever 
and  ague.  He  then  returned  to  this  county 
and  was  engaged  in  fanning  near  Blairsville 
until  1805,  when  he  bought  his  present  farm 
near  Hillside.  Tiiis  farm  contains  two  liundred 
I  and  eiglity-five  acres  of  good  farming  land, 
which  is  well  improved  and  underlaid  with  coal. 
In  1870  lie  purchased  a  beautiful  as  well  as 
valuable  jdaiitation  within  nine  miles  of  the  city 
of  Piichmond,  Virginia.  He  has  spent  the  most 
of  his  time  for  the  last  fourteen  years  on  this 
\'irginia  ])lantation,  which  contains  one  thousand 
one  hundred  and  forty  acres  and  on  which  he 
has  harvested  as  high  as  five  thousand  bu.shels 
of  wheat  per  year. 

On  June  -!8iji,  1818,  Capt.  Bennett  was  mar- 
ried to  .Mary  Ann  Turiiei',  a  ilaiigliler  of  (Jeorgo 
and  Liiey  (Wilkinson)  Turner,  of  IJlairsviilc, 
where  the  foniier  die<l  in  November,  1880,  at 
the  rijjc  (dil  age  of  ninety-live  years.    ToCtiptain 


WJiSTMOEELA M)   CO  UNTY. 


mill    MlH.   HcllllClt  llMVC  llCCU    llOIll  uillC  lllilillH'll  : 

l.iicv  .1.,  Imhh  Miurli  -Jll,  ISflO,  and  wile  of 
Jiihu  Juluisoii,  „1'  llillsiilc;  Williiiiii  Iv,  Imrn 
M:iy  li',  l85l!;  'i'lioiinis,  bmu  Fcljniaiy  --, 
1854,  and  resides  in  Viifiiuia  ;  Jlaiiy,  liurn 
Marcli  If),  l!Sr)5,  and  was  struck  and  killod  by 
the  "Altoona  Accommodation  "  train  September 
9,  1884  ;  Priscilla  P.,  who  was  born  November 
15,  185G,  and  died  February  4,  1857  ;  James 
Edwin,  born  December  13,  1857,  and  resident 
of  Derry  station  ;  George  W.,  born  June  13, 
1859,  and  Jives  at  New  Derry  ;  Robert  Ander- 
son, born  December  2,  18G1,  unmarried  and  at 
Johnstown,  I'a. ;  and  Lincoln,  born  March  17, 
186G,  and  lives  in  I'ittsburg.  William  E.  Ben- 
nett, the  eldest  son,  is  unmarried  and  is  manager 
of  the  home  farm.  He  is  an  intelligent,  enter- 
prising and  progressive  young  man  who  has  had 
considerable  business  experience  in  this  county 
and  in  the  valley  of  Virginia. 

Capt.  William  Bennett  in  the  course  of  his 
life  has  had  some  broken  bones  and  several 
narrow  escapes.  His  life  has  been  one  of  con- 
stant activity  and  usefulness. 


■^IJ.VDIAII  ]M.  BKNNF/l'T,  a  successful 
'/J  cabinet  maker,  fiuuiture  dealer  and 
Vi)  undertaker  of  New  Florence  borough, 
is  a  son  of  Isaac  and  Margaiet  (Brown)  iicii- 
iiett,  and  was  born  at  tiie  village  of  \\  est 
Fairfield,  Kaiilii'id  tii\viisiii]i,  Wcstmnieland 
t(>un>iiip,  I'a..  April  .'..  LS.M .  'fiic>  n.iiiirlls 
were  among  liie  pioneers  of  W'l'Nlnuuehind 
county,  and  some  of  them  went  further  west 
and  settled  near  the  present  site  of  Cincinnati. 
John  licnnett  (grandfather)  was  a  I'anner  and 
early  settler  of  the  above  township.  Oni'  of  his 
sons  was  Isaac  IJennelt  who  was  born  December 
5,  I. SIS,  near  the  site  of  West  Fairlield.  lie 
was  a  car))eiiter  and  caliiiuitmaker  and  was  niar- 
rieil  in  184'J  to  Margaret  Hrown,  wiio  was  born 
l)<'cciiiber  27,  1S20.  Iler  parents  weic  William 
and  iMary  (lliisloii)    Krown,  botli    natives  of  St. 


(Hair  township,  this  county,  and  the  former 
served  as  a.  soldier  in  the  war  of  IS12. 

Obadiah  M.  lienuett  was  reared  to  carpt'iitry 
and  cabinetniaking,  receiveil  his  education  in 
the  common  schools  and  learned  his  trade  with 
liis  father  with  whom  he  remained  until  he  was 
twenty-five  years  of  age. 

On  January  19,  1876,  he  married  Hannah 
M.  Graham  who  was  born  March  14.  1855. 
Their  union  has  been  blessed  with  seven  chil- 
dren, two  sons  and  five  daughters :  Anna  B., 
born  November  5,  1876  ;  Emma  K.,  May  13, 
1878;  Margaret  C,  April  20,  1880;  Charles 
G.,  February  11,  1882;  Mabel  B.,  September 
25,  1883;  Ada  F.,  June  29,  1885,  and  Andrew 
J.,  February  3,  1888.  Mrs.  Bennett's  father, 
William  Graham,  was  born  in  Ireland  in  the 
year  1800,  came  to  this  country  in  1806  and 
was  a  miller,  farmer  and  railroad  contractor, 
lie  built  a  three-mile  section  of  road  east  of 
Lockport  for  the  Pennsylvania  Central  railroad 
and  served  in  the  Pennsylvania  Legislature. 
His  wife  was  Mary  Peal,  a  native  of  eastern 
Pennsylvania. 

In  the  spring  of  1876  Obadiah  Bennett  re- 
moved to  New  Florence  and  engaged  in  cabinet- 
making,  furniture  and  undertaking  business 
wliicdi  he  has  continued  successfully  ever  since. 
In  ])olitical  faith  he  is  a  re[)ublican  and  in  re- 
ligious belief  he  is  a  member  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  churcli.  For  nine  years  he  has 
served  as  justice  of  the  jieace.  He  is  eomforta- 
lilv  situated  and  is  a  genial  and  clever  gentle- 
man. 

'i'YlI^l'f^^^I  "■  150YFR,  of  (ierinan  de- 
scent and  one  of  llic^  indiistiioiis  and 
reliable  I'arnicrs  of  Mt.  I'leasant  town- 
slii]),  is  a  son  of  Adam  and  Elizabeth  (Haymond) 
Jioyer  and  was  born  in  Somerset  county.  Pa., 
Deceiiiher  7,  IK5S.  'I'lie  lioyers  Hcltlcd  in 
Somerset  county  over  a  century  ago.  Si|uiro 
Saniiiel  Hoyer  (grandfather)  was  horn  in  that 
county,  where   Ik;  lived   during  the  greater   part 


BIOORA PITIES  OF 


of  liis  life,  lie  was  an  extensive  fanner,  an 
olil-time  (lenioeiiit,  an  earnest  Lutlieraii  ami 
serveil  as  jnstice  of  the   peace  for  many  years. 

lie  iiiai-rieil  Lyilia  Sterret,  win)  i)orc  liim  four 
sons  ami  tuur  daujrliters.  l)uriii^  the  hitter 
part  of  his  life  he  removed  to  liiillskiu  town- 
ship, Fayette  county,  Pa.,  where  he  died  at  an 
advanced  age.  Adam  Boyer  (father)  was  born 
in  1816  and  died  at  Paintersville,  this  county, 
in  IHH.').  He  was  a  farmer,  a  democrat  and  a 
Lutheran  and  married  Elizabeth  Raymond, 
daughter  of  Henry  Raymond,  a  prosperous 
farmer  of  Somerset  county,  who  has  attained 
the  ripe  old  age  of  ninety-six  years.  Adam 
Rover  reared  a  family  of  six  children,  of  whom 
four  are  living. 

William  II.  Boyer  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
received  his  education  in  the  common  .schools  of 
his  native  State.  Leaving  school  he  engaged 
in  farming  and  stock-raising  in  j\lt.  Pleasant 
township  and  has  continuecl  in  that  business 
until  the  present  time  He  is  a  good  farmer 
and  a  careful  business  man.  His  farm  is  well 
adapted   to  grain-raising  and  grazing   purposes. 

He  was  married  on  March  18, 1879,  to  Susan 
E.  Hartzell,  daughter  of  George  Hartzell,  of 
Mt.  Pleasant.  They  are  the  parents  of  lour 
children,  two  sons  and  two  daughters:  l']va, 
Oliver,  Homer  and  Bertha. 

I'olitically  Mr.  Boyer  is  a  democrat  and 
always  votes  for  the  nominee  of  that  party. 
lie  and  his  wife  are  nienibeis  of  the  Reformed 
church. 

'fY^I'''^^^'^^  l^-  15RA DEN,  one  of  the  en- 
terprising and  intelligent  young  farmers 
of  the  county  is  a  son  of  David  and 
Eliza  (OtVner)  Braden,  and  was  born  March  1, 
1858,  in  Derry  township,  Westmoreland  county, 
Pa.  His  grandfather,  James  Braden,  was  a 
native  of  the  Emerald  Isle,  and  immigrated  to 
America,  locating  in  Derry  township,  West- 
moreland county.  Pa.,  about  the  close  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  where  David  Braden  (father) 


was  born  March  17,  18-21.  David  Braden  was 
the  son  of  a  farmer  and  worked  by  the  day  and 
by  the  month  until  after  he  attained  his  major- 
ity. At  the  age  of  about  twenty-six  he  and  his 
tirother  (jeorge  ])\irchased  a  farm  on  which  they 
worked  together  for  six  years,  and  then  bought 
another  near  the  village  of  Bradensville,  Pa. 
When  the  farms  had  both  been  paid  for  they 
dissolved  partnership,  each  taking  a  farm.  ])a- 
vid  Braden  besides  farming  then  began  buying 
stock  and  shipping  it  to  the  eastern  markets, 
which  continued  throughout  his  life.  His  busi- 
ness prospered  anit  he  ac(|uircd  considerable 
property.  He  purchased  two  more  farms  in 
Derry  township,  on  one  of  which  he  built  two 
houses ;  ten  lots  in  West  Latrobc  and  two 
houses  in  Bradenville.  When  he  began  life  for 
himself  he  had  ju'actically  nothing,  but  he  made 
good  use  of  his  time  an<l  his  industry  was  well 
rewarded.  INh-.  Braden  was  a  member  of  the 
United  Brethren  church  and  a  strictly  moral, 
conscientious  man.  He  was  cheerful, charitable 
and  generous  and  no  man  however  poor  ever 
went  from  his  door  unfed  or  unclothed.  David 
Braden  married  January  7, 1847,  Eliza,  daughter 
of  John  Offner,  of  Lancaster  county.  Pa.,  and 
they  had  six  childri'U,  tliice  of  whom  are  living: 
Harrison,  a  merchant  of  iSradcnville,  who  is 
married  to  Martha,  daughter  of  George  Trau- 
gcr,  of  near  Pleasant  Unity,  Pa.;  Anna  H., 
wife  of  J.  K.  Ellwood,  of  Adamsburg,  Pa.,  and 
William  D.  (ieorge  Lincoln  Rradcn  dicil  Jan- 
uary L"),  18'.M),  leaving  a  wile  and  two  children. 
David  Braden  departed  this  life  November  10, 
1879,  and  his  wife  Eliza  (Uilner)  Braden,  who 
was  born  April  18,  182;^,  survives  him. 

William  D.  Braden  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  his  native  township,  a  normal 
school  in  Topeka,  Kansas,  and  in  Mount  Union 
college  near  Alliance,  Ohio.  For  three  years 
he  successfully  "wielded  the  birch"  iu  the 
school  room,  then  began  farming  which  he  still 
follows.  Ho  owns  and  occupies  the  old  home- 
stead farm,  besides  which  he  owns  another  farm, 


WICSTMORELAyn  CO  UNTr. 


429 


two  liouses  in  Derry  borough,  three  in  Bniden- 
ville  anil  piopcrty  in  West  Ijutrobo.  Ho  is 
genial,  kiiul-hcailuil,  hos]jitiii)le  aiij  jilicral,  a 
i-us|n'ctcil  citizen,  an  indulgent  parent  and  an 
honest  man — the  "  noblest  v\)rk  of  God."  l^ikc 
liis  father  he  is  a  stanch  republican  and  an 
active  worker  for  his  party. 

lie  married  January  11,  1883,  Ilulda  L., 
daughter  of  William  Burd,  and  to  their  union 
have  been  born  four  children:  Delia  E.,  Day- 
ton Earl,  Mary  S.  and  Ann   Eliza. 

Mrs.  W.  D.  15raden's  grandfather  was  Maj. 
Simeon  Burd,  who  was  a  native  of  Westmore- 
land county,  Pa.,  and  her  fatlier  was  William 
Burd,  who  was  born  March  1<^,  iXiili,  in  Unity 
township,  not  far  from  Latrolie,  I'a.  He  was  a 
blacksmith  and  a  farmer,  and  uiarrie<l  Mary,  a 
daughter  of  John  Mitchell,  and  to  them  were 
born  seven  children,  four  of  whom  aie  living: 
Ilulda  L.,  Simeon  E.,  Harmon  E.  and  George 
M.  William  Burd  died  May  -J'.l,  1886,  and  his 
wife  remains  on  the  old  homestead. 


*jJ-'IIOMAS  H.  BUINKEIi,  M.  D.  Thorough 
IvsJ  anil  extensive  jireparatioii  is  one  of  the 
-!■>  essentials  in  any  profession,  and  such  a 
preparation  was  nuide  by  Dr.  Thomas  \.  Iiriid<- 
cr  before  entering  upon  the  practice  of  medicine 
which  he  sueccssfully  pursued  at  I'leasant  Unity 
until  he  retired  from  active  professional  life.  He 
is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Susanna  (Thompson) 
Brinker  anil  was  burn  nn  llic  lioiiicsicail  laiiu  in 
Unity  township,  Westuioi  eland  county,  I'a., 
May' 11,  ISIS.  His  gnat  granilfalhcr,  Jacob 
Brinker,  emigrated  from  Switzerland  to  this 
country  where  lie  located  in  Northampton  county, 
I'a.,  and  engaged  in  the  llouring-mill  business. 
Ifc  furnished  the  llevolutionary  army  with  Hour 
for  which  he  was  never  paid.  In  17112  he  re- 
moved to  near  the  site  of  Manor  station,  where 
he  took  up  a  body  of  land,  besides  six  hundred 
acres  of  land  in  anoihcr  portion  of  I  lie  townshiji. 
He  had  live   children:    llenrv  and    George  who 


received  the  six  hundred  acre  tract  between 
tliem ;  Jacob,  who  inherited  the  Manor  laud ; 
Abrahum,  who  received  a  tract  of  his  father's 
Kentucky  land;  and  Susan.  Henry  Brinker 
(grandfather)  came  with  his  father  from  Switz- 
erland, married  Margaret  Wise  in  Huntingdon 
county  and  died  in  Unity  township  January  6, 
1849,  aged  eighty-eight  years.  His  wife  died 
in  December  of  the  same  year,  aged  ninety-two 
years.  They  were  early  settlers  of  this  county, 
members  of  the  Reformed  church  and  repaired 
to  a  neighboring  fort  several  times  on  account  of 
Indians.  One  of  their  sons  was  Henry  Brinker 
(father)  who  was  born  April  9,  1788,  and  died 
Sej)tember  1,  IS.'il,  from  the  elVects  of  a  cancer. 
He  was  a  republican,  a  member  of  the  Reformed 
church  and  owned  a  farm  of  three  hundred  acres 
of  land  in  Ihiity  township.  He  was  a  man  of 
delicate  health.  He  married  Susanna  Thomp- 
son who  died  October  19,  1879.  aged  ninety- 
eight  years.  They  had  five  children  :  Dr. 
Thomas  H.,  Harriet,  Statira  (dead);  IlattieJ. 
and  Susan  M. 

Dr.  Brinker  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm, 
was  a  school-mate  of  Gov.  (leary  and  went  to 
Kcliool  to  Richard  Geary,  the  Governor's  father. 
He  read  medicine  with  Dr.  ('hristopher  Wolf  in 
1842,  attended  one  course  of  lectures  at  Jeffer- 
son Medical  college  in  184;!,  thi'U  resumed  tho 
further  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  Albert 
Marsh  of  this  county,  and  April  13,  1844,  ac- 
companied the  latter  physician  to  Pittsburg.  In 
the  fall  of  184;")  he  relumed  to  Jefl'i'rson  Medical 
cidlege  from  which  institution  lie  was  graduated 
March  21,1840.  Immediately  after  graduation 
he  located  at  Pleasant  Unity  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  active  and  successful  jirac-tico  of  his 
profession  until  April  1,  18.52,  when  he  retired 
from  active  ])ractice.  He  then  went  on  the 
home-farm  where  he  remained  until  August, 
1885,  when  lie  returned  to  Pleasant  Unity  and 
has  resided  ever  since  at  tiiat  place.  lie  owns 
one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  the  home-farm 
besides  valuable  jiro[)erty  at  Pleasant  Unity. 


430 


BIOORAPHIES  OF 


On  October  22,  1846.  Dr.  Brinker  married 
Margiiret  Jk'ar,  tluugliter  of  Adam  ami  Catlierine 
Bear,  uf  Mt.  Pleasant  towiislii]).  I)r.  and  Mrs. 
liirinker  luive  three  children  :  Maiy,  Ada  and  Ira. 

Dr.  Thomas  H.  Brinker  is  a  republican  and 
has  served  as  school  director,  lie  is  a  member 
and  has  repeatedly  served  as  a  deacon  and  elder 
of  St.  Luke's  lleformed  church.  lie  is  pleas- 
ant in  manner,  kind  in  disposition  and  remark- 
ably intelligent  and  entertaining  in  conversa- 
tion. 

rfYlf^I'I-'^^l  F.  BRINKER  was  born  Sep- 
tember 20, 1845,  in  Mt.  Pleasant  town- 
ship, Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  near 
where  he  now  lives,  and  is  a  son  of  Simon  and 
Margaret  (Fisher)  Brinker.  Jacob  Brinker 
(great-great-grandfather)  and  his  wife  emi- 
grated from  Germany  and  settled  in  Northamp- 
ton county,  Pa.  'They  moved  westward  and 
located  in  Penn  township,  Westmoreland  county, 
when  most  of  it  was  a  wilderness  and  the  coun- 
try was  chiefly  inhabited  by  Indians.  Henry 
Brinker  (great-grandfather)  was  a  native  of 
Northampton  county.  Pa.,  but  came  to  this 
county,  locating  in  Unity  township.  (Seorge 
Brinker  (grandfather)  was  also  a  mitive  of  North- 
ampton county,  born  January  5,  1781, and  died 
Febiuary  (J,  18.")!l.  He  was  married  to  Mary 
AVeible,  of  Northani]iton  county,  by  whom  he  had 
fourteen  children.  He  was  an  old  wagoner  and 
■wagoned  across  the  mountains  to  eastern  cities 
before  I  he  turnpikes  were  bu  ill  spiinning  the  State. 
AbrahSm  Brinker  was  also  an  idd  wagoner  oa 
the  turnpikee  after  they  were  built.  'I'he  rccoid 
of  the  family  is  as  follows:  Jacob  P..,  born 
March  2:!,  1807,  died  July  21,  l.S7ti;  Eii/.abeth, 
born  July  G,  1808,  died  March  D,  1877;  Henry, 
boin  October  8,  IKOK,  died  in  1SH7  ;  (Icorge, 
born  .May  10,  |!Sll,  died  May  0,1871;  John 
B.,  born  October  •!],  181  l',  died  April  4,  1M24; 
Abraham  B.  and  William  B.  (twins),  born 
Se[)tend)er  18,  JSIO  ;  Margaret,  born  April  'SA, 
1818;  Simon,  bum  January  7,  1S20,  liied  Oc- 


tober 15,  1885;  Isaac,  born  May  2,  1822,  died 
May  3,  1883:  .lesse,  born  April  22,  1824; 
Lavina,  born  March  4,  1820,  died  A])ril  2, 
1829;  Mary,  born  August  23,  182.S,  died  De- 
cember 17,  1870;  and  Louis,  born  July,  1831. 
Simon  Brinker  (father)  was  born  in  Mt.  Pleas- 
ant township,  this  county,  January  7,  1820,  and 
died  in  the  same  place  October  15,  1885.  His 
wife  was  born  February  4,  1821,  married  No- 
vember 1,  1844,  and  died  August  15,  1877. 
Mr.  Brinker  was  a  republican,  a  farmer  and  a 
member  of  the  Reformed  church,  in  which  he 
served  as  deacon  and  elder.  He  was  the  father 
of  six  children,  all  of  whom  died  young  except 
William  F.  Brinker.  (For  maternal  ancestry, 
see  sketch  of  Samuel  Fisher). 

William  F.  Brinker  was  married  October  2G, 
1871,  to  Angeline  M.  Sadler,  a  daughter  of 
^lichael  and  Anna  ISIary  (Iloflman)  Sadler,  of 
Salem  township,  who  was  born  August  5,  1850, 
and  who  has  borne  him  four  children:  Margaret 
11.,  born  October  23,  1872;  Anna  M.,  bom 
December  31,  1873  ;  Simon  K.,  born  February 
1,  1876;  and  Mary  J.,  born  June  21,  1870. 

W.  F.  Brinker  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  and  at  the  Salem  (Delmont)  academy, 
and  has  ever  .«ince  devoted  his  attention  to 
agriculture,  in  which  he  has  Ijeen  very  success- 
ful, now  owning  a  great  dral  of  valuable  real 
estate  upon  which  he  has  ]iut  many  costly  im- 
provements. He  is  a  republican  in  jiolitical 
principle  but  never  aspired  to  office,  and  with 
his  wifebehuigs  to  the  Iteformed  church  in  which 
he  has  held  the  ollice  of  deacon  and  elder. 
Much  (jf  his  time  is  fileasantly  and  usefully 
spent  in  his  library,  one  (d'  the  essentials  of  a 
home,  and  the  whole  family  is  pervaded  with 
the  spirit  of  improvement  and  progress. 


'ENRY    F.  BROOKS,   principal    of    the 
Bridgeport  Independent  schools,  was  born 
January  1,  ISO^,  in  Salt  Lick  township, 
Fayette  county.  Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of  Milton   K. 


WESTMOUKLAND   CO  UNTY. 


431 


aiul  Eliza  (Folgar)  lirooks.  Joseph  ]?vooks,  his 
<^rc;it-gr;iiiiiraliu'r,  \v:is  nf  (.ii'riii:iii  jiareiilagc,  a 
native  of  I'onusylvaitia  ami  dicil  in  Fayutto 
county  at  an  aihanccil  aiii'.  Henry  Jhooks 
(gi-aniltatlior)  was  a  native  ot  Fayette  eounty. 
I5urii  in  Sprinijjiield  township  m  ISUS,  he  was 
one  of  the  earliest  inhabitants  of  that  section. 
His  whole  life  was  devotcil  to  faiinin;^'  and  he 
was  tlie  first  justice  of  the  peace  in  his  native 
township.  lie  died  in  ISlN.  Mrs,  Mary  (Kern) 
Brooks  (maternal  grandmother)  was  a  native  of 
the  same  county  and  township  and  was  born  in 
IHU'J.  She  was  the  mother  of  a  large  family  of 
children  and  died  in  lS4t].  Milton  K.  lirooks 
(father)  was  born  in  1841  in  Fayette  county, 
was  reared  on  his  father's  farm,  engaged  a  year 
in  mercantile  pursuits  and  then  purchased  a 
tract  of  land  in  Fayette  county  and  began  farm- 
ing, whicli  he  continued  until  his  death  in  1871. 
He  was  a  democrat  and  took  niiile  an  interest  in 
local  politics  and  was  mariied  in  ISliO  to  I'diza, 
a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Calliarine  l"'elgar  of 
Fayette  county  and  they  had  three  eliildreii,  all 
living:  Henry  F.,  William  A.,  of  Moycr, 
Fayette  county  and  Samuel  ('.,  now  living  on 
the  homesteail  farm.  .Mrs.  Mli/.a  lii'Doks  (iiiollier) 
s  well  as  her  husband  uas  a  member  of  the 
(lerman  liaptisf  elmrch.  She  was  taken  from 
oaith  by  the  Angel  of  Death  on  April  'l-l,  l!S78. 
Henry  F.  Brooks  was  reared  by  his  motlu'r's 
parents  until  si.xteen  year--  of  age.  He  rt'Ceivcd 
liis  education  at  the  home  sebouls  and  summer 
normals  and  sludied  al  home.  In  l.^Tit  he 
began  leaching  in  bis  nal  ive  lou  nship,  conliniied 
there  three  Veais,  t.iiigbt  one  term  at  West 
Overton  and  then  went  to  iiridgeporl,  near 
Mt.  rieasant,  where  he  has  remained  ever  since 
with  the  exception  of  one  year,  during  which 
he  attended  and  graduated  tVoiii  the  eommercial 
(lepailmeiil  of  llir  riiiMTsily  of  Kcnliicky  at 
Le,\ing(on.  Mr.  jirooks  is  an  intelligent,  indus- 
trious, energetic  young  man  of  noble  ambition 
and  high  aspirations.  He  is  a  democrat,  a 
member  of   the    German    Baptist    church    and 


Moss  Rose  Lodge,  No.  850,  I.  0.  0.  F.  and 
J.  W.  Howell  Ccmneil,  No.  lilO,  Jr.  ().  U.  A.  M. 
11.  F.  I5rooks  was  married  in  18S4  to  Hose  C, 
a  daughter  of  John  .M.  (,'oehran,  id'  Fast  Hunt- 
ingdon township,  this  eounty.  She  was  born  in 
18ti'2,  is  of  Irish  descent  and  is  the  mother  of 
two  children  :  Trissi,  born  in  ISSG,  and  Grace, 
born  1888. 


U.  JAMES  LOGAN  BROWN,  of 
l£J  Pleasant  Unity,  a  courteous,  intelligent 
and  pleasant  gentleman  and  a  successful 
physician  in  his  part  of  the  county,  was  born  at 
Madison,  ^\^estraorelaml  county,  I'a.,  NovenJjer 
2l!,  1844,  and  is  a  son  of  James  L.  and  Sibby 
AVilson  (Logan)  Brown.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, Robert  Brown,  was  a  native  of  Ireland. 
In  1801  he  came  to  W^estmoreland  count}'  where 
lie  located  at  dreensburg  and  engaged  in  the 
general  mercantile  business  which  he  pursued 
fur  many  yeais. 

He  married,  reared  a  family  and  died  at  an 
advanced  age.  His  son,  James  L.  (father),  was 
born  at  (iret'iisburg  in  l.S'JJ.  lie  was  engaged 
for  some  lime  in  the  nu'reaiitile  business  at  his 
native  town.  lie  llieii  reiiioviMl  to  Madison  and 
afterwardri  lo  Uarlington,  i>ea\'er  county,  this 
Slate.  After  several  years  residence  at  the 
latter  place  he  retired  from  aeli\'e  business  anil 
came  to  West  Newton,  this  county,  where  he 
has  resided  for  tlie  last  two  yeais.  lie  is  a 
demoeral  and  a  member  id'  the  United  I'resby- 
teiian  church.  I  le  mai'ried  Sibby  Wilson  Logan, 
who  was  a  native  of  this  county  and  died  in 
1851. 

James  Logan  Brown  was  reared  at  Madison 
until  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age,  when  he  ac- 
cepted a  position  as  clerk  in  the  drug  ami  dry 
goods  house  of  John  (ieorge  at  Irwin.  'I'liree 
years  later  he  went  to  Philadelphia  and  became 
a  salesman  in  a  wholesale  notion  house  of  that 
city.  He  remained  one  year,  then  (1800)  re- 
turned to  W^estinoreland  county,  where  he  com- 


432 


UIOGRAPIIIKS  OF 


menced  reading  medicine  with  Dr.  I).  W. 
McConauglity  uf  Latrobe.  After  completing 
the  prescribed  course  of  medical  reading  lie  at- 
tended lectures  at  JeH'crson  .Mi'(lic;il  college  and 
located  at  ISolivai-,  where  lie  remained  liut  a  short 
time.  lie  then  went  to  Tyrone  Mills,  I'a.,  and 
utter  a  brief  residence  removed  in  l.STl  to 
I'leasart  Unity,  where  he  hus  continued  ever 
since  in  the  active  and  successful  practice  of  his 
profession. 

Dr.  Brown  is  a  mendjer  of  the  Westmoreland 
County  Medical  society  and  conducts  a  drug 
store  in  connection  with  his  practice.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  .\.  O.  U.  W.,  K.of  I'.,  A.  Y.  M. 
and  Hefurmed  church.  In  ])olitics  he  is  a 
democrat. 

Dr.  Brown  has  been  married  twice.  Ilis  first 
wife  was  Josephine  Hough.  She  died  in  1871 
and  left  one  child,  a  daughter,  who  is  named 
Annie.  In  September,  187tj,  Dr.  Brown  united 
in  marriage  with  Mary  E.  Frasher  of  Pleasant 
Unity.  By  his  second  marriage  he  has  had 
three  children  :  Benjamin  L.,  who  died  at  four 
years  of  age ;  Eddie  ;  and  Nellie,  who  died  and 
was  buried  on  her  second  birthday. 


flMEON  K.  BURD.  One  who  served 
with  honor  and  distinction  in  the  Union 
armies  from  the  opening  to  the  downfall  of 
the  '•  Great  Rebellion"  is  Simeon  K.  Burd,  a 
courteous  gentleman  and  one  of  the  most  jiromi- 
ncut  and  inlluential  re]iulilicans  of  Derry  town- 
ship, lie  is  a  son  of  Major  Simeon  and  Mary 
(Karns)  Burd,  and  was  born  in  Derry  township, 
Westmoreland  county,  I'a.,  November  7,  1843. 
The  Burds  are  of  German  descent  and  came  into 
Pennsylvania  in  the  eaily  days  of  its  colonial 
history.  One  of  them  was  the  .Fames  IJiird  of 
"song  and  slorv,'  ulio  served  under  (Jommo- 
d(ir(^  I'criy  on  Lake  l']iie.  He  was  Ikjiiic  on  a 
furlough  and  oviTstayiiig  Ins  leave  of  absence 
was  trieii  as  de.serlei-,  seiilenceil  and  shot.  A 
reprieve  was  granted  but  did  not  arrive  until  a 


few  hours  after  his  execution  had  taken  place. 
William  Burd  (grandfather)  was  a  farmer  aiul 
life-long  resident  of  this  county.  His  son. 
Major  Sinn'on  linrd  (father),  was  born  in  \W[ 
and  died  -1{\\  Heeember,  IHIJl.  He  was  a 
blacksmith  by  trade  but  carried  on  farming  in 
connection  with  his  trade.  He  was  an  old-line 
whig,  held  various  township  and  county  offices 
and  served  as  major  of  a  militia  regiment  for  many 
years.  He  was  no  aspirant  for  political  or  mili- 
tary honors  but  always  exerted  himself  to  be 
useful  in  whatever  position  he  was  placed  by  the 
suffrages  of  his  fellow  citizens.  In  IBiiT)  he 
married  Mary  Karns  who  was  a  daughter  of 
William  Karns  of  IX'rry  township,  and  died 
20th  October,  1852,  aged  fifty  years.  They 
had  fourteen  children  :  William,  John  and  Mary 
who  are  dead;  Margaret,  wife  of  Daniel  Beck; 
Lieut.  Harmon,  who  died  of  disease  contracted 
in  the  army  ;  John  A.  (deceased) ;  Phebe,  widow 
of  Elisha  Harbor  of  Indiana  State ;  Elizabeth 
(deceased) ;  George,  who  served  one  year  in  the 
late  war  and  resides  in  Derry  township  ;  Albert, 
who  served  in  th'e  Army  of  the  Potomac  from 
first  to  the  close  of  the  war  and  was  killed  at 
Petersburg ;  Simeon  K.  ;  Sophia  (deceased) ; 
and  two  who  died  in  infancy. 

Simeon  K.  Burd  was  reared  in  Derry  town- 
ship where  he  attended  the  common  schools  and 
afterwards  i)ursued  his  studies  in  a  select  school 
at  Latrobe.  On  22d  of  April,  1861,  he  enlisted 
in  Co.  G,  fourteenth  rcg.  Pa.  Vols.,  re-enlisted 
7th  of  August,  I8ti2,  in  the  same  company,  one 
hundred  and  thirty-fifth  reg.,  and  on  2r)th  of 
August,  1804,  eidisted  in  the  fifth  heavy  artd- 
lery  and  served  until  the  end  of  the  war  (1865), 
when  he  was  honorably  discharged  as  a  non- 
commissioned officer  at  Vian,  Virginia.  He 
took  part  in  the  battles  of  Chancellorsville, 
Fredericksburg  and  the  AV'ilderness,  Ijcsides 
numei'ous  skii'niisbe.s  aiid  several  slight  (iugage- 
ments  with  Mosby's  guerillas.  After  the  war 
lie  learn<!(l  the  trade  of  carpenter  and  engaged 
in  contractin;/  and  buildin^r  which   he  has  con- 


WESTMORELAND   COUNTY. 


433 


tinued  in  ever  since,  excepting  several  yoais 
wlioii  lie  was  operating  in  tlie  oil  liiM  aliove 
I'ittsburg,  I'a.  In  IbH.'i  lie  puruliaseil  lii.s  pres- 
ent farm  wiiicli  li(^  lias  improved  ami  upon  uliieli 
lie  has  erecti'd  one  of  the  tiiie.st  dwellings  in  the 
township. 

()n  the  8lh  of  Seplemher,  ISCl,  Mr.  liiird 
was  married  to  Virginia  Carbis,  daughter  of 
Capt.  Samuel  Carbis  of  Pittsburg,  wlio  was  born 
in  England  in  181"2,  commanded  a  steamboat  on 
the  Mississippi  river  for  over  forty  years  and 
died  in  1884.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Burd  have 
been  born  si.\  children  :  George  A.,  born  Ajiril 
23,  1867  ;  Eugene  M.,  born  March  30,  1870  ; 
Mary  S.,  born  November  23,  1873;  Florence, 
born  August  25,  1875  ;  Genevieve,  born  Christ- 
mas, 1880;  and  John  E.,  born  ]May  15,  1883. 
The  two  eldest  sons  are  carpenters  and  good 
mechanics. 

Simeon  K.  Burd  is  a  stanch  republican  and 
believes  in  an  aggressive  policy  upon  the  part 
of  his  party  in  all  of  its  struggles  for  political 
power. 

"*  .EORGE  BUKKLEY,  an  able  and  efficient 
member  of  the  tire,  police  and  detective 
force  of  Pittsburg  for  over  twenty  years 
and  now  a  resident  of  Derry  township,  is  a  son 
of  Jacob  and  Agatha  Burkley  and  was  born  in 
the  city  of  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  November  20,  1S2'.I. 
His  paternal  grandparents,  Jacob  and  Mary 
Burkley,  were  natives  of  and  lifelong  residents 
of  I'vaden,  (iermaiiy.  Tlicy  bad  two  sons: 
I'lernard  and  .laeoli.  Ills  iiiateiiial  gramlpar- 
ents,  George  and  Catharine  Akers,  came  from 
France,  settled  in  Allegheny  county.  Pa.,  and 
their  descendants  are  widely  scattered.  George 
Akers  was  a  drover  and  was  drowned  ab(jve 
Freeport  in  the  Allegheny  river.  His  father, 
Jacob  Burkley,  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany, 
came  to  the  United  States  whemiuite  a  mere  boy 
and  located  in  Pittsburg,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  grocery  business  and  dealt  in  watches  and 
clocks.     He  was  a  strong  democrat,  took  a  great 


interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  jiarty  and  served  for 
several  years  as  a  coiiricilman  in  the  Third  \Vard 
of  the  "Smoky  City."  In  1844  he  jmrcliased 
and  removed  to  a  farm  in  Derry  township,  near 
IMairsville,  Indiana  county,  Pa.  On  tliis  farm 
was  a  llouring-niill  and  in  addition  to  operating 
it  he  built  anil  ran  a  distillery.  He  dieil  July 
24,  1851,  aged  forty-seven  years.  His  wife 
was  Agatha  Akers  by  whom  lie  bad  fifteen 
children,  of  whom  five  are  living:  Catherine, 
John  and  Gust  arc  in  Pittsburg  and  Allegheny 
City  and  George  and  Joseph  are  residents  of 
Derry  township.  Mrs.  Agatha  Burkley  died 
June  28,  1888,  aged  84  years. 

George  Burkley  was  reared  till  fifteen  years 
of  age  in  Pittsburg  and  attended  the  public 
schools  of  that  city.  From  1844  to  18G3  he 
passed  on  his  father's  farm  in  Derry  township. 
In  the  latter  year  he  returned  to  Pittsburg 
where  he  was  in  the  employ  of  the  P.  R.  R. 
company  for  several  years  ;  next  served  as  night 
foreman  of  a  fire  company  and  then  went  on  the 
police  force  besides  serving  as  a  private  detec- 
tive. In  Ajiril,  1889,  he  resigned  and  removed 
to  the  homestead  farm  in  l)erry  township  which 
he  had  purchased  in  1887.  This  farm  contains 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  is  well 
watered  and  is  partly  underlaid  with  first-class 
coking  coal.  Mr.  IJiirkley  is  making  many 
substantial  improvements  on  his  land  and  build- 
ings. He  has  always  been  a  democrat  in  politi- 
cal opinion,  is  a  genial  and  hospitable  man  and 
a  good  citizen. 

On  September  22,  1851,  he  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Isabel  lionner,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Mannes  Bonner,  of  Bairdstown,  Pa.,  and  was 
born  November  10,  182!).  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Burkley  have  been  born  seven  children  :  John 
A.,  born  August  2,  1852,  died  November  1, 
18G0;  Joseph  A.,  born  May  22,  1854,  married 
to  Ida  iSlcSteen,  has  two  cliildren — Isabella  and 
Mary  F.,  and  lives  in  Pittsburg  ;  Mary  L.,  born 
September  111,  185(1.  married  to  Charles  iiyers, 
has  four  children — George   F.,  John  A.,  Eliza- 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


betli  ami  Josejih   B.,  ainl  is  a  rosidont  of  Pitts-  I  is  now  uiigaguil   in  tlio  yeiierul  mcrcaiililo  busi- 

Imr;;;    Hli/.alictli    ,).,  Ixjiii    May    ID,  iS'iS",    and  j  )icss  ami  lias  an  cxccilaiit  Iniilc.    Mr.  Caiiirntcn- 

<licd  August  :i:i,  ItSti.j  ;   L'atliciino  1''.,  born  Juno  ,  is   a  democrat   Imt   never  aspired  to  any  ollice, 

17,   ISli.'i,  married  lo  .lames   Welsli  Mhd  has    luo  !  and    uilli    liis    wife    jjebings    to    llie  I'resliytcriali 

cbddicn — Mert    ami     iMaiicis    (I.;    I'Vani-is    (i.,  ,  cliiireli.       lie  is   an  indnsliious   and  eMler|iii.^infr 

nil    .lime     l(i,     ISti.S,    and    Maggie    K.,    born  gentleman,    and    a   eiti/.eii    uliose   duties    lo   bis 

Auu'usl  oO,  1S72.  family  ami  his  country  are  never  neglected. 


\NIEL  L.  CARPENTER,  a  representa- 

'  tivc  citizen  of  iMt.  Pleasant  township,  was 
born  February  10,  1S3.3,  in  Manchester, 
Allegheny  county,  Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of  John  W. 
and  IK'borah  (Baxter)  Carpenter.  His  grand- 
I'ailier  was  Benjamin  Carjjenter,  a  native  of 
Germany,  who  immigrated  to  America,  settling 
in  Lancaster  county,  Pa.,  where  he  followed  the 
occupation  of  farming  during  the  remainder  of 
his  life.  Robert  Baxter,  maternal  grandfather, 
was  born  near  Dublin,  Ireland,  where  be  was 
married  before  coming  to  this  country.  His 
slaughter,  Deborah  Baxter  (mother),  was  but  one 
year  old  when  iie  left  Ireland  and  came  to  West- 
moreland county  and  settled  near  Murrysville 
about  the  year  1800.  John  W.  Baxter  (father) 
was  born  in  Lancaster  county,  Pa.,  about  ISOG 
and  died  in  1«71  in  Mt.  Pleasant  tdwnsliip. 
\\\  trade  lie  was  a  millwiiLdit  and  wagmi  maker, 
was  a  democrat  and  a  memljer  of  the  Presby- 
tirian  church.  lie  was  the  father  of  seven 
cliildren,  six  of  whom  are  yet  living.  Robert, 
one  ot  the  sons,  enlisted  iii  tlie  army  in  the  late 
war  and  serveil  one  year  as  a  private  sdhlier. 

l>;iinei  L.  Carpenter  was  married  I  )eeeiiilier, 
I87t),  to  Ada  JMitchell,  a  daugliter  of  ^'atiian 
^Mitchell,  of  Sewickley  township,  by  whom  he 
has  two  children:   William  R.  and  Jennie. 

Mr.  Carpenter  received  a  common  school  edu- 
cation, learned  the  trade  of  coach  builder  and 
began  business  for  himself  at  Livermoie,  this 
county,  where  he  continued  four  years  and  then 
Went  to  West  Newton,  remaining  there  from 
1871  to  18811.  In  the  latter  year  he  sold  out 
and  located  in  Mt.  Peasant  township,  where  he 


QMOS  0.  CAVEN.  The  prosperity  and 
number  of  banks  in  any  county  are  a 
safe  and  unerring  index  to  its  volume  of 
business.  A\  estmoreland  should  feel  proud  of 
her  many  reliable  and  prosperous  banking  insti- 
tutions and  among  her  safest  banks  is  the 
"  Private  Derry  Deposit  bank,"  which  was 
founded  by  Amos  0.  Caven,  who  is  a  man  of 
unbounded  energy  and  determination,  lie  is  a 
son  of  John  and  Sarah  (Brougii)  Caven  and 
was  born  in  that  part  of  the  Ligonier  Valley,  in 
Ligonier  township,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa., 
February  4,  18-30.  AVilliam  Caven  (grand- 
father) the  founder  of  the  Caven  family  in  tiiis 
County,  was  an  early  settler  in  the  Ligonier 
A'alley  (and  whose  father  came  to  the  L'nited 
States  from  Caven  county,  Ireland).  He  was 
a  man  of  jnominence  ami  iniluence  in  his  day 
and  owneil  a  eonsidei'able  body  oi'  land.  He 
reared  a  family  of  six  cliildren.  His  descend- 
ants are  to  be  found  in  dilVerent  parts  of  the 
county  and  some  have  gone  to  other  counties  in 
the  State  and  to  other  States  in  the  Union. 
One  of  his  sons  was  .lolin  I'aven  (father),  who 
was  born  in  ISlK]  and  died  in  lh7'.l.  He  was  a 
substantial  and  prosperous  farmer  of  Ligonier 
township.  He  was  a  man  who  was  highly 
esteemed  in  his  own  community  and  had  served 
for  many  years  as  a  ruling  elder  in  the  Presby- 
terian church  at  Pleasant  Grove.  He  married 
Sarah  Brougli,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Brough, 
who  was  an  honest  and  well-to-do  farmer  of  the 
Ligonier  Valley.  To  John  and  Sarah  Caven 
were  born  three  sons  and  one  daughter:  Cvrus, 
Amos  0.  and  G.  II.  Caven   and    Mary.     Mrs. 


.i;7<r.l  .!». 


WESTMORELAND   COUNTY. 


435 


Ciivoii's  paternal  granilfatlicr  caiue  from  Ger- 
iiianv.  His  wife  was  a  native  of  Ireland.  Mrs. 
Caveu's  parents  were  born  anil  married  in 
Marvlanil. 

Amiis  I).  Caven  was  reared  to  manhood  in 
the  wonderfully  beautiful  and  highly  pietures(jiie 
Ligonier  Valley,  wiiose  many  spots  of  historic 
interest  and  whose  grandeur  of  eneircling  moun- 
tains ami  romantic  beauty  of  vale  and  stream 
has  attracted  the  tourists  and  sight-seers  of  two 
continents.  He  received  his  education  in  the 
■cumnion  schools  of  his  neighborhood  and  was 
engaged  in  farming  until  1871.  In  that  year 
lie  Went  to  New  Florence  where  he  embarked 
in  the  general  mercantile  business.  In  1873 
he  removed  to  Livermore  and  continued  mer- 
chandising for  three  years.  He  then  (1876)  re- 
moved to  Derry  where  he  engaged  in  the  mer- 
cantile business  upon  a  large  scale  and  w  itli  very 
gratifying  results.  In  188G  he  erected  his 
present  fine  three-story  brick  building.  In  one 
room  ('24  x  44)  of  this  structure  is  situated  the 
"Private  Derry  Deposit  bank."  This  financial 
institution  is  in  a  nourishing  condition.  Mr. 
Caven  is  its  able  president  and  Joseph  Kilgore 
is  its  efficient  cashier.  In  1888  he  disposed  of 
his  large  stock  of  goods  and  gave  his  entire 
atten'ion  to  the  banking  business. 

On  the  21st  day  of  Septendjer,  18G1,  Mr. 
Caven  united  in  marriage  \vith  Hester  Amanda 
Mathews,  of  this  county.  1'liey  have  had  one 
child,  which  is  dead. 

The  I'rivale  Derry  De|)osit  Hank  was  organ- 
ized solely  through  the  ell'orts  of  Amos  O. 
Caven,  who  was  also  altogether  instrumental  in 
founding  it  upon  a  safe  and  substantial  liasis. 
As  proprietor  of  this  bank  he  directs  the  atl'airs 
and  his  conservative  views  and  judicious  coun- 
sels have  contributed  largely  to  the  bank's 
unusual  success  and  high  standing.  Mr.  Caven 
owns  considerable  property  at  Derry.  He  is  a 
member  and  treasurer  of  Derry  Council,  No. 
371,  Royal  Arcanum,  and  a  mcudier  and  a 
ruling   elder    and    treasurer  of    Derry    Presby- 


terian church.  As  a  citizen  he  is  higldy  re- 
spected, as  a  business  man  he  has  been  signally 
successful  and  as  a  financier  he  stands  deservedly 
hinh  in  commercial  business  circles. 


•^  OHN  11.  CEASE  is  one  of  the  young  and 
I  successful  business  men  of  I'leasant  Unity 
(§/  whose  "inhabitants  are  favorably  known 
for  their  morals,  thrift  and  material  prosperity." 
He  is  a  son  of  William  R.  and  Caroline  (Get- 
temy)  Cease  and  was  born  in  Unity  townsliip, 
Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  July  <!,  18(i3.  The 
Cease  family  was  in  Unity  township  at  an  earlv 
day.  Rudolph  Cease,  grandfather,  died  in 
1877.  He  was  a  democrat,  a  member  of  the 
Reformed  church  and  an  honorable  man.  He 
reared  a  very  respectable  family  of  children, 
one  of  whom  was  William  R.  Cease,  father,  who 
was  born  in  1835.  He  is  a  jirosperous  farmer 
of  Unity  township,  owns  his  fither's  firm  and 
firndy  believes  in  the  principles  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party. 

He  married  Caroline  Gettemy  and  has  reared 
a  fanuly  of  children.  Mrs.  Cease  is  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

John  R.  Cease  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
attended  the  common  schools.  At  nineteen 
years  of  age  he  i'ormed  a  partnership  with  J.  K. 
Poorman  under  the  firm  name  of  Poorman  & 
Cease,  and  they  engaged  in  the  furniture  Si 
undertaking  business  at  I'leasant  Unity.  This 
firm  was  in  business  until  January  1,  1880, 
when  Mr.  Cease  and  his  father  purchased  the 
interest  of  Mr.  Poorman  and  the  firm  name  was 
changed  to  that  of  Cease  it  Son.  The  latter 
firm  has  continued  successfully  in  business  ever 
since.  Their  establishment  is  well  adapted  to 
the  furniture  and  undertaking  business.  They 
have  a  full  assortment  of  fine  arul  medium  fur- 
niture which  they  sell  at  popular  prices.  In 
connection  with  their  furniture  establishment 
they  have  a  first-class  undertaking  and  enJjalm- 


436 


JIJOORAFIIIKS  OF 


iiig  (Iciiai'tiuciit  ill  wliifli  tlicy  kct'ii  constantly 
on  luilnl  all  ;uii|)U'  stuck  ul"  caskris  and  coilins 
unil  all  kinds  ut'  unilcrtakiiij^  l^udiIs.  Jnlm  Iv. 
{jiasr  is  a  ]jia(tical  cnilia Inicr  ami  L;ivrs  s|ici-ial 
alli'iitinii  to  that  line  (if  lliuir  \\(ii  k. 

lie  was  iiiarrluil  September  '2i>,  1S.S;>,  to  Mary 
L.  Kemp,  ilaugliter  uf  Arthur  C.  Kemp  ut" 
I'leasaiit  Unity. 

IVilitically  Mr.  Cease  is  a  denioerat.  He 
Works  zealously  in  the  interests  of  liis  party  hut 
is  not  an  extremist.  lie  is  a  niemhcr  of  Unity 
Council,  No.  2o,  Chosen  P^riends  and  the 
Knights  of  Pythias. 


RESTON  CIIAMUEIIS.  An  enterpris- 
ing citizen,  a  model  farmer  and  a  success- 
ful business  man  of  Unity  township  is 
Preston  Chambers,  who  has  been  extensively  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pursuits  and  is  one  of  the 
leading  men  of  Pleasant  Unity.  lie  is  a  son  of 
John  and  Mary  (Ilartzell)  Chambers  and  was 
born  at  Pleasant  Unity,  Westmoreland  county, 
Pa.  The  Chambers  family  has  been  prominent 
in  Westmoreland  county  for  nearly  a  century 
and  is  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  John  Chambers 
(grandl'atheij  was  born  in  York,  this  State, 
w':ere  he  married  Ijcah  Ilartzell  and  in  IT'Jo 
settled  at  Pleasant  Unity.  He  was  an  active 
business  man  and  erected  a  woolen  mill  which  lie 
operated  successfully  during  his  lifetime.  He 
had  seven  children  :  ^ViHiam,  .lohn,  l'".li/,abeth, 
(lriii;;c,  l{i-\'.  Joseph,  a  I'lrsliytriiiin  minister, 
wli.i  died  at  Wi.oMer,  Ohio;  Daniel  and  .Mary. 
John  Chambers  (father)  was  born  at  I'leasant 
Unity  in  1803.  He  learned  the  trade  of  tanner 
and  owned  and  operaleil  a  large  tannery  success- 
fully for  many  years.  In  connection  with  his 
tannery  he  owned  and  managed  two  farms 
which  were  siluated  near  Pleasant  I'nily.  In 
all  business  matters  he  was  straight-lorward,  ac- 
curate and  honorable.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
I'lcsliYterian  eliiii(-h  and  a  man  niiuli  ri'specled 
by  all  who  knew  him.       lie   was    piinelii;il  in  all 


of  his  business  engagements,  proni])t  in  the  dis- 
chargi.'  ol'every  duty  devolving  iipuu  him  and  re- 
liable in  the  |)erforniance  of  whatever  he  agreed 
to  ill).  Ill'  Was  an  old- line  whig  in  ]iolilies  iiiilil 
the  liiinjaliiiii  of  the  Uepiihlicaii  parly  when  he. 
became  a  member  of  that  organization.  He  died 
in  1S72,  aged  si.\ty-nine  years  and  was  missed 
in  a  community  where  his  life  had  l)een  one  of 
activity  and  usefulness.  He  married  Mary 
Ilartzell,  a  daughter  of  (ieorge  Ilartzell.  They 
were  the  parents  of  four  children  :  William  L., 
Matilda,  Preston  and  Daniel. 

Preston  Chambers  received  his  education  in 
the  common  schools  and  Sewickley  acadiiny. 
Leaving  school  he  engaged  in  farming  which  he 
has  pursued  ever  since.  In  connection  with  his 
farming  for  the  last  fifteen  years  he  has  been 
successfully  engaged  in  selling  agricultural  im- 
plements. He  owns  one  of  the  best  farms  in  the 
county.  It  contains  over  one  hundred  acres  of 
land  adjoining  Pleasant  Unity.  He  is  a  re- 
markably neat  farmer,  keeps  everything  in  the 
best  of  order  and  raises  large  crops  of  grain  and 
grass.  Preston  Chambers  is  a  stanch  republican 
in  jiolitics.  He  is  a  member  and  trustee  and 
treasurer  of  Pleasant  Unity  Presbyterian  church. 

On  ]\Iay  i]0,  IHi)!'),  he  married  Lizzie,  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  Carpenter  of  Allegheny  county, 
Pa.  To  their  union  have  been  born  four  child- 
ren, two  sons  and  two  daughters  :  Ilerinie  M., 
J.  Clarence  C,  Orr  C.  and  Maggie  l>. 

I'reston  ('hambers'  attractive  property  adjoins 
lhi>  prosperous  and  stirring  town  of  Pleasant 
Unity  and  in  all  resiiccts  is  one  of  the  most  de- 
sirable residence  properties  in  the  county.  Its 
surroundings  are  very  tine,  affording  healthful- 
ness  of  location,  accessibility  to  railroad  and  con- 
venience of  schools,  churches,  stores  and  every 
comfoit  desirable.  He  has  a  beautiful  home 
where  he  is  ever  glad  and  ready  to  warmly  greet 
his  many  friends  and  where  he  and  his  estimable 
wife  and  accomplisheil  daughters,  by  their  cheer- 
fulness and  kindness,  make  all  who  visit  tliein 
full  wcleome  and  happy. 


^0^^ 


/V .    W.    '(£  a-t^  tC-. 


^ 


]vi:-;T.uoi'j':LAxn  co r/.vn'. 


439 


YYYtl.T.lAM    ('<IAI).       rnuiiinriil     Miiuuif; 
I  "i  I     the   liiLst    active    ami    cnttriirisiii;:  incr. 
^^     i-liaiils    .if    111.'     iHMiheiii     |,aii     ef     llu' 
coilllly  IH  \Villia.lii    Ciia.l,    ail     iiilrHii^ciil   citi/.rii 
ami  successful  business  man  of  Liveiinoie.      He 
is    a   son  of  Henry  and  Deana  (Ji'aeklei)  Coad  '< 
and  was  born  in  Derry  townshi]),  Westmoreland 
county,  Pa.,  May  'J,   1840.      His  parents   were  j 
born  and  married  in  England  where  they  resided  j 
until   1833,   when   they   came    to   this  country. 
They  located  near  Blairsville  but  on  the   West- 
moreland county  side  where  they  lived  for  several 
years  and  then  removed  to  "  Loop  Farm."  two 
miles  from  Livermurc,  where  they   jmreliased   a 
good   farm   of  two  hundred    and   fifty   acres  on 
which  tliey  resided  as  long  as  tiiey  lived.     The 
father,  Henry  Coad,  was  born  in  IT'J'.l  and  died 
March   '22,    1883,    while    hi.s     mother,     Dcaiia 
(Wackier)  Coad,  was  born  eight  years  later  and 
passed    away  December  HI,  1887.     They  were 
the  ])arents  of  eleven  children,   of  whom    seven 
are  living:   Ellen,  wife  of  Josepli   Ponds  of  In- 
diana county.  Pa.  ;  William,  Clara  C,  widow  of 
Graham     Miller;     lladessah,    wife    of   Harvey 
I'liniis   of  Derry  township;  Frank,  residing  im 
the  hdiiie  farm  ;   Sy<lriey  of   Hethlehem,  Clarion 
county,  I'a.  ;  and  (Jeorge,  \vhu  lives  on  the  home 
farm. 

William  Coad  attinded  the  common  .schools  of 
l)errv  townshi|i  and  on  attaining  his  majority 
endiarked  in  tiie  dairy  laisiaess  which  he  (lursued 
for  five  years.  lie  ihin  ennie  to  Livermore 
(1881)  and  opened  a  general  mercantile  store 
which  he  conducted  until  January,  LS8U,  when 
he  sold  an  interest  in  his  store  to  H.  B.  llut- 
ledge.  Since  then  they  have  done  a  successful 
business  under  the  linn  name  ol  Coad  vt  Ilut- 
led"e.  They  have  a  eoiumodious  store  and  ware- 
rooms  which  are  well-fdled  with  general  mer- 
chandise of  every  description.  They  carry 
one  of  the  largest  stocks  of  dry  goods,  gro- 
ceries, etc.,  to  hi'  found  in  llie  to\vnsiii|i.  in 
adililioii  lo  his  mcn'antile  business  .Mr.  Coad 
owns   and   manages   a   dairy    faiiii   of  one  iiiind- 


red  and  fifty  acres  id"  land  adjoining  Liver- 
more.  He  keeps  eighteen  cows  and  ships  his 
milk  lo  Allegiieiiy  city.  He  is  a  republican 
ill  polities,  lias  serveil  his  township  as  assessor 
for  one  term  and  school  director  for  several 
terms  and  is  always  an  active  laborer  in  what- 
ever advances  the  interests  of  his  party.  Mr. 
Coad  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

He  was  married  in  February,  1871,  to  Mary 
Ewiii",  daughter  of  Robert  Ewing  of  Conemaugh 
township,  Lidiana  county,  Pa.  To  this  union 
have  been  born  si.\  children  :  Henry  Ward,  born 
November,  1871  ;  Robert  Ewing,  born  January, 
1874  ;  Alice  S.,  born  June,  1875  ;  William  E., 
born  February,  1879  ;  Deana  i\L,  born  August, 
1885,  and  one  which  died  in  infancy. 


yOrLVA  C.  COCHRAN.  The  material  de- 
l~l  velopment  of  "Western  Pennsylvania" 
is  without  a  parallel  in  the  industrial 
history  of  the  world;  its  oil  regions,  natural  gas 
districts,  coal  beds  and  coke  fields  have  not  their 
eijual  in  either  the  western  or  the  eastern  hemis- 
phere. Coke  manufacturing  is  young  in  year.s 
as  an  industry  anil  is  princiiially  the  work  of 
young  men.  Many  of  the  large  owners  and 
successful  managers  of  the  coke  plants  through- 
out the  Connellsville  region  an-  m  ilie  early 
prime  of  life.  "  Tlicy  are  ajipro.u  h..Mc  people 
and  liav(!  not  tlu>  hard-shell  coiiseivatism  and 
secreliveiK'Ss  of  older  men  in  an  industry  of 
older  growth."  Among  these  young  and  suc- 
cessful coke  operators  is  Alva  C.  Cochran,  of 
Westmoreland  county,  who  is  descended  from 
two  of  the  old  and  substantial  families  of  south- 
western Pennsylvania.  He  was  born  in  Tyrone 
township,  Fayette  county,  Pa.,  June  14,  1800, 
and  is  a  son  of  John  M.  and  Hannah  M. 
(Strickler)  Cochran.  The  Cochrans  of  Fayette 
'  and  Westmoreland  counties  are  descendants  of 
I  old  world  emigrants  who  settled  in  eastern  rcun- 
i  sylvaiiia  )irior  to  the  l''reneh  and  Indian  war. 
I  John  M.  Cochran  was  born  June  15,  lbo3,  and 


niOORAriHES  OF 


dic'il  June  20,  ISSO.  At  oij;;litcc'n  years  of  age 
lie  (■li;.':i;:cil  in  IkimIIii;;  coke  down  the  Yoiij^liio- 
j;hi'iiv,  .Mnniiii^iilielM  anil  Oliiu  rivers  to  (Jin- 
einnali  ami  l'(ill(i\Neil  llial  lln^in^^.s  i-c;^ularly  lor 
lifloen  yi-ars  exeejiting  what  little  lime  was 
neees>ary  to  be  given  to  his  farm.  In  l^'GT  he 
huilt  the  "Jaekson  Coke  Works"  near  ]hoad 
Ford,  I'a.,  and  in  conneetion  with  his  brothers 
James,  Isaac,  Sample  and  J.  II.  Ewing,  operated 
them  till  1877,  when  he  disposed  of  his  interest. 
In  1870  he  and  Christian  Sherriek  and  Judge 
John  K.  Ewing  of  Uniontown  purehased  land 
near  Stautfer,  in  East  Huntingdon  townsliiii, 
on  which  a  year  later  they  erected  sixty  coke 
ovens  and  afterwards  added  one  hundred  moi'e. 
In  1>77  Mr.  Cochran  became  sole  owner  of  these 
cuke  works  and  successfully  operated  them  until 
be  died  in  1880.  In  l<S.'')tJ  he  married  Hannah 
M.  Strickler  who  is  now  living  in  Jjcxington, 
Kentucky,  in  the  fiftieth  year  of  her  age. 
They  had  twelve  children,  nine  sons  and  three 
daughters,  of  whom  five  are  now  living. 

Alva  C.  Cochran  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
before  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age  became 
manager  of  his  father's  store  at  Staufl'er.  At  tlie 
death  of  his  father  he  assumed  full  control  of  the 
works  and  the  reniaiinler  of  the  estate  of  the 
latter  -until  it  was  divided  among  the  heirs  in 
18S!i.  Since  the  latter  year  he  has  successfully 
managed  these  works  now  known  as  the  '•Buck- 
eye and  Starr  Mines"  owncil  by  the  A.  (J. 
('<ii-hran  Coke  Com]iany.  Tlicy  liave  one  liLin- 
(hcd  and  sixty  ovens  and  their  daily  production 
of  cuke  is  three  hundretl  tons.  Mr.  Cochran  is 
a  member  of  Moss  Hose  Lodge,  No.  350,  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  Mount 
Pleasant  Council,  No.  592,  Royal  Arcanum. 

lie  was  married  September  29,  1885,  to  M. 
Etta  Murray.  They  have  three  children,  one 
son  and  two  daughters.  Earnest  It.,  Iiurn  March 
14, 1887, and  twin  daughters,  Iva  uiid  I'earl,  born 
July  1,  I'^SS.  Mrs.  Co(diran  was  born  Septem- 
ber 22,  l.StJ7  and  is  a  daughter  of  William  F. 
Murray,  of  Mt.  I'lcasaiit  luwiisliip,  this  county. 


A.  C.  Cochran  received  his  education  chiefly 
in  the  great  school  id'  biisincsH  life.  He  is  a 
plea>aiit  getillrnian,  a  popular  yuung  business 
man  and  an  lionorablr  and  well  rrsprcted 
titi/.eii. 

fYlI'EIAM  S.  COCHRAN,  an  enterpris- 
ing and  energetic  merchant  of  StauU'er, 
is  a  sun  of  John  C.  and  Hannah  (Fel- 
gar)  Cochran  and  was  born  near  Scottdale,  in 
East  Huntingdon  township,  \Vestmoreland 
county,  Pa  ,  November  20,  1854.  His  grand- 
father, John  Cochran,  was  born  near  Dawson, 
in  what  is  now  lower  Tyrone  township,  Fayette 
county,  anil  was  a  farmer  and  blacksmith.  He 
married  Esther  Barr  of  this  county  and  died 
near  Scottdale  about  18G2.  His  father,  John 
C.  Cochran,  was  a  native  of  East  Huntingdon 
township.  He  was  engaged  in  farming  near 
Scottdale  until  18G0  when  he  migrated  to  Mis- 
souri where  he  settled  in  Clark  county  for  a 
short  time.  He  next  removed  to  Hancock 
county,  Illinois,  where  he  resided  for  one  year 
and  then  returned  to  Westmoreland  county.  He 
was  a  republican-prohibitionist,  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  died  in  1889. 
He  was  married  in  1853  to  Hannah,  daughter 
of  John  Felgar,  by  wdiom  he  had  seven  children, 
all  of  whom  are  living.  Mrs.  Cochran  is  now  in 
her  fifty-fourth  year. 

^Villiam  S.  Cochran  was  reared  on  a  farm 
where  he  was  trained  to  farming  and  teaming. 
He  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools 
of  his  native  townshiji  and  Waynesburg  college, 
Greene  county,  Pa.  Leaving  college  he  was  en- 
gaged in  mining  and  teaming  for  a  number  of 
years.  In  1888  he  determined  upon  entering 
into  the  general  mercantile  business  and  selected 
Staulfer  as  a  favorable  place  for  establishing  a 
store.  From  1888  to  the  [iresent  time  he  has 
met  with  good  success  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness at  StauU'er.  His  store-room  is  large  and 
commodious  and  his  stock  consists  of  dry  goods, 
notions,    groceries,    glassware    and     everything 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


441 


kept  in  a  first-class  store.  He  has  a  gooil  traile 
and  many  warm  friends  among  his  ])atrons. 

On  March  IS,  1884,  he  was  united  in  niar- 
ria;^e  with  Annie  Tioar,  daughter  of  I'eter  Loar, 
of  Mount  ricasaiit  townshi]),  this  county.  'I'o 
this  union  liave  been  Ijorn  two  chihhx'ii,  one  son 
and  one  daughter:  Jesse  C,  born  March  31, 
1885,  and  Dorsey  0.,  born  June  10,  1888.  Mrs. 
Annie  (Loar)  Cochran  was  born  in  the  same 
year  as  lier  husband  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  church. 

William  S.  Cochran  is  a  member  of  Ilylas 
Lodge,  No.  474  Knights  of  Pythias  and  0.  W. 
Howell  Council,  No  210,  Junior  Order  of  the 
United  American  Meclianics.  He  is  a  demo- 
crat and  served  as  postmaster  at  StaufTer  under 
President  Cleveland's  administration. 


AVID  R.  COOK,  a  prosperous  and  push, 
ing  farmer  of  Derry  township,  was  born 
in  County  Tyrone,  Ireland,  August  10, 
1832,  and  is  the  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Arter) 
Cook,  both  natives  of  county  Tyrone.  John 
Cook  married  in  Ireland  and  after  the  birth  of 
his  son,  David  R.,  immigrated  to  America  in  the 
year  1833,  and  settled  in  Loyalhanna  township, 
this  county,  where  he  resided  until  his  death. 
lie  and  his  brother  James,  who  came  with  him 
from  Erin,  bought  a  farm  in  partnership,  hiter 
purchased  anotlier,  and  then  dissolved,  each  tak- 
ing a  farm.  John  Cook  died  January  1,  18t)"2, 
and  is  liMricil  in  tlic  cemetery  at  New  Ahwan- 
dn-d.  Mr.  Cooic  «as  a  I'resbyterian  and  in  poli- 
tics a  whig.  He  had  eight  children  :  David  1!., 
Jane,  intermarried  with  Robert  Alcorn,  residing 
in  l>ell  township  ;  John,  wjio  still  resides  on  the 
old  homestead ;  Samuel,  who  died  in  Kansas, 
April  13,  1872:  Joseph,  who  died  in  Florida, 
August  12,  1889  ;  Kate  M.,  now  residing  on  the 
homestead  ;  James  M.,  a  lawyer  in  Pittsburg,  and 
Maggie  who  also  died  in  Florida,  April  11,  188G. 
David  R.  Cook  was  brought  to  America  by 
his  parents   when  about  a  year  old  and  brought 


up  on  a  farm.  He  began  life  for  himself  as  a 
farmer  and  in  18l]l  enlisted  for  ninety  <la\'s  in 
"  Fighting  Dick  "  Coulter's  coi;;pany.  At  the 
e-xpiration  of  his  time  he  enlisted  in  Dr.  I  )on- 
nelly's  company  and  served  nine  irionths.  When 
this  term  expired  he  again  enlisted  in  the  110th 
reg.  Pa.  Vols.,  in  which  he  served  till  the  close 
of  the  war  and  was  mustered  out  at  Ilarrisburg 
in  1865.  He  participated  in  various  battles,  in- 
cluding Falling  Water,  Chancellorsville,  etc., 
but  was  never  wounded,  captured  nor  in  a  hos- 
pital. Upon  his  return  he  again  engaged  in 
farming  at  whicli  he  has  continued  ever  since  and 
has  been  very  successful,  now  owning  a  farm  of 
more  than  three  hundred  acres  on  the  pike  three 
miles  east  of  New  Alexandria,  which  is  well  im- 
proved and  contains  excellent  buildings.  ]Mr. 
Cook  is  a  Presbyterian  and  in  politics  a  stanch 
republican. 

David  R.  Cook  was  married  November  30, 
1865,  to  Angeline  E.  McKeown,  daughter  of 
James  McKeown,  of  Allegheny  county,  who 
came  from  Ireland  in  his  younger  days.  To 
their  union  nine  children  have  been  born  :  John 
Edward,  Leonard  M.,  Joseph  Albert,  who  died 
March  23,  1876  ;  Samuel  Clifford,  who  died 
March  31,  1876;  Charles  Sherman,  who  died 
April  6,  1876;  the  above  children  died  of  ma- 
lignant scarlet  fever ;  Stella  B.,  David  A'erner, 
Herbert  Ray  and  one  that  died  in  infancy.  All 
the  children  arc  at  home  and  all  were  born  in 
Derry  townshi|). 

Mr.  Cook  is  a  gentleunm  of  more  than  onli- 
nary  intelligence,  a  good  conversationalist  and  a 
reliable  anil  substantial  citizen  of  the  county. 


'IMOTHY  CONNOR,  one  of  Derry  town- 
ship's prominent  and  well-known  citizens 
and  an  iiulustrious  and  prosperous  f  inner» 
is  a  son  of  John  and  Sarah  (Lay  ton)  Connor  and 
was  born  in  Derry  township,  Westmoreland 
county.  Pa.,  April  1,  1826.  His  grandfather, 
Timothy  Connor,  wa.s  born  in  Ireland  in  1755, 


liioanAvuiES  oh 


iiiimigratcJ  to  Ainuricu  in  youth,  settknl  ;it 
l''li/;ili('tlito\vii,  liiiiKMsti,'!-  ('(imitv,  I'll.  ;  ciilistfil 
ill  the  I 'niili|]rul:il  Ml'Miy  ill  ITTll  ;incl  sorvcil 
tliniML'liiiul  llic  Kcviiliil  iiinid-y  \sar.  lie  ami  a 
I'clldU  ,N.4ilir|-,  l!riii:u(l  MctiiniT,  uas  ira|ilinr(l  iit 
(Ji.il.  iMonlgoiiiciy'.s  attack  on  <^)iie'liL'c  and  sub- 
soiUL-ntly  escaped  by  leaping  from  a  iiigli  wall 
down  into  a  large  snow-drift.  Some  time  after 
17!'.')  lie  came  to  Derry  townsiiip  wlicre  lie  jiat- 
cnted  a  large  tract  of  land  which  is  now  included 
in  the  farms  owned  by  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
and  his  brother.  lie  married  Ellen  McCuUough 
of  Elizabethtown,  Pa.,  and  reared  a  family  of 
f(jur  sons  and  four  daughters  who  are  now  all 
dead.  Mr.  Connor  died  in  1815  and  his  widow 
survived  him  until  1834. 

The  sons  were :  John,  Timothy,  Jr.,  who 
learned  the  trade  of  saddler  with  Col.  F.  Rolirer 
of  GreeiLsbiirg,  and  died  in  the  south  ;  Corne- 
lius, who  remi.ived  to  Nashville,  Tenii.,  and  siib- 
sei|iuiitly  went  to  New  Orleans  \shere  li<'.  after- 
wards died;  and  I'eniiis,  who  died  in  1  )eiry 
township  about  18,")2. 

John  Connor  (father)  was  born  in  Lancaster 
county  in  IT'.t."),  was  brought  to  ^Vestmorelaiid 
ab(jut  1800  ami  was  reared  to  manhood  in  Derry 
township  wheiehe  afterwards  resided  until  his 
death.  lie  was  a  suecessl'iil  farmer,  a  member 
(if  the  ('atliolic  church,  a  democrat  in  politics,  a 
]ieaceful,  \vcll  respected  citi/.en  and  a  well-in- 
formed man.  He  was  married  to  Sarah  Layton, 
daughter  of  James  Layton,  of  Unity  township, 
but  who  was  Ibrmerlv  from  Fayette  county,  I'a., 
where  he-  first  located  when  he  emigrate(l  from 
Ireland.  .Mr.  and  Mis.  Connor  had  ninecliildren  : 
Nancy,  Mary,  Timothy,  Elizabeth,  Ella,  dead; 
Margaret,  widow  of  James  I>arnett,  dead;  Ann, 
deceased;  John,  and  James,  who  is  dead. 

Tiniiithy  Connor  was  reared  on  the  farm  on 
which  be  ii"-iilcs  and  on  which  bis  gramlfather 
Connor  died.  lie  attended  the  subscription 
schools  and  has  always  been  engagedin  firming, 
except  four  seasons  spent  on  a  section-boat  which 
lie  (;wiied  and  lan  on    the    I'enn.sylvania    canal 


from  I'ittsburg  to  riiiladelphia.  While  on  the 
canal  be  became  well  acijuainted  with  .lolin 
Covode  and  other  prominent  men  of  the  Slate. 
Mr.  ('oniiorwas  a  democrat  until  soim^  years 
ago,  but  is  now  inde|.endenl  in  pulilical  opinion. 
He  has  served  as  supervisor,  school  director  and 
mercantile  appraiser.  He  has  always  been  in- 
dustrious and  hard-working,  is  an  intelligent  and 
fluent  talker  and  stands  well  among  the  jieople 
of  his  eoraniunitv. 


R.    COUGHENOUR    k    CO,     One  of 

[£J  the  progressive  and  successful  business 
firms  of  StaufVer  is  I).  R.  Coughenour  & 
Co.,  jiopular  druggists.  Havid  R.  Coughenour 
senior  mendjer  of  the  firm,  was  born  in  Rullskin 
township,  Fayette  county.  Pa.,  December  11, 
18.37.  He  is  a  son  of  Isaiah  and  Susan  (P)lougli) 
(.'oughenour,  both  of  (ierman  descent  and  natives 
of  Somerset  county.  Pa.,  where  the  former  was 
boiii  ill  18:^8  and  the  latter  in  18-4.  Lsaiah 
Coughenour  (father)  was  reared  on  a  farm,  at- 
tended the  subscription  schools  and  at  twenty- 
one  years  of  age  removed  to  Pullskin  township 
and  eiiizaged  in  farming  until  1808.  In  that 
year  be  purchased  a  farm  in  (.^oniu'llsville  town- 
ship upon  which  be  iH'sided  for  four  years  and 
then  .sold  it  and  bought  a  larger  farm  in  Tyrone 
township,  Fayette  county,  on  which  he  died  in 
1872.  He  was  a  deniocrat,  served  as  super- 
visor and  constable  and  was  a  member  of  the 
I!a]itist  ehurch.  In  1850  he  was  married  to 
Susan,  daughter  of  lienjaiiiin  Ulougli.  She 
bore  him  eight  children,  of  whom  seven  are 
living.  She  died  at  New  Haven,  Pa.,  on  Janu- 
ary 15,  ISSll.  John  and  Catherine  (Mover) 
Coughenour  (])aternal  grandparents)  were  born 
and  reared  in  Somerset  county.  Pa.,  wliei-e  they 
lived  and  died.  The  former  w  as  born  in  ISOO  und 
died  in  1858  and  the  hitter  was  born  in  180;!  and 
passed  away  in  1885.  They  reared  a  family  of 
ten  children,  nearly  all  of  whom  are  living. 
l)avid  R.  (Jou'fbenour  received  his  education 


WESTMORELAND  CO  UNTY. 


in  the  common  schools  and  "  Tlie  Western  Penn- 
sylvania Classical  and  Scientific  Institute  "  at 
Mount  Pleasant  and  is  a  member  of  the  United 
Brethren  cliurcli.  He  tauglit  school  for  four 
years  in  Dunljur  township,  Fayette  county,  Pa., 
and  in  18S2  came  to  Staufl'er  and  with  Dr.  0. 
W.  Howell  as  partner  established  the  present 
drug  business.  In  1884  Dr.  Howell  <lied  and 
D.  R.  Coughenour  bought  his  interest  in  the 
drug  store  from  the  heirs  and  in  1885  sold  it  to 
liis  brother,  Harry  S.  In  188t>he  left  the  drug 
store  in  charge  of  his  junior  partner  and  went 
to  McCrakcn,  Rush  county,  Kansas,  where  he 
had  charge  of  a  hotel  until  1887,  when  he  went 
to  Denver,  Col.,  and  was  engaged  as  a  clerk  in 
a  hotel  for  six  nioiitiis.  In  the  fall  of  ISSS  lie 
returned  to  Stanfior  and  liecanie  an  active  part- 
ner in  his  firm  and  remained  until  December, 
188!l,  ^^llen  the  firm  stai'ted  a  new  drugstore  at 
Stonerville,  of  which  he  has  taken  charge,  H. 
S.  (.'iiughciiour  remaining  at  the  old  stand. 
They  liave  large,  well-furnished  and  fully 
stocked  drug  stores  and  enjoy  an  extensive  and 
remunerative  trade.  The  junior  member  of  the 
firm,  Harry  S.  Coughenour,  was  born  in  Dun- 
bar township,  Fayette  county.  Pa.,  December 
24,  18G3.  He  was  educated  at  Dunbar,  Fayette 
county  and  Mount  Pleasant,  this  oounty, 
taught  school  for  a  short  time,  became  the  part- 
ner in  the  drug  business  with  his  brotlier  in 
188o  and  was  married  in  1888  to  Belle  llar- 
baugh,  who  was  born  in  18G7  and  is  a  daughter 
of  A'ictor  liarbaugh  of  Fayette  county.  11.  S. 
<Jouglienour  is  a  ilemocrat,  a  member  of  tiie 
Royal  Arcanum  and  a  mendier  of  the  "  Cljau- 
tau(]ua  Literary,  Scientific  Circle,"  being  a 
graduate  of  the  class  of  1888.  He  is  an  exten- 
sive reader  and  possessor  of  a  fine  library. 


^YY"'''I'^^'     I^-    I'UNLAP,   a   successful 
bii.siness  man   ami  a   representative  far- 
mer of  i)iTiy  township,  is  a  .';(ui  of  An- 
<lrew    and    .Mary   (  Kubiiison)    Dunhqi    and    was 


born  in  Washington  township,  Westmoreland 
county.  Pa.,  December  31,  1830.  Among  tliose 
who  immigrated  over  a  century  ago  from  Derry 
county,  Ireland,  to  Washington  townsiii|)  was 
John  Duidap  (grandfather),  who  married  a  Miss 
Sloan,  a  relative  of  the  Sloans  of  Salem  town- 
ship. Ho  followed  farming  and  his  eight  chil- 
dren were  all  born  in  Ireland.  The  youngest 
child  Andrew  Dunlap  (father),  was  a  babe  when 
his  father  immigrated,  lie  was  reared  in  Wash- 
ington township  where  he  lived  till  1840  when 
he  sold  the  home  farm,  removed  to  Butler 
county,  Pa.,  and  died  in  1870  at  the  age  of 
I'ighty-five  years  and  five  months.  He  was  a 
farmer  and  a  democrat  and  sent  a  substitute  to 
the  war  of  1812  by  tjie  name  of  Stewart.  He 
married  Mary  Roliinson  who  died  in  1840.  To 
them  were  born  seven  children  :  John,  of  Butler 
county.  Pa.;  Reliecca,  wife  of  Andrew  Dunlap; 
Nancy  J.,  widow  of  James  Davis,  resides  in 
Illinois;  Andrew,  Jr.,  of  California:  Fliza  M., 
widow  of  a  Mr.  Morris,  who  was  killed  in  the 
late  war  ;  and  Andrew,  tw  in  brotlier  of  Eliza 
M.,  resides  with  John  in  Butler  county. 

William  R.  Duidap  was  reared  on  a  AVashing- 
ton  township  farm  and  attended  the  common 
schools.  Leaving  school  he  went  to  Warren 
county,  Pa.,  and  was  engaged  for  five  years  in 
shipping  lumber  to  Pittsburg  and  Cincinnati. 
At  tlie  end  of  this  time  he  returned  to  West- 
moreland county  and  began  farming.  In  1854 
he  bought  a  farm  in  Derry  township,  which 
he  sold  four  years  later  and  purchased  a  Salem 
townsliip  fiirm  on  wiiich  he  resided  for  ten 
years,  lie  then  (18G8)  disposed  of  it  and 
bought  a  farm  in  Derry  township,  on  which  he 
has  lived  ever  since  and  to  which  he  has  added 
by  additional  purchases  until  it  now  contains 
four  hundred  acres  of  land.  His  firm  is  well 
improved  and  liis  tasteful  residence  is  fitted  up 
wilii  ail  nioileru  conveniences. 

In  the  beginning  of  tlie  year  18t;0  he  united 
in  marriage  witii  JSancy  J.  Harr,  wlio  was  a 
daughter  of  Joliii   Barr  and    died    I'Vbiuary  24, 


jiiudiiArnih'^  uF 


1883.  On  March  7,  1889,  lie  married  Muttie 
J.  Kenlcy,  ilauj^litcr  of  I'avid  Konley  (sec  liis 
sketch).  Of  liis  (irst  iiKirri:iji;c  were  born  ten 
ehililreii  :  \U-\' .  .loliii  I!.,  lioni  Se[iteuili<-r  1  "J, 
1800,  anil  wilh  liis  wife,  Mary  K.  (Stokes)  Dun- 
lap,  are  I'resbyterian  missionaries  to  Siam; 
Mary  E.,  born  January  4, 18G2,  married  to  J.  M. 
Gilson,  March  10,  188/3,  and  has  two  children; 
Sarah  N.  and  William  R.;  Robinson  E.,  born 
December  11',  18lJ3,  married  Liicinda  R.  Me- 
wherter  and  has  two  children  ;  ^labe!  G.  and 
Elsie  E.;  Martha  J.,  born  ^Farch  7,  18GG,  be- 
came the  wife  of  William  Mewherter,  on  jMarch 
7,  1888,  and  has  one  child  Ro.xie  W.  ;  Charles 
II.,  born  April  23,  1868,  and  was  married  to 
Lizzie  Kirkpatrick,  December  3,  1889  ;  Clark, 
born  March  11,  1870;  Louisa  11.,  born  March 
30,  1872;  Emory  E.,  born  September  27, 
1874,  died  August  14,  1877  ;  Nora  G.,  born 
March  25,  1877  ;  and  Hubert,  born  March  30, 
1879. 

W.  R.  Dunlap  is  a   republican,  while  all  his 
brothers  are  and  his  father  and  grandfatlier  were 
democrats.      lie    is   a   trustee   of  "Old  Salem 
I'resbyterian  (•liiircli,  an  lioiioraiile  lili/cii  and  a 
iiospitable  and  generous  man. 


L.  E.VUSOLD,  ex-county  auditor 
I  I  of  WesliiKueland  ami  a  prominent 
♦  citiy.cii  of  Unity  townshiji,  is  a  son  of 
Hon.  .lolin  and  llllen  (I'^-eenian)  Faiisold  and 
wa~i  bnni  in  Mcnint  i'liasiint  towiislii|>,  Wist- 
nioii'laml  ciiiuily,  I'a.,  dune  2ii,  IN.V!.  The 
Faiisolds  are  of  German  extraction.  Casper 
Eausohl  (grandfuliier)  emigrated  from  Germany 
to  Hidl'ord  county,  I'a.,  fiom  which  lie  removed 
in  1818  to  Mount  Pleasant  township,  lie  kept 
a  hotel  on  the  old  "  Olay  pike  "  and  his  farm  is 
still  known  as  the  Eausold  place.  Wa  >Yas  a 
shoemaker  by  trade  and  a  Lutheran  in  religious 
belief.  He  married  a  Miss  Shaffer  of  Rerks 
county,  Pa.,  by  whom  lu^  had  three  children, 
one  son  and  two  daiighteis.    This  son  was  Hon. 


John  Fausold,  who  was  born  in  Bedford  county. 
Pa.,  December  23,  ISDS.  He  came  with  his 
}iarents  to  Mount  Pleasant  township  and  at 
twenty  years  of  age  iieranii^  a  member  of  the 
Donegal  Evangelical  church.  He  was  a  farmer 
by  occupation  but  served  in  public  life  for  hfty- 
five  years.  He  was  sequestrator  of  the  Mount 
Pleasant  and  Somerset  turnpike  ;  served  cred- 
itably as  a  member  of  the  Pennsylvania  House 
of  Representatives  in  184G,  1847-1848,  185G, 
and  1857  and  was  appointed  revenue  commis- 
sioner in  181)3  for  the  judicial  district  of  AVest- 
moreland,  Indiana  and  Armstrong  counties.  He 
served  as  a  school  director  for  twenty-one  years 
and  held  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  for  the 
last  thirty-one  years  of  his  life.  As  a  public 
official  he  commanded  alike  the  respect  of  his 
political  friends  and  foes.  In  1853  he  married 
Ellen  Freeman,  who  died  in  1863.  They  had 
seven  children,  of  whom  two  sons  and  two- 
daughters  are  living.  Hon.  John  Fausold  died 
November  14,  1884,  aged  seventy-six  years,  and 
a  vast  concourse  of  people  were  gathered  to 
witness  the  entombment  of  his  remains  in  Ridge 
church  cemetery.  An  impressive  and  able 
funeral  discourse  upon  that  sad  occasion  was 
delivered  by  Rev.  A.  D.  I'otts,  A.  M.  Eloijuent 
extracts  from  this  sermon  and  a  fuller  history  of 
Hon.  John  Fausold,  one  of  Westmoreland 
county's  most  pnnninent  men,  will  be  found 
in  the  sketch  of  11.  F.  Fausold,  of  Mount 
Pleasant  township. 

M.  L.  I'ausold  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  in  Mount  Pleasant  township.  He  received 
his  education  in  the  common  schools  and  Mount 
IMeasant  and  Madison  Normal  sclmols.  At  sev- 
enteen years  of  age  he  couimenced  teaching, 
which  profession  he  followed  for  eight  years  in 
his  native  township,  ^\'hen  he  (juit  teaching 
he  engaged  in  his  present  business  of  farming 
and  stock-raising.  In  1889  he  purchased  his 
present  farm  in  Unity  township  of  thirty  acres, 
and  but  a  short  distance  from  it  bought  an  addi- 
tional tract  of  forty-four  acres. 


wi:stm<)Ri:la nd  co  unty. 


l'olitit"illy  he  is  ;i  domociat.  In  IbTu,  \\\wi\ 
only  twenty-two  years  of  age,  he  was  elected 
county  auditor  and  afterwards  served  four  terms 
as  ta\  ccillet'tor  of  Mcaint  I'leasant  township. 
lie  is  a  iiicniber  of  the  A.  Y.  M.  and  I']vangel- 
ical  Lutheran  ehurch,  in  which  he  was  confirmed 
July  19,  1874,  by  Dr.  S.  L.  Ilarkey.  He  has 
held  the  various  local  offices  of  this  church,  of 
which  he  is  now  a  trustee. 

October  5,  ]87t;,  he  was  married  by  Dr. 
Ilarkey  to  Ada  0.  Hays,  youngest  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Catherine  llays,  of  Mount  I'leasant 
township.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fausold  are  the  pa- 
rents of  five  children:  Grace,  Ada,  John,  Sam- 
uel and  one  other. 


'  ARRY  F.  FAUSOLD,  a  successful  farmer 
of  jMount  Pleasant  township  and  a  highly 
respected  member  of  the  Evangelical  Lu- 
theran church,  is  a  son  of  Hon.  John  and  Ellen 
(Freeman)  Fausold  and  was  born  on  the  home- 
stead farm  in  which  he  now  resides,  in  Mount 
Pleasant  township,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa., 
May  17,  18G0.  Casper  Fausold,  the  grand- 
father of  Harry  F.  Fausold,  was  a  native  of 
Germany  and  immigrated  to  liedford  county, 
I'a.,  from  which  he  soon  removed  (1818)  to 
Mount  Pleasant  townsliip,  wliere  he  lived  and 
kept  a  hotel  on  the  farm  now  owned  by 
Rev.  Woods.  He  was  a  democrat  and  a  lu- 
theran  and  married  a  Miss  Shafl'er  of  lierks 
CDunty,  this  Slate,  by  wiiom  lie  had  one  .son  and 
three  daughters.  This  sun  was  Hon.  Jolm  Fau- 
solii,  who  was  one  uf  ^V'estmoreland  county's 
prominent  men.  He  was  born  in  Londonderry 
townsliip,  Bedford  county,  Pa.,  Decendjer  "JS, 
18UcS,  and  died  at  his  resilience  in  Mount  Pleas- 
ant townshij)  November  14,  1884,  when  in  the 
scventy-si.xtli  year  of  his  age.  Early  in  life  he 
came  to  this  county  and  at  twenty  years  of  age 
connected  himself  with  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
church  at  Donegal,  then  under  charge  of  Father  j 
Mechling.      He  was  a  farmer  liy  occuj)ati()n  Init  , 


passed  fifty-five  years  of  his  time  in  public  life. 
In  1844  he  was  made  sequestrator  of  the  Som- 
erset and  Mount  Pleasant  pike.  In  1841)  ho 
was  elected  to  tiie  State  Legislature  and  served 
in  that  capacity  for  five  terms.  In  18/);')  he  was 
nominated  for  one  of  those  terms  of  service, 
when  the  Democratic  party  of  Westmoreland 
county,  in  order  to  save  itself  from  threatened 
destruction  by  Know-nothingism,  selected  Henry 
D.  Foster,  Harrison  P.  Laird  and  John  Fausold 
as  their  nominees  for  the  Legislature.  Their 
choice  proved  a  wise  one,  as  all  three  of  their 
candidates  were  elected  that  year  and  re-elected 
in  185t).  Mr.  Fausold's  record  as  a  legislator 
was  without  blot  or  stain,  for  he  was  an  able, 
industrious,  conscientious  and  highly  useful 
member  of  the  Legislature  during  his  term  of 
service.  For  twenty-one  years  he  had  served 
as  school  director  in  his  district,  wliere  he  was 
the  first  and  only  man  in  183G  to  vote  fur  the 
adoption  of  the  free  school  system,  and  for  the 
last  thirty-one  years  of  his  life  had  served  as 
justice  of  the  peace.  His  magisterial  decisions 
when  appealed  from  were  always  sustained  by 
the  courts.  In  18G3  he  was  appointed  revenue 
commissioner  for  Westmoreland,  Indiana  and 
Armstrong  counties  and  served  efficiently  as 
such.  After  a  long  and  useful  life  he  passed 
away  in  1884.  At  his  funeral  over  one  thous- 
and persons  came  from  all  parts  of  the  county 
to  show  res]iect  and  do  honor  to  his  memory. 
His  remains  were  deposited  in  Ridge  church 
cemetery.  From  tiie  eloijuent  and  impressive 
funeral  discourse  by  Rev.  A.  D.  Potts,  A.  M., 
we  extract:  "As  a  Christian,  Father  Fausold's 
walk  and  life  were  truly  exemplary.  As  a  man 
lie  was-  strictly  honest.  Neither  was  he  a 
stranger  to  charity.  At  his  door  and  hands  his 
gifts  were  freely  bestowed.  His  wide  experi- 
ence, his  extended  usefulness,  his  sage  counsel, 
his  white  locks,  made  me  revere  him  as  a  I'ather 
in  Israel.  His  noble  life  and  peaceful  death 
should  actuate  us  to  imitate  his  example.  His 
time,  his  means,  his  inlhience  and  his  heart  were 


446 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


used  for  tlie  extension  of  '/ion  and  tlie  glory  of 
riod."  In  lSr>:!  lion.  John  F;uisold  married 
Kllen  Freeman,  \vlio  died  in  ISI):!.  Tliey  liad 
.sev.'ii  rliililrcii,  of  w  liciiii  fdiir  are  liviiiL^;  Mar- 
tin li.  (>ee  Mlv.leli  in  Unity  |(ju  iislii|i) ;  Mary, 
^vi^e  of  1!.  S.  \Velty  («eo  liis  sketeli)  ;  Martha, 
wife  (it  ,T.  P..  Fry,  and  Harry  F.  Mrs.  Ellen 
Faiisohl  was  a  danijlitcr  of  Samuel  Freeman. 
He  was  a  farmer,  a  deuioerat  ami  a  member  of 
the  M.  Iv  ehnreh.  lie  married  Elvira  Sliauntz 
and  reared  a  family  of  two  sons  and  ten  daught- 
ers. 

Ilarrv  F.  Fausold  owns  the  home  farm  of  his 
father  and  has  always  been  successfully  engajjjed 
in  farming  and  stock-raising.  Tolitieally  he  is 
a  denioerat  and  is  serving  his  township  as  a 
.school  ilireetor.  He  and  his  Avife  are  mi'mljcrs 
of  St.  Taul's  Evangelical  liUtherali  church,  of 
which  he  is  a  deacon. 

On  October  l!G,  1882,  he  marrieil  Anna 
Overly,  daughter  of  J.  (i.  Overly.  They  arc 
the  jiarcnts  of  two  children:  Lucieii  I'lyde, 
born  September  1,  1883,  and  Charles  lioye, 
born  August  13,  188G. 


•jfOIIN  W.  FETTER.  Agriculture  is  the 
't'  true  basis  of  the  prosperity  of  any  county 
<2/  and  if  the  farmers  llonrish  so  will  the  manu- 
facturer and  the  merchant.  One  of  the  sub- 
stantial farmers  of  Mt.  I'leasant  township  is 
dolin    \S' .    Fetter,    who    is    a    son    of  John    and 

I'.li/.alHlh     (Whit .)     Fetter.        He     Was    born 

near  .Ml,  INeasanf,  in  .Mt.  IMea^ant  tounship, 
^Vestmoreiand  county,  I'a.,  Mareh  1:!,  IS:!;'). 
John  Fetter  was  born  in  Mt.  I'leasant  township 
where  he  died.  He  was  a  skilll'iil  mechanic  and 
worked  for  many  years  at  his  ti'ade.  He  was  a 
republican  in  politics,  a  member  of  the  Ivvan- 
gclical  Lutheran  ehnreh  and  married  l']li/.alieth 
'Whitmore  by  whom  he  had  nine  children,  live 
Sons  and  four  daughters. 

?ilrs.  Eli/abcth    Fetter,  a   daughter   of  a   I\Ir. 
A\'hiimore  who  was  a  native  of  Fayette  county, 


this  State,  and  was  killed  while  serving  as 
soldier  in  the  American  army  in  the  war  of 
181 -i. 

Jolm  W.  I''elter  was  reai'ed  (Ui  a  farm  where 
be  \\as  carel'idly  trained  to  fanning.  He  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  common  schools  and 
made  choice  of  farming  which  he  has  followed 
successfully  ever  siiu'c.  He  was  nuirried  to 
Lucinda  ilusbaml.  They  are  the  parents  of 
five  children  :  Dr.  William,  who  graduated  from 
the  Pittsburg  Medical  college  and  is  practicing 
at  Scottdale,  this  county ;  Charles  B.,  married 
Lottie  Summers  and  is  engaged  in  farming  in 
Unity  township;  Carrie,  wife  of  "William  Lowe; 
May  and  liily.  In  jiolitics  Mr.  F^jtier  has 
always  acted  with  and  been  a  supporter  of  the 
IJepublican  ])arty.  He  gives  his  attention 
mainly  to  his  I'arm  ami  Imsiness  affairs  and  is 
known  as  an  industrious  ami  successful  farmer. 


I    ^r-VON.    WILLIAM    FINDLEY.      Oiic   of 

the  princi])al  characters  figuring  in  the 
\Vhiskey  Insurrection  of  IT'.U,  and  thus 
brought  into  national  prominence  was  William 
Findley.  Without  his  biography  the  early  his- 
tory of  Westmoreland  County  would  be  incom- 
jilete,  for  be  easily  sci-iir.  d  and  successfully 
held  a  i)olitieal  ascemlancy  over  the  common 
masses  of  th(^  pcoi)le  of  southwestern  Pennsyl- 
vania which  was  relaxed  only  witli  bis  death. 
William  Findley  was  born  in  the  north  of  Ire- 
land in  ITU  m-  1712,  and  was  of  Scotch-Irish 
extraction.  lie  was  a  descendant  of  one  of  the 
old  signers  of  the  Solemn  League  ami  Covenant 
and  aimther  of  his  ancestors  was  a  proiuinent 
defender  of  Derry,  Ireland,  in  the  noted  siege 
of  that  place.  Ho  came  to  Pennsylvania  at  an 
early  age  and  located  in  the  famous  Octorara 
settlement  of  FraTiklin  county,  where  he  taught 
school  for  several  terms.  He  soon  became  (piite 
popular,  served  six  years  as  county  commissioner 
anil  accpiired  considerable  ]iroperty.  During 
the  Revolutionary  war  he  served  as  a  captain  in 


WESTMOnELAND  CO  UXTY. 


417 


tlio  I'diitiiK'iitiil  army.  In  1781  lie  reinoveJ  to 
Westmoreland  county  and  settleil  in  Unity  town- 
ship, where  he  followed  his  ti'ade  of  weaving  tor 
some  time.  lie  snon  hceiinic  an  inlliuiitial 
nienilier  dl' liie  i'lcsiiy Uri.in  cliiiii'li  ami  a  [ikiiii- 
inent  politieal  leader.  lie  wa.s  socm  elected  to 
the  Assembly  as  an  anti-t'ederalist.  lie  was  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Censors  and  repre- 
sented Westmoreland  county  in  the  Pennsylva- 
nia Constitutional  Convention  of  178!}-'J0, 
where  he  introduced  a  resolution  in  favor  of 
educating  the  poor  gratis.  William  Findley 
■was  elected  to  Congress  from  the  Westmoreland 
district  in  1791,  1793,  1795,  1797,  1803,  1805, 
1807,  1809,  1811,  1813,  and  1815,  and  some 
of  his  old  friends  assert  that  he  would  have  been 
returned  to  this  time  had  lie  li\ed.  lie  was  an 
able  and  adroit  politician  and  although  he  op- 
puseil  the  adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution 
and  was  a  prominent  participant  in  the  \Vhiskey 
Insurrection,  yet  such  was  liis  tact  that  his  con- 
stituents never  forsook  him.  lie  was  a  rather 
fluent  talker,  a  strong  and  forcible  writer,  liut 
he  was  no  public  speaker,  and  secured  his  great 
jiower  over  the  common  people  ii)'  bis  method  of 
mingling  witii  tbeiii. 

i''iiidley  was  one  of  the  iiio-<t  prominent  cliar- 
actirs  identified  \sith  tin'  W'bi^kcy  i  iisiirn-(ttion. 
His  course  at  fust  scniicd  to  encounige  open 
resistaiicr  to  the  govei  nuiriit,  but  he  Siioli  advo- 
cated olii'dience  to  the  biw  and  displayed  good 
.slatrsiiiaiiship  ill  udi'i^iiiL:;  for  compriuiiise  iiicas- 
uris.  ili>  ••  History  of  ihr  i  ii^iiii  rction  "  was 
attacked  liy  l!rackeniidgc.  and  lias  liecii  (piuteil 
by  all  liislm-ians  wlio  have  mitten  on  tliat  sub- 
ject. Findley  admitted  tliat  many  of  bis  state- 
liielils  were  erroneous  ami  ju'epaicd  ibe  nianii- 
scrijil  for  a  revised  edition  which  \vas  lost  on 
its  way  to  the  ]iress.  Findley  is  sarcastically 
reiu-esented  by  the  character  of  'I'raddle,  the 
weaver,  in  Brackenridge's  "  Modern  Chivalry." 

William  Findley  was  twice  married.  By  his 
first  wife,  whom  he  married  in  Franklin  county, 
J'a.,  be   had    three    children  :    l>avid,   an    ollicer 


in  the  Eegular  army ;  Nellie,  who  married  a 
Carothers,  and  Mary,  who  was  the  wife  of  John 
Black.  Jlis  second  wife  was  a  widow  Carothers. 
In  his  dress  l\Ir.  I'^iiidley  was  very  tasteful  ; 
he  was  a  iaige  man  ;  his  com|ile.\ion  was  llorid 
and  he  wore  no  beard.  His  earthly  career 
ended  on  the  5th  tlay  of  Ajiril,  1821,  w'hen  he 
had  entered  upon  the  eightieth  year  of  bis  age. 
He  sleeps  in  his  adopted  county  whose  annals 
will  forever  preserve  bis  name. 


YRUS  B.  FISHEU  is  a  son  of  Simon 
and  Amur  (Brinker)  Fisher  and  was  bora 
September  30,  1854,  in  Mt.  Pleasant 
townshiji,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.  His  great- 
grandfather, Ailaiu  Fisher,  was  in  all  probability 
a  native  of  Lancaster  county,  Pa.,  whence  he 
emigrated  about  one  hundred  years  ago  to  this 
county,  settling  on  the  farm  where  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  liorn.  He  was  connected 
with  the  tierman  Ucformed  church  and  politi 
cally  was  a  dcuiociat.  Adam  iMslier  (grand- 
father) was  born  on  the  homestead  farm  in  Mt. 
Pleasant  township  and  became  the  father  of  ten 
chiblren.  One  of  tliem,  Simon  iMsber  (father), 
was  born  in  \\iv  same  township  April  1,  1827, 
\sbele  be  is  a  farmer  and  sloek-iaiser.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  lu'foiiiieil  cliurcb  and  in  politics 
a  democral.  He  was  lirst  married  to  Anna 
Brinkei-,  by  whom  be  bad  six  children  :  iMiima, 
wlio  ilied  young  ;  Cyiiis  I!.,  James  i'.,  Keiibcn 
(dead);  \Villiaiii  and  one  that  died  in  infancy. 
The  niotlier  of  tbe>e  cliibhcn  died  December, 
185', I,  when  (Jyriis  was  but  live  years  of  age, 
iiiul  their  father  allevwards  married  Elizalieth 
(■(uger,  and  to  this  marriage  were  born  nine 
children  :  Annie,  Harry,  Clark,  Andrew,  Logan, 
Charles,  Nellie,  ami  two  that  died  in  infancy. 
Jacob  Briid<er  (maternal  grandfather)  was  a 
native  of  ^Vestmorciand  county  and  lived  for 
many  years  on  the  farm  where  the  coal  works 
at  Mutual  now  stand,  but  his  latter  days  were 
spent  at  Ijatrube,  where  he  died  at  the  advanced 


448 


m<HiuAViin:s  of 


age  of  iiiuoly-loiir  visus.  His  lust,  wife  \v:is 
Anna  Hui'iiliart  ami  liis  scl'uiuI   Elizabctli    Hutt. 

Oyi'us  B.  Fislier  liad  a  common  and  normal 
HciiodI  cililcaliDii  ajiil  laii;.dil  si\  lc]-|iis  of  scliool, 
one  of  lliciM  as  |,iiMri|.al  nf  ll,,.  'I'cxas  s.-Ih.uIs 
near  Ml.  I'luasant.  In  lMcS;J  iiu  Lucuixiu  one  oi' 
the  piinciijal  stoekliolilers  of  the  Sewickley  Co- 
operative Association,  of"  which  he  was  the  man- 
ager during  the  first  year  of  its  existence,  and 
when  the  same  was  sold  to  the  Sewickley  Supply 
Company  Mr.  Fislier  was  made  manager,  wliieli 
position  he  still  holds.  In  jmlitics  he  is  rather 
independent,  voting  for  the  man  best  qualified 
for  the  position ;  he  belongs  to  the  Reformed 
church. while  his  wife  is  a  presbyterian. 

Cyrus  B.  Fisher  was  married  December  21, 
1882,  to  Maud  M.  Jamison,  a  daughter  of 
Joseph  and  Maria  (Miller)  Jamison,  of  L'nity 
township.  To  their  union  liave  been  born  three 
children:  Joseph,  born  February  2oth,  1884: 
Mary,  born  June  2.5th,  1SB1> ;  and  one  that  died 
in  infancy. 

•j'OIlN  W.  FISHER,  one  of  the  well-to-do 
and  comfortably  situated  farmers  of  Mt. 
Pleasant  township,  is  a  son  of  Adam  and 
Elizabeth  (Barnharl)  Fislier,  and  was  bdrn  on 
the  farm  on  which  he  resides  in  Mt.  I'leasant 
township,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  June  IG, 
184('.  Ilis  paternal  grandfather,  John  Fisher, 
was  a  native  iif  liic  abcive  nauird  tiiv\usbi|i,  in 
whifii  lie  resided  until  Ins  dralli.  Ilis  greal- 
grtal  gralidliillicr  was  a  l.liuksiiiilb  and  lolbiwed 
fainiing  lor  many  years.  lie  was  a  democrat 
and  a  meniber  of  the  Reformed  ebureh.  He 
married  Anna  M.  Butt  and  they  had  four  sons 
and  four  daughters.  One  of  these  sons  was 
Henry  Fisher,  who  served  in  the  late  civil  war. 
Abraham  liarnhart,  maternal  grandfather,  was 
a  native  of  Mt.  i'leasant  township,  where  he 
spent  his  life  in  farming.  He  married  Hannah 
Hughes,  who  bore  him  three  children :  Margaret, 
wlio  married  Isaac  Shupe;  Hannah,  wife  of 
Georjre  Hart/.ell,  and  Elizabeth.      Adam  h'isher 


was  born  Scptenilicr  8,  1S20,  and  has  always 
followed  fanning.  He  is  a.  democrat  who  lias 
always  supported  bis  party  and  has  served  his 
liiwiisliip  as  jiid;.'r,  clcik,  aiidiliir,  supervisor 
and  sch(/(il  diici'Lir.  He  mairird  l';iizab(,'tli 
Banihart  in  i^\i>.  'I'hey  have  eight  children  : 
John  W.,  Abraham,  married  Mary  J.  Crosby, 
and  lives  in  Kansas  City,  Mo. ;  Sarah  A  ,  wife  of 
James  Stairs,  a  blacksmith  of  Scottdale  ;  David, 
a  farmer  of  Ilempfield  township,  who  married 
Lucinda  Truxall ;  Hannah  (deceased) ;  Daniel, 
married  Emma  Brown,  of  Latrobe,  and  resides 
in  East  Huntingdon  township ;  Amanda,  mar- 
ried George  F.  Walker,  who  died  in  188G  ;  and 
Anna  M.,  wife  of  Lincoln  Fisher,  a  farmer  of 
Cook  township. 

John  AV.  Fisher  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
attended  the  common  schools  of  his  neighbor- 
hood. Leaving  school  he  engaged  in  farming 
which  he  has  pursued  ever  since.  Politically 
he  is  a  democrat  and  always  casts  his  ballot  for 
the  nominees  of  that  party.  His  mother's  farm, 
containing  one  hundred  and  eighteen  acres,  is 
situated  in  the  southern  part  of  Mt.  Pleasant 
township,  which  lies  in  the  heart  of  the  great 
Connellsville  eokinj:;  retrion. 


•f*ACOB  FISHER  (deceased).  The  late 
'l  Jacob  Fislier  was  one  of  the  reliable  citizens 
(i/  and  siibslaiitial  farmers  of  Mt.  Pleasant 
township.  He  was  a  son  of  John  and  Mary 
(itiill)  l''isber  and  was  born  on  the  farm  oi» 
which  his  widow  now  resides  in  Mt.  Pleasant 
townsbij),  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  Apiil  I'J, 
1827. 

Jacob  Fisher  was  of  German  descent.  His 
entire  life  was  spent  in  farming.  His  opportu- 
nities for  an  education  were  only  such  as  the 
district  schools  of  that  period  atVorded,  but  he  so 
improved  them  that  he  was  well  qualified  to 
transact  all  ordinary  business  and  to  converse 
intelligently  upon  all  subjects  of  general  interest. 
He  always  resided    upon    the   faiiii  on  which   he 


u'i:siM')ia:LA  i\d  co  uyTV. 


(licil  Mild  wlicrc  lie  \\;is  siic-ccssrully  oiij;;;!^'!.'!! 
fill-  iiiimy  yi'iirs  in  ;^r:iiu-ral:-iiiL;  ;inil  stock-ilcal- 
in;^.  By  ccoiioiny  and  i:im)(1  iiiaiia^rcnieiit  lie 
liacl  act'umulatuil  ([uitL'  an  aiiidiint  irf  jiiiijHji'ty 
and  at  tlie  time  ot"  liis  death  had  fair  ])i()>|icets 
for  ai'i|uiring  considerable  wealtii.  His  {'aini  ot" 
one  hundred  acres  of  land  is  situate']  two  miles 
from  Mt.  Pleasant  and  he  had  made  many  im- 
provements upon  it  which  have  been  continued 
by  his  widow,  who  is  a  woman  of  intelligence 
and  good  management.  This  farm  is  partly 
underlaid  with  coal  and  other  \aluable  minerals 
and  is  in  a  good  state  of  cultivation. 

Jacob  Fislier  was  married  on  October  13, 1857, 
to  Esther  Fulkwerth,  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
Esther  (Stauffer)  Fulkwerth.  To  Jacob  and 
Esther  Fisher  were  born  nine  children,  six  sons 
and  three  daughters :  John,  b<jrn  September  15, 
1858,  married  to  Catherine  Silliman  and  is  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Fayette  county,  Pa. ;  Eliza- 
beth, born  January  27,  i860,  and  wife  of  John 
Hitter,  who  resides  at  Ridgway  and  is  a  farmer; 
William,  born  February  8,  1801,  married  Mary 
A.  Nicholls  and  engageil  in  farming ;  George, 
born  December  20,  1802,  (deceased);  Christian, 
born  July  25,  1804,  mairied  iMiiiiia  Hough  ami 
is  a  farmer  of  Suulh  I  liintingilnii  I.i\\n<hi[); 
Anna  Mary,  burn  January  -{>,  iStjO  ;  l)a\id, 
born  November  25,  1^07  ;  Aliram,  born  March 
I'J,  1870;  and  Margaret,  born  April  5,  1874. 
Mrs.  Fisher  lias  liecri  very  succfssful  in  the  iiian- 
aLrniiciit  id'  the  fariLi  .siucr  hi-r  hii>liand's  dralh. 
hi  |Mi|ilics  he  was  a  |iiiiiiiiiiiiccd  di'iiiocrat 
and  ai'tive  in  tlir  interests  of  his  parly.  He 
was  a  consistent  iiiember  of  the  Reformed 
church.  In  the  midst  of  an  active  and  useful 
life  Jacob  Fisher  was  stricken  down  by  the 
hand  of  death  and  passed  away  on  February  5, 
1878. 

^AMUEL  B.   FISHER,   a  justice  of  the 

peace    and    one    of    the    most    intelligent 

farmers  of  Mt.  Pleasant  township,  is  a  son 

William  and   Christina   Rarnhart  {ucc  Rust) 


Fisher,  and  was  born  January  15,  184-5,  in  Mt. 
Pleasant  township,  \Vestmoi'eland  county.  Pa., 
on  the  farm  wliere  he  now  lives.  His  great- 
grandfather, Adam  Fisher,  was  a  meiiiber  of 
the  Reformed  church  in  (In many,  where  he 
was  born,  lived  and  dieil.  One  of  his  sons, 
Adam  Fisher,  immigrated  to  America  and  settled 
in  Lancaster  county.  Pa.,  whence  he  removed 
at  a  very  early  day  to  Mt.  Pleasant  township, 
this  county,  where  he  followed  farming,  owning 
several  hundred  acres  of  land.  In  1801  he 
built  the  first  brick  house  in  the  county,  making 
the  brick  for  the  same  himself,  and  helping  as 
mason  and  carpenter  to  erect  the  building.  This 
old  relic  of  the  beginning  of  the  present  century 
is  still  standing  and  is  owned  by  the  Fisher 
flvmily.  Mr.  Fisher  was  a  democrat  and  a  fol- 
lower of  Jefferson,  the  founder  of  that  party. 
He  married  and  became  the  father  of  three  sons 
and  one  daughter.  Charles  L.  Rush,  maternal 
grandfather,  was  a  native  of  Prussia,  whence  he 
fled  to  America  on  account  of  a  religious  dis- 
turbance. He  settled  in  Mt.  I'leasant  township, 
this  county,  where  he  resided  until  his  death. 

Besides  farming  he  also  carried  on  a  tannery 
for  ipiite  a  number  of  years.  He  was  a  member 
id"  the  jyiitheran  chinch  ami  in  piditics  accepted 
the  teachings  of  Jell'erson.  He  mariied  a  ^liss 
lioan,  by  whom  he  had   four  children. 

Mr.  Fisher  (father]  was  horn  in  Lancaster 
county,  this  Slate,  but  when  (piite  young  came 
to  Westmoreland  roiuity,  sellliiig  in  Ml.  Pleas- 
aiil  li)wnslii|i.  His  biilli  occurred  in  17S2,  and 
he  lived  to  be  eighty-four  years  of  age.  He 
was  a  farmer,  but  being  a  man  of  nuire  than 
ordinary  genius  he  was  also  successful  as  a  dis- 
tiller, cooper  and  blacksmith.  Believing  in  the 
principles  of  democracy  he  did  good  service  for 
that  party  but  never  aspired  to  office  ;  he  was 
connected  with  the  Reformed  church. 

He  first  married  a  Miss  Rumbaugh  and 
after  her  death  married  her  sister  Sarah.  His 
third  wife  was  a  Mis.  Barnhart  (nee  Bust),  by 
whom  he  had  four  children,  of  whom  Samuel  B. 


HlOORArillKS  OF 


iiiiil   Ui'li(rc:i  arc   yrl  living,',  thv  hitler  bciii.ii;  tlu; 
wWV  nlMcHsc  (inlVfii,  III'  Ivisl   lIuHtiiii^doii  liiwii- 


liiriiiini;  ;tii(l 
llo  iiKirrir.l 
i-liildrcn  :    Ki 


.Saiiiu. 


K.  l''i',lu-r,  ,111  ilic  :;i)lh  (if  ^larcli, 
1m;.',,  uas  iiiiiliil  ill  iiiarriai^t;  willi  Mary  S. 
MvL-rs,  of  Li_^oiiifr  township,  and  to  their  union 
have  huen  born  tliree  chihlven.  Harry  A.,  a 
graduate  of  Iron  City  Business  college  and  now 
bookkeeper  for  the  United  Coal  and  Coke  Co.  ; 
AVilliani  S.,  who  is  attending  school  preparing 
for  the  ministry  ;  and  Edgar  B.,  who  is  yet  at 
home. 

Samuel  B.  Fisher  received  his  eilucation  in 
the  public  schools  and  at  the  Sewickley  academy, 
after  which  he  began  farming,  which  he  has 
always  followed  more  or  less,  owning  several  tracts 
of  good,  well-improved  land.  lie  is  a  demo- 
crat and  at  present  holds  the  office  of  justice  of 
the  iieace  in  his  native  township;  he  has  also 
served  as  school  director  but  never  has  asked  for 
any  county  office.  Mr.  Fisher  together  with 
wife  and  family  belongs  to  the  Reformed  church, 
in  wiiich  he  is  an  elder.  Ilis  home  is  a  most 
pleasant  one,  his  library  is  well  tilled  with 
stamlard  works  on  history,  biography,  art,  etc., 
and  he  takes  much  more  than  ordinary  interest 
in  reading  and  general  literature. 


OBFKT  A.  KUSTHU,  a  man  of  conserva- 
tive political  and  religious  views,  and  an 
iiitcUigiiit  anil  respected  citizen  of  Derry 
towii^liip,  is  a  son  of  .lames  and  I'lli/.a  ((leuige) 
Flitter,  and  was  horn  in  Salem  township.  West- 
moreland county.  Pa.,  January  1:2,  l&l'J.  On 
liis  paternal  side  he  is  of  Irish  descent  and  on 
the  maternal  of  Scotcli-Irish  extraction.  His 
grandfather,  Robert  Foster,  was  a  native  of 
county  Derry,  Ireland.  He  settled  at  an  early 
day  i"  Salem  township,  on  lioyaliianiia  creek 
beinw  ihe  site  of  New  .Alexandria,  w  iiere  lie 
eieared  out  a  farm  in  what  is  now  Salem  towii- 
sliiji  and  married  a  Miss  Brovard.  Hon.  James 
Foster  (father)  was  born  in  1802.     He  followed 


erehaiidisiiig  and  died  in  1h78. 
li/.a  (jeorge  and  they  liad  live 
■it  .v.,  Walhiee,  of  Kansas,  who 
served  as  a  eavalry  soldier  in  the  late  war;  Wil- 
liam (i.,  who  enlisted  m  a  I 'eiiiisy  Ivania  regiiiient 
and  was  killed  at  Spottsylvaiiia  Court  House  ; 
Lucinda  M.,  wife  of  Lewis  Beham  of  Kansas  ; 
and  Ann  Eliza,  who  resides  in  Allegheny  City. 
Mrs.  Eliza  Foster,  who  is  still  living  and  resides 
in  Blairsville,  Indiana  county.  Pa.,  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  James  George,  a  Scotch-Irish  citizen  of 
county  Derry,  Ireland,  wdio  immigrated  to  Ameri- 
ca and  eventually  settled  in  Loyalhanna  town- 
ship where  he  reared  a  family  of  nine  children. 
Robert  A.  Foster  was  reared  on  a  farm,  at- 
tended the  common  schools  and  commenced  life 
for  himself  as  a  day  laborer.  In  185G  he  pur- 
chased his  present  farm  of  seventy-three  acres 
of  land  and  since  then  has  been  principally 
engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising.  Under 
President  Grant's  administration  he  was  ap- 
pointed a  storekeeper  in  the  internal  revenue 
Service  and  occupied  that  position  for  thirteen 
years.  During  the  late  war  he  was  never  drafted 
but  sent  a  man  to  help  (ill  up  the  quota  of  his 
township.  He  lias  always  been  a  republican  but 
is  no  extremist  in  political  iiiattei's. 

He  was  married  on  April  1:2,  1855,  to  Nancy 
IS.  Caiiipbcll,  daULditcr  of  William  ('ani])l)cll  of 
Sewickley  township,  'fo  their  union  have  been 
born  two  sons  and  six  tlaughters :  Sarah  V., 
James  1!,.,  who  died  suddenly  November  2,  1887; 
I'llizabclh  ;  Lucia,  who  has  taught  successfully 
for  six  years  in  the  common  schools  and  her  last 
five  terms  have  been  at  the  Millwood  school; 
she  ranks  among  our  best  jirimai-y  teachers  ;  Ida 
R.  ;  Delia,  who  has  been  teaching  efficiently  at 
Cokeville  for  three  years  and  stands  high  as  a, 
teacher;  Millie,  student  at  Indiana  Normal 
school ;  anil  Irwin  R.,  who  is  assisting  his 
j   father. 

I        Robert   A.  Foster   is  comtortably  situated   to 

enjoy  life,  has   secured   a   competency    by   con- 

I  tinuous  and  steady  labor,  and  yet  has  neglected 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


451 


|i|]ortuiiity   to   \ivv\t   liiiiisclf  well   inloniird  '  nine   uiontlis    in    (!(..  I,  onc-lnunlred  and  Hixty- 


M{ii>iL  iiKillL-r.s  ol    piiljlie  iiii|iiirlanix'.     lie  is  (|UicL 
in  manner  but  is  an  intercstiii"  conversationalist. 


•JTAMKS  J.  FUWLKR.  a  piudential  and 
I"  prosperous  farmer  of  I'nity  township  and 
(2/  on  wliose  farm  was  sunk  the  first  experi- 
mental and  productive  gas  well  of  the  Latrobe 
natural  gas  region  of  Westnuireland  county,  is 
a  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (^lickey)  Fowler 
and  w;is  born  at  Youngstown,  Unity  township, 
Westmoreland  county,  I'a.,  August  5,  1832. 
John  Fowler  was  a  descendant  of  the  Fowler 
family  of  Bedford  county.  Pa.,  where  he  was 
born  and  reared  to  manhood.  Soon  after  learn- 
ing the  trade  of  shoemaker  he  removed  to 
Ligonier  township,  tliis  county,  wliere  he  re- 
mained until  lb4;J.  lie  then  came  to  Pleasant 
Unity  where  he  worked  at  his  trade  for  many 
years  and  died  at  Crabtree  January  2'J,  IS'JU, 
at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-four  years  and 
four  months.  He  was  a  democrat  who  never 
believed  in  half-way  measures  and  was  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  His  wife 
was  Elizabeth  Mickt'y  who  was  a  nalive  of 
Ligonier  township,  a  consistent  niemiier  of  the 
M.  E.  church  and  who  died  April  'J,  1874,  aged 
sixty-nine  years. 

James  J.  Fowler  was  reared  in  Unity  town- 
ship, received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  and  having  a  decided  ]ireferenee  for 
farming  he  engaged  in  liiat  line  of  busine.-s  alter 
leaving  sciiool.  He  larmed  at  dillerent  places 
until  February,  1878,  when  he  removed  to  his 
present  farm  of  one  hundred  and  forty-two 
acres  of  land  which  is  two  and  one-half  miles 
west  of  Latrolje.  On  this  faiin  natural  gas  was 
struck  in  ]88()  and  again  in  1888.  Both  wells 
were  put  down  by  a  comjiany,  are  still  pro- 
ductive and  pay  a  certain  percentage  of  tiieir 
earnings  to  "Slv.  Fowler,  who  heats  and  lights 
liis  dwelling-house  by  gas  iiom  one  of  them. 
In   October,   18U2,  he  was   drafted   and   served 


eigiitii  leg.,  I'a.  Vols.  In  18(11  he  enlisted  in 
the  sixth  Pa.  Heavy  Artillery,  was  stationed  at 
Fort  Etiian  Allen  in  Virginia  and  served  until 
th<;  close  of  the  wai'. 

May  2-2,  18ti7,  he  married  Elizabeth  Steele, 
daugliter  of  Matthew  Steele,  of  Derry  township, 
this  county.  They  are  tlie  parents  of  three 
children,  two  sons  and  one  daugliter :  Harry  M., 
John  C.  and  Bessie  0. 

James  J.  Fowler  is  a  firm  believer  in  the 
principles  of  the  Democratic  party.  He  is  a 
member  of  Latrobe  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
a  hard-working  man  and  a  good  citizen.  His 
farm  while  productive  of  good  crops,  yet  is 
wonderfully  rich  in  its  untold  wealth  of  natural 
gas  which  needs  but  a  thorough  development  of 
its  present  wells  to  establish  beyond  a  doubt  the 
existence  of  another  great  gas  basin  in  West- 
moreland county. 


fEOUGE  FRY,  a  prosperous  farmer  of  his 
native  township,  was  born  in  Mt.  Pleas 
ant  township,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa. 
]\Iaich  1;'),  1832,  and  is  a  son  of  Michaef  and 
Sarah  M.  (Richard)  Fry.  His  gramlfather, 
Michael  Fiy,  was  a  native  of  Northampton 
county.  Pa.,  and  was  of  German  extraction. 
He  eniigiateil  to  Westmoreland  county,  settling 
in  Mt.  Pleasant  township  where  he  resided  until 
his  death,  lie  was  a  whig  and  a  member  of  the 
Keroiiiu'd  cliiiieli.  liis  wife  was  Regina  Spiel- 
man,  a  daughter  of  one  of  the  very  first  settlers 
in  Mt.  Pleasant  township  and  one  of  a  fiiinily 
of  thirteen  children.  Charles  Richard  (mater- 
nal great-grandfather)  of  German  origin,  lived 
in  JNlt.  Pleasant  township,  where  he  died  at  the 
age  of  ninety-six  years.  He  was  a  soldier  in 
the  Iicvolutionary  war  and  afterwards  en"ao-ed 
in  tilling  the  soil.  His  son,  George  Richard 
(grandfather),  was  born  in  JMt.  Pleasant  town- 
ship on  the  old  homestead,  now  owned  by  George 
Fry,  and  was  by  occupation  a  farmer,  wagoner 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


ami  stock-niisor.  IIo  inavriod  Elizaboth  Ncft, 
of  Ailams  county,  this  8tatc,  by  whom  he  had 
four  chihlren.  Michael  Fry  (father)  was  born 
in  iNIt.  Pleasant  township  ami  folldwcd  farming 
ami  distilling  until  his  death  in  IX.')!).  Jlc  was 
identified  witii  the  lleformed  church  of  which  he 
was  Ion"  a  trustee  and  a  liberal  supporter.  He 
was  the  father  of  seven  children:  Elizabeth 
(dead),  Michael  (dead),  George,  John,  Mary, 
Sarah  and  Leah  (dead).  John  Fry  served  three 
years  in  the  civil  war,  belonging  to  Co.  C,  llth 
re<'.  Va.  Vols.,  ami  took  part  in  the  battles  ot 
Second  Bull  Run,  Antietam,  Gettysburg  and  in 
various  minor  engagements. 

Georn^e  Fry  was  twice  married,  his  first  wife 
beinc  Sarah  Spielman,  a  daughter  of  John 
Spielman,  of  Holmes  county,  Ohio,  by  whom  he 
had  one  child,  Martha  I.,  who  married  William 
S.  Critchfield,  of  Mt.  Pleasant  township,  and 
who  died  in  February,  18110.  Mr.  Fry's  second 
wife  was  Susan  Shearer,  a  daughter  of  Hugh 
Shearer,  of  Mt.  Pleasant  township,  and  to  this 
marriage  were  born  two  children  :  Minerva  J., 
wife  of  Charles  G.  Lee ;  Lla  May,  married  to 
Thomas  A.  Marstellar,  now  of  Fayette  county. 
Pa.  ■ 

George  Fry  was  the  eldest  s(jn,  eiinsci|Uently 
Ills  services  were  required  at  home  and  iiis  edu- 
cation to  some  extent  neglected.  He  began  life 
as  a  fanner,  at  the  foot  of  the  ladder,  working 
on  his  fatiicr's  farm,  which  he  afterwards  bciugiil, 
and  hiis  ever  since  hern  engaged  in  llic  pursiiil.s 
(,r  ii-ni-idliiiT  in  which  lie  has  ariiK'vid  micctss. 
lie  is  an  imbislrious,  desersiiig  man,  a  republi- 
can in  piililics  liiough  lie  ncvn-  aspired  to  olliec, 
and    with    ins    wife    belongs    to    the    Uefornied 


•i-OilN  FIIV,  a  crippled  veteran  df  ihe  late 
'i  war  and  census  euumeraloi' oi  Ml.  Pleasant 
(^  toWTiship  for  the  eleventh  census  of  the 
United  States,  is  a  sun  of  Michael  and  Sarah 
(ilichard)  Fry  and  was  born  near  St.  J'aul's 
Reformed  and  Lutheran  church  in  Mt.  Pleasant 


township,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  October 
24,  \S-Vj.  Michael  Fry,  jjaternal  grandfather, 
was  born  in  Mt.  Pleasant  township,  where  lie 
died.  Il(^  was  a  firmer,  a  menihcr  of  the  Ue- 
formcMl  church,  an  old  liin-  whig  and  afterwards 
a  republican.  His  wife  was  llegina  Speelman, 
who  was  a  native  of  AVestmoreland  county. 
Charles  Ricliard,  maternal  great-grandfather, 
was  a  fifer  in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  lived  to 
be  nearly  one  hundred  years  old.  He  was  a 
native  of  Westmoreland  county,  in  which  he  died. 
Ho  followed  farming  in  Mt.  Pleasant  township 
where  he  was  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church. 
George  Richard,  maternal  grandfather,  was  born 
in  Cumberland  county  and  removed  to  AVest- 
moreland  county.  He  was  engaged  in  farming 
in  Unity  township.  Michael  Fry  (father)  was 
born  in  ISOO  and  died  December  23,  1S5G,  aged 
fifty-si.K  years.  He  was  a  whig  and  afterwards 
a  republican  and  a  strict  member  of  the  Reformed 
church.  He  was  a  very  industrious  and  pros- 
perous farmer  and  a  conscientious  and  upright 
man.  He  married  Sarah  Richard.  They  had 
seven  children :  Elizabeth,  who  married  John 
W.  Arniel  and  is  now  dead  ;  iNLchael  (deceased), 
(jicorge,  who  married  a  Speelman  and  after  her 
death  united  in  marriage  with  Susan  Shearer; 
John,  Mary,  wife  of  John  Holler,  of  Madison, 
Pa.;  Sarah,  married  William  Armel,  of  Daven- 
port, Iowa,  and  Leah,  who  married  John  Fisher 
and  is  now  dead. 

.liilin  h'rv  was  educated  in  iIk'  ciiiiinKin  schools 
and  has  alwiivs  Inllowed  jamiing.  lie  ownsn, 
well-impni\ed  farm  of  eighty-live  acres  and 
raises  eonsiderable  stock.  lie  enlistcil  Sep- 
tember, ;i,  iMtil,  in  (Jo.  (!.,  eleventh  reg.,  Pa. 
Vols.,  and  served  three  years.  He  ]iarticipated 
in  several  hard  battles.  At  second  Rull  JLiu 
he  was  knocked  down  by  a  spent  hall,  at  Antie- 
tiini  Ik'  was  Wdiindcd  in  the  liiinil  and  at  Getlys- 
biirg  he  was  shot  in  the  leg  and  eiiplured  and 
held  as  a  prisniier  for  a  few  days  by  I  he  Confed- 
erates. In  politics  Mr.  l<'ry  is  a  repuldiean,  has 
always  been  active  in  his  sui)i)ort  of  that  pai'ty 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


aiiil  lias  just  received  tlie  nppoiiitiiieiit  of  I'ensiis 
eiiuim  r:il.ir  III'  .Ml.  I'lciisum  liiuh^liiji.  lie  i.s  a 
iiiriiilici-  mill  Irii.>lee  iit'  St.  Pauls  Keliiriued 
cliureli. 

.liiiiuary  M,  ISCiS,  he  iiianieil  Melinda  .1. 
SiHiili.  a  ilaii;:lilci-  of  Kiiliraiiii  Smith,  of  I'uity 
to^Wl^lli]l,  wlio  married  Susan  Bates  and  reared 
a  family  of  fourteen  children,  of  whom  one  son 
is  Prof.  W,  N.  Smith,  principal  of  the  soldier's 
orjihan  school  at  Jumonville,  Pa.,  and  anotlier 
son  is  llirani  Siiiith,  a  lawyer  of  Sycamore,  111., 
while  one  daughter,  Nettie,  is  attendiiii^  the 
State  Normal  school  at  Lock  Haven  and  will 
graduate  in  tiie  class  of  1891.  To  Mr.  an<l 
Mrs.  Fry  have  been  born  three  sons  and  four 
daughters :  Sadie  E.,  Nettie  L.,  George  S., 
Franklin  R.,  Ferguson  J.,  Mary  J.  and  Nora  P. 

+  AMES  A.  FULTON,  M.  D.,  of  New  Flor- 
'i  ence,  and  a  leading  physician  of  Westniore- 
Qj  land  county,  is  the  eldest  of  three  children 
and  was  born  in  Dcrry  township,  Westmoreland 
county,  Pa.,  January  8,  1835.  His  father,  Ben- 
jamin Fulton,  was  born  in  the  same  township  in 
1795,  died  on  July  '28,  1859,  and  was  married 
to  Jane  Ayres  in  1884.  Benjamin  Fulton  was 
a  son  of  James  Fulton  who  settled  in  ])erry 
township  at  a  very  caily  day.  The  maternal 
greal-granilfalher  of  I 'r.  I'lillon  married  a  .Miss 
Hickenlooper  and  was  an  emigrant  from  New 
Jersey.  James  Fulton,  one  of  the  pioneer  farm- 
ers of  the  county,  married  Mary  Laiighrey,  a 
natne  ot  Ireland  who  came  from  there  in  1T7-. 
Abram  Fulton  (great-grandfather)  was  a  farmer 
and  married  a  Miss  Guthrie  who  was  a  native  of 
Ireland;  her  family  cume  to  America  in  1772 
and  settled  in  Sewickley  township.  Her  remains 
•with  others  of  the  family  now  rest  in  the  Pres- 
byterian grave-yard  near  Mt.  Pleasant. 

Dr.  James  A.  Fulton  was  [uincipally  educated 
in  the  Meadville  academy,  where  he  attended 
1852  and  185;i,  iiftcrwunls  (aught  school,  read 
medicine  for  four  years  under  Dr.  J.  W.   Black- 


Imril  of  New  l)eny,  and  allemled  his  lirst 
coiirseof  lectures  at  Cleveland,  Ohio.  In  LS58 
he  began  the  piaetii'e  of  iiieilieine  at  New  Salem 
at  which  lu'  was  engaged  until  the  breaking  out 
of  the  civil  \^al•,  uheu  he  enlisted  in  ciiin|iaMy 
pany  11,  eleventh  Pa.  Ueserves  as  a  private  and 
was  in  a  shoi't  time  promoted  to  lirst  lieutenant 
of  his  comjjany.  Vn  July  ;i,  18Go,  in  the  battle 
of  Gettysburg  he  was  severely  wounded  which 
caused  his  discharge  for  disability  on  October  3, 
181)3.  He  returned  home,  soon  afterwards  en- 
tered Jefferson  j\Iedical  college,  Philadelphia, 
and  remained  there  during  the  winter  of  1803-4, 
but  on  account  of  sickness  he  was  not  graduated. 
He  took  up  his  practice  at  New  Salem  again  and 
remained  there  a  number  of  years  when  he  re- 
moved to  New  Florence,  where  he  now  resides. 
He  is  a  man  of  fine  intelligence,  has  been  a 
hard  worker,  a  close  student  and  has  succeeded 
in  establishing  himself  in  a  paying  practice.  He 
is  the  examining  railroad  surgeon  for  the  Penn- 
sylvania company  in  Westmoreland  county,  and 
is  a  member  of  the  pension  board  of  this  district. 

On  December  20,  l.'StI5  he  wa.^  luairied  to 
Nancy  S.  Shields,  a  native  of  ilii>  county  and  a 
daughter  of  Robert  and  Mary  Shields,  of  Del- 
mont.  To  their  union  have  been  born  nine 
children:  Robert  11.,  born  September  11,  18G8; 
William  \V.,  born  June  25,  LS70 ;  Mary  E., 
born  1  >i.'ceiiiber  20,  1872;  Annie  L.,  born  Oc- 
tober 24,  1874;  Jane  H.,  born  August  15, 
1876  ;  James  G.,  born  March  17,  1881  ;  Samuel 
A.,  born  July  2,  1883  ;  Violet  B.,  born  Septem- 
ber 25,  1885,  and  Benjamin  C,  born  Septem- 
ber 13,  188s. 

Dr.  Fulton  is  a  republican,  a  member  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  of  Odd  Fellows 
and  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church  at  New 
Florence. 

OP.ERT  F.  GAUT,  M.    D.,  of  Kecks- 
biirg,  a  successful  physician  of   fourteen 
years  active  practice  and  a  soldier  of  the 
late    civil  war,  was   born  in  Tyrone  township, 


454 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Fayette  county  Pa.,  October  29,  1833,  ami  is  a 
son  of"  Jo.se|)li  and  Margaret  (Francis)  tJaut. 
His  granilfuthcr,  Matthew  Gaut,  was  a  native  of 

Alicniccn,  ScDllaml,   i i^^ialcd  to  Ncu  .Inscy, 

MKiii  rcimivc(l  In  Ncu  \i>\\^  wiicrc  lie  iiiaiiicil 
8:iiali  lliril,  of  Oorinan  descent  and  .s<iou  mii- 
giated  to  Tyrone  township,  Fayette  county,  Pa., 
where  lie  settled  on  Jacob's  creek  and  patented 
a  tract  of  four  hundred  acres  of  land.  He  was 
a  presbyterian  and  a  democrat  and  was  a  black- 
smith by  trade.  He  served  as  justice  of  the 
peace.  He  reared  a  family  of  five  sons  and  two 
daughters.  One  of  tiiese  sons  was  Joseph  Gaut, 
the  father  of  Dr.  Gaut,  and  was  born  in  180G. 
He  purchased  two  hundred  acres  of  his  father's 
farm  and  was  engaged  in  farming  until  his  death 
in  1878.  He  was  a  wing,  afterwards  a  republi- 
can and  served  one  term  as  county  treasurer.  He 
■jyas  a  constant  reader,  a  friend  of  education  and 
a  higlily  respected  elder  of  the  Presbyterian 
churcli.  He  married  Margaret  Francis,  who 
died  in  18.')!,  aged  forty-five  years.  Her  father 
was  \Vilii;iin  Francis  who  came  from  Ireland  to 
East  Huntingdon  township,  tiiis  county.  He 
was  a  i)resbyterian  and  married  Mary  Silla,  of 
his  native  country,  by  whom  he  had  si.x  sons  and 
six  daughters,  oneof  wiiom  was  Mrs.  Gaut.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Gaut  were  the  parents  of  four  sons 
and  four  daughters.  One  of  the  sons  is  Dr. 
Mattiicw,  ciiicf  pliysiciaii  of  the  Clifton  Springs' 
sanitarium,  N.  Y.,  at  a  salary  of  !?.'), 01)0  per 
year.  Another  son,  William  F.,  served  as  a 
soldier  in  the  late  war. 

Dr.  Robert  F.  (iaut  received  ids  education  at 
Laurel  Hiil  Parocliial  sciiool  and  taugiit  fourteen 
terms  in  the  common  schools,  lie  read  medi- 
cine witii  A.  VV.  Strickler,  attended  lectures  at 
Jefferson  Medical  college  tor  one  year  and  tiien 
entered  Detroit  Medical  college  at  Detroit, 
Michigan,  from  wiiich  lie  was  graduated  in  the 
class  of  18Tl».  After  graduation  iie  located  at 
Madison,  this  county,  wdiere  he  remained  two 
years  and  then  came  to  Kecksburg  where  lie  has 
been  actively  practicing  ever  since.     On  August 


28,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  company  I,  fifteenth 
reg.,  Pa.  cavalry,  and  was  mustered  out  February 
10,  18G3.  He  participated  in  the  battles  of 
South  iMouiitain,  Antielaiu  anil  M  ui  IVeesboro. 
lie  is  a  lepublican  and  a  iiieiiilier  of  i'leasant 
Unity  Presliylerian  cliurch,  while  his  wil'eiiolds 
membership  in  the  U.  B.  cluircii. 

On  October  12,  1857,  lie  married  Eleanor 
Gallatin,  daughter  of  Samuel  Gallatin,  of  Fay- 
ette county,  I'a.  They  are  the  jiareuts  of  four 
children  :  William  L.,  a  graduate  of  Iron  City 
college,  married  Lizzie  Prown  and  is  in  the  com- 
mission business  at  Altoona,  Pa.  ;  John  S., 
married  and  living  in  Nebraska ;  Lyman  and 
Mina  P.,  a  teacher.  Mrs.  Eleanor  Gaut  dying, 
Dr.  Gaut  married  for  his  second  wife,  in  Sep- 
tember, 187(i,  JLiry  J.  Truni]),  daughter  of  John 
and  Hettie  (Zuck)  Trump.  By  this  second  mar- 
riage he  has  three  children  :  Robert  L.,  Homer 
B.  and  Arthur. 


TSAAC  GEORGE.  The  soldiers  who 
I  marched  over  hundreds  of  miles  of  desert 
y  wastes,  wdio  stormed  and  carried  the  forti- 
fied heights  of  Sacramento  defended  by  four 
times  their  own  number,  who  won  the  umiualified 
praise  of  the  hero  of  Buena  Vista,  and  who  con- 
tributed largely  in  adding  the  vast  territories  of 
Arizona,  New  Mexico  and  Utah  and  the  States 
(jf  Nevada,  California  and  Colorado  to  the 
American  Union,  were  no  common  or  ordinary 
soldiers.  Of  these  soldiers  one  was  Isaac 
.George  of  Unity  township. 

He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Eleanor  (Campbell) 
George  and  was  born  on  the  farm  he  now  owns 
and  occupies  in  Unity  township,  Westmoreland 
county,  Pa.,  ()ctober  4,  1822.  The  George 
family  of  Unity  townshiji  was  founded  by 
Adam  George,  paternal  grandfather  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch.  Adam  George  emigrated 
from  Germany,  first  settled  in  York  county.  Pa., 
and  about  171)'.'  came  to  what  is  now  ^Vestmore- 
land  county  and  located  at  that  place,  known  in 


CJMj^^-X>  Uta\jCkSL^ 


wi:stmori:la \o  vo  uyrr. 


frmitiiT  tiiiK'.s  as  (icorf^c's  station.  He  served 
against  tiie  liuliaiis,  t'oui^lit  in  lliu  Hovoliitioiiary 
wal'  luuler  the  iiuinediate  coinuiainl  of  Washing- 
ton and  in  177  I  was  oik;  of  the  |icliricincrs  IVonj 
lliis  ciPiinl  V  lu(io\.  I'mn  lor  luolrcl  iiui  :ig:iiii-.l 
the  Indians.  lie'  crrelcd  (l.oigc's  slalmn  t.i 
protect  himself  and  neighbors  from  Indian  rai<ls 
and  when  Hannastown  was  burned  over  one 
hundred  and  fifty  settlers  were  gathered  at  his 
stockade  block-house.  The  brave  old  Indian 
fighter  and  patriotic  Revolutionary  hero  died  at 
an  advanced  age  and  sleeps  in  the  beautiful 
burial  place  on  the  farm  which  he  lu\ed  so  well 
and  on  which  so  much  of  his  life  was  passed. 
He  had  three  sons  :  Conrad,  who  was  in  the 
fort  at  Hannastown  when  that  village  was 
burned  ;  John  and  Peter,  who  became  owner  of 
the  home  farm.  John  George  (father)  was  born 
in  1771,  married  Ellen  Campbell,  of  Somerset 
county.  Pa.,  about  1800  and  lived  in  Mercer 
county,  this  State,  until  liSll,  when  he  re- 
moved to  the  farm  near  Beatty  station  now 
owned  and  occupied  by  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  He  had  a  family  of  si.x  sons  and  seven 
daughters,  died  September  4,  18G3,  aged  nearly 
ninety-three  years  and  his  remains  were  in- 
terred in  Unity  church  cemetery.  His  wife 
preceded  him  to  the  tomb  by  three  years.  She 
died  Marcli  19,1800. 

Isaac  <ieorgu  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm 
until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age.  He  then 
learned  the*trade  of  carpenter  and  at  twenty 
years  of  age  he  went  lu  May's  Lick,  Ky.,  where 
he  worked  for  one  year.  Imuui  there  he  went 
to  Lexington,  Mo.,  where  he  fullowe<l  his  trade 
until  the  Mexican  war  occurred.  He  then 
(June  1,  1810)  enlisted  in  Co.  P  (Capt.  William 
AValton),  lirst  regiment  of  .Missouri  mounted 
rifiemen,  commanded  by  Col.  Alexander  William 
Doniphan.  This  regiment  marched  one  thou- 
sand miles  in  fifty  days  over  a  trackless  wild 
and  captured  Sante  Fe,  New  Mexico,  on  August 
18,  1840.  From  there  Col.  D(;ni])han  made  a 
march  of  seven  hundred  and  fifty  miles  and  sub- 


jugiited  the  Navajo  Indians,  whe  were  the 
"  Miiuntain  Lorils  and  Scourgers  "  of  New 
Mexico.  l)n  the  1st  of  November  the  regiment 
bci;iin  its  NMindcrful  march  for  Chihuuhua, 
.Mexico,  a  iiiunli  ihal  will  be  IvMiiwn  fur  idl  linio 
1(1  come  as  "  l)oni[ihaa's  March,"  wiiicli  meets 
not  with  a  parallel  in  the  annals  of  the  world. 
On  Christmas  Day,  1840,  Col  Doniphan  with 
five  hundred  men  defeated  Gen.  Leon,  who  car- 
ried the  black  fiag  and  attacked  him  with  twelve 
hundred  Mexicans.  The  next  day  after  this 
battle  Col.  Doniphan  captured  El  Paso,  learned 
that  Gen  AVool,  whom  he  was  to  meet  at  Chi- 
huahua, had  turned  back  with  an  army  of  thirty- 
five  hundred  men  and  gone  to  assist  Gen.  Tay- 
lor. Nothing  daunted  by  Gen.  Wool's  failure 
to  capture  Chihuahua,  Doniphan  pursued  his 
march  through  several  deserts  and  on  the  28th 
of  February,  1847,  fought  the  battle  of  Sacra- 
mento, which  was  the  "New  Orleans"  of  the 
Mexican  war.  With  1,104  he  attacked  the 
Army  of  Central  Mexico,  4,220  strong  under 
Gens.  Ilendea,  Justiniani,  Ugarte  and  Conde, 
ex-minister  of  war,  and  drove  it  from  its  in- 
trenched position  with  a  loss  of  304  killed,  oOO 
wounded,  70  prisoners  and  all  of  its  artillery. 
The  American  loss  was  one  killed  and  twelve 
wounded.  On  March  1  Col.  Doniphan  took 
possession  of  Chihuahua,  the  strong  hold  of  Cen- 
tral Mexico.  The  regiment  received  the  warm 
thanks  of  Gen.  AVool  and  the  merited  praise  of 
Gen.  Taylor  for  their  magnificent  victory  and 
were  complimented  in  the  highest  numner  in 
public  orders  issued  by  both  generals.  Doni- 
))han  and  his  regiment  in  1847  reported  to  New 
Orleans  where  they  received  their  first  pay, 
were  discharged  and  a  portion  of  them  returned 
to  JMissouri  by  the  Mississippi  river.  Isaac 
George  served  throughout  this  entire  march  of 
nearly  0,000  miles,  endured  all  of  its  periods  of 
hunger  and  thirst,  participated  in  all  of  its  bat- 
tles and  never  was  sick  one  day  during  the 
whole  time.  Doniphan's  men  crossed  one  desert 
ninety  miles  long  with  but  one  pint  of  water  to 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


eacli  man.  American  historians  liavc  never  yet 
done  justice  to  the  men,  whose  courar^c  anil  con- 
duct a(;cotiiiiiislicil  the  most  \vou(h'rriil  acliieve- 
nicnt  ot  niiiih'!!!  limes.  h'or  wh.it  can  lie  more 
wonih'rliil  tiian  the  niareli  oF  a  sinj^le  regiment 
of  undisciplinei]  troops  tiirough  live  popidous 
States  of  the  Mexican  Republic,  ahnost  annilii- 
hiting  a  powerful  army  and  linally  returning 
home  after  a  march  of  several  thousand  miles 
graced  with  the  trophies  of  victory.  Col.  Doni- 
phan was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  general  but 
returned  to  the  jiractice  of  law  and  died  at 
Kichmond,  JMo.,  August  S,  1887,  at  eighty-one 
years  of  age.  In  a  letter  Avritten  to  a  friend 
from  Mexico  he  said:  "  My  men  are rougli. ragged 
and  ready,  have  one  more  of  the  Us  than  (ien. 
Taylor  himself."  Col.  Thomas  II.  ]?enton  said 
of  Doniphan's  men :  "  You  marched  farther 
than  the  farthest,  fought  as  well  as  the  best,  left 
order  and  (|uii't  in  your  train  and  cost  less 
money  than  any."  'i'here  was  dug  between 
1852  and  1S8U  frtun  the  territory  gained  from 
Mexico  the  sum  of  one  billion  six  hundred  and 
seventeen  million  dollars  in  gold  and  silver. 
After  the  Mexican  war  Mr.  George  returned  to 
Unity  township  wliere  in  order  to  fully  care  for 
Ids  pai'cnts  he  pui'chasril  ihcir  faruj,  wliicii  he 
has  ever  since  owned  and  up(Ui  which  he  still  re- 
sides. 

On  Deeeudier  2f),  18.;:!,  Isaac  (ieorge  married 
M;try  .Ann  Nixon,  daugliter  of  Ihju.  Saiuuel 
Nix.ui  (deceased),  iif  Fayette,  i'a.,  a  man  of 
piouuneiiee  ami  usefidnc  ss,  who  servi'ci  llire(^ 
lenus  in  ihe  Legishilure  ol  the  Stale  and  thir- 
teen years  (18:J8  to  1841)  as  associate  judge  of 
that  county.  Mrs.  (ieorge  is  an  industrious, 
energetic  and  pious  woman  and  has  contributed 
much  toward  her  husband's  success.  They 
reared  to  manhood  and  womaidiood  a  family  of 
two  sons  and  three  daughters:  John  N.,  who 
married  Lizzie  E.  Blair,  died  NovendierT,  1888, 
at  thirty-four  years  of  age  and  left  three  chil- 
dren :  Homer  J.,  Margaret  II.,  ami  .lohn  N.  ; 
Alexander    W.    D.,   engaged    in    farming    and 


stock-raising  ;  Phebe  II.,\Yife  of  Frank  R.  Town- 

j  send,  a  successful  farmer  of  Unity  township  ; 
j  Sarah  .).,  nuirried  to  llaUeck  U.  Raldridge,  who 
I  is  engage(i  in  I'aiiuiiig  near  the  home  farm;  and 
I  Maggie  Iv,  wife  of  Milton  Miller,  a  leading 
druggist  of  Rlairsville,  I'a. 

Isaac  George  in  business  is  scru]iulously  exact, 
very  correct  and  proverbially  honest  and  has 
built  for  himself  an  enduring  cluiracter  upon 
the  broad  and  sure  foundation  of  honesty, 
sobriety  and  promptness.  He  and  his  wife  and 
children  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
of  Unity.  As  a  friend  Mr.  George  is  sincere 
and  faithful  ;  as  a  cijmpaniou  pleasant  and  ac- 
commodating, while  as  a  business  man  his 
ability,  punctuality  and  rectilutle  stand  iiii- 
impeached.  .\s  a  man  among  men  he  is  kind, 
modest  and  unassuming  to  a  remarkable  de- 
gree. He  is  a  memlier  cf  the  Mexican  Veteran 
Association,  which  was  organized  in  187G  at 
^Vashington  City,  D.  C. 


ryAMUEL  L.  GORGAS,  a  leading  justice 
(^j    of  tlie  peace  and  one  of  the  best  business 

(*r  men  of  Derry  township,  is  a  son  of  Wil- 
liam and  Ann  (Nihell)  (iorgas,  ami  was  born  in 
Mt.  I'leasant  townsliip,  \\'estmoreland  county, 
Pa.  The  (iorgas  family  is  descended  from  three 
brothers  who  came  from  Holland  and  settled  in 
l'liiladel|iliia,  in  the  early  ]iartof  the  last  century. 
One  retuineil  to  llolhmd,  and  one  cjf  two  re- 
maiiiing  was  Samuel  (iorgas,  whose  silver  seal, 
with  his  inilials  and  the  emblem  of  two  doves 
holding  an  olive  branch  engraved  upon  it,  is  now 
in  the  possession  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
A  lineal  descendant  of  Samuel  Gorgas  was 
Samuel  (jforgas,  Jr.  (grandfather),  who  was  born 
in  eastern  Pennsylvania,  and  came  in  1810  to 
Westmoreland  county,  where  he  settled  in  Mt. 
Pleasant  township.  He  was  a  fai!iier  and  i'ur- 
dresser  and  died  in  18-J8.  AVilliam  Gorgas 
(father)  was  born  at  York,  Pa.,  about  1788  and 
located  at  Grewnsburg  in  181U.      He  removed  to 


wics'nronfJLA  xd  co  unty. 


4o9 


Mt.  l'lo;is;int  in  IHlli,  ami  in  183")  loturtad  tu 
Greonsbur;,'  wliore  lie  dioil  May  30,  IS-I.O.  He 
was  ii  clock  and  watcliinaker  and  jeweler  by 
traile,  and  |jerlia])s  over  one  hundred  clocks 
wiiirh  lie  made  aie  in  llie  county  lo-day.  He 
was  apiioiiited  clerk  of  courts  in  1^38  by  tiov. 
Porter,  served  one  year  (the  clerk's  office  being 
merged  in  the  prothonotary's  office),  and  in  1844 
was  appointed  by  the  commissioners  as  county 
treasurer,  in  which  capacity  he  was  serving  at 
the  time  of  his  death.  His  wife  was  Ann  Nihell, 
wlio  bore  him  six  sons  and  three  daughters  of 
whom  two  sons  and  the  three  daughters  are  liv- 
ing :  Joseph  11.,  of  Madison,  Ind. ;  Lucinda, 
wife  of  Dr.  John  Murray  of  Dridgewater,  Pa. ; 
Julia  .\.,  widow  of  Lucian  B.  Tnrney,  Greens- 
burg  ;  Cordelia  F.',  wife  of  Hail  Clark  of  Salts- 
burg,  Pa.;  and  Samuel  L.  Mrs.  Gorgas  was  a 
daughter  of  Lawrence  Nihell,  who  was  a  Revo- 
lutionary soldier,  and  with  his  brother  Ignatius 
were  the  only  children  of  Lawrence  Nihell,  Sr., 
who  was  a  sea  merchant  of  Philadelphia  and 
died  in  Limerick,  Ireland,  where  he  had  gone 
for  the  protection  of  his  vessels  during  the  lievo- 
lutionary  war. 

Samuel  L.  Gorgas  attended  school  at  Mt. 
Pleasant  and  Greensburg.  In  Jaiiuaiy,  18;i',i, 
he  assisted  his  father  in  the  clerk's  office,  and 
from  1840  to  June,  184G,  he  was  a  clerk  in  the 
jirothonotary's  office.  In  the  year  18(7  he  re- 
moved to  .lolinslown,  I'a.,  where  lie  veniaincd 
until  IS,"i'.l,  wlicn  he  rriuoviil  to  his  proi'Ut 
faiin  whii'li  lie  had  |>un'liaNed  and  upon  wliirh 
ho  had  erected  a  go,.d  iinuse  jn   IS.VS. 

On  January  I-,  iSlI,  liu  married.  His  son 
Muriay  lias  liecn  receiving;  leih'r  of  the  Provi- 
dent Life  and  Trust  ('(Uiipaiiy  of  riiiladel|ihia 
since  JSTtl;  Minerva  J.,  wife^  id'  It.  M.  Smiley, 
of  ('ariisle;  Perdinanil  S.,  a  ilental  surgeon  of 
l)(,'rry  ;  and  Mary  A.,  wiio  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  \V. 
K.  Vouni:  of  Tittslmrg,  I'a. 

In  politics  .Mr.  (Jorgas  is  a  slaiirii  democrat 
and  has  iieeii  seiving  as  justice  of  tiie  peace 
since     18S'J.      He    is    a    man    of    ;'ood   ijusiiiess 


ability,  does  a  general  collecting  business,  and 
I  has  been  constantly  called  upon  for  years  to 
I  write  wills,  dt'eds,  mortgages  and  articles  of 
j   agreement. 

ICIIARD  GRAHAM  is  one  of  the  many 
prosperous  farmers  of  Tnity  township 
who  are  deserving  of  the  success  which 
they  have  achieved.  He  is  a  son  of  James  and 
Catherine  (Ewing)  (iraliam  and  was  born  on  the 
farm  on  which  he  now  resides  in  Unity  township, 
Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  July  9,  1833.  His 
parents  were  both  natives  of  county  Donegal,  in 
which  they  were  married  and  afterwards  (183.'")) 
immigrated  to  this  country.  They  were  Presby- 
terians, came  to  Westmoreland  county  and  settled 
in  Unity  township  on  the  farm  now  occupied  by 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  The  father,  James 
Graham,  was  a  very  industrious  man,  reared  a 
family  of  two  sons  and  si.x  daughters  and  cleared 
out  a  large  part  of  his  farm  on  which  the  old 
house  is  still  standing  into  Avhich  he  first  moved. 
He  was  a  republican  and  died  May  6,  18S1,  aged 
eighty-two  years.  The  mother,  Catherine 
(Ewing)  Graham  was  an  estimable  woman  and 
died  April  1.'),  1884,  when  in  the  eighty-fourth 
year  of  her  age. 

Richard  (ii-ahani  was  reared  on  the  farm 
which  he  now  owns  and  on  which  he  has  always 
resided.        His    education    was    received    in    the 

early  eonniKUi   sel Is  of  the   county.       Leaving 

school  he  engaged  in  fainiiiig  which  he  followed 
uiilil  the  fall  of  ISlij  when  he  was  drafted  and 
ser\cd  for  nine  months  in  Co.  I,  ItiStli  reg., 
I'a.  Vols.  His  i-egimeut  was  stationeii  at  New 
Rerne,  N.  ('.  .M'ler  his  term  of  military  ser- 
vice was  ended  III'  returned  home  and  resumed 
charge  of  his  t'ariii  which  he  has  siiceessriilly 
tilled  ever  since.  He  is  a  repiiblieaii  in  political 
sentiment,  a  presbyterian  in  religious  belief  and 
holds  membership  in  the  Unity  eliurch  ol'  that 
deiioniination. 

April  l.'">,  I  88"),  he  miiriicd  lMiiiiiaCrawrord.il 
daughter  of  James  ('raw  fold,  ol'  I'nity  township. 


4  GO 


BIOGRArillES  OF 


■\vlio  \v;is    ii  fiiniici-    by  oofu])atioii,  ;i    iiicnibiT   of 
Unity  i'^o^^l)yt^'^i;lI\  cliim-li  ;mil  ilicd    M:ircli  1.'), 
1H~'.\  -.vn-d  c\iihty  years.      Mr.  uiid  Mr.s.  (iruli:iiii   , 
liav(-  olM-  .-■liilil,  a   (lau;i;l.t.T,  wImi  is  naiiicl    Lucy 
May. 

Ilicluird  Graliain  has  given  his  time  entirely 
to  agricultural  pursuits  yet  has  never  faile<l  to 
take  a  jjniper  interest  in  political  aflairs  or  to 
discharge  every  religious  duty  devolved  upon 
him.  liis  farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of 
lanil  is  uell  situated  in  regard  to  railroad  com- 
munication and  market  facilities.  The  land  is 
productive  and  well  adapted  to  fruit  or  market 
gardening  purpo.ses. 


•f*  ACOB  GRESS,  an  old  and  well-known  citi- 
'l'    7.en  and  a  i)rouiiiient  and  successful   farmer 
dJ     (if  Uiiitv  township   and  now   a   resident   of 
rirasant  Tnity.  was  horn    in  Washington   town- 
ship, Westmoreland  county.  I'a.,  Septomher  'JT, 
IS'lf),  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary  (i.autVer) 
Oress.      The    Cress   family  of  this   county   is   a 
hranch  of  the  (iress  family  of  eastern   rennsyl- 
vania.       ('apt.    A'alentine    Gress    (grandfatlier) 
came  from  that  part  of  tlie  State  and  settled  in 
Mt.  I'lea.saiit    township.      One    of  his    s.ms    was 
the  late    Jaeoh    dress,  Sr.      He   was  one  of  the 
most  substantial   citizens   and    reniarkaidy  suc- 
cessful  business  nion  who  ever  lived   in  •  West- 
moreland   county,      lie    was    born    March    11, 
171)3,    and    died    February    13,    18S3,    at    the 
aiKancrd  age  of  eighty-nine  years,  eleven  monlhs 
and    iwo  (lavs.      I'.y  trade   he   was   a  eoojicr   but 
cailv  in  idc  he  and    iiis  brother  Joiin   purchased 
ihrie  liundrrd  acres  of  timlier  land  near  Apollo 
and    liveil   in  a  little  log   cabin   witli   puncheon 
fliM.r   while  they  cleared  and  farmed  this  land. 
He  next  liought  one  hundred  and  si.xty  acres  of 
land  ill  Oiiio  and  |iiospered  so  well  that  in   IS;i'2 
lie    purchased   a  splendid    firm    of  onr    hundreil 
and  eighty-six  acres  in  Unity  township,  on  which 
he  moved  in  1«37   and  afterwards  built  a  large 
brick  house   in  which    he  lived  until    his   death.   | 


He  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  IHI'2,  was 
a  democrat  in  ])olitics  and  held  membership  in 
the  l{i'formed  chnrcli,  of  which  he  had  been  dea- 
cun  and  elder.  Hi!  was  a  man  of  unusual 
business  ability  and  was  a  promini'lil  and  inllii- 
ential  citizen  of  the  community  in  which  he 
lived.  He  was  a  large  land-holder  and  gave  a 
good  farn\  to  each  of  his  four  sons  and  two 
daughters.  His  wife  was  Mary  Laulfer  who 
bore  him  eight  children,  four  sons  and  four 
daughters,  and  died  September  2,  1880, 
a'n'd  eii:hty-one  years,  one  month  and  sixteen 
days. 

Jacob  Gross  received  his  education  in  the 
schools  of  his  neighborhood.  lie  came  to  Unity 
township  in  1.S37  and  remained  until  18.56  when 
he  moved  to  a  farm  of  his  father's  in  Mt.  Tleas- 
ant  township.  In  l^Gt)  he  returned  to  the 
home  farm  where  ho  remained  until  1880,  when 
he  retired  from  farming  and  active  business  life 
and  removed  to  his  present  residence  at  Pleasant 
Unity  in  l^Hl*.  He  owns  his  father's  fine  Unity 
townsbiji  farm  of  one  hundred  and  eighty-six 
acres  besides  an  adjoining  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  eighteen  acres  and  four  acres  of  land  and 
.some  valuable  property  at  Pleasant  Unity. 
Jacob  Gress  is  a  good  business  man,  a  "dyed- 
in-the-wool  "  democrat  and  one  of  the  old 
and  substantial  members  of  St.  Paul  Re- 
formed church, in  which  he  has  been  deacon 
and  elder. 

On  -iOth  ?*Iarch,  18"ii;,  he  married  Catharine 
Rumbaugh,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Peter  Rum- 
baugh,  of  Mt.  Pleasant  township,  and  died  in 
lS.".;i  leaving  two  children:  Franklin  !>.,  who  is 
preparing  to  go  west,  and  Mary  C.,  wife  of  J. 
K.  Poorman.  Mr.  Gress  remarried  "Jth  June, 
1870,  to  Maria  Zimmerman,  who  was  a  daughter 
of  Reuben  Zimmerman,  of  Hcmpfield  township, 
and  died  May  10,  187'.',  leaving  one  child: 
John  R.  F.  For  his  third  and  present  wife  Mr. 
Gress  united  in  marriage,  on  15th  March,  1881, 
with  Julia  Ann  Hess,  daughter  of  Jacob  Hess, 
of  Donegal  township,  this  county. 


WKSTMORELAND  COUN'l  i  . 


4G1 


•^  OSIIUA  GRIFFITH,  one  of  the  careful 
'i'  farmers  and  highly  respected  citizens  of  Mt. 
(iJ  Pleasant  townsliip,  is  a  son  of  Daniel  and 
Mary  (Newill)  (Jriffitii  and  was  born  in  Mt. 
I'itMsaiit  towusiiip,  Westmoreland  county,  I'a., 
Sc[itcnilier  <!,  \'6'1'1.  J  lis  paternal  grandfather, 
Ahijah  Griffith,  was  a  resident  of  Mt.  I'leasant 
to\Ynship  for  many  years  and  was  engaged  in  the 
couiuion  agricultural  pursuits  of  his  day.  His 
maternal  grandfather,  Thomas  Newill,  was  a  de- 
scendant of  the  old  and  early  settled  Newill 
family  of  Mt.  Pleasant  townsliip.  He  was  born 
and  reared  on  his  father's  farm,  attended  the 
early  schools  of  the  first  ([uarter  of  the  eighteenth 
ccnturv  and  engaged  in  farming,  which  was  the 
common  occupation  of  the  settlers  of  that  day  in 
AVestinoreland  county.  He  died  on  the  farm 
now  owned  by  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Daniel 
Griffith  (father)  was  born  in  the  latter  part  of 
the  eighteenth  century.  He  was  reared  on  a 
farm,  received  his  e<lucatii)n  in  old  suli<eripticm 
schools  and  followeil  faiiiiing  till  Ids  deatii.  He 
niarricMl  Mary  Newill,  by  wlmm  he  had  fnur 
ehildiTU,  two  suiis  and  two  ilauglilers  :  .Idlin 
(dead)  ;  Jo.shua,  Eli/.abelh  and  Jane. 

Joshua  Griffith  was  reared  in  his  native  town- 
ship and  trained  to  all  kinds  i)f  farmwoik.  He 
attended  llic  iiiral  scIkmiIs  ;ind  aftci'  olilainiiig 
what  was  cnnsidiTcd  at  liial  d:iy  a  fair  eilucal  ion 
he  ciit.'at^rd  in  his  iHcscnl  business  of  laiiiiing 
iwiis  ninety-five  a<-res  ol' 
■OS    iu    fiist-elass    order. 


and  stiiek-raising. 

good  land  w  liieh    h 

Hi.s  farm  is  .silii;ited  iiearllie    young   and   rising 

town  ol  Keeksbiirg. 

Jnsbna  (Irillilh  luanied  i-'Jizaiietli  Malliias. 
To  Mr.  and  .Mrs.  (Jnllilh  were  Imuii  fuir  elnld- 
reii,  I  wo  sons  and  two  daughters  :  Henry  man  u'd 
Amy  Itariihart,  follows  teaching  and  is  Jnow 
serving  as  auditor  of  Mt.  I'leasant  townshi])  ; 
Emily,  wife  of  .fames  Ohley,  who  is  cngageil  in 
(arming;  Liueolu  (dead);  ;ind  David,  who  is  at- 
tcndiug  the  "  Westein  I'eiinsylvania  (Massieal 
and  Scientific  Institute." 

Politically  Joshua   (Griffith    is    a    republican. 


He  is  a  member  of  Mt.  Pleasant  Presbyterian 
church,  which  was  known  in  old  times  as  the 
"  Middle  church." 


OTY  GUTHRIE,  one  of  Derry  township's 
leading  farmers  and  best  citizens,  was 
born  in  that  township,  June  16,  1845, 
and  is  the  only  child  of  John  and  Abby  (Doty) 
Guthrie.  His  grandfather,  Robert  Guthrie, 
was  a  native  of  Ireland  who  immigrated  to 
America  more  than  a  century  ago  and  after  re- 
maining three  years  in  Franklin  county  located 
permanently  in  Derry  township  where  he  bought 
a  farm  which  Doty  Guthrie  now  owns,  and  on 
whicli  he  died  February  20,  182G.  He  was 
married  in  Irelanil  to  Margaret  Love,  a  native 
of  Erin,  by  whom  he  had  eight  daughters  and 
two  sons.  John  Guthrie  (father)  was  the  young- 
est child  and  was  born  on  the  homestead  farm  in 
Derry  township,  January  21,  1812,  and  lived 
on  the  same  until  his  death  which  occurred  on 
tlie  21tth  of  August,  18S8.  Ijike  the  remainder 
of  the  family  lie  was  always  a  democrat  and  at- 
tended and  supported  the  Presbyterian  church. 
Interested  in  education  he  served  in  the  profit- 
less office  of  school  director  for  fully  a(|uarterof 
a  cciitiiiy.  Allliougii  somewhat  reserved  in 
manlier,  vet  he  was  gooil-liiiniored  and  loved  to 
eiaek  a  johi'.  hi  his  c:(Uiiniiuiity  he  was  highly 
esteemed  by  all  who  knew  him.  lie  was  twice 
married,  first  to  Abby  Doty,  who  lived  but  one 
and  one-half  years  after  lier  mairiago  and  died 
June  yu,  l^il."),  when  lu'r  son  was  only  two 
weeks  old.  Mr.  ( iutlirie's  second  wife  was  Mary 
W.  Keniiey  (See  sketch  of  George  W.  Kcnney) 
wiio  died  without  issue  September  IG,  187G. 
Nathaniel  Doty  (maternal  grandfather)  lived 
many  years  near  Millwood  in  Derry  township, 
where  he  dictl.  The  original  Doty  came  to 
America  from  l']ngland  in  the  Mayflower  in 
1G20  and  the  descendants  arc  to  be  found  in  va- 
rious sections  of  the  country. 

Doty  Guthrie  was  reared  on  the  farm    where 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


first  lio  saw  the  lij^lit,  rceeivfil  a  L'(}imiii)ii  scIkkiI 
education  and  has  all  his  liff  hi-i'n  t.'nj^a"i,'d  in 
the  |iiiisuit  of  agriculture.  He  was  desirous  of 
ohlaiiiiiig  a  coiniilclc  education,  hut  could  not 
.slaiid  llic  niccssaiy  cnnlincnirMl  and  was  olili^cd 
to  aliandon  his  iiurpose  or  intentiiui.  lie  is  a 
})rcsbytcrian,  a  trustee  of  the  eliurch  at  Now 
Alexandria  and  takes  great  interest  in  educa- 
tional matters,  having  served  as  school  director 
for  some  twelve  years.  A  democrat  in  principle, 
he  takes  an  active  part  in  belialf  of  his  party's 
cause.  He  is  connected  with  the  order  of 
Patrons  of  Husbandry,  owns  several  fine  farms, 
has  excellent  home  improvements  and  is  one  of 
the  most  substantial  citizens  of  the  township. 
He  is  quiet  and  unassuming  yet  courteous  and 
genial,  full  of  humor  and  hospitality. 

Doty  Guthrie  was  married  June  5,  1873,  to 
Hannah  U.  Peoples,  daughter  of  Joseph  Peoj)les, 
of  Ligonier  township,  and  to  them  have  been 
born  three  children  :  John,  horn  August  7, 
1874;  Margaret  E.,  born  August  28,  1S79  ; 
and  Abby  J.,  born  April  27,  1884. 

•jrOSEPII  GUTHRIE  (deceased).  One  of 
'i  the  most  industrious  and  useful  citizens  of 
2/  Westmoreland  county  and  one  who  had 
lieen  jmiticularly  identiticil  with  the  legal  afl'airs 
of  [Jerry  township  was  the  late  Jo'^ejdi  Guthrit', 
:'.  grandson  of  the  founder  of  New  |)errv  ami 
■*ho  .served  very  acce|italily  as  a  surveynr  for 
■uariy  years.  lie  was  a  son  (if  (_;ol.  , lames  and 
.•^allic  (.M, -Chirr)  (iiilliiic  ami  was  iMan  on  (he 
homestead  farm  in  I  )erry  township,  Westmore- 
land county,  I'a.  His  grandlather,  \Villiam 
Guthrie,  was  hoin  in  Ireland  July  Iti,  1744, 
and  died  Ajnil  S,  l.S()7,  in  1  »eny  township  to 
which  he  had  emigrated  in  early  Indian  times. 
He  took  up  a  large  tract  of  land  near  the  site 
of  New  Derry  and  laid  out  that  thriving  town. 
His  children  were:  Alexander,  John,  Margaret, 
William,  Col.  James,  Thomas,  Mary  and 
Joseph.      Col.  James   Guthrie  (father)  was  horn 


in  the  old  .settlers'  fort  which  stood  on  the 
Cahin  (.iilsoii  farm  on  June  1'.',  17Sl,  and  died 
November  111,  1S.15.  He  received  a  large  farm 
out  of  his  father's  vast  tract  of  land  on  which 
luM'esided  as  long  as  he  liv<'il.  He  was  (piito 
prominent  in  his  day  and  was  said  to  have  kept 
a  live  panther  as  a  ])et  for  many  years.  He 
married  Sallie  McClure  who  was  born  January 
14,  17'J0,  and  died  September  2;j,  1875,  and 
whose  parents  were  John  and  Violet  (McElheny) 
McClure,  of  Berry  township.  To  Col.  James 
and  Mrs.  Guthrie  were  born  four  children  : 
Joseph  (deceased) ;  Margaret  A.,  who  died  in 
18(j7;  William,  died  in  1825;  and  Violet  M. 
Joseph  Guthrie  inherited  his  father's  farm 
on  which  he  was  reared  and  spent  his  life.  He 
obtained  a  fair  education  and  gave  his  attention 
to  farming  and  surveying.  He  was  a  member 
and  communicant  of  Old  Salem  Presbyterian 
church  for  over  fifty  years.  He  was  more  than 
once  elected  ruling  elder  but  would  never 
accept  that  office,  although  he  freipiently  served 
as  choir  leader  and  trustee.  He  was  a  liberal 
contributor  to  the  church,  a  successful  business 
man,  an  industrious  farmer  and  a  useful  citizen. 
He  was  a  rc])ublican  in  politics,  was  justice  of 
the  p'jace  for  many  years  and  serveil  one  term 
as  county  surveyor. 

On  November  '.\  1SS(],  he  iinited  in  marriage 
with  Margaret  A.  Kline,  daughter  of  Josejih 
and  Margaret  J.  (Leasure)  Kline,  who  have 
been  residents  of  Helmmit  since  1850.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Guthi'ie  was  horn  one  chihl,  a  son, 
.loseph  licasuie  Kline  (iiithrie,  who  was  boi'ii 
Ajiril  2,  188.S.  Mrs.  Guthrie  is  a  great-great- 
granddaughter  (jf  Peter  Kline,  wliose  eldest  son 
John  served  under  Washington,  mari'ied  a  Miss 
Mace  and  removed  to  Westmoreland  county 
where  his  eldest  son,  John  Kline,  married  Nancy 
Buchman  and  one  of  their  children  was  Joseph 
Kline,  who  married  Margaret  Leasure  and  has 
six  children  :  Anna  M.,  Aggie  J.,  Margaret  A. 
(Mrs.  Guthrie),  Jolin  L.,  Emma  and  Cyrus 
(for  a  full  account  of  this  important  family  see 


WESTMOEELAXD   COUNTY. 


4G3 


skolcli  of  S.  W.  K.  Kline,  of  Gnunslmrg). 
Mis.  (iutlirio,  ;it'tor  licr  liuslninirs  iluiitli,  re- 
iii(iv(.mI  to  Lati'obe  ivlifre  .slie  lias  built  and 
occuiiit's  a  very  fine  liou.se  wliicli  .stamls  jii.st 
outside  the  borough  limits. 

Joseph  Guthrie  died  December  8,  1888,  and 
hi8  remains  rest  in  Old  Salem  cemetery.  Of 
him  it  has  been  truthfully  and  appropriately 
said,  "That  he  was  a  devoted  son,  an  affection- 
ate brother  and  a  lovinc  husband  and  father." 


ell.VRLES  C.  IIACKETT,  an  active  busi- 
ness man,  a  soldier  of  the  late  war,  ticket 
an<l  freight  agent  of  the  P.  R.  11.  Co.,  at 
Derry,  was  bom  at  Elliottsburg,  Perry  county, 
Pa.,  August  1,  1845,  and  is  a  son  of  James  B. 
ITackctt.  Tracing  his  lineage  back  for  six  gen- 
erations wo  conic  to  Oavid  llackctt,  who  was  of 
Scotch-Irish  extraction  and  immigrated  to  Cuiii- 
berhind  (now  Perry)  county  jnior  to  the  war  of 
tlie  Revolution.  lie  lies  buried  in  the  old  grave- 
yard near  Duncannon,  Pa.  He  had  three  sons  : 
Robert,  who  lost  an  arm  in  the  Revolutionary 
war  and  was  buried  alongside  his  father  ;  James, 
who  immigrated  to  Crawford  county.  Pa.  ;  and 
George,  who  moved  to  Red  Rock,  near  Loys- 
ville.  Pa.,  where  he  died  August  1,  1800.  The 
latter  had  five  sons :  Robert,  tlie  second  son 
and  great-grandfather  of  Charles  C.  llackett, 
settled  near  Sandy  Hill,  in  Perry  county,  Pa., 
where  he  died  Juno  1,  ISoo,  and  is  buriccl  in 
Criilic  gravcyiinl.  Il<'  IimiI  nine  sdiis,  of  wboiii 
liie  sr.-niMJ  was  Gcug,.  S.  (graiKUiil  b<T ).  II,: 
solved  as  treasurer  and  director  nf  the  )iiior  of 
Perry  county,  died  at  Bloomfield  July  .'>,  lSr)2, 
and  is  buried  in  oiil  Centre  graveyard.  One  of 
his  suns  is  James  15.  llackett  (father),  who  was 
born  Se])teinber  7,  18111,  and  is  a  resident  of 
Bloonifiuhl.  lie  was  in  tiic  mercantile  business 
lor  many  years,  elected  county  surveyor  in  IS'iG, 
and  was  a  clerk  for  four  years  in  the  ollice  of 
Internal  afl'airs  under  lion.  .1.  Simjison  Afiica, 
secretary. 


Charles  C.  llackett  was  reared  in  Perry 
county,  where  he  graduated  from  Bloomfield 
academy.  Being  too  young  to  enter  the  army 
as  a  jirivate  he  enlisted  as  a  drummer  boy  at  the 
age  of  si.xteen  years  in  Co.  G,  one  hundred  and 
thirty-third  reg.  Pa.  Vols.,  and  participated  in 
all  the  battles  in  which  the  command  to  which  he 
was  attached  was  engaged.  In  February,  18(34, 
he  re-enlisted  in  the  Signal  Corps  of  the  U.  S.  A. 
and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  After 
the  war  he  engaged  successfully  in  the  grocery 
and  clothing  business.  In  June,  18()9,  he  was 
employe<l  by  the  P.  1{.  11.  Co.  and  sent  as  as- 
sistant ticket  agent  to  Derry.  In  1871  he  was 
transferred  to  Pittsburg,  where  he  acted  for  three 
years  as  storekeeper.  In  1874  .Mr.  llackett 
was  appointed  ticket  and  freight  agent  at  Derry, 
which  position  he  has  held  very  ereditably  ever 
since.  On  Kebruary  8,  1882,  he  married  Annie 
E.  Kunkle,  daughter  of  Rev.  Christian  V. 
Kunkle  of  Greencastle,  Franklin  county,  Pa. 
To  their  union  has  been  born  one  child,  ii 
daughter,  Amanda  Belle  llackett.  In  politics 
Mr.  llackett  is  a  stanch  democrat  and  has 
always  been  an  active  worker  in  that  party,  lie 
is  a  member  of  Derry  Presbyterian  church,  and 
an  energetic  and  successful  business  man  of  the 
borough  in  which  he  resides. 


EV.  J.  MILTON  HAMILTON,  the  pop- 
ular pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  chinch 
>S  at  Ni'W  Miirein'c,  is  of  Scotch-Irish  line- 
age,  was  born  in  .Vsjiiund  county,  Ohio,  May  10 
1842,  and  is  a  son  of  Hanson  Hamilton  who 
was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  a  native  of 
Washington  county.  Pa.,  and  was  born  in  Felj- 
ruary,  17.S8.  In  1818  he  migrateil  t(»  Ohio, 
where  he  piirciiased  a  large  farm  and  (piietly 
lived  the  life  ol'  a  farmer  until  bis  death,  on 
December  8,  1871.  His  wife,  Sarah,  was  a 
daughter  of  James  Davis  of  Washington  county, 
I 'a.  She  died  in  May,  188'J,  at  the  advanced 
age    of   ninety-five    years.      \Vi!liarn    Hamilton 


BIOORArniES  OF 


(graiulfatlier)was  a  Washington  county  pioneer  ; 
he  settled  on   a  farm   near   West   Middletown, 
was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  the   Revolution  and 
cuMic    to    I'l-hiisyivaiiia    fiMiii    the   north    of    Ire-   \ 
land.  "  j 

()u  Deeeinber  150,  IStJ'.t,  Uev.  J.  .Milton 
Hamilton  was  married  to  Julia  Looniis,  a 
daughter  of  Robert  C,  an  iron  merchant,  and 
Jane  (McCurdy)  Loomis  of  Pittsljurg,  Pa. 
Four  children  have  been  born  to  their  union  : 
INIary  L.,  born  October  1,1871;  Robert  L., 
July  28,  1873;  Jennie,  November  '26,  1875, 
and  Estella,  November  21,  1877.  lie  attended 
the  public  schools  and  afterwards  the  academy 
at  Ilaysville.  In  1805  he  entered  Washington 
and  Jefferson  colleges  of  Pennsylvania  and  was 
graduated  from  there  in  the  class  of  ISGG.  In 
the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  became  a  divinity 
student  at  the  Western  Theological  seminary  at 
Allegheny,  Pa.,  and  from  which  he  was  gradu- 
ated in  the  Spring  of  18G'J.  His  first  pastoral 
charge  was  at  Corsica  and  Greein'ille,  preaching 
every  alternate  Sabbath  at  cither  place  in 
Clarion  county.  At  the  cud  of  two  years  he 
resigned  on  account  of  ill  health  and  for  the 
two  years  following  he  did  no  work,  lie  next 
entered  the  Blairsville  presbytery  and  took 
charge  of  the  Plum  creek  Presbyterian  church 
where  he  successfully  labored  in  the  interests 
of  that  church  f  )r  a  period  of  limrteen  years. 
In  lfS88  he  came  to  New  Florence  and  now 
Las  charge  of  the  church  at  that  ]jhice  anil  the 
Armagh  i'rc'sbyterian  church  in  Indiana  cnuiity. 
Rev.  Hamilton  is  a  thorough  gentleiiKUi,  a  man 
of  su])crior  intelligence,  strong  and  forcible  in 
the  pulpit  and  is  very  ]iopular  with  the  meiubers 
of  his  church. 


r^ERMAN  IIAMILL.  Among  the  many 
I  J  different  kimls  of  business  there  are  none 
V*)  of  more  iin|iortance  than  tlic  lumber 
trade,  anil  one  who  is  engaged  in  this  branch  of 
connuercial  enterprise  is  llcrinan  Hamill  of 
liaurclville. 


He  is  a  son  of  William  and  Helena  (Seibert) 
Ilamill  and  was  born  in  the  State  of  Ilesae 
(Genuan,  Ilesseii)  Germany,  January  H»,  18^)7. 
His  grandl'athcrs  Ilamill  and  Seibert  were  na- 
tives and  rcsidc-nts  of  (icriiiany.  They  were 
strict  Lutherans  in  religious  belief.  William 
Ilamill,  father,  was  born  aljout  1825  and  is  a 
very  fine  scholar.  He  has  been  a  teacher  in 
and  principal  of  the  schools  of  Belter  Shausen, 
Germany,  for  the  last  forty-eight  years.  He  is 
a  lutheran  and  owns  a  small  farm.  He  has 
been  married  twice.  For  his  first  wif;  he  mar- 
ried Helena  Seibert,  who  died  in  18ljti.  They 
had  seven  children :  Lizzie,  wife  of  William 
Reisbeck,  of  Philadelphia;  Prof.  Carl,  princi- 
pal of  a  high  school  in  Germany ;  William,  a 
captain  in  the  German  army ;  Herman,  Martin, 
a  teacher,  and  two  who  died  in  inf\incy. 

For  his  second  wife  he  married  a  Miss  Price, 
by  whom  he  has  had  two  children  Katie  and 
(jeorge  whi.i  died   when  young. 

Hrrman  Hamill  received  a  very  good  educa- 
tion in  the  schools  of  Belter  Shausen  where  his 
teacher  was  his  father.  In  1872  he  and  his  sister 
came  to  Greensl)urg  where  he  worked  at  butcher- 
ing till  1878  when  he  engaged  in  that  business 
for  himself.  In  1887  he  removed  to  Laurelville 
and  in  jjartnership  with  Mr.  Koontz  purchased 
two  hundred  and  si.Kty-five  acres  of  heavily- 
timbered  land.  Mr.  Ilamill  is  actively  en- 
gaged in  cutting  this  timber  and  sawing  it  into 
lumber  which  he  is  constantly  shipping  to  many 
dill'erent  points.  While  in  the  butchering 
business  at  Greensburg  he  bought  and  shipjicd 
cattle  to  the  eastern  markets  ami  during  one 
summer  jiiit  up  a  great  many  hay  elevators 
throughout  the  county. 

On  March  22,  1879,  he  married  Sophia 
Bomer,  daughter  of  Bernard  Bomer  of  near 
Greensburg.  'I'hcy  are  the  ])arcnts  of  four 
children:  Helen  and  i\Iabcl  M.  (twins),  born 
Juno  24,  1880;  Li/zie,  born  November  1, 
1881,  and  William  Carl,  born  April  7,  1881'). 
Politically  Mr.  Hamill  is  a  democrat.     He  is 


WKSTMi IRELAND   CO UNTY. 


a  iiu'IiiIhT  of  the  Firrit  Ijiitlici'Mii  cliurcli  of  Mt. 
l'li,';is:iiit  uud  is  (Hiu  nf  tlio  (.'iicrgt'tic  ami  siiccoss- 
fiil  liLisiiu'ss  iiii'ti  of  liis  coniimiiiity. 

^jl^AMES  HARDING,  aduscundant  of  an  old 

JlSuvolutioiiary  soldiur  and  patriot  and  tlic 
owner  of  one  of  Dcrry  township's  finest 
farms,  was  born  in  Mifllin  township,  Allegheny 
county,  J'a.,  October  "JO,  IS'i:!,  and  is  a  son  of 
James  and  Sarah  (llays)  Harding.  Hispateiiial 
gramlfathcr,  Thomas  Harding,  was  born  in  Ire- 
land and  came  to  America  prior  to  the  Revolu- 
tionary war.  He  served  as  a  cavalryman  in  the 
Continental  army,  was  captured  by  the  British, 
carried  to  Philadelphia  and  confined  in  a  build- 
ing from  which  he  and  several  other  prisoners 
escaped  by  means  of  a  ro]ie  conveyed  to  them 
by  the  woman  who  carried  in  their  meals.  After 
the  war  he  migrated  to  Allegheny  county,  this 
State,  and  subseipiently  removed  to  Clinton 
county,  Ohio,  where  he  died  in  1844  at  the 
advanced  age  of  ninety-eight  years.  Abraham 
Hays,  maternal  grandfather,  was  a  resident  of 
Allegheny  county,  I'a.,  where  he  married  Fan- 
nie Pattie,  who  was  of  French  descent.  James 
Harding,  Sr.  (father)  was  born  February  7, 
1780.  in  Allegheny  county,  where  he  resided 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  ()ctobero,  iS.nS. 
He  was  originally  a  democrat  but  became  a 
whig  in  1S45.  He  was  a  farmer  and  married 
Sarah  Hays,  by  whom  he  had  eight  children,  of 
whiiiiihMi  are  living:  .lamc-s,  ami  Margarrt,  who 
married  John  Hodgson,  cd'  I'itlsbui'g  and  cele- 
brated her  golden  wedding  in  July,  188'J. 

James  Harding  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
learned  the  trade  of  carpenter  in  Pittsburg, 
which  he  followed  in  that  city  for  ten  years.  In 
18Gt)  he  removed  to  Derry  township  and  settled 
on  his  present  farm  Avhich  he  had  ])urcliased  in 
18;')8.  For  the  last  twenty-one  yeais  he  has 
been  very  successful  in  farming  and  stock-rais- 
ing. He  is  a  republican  in  politics  and  a  deacon 
of  the   lilairsville   Presbyterian  church.      He  is 


genial  and  generous  and  has  a  hcauliful  and 
attractive  home,  which  lies  near  iJlaiisville  ami 
is  known  as  the  Social  Hall  Farm. 

On  November  lis,  iHfj'J,  he  niarrieil  Louisa 
Hall,  who  was  lioiri  ,\iiL'ii-l  7.  l^U'H,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Robert  Hull,  ,i  wr.dthy  plow  manu- 
facturer of  Pittsburg  and  the  inventer  of  the 
first  patent  lever  plow.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harding 
have  been  the  parents  of  si.\  children:  Martha 
J.,  born  February  20,  18.">5;  Laura  B.,  June 
24,  IS.-JB  ;  James  L.,  born  November  7,  18G0; 
Robert  H.,  May  27,  18G3,  and  died  January  G, 
1871)  ;  Lawrence,  born  February  17,  1868, 
died  January  13,  1879,  and  George  II.,  born 
December  2'J,  1872,  and  died  January  20,  1870. 


;^MZI  D.  HARMAN,  a  valiant  soldier  in 
the  great  rebellion  and  the  present  effi- 
cient manager  of  the  Dcri'y  co-operative 
store,  was  born  at  Wilkinsburg,  Allegheny 
county,  Pa.,  April  18,  1845.  Later,  he,  with 
his  parents,  removed  to  Greensburg  where  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  education. 
In  June,  1803,  he  enlisted  as  corporal  in  Co. 
K,  211th  reg.  Pa.  Vols.  Mr.  Harman  for  his 
intrepid  conduct  in  the  field  was  voted  by  Con- 
gress a  medal  which  lie  now  has  in  his  ))Osses- 
sion.  He  was  engaged  at  Dunbar,  l'\iyette 
county,  for  eight  years,  thence  went  to  Connells- 
ville,  afterwards  was  a  short  time  in  business  at 
Greensburg  and  in  1881  lie  removed  to  Derry 
to  take  his  jiresent  position,  that  of  manager  of 
the  Derry  co-operative  store. 

He  was  marrried  to  Miss  Lucetta  Sarver,  of 
Greensburg,  on  November  4,  1809.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Jacob  and  Sarah  (Kichl)  Sarver, 
who  were  both  born  in  Westmoreland  county, 
Pa.,    and  both  now  deceased. 

A.  D.  Harman  was  only  eighteen  years  of 
age  when  he  volunteered  as  a  private  soldier; 
liis  first  battle  was  Bermuda  Hundred,  Virginia. 
Afterwards  he  participated  in  the  battles  of 
Hatcher's  Run,  Fort  Stcadman   and   at  Peters- 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


burg,  A^i.  Oil  April  2,  1865,  he  captured  the 
Rebel  flag  beloiigiug  to  forty-first  Alabama  regt. 
at  a  great  risk  of  losing  his  life.  A.  D.  Ilarinaii 
is  a  sdii  of  Saiiiiul  anil  Mary  (liOgaii)  IFarinaii, 
■who  were  natives  respectively  of  Ijigouicr  Val- 
ley and  Pleasant  Unity  township,  Westmoreland 
county,  Pa,  The  latter  is  yet  living  at  the  age 
of  sixty-eiglit  at  Greensburg.  TJio  former  died 
at  the  age  of  sixty-six. 


EORGE  M.  IIARTZELL,  a  pleasantly- 
'■■•■  located  and  progressive  farmer  of  IMt. 
^  Pleasant  township,  is  a  son  of  George 
and  Hannah  (Barnhart)  Ilartzell  and  was  born 
in  Mt.  Pleasant  township,  Westmoreland  county. 
Pa.,  July  24,  1852.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
George  Ilartzell,  was  born  east  of  the  AUcglie- 
nies  and  migrated  to  Mt.  Pleasant  township 
wliere  he  died.  He  was  a  tailor  by  trade  but 
followed  farming.  He  was  a  republican,  a 
member  of  the  Reformed  church  and  married 
a  Miss  Lauffer  by  whom  he  had  ten  children. 
Abraham  ]5andiavt,  maternal  grandfither,  was 
a  native  ofMt.  Pleasant  township  wlici-e  he  fol- 
lowed farming  during  his  liretime.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  IJcfornied  church  and  married  a 
Miss  Hugus,  wlio  bore  him  three  children,  all  of 
whom  were  daughters,  (ieorgc  Hartzell  (fatlier) 
was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  removed  in 
1878  to  j\It.  Pleasant  where  he  resided  until  his 
deatli  in  iSSl)  at  the  age  of  sixty-four  years. 
Seven  months  ami  twenty  days.  He  was  a  re- 
publican, served  one  term  as  burgess  of  Mt. 
Pleasant  ami  made  a  popular  borough  official. 
He  wa.i  an  ardent  mendier  and  generous  sup- 
jiorter  ol' the  Keformed  ehurch.  to  which  he  left 
a  donation  of  ^1,5()0  and  in  which  there  is  a 
memorial  window  to  his  memory.  He  was  a 
consistent  ehurch  member  whose  everyday  life 
was  in  full  accord  with  the  teachings  of  Chris- 
tianity, lie  married  llannali  Itainhart  who  is 
now  in  the  sixly-eightli  year  ol'  lier  age.      'I'hey 


had  eleven  children,  of  whom  two  sons  and  three 
daughters  are  living. 

George  M.  Ilartzell  was  reared  in  Mt.  Pleas- 
ant township  wheie  he  received  his  education  iik 
the  coniiiion  scIkjoIs.  Ho  then  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  stock  raising  which  he  has  followed  ever 
since.  His  farm  contains  one  hundred  and 
sixty-eight  acres  of  well-improved  land  on  which 
he  has  erected  good  buildings.  He  has  one  of  the 
finest  farm  residences  to  be  found  in  the  town- 
ship. It  is  a  large  three-story  frame  dwelling 
with  basement  containing  ten  rooms,  wide  re- 
ception halls,  pantry,  front  and  rear  porches  and 
is  modern  and  com])lete  in  all  its  arrangements. 

On  September  20,  1877,  he  married  Jennie 
P.  Lobingier,  daughter  of  John  C.  Lobingier 
(see  sketch  of  Lobingiers).  They  are  the  parents 
of  four  chihlren  :  John  (r.,  Harry  L.,  Lizzie  O. 
and  Percy  C. 

In  politics  Mr.  Ilartzell  is  a  republican  and 
was  elected  school  director  in  1888  for  the  term 
of  three  years.  He  is  an  influential  member  of 
the  Reformed  church  but  his  wife  is  a  member 
of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church. 


•|m)1IN  IIENDEKSON,  one  of  Grant's  vet- 
I  ei'an  soldiers,  a  leading  citizen  of  Hei'ry  and 
dy  a  popular  passenger  conductor  on  the  Penn- 
sylvania railroad,  is  a  son  of  Andrew  and  Eliz- 
abeth (Mitchell)  Henderson  and  was  born  in 
Derry  township,  \Vestmorcland  county.  Pa., 
August  4,  1843.  His  paternal  grandfather 
(Henderson)  was  a  native  of  Scotland,  came  to 
America  'when  a  young  man  and  settled  in  Unity 
township,  where  he  resided  till  his  death.  His 
maternal  grandfather  (Mitchell)  was  born  in 
Irelaml,  settled  near  the  site  of  Latrobe,  where 
he  was  captured  by  Indians  and  held  as  a  pris- 
oner for  five  years  before  he  succeeded  in  making 
his  escape.  Andrew  Henderson  (father)  was 
born  in  Unity  township  in  1785  and  died  in 
i\Iay,  ISSl,  aged  ninety-six  years.  He  was  a 
I'armer,  a  democrat  and  a  mendier  of  the  llaptist 


WESTMORICLAND  CO  UyTV. 


4G7 


cliinx'li,  witli  which  hu  united  in  ISIJS.  In  1835 
lie  rt'niii\'(.'il  to  ]  )ony  tu\\nbliiii  wIiltc  liu  piissed 
the  rciiKiinder  of  his  liuys.  Ho  uianii'd  Kli/.a- 
hHh  Milrhcll  Mild  naivd  a  laruily  of  .■i;_d,l  cliil- 
<licn:  Ih'ldah,  widow  of  William  .Miller;  Saiiiji- 
soii,  lives  at  Jjati-ohc  ;  dames;  Aj^nob.  who  died 
about  iMifj;  Mary,  wife  of  Edward  ]>oyd; 
Auchew,  of  Idi^ouier  township;  ]']li'zaheth,  wife 
of  1>.  li.  Weaver;  and  John,  of  Derry  liorougli. 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Henderson  died  in  1.^84. 

John  Henderson  was  reared  in  Derry  towii- 
shij)  and  attended  the  common  seliools  until  he 
was  eighteen  years  of  age,  when  he  enlisted  in 
Co.  (',  I'leventh  reg.  I'a.  \^)ls.,  and  served  from 
yeiiteuiber  o,  iSill,  to  July.  18(10.  He  fought 
at  Thoroughfare  Gap,  Second  Bull  Run,  South 
Mountain,  Antietani,  Fredericksburg  and  (Gettys- 
burg and  particijiated  in  all  of  the  battles  of 
Grant's  campaign  from  the  Wilderness  lights  to 
Appomattox  Court  House.  He  received  a  Hesh 
■Wound  at  Fredericksburg  and  was  shot  in  the 
thigh  at  Geltysburg.  \t  the  former  place  he 
was  captured  and  taken  to  Libby  (irison,  wheie 
he  ]>assed  twenty-eight  days  before  he  was  ex- 
changed. At  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  hon- 
orably discharged  and  returned  home,  where  he 
worketl  Ibr  eigbleen  months  in  a  s.iw-mill.  We 
was  iheii  employed  by  the  reiinsy Ivaiiia  Kailroad 
Company  and  has  been  in  their  service  e\'er 
siiKc.  h'or  the  last  seventeen  years  he  has  been 
a  passenger  conductor  and  now  ruirs  a  train  from 
])eiry  to  .\ltoona. 

In  Maivh,  |.S(;(;,  ,|,,b„  Henderson  married 
Mli/a  lliiiisbeig.a,  daiiglilerof.lnhn  1 1  iiiisberger, 
of  Heny  lowiisbip.  'riie_\  have  bad  mm'  chil- 
dren: (Jeorge,  .Minnie,  wife  of  I'].  i\.  riingle  of 
Ijalrobe;  lieasuru,  who  dit'd  June  18,  I  ISh  1  ; 
Dora,  Charles,  AVilliam,  Wilson,  who  died  March 
20,  ISSO;    Marie  and  Roy. 

John  Henderson  owns  line  ]irojjertv  in  the 
borough  of  Deny  and  is  uidcdy  and  favorably 
known  to  the  traveling  public  as  one  of  the  most 
ctlicient  and  popular  [lassenger  conductors  on  the 
Pennsylvania  railroad. 


•jlrOHN  J.  HORN,  one  of  the  prominent  busi- 
1  ness  men  of  Pleasant  I'nity,  is  pre-cini- 
2/  nc!  ntly  a  self-made  man.  who  has  overcome 
many  obstacles  in  bis  way  to  success.  lie  is  ii 
son  of  (icorge  Horn  and  was  boilionhis  I'allim's 
farm  in  Salem  townshii),  Westmoreland  county, 
Pa.,  May  14,  18ol.  George  Hoin  was  a  hard- 
working man,  w  bo  owned  a  small  farm  on  the 
road  leading  from  Salem  to  Saltsburg.  He  died 
iu  18:37  wdien  comparatively  a  young  man. 

John  J.  Horn,  when  an  infant  of  but  eighteen 
months  of  age,  was  taken  by  a  Mr.  Mitchell,  of 
near  Greensburg,  w ho  was  to  rear  him,  give  him 
eighteen  months  schooling  and  when  be  became 
of  age  to  present  him  with  a  '•  freedom  suit  " 
and  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars  in 
money.  He  worked  faithfully  for  Mitciiell  until 
he  was  nineteen  years  of  age,  when  having  re- 
ceived no  schooling  and  seeing  that  the  latter 
dill  not  intend  to  give  him  anything  he  left  ]Mr. 
Mitchell  and  commenced  to  do  for  himself.  He 
worked  as  a  farm  laborer  at  ten  dollars  per 
nK)nth  for  two  years,  was  with  a  caipenter  lor 
one  year  and  in  1853  went  back  to  farming, 
which  he  followed  for  six  years.  In  185'.(  he 
came  to  Pleasant  Unity,  where  he  opened  a 
blacksmilh  slio|i.  Altboiigh  he  had  never 
Worked  at  blacksmilbing,  yet  be  was  a  natural 
mechanic  and  succeeded  beyond  his  expectations 
as  a  blacksmilh.  He  somi  connei'ted  a  wagon- 
making  and  coach  establishment  with  his  black- 
smith shop  and  has  piii'siie(|  both  liiii's  of  busi- 
ness siiccessliilly  iiiilil  the  present  lime.  In 
llS8(J  he  opened  his  hardware  and  j^'ocery  store. 
Williin  the  last  few  years  he  has  been  assisted 
in  bis  dillereiit  business  enterprises  by  his  two 
sons,  David  M.  and  William  R. 

On  the  23d  of  September,  1852,  he  married 
Margaret  Gardner,  daughter  of  Abraham  Gard- 
ner of  Unity  township.  They  have  live  chil- 
dn^i  :  David  M.,  married  to  Miss  E.  L. 
Truxal ;  \Villiam  R.,  who  married  Miss  Re- 
becca Rrinker,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  T.  II.  Rrinkcr  ; 
Lizzie  K.,  wife  of  William  R.  ^Vilson  of  Done- 


408 


BIOGUAPIIIES   OF 


gill ;  Virginia,  married  to  W.  G    Lang,  a  trav- 
eling salesman  of  Tiigonior,  ami  Ifolicita. 

Politically  Mr.  Horn  is  a  ilomoerat.  He  is  a 
mcinlicr  of  tlie  Tiodj^e,  No.  14,  {JIkjsoii  Friends, 
and  member  of  tlio  M.  E.  cIiiul-Ii,  of  whose 
board  of  trustees  lie  lias  been  president  for  fif- 
teen years.  Mr.  Horn  is  like  President  Andrew 
Johnson — he  learned  to  read  and  write  after  he 
was  of  age.  He  is  a  remarkably  fast  as  well  as 
a  very  fine  workman  and  his  trade  extends  over 
the  country  for  several  miles  around  Pleasant 
Unity.  His  stores  are  heavily  stocked  and  well 
patronized.  He  is  energetic  and  pushing  but 
honest  and  honorable,  and  is  a  popular  business 
man  and  a  respected  citizen. 


ySAAC  HORNER,  one  of  the  substantial, 
l"  reliable  and  prosperous  formers  of  Mt. 
f  Pleasant  township,  was  born  in  Donegal 
townsliip,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  November 
23,  1838,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Mary 
(Weimer)  Horner.  His  grandfatlier,  David 
Horner,  was  a  member  of  the  Horner  family  of 
Somerset  cmiiity,  I'a.,  whicli  was  of  (Jerman 
extraction.  1  le  was  one  of  the  many  industrious 
farmers  who  iiave  from  time  to  time  come  irom 
that  county  into  the  AVestnioreland  townships 
of  the  Tiigonier  ^'^allcy.  He  was  a  fanner,  a 
wliig  and  a  mciaber  of  tiie  (Jcrnian  IJaptist 
churcli.  He  married  Elizabctii  IJerkley  who 
bore  him  si.x  sons  and  three  daughters,  of  whom 
four  111'  llic  suns  ami  two  of  tiie  daugiiters  are 
yet  living. 

His  grandfather  Weimer  was  a  distiller  of 
Donegal  township.  He  was  a  republican  and  a 
l!:ip(i>l  and  iiianicil  Susaniiali  I'cikcy,  by  whom 
he  JKid  ^evcM  cliildrcii  :  .Iniiii  Horner  (father) 
was  liorn  in  ISIS  in  Somerset  county  wiiieh  he 
left  at  ten  years  of  age.  wjien  he  came  with  his 
father  to  Donegal  townsliip  where  he  has  been 
engaged  in  farming  for  the  last  fifty  years.  He 
is  a  democrat  in  political  luatteis,  has  scrvcil  his 
townsliip  as  school   director  and  is  an  inlluential 


lember   of   the   German   ]5aptist   church.      He 
larried   Mary  Weimer,   by  whom   he   had   eight 
j  children,  of  whom   three  are  living  :    Isaac  and 
Lydia  and  Sarah   L. 

Isaac  Horner  attended  the  common  schools 
and  upon  attaining  his  majority  commenced 
fiirming  on  the  farm  on  which  he  has  resided 
ever  since.  His  farm  now  contains  118  acres 
of  productive  land  which  is  in  a  good  state  of 
cultivation  and  on  which  he  has  erected  a  sub- 
stantial house,  first-class  barn  and  other  out- 
buildings. 

In  IHlJ-l  he  married  Sarah  I\lyers  who  was 
born  in  183(J  and  is  a  daughter  of  Abraham 
and  Rebecca  (Kimmell)  Myers.  Abraham 
Myers  was  a  farmer  of  Somerset  county  who 
moved  to  Ligonier  toAvnship,  this  county,  and 
afterwards  to  Mt.  Pleasant  township  where  he 
died  in  1872,  aged  seventy-two  years.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Horner  have  five  children :  Myers,  born 
December  27,  1870,  and  who  will  graduate 
from  the  Central  State  Normal  school  at  Lock 
Haven,  Pa.,  in  the  class  of  1890;  Eldora  B., 
born  May  23,  1874;  Albert  0.,  born  xYugust 
28,  187;i;  Sadie  INL,  born  March  8,  188,;,  and 
Alva  H.,  who  was  born  May  12,  188U. 

Politically  Isaac  Horner  is  a  democrat  but 
in  local  politics  he  ignores  party  lines  and  votes 
for  the  iiKin  whom  he  thinks  is  best  fitted  for 
the  oilice.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
German  Haptist  church,  in  which  he  is  a  deacon. 

•jpOHN  J.    HUGIILS,   a  gentleman   of  con- 

Jsiderable  mercantile  experience  and  supe- 
rior business  ability  and  a  prosperous 
merciiant  of  Millwood  Shaft,  is  a  son  of  Chris- 
tian and  Uosanna  ( K'intz)  Hughes,  and  was  born 
on  the  ohl  homestead  farm  in  Dcrry  townshiji, 
Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  April  0,  1841.  His 
grandfather  was  Francis  Hughes,  a  native  of 
county  Monaghan.  Ireland,  wlio  came  to 
America  and  settled  in  Lancaster  county,  Pa., 
where  he  remained   for   twenty  years  and  then 


LUlfj 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


4G9 


reiiiovL'd  to  tliis  cuiiuty,  wlicrc  ho  purchased  a 
farm  upon  which  lie  resided  uutil  liis  death, 
January  14,  1845,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four.  l?e- 
fore  h'uvin^  Ireland  he  married  Mar;_^iiet  .Johii- 
Hoii,  of  county  Armagh,  who  died  Septemher 
28,  1840,  aged  sixty-two  years.  Tliey  had 
seven  children,  of  whom  the  second  was  Chris- 
tian Hughes  (father),  w  ho  was  born  in  Lancaster 
county,  I'a.,  Sejiteniber  Itj,  1802,  and  died 
July  1,  1854.  After  reaching  maturity  he  with 
liis  parents  came  to  this  county,  locating  in 
Derry  township.  For  several  years  he  followed 
wagoning  on  the  old  pike  from  Pittsburg  to 
Philadelphia  and  Baltimore,  and  during  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life  was  engaged  in  farming. 
His  wife  llosanna  was  a  daughter  of  Frederick 
and  Mary  Kintz  of  Unity  township.  She  was 
born  April  12,  1811),  and  died  June  15,  1851. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hughes  were  the  jiarents  of  six 
children  :  Frederick  F.,  John  J.,  Daniel,  Mary, 
Margaret,  Kosanna  and  Joseph.  In  the  latter 
part  of  1852,  Christian  Hughes  married  a  second 
time,  his  wife's  name  being  Catherine  Mulleft, 
daughter  of  Richard  Mullen  of  Unity  township. 
To  this  union  was  born  one  daughter,  Anna 
Bell  Hughes,  who  is  now  one  of  the  brightest 
and  best  teachers  of  the  county. 

John  J.  Hughes  was  reared  on  a  farm,  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  common  and  select 
schools  of  the  county,  and  also  took  a  complete 
commercial  course  at  Iron  City  college.  Pitts- 
burg, Pa.  Leaving  school  he  followed  railroad- 
ing for  fifteen  years  and  then  entered  the  mer- 
cantile business  at  (,'iikeville,  which  he  J)iirsued 
successfully  for  two  years.  In  1872  lu,'  re- 
moved to  Millwood  Shaft,  where  he  engagcil  in 
his  present  mercantile  business  ;  he  also  lented 
a  farm  which  he  soon  purchased  and  still  owns. 
His  store  is  iilled  with  an  ample  stock  of  general 
merchandise,  and  his  patronage  extends  over  a 
wide  area  of  surrounding  territory,  in  politics 
he  is  a  democrat,  has  served  acceptably  as  school 
director,  and  in  181^>0  was  elected  tux  eolhctur 
by  the  remarkably   large  majority  of  one  him-  | 


dred  and  thirty-two  in  a  total  of  six  hundred  and 
ninety-two.  He  is  a  thorough-gciing,  intelligent 
and  careful  business  man  and  stands  high  in  the 
eHtiriiation  of  all  who  know  him. 

John  J.  Iluglics  was  manifd  May  L  1875, 
to  Catharine  A.  Fenlon,  daughter  of  Patrick 
Fenlon,  who  was  a  contractor  of  Blairsville  and 
a  brother-in-law  of  ^Villiam  Mahcr  of  that  place. 
To  their  union  ha\e  been  born  nine  children  : 
Mary  Rose,  born  February  21, 187G  ;  Christian, 
born  November  18,  1877;  Patrick  Fenlon,  born 
December  27,  187!',  died  January  11,  1880; 
Leo  Francis,  born  December  'J,  1880;  John, 
born  October  24,  1882,  died  October  2it,  1882; 
Alice,  born  September  3,  1884,  died  Sej)tember 
6,  1^84;  Joseph  Anthony,  born  January  18, 
1886  ;  James  Fenlon,  born  December  15,  1887  ; 
and  Daniel  Gregory,  born  March  12,  181I0. 

Daniel  Hughes  (uncle)  died  Sejit ember  6, 
1848,  aged  forty-two  years;  Josej)h  Hughes 
(uncle)  died  August  12,  1846,  aged  thirty-four; 
Francis  Hughes  (uncle)  died  July  4,  1880,  aged 
seventy-one  years  ;  Mary  (Hughes)  Layton  died 
March  24,  1884,  aged  sixty-five  years ;  and 
Margaret  (Hughes)  Layton  died  February  29, 
1876,  aged  fifty-nine  years. 


i^EORGE  R.  IIUGUS,  one  of  the  repre- 
V^J  sentative  citizens  and  progressive  farmers 
■'i^  of  the  wealthy  and  prosperous  township 
of  Unity,  is  a  son  of  John  and  Rebecca  (Ilackey) 
llugus  and  was  born  in  Unity  townshij),  Wcst- 
Tuoreland  county.  Pa.,  February  18,  18;)2.  He 
is  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  old  and  substantial 
families  of  Westmoreland  county  and  was  founded 
by  one  of  three  Hugus  brothers  who  left  France 
in  the  eighteenth  century  to  settle  in  the  prov- 
ince of  Pennsylvania.  His  grandfather,  Paul 
Hugus,  was  born  on  the  farm  in  Unity  township 
now  owned  by  William  Porch.  He  resided  on 
that  farm  till  his  death  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
three  years.     His  son,  John   Hugus,  was  born 


BIOQRAPIIIES  OF 


in  1808  and  passed  away  May,  1888.  For  sev- 
eral years  in  early  life  he  «as  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business  at  Blairsville,  Pa.,  being  in 
partnersiiip  with  Jolm  Grad',  of  that  place.  lie 
then  ])urchased  a  farm  in  Unity  township  where 
he  followed  farming  and  stock-raising  during  the 
remainder  of  his  life,  lie  was  a  good  scholar,  a 
tine  penman  and  an  excellent  mathematician. 
He  was  an  active  business  man,  a  strong  demo- 
crat and  a  consistent  memljcr  of  the  Ivefornied 
cliurch.  Much  of  his  leisure  time  was  devoted 
to  a  wide  range  of  reading  and  the  study  of  the 
current  and  live  issues  of  the  day.  He  married 
Rebecca  Hackey  by  whom  he  had  several  .sons 
and  daughters. 

George  11.  Ilugus  was  reared  on  the  farm 
Avliere  he  resides  and  received  his  education  in 
common  and  select  schools.  Hf  has  devoted 
his  time  largely  to  farming  and  stock-raising. 
His  attractive  home  farm  is  in  the  southern  part 
of  the  township.  It  contains  one  hundred  and 
forty  acres  of  choice  land  which  is  kept  in  the  best 
of  order  and  in  the  highest  state  of  cultivation. 
This  farm  is  one  of  the  best  farms  in  the  county 
and  is  convenient  to  schools,  churches,  stores 
and  the  I'euiisylvaiiia  railroad.  He  also  owns 
two  othiM'  good  farms  which  ;ire  well-imiirovoil 
and  carefully  cultivated  He  is  a  member  and 
was  for  many  years  an  elder  of  tliu  lieformed 
church.  He  has  been  a  lil'o-long  democrat, 
served  for  ten  years  as  school  director  and  is 
always  active  in  tlie  councils  of  his  party  of 
which  hi^  is  a  leading  expniiriit  in  I'liilv  lnwn- 
slnp. 

He  was  married  in  LSG.~)  to  JNIary  Latta, 
daughter  of  Moses  Latta  and  sister  of  e.x-lieu- 
tenant-governor  John  Latta,  of  Grecnsburg  (see 
sketch  of  latter).  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ilugus  are  the 
parents  of  three  cliildren;  Edward  L.,  Jolm  11. 
and  Harry. 

In  whatever  he  undertakes  George  11.  Ilugus 
is  conscientious  and  zealous,  lie  is  well-informed, 
courteous  and  agreeable  and  has  many  warm 
friends  within  the  circle  of  his  aciiuaintance. 


ARVEY  D.  HULL  was  born  in  St. 
Clair  township,  Westmoreland  county, 
I'a.,  Octoljer  -8,  IK.IG,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  Ilidl  who  was  born  near  Llackliik,  Indi- 
ana county,  I'a.,  February  17,  1  WJf),  and  Ma- 
tilda Clark  who  was  born  near  Armagh,  Indiana 
county,  I'a  ,  April  21,  1826.  She  was  a  daughter 
of  William  and  Jane  (Longstretch)  Clark,  both 
of  whom  immigrated  to  this  country  from  county 
Down,  Ireland.  Thomas  Hull  (grandfather) 
came  to  Westmoreland  county  from  New  Jersey 
about  1783  and  settled  on  the  Ligonier  pike 
near  Laurel  Hill.  He  was  a  day  laborer  and 
was  engaged  in  hauling  army  supplies  during 
the  war  of  1812.  He  died  in  1810  at  the  age 
of  eighty-eight  years.  His  wife  was  Betsie  Co.x, 
a  native  of  New  Jersey  ;  she  died  in  1853  almost, 
a  centenarian,  being  in  her  ninety-sixth  year. 
Hannah  Hull  (aunt)  was  luiru  in  St.  Clair  town- 
ship in  17"J(J  and  was  the  wife  of  Thomas  Achi- 
son.  Nancy  Hull  (aunt),  born  in  1798,  died  in 
1871,  was  the  wife  of  William  Rohland,  who  was 
in  the  war  of  1812.  Elizabeth  Hull  (aunt), 
born  in  1801  and  died  December  2;j,  1888  ;  To- 
bias Hull  (uncle)  born  in  1803,  died  in  1887  and 
was  three  times  married.  First  wife  was  Sallie,  a 
daughter  of  John  Decker,  of  St.  Clair  township  ; 
second  wife  was  Polly  Decker,  a  daughter  of 
Isaac  Decker,  of  St.  Clair,  and  third  was  Mar- 
garet Prady.  Jane  Hull  (aunt)  was  born  in 
1807  and  died  in  1S8S. 

Harvey  D.  Hull  has  three  brothers  and  three 
sisters:  Sannu4  C.,  born  March  30,  iNll,  in 
Ncu  Florence;  Sarah,  March  7,  1.S17,  Was  the 
wife  of  David  Paker,  of  Ligonier;  EmaiuieJ, 
August  3,  1849;  Nancy  J.,  February  13,  1859, 
wife  of  Edward  Ilaire,  of  St.  Clair;  Ida  M., 
born  March  9,  1803,  wife  of  Edward  J.  Smith,  of 
St.  Clair,  and  William  J.,  liorn  Januar  18,  1800. 

Harvey  D.  Hull  was  married  on  December 
29,  1884,  to  Anna,  a  daughter  of  Elijah  and 
Mary  (Wakefield)  Taylor,  of  near  Nineveh,  In- 
diana county.  They  have  three  children: 
Thomas  R.,  John  F.  and  Matilda. 


WESnrORELAND  COU^'TY. 


II.  D.  Hull's  boyhood  days  were  spent  on  his 
f;ither's  fiirin  und  attended  the  common  schools 
of  the  neighborhood.  He  was  afterwards  en- 
gii^d  in  farming  until  September  1,  1881), 
when  he  was  appointed  baggagemaster  at  Jolins- 
town,  where  he  now  resides.  He  is  an  active 
republican  and  for  three  years  held  the  ollice  of 
auditor  of  St.  Clair  township. 


fAMUEL    HUNTER,  one   of   those   who 
have  achieved  a  competency  in  life  by  his 
own  etforts  and  who  is  one  of  Unity  town- 
ship's reliable  farmers  and  useful  citizens,  is  a 
son  of  Iialj)h  and  Rebecca  (Anderson)  Hunter 
and  was  born  in  Unity  township,  Westmoreland 
county,  Pa.,  in  1832.     Ralph  Hunter  was  born 
and  reared    in  Westmoreland  county  until  his 
tleath,   which  occurred  in    18G2,  aged   seventy 
years.     He  was  an  honest,  peaceable  and  hard- 
working man.     He  was  a  whig  in  politics  and 
an  humble  but   earnest  and   useful   member  of 
the  Presbyterian  churcli.     Whatever  he  under- 
took  he  went    through  with    in    a    satisfactory 
manner  to  all  concerned  and  never  slighted  anv  ' 
work  entrusted  to   him.      He    ni:iirieil    lulieccu  j 
Anderson  October  10,  180;"),  who  was  a  Presl.iy-  I 
terian   and   died   in   1858,  aged   seventy  years.  I 
They  had    eleven  children,  six   sons    and    five  i 
daughters  :  Thomas  (^,  AViliiani,  dames,  Kal]ih,  j 
Samuel,   Margaret,  Jane,    E.iizabctii,   Margaret 
the  second  and  Rebecca. 

Samuel  iliilili'r  was  rciU'cd  to  hciiust  labor  on 
the  farm  and  trained  to  liabits  (if  industry  and  i 
economy.  He  attended  the  conun(jn  schools  of  I 
his  native  township  in  which  he  received  an  ! 
ordinary  business  education.  At  an  early  age  I 
he  engaged  in  farming  which  he  has  followed  | 
<'Ver  since.  He  lias  pruspcird  well  in  all  of  1 
his  fanning  operalidhs  and  mnv  owns  a  liirni  <il'  j 
two  hundred  acres  of  land,  on  which  lie  has  i 
erected  very  good  buildings  and  many  important  | 
and  valuable  iuipvdvemcnts.  in  addition  to  | 
farmini;  lie  ran   a   trrain-lliresliiii''   machine  for 


fourteen  years.  He  also  engaged  in  stock- 
raising  and  gives  to  that  business  the  same 
assiduous  care  and  attention  which  he  bestows 
upon  farming.  1  le  is  an  enthusiastic  republican, 
attends  many  of  the  meetings  and  conventions 
of  his  party  and  always  votes  for  its  nominees. 
He  has  acquired  all  of  his  means  by  honest, 
hard  labor  and  not  by  speculation  and  is  very 
comfortably  situated  to  enjoy  life.  His  fivrm  is 
located  two  miles  north  of  Pleasant  Unity. 
He  is  unmarried  and  his  two  sisters,  Elizabeth 
and  Margaret,  reside  with  him  and  keep  house 
for  him. 

•jlrSAAC  JUNKINS.  of  Seward,  is  a  native 
I'  of  Indiana  county  and  was  born  .-Vugust  29, 
t  1822,  and  is  a  son  of  James  and  Christiana 
(Stienman)  Junkins.  James  Junkins  was  born 
at  Armagh,  Imliana  county.  Pa.,  November  25, 
1792.  He  was  a  day  laborer  and  in  the  winter 
seasons  worked  at  shoemaking.  He  was  drafted* 
for  the  war  of  1812  but  did  not  go  out.  His 
wife  was  born  September  23,  ISOI,  and  was  a 
daughter  of  (Jhristopher  Stienman,  of  Indiana 
county,  who  was  a  farmer  of  considerable  wealth 
in  liis  day.  Hugh  Junkins  (grandfather)  was 
born  and  reared  in  Ireland  ;  when  a  young  man 
he  immigrated  to  this  country  and  settled  at 
Armagh  ;  he  was  a  stone-mason  by  trade,  died  in 
IMU  and  was  niarrieil  to  Susan  Young,  who 
was  als()  a  native  of  Irel.ind.  (Jhristopher 
Stienman  (maternal  grandfalln'i-)  was  burn  in 
tiermanv  ;  after  landing  in  .\nierica  lie  settled 
in  York  county,  I'a.,  from  there  he  went  to 
Bedford  county  where  he  married  and  then 
rc.'inoved  to  Rrusli  valley,  Indiana  county,  where 
he  followed  farming  pursuits  and  pruning  aiiple 
trees.  He  was  nuirried  to  Catharine,  daughter 
<d'  Marlin   iioy,  of  Hedlord  cniinly,  I'a. 

Isaac  Junkins  attended  tlie  subscrijition 
scliools  of  East  Wheatlield  township  in  his 
native  county.  In  1837  lie  went  to  work  at 
eight  dollars  a  month  on  the  old  Pennsylvania 
canal  wiiere  hecontiniu^d  to  work  for  sometime. 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


In  1844  lie  (.■iif^agod  with  tliu  15iiigh;iin  line  and 
boated  on  llie  rennsvlvunia  eanal  IVdni  Joims- 
towii  to  I'ltlsburg.  He  followed  the  eaiial  for 
six  or  .seven  )ears  when  he  entiied  the  employ 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Kailroacl  (.'o.,  woikinj^  on 
tlie  trucks  and  brakein^.  In  1874  he  became 
night-wutcliinan  for  the  company  and  waa  sta- 
tioned at  Seward  where  he  now  resides.  lie 
has  the  esteem  of  the  officials  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania system  and  is  regarded  as  a  man  of 
honesty  and  truthfulness. 

On  November  i!l,  18G1,  he  was  married  to 
Isabella  Alcorn,  born  December  17,  18-51,  and 
was  a  daughter  of  William  and  Ruth  (Forrester) 
Alcorn,  of  Indiana  county,  and  of  English 
descent.  Her  grandfather  Alcorn  was  a  native 
of  Ireland  and  was  among  the  early  settlers  in 
Indiana  county.  He  was  married  three  times  ; 
one  of  his  wives  was  stolen  by  the  Indians  and 
never  rescued.  Isaac  Junkins  has  five  children, 
all  of  whom  are  living:  James,  who  was  born 
August  2;J,  1803;  Ruth  A.,  September  1,  18Gf>, 
died  September  25,  187'2;  Mary  A.,  July  28, 
181)7  ;  David  L.,  Sei)tember  17,  18G'J,  and 
Edward  M.,  February  28,  1874. 

lie  is  independent  in  political  matters  and  a 
respected  member  of  the  PreBbyterian  church. 
Hugh  Junkins,  his  grandfather,  was  a  native  of 
Ireland  and  iniinigralc'd  to  the  United  States  with 
a  colony  that  eaiiie  rroiu  (he  vicinity  orAniiagh, 
Ireland,  previo\is  lo  the  war  tif  the  Revolution. 
This  colony  settled  in  what  was  the  Westmore- 
land cimrity  but  a  part  of  (he  sellleiiient  was  on 
the  Indiana  side  ol  the  (.'oiieiiiaugli  where  the 
village  of  Arniagh  comnieniorates  the  location 
of  the  colony. 


^^yNDREW  A.  JOHNSTON.  The  late 
Andrew  A.  Johnston  of  Youngstown,  a 
brother  of  Governor  William  Fieame 
Johnston  of  Pennsylvania  and  one  of  the  re- 
markably successful  business  men  of  the  county, 
was  n  son  of  Alexander  and  Elizabeth  (Freame) 


Johnston.  He  was  born  at  Youngstown,  West- 
moreland county,  Pa.,  October  23,  1812,  and 
dicil  March  31,  188,"!,  when  in  the  seventy-third 
year  of  his  age.  His  ]iaterual  ancestors  were 
originally  from  Annandale,  Scotland,  where 
Capt.  Alexander  Johnston  held  the  estates  of 
Brackenside.  He  was  killed  at  the  battle  of 
Fontenoy  in  1745.  His  family  lost  the  estate 
through  legal  troubles  and  political  strife  and 
settled  in  Ireland  where  Alexander  Johnston 
(father)  was  born  at  Scarbrae,  county  Tyrone, 
July  10, 1773.  He  came  to  Carlisle,  Pa.,  where 
his  cousin.  Gen.  William  Irvine,  advised  him  to 
seek  a  home  west  of  the  Alleghenies.  His  fam- 
ily located  at  Greensburg,  where  he  married 
Elizabeth,  second  daughter  of  ^Villiaul  Freame, 
who  was  a  native  of  Belfast,  Ireland  ;  had 
fought  under  Wolfe  at  Quebec,  and  settled  in 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  married  Elizabeth  John- 
ston, who  came  from  Ireland  in  1782.  To  An- 
drew and  Elizabeth  Johnston  were  born  eight 
sons  and  two  daughters.  These  sons  varied  in 
height  from  six  feet  to  six  feet  six  inches  and  in 
weight  from  two  hundred  to  two  hundred  and 
fifty  pounds.  Two  of  them  were  Governor  Will- 
iam F.  and  Col.  John  AV.,  whose  biographies  are 
given  in  this  work.  After  several  years'  resi- 
dence in  (ireensburg  he  removed  lo  Pittsburg, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness, which  he  i-elin([iiished  some  years  later  to 
embark  in  the  manufacture  of  iron.  He  pur- 
chased large  tracts  of  land  in  Unity,  Derry  and 
Ijigonier  townships  and  erected  Kingston  iron 
works.  As  an  iron  master  he  met  with  but 
poor  success  and  soon  removed  to  Greensburg 
where  he  remained  until  1836.  In  that  year 
he  returned  to  Kingston  house  and  resided  there 
till  July  IG,  1872,  when  he  was  called  from  his 
earthly  labors  at  the  ripe  old  iige  of  ninety-nine 
years  and  six  days.  From  '^807  to  1836  he 
held  several  county  oflices — sheriff  by  election, 
justice  of  the  jieace,  treasurer  and  register  and 
rec<u'der  by  ap|iointnieiit.  He  was  a  federalist 
until  the  dissolution  of  that  political  party  when 


'IP;  "^W 


UL,CL,y^^^' 


^&iS\\^ 


WJiSTMORELAND   CO UNTY. 


475 


lie  bocauie  a  (Iciuocrat.  llo  was  ondcavfil  to  liis 
faiiiilv,  to  his  fiii'iuls  ami  to  all  who  kiu'w  him 
by  liis  many  virtues,  his  kiiulness  and  sterling 
integrity.  With  faculties  unimpaired  anil  with 
a  mind  clear  and  unclouded  when  nearly  to  tlie 
century  line  he  passed  to  his  final  rest  and  left 
behind  him  what  is  infinitely  better  than  wealth 
or  fame — an  untarnished  name. 

Alexander  A.  Johnston  was  reared  at  Youngs- 
town  and  Greensburg  and  in  Pittsburg.  He 
learned  the  trade  of  tanner  but  never  followed 
it.  lie  was  well  fitted  for  a  business  life  and  in 
his  day  was  probably  one  of  the  best  known 
business  men  in  this  county.  He  was  an  ex- 
tensive contractor  on  the  construction  of  the 
P.  R.  R.  and  in  connection  with  a  Mr.  McFar- 
land  erected  the  present  court-house  at  Greens- 
burg. He  was  president  of  the  Greensburg  and 
Stoystown  pike,  a  stockholder  of  the  Ligonier 
railriiad  and  for  many  years  priur  to  his  death 
was  engaged  in  buying  and  selling  horses  and 
cattle.  He  was  a  republican  in  politics,  and 
although  an  active  and  inUuential  leader  in  his 
party,  yet  never  aspired  to  any  of  the  various 
offices  which  were  within  his  grasp  if  he  had 
seen  fit  to  have  accepted  them.  He  died  at  his 
residence  at  Youngstown  in  1S8.")  and  left  be- 
hind him  the  record  of  a  useful  life.  He  was 
over  si.x  feet  in  height  and  was  a  pleasant  and 
afl'able  gentleman. 

On  January  10,  1850,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Caroline  Fritz,  who  was  born  in  lb30  and 
is  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Fritz,  of  Somerset 
county,  this  State,  who  married  Sarah  Dickey 
and  reared  a  family  of  six  sons  and  six  daugh- 
ters. Col.  and  Mrs.  Johnston  were  the  paients 
of  nine  children  :  Isabella,  who  married  Thomas 
Copperstonc  and  died  November  24,  188S,  aged 
thirty-eight  years;  Andrew  A.,  Jr.,  married 
Annie  Everts  and  resides  in  Iowa;  Alexander 
]>.,  niarrii'd  Joanna  Kulins  and  lives  at  Vimngs- 
town  ;  Caroline,  wife  of  Andrew  Miiijiliy,  of 
Pittsburg;  Surah  111.,  Mary  M.,  married  Rev. 
II.  J.  Kuder,  pastor  of  Christ  Lutheran  church 


of  Pittsburg;  Thomas,  William  Freame  and 
Tjaura  E.  Mrs.  Johnston  is  a  member  of  the 
Evangelical  Lutheran  chufch  and  still  resides  at 

Youngstown. 

OL.  JOHN  WILLIAMS  JOHNSTON, 

a  I'aithful  and  etficient  officer  in  two 
great  wars  of  the  American  revolution 
and  one  of  the  gallant  band  that  planted  the 
Stars  and  Stripes  over  the  halls  of  the  Monte- 
zumas,  is  the  ninth  son  of  Alexander  and  Eliza- 
beth (Freame)  Johnston.  He  was  born  at 
Kingston  House  on  the  Loyalhanna  in  Unity 
township,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  May  '22, 
1S'20.  Alexander  Johnston,  whose  history  and 
ancestry  is  given  in  sketch  of  Andrew  A. 
Johnston,  reared  eight  sons,  whose  superiors  for 
physical  manhood  and  distinguished  civil  and 
military  service  cannot  be  found  in  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania.  Alexander  Johnston  had  twelve 
children,  ten  sons  and  two  daughters,  of  whom 
two  sons  died  in  infancy.  'I'hose  sons  who 
grew  up  to  manhood  were :  Thomas,  who  was 
educated  at  West  Point  and  served  in  the 
United  States  army ;  Alexander,  who  was  a 
West  Point  graduate  and  served  in  the  regular 
army;  Hon.  William  F'reame,  ex-governor  of 
Pennsylvania  (see  sketch) ;  Hon.  Edward  of 
low  a  ;  Alexander  A.  (see  sketch) ;  James,  who 
was  a  prominent  man  and  a  correspondent  for 
the  Eastern  papers;  Col.  John  W.  and  Lieut. 
Richard  Henry  Lee,  who  was  killed  at  the  head 
of  his  company  while  storming  the  Mexican 
works  at  Molino  del  Rey,  September  1,  1847. 
John  Williams  Johnston  was  educated  in  pri- 
vate and  select  schools  and  Greensburg  academy. 
At  twenty-one  years  of  ago  he  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business  in  Clarion  county.  Pa., 
which  he  followed  one  year  and  then  (1843) 
was  appointed  deputy  sheriff  of  this  county. 
In  ISlli,  when  war  was  declared  with  Mexicc;, 
he  volunteered  in  the  "  \Vestmoreland  Guards  " 
and  was  unanimously  elected  its  captain.  This 
organization  was  composed  of  ninety-four  men 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


and  was  mustered  into  service  January  1,  1847, 
as  Co.  E,  '2d  reg.  Pa.  Vols.  Tiiey  left  Pitts- 
l)Ur^  JaliUiuy  8tli  and  landed  at  ^'era  Cru/. 
Man-li  i'lli.  Tlii'  (MiiMiiauy  \s;i,s  iindci'  llie  |icr- 
siHial  ctiiiiMiaiid  (iF  Cajil.  Jolinstdii  aiid  loiii^dil 
biavely  in  the  battles  ul' (Jerro  (.lordo,  (Juntreras, 
Cliurubusco,  IMolino  del  Rey,  Chapultepcc  and 
at  the  stcjrming  of  the  city  of  Mexico.  On 
July  14,  1848,  Capt.  Johnston's  company, 
numbering  but  forty-four  men,  was  mustered 
out  and  returned  home.  At  the  chjse  of  the 
war  Capt.  Jolinston  engaged  in  the  grocery 
business  at  Pittsburg,  but  soon  became  a  con- 
tractor in  the  construction  of  the  Allegheny 
A'alley  railroad  and  then  went  to  Missouri 
where  for  five  years  lie  was  an  extensive  con- 
tractor on  the  Iron  Mountain  railroad.  In 
1858  lie  returned  to  Kingston  House  and  on 
the  first  call  for  volunteers  in  18G1  he  enlisted 
as  a  private  in  Co.  (),  fourteenth  reg.,  Pa. 
^'ols.,  which  was  raised  at  Youngstown.  He 
was  immediately  elected  captain  and  upon  tlie 
organization  of  the  regiment  at  IIarri.sburg, 
Pa.,  was  made  its  colonel.  The  regiment  first 
came  into  action  at  "  Falling  Waters  "  and  bore 
itself  gallantly  on  that  field  of  conlliet.  At  the 
expiration  of  the  three  months'  service  Col. 
Jolinston  eiitereil  the  Ninety-third  Pa.  as  its 
lieutenant-colonel.  He  was  ort'ered  its  colonelcy 
but  declined  in  favor  of  Col.  McCartcr,  under 
motives  of  personal  consideration.  He  scr\ed 
under  his  second  enlistment  for  over  two  years 
and  then  resigneil.  i>uring  a  part  of  this  time 
the  Ninety-third  was  under  (_'ol.  Johnston's 
personal  command  and  was  cons]iicuous  for  its 
bravery  on  many  of  the  "Peninsula"  battle- 
fields. Since  his  services  in  tlie  Army  of  the 
Potomac  he  has  resided  at  Kingston  House  and 
lias  been  engaged  in  firming. 

In  18G7  he  married  Sarali  Rebecca  Byerly. 
Their  union  has  been  blessed  with  two  children  : 
Richard  II.  and  x^nnie  E. 

Col.  John  W.  Johnston  is  a  man  of  fine 
physique  and  remarkably  well-preserved  foi'  his 


three-score  and  ten  years.  He  was  originally  a 
democixit  but  in  185(3  became  a  republican.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church 
and  I'.  .\.  \VHli;uus  Post,  No.  I,  (iraiid  Army 
of  the  Uepublic. 


•foHN  MARTIN  KECK,  the  founder  of  the 
'i'  nourishing  town  of  Kecksburg,  and  a  re- 
';li/  markably  thorough-going  and  energetic 
business  man  and  successful  merchant  of  West- 
moreland county,  is  a  son  of  Christian  and 
Rosanna  (Schwartz)  Keck  and  was  born  in 
^Vittenberg,  Germany,  June  7,  18o(j.  The 
Keck  family  of  Germany  was  founded  by  Capt. 
Casper  Keck,  who  was  of  German-French  ex- 
traction and  served  for  many  years  in  the  Ger- 
man army.  One  of  his  numerous  descendants 
was  John  Ad;\ni  Keck  (grandfather),  who  was 
an  extensive  linen  dealer  of  Wittenberg.  He 
married  Annie  Pippus  and  one  of  his  sons  was 
Christian  Keck,  who  was  born  in  Wittenberg, 
Germany,  October  28,  1800.  He  followed 
farming  in  that  country  until  ISGO  when  be 
came  to  ^Westmoreland  county,  where  he  settled 
ill  Mt.  Pleasant  township  for  a  time  and  died 
<Jct(Jjer  '.),  1881.  In  18;]2  he  married  Rosanna 
Sciiwartz,  Avho  was  born  April  28,  1800,  and 
was  a  daughter  of  Andrew  Schwartz,  a  promi- 
nent salt  deaUr  and  farmer.  Christian  Keck 
bail  ten  children,  of  whom  nine  are  living: 
Adam,  at  Greensburg;  Andrew,  of  Easton,  Pa. ; 
John  M.  ;  Christian,  a  successful  merchant  of 
Everson,  Pa.  ;  Anna,  who  resides  near  New 
Stanton;  Jacob,  of  Scottdale;  Frederick,  a  min- 
ing boss  for  H.  C.  Friek  &  Co.,  who  resides  at 
Scottdale;  and  Leonard,  of  Greensburg  (see  bis 
sketch).  The  son  that  is  dead  was  George 
Keck,  who  was  a  merchant  of  St.  Louis,  Mo., 
and  was  robbed  and  murdered  in  that  city  in 
18G8. 

John  Martin  Keck  received  bis  education  in 
the  excellent  schools  for  which  Germany  has 
been  noted  for  the  past  two  hundred  years.     He 


^^^f. 

/ 

Irf 

'  y 

\-t 


WESTMORELAND   COUNTY. 


learned  tlie  trade  of  weaver  and  followed  farm- 
ing aiiil  wt'avin^  in  liis  native  land  until  liiGl 
when  lie  eaine  to  (Jreen.sliui'ij;,  this  couiilv. 
Soon  ni'ler  liis  arrival  lie  en<;agi'd  in  s;dl  hniliiii: 
at  wliieli  lie  worke<l  for  three  yeais,  tiieii  lea:>ed 
these  salt  works  and  operated  them  for  four 
years.  lie  next  rented  the  Paintersville  grist- 
mill and  the  succeeding  year  opened  a  hotel  at 
Ludwick,  which  he  soon  closed  in  order  to  re- 
move to  the  site  of  Kecksburg,  where  lie  pur- 
chased five  acres  of  land  and  laid  out  that 
thriving  town.  In  186(J  he  opened  a  store  in  an 
8x10  feet  room,  with  only  $500  worth  of  goods. 
His  mercantile  establishment  now  is  worth 
$15,000,  and  his  stock  of  goods  amounts  to  nearly 
§30,000.  lie  also  owns  fourteen  houses  at 
Kecksburg  besides  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  valuable  land  and  is  a  stockhohler  and 
president  of  the  Woodland  Cannel  Coal  (.'oni- 
pany  of  Clearfield  county,  this  State.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church,  of 
■which  he  is  one  of  the  trustees,  a  democrat  in 
politics  and  has  been  postmaster  at  Kecksburg 
for  the  last  twenty-four  years.  In  188G  he 
associated  his  two  sons,  William  G.  and  Harry 
E.,  with  him  in  the  mercantile  business  under 
the  firm  name  of  J.  M.  Keck  dt  Sons. 

December  11,  18li0,  he  married  Margaret 
Ann  Overly,  daughter  of  George  Overly.  'I'hcy 
are  the  jiarents  of  two  children:  William  G. 
and  Harry  E.  William  G.  graduated  from  j\It. 
Union  college,  Ohio,  in  the  class  of  1884,  mar- 
ried Saiah  Toi-ch  and  lias  one  child,  Ira  M. 
Harry  ivlward  graduated  from  the  Inm  City 
Business  college  in  the  class  of  1887  and  is  a 
partner  of  his  father  and  brother  in  the  mer- 
cantile business. 

From  his  humble  start  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness Mr.  Keek's  laudable  ambition  was  to  excel 
and  to  sell  the  best  of  goods  at  reasonalde 
prices.  His  trade  has  steadily  increased  and 
he  has  branched  out  in  the  mercantile  field  until 
he  has  now  one  of  tlie  must  cniiiplete  and  wi-11- 
assorted  stock  of  goods  in  the  county  and  a  very 


extensive  and  highly  remunerative  patronage. 
Early  in  life  John  M.  Keck  was  thrown  upon 
his  own  resources  but  with  the  characteristic 
rner;_'V  of  the  gland  old  German  race  he  has 
won  liis  way  from  comparative  obscurity  to  a 
useful,  j)rominent  and  honorable  position  in  so- 
ciety and  business  circles. 


•j^OIIN  KELLER  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and 
j'  Margaret  (Bair)  Keller,  and  was  born  July 
(®/  31,  1839,  in  South  Huntingdon  township, 
Westmoreland  county.  Pa.  His  grandfather 
was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  probably  of  Lan- 
caster county,  and  Philip  Hair,  maternal  grand- 
father, was  formerly  a  resident  of  the  Shenan- 
doah Valley,  Ya.,  but  later  moved  to  West- 
moreland county,  this  State,  purchasing  a 
large  tract  of  land  in  South  Huntingdon 
township,  where  he  resided  until  his  death. 
Samuel  Keller  (father)  was  born  in  Somerset 
county,  Pa.,  and  was  killed  on  the  railroad 
about  1878,  being  seventy -six  years  of  age.  By 
occupation  he  was  a  farmer,  in  politics  an  old 
line  whig  and  in  religious  belief  a  Dunkard. 
He  had  five  children :  Philip,  who  lives  in 
Sewickley  township,  John,  David,  Samuel  and 
Jacob.  David  enlisted  in  1802  in  the  fif- 
teenth reg.,  Pa.  cavalry,  and  served  as  one  of 
Gen.  Buell's  body-guard  until  the  close  of  the 
Buell  reign.  He  was  in  the  Western  army 
with  Sherman  and  participated  in  some  sharply- 
contested  battles.  He  now  resides  in  liiwa 
where  he  carries  on  farming  on  a  large  scale. 

Samuel  Keller  in  1802  eidisted  in  the  sixty- 
first  reg.  Pa.  Vols,  and  served  throughout  the 
war,  taking  part  in  all  the  battles  in  which  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  was  engaged.  In  the  ser- 
vice he  contracted  infiammatory  rheumatism, 
which  so  crippled  him  that  he  must  use  crutches. 

John  Keller  in  August,  18G2,  enlisted  in  (Jo. 
F,  one  hundred  and  fifty-fifth  reg.  Pa.  Vols,  and 
served  until  the  beginning  of  1803  until  an 
attack   of  inllaniiiiatory   rheumatism  caused  the 


I'h, 


BIOQRAPHIES  OF 


loss  of  tlie  use  of  his  fuel  iunl  lie  was  ttierelore 
discliiu-gocl.  He  took  part  in  the  hattles  of  An- 
tietatn,  Frcilcviekshur;^  and  some  minor  engage- 
ments. 

.I(,hn  Keller  on  Septemlicr  T,  IKTli,  was  mar- 
ried to  Kehecea  Weaver,  a  daughter  of  William 
Weaver,  of  JNIount  Pleasant  township,  and  to 
their  marriage  have  been  born  ten  ehildren ; 
Bennett  II.,  David  L.,  Fraiddin  C,  Norman 
II.,  Mollie  C,  Maggie,  William,  Oscar  (dead), 
Sadie  and  an  infont. 

]\Ir.  Keller  received  a  common  school  educa- 
tion and  learned  the  trade  of  a  miller,  which  he 
followed  for  some  time  but  later  turned  his  at- 
tention to  farming  in  which  he  has  been  engaged 
ever  since.  In  politics  he  is  a  republican  and  is 
a  member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum  at  Greens- 
burg. 

'ENRY  KEELEY,  ex-county  commissioner 
and  an  intelligent,  well-known  and  highly 
respected  citizen  of  I'nity  township,  was 
born  in  Chester  county,  Pa.,  July  14,  LSlfS,  and 
is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Mary  (Rooks)  Keeley. 
The  Kceleys  are  of  Quaker  stock.  Henry 
Keeley  was  a  prosperous  farmer  and  an  ardent 
presbyterian.  He  died  in  183-2,  aged  fifty-six 
years.  He  marridl  Mary  Rooks  who  was  a 
native  of  Chester  county,  ^he  was  an  estimable 
■woman  and  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  She  was  born  in  17h:5  and  died  near 
Wellington,  Iroquois  county,  Illinois,  in  187"2, 
when  in  tlie  eighty-nintli  year  of  her  age. 

lloin-v  Keeley  was  rcareil  on  a  farm  in 
Chester  county  and  attended  subscription  and 
Helect  schools.  Leaving  school,  he  learned  the 
trade  of  machinist  at  Wilmington,  Delaware. 
After  serving  his  seven  years  apprenticeship,  he 
was  variously  engaged  until  18.^0,  when  he  went 
to  Lasallc  county,  Illinois,  where  he  became 
superintendant  of  the  construction  force  on  the 
Illinois  Central  railroad  at  that  jilace.  In  a  few 
montlis  he  was  compelled  to  return  home.  He 
then    accepted    a    position   with  a  corjis  of  en- 


gineers that  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania railroad  and  was  with  them  for  eight  years 
in  Pennsylvania  and  one  year  in  Alabama.  Ho 
was  then  Iransrerred  to  the  maintenance  way 
force  and  continued  on  it  until  1873,  when  he 
was  elected  commissioner  of  Westmoreland 
county.  He  served  for  five  years  and  wa3  re- 
elected in  1880  by  a  large  majority.  At  the 
expiration  of  his  second  term  as  county  com- 
missioner ho  returned  to  his  present  farm  near 
Youngstown,  where  he  has  been  engaged  in 
farming  and  stock-raising  ever  since. 

On  October  12,  1848,  he  married  Elizabeth 
Peck,  daughter  of  Charles  and  Elizabeth  Peck, 
of  Chester  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Keeley  are 
the  parents  of  six  children  :  Charles  E.,  a  freight 
conductor  on  the  Pennsylvania  railroad ;  Mary 
E.,  Louis  and  John  IL,  who  are  in  California 
where  they  own  a  large  ranch  and  now  have  out 
o,G00  acres  in  wheat ;  William  W.,  an  engineer 
on  the  Pennsylvania  railroad,  and  Matilda,  wife 
of  Ellsworth  Hamilton,  of  Youngstown,  this 
county. 

Henry  Keeloy  always  supported  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Democratic  party  and  is  the  only 
democrat  in  Westmoreland  county  that  was  ever 
re-elected  as  county  commissioner.  He  has 
resided  in  Unity  township  since  1852.  Of  late 
years  he  has  been  an  extensive  traveler.  He 
has  traveled  in  the  Middle,  South  Atlantic, 
Gulf  and  most  of  the  Western  States  besides 
visiting  California,  New  York  and  Toronto, 
Canada.  He  is  generous  and  charitable  and 
knows  nearly  all  of  the  people  in  Westmoreland 
county. 

/^^R.  JAMES  H.  KELLY,  who  has  been 
^|£i  successfully  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
medicine  for  thirty  years  in  the  counties 
of  Indiana  and  Westmoreland  and  who  has  been 
in  continuous  practice  at  Pleasant  Unity  since 
1804,  is  a  son  of  Robert  and  Rachel  (Glasgow) 
Kelly  and  was  born  at  Kelly's  Ford  (now  Tun- 
nelton's  station),  Indiana  county.  Pa.,  January 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


7,  18^4.  Ilis  giandfatlier,  Sainuul  Kelly,  was 
born  ill  eastern  I'ennsylvania,  emigrated  to 
Indiana  county  wliere  lie  took  up  at  Kelly's 
Ford  the  ftirm  wliicli  is  still  in  possession  of  his 
descendants.  A  settler's  fort  was  erected  on  his 
farm  and  while  he  was  serving  as  an  Indian 
scout  his  wife  and  children  frequently  were  in 
this  fort  and  often  slept  at  night  among  the  wild 
pea  vines  in  the  woods  on  account  of  the  Indians. 
One  of  these  children  was  Robert  Kelly  (lather), 
who  was  born  in  1790  and  died  December  18, 
1844.  He  was  an  extensive  farmer  and  stock- 
raiser  and  an  old-line  whig  in  politics.  lie 
married  Rachel  Glasgow,  who  was  born  in 
Fayette  county.  Pa.,  in  1800  and  died  in  1887. 
They  had  nine  children,  five  sons  and  four 
daughters:  Robert,  Ann  J.,  John  S.,  Minerva, 
Dr.  James  II.,  Samuel,  Mary  E.,  Albert  G.  and 
Caroline.  Ann  J.,  Jlinerva  and  Caroline  oc- 
cujiy  the  old  homestead  ;  John  S.  is  at  Danville, 
Iowa,  and  Mary  E.  married  Alex.  Lemiuon  and 
resides  at  Cadmus,  Kansas. 

Dr.  James  II.  Kelly  was  reared  on  the 
home  farm,  received  iiis  education  in  Saltsburg 
academy  and  then  <letorinined  upon  entering  tiie 
medital  ])rofcssioii.  lie  read  me(liciiiu  with  Dr. 
11.  (1.  Lomison  at  Saltsburg,  attended  one 
course  of  lectures  at  Jefl'erson  Medical  college, 
riiiladelphia,  and  practiced  medicine  fur  three 
years  at  Cherry  Tree,  Indiana  county,  I'a.  lie 
then  took  a  course  of  lectures  at  the  Medical 
department  of  the  University  of  Michigan  and 
ciiiir  (ISbl)  I,,  11c:is:int  I'liily  wiiflV  lie  h:is 
been  engaged  m  tlie  siieeesstiil  ])r;u-tice  of  his 
profession  ever  since.  In  connection  with  his 
practice  he  has  established  a  first-class  drug 
store  in  whicli  he  keeps  a  constant  supply  of 
fresh  and  pure  drugs  for  his  own  use  and  the 
accommodation  of  the  public. 

On  Sc|)tember  11,  ISGU,  h(f  married  Nancy 
II.  Gamble,  daughter  of  George  Gamble,  of 
Cherry  Tree,  Indiana  county,  Pa.  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Kelly  are  the  jiarents  of  five  children,  fwur 
sons  and  one  daughter:   G.   Frank,  a  graduate 


of  Lock  Haven  State  Normal  scliool  and  princi- 
pal of  Scottdale  High  school;  Clark  M.,  teachiiiii 
at  JlcClure's  Works  in  Fayette  county.  Pa. ; 
James  Howard,  teaching  at  Ilecla;  Richard  S., 
attending  Saltsburg  academy,  and  Clara  E.,  who 
will  graduate  at  Lock  Haven  State  Normal 
school  in  the  class  of  1890. 


9 


AVID  KENLY  (deceased).  One  of  those 
who  have  lived  a  life  of  usefulness  and 
left  behind  them  a  record  of  business 
ability  and  honesty  was  the  late  David  Kenly, 
of  Derry  township,  who  went  to  his  final  rest 
on  January  27,  1890,  when  he  was  well  ad- 
vanced toward  the  eighty-sixth  year  of  his  age. 
He  was  a  son  of  William  and  Martha  (Carnahan) 
Kenly  and  was  born  in  Loyalhanna  township, 
Westmoreland  county,  Pa..  May  17,  1804. 
Soon  after  the  Revolutionarv  war  his  parents 
became  residents  of  Loyalhanna  (now  lUll) 
township  in  which  they  afterwards  died.  Wil- 
liam Kenly  owned  a  farm  which  he  carefully 
tilled.  He  had  six  children  :  Samuel,  who  died 
in  Johnstown  about  twenty  years  ago;  ^VillialM, 
who  fell  iVom  a  hiad  of  hay,  ran  a  ])itclifork 
through  his  body  and  died  immediately  from 
his  wounds;  John,  born  about  1810  and  resides 
in  Allegheny  county,  Pa.;  James,  who  died  of 
apoplexy ;  Martha,  widow  of  Joseph  Neely,  of 
Piell  township  ;  and  David. 

David  Kenly  was  reared  on  the  home  fiirm 
and  received  liis  education  in  the  old  siihscrip- 
tion  schools  ol'  his  boyhood  days.  After  the 
death  of  his  father  he  and  his  brothers  con- 
ducted the  home  for  several  years,  during  which 
time  they  purchased  and  added  to  it  two  adjoin- 
ing farms.  They  then  divided  iIk;  estate  and 
David  took  for  his  share  one  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  of  land  whi  ;h  he  afterwards  sold  to  the 
Fairbanks  Coal  Company.  He  next  (IBUo)  pur- 
chased the  farm  wliich  he  owned  until  his  death 
and  which  is  now  successfully  conducted  by  his 
widow,  who  is  a  Woman  of  good  business  ability 


HUlGRAPHIES  OF 


Tn  tlie  s]niii;^  of  1840  lie  iiinvrieil  Suiali  l'i])er, 
a.  (lauglitor  of  Jacol)  I'iper.  Tothciu  were  lioin 
one  son  :ind  three  daughters:  Martlia  J.,  l)orn 
in  184!)  and  is  the  wife  of  William  11.  l)iiiilap 
(see  his  sketch);  Sadie  A.,  born  1850,  married 
on  February  13,  1877,  to  William  R.  Stitt  and 
Las  six  children:  Flora  C,  Gretta  J.,  Joanna 
T.,  May  E.,  Boyd  Kenly  and  Emma  "\^  ;  Mar- 
garet, born  185"2,  became  the  wife  of  George 
W.  Martin,  of  Saltsburg,  Indiana  county.  Pa., 
in  January,  1878,  and  has  four  children  :  (_)rd 
K.,  Kobert  I.  and  Raymond;  and  Samuel,  who 
•was  born  July  17,  1854.  Mrs.  Sarah  Kenly 
was  born  February  22,  1818,  and  was  a  help- 
meet to  her  husband  in  the  truest  sense  of  the 
■word.  She  made  her  husband's  happiness  and 
childrcii's  comfort  her  constant  care. 

Haviil  Kenly  was  remarkably  succcssl'ul  in 
business  life,  accumulated  over  twenty-five  thou- 
sand dollars  worth  of  property  and  never  sued 
any  one  during  his  entire  lifetime.  He  was  a 
democrat  and  a  inenibcr  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  in  which  he  never  would  accc[it  an 
ollice.  He  was  a  (juiet,  peaceable  citizen,  a 
modest,  backward  and  almost  bashful  man, 
who  was  highly  esteemed  by  his  neighbors. 
Generosity,  charity  and  honesty  were  distin- 
guishing traits  of  his  character. 


.EORGE  W.  KENNEY.  One  well-trained 
and  qualified  by  years  of  exj)ericnce  as 
'f  well  as  specially  adapted  by  natural 
ability  for  any  of  the  branches  of  mercantile 
business  is  George  W.  Kenney,  an  energetic  and 
competent  business  man  and  successful  merchant 
of  New  Alexandria.  He  is  a  son  of  Thomas  A. 
anil  Nancy  J.  (McClaren)  Kenney,  and  was 
born  near  New  Alexandria,  Westmoreland 
county,  Pa.,  February  20,  1854.  He  is  of  Irish 
descent.  His  grandfather,  George  Kenney,  was 
born  in  Ireland  and  came  to  this  country  when 
a  boy  and  settled  near  Ilolidaysbiirg  this  State, 
and  early  in  life  came  to  \Vestmoreland   county, 


where  he  settled  near  Rlairsville.  He  nnirried, 
and  to  them  were  born  three  children  :  Mary, 
wife  of  John  Guthrie,  and  now  dead  ;  Margaret, 
married  to  David  Hughes,  a  native  of  Derry 
township  and  now  resident  of  Indiana  county, 
Pa.;  and  Thomas  A.  Thomas  A.  Kenney  wa» 
born  near  IJlairsviUe,  this  county.  His  jirinci- 
pal  business  in  life  has  been  farming.  For  many 
years  he  was  a  member  of  the  mercantile  firm  of 
Keck,  Kenney  k  Co.  of  Penn  station  and  Liver- 
more,  but  never  took  any  active  part  in  the 
same,  having  entrusted  his  interest  in  that  com- 
pany to  the  hands  of  his  son  George  W.  lie  ia 
a  member  of  the  firm  of  T.  A.  Kenney  &  Son 
of  New  Alexandria.  lie  married  Nancy  Mc- 
Claren on  February  8,  185H.  To  their  unioi> 
have  been  born  eight  children:  George  W., 
Sarah  M.  who  married  Prof.  George  H.  Hugus, 
county  su])erintendcnt  of  public  schools,  and 
died  in  1^88  ;  John  G.,  a  farmer  of  Unity  town- 
ship ;  Lloyd  K.  of  Greensburg,  and  a  printer  by 
trade;  W .  liugh,  a  printer  of  New  Alexandria  j 
Laura  P.,  who  died  December  25,  1887  ;  Clark 
M.;  and  Genevra,  who  died  in  infancy. 

George  W.  Kenney  was  reared  on  the  home 
farm.  He  received  his  education  in  the  common 
and  academic  schools  and  took  the  full  commer- 
cial course  of  Oberlin  Business  college,  Ohio. 
He  entered  into  active  life  for  himself  as  a  clerk 
in  the  store  of  L.  B.  Highberger  at  Penn  station. 
His  services  were  next  engaged  by  Keck,  Ken- 
ney &  Co.  of  Penn  station  and  Livermore. 
After  the  dissolution  of  this  firm  ho  went  to 
Pittsburg  and  acted  for  several  years  as  a  travel- 
ing salesman  for  R.  C.  Orr  i^  Co.,  wholesale 
grocers  of  that  city.  In  1883  be  entered  intc> 
his  present  mercantile  partnership  with  his 
father  at  New  Alexandria  under  the  firm  name 
of  T.  A.  Kenney  k  Son.  This  firm  has  pleas- 
ant and  commodious  quarters  and  carries  a  full 
and  complete  stock  of  staple  dry  goods  ami  fancy 
groceries,  hardware  and  everything  else  which 
is  to  be  found  in  a  general  mercantile  store. 
They  have   enjoyeil   a  lucrative  and  substantial 


M'ESTMORELAND   CO  UNTY. 


patronage  ever  since  beginning  business  at  New 
Alexandria. 

(ioorgo  W.  Kcnney  is  an  aggressive  ik'niocrat 
■\vlici  liclicvcs  ill  no  liall-uav  |Hilitical  iiU'asiin'S, 
aiiil  will)  lias  always  lirrii  an  uclivo  \vorker 
for  tlie  success  of  democratic  pi'inciples.  He 
served  during  Cleveland's  administration  as  as- 
sistant postmaster  of  New  Alexandria  under  his 
fatiier  who  was  postmaster  during  that  period  of 
time,  lie  is  also  interested  deeply  in  educa- 
tional matters,  has  served  two  terms  as  school 
director,  and  at  the  recent  election  "  tied  "  with 
two  other  candidates  for  that  office.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  New. 
Alexandria,  a  reliable,  thorough-going  business 
man,  and  his  close  attention  to  the  wants  of  liis 
customers  has  made  his  store  one  of  the  most 
popular  in  his  section  of  the  county. 


rYYlLLIAM  KINKEAD,  who  has  had 
nearly  fifty  years'  experience  in  the 
mercantile  business  and  who  is  the  oldest 
merchant  at  Livermore,  is  an  honorable  and 
accommodating  gentleman.  He  was  born  in 
Huntingdon  county,  Pa.,  January  9,  18"2y,  and 
and  is  a  son  of  Robert  and  Mary  (McClelland) 
Kinkead.  Robert  Kinkead  was  born  and  reared 
in  county  Derry,  Ireland.  He  immigrated  to 
this  country  in  early  life  and  settled  in  Lancaster 
county,  Pa.,  where  he  followed  his  trade,  that 
of  tailoring,  for  many  years.  During  the  latter 
part  of  hi.s  life  he  removed  to  Huntingdon 
county,  where  he  dicil  March  10,  ISJJl,  aged 
Gli  years.  Ho  was  an  active  democrat,  a  local 
speaker  of  considerable  note,  and  married  Mary 
Mc(Jleliand,  who  was  a  daughter  of  James 
McClelland  of  Lancaster  county  and  died  in 
1858,  aged  77  years.  Robert  and  Mary  Kinkead 
were  the  parents  of  thirteen  children  :  David, 
Samuel,  George,  James,  William,  Robert,  Eliza- 
beth, Mary,  jNIartha,  Margaret,  Eliza  and  Maria 
(twins)  and  Letitia.  Of  these  children  only 
three    are    living:    William,   Martha  (widow  of 


George  Reck)  and  Maria,  widow  of  Alex.  Can- 
non. 

AVilliani  Kiukt'ad  received  his  education  in 
liio  sciiiHiis  of  his  iialivo  eoiilily.  At  sixteen 
years  of  age  lie  liecaiiie  a  ciiik  in  a  store  and 
ever  since  then  has  been  engaged  in  the  mer- 
cantile business,  excepting  two  years  which  he 
spent  on  the  Pennsylvania  canal.  He  was  at 
New  Alexandria  for  twenty  years  as  a  clerk  and 
merchant.  From  tiiere  he  went  to  Penn,  con- 
ducted a  store  for  one  year  and  then  (1874) 
came  to  Livermore  where  he  engaged  in  his 
present  general  mercantile  business  in  the  build- 
ing which  he  now  occupies.  His  good  judg- 
ment and  years  of  practical  experience  in  his 
line  of  business  enables  him  to  select  first 
(juality  goods,  which  lie  sells  to  his  numerous 
patrons  at  reasonable  prices.  Mr.  Kinkead  is  a 
republican  and  a  member  of  Livermore  I'resby- 
teiian  church. 

On  the  15th  of  ^lay,  184U,  he  married  Sarah 
J.  Miller,  daughter  of  Hugh  Miller,  who  is  a 
resident  of  Inditma  county,  this  State.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Kinkead  have  been  the  parents  of 
nine  children :  Martha  Jane,  who  died  Septem- 
ber 7,  1848;  Elizabeth,  married  to  John  Wal- 
lace of  New  Alexandria  and  has  two  children, 
Edward  and  Annie ;  Lovenia,  wife  of  S.  D. 
Swend,  deputy  sherifl';  Anntibella,  married  G. 
W.  Hughes  and  has  one  child,  Stella  ;  Clara  M., 
wife  of  George  Hull  of  Latrobe ;  Ida  E.,  mar- 
ried to  G.  W.  Shearer  of  Derry  station  ;  Rachel 
M.,  died  June  27,  1882;  William,  who  married 
Mary  Smith  and  has  four  children,  Edward, 
John  S.,  Percy  and  Leonora  Claire  ;  and  Robert, 
of  Derry  station,  who  married  Annie  Ilarkins 
and  has  three  children,  Nellie  and  Jauies  F.  and 
one  name  not  known. 


•|«ACOB  KIMMELL,  a  descendant  of  one  of 
the  old  substantial  German  families  of 
western    Pennsylvania   and    a    well-known 

citizen   of   Deny   township,    is  a  son   of  Louis 


484 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


and  Sarah  (Cable)  Kimmell  ami  was  born  in 
Somerset  county,  Pa.,  Juno  0,  ISIS.  ITis 
<:;rcat-;^nin(lt';itlicr,  Jacob  Ivinimdl,  came  from 
tlic  Hliinc,  (icriiiany,  to  tliis  country  in  17;")! 
anil  located  at  Kplirata,  Lancaster  county,  l*a. 
One  of  his  sons,  Jacob  Kimmell  (gramlfatlier) 
was  born  in  1757  and  was  a  resident  of  ISomer- 
set  county,  in  wliich  he  died  in  1824  at  sixty- 
seven  years  of  age.  lie  was  a  farmer  and 
reared  a  iamily  of  seven  sons  and  one  daughter : 
Abram,  Jacob,  Peter,  Solomon,  Louis,  John, 
Jonathan  and  Elizabeth.  Louis  Kimmell 
(fatlier)  was  born  in  1700,  served  in  the  war  of 
1812  and  came  in  1833  to  Dcrry  township, 
where  he  died  on  August  lit!,  18;")7.  He  mar- 
ried Sarah  Cable,  who  bore  him  ten  children, 
of  whom  three  are  living :  Tobias,  of  Armstrong 
county  ;  Jacob  and  Samuel.  Those  dead  are 
Mary,  Obadiah,  George,  Catherine,  Louis  and 
Sarali.  Samuel  is  a  successful  dental  surgeon 
of  No.  131G  Walnut  street,  Philadelphia,  who 
married  Mary  Cunningliam.  of  Ilollidaysburg, 
Pa.,  and  a  daughter  of  Ilun.  J.  Cunningham, 
of  Blair  county,  Pa.  Of  his  two  ciiildreii,  Mary 
Scott  and  Dr.  Louis  J.  C,  the  latter  was  a  dis- 
tinguished physician,  who  was  born  in  ISGO 
and  died  of  intiuenza  January  19,  18'J0.  He 
was  interred  at  West  Laurel  Hill  cemetery. 

Jacob  Kimmell  at  lifteen  years  of  age  came 
with  iiis  ])arents  from  Somerset  county  to  Perry 
township.  They  moved  into  the  old  Guthrie 
stone  house,  which  was  built  in  1705  and  which 
h:is  Ijccm  the  ri-sidcncc  of  Jacoli  Kiminrll  ever 
since,  ile  has  always  followed  I'armiri :  as  an 
occupation  and  is  ri'Miarkalily  active  for  a  man 
of  his  years. 

ile  was  married  on  the  lUth  of  October,  1844, 
to  Barbara  E.  Pershing,  who  was  born  October 
1,  1824.  They  have  had  five  children  :  Mary 
E.vamena,  born  Ajiril  10,  1840,  and  wife  of 
Allicrt  hord,  of  Irwin,  who  is  as.sjstant  SM[ierin- 
tendent  of  tiie  I'cnn  (las  (Joal  (!oiupany  ;  Sarah 
Frances  (dead);  (Miri.slina  ^'ictoria  and  !,ouie 
Elizabeth   (twins,   deceased):  and   Edmund  B., 


born  May  28,  1852,  who  is  superintendent  of 
the  Millwood  Coal  &  Coke  Company,  and  mar- 
ried Martlia  C.  Roberts,  of  Somerset  county, 
Pa.,  by  whom  he  has  three  children  :  Jolin  11., 
Mary  E.,  and  Lorena.  Mrs.  Barbara  E.  Kim- 
mel  is  a  daughter  of  Isaac  Pershing,  who  was 
born  July  10,  1800,  and  died  August  15,  1886. 
He  was  a  son  of  Uev.  Daniel  Pershing,  who  was 
a  native  of  Germany  and  die.l  in  1838.  He  had 
eleven  children,  who  are  now  all  dead.  Their 
names  were :  A])ram,  Isaac,  John,  Joseph, 
Samuel,  David,  Elizabeth,  Hannah,  Mary, 
Sarah  and  Dinah.  Isaac  Pershing  owned  a 
store  at  Youngstown  and  married  Frances 
Fru.xeel,  a  daugliter  of  Rev.  John  Fruxeel,  of 
tiie  \j.  B.  church,  by  wiiom  he  had  eleven  chil- 
dren:  Barbara  E.,  Mary  A.,  born  May  17, 
1826,  wife  of  D.  S.  Weaver;  Anna  Mary,  born 
September  2,  1827,  and  wife  of  John  Braden ; 
Christina,  born  July  15,  1820,  and  wife  of  A. 
Jamison;  Martin  K.,  born  December  16,  1830; 
Rev.  Justus  II.,  born  June  12,  1847,  and  a 
minister  of  the  IJ.  B.  churcii  ;  Michael  T.,  Eli 
A.,  Margaret  E.,  Sarah  H.  and  Franklin  K., 
wlio  are  dead. 

Jacob  Kimmell  and  wife  are  mend^ers  of  Derry 
station  Presbyterian  church  and  is  a  republican 
in  politics. 


■rV-ON.  JAMES  H.  LAFFERTY,  a  lead- 
11  ing  young  physician  of  New  Florence, 
(«)  was  born  Jidy  2»;,  1854,  in  Armstong 
county,  Pa.,  and  is  son  of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth 
((Jowan)  Lall'erty.  Tlie  former  was  a  native  of 
Armstrong  county.  Pa.,  and  the  latter  was  a 
daughter  of  Samuel  and  Klizabeth  Cowan  of 
Indiana  county.  Jacob  J.,afTerty  was  nine 
months  a  soldier  in  the  Federal  army,  at  the 
end  of  which  time  he  was  discharged  for  dis- 
aliility.  Joiin  Lail'erty  (grandfather)  was  a  far- 
mer and  merchant  by  occujiation  and  was  born 
in  Ireland. 

Dr.    James    II.    Lafl'erty    was    educated    at 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


EMoi-'s  ]{idgo  mill  Saltsburg  LituiMi-y  and 
Classical  liislitute  of  Iiuliaua  county.  At  the 
iV'v:  of  seventeen  lu;  bof^an  teacliing  sclioul  anil 
taii;.'lil  for  a  pri-iml  (if  ri>.'lit  years.  lie  ihen 
iicf^an  to  reail  iiieilieiiie  in  IK77  in  the  olfice  of 
Dr.  TlionKis  Carson,  of  Saltsburg,  Pa.,  ami 
siibsei[uently  entered  the  college  of  I'iiysicians 
and  Surgeons  in  Baltintorc  and  was  gnidiiated 
in  tiie  class  of  1881.  He  began  the  jiractice  of 
medicine  in  1881  at  New  Florence,  Pa.,  where 
he  still  resides  and  has  been  successful  in  build- 
ing up  a  paying  practice  and  was  also  engaged  in 
the  drug  business  in  connection  with  tlie  prac- 
tice of  medicine  from  iNS'J  to  ISSIJ.  l)r. 
Lall'erty  has  been  twice  married;  his  first  mar- 
riage was  to  Anna  M.  Townsend  on  Ajiril  10, 
1S8-).  She  was  a  daughter  of  Absalom  K.  and 
IMary  Townsend,  of  Armstrong  county,  a 
native  of  Armstrung  county,  and  died  .lanuary 
24,  1884.  'J'huir  union  was  blessed  witii  one 
child;  John  T.,  born  January  I'-),  18^!4;  his 
second  wife  was  Lizzie,  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  Wagoner,  of  New  Florence,  to  whom 
lie  was  married  on  June  3,  1886.  Her  grand- 
father Wagoner  was  a  native  of  Ireland  and 
settled  at  Lewistown,  Mifllin  county.  Pa.  Dr. 
Laft'erty  is  a  democrat,  an  active  worker  in  his 
party,  was  appointed  U.  S.  Pension  examiner 
in  1885  and  served  acceptably  in  this  capacity 
until  December  1,  1886,  when  he  resigned  to 
accept  a  scat  in  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania. 
In  1880  he  became  a  nominee  of  his  party  in 
Westmoreland  county  fur  the  olTice  of  re])ro- 
sentativeand  was  elected  by  a  majority  of  148. 
He  was  renominated  in  1888  tor  the  same  office 
by  his  party  and  was  defeated  on  account  of  the 
strong  fight  made  by  the  republicans  in  tlie 
presidential  eleetimi  nf  1888.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  order,  of  the  0.  V.  A.  M.,  of 
(he  Junior  ().  I'.  A.  M.,  Royal  .\reanum, 
Chosen  Friends  and  is  dejiuty  state  councillor 
in  the  O.  U.  A.  M.  and  Junior  ().  U.  A.  M. 
He  is  the  medical  examiner  for  the  following 
insurance     companies:     National    of    \'eriuont, 


Eipiitableof  New  York  Life,  and  People's  Mutual 
of  Wcsterville,  Dhio.  He  is  also  medical  exam- 
iner for  tiie  Royal  Arcanum  and  Chosen  Friends 
and  is  an  energetic  idtizen  anda  well-read  physi- 
cian. 

HOMAS  LAIRD,  general  superintendent 
of  the  Hecla  Coke  works,  Nos.  1  and  2, 
"3r  was  born  September  14,  1845,  in  Glas- 
gow, Scotland,  and  is  a  son  of  Francis  and  Mary 
(Buchanan)  Laird.  His  grandfather,  Thomas 
Laird,  was  a  native  of  the  west  of  Scotland. 
Born  in  1792  in  Scotland,  where  he  belonged 
to  the  Episcopalian  church.  William  Buchanan, 
maternal  grandfather,  was  a  native  of  Dumbar- 
ton, Scotland,  where  he  died  when  his  daughter 
Mary  was  quite  young.  Francis  Laird  (father) 
was  born  in  Glasgow,  Scotland,  July  12,  1824, 
and  lived  there  until  1848,  when  he  came  to 
America  and  settled  in  Schuylkill  county,  Pa. 
From  there  he  afterwards  went  to  Maryland  and 
thence  to  Kanawha  county,  W.  Va.,  where  he 
served  as  mine  boss  for  the  AVinifred  Mining 
and  Manufacturing  Company.  In  1861  he 
came  to  Mercer  county.  Pa.,  tlienee  went  to 
Trumbull  county,  Ohio,  and  in  1866  came  to 
Hecla,  this  county.  lie  was  married  in  Scot- 
land, where  two  of  his  children  were  born : 
Thomas  and  Elizabeth.  His  wife  was  killed  in 
Trumbull  county,  Ohio,  by  being  tramped  upon  by 
a  horse.  Mr.  Laird  is  the  father  often  ohildren, 
five  sons  and  five  daughters,  all  living  but  one. 

Thonuis  Laird  was  married  October  23, 1867, 
to  Margaret  Snedden,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania 
and  daughter  of  Thomas  Snedden,  by  whom  he 
has  had  five  children  :  Harry,  now  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  P.  R.  R.  Co.  as  an  engineer,  Frank, 
Mary,  Jennie  ami  Maggie. 

Thouias  Laiid  was  educated  in  the  common 
and  high  schools  of  Sharon,  Mercer  county, 
I'a.,  and  began  life  for  himself  as  a  miner, 
which  he  continued  until  1875,  when  he  with 
three  otiiers  engaged  in  the  mining  business  in 
Mercer  county,  under   tiie  firm   name  of  Baker, 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Sneilden  i!c  Co.  In  1882  lie  reinovuil  to  Ann- 
strong  county,  where  he  was  in  tlie  eual  business 
a  year  in  eonijjariy  with  Hubert  Sncdden,  then 
reniuveil  tu  ^Vllegheii}'  county  and  clerked  iVir  a 
time  in  tin'  I'ittsburj^  glass  woiks.  In  '\'6^\  be 
cauie  to  llcela,  this  county,  as  general  superin- 
tendent of  the  Ilecla  Coke  Company,  operating 
Ileela  Nos.  1  and  2,  and  has  been  there  ever 
since.  lie  is  a  republican,  has  served  as  school 
director,  councilman  and  burgess  of  Wheatland, 
Pa.,  and  with  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the  M. 
E.  church  at  Ilecla,  uf  which  he  is  one  of  the 
tnislt'cs.  Jle  also  belongs  to  New  \'irginia 
Lodge,  No.  841,  1.  O.  U.  l'\,  of  Pennsylvania 
and  is  a  progressive  and  enterprising  citizen. 

•j*()SEPII  W.  LAUGIILIN,  one  of  the  most 
I  Jirogressive  and  intelligent  farmers  of  the 
(®i  county,  was  born  in  Derry  townsliip,  West- 
moreland county,  Pa.,  March  20,  1840,  and  is 
a  son  of  Isaac  and  Martha  (Walton)  Laughlin. 
The  Laughlin  line  is  Irish  in  its  descent.  James 
Laughlin  (grandfather)  was  a  native  of  this 
country  and  lived  many  years  in  AVcstmureland 
county,  where  he  died.  Ly  trade  he  was  a 
blacksmith  and  followed  his  trade  many  years 
in  Derry  township.  lie  had  eight  children,  of 
whom  Isaac  Laughlin  was  one.  The  latter  was 
born  in  Derry  townshij),  January  2,'>,  1S(I7, 
where  he  was  brought  up  on  a  farm.  Part  of 
his  life  he  devoted  to  farming,  but  he  liad  for- 
nieii  ly  been  a  wagoner,  boatman  and  contractor 
on  the  iS'ew  Portage  railroad.  At  one  time  he 
was  interested  in  a  distillery  at  Bouquet,  I'enn 
township.  He  died  January  5,  1889.  His 
brother  Abraham  enlisted  in  tlie  army  during 
the  late  war  and  went  to  the  front  but  never 
returned.  He  is  supposed  to  have  been  lost  in 
an  engagement  at  Nashville,  I'enn.  Isaac 
Laughlin  had  six  children  :  James  P.,  Mary, 
Joseph  W.,  Martha  J.,  Isaac  and  Margaret  E., 
of  whom  the  eldest  and  the  youngest  are  dead. 
Mary  is  the  wife  of  Alex.  McP>ride,  formerly  of 


this  county,  but  now  of  Indiana  county.  Isaac 
is  a  prosperous  fanner  of  Derry*  townshiji. 

Jos.  W.  Laughlin  was  reared  in  the  solitude 
of  the  country,  where  the  warbling  birds,  spark- 
ling brooks,  clustering  blossoms,  majestic  groves 
and  all  the  beauties  of  nature  conspire  to  make 
life  a  "  sweet  dream  of  peace."  Unfortunately, 
however,  boys  on  a  farm  are  not  given  much 
time  to  enjoy  or  even  observe  the  beautiful  and 
wonderful  things  around  tliem.  "  Work  "  is 
the  watchword  there,  and  fr(jm  spring  till  fall 
the  fanner  does  more  bard  labor  than  any  other 
man  in  existence.  ^  cumg  Laughlin  had  his 
share  of  work  to  do,  but  took  time  enough  to 
get  a  fair  education  at  the  public  and  select 
schools  of  the  county.  He  began  life  for  him- 
self as  a  farmer  and  is  yet  engaged  in  hus- 
bandry, owning  a  good  and  finely-improved  farm 
in  Derry  township,  which  is  a  jiart  of  one  thous- 
and acres  purchased  from  the  Indians  for  an  old 
rifle.  The  improvements  and  arrangements  to 
be  seen  everywhere  on  his  jnemises  are  excel- 
lent and  show  remarkable  taste,  indicating  ihat 
the  beauties  of  nature  have  made  an  impress  on 
the  minds  of  the  family.  Mr.  Laughlin  has 
served  several  years  as  school  director,  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Patrons  of  Husbandry  and  a  stanch 
and  influential  democrat. 

Joseph  ^\^  Laughlin  was  married  December 
17,  ISGi),  to  Elizabeth,  a  daughter  of  Joshua 
Anderson^  of  Derry  townshi]).  Her  grand- 
father, John  Anderson,  of  Irish  origin,  was  a 
native  of  Lancaster  county  and  came  to  this 
county  at  a  very  early  date,  locating  in  Derry 
township,  where  Joshua  Anderson  was  born 
April  25,  1810,  and   died   November  27,  1883. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Josejjh  W.  Laughlin  are  the 
parents  of  two  children  :  Annie  M.  and  Tir- 
zah  E.  ,  , 


TAMES  LEMMON,   one  of  the  prosperous 

I     farmers  and  reliable  citizens  of  Mt.   Pleas- 

(£/     aiit  township,  is  a  sun  of  Capt.  James   and 

RhoJa   (Galloway)    Lemmon   and    was   born    in 


WESTMORELA  ND  CO  UXTY. 


^It.  rieusant  township,  Wostuiorelanil  county, 
I'a.,  Au;i.  "25,  1813.  The  Tjcimnons  uro  of  En- 
glish descent.  John  Ijcninion,  grandfather, 
was  a  native  of  Antrani,  Enghuid,  and  about 
17G2  settled  at  Carlisle,  Pa.,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  farming  until  171.HJ.  In  tliat  year  he 
removed  to  Mt.  Pleasant  and  purchased  of  the 
Dilhvorths  a  large  tract  of  hnul  which  was  called 
"partnership"  and  contained  -'340  acres.  lie 
was  a  farmer,  and  old-line  whig  and  a  presljy- 
terian  of  the  strictest  kind.  While  at  Carlisle 
lie  received  a  pass  and  certificate  of  character 
from  one  of  the  King's  justices  of  the  peace. 
lie  married  a  Miss  Mickey,  who  is  now  dead. 
Capt.  James  Lemnion  was  born  at  Carlisle  in 
1780  and  died  in  Mt.  Pleasant  township  in  1844, 
aged  si.\ty-one  years.  In  the  last  yeai-  of  the 
war  of  1812  he  raised  a  cnmpany  of  troops,  but 
jicace  was  declared  while  they  v  ere  on  the  way 
to  join  Gen.  Harrison's  army.  He  was  a  whig 
anil  a  ))resbyterian  and  married  Rhoda  Gallo- 
way, by  whom  lie  bad  eleven  eliildrcn,  of  whom 
si.\  are  yet  living  and  resiile  in  Mt.  Pleasant 
township. 

One  of  these  sons  is  George  Lemmon  who  is 
a  successful  farmer,  an  earnest  |)rosbyterian  and 
an  active  re])ublican.  He  married  Susan 
Eicher  and  has  ten  children  :  l!bo<la,  Milton  D., 
AVilliam  S.,  Missouri,  Marion,  Anna,  Van- 
Ainberg,  Frank,  Sarali  and  Mary  P. 

Mrs.  Rhoda  Lemmon,  who  is  de»d,  was  a 
<laugliter  of  James  Galloway  who  was  a  native 
of  Scolland,  jellied  on  \\li:il  is  iinw  kinavd  as  the 
Hunter  farm.  Hi'  fnllowcd  blarksmitbiiig  and 
fanning.  He  mari'ied  Elizabeth  Huntei-  who 
bore  him  two  sons  and  seven  daughters,  of  whom 
one,  Jane  Hunter,  bm-n  in  1S<tl   is  still    living. 

James  I.eniiiKin  was  rr:ili'd  and  reccivetl  his 
education  in  Mt  I'lrasunl  tii\\n>liip  where  he 
owns  a  line  firm  of  one  hundrrd  and  eighty 
acres.  He  has  always  followc'd  farming  and 
stock-raising.  He  is  a  useful  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church,  a  conseivative  republican 
in   poljtiits  and  served  three  years  as  constable. 


He  resides  in  the  large  brick    house  which  was 
erected  by  his  grandfather  in  182'J. 

James  Lemmon  was  nnirried  on  ]")eceniber 
31,  184G,  to  Sarah  Sandels,  daughter  of 
Jacob  Sandels.  They  have  seven  children : 
Rhoda  E.,  wife  of  James  Irwin  of  Mc- 
Keesport,  Pa.  ;  Ym\  Aniberg,  Carlisle,  Lizzie, 
George  W.,  ami  Hay  ton,  who  married  Elmira 
Tedrow  and  is  engaged  in  the  livery  business 
at  Mt.  Pleasant  with  his  brother  Georu'C  W. 


'YYII^SON  LEWIS,  an  intelligent  and  en- 
terprising business  man  and  proprietor 
of  the  Lewis  Hotel  of  New  Ale.xandria 
borough,  was  born  in  Sewickley  township,  West- 
moreland county.  Pa.,  Sejitember  28,  1831,  and 
is  a  son  of  Abram  and  Willianna  (Cowan) 
Lewis.  The  Lewises  are  of  ^Velsh  origin  and 
the  CoAvans  are  of  Irish  descent. 

Lewis  (grandfather)  was  a  native  of  Pucks 
county.  Pa.,  from  which  he  migrated  some  time 
in  the  first  decade  of  the  jiresent  century  to 
Westmoreland  county.  His  son,  Abram  Lewis 
(father)  was  born  Heceniber  21,  17'.I7  and  died 
June  18,  18S1.  He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade, 
a  reiiublican  in  politics  and  resided  for  many 
years  in  Sewickley  township.  He  married 
Willianna  Cowan  who  Avas  born  in  Franklin 
county,  this  State,  April  11,  17'J1,  and  died 
October  21,  1883,  aged  ninety-two  years,  si.x 
months  and  ten  days.  They  had  eight  children  : 
lian-iet  Ann,  Mary,  Margari't,  Harrison,  Lu- 
cinda,  Wilson,  Isabella,  wifeofll.  V.  Grillith  of 
(Jreeiisburg  and  John.  Of  these  children,  Har- 
riet A.  Wilson  and  Isabella  are  living.  Mrs. 
AVillianna  Lewis  was  a  daughter  of  Capt.  ^\'il- 
liam  Cowan,  who  came  from  Franklin  county  to 
\\''est  Newton  \shcre  he  livi'd  for  many  years 
and  where  he  died  September  24,  183S,  aged 
eighty-eight  years,  nine  months  and  si.\  days. 

^V'ilson  Lewis  was  reared  and  educated  at 
Elizabeth,  Allegheny  counly.  Pa.  He  learned 
Che  trade  of  carpenter,  but  soon    thereafter   en- 


BWGRAPHIE.S  OF 


gaged  with  a  mercantile  firm  in  Elizabeth,  Alle- 
glieny  county,  ami  remained  with  them  for  seven 
years.  In  1S52  he  came  to  Derry  township 
where  he  followed  iarining  for  ten  yearn.  In 
\><i\'l  he  rem(ive<l  to  New  Alexandria  and  worked 
at  iiis  trade  until  l!StJ8,  wlieu  he  imrchased  a 
large  an<l  commodious  hotel  which  he  has  con- 
ducted .successfidly  ever  since.  lie  has  made  a 
very  popular  landlord  as  evinced  by  the  exten- 
sive patronage  which  he  has  received. 

On  January  14,  18(32,  he  married  Mary  A. 
Kull,  a  daughter  of  Adam  Kull  of  New  Alexan- 
dria. They  had  three  children  :  Willianna,  wife 
of  Joiin  Love  of  Latrolje  ;  James,  who  is  in  the 
emjiloy  of  a  mercantile  firm  of  Wilkensliurg, 
I'a.  ;  and  Wilson.  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Lewis  died 
^larch  14,  1870,  and  Mr.  Lewis  married  for  his 
second  wife,  on  August  21,  187U,  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Thompson,  daughter  of  William  S.  Campbell  of 
Pliiladclphia. 

Wilson  Lewis  was  originally  a  whig  and  upon 
the  dissolution  of  that  party  became  a  republi- 
can. He  has  held  all  of  the  offices  of  his 
borough.  His  first  vote  was  cast  for  Gen.  Win- 
field  Scott  for  president  in  1852  and  has  voted 
since  then  for  every  republican  candidate  for  the 
presidency  of  the  L^nited  States. 


](•  ACOB  S.  LOLINCIEll.     One  of  the  old, 

J  distinguished  and  prominent  families  of 
^Vestmoreland  county  is  the  widely  extended 
Lobingier  family,  which  has  furnished  honorable 
legislators  to  give  renown  to  the  State  and  able 
jurists  to  reflect  credit  on  the  county.  Of  the 
numerous  descendents  of  Christopher  Lobingier 
is  Jacob  S.  Lobingier  of  Mt.  Pleasant  township. 
He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Smith) 
Lobingier  and  was  born  in  Mt.  Pleasant  town- 
ship, Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  July  24,  1828. 
The  Lobingier  family  of  Pennsylvania  was 
founded  by  Christopher  Lohinger,  Sr.,  great- 
great-gianilfather,  whoemigrated  with  his  brotlier 
Jacob    from     Wittenberg,    Germany,     prior    to 


1735  and  settled  near  Ilarrisburg,  in  what  was 
then  Lancaster  county.  Pa.  llis  son,  Hon. 
Christopher  Lobingier,  was  born  in  1740  and  in 
17()o  married  Elizabeth  ^Liller,  who  had  come 
in  1752  with  her  father,  John  Muller,  from 
Switzerland.  He  came  in  1772  to  Mt.  Pleasant 
township  where  he  died  July  4,  1798.  He  was 
a  delegate  in  1770  to  the  first  Constitutional- 
Convention  of  Pennsylvania  and  a  member  of 
the  Committee  of  Correspondence  for  this  county. 
He  served  in  the  General  Assembly  of  Penn- 
sylvania from  17;»1  to  1793.  Had  nine  children 
of  whom  Judge  John  Lobingier  (grandfatiier), 
the  eldest,  was  born  in  Dauphin  county,  this 
State,  April  5,  17G7.  He  was  a  prominent 
political  leader  and  public-spirited  citizen  and  a 
leading  business  man.  He  served  in  the  Legis 
lature,  was  associate  judge  of  Westmoreland 
county  and  died  at  Mt.  Pleasant  February  26, 
1859.  He  was  engaged  in  the  milling,  iron  and 
salt-well  business  and  keeping  a  hotel.  His  first 
wife  was  Sophia  Moyer  and  after  her  death  he 
maVried  Elizabeth  Cross.  Father  Christopher 
Lobingier  having  iron-works  in  the  Ligonier 
valley  under  his  care,  after  exchanging  for  twelve 
farms  he  settled  at  Laurelville,  where  his  son, 
John  Lobingier,  second  (father  of  Jacob  S. 
Lobingier),  was  born  August  21,  1799.  He 
followed  farming  until  1882  when  he  built  a  fine 
residence  at  Mt.  Pleasant  where  he  died  May  IG, 
1885.  Pe  was  a  presbyterian  and  married 
Elizabeth  Smith,  daughter  of  Jacob  Smith,  who 
was  a  son  of  Philip  Smith  who  came  from  Ger- 
many and  whose  wife  was  Mary  Armel,  of  this 
county.  To  John  and  Elizabeth  Lobingier  were 
born  nine  children. 

Jacob  S.  Lobingier  received  a  fair  education 
in  select  schools  and  Washington  college,  which 
he  attended  for  one  year.  He  has  improved 
upon  the  limited  educational  privileges  of  his 
youth  by  constant  reading  and  self-study.  He 
has  always  followed  farming  and  for  a  number  of 
years  successfully  operated  a  coal  mine.  His 
home  farm  consists  of  one  hundred  and  seventy- 


WESTMORELAND   COUNTY. 


489 


five  acres  besides  wliich  lie  owns  one  hundred 
acres  of  good  timber  land  in  another  part  of  the 
township.  Mr.  Lobingier  is  a  rej)ublican  but 
has  always  refu-sed  to  hold  ollice.  lie  is  very 
u.seful  in  his  community  and  township,  where  he 
is  frequently  called  upon  to  act  as  executor, 
administrator  and  assignee. 

On  Christmas  Day,  1860,  he  married  Mary 
Jane  Cochran,  who  was  born  November  17,  18o7. 
To  their  union  have  been  born  si.x  sons  and  two 
daughters :  Edward,  born  September  6,  18(31, 
died  February  6,  18G5  ;  John  B.,  born  August  2, 
1803;  Alice,  born  January  10, 1805;  Walter  B., 
born  June  11,  IBGU,  who  will  graduate  at 
AV^ooster  University,  Ohio,  in  the  class  of  1892; 
Ilettie,  born  IMay  1,  1871;  Chauncey,  born 
July  30,  1873,  at  school  ;  Charles  D.,  born 
March  IG,  1875 ;  and  Arthur  M.,  born  De- 
cember 14,  1878. 

Jacob  S.  Lobingier  is  an  elder  of  the  Mt. 
Pleasant  Reunion  Presbyterian  church,  of  which 
his  wife  is  a  member. 


•jj-ACKSON  MACIIESNEY.  One  who 
I  takes  pride  in  farming  and  has  brouj^lit  his 
(*!/  farm  into  the  front  rank  of  the  best  farms  of 
the  county  is  Jackson  .Machesney,  an  industri- 
ous and  thrifty  citizen  of  Derry  township,  lie 
was  born  in  Unity  township,  Westmoreland 
county,  Pa.,  April  7,*  82',',  and  is  a  son  of  An- 
drew and  Mary  (Henderson)  Machesney.  For 
nearly  two  centuries  a  westward  tiile  of  emigration 
from  Ireland  has  been  pouring  into  Pennsylvania. 
Of  those  who  came  during  the  first  part  of  the 
present  century  was  one  William  Machesney, 
who  settled  in  Unity  township  where  he  followed 
farming  until  his  death,  which  occurred  some 
forty  years  ago.  lie  had  six  children :  An- 
drew, John,  William,  Margaret,  Elizaijeth  and 
Jane.  Of  these  none  are  living.  Andrew  Ma- 
chesney was  born  in  Ireland  but  reared  in  Unity 
township.  He  was  a  farmer,  an  old-line  whig 
and  later  a  republican. 


In  1837  he  removed  from  Unity  to  Derry 
township  where  he  purchased  two  farms.  He 
died  about  1870.  llis  wife  was  Mary  Hender- 
son, a  daughter  of  William  Henderson  of  Unity 
township,  who  came  with  his  family  from  Ire- 
land. After  the  death  of  him  and  his  wife,  his 
children  with  the  exception  of  one  or  two  re- 
moved to  Ohio  in  1830.  Andrew  and  Mary 
Machesney  had  thirteen  children,  of  wliom 
eleven  are  living :  John,  of  Salem  township  ; 
William,  who  is  in  Iowa ;  Andrew,  a  resident 
of  Greensburg  ;  Alexander,  residing  at  Derry  ; 
James,  who  is  in  Illinois ;  Dr.  David  L.,  a 
resident  of  Illinois;  Jane,  widow  of  Tliomas 
Duncan,  of  Indiana  county,  Pa.;  Mary,  wife  of 
A.  Davis,  of  Blairsville,  Pa.;  Margaret,  widow 
of  John  Mowrer  and  lives  at  New  Alexandria  ; 
and  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Henry  Lobaugh,  of  Iowa. 

Jackson  Machesney  attended  school  in  Unity 
and  Derry  townships.  At  twenty-one  years  of 
age  he  engaged  in  his  present  occupation  of 
farming.  At  the  death  of  his  father  he  bought 
one  of  the  farms  of  the  latter.  He  has  improved 
and  enriched  this  farm  until  it  is  now  considered 
one  of  the  best  in  the  county. 

He  is  a  republican  in  politics.  He  has 
always  taken  a  great  interest  in  educational 
matters  and  has  served  as  school  director  for  a 
quarter  of  a  century.  Whatever  tends  to  pro- 
mote the  welfare  of  his  community  or  advance 
its  material  interests  always  enlists  his  attention 
and  engages  his  ell'orts  in  its  behalf. 

Jackson  Machesney,  on  March  11,  185G, 
united  in  marriage  with  Elizabeth  Machesney, 
daughter  of  John  Machesney  of  Unity  township. 
To  them  have  been  born  eight  children  :  Mary 
Catharine,  dead;  Maggie  Arabella,  deceased; 
Luella  Elizabeth,  Harriet  Amanda,  dead ;  Mi- 
nerva Jane,  John  Clark,  Angeline,  Avho  died  at 
fourteen  years  of  age  and  Bertha  May.  John 
Clark  is  attending  Elder's  Ridge  academy  where 
he  has  about  finished  liis  preparatory  studies  for 
college.  lie  has  a  mathematical  turn  of  mind 
and  excels  in  mathematics. 


490 


BIOQRAPHIES  OF 


flMON  F.  MAXWELL,  an  inflnontiul  and 
higlily  respected  citizen  of  j\lt.  ricii.sant 
township  and  a  po]iular  c<iuiniissioiier  of 
AVcstinoreland  county,  is  a  sou  of  |)avid  and 
Hannah  (Truxall)  ^L^x\vell,  and  was  horn  on  the 
ohl  ^Laxwell  homestead  farm  in  Mt.  Pleasant 
township,  AVcstmorchind  county,  Pa.,  March  30, 
1846.  His  family  has  been  identified  with  Mt. 
Pleasant  township  for  over  ninet)'  years.  Mr. 
Maxwell  is  the  grandson  of  David  Maxwell,  who 
came  from  Irelanil  to  Westmoreland  county  and 
was  so  well  ])leased  with  the  county  .iround  Mt. 
Pleasant  that  he  settled  in  that  section.  He  fol- 
lowed weaving  for  a  business  and  reared  a 
family  of  sixteen  children,  eight  boys  and  eight 
girls.  (.)ne  of  his  sons  was  I'avid  Maxwell, 
who  was  born  in  l)Sl2and  jiassed  away  in  ISTlJ. 
His  life-record  was  without  blot  or  stain,  his 
character  was  above  suspicion  and  his  word  was 
as  good  as  his  bond.  He  was  honored  and 
trusted  by  all.  He  lived  an  une\entful  but  use- 
ful life  which  was  filled  u])  with  kind,  generous 
and  charitable  deeds.  Plain  of  habit  and  free 
in  manner,  he  was  one  of  nature's  true  nolilemcn. 
He  wa.s  a  democrat,  bad  liiled  some  of  the  tmvn- 
sliip  offices  and  in  the  discharge  of  his  civil  duties 
was  kind  hut  firm,  generous  b\it  just  and  was 
noted  .-IS  an  exemjilary  public  oliieinl.  He  was 
a  coiiscicntious  anil  dcvijlrd  uiciiilici- of  the  Pres- 
byterian church.  Ill  IS:!S  be  was  ni.-iirird  lo 
liaunab  Truxall,  wh.)  was  born  Apiil  1,  1S11, 
anil  is  slill  li\ing.  They  were  the  parents  of 
niue  chddicn  o|  whoui  Siiunn  K.  Is  fourlli  in 
order  of  age.  The  Truxalls  weir  oflieiiiian  de- 
scent. They  were  noted  for  hunesty  and  up- 
rightness. 

.\fti'r  rerciviug  a  common  school  education 
Simon  V.  Maxwell  learned  lb,'  trade  of  Id.ick- 
Hinith  and  worked  siiccessfully  at  lil.arksniitliing 
for  sixteen  years,  from  1800  lo  ].S(Sil.  lie  was 
engaged  in  market  gardening  for  several  years. 
In  18S7  Mr.  Maxwell  was  elected  commissioner 
of  Westmoreland  county,  in  which  capacity  he  is 
serving  at  the  jn-escnl  time. 


On  March  16,  1869  he  marrieil  Miss  Maggie 
H.  Lose,  daughterof  Henry  and  Sophia  ( I'orch) 
Lose  of  Pleasant  Unity.  Mr.  Lose  was  a  good 
blacksmith  and  was  a  son  of  Ilenrv  Lose,  Sr., 
who  was  ii  fine  mechanic  in  his  day  and  tlid  all 
the  difficult  work  in  his  section. 

Simon  F.  Maxwell  sought  to  enter  the  Union 
service  during  the  late  civil  war  but  was  re- 
jected on  account  of  being  too  young.  Three  of 
his  brothers,  William  T.,  Josiah  and  David 
scrvcil  in  the  Union  armies.  S.  F.  ALixwell  is 
a  strong  democrat,  one  who  stands  up  stoutly  for 
his  political  faith  and  is  active  in  work  for  demo- 
cratic success.  He  has  been  auditor,  tax  col- 
lector and  assessor  of  his  native  township.  The 
knowledge  of  public  aflairs  that  he  acquired 
while  serving  in  these  diiVerent  local  offices  has 
been  very  valuable  to  him  since  he  was  inducted 
into  the  office  of  county  commissioner.  He  has 
served  very  acceptably  as  a  county  official  and 
has  always  endeavored  to  promote  the  best  in- 
terests of  the  county.  He  is  a  good  business 
man,  a  desirable  citizen  and  an  influential  church 
member.  He  is  an  efficient  county  official  and 
is  a  deacon  in  the  Mt.  Pleasant  Presbyterian 
church  which  was  organized  in  the  vear  of 
"  American  Independence." 


EV.  SAMUKL  D.McGONNELL,  D.  D., 

whose  mother  aiul  sister  reside  at  New 
^«)  .\le\aiiihia,  is  a  native  of  Saleui  town- 
ship. .Hid  IS  a  son  of  |)a\'id  and  .\giies  ((iiilhiic) 
McCouiicll.  His  grandparents,  David  McCon- 
nell  and  Rebecca  Kirkpatrick  were  among  the 
Scotch-Irish  settlers  who  crossed  the  Alleghenies 
into  Westmoreland  county  after  the  close  of  the 
Kevoliitionary  war.  Lik(;  hundreds  of  others 
they  came  i'rom  Ireland  just  befoi'c  the  war, 
stopped  for  one  generation  in  Lancaster  county 
and  then  joined  in  the  new  movement  to  the 
backwoods.  Having  ai-rived  in  Westmoreland 
county  they  took  up  a  large  tract  ol'  land  lying 
along  the  Whitehorn,  a  liranch   which    puts  into 


Y<^^<>c^^^ts.£^ 


WESTMORELAND  CO UNTY. 


•l'.i3-v.M- 


Loyiillianna  creek  some  miles  below  New  Alex- 
aiuliia.  To  David  McCoiur'U  \son.'  i)oni'  twolvc 
fliiMi-i'ii,  all  (/I'wiiiiiu  livL-il  to  iiiairy.  The  sons 
Were:  i'aiiicl,  Tlimiias,  l)aviil  ami  Sauiiiel,  and 
of  the  whole  lamily  only  Sanuti'l  is  now  liviiij^. 
For  many  years  l)aviil  ami  Tlidmas  lived  in  old 
Congruity,  but  Thomas  moveil  late  in  lite  to 
Missoiui  where  he  died.  SamiRd  was  one  of  the  | 
pioneers  in  Califorina  where  lie  lived  Iwentv 
years,  then  returned  to  Pennsylvania  and  now  i 
resides  in  Oil  City.  David  Me( 'onnell  lived  all 
his  life  on  the  farm  in  Salem  township  nhi'di  he 
inherited  from  his  father.  In  his  t'arlv  life  he 
was  like  most  educatetl  men  of  his  time,  a  sehool 
teacher.  A  teacher  of  men  he  remained  all  his 
life  and  his  iidlnencefor  good  is  still  felt  in  that 
community.  W'lien  a  young  man  he  married 
Agnes  (iuthrie,  a  daughter  of  'William  Gtithrie, 
one  of  the  early  Scotch-Irish  settlers  on  the 
]>eaver  iiun  and  a  descendant  of  (Japtain 
EiMjwidee  who  was  killeil  at  the  burning  of 
llannastowii.  L>avid  McConiiell  and  his  wife 
had  ten  children,  seven  of  whom  survive.  Their 
father  died  in  liSUH  but  their  mother  is  still  liv- 
ing. The  eldest  son,  ^Villiam,  married  Dorcas 
Heed  and  lives  at  Saltsburg.  I'a.,  where  he  is  an 
elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church  and  a  justice  of 
the  peace.  Thi'  only  other  son  is  Samuel  1). 
IMcConnell,  D.  1).,  who  is  the  rector  of  St. 
8te|ihen's  l']|iiseopal  cliurcli,  I'hiladelphia.  I'a., 
and  one  of  the  leading  divines  of  that  church  in 
the  United  States.  The  daughters  are  :  Martha, 
Mary  J.,  INIargaret  Kincaid  (Mrs  J.  (!.  Steele), 
Agnes  (deccascil),  Saniantha  ami   Lucinda  (Mrs. 

A.  11.  Sligh).      Tlu'  .MeConn.'ll  fniiily  \\,v  e 

than  a  centiiiy  ha\i'  iieen  iileni  died  with  the  his- 
tory and  interests  of  W'estmoieland   counlv    and 
liuvo  always  been    ciiaracteri/.ed  liy  sirici    integ- 
rity, good   citizensiiip   and  all  the  ipialities  of  a   I 
pious,  God-fearing  ]ieople.      With    its    memliers.    I 
to  know   the  right  is  to  do  it,  lei  the  coiisei|Uelire 
be  what  it  may.       inliabited  by  such   stunlv  and 
upright   citizens,  it  is  not    rcmarkabh'    that    this   j 
county  has  forged  her  nay  to  the  fiont   and  ln.iw    ! 


stands   second  to  none  in  intellectual  ami  moral 
worth. 

(,'.  .M.criiDY,  M.  D.,  an  intelligent 
and  skillfid  physician  of  l,ivcrnioie  who 
has  suceessfuUy  jn'aeticed  his  professi(jn 
in  Allegheny,  Putler  and  Westmoreland  counties 
for  over  eight  years,  was  born  in  Butler  county, 
Pa.,  May  8,  1855,  and  is  a  son  of  Dr.  11.  L. 
and  Mary  E.  (Ue.lick)  McCurdy.  Dr.  11.  C. 
Mc(Jurdy  is  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  Ilis  pat- 
ernal grandfatlier,  .John  McC'urd\-,  wa-;  a  native 
of  this  country  and  was  a  resilient  of  Indiana 
county,  this  State,  for  many  years.  IIis  mater- 
nal grandfather,  Rev.  John  I'edick,  was  a  jiioneer 
Presbyterian  minister  who  lived  during  the  lat- 
ter part  of  his  life  in  Armstrong  county.  Pa. 
His  flither.  Dr.  11.  L.  McCurdy,  was  born  in 
October,  lSll4,  near  Ebcnezcr,  Indiana  county, 
this  State,  and  lives  at  Freeport,  I'a.,  where  he 
has  been  a  resident  since  ISolb  He  is  an  active 
reimblicaii  and  a  strict  meiidier  of  the  Presby- 
terian churcli.  He  married  Mary  Iv  Reiliek, 
who  was  born  near  what  is  no\v  known  as  Slate 
Lick  in  Armstrong  county,  I'a.  To  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  McCurdy  were  born  si.x  children  :  Eliza- 
beth, wife  of  Capt.  A.  S.  Warner  of  Creighton, 
Pa.;  Dr.  II.  L.,  Etta,  tclegrajih  operator  at 
Natrona,  this  State:  Luella  (i.;  Calvin  W., 
who  is  one  of  the  I'aculty  of  (_'urry  University, 
Pittsburg  ;  and  Mary  DeBure.  who  is  a  teacher 
in  the  ladies'  senunary  at  Washington,  Pa. 

Dr.  11.  C.  McCtirdy  was  reared  chicily  at 
h'reeport  where  he  attended  the  common  schools, 
lie  then  entered  W'itherspoon  institution  and 
took  tlie  i'onr  years  course  of  that  ediu-ational 
institution.  He  read  nieilieiiie  \\itb  his  liither 
at  Freeport,  entereil  the  medical  dciiai'tment  of 
Wooster  University,  Ohio,  where  be  remained 
but  a  short  time  and  then  went  to  the  college 
of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  lialtimore,  .Mary- 
land, IVoui  wliieh  well-kniiwn  institution  he  was 
graduati'il  Mareli  o,  ISM:^.  In  the  same  year 
he   located    at   JSew   Te.\as,    .\llegheny   county, 


494 


isroGRApnn:s  of 


wluTC  lio  ]ir:uMiftil  Icir  tliicr  vnirs,  tluii  rcinuvcil 
to  Biit.lor,  I'a..  uiul  rciiiaiiuMl  at  that  place  lor 
two  years.  In  1887  he  eaiiie  fruiii  Jjiitk-r  to 
Tiiveiiiiorc,  wlieic  he  lias  liecii  Micres.-^l'iil  in 
liiiililiiij^  ii|i  a.  lari^'i:  aiiil  iiiiimieial  i\a'  ]iraiiice. 
l>r.  .Mc(.'mcly  i.s  a  .slaiieli  i-e|pul)licaii  ami  a 
stronji  ]ii'esljytei-ian.  lie  is  a  nienibev  of  the 
Ii-on  Hall  Ovduv,  anil  the  Jr.  Order  of  I'niteJ 
American  ^lechanics  at  Tunuelton. 

June  14,  1884,  he  married  jMaggie  M.  Weir, 
daughter  of  Judge  A.  D.  Weir  of  Butler,  Pa. 
The  Weirs  are  of  Scotch-Irish  origin. 

Dr.  R.  C.  McCurdy  is  a  well-read  and  skillful 
physician.  lie  is  a  nephew  of  Rev.  T.  xV  Mc- 
Curdy, D.  D.,  who  is  a  distingiiislied  divine  of 
the  Presbyterian  church  and  i)resident  of  J\lc- 
Alister  college,  jNIinneapolis,  ^Minnesota.  The 
McCurdy  family  is  Scotch-Irish  in  origin,  pres- 
byterian  in  religious  belief  and  all  of  its  present 
members  are  republican  in  political  opinion. 

•j*  OIIN  J.  McCarthy,  a  resident  of  Unity 
t"    township  and  an  able  and  experienced  coke- 
<$J     yard  foreman,  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  ]\Iary 
(Moreland)  JlcCarthy  and  was  bom  at  Greens- 
burg,  Westuioreland  county,  I'a.,  December,  1, 

i8.;r). 

This  county  has  been  for  over  half  a  century 
one  of  the  favorite  sections  of  Pennsylvania  to 
■which  emigrants  from  Ireland  repair.  In  184;i 
among  tbiise  who  left  the  "  Kmerald  Isle"  to 
bctU'r  their  iHindilion  in  the  I'nited  Slates  was 
Henry  McC.irthy  (fathei),  a  native  of  county 
Derry.  He  bad  landed  at  New  York  and 
])ushed  as  far  westward  as  Westmoreland  county, 
where  he  locateil  at  Grecnsburg.  He  imme- 
diately sought  lor  employment  ami  liccame  a 
section  Ibreman  on  the  liallimore  and  Ohio 
I'ailroad.  .After  serving  in  this  capacity  i'or 
many  years  he  was  ollered  and  accepte<l  the 
position  of  yard  foreman  at  the  ^lorgan  JMines 
of  H.  C.  Frick  i^  Co.  These  mines  are  in 
Kaye(,t(^   coiinly,    I'a.,    and    he    served    unlil   his 


death  which  occurred  December  1:2,  18S4,  when 
he  was  in  the  forty-fifth  year  of  his  age.  Hi; 
was  a  democrat  in  Ids  political  views  and  a  de- 
vout mendicr  of  the  Catholic  cliiircli.  He  was 
manird  in  the  old  Catholic  church  at  ( i  icens- 
biirg  to  .Maiy  .Moreland,  who  was  a  nalivt;  of 
county  Tipperary,  Ireland,  and  came  to  this 
county  in  18.";4.  She  died  March  l-'J,  188G, 
aged  forty-six  years.  To  Henry  and  Mary  Mc- 
Carthy were  born  several  children. 

John  J.  McCarthy  was  reaied  in  Westmore- 
land county,  received  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  and  at  an  early  aire  was  em- 
ployed as  a  section  hand  of  the  Baltimore  and 
Ohio  railroad  and  continued  as  such  for  three 
years.  lie  then  became  a  yard  foreman  at 
coke  works  and  has  served  in  that  capacity  at 
dill'erent  coke  works  ever  since.  He  thoroughly 
understands  his  business,  has  always  rendered 
satisfaction  to  his  employers  and  been  popular 
with  the  yard  hands.  He  is  a  democrat  who 
always  gives  ;i  full  and  hearty  support  to  his 
party.  He  is  a  strict  member  of  the  Catholic 
church  and  resides  in  Unity  townshi]). 

He  was  married  in  Connellsville,  Fayette 
county,  Pa.,  on  January  27,  1877,  to  Mary 
(,.luinn,  daughter  of  James  and  Margaret  (Boyd) 
(^hiinn,  who  are  natives  of  county  Roscommon, 
Ireland.  Mr.  and  ^Irs.  McCarthy  are  the 
parents  of  six  children,  two  sons  and  four 
daughters:  Charles  B.,  Henry  tuid  Maggie, 
twins,  Nellie,  Theresa  and  Clarissa,  twins.  Mrs. 
McCarthy  is  a  member  of  the   Catholic  church. 


.FORGE  W.  ME(i.\RY,  an  accommodat- 
ing, [irosperous  and  poj)ular  merchant  of 
Pleasant  Unity  and  a  man  of  twenty 
years'  successful  business  experience  in  the  city 
of  Pialtiiiiore  tmd  in  Westmorelaml  county,  was 
born  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  March  1,  1850,  and  is 
a  son  of  James  AV.  and  Eli/.a  (Myers)  Megary. 
His  grandfather,  Patrick   Megary,  was  a  native 


'ESTMdllELAND  COUNTl'. 


and  resilient  of  Iluntingilun  couniy  in  wliieli  lie 
followed  hotel-keejiin-.  His  vuii,  -lanies  W. 
Mcgary,  ^^ent  in  early  life  tu  l!altiuiiu-e  where 
lie  iieeanie  a  vei'y  active  and  suceessful  l)u>iiie.ss 
man.  In  tliat  eitv  lie  owned  and  eondiii'ted  two 
large  stores,  one  of  wliieli  was  a  i^roeery  and 
provision  and  the  other  a  wholesale  shoe-store. 
He  was  an  officer  of  high  rank  in  the  Jr.  0.  U. 
A.  M.  and  served  onee  as  Grand  Reprofccntative 
of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Maryland  to  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  Jr.  ().  \j .  A.  M.  of  the  United  States. 
He  died  in  Baltimore  in  IsG-i,  aged  43  years. 
He  nuirried  Eliza  Myers,  who  was  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church  and  died  in  1S8'.I  at 
sixty-eight  years  of  age. 

George  W.  Megary  was  reared  in  Baltimore 
until  he  was  eleven  years  of  age  when  he  went 
with  his  parents  to  Mifllin  county.  Pa.,  where 
be  remained  for  si.\  years.  At  seventeen  years 
of  age  he  returned  to  Baltimore  and  learned  the 
trade  of  painting  which  he  followed  until  1882. 
Li  1879  he  came  to  Pleasant  Unity,  where  be 
has  resided  ever  since.  On  April  oO,  1885,  be 
was  appointed  postmaster  at  Pleasant  Unity  by 
President  Cleveland  and  served  very  creditably 
as  such  until  xVpril  1,  18811,  when  he  resigned. 
In  January,  1888,  he  purchased  the  store  of 
Thomas  Hanna  and  has  continued  successfully 
in  the  general  mercantile  business  ever  since. 
He  lias  a  largt',  conveniently  arranged  and  well 
fitted  up  mercantile  establishment.  His  stock 
is  complete  and  has  been  carefully  selected  in 
the  Eastern  cities  with  an  especial  view  to 
accommodate  tiie  needs  of  the  trade  at  I'leasant 
Unity.  His  goods  are  Hrst-class  in  quality, 
reasonable  in  price  and  varied  in  assortment  to 
suit  the  wants  of  bis  numerous  patrons.      He  is 


•{[•AMES  SULLIVAN  MILLER,  M.D.,  was 
j  a  resident  of  Derry  and  a  physician  of 
^  thirty-iive  years  continuous  and  successful 
juactice. 

lie  was  a  son  of  Hr.  M.  L.  and  Hannah 
(Siinjison)  Miller  and  was  liorn  at  I'erryopolis, 
Indiana  county.  Pa.,  April  10,  18-33.  His 
paternal  grandparents  came  from  Ireland  and 
settled  in  this  State  during  the  first  half  of  the 
present  century.  His  father,  Dr.  M.  L.  Miller, 
read  medicine  and  engaged  in  active  practice 
about  1828.  He  met  with  good  success  at  the 
difl'erent  points  at  which  he  located.  After 
si.xty  years  of  continuous  practice  he  retired 
from  his  chosen  profession  and  is  passing  the 
evening  of  a  well-spent  life  at  Blairsville,  Pa. 
He  married  Hannah  Simpson  and  reared  a 
family. 

Dr.  James  S.  Miller  attended  the  common 
schools  and  in  1847  entered  Elders  Ilidge 
academy,  from  which  excellent  educational  insti- 
tution he  was  graduated  in  184'J.  lie  read 
medicine  with  his  father,  attended  lectures  at 
Jefl'erson  Medical  college,  Philadelphia,  and 
was  graduated  from  that  celebrated  institution 
March  10,  1855.  After  graduation  he  located 
at  New  Derry,  where  he  practiced  continuously 
until  1881.  In  that  year  he  removed  to  Derry 
station  on  the  Pennsylvania  i-ailroad.  where  he 
remained  in  the  active  practice  of  his  profession 
until  his  death  in  18'.'0. 

In  1855  Dr.  Miller  united  in  marriage  with 
Emily  J.  Spicer  of  Akron,  Ohio.  To  their 
union  were  born  six  children :  of  these  are 
Ilev.  Charles  M.,  who  graduated  at  Allegheny 
college,  sjient  four  years  in  India,  wdiere  he  had 
charge  of  the  Seamen's  Home  in  Calcutta  and 


a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church,   A.   Y.   M.   |  performed    other    missionary    work    under    the 

auspices  of  a  Board  of  Missions,  and  is  now 
the  popular  and  able  pastor  of  Trinity  M.  E. 
church,  Pittsburg,  Pa.;  Harry  M.,  Laura  L., 
Noble  J.,  who  died  at  three  years  of  age,  and 
Frank  W.  Mrs.  Miller  is  a  daughter  of  Jlinor 
and  Dorauda  Spicer,  who  were  natives  of  Con- 


and  K.    of   P.     In    politics    Mr.    Megary   is  a 
democrat. 

In  1n77  he  married  Lottie  Shafler,  of  Frank- 
lin townshiji.  Tiieir  union  has  been  blessed 
with  four  children  :  Bessie,  \'iola,  Blanche  and 
Bertha. 


bwghaphies  of 


nectiuut  ami  reuKived  to  Ohio,  where  the 
fcinuer  dii'd  about  1S50  and  tlic  latter  jiassed 
away  in  iMi'.l. 

I>r.  .1.  S.  Milh'r  was  sucei-^sCul  in  liis  career 
as  a  physician,  had  a  large  |>iaclice  and  was 
snrgeon  for  one  division  of  the  i'ennsylvania 
Central  railroad. 

On  Monday,  April  7,  ISIHI,  the  inhabitants 
of  Derry  were  surprised  and  shocked  to  hear 
tliat  Dr.  James  S.  ^[iller  hail  suddenly  died 
tiiat  ilay  about  •'!  o'eloek  in  the  afternoon.  His 
loss  was  deeply  felt  by  a  wide  circle  of  surrow- 
ing  friends  and  the  surrounding  comniunitv. 


rn'CH  W.  MlT('HEi,L.  one  of  the  self- 
'M  made  men  of  Mt.  Pleasant  township  and 
the  proprietor  of  a  mill  ou  Little  Srwick- 
ley  creek,  is  a  s,,ii  uf  Hugh  M.  and  .Mary 
(Ncwill)  .Mitchell  and  was  born  in  .Mt.  I'lea>aiit 
ti.)\Mishi]i,  W'eslmoicl.-inil  county,  J'a.,  .luly  l'S, 
1n41.  Among  the  many  long  settled  families 
of  .Mt.  Pleasant  township  is  the  Mitchell  family. 
One  of  its  descendants  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
eighteenth  century  ^vas  Thomas  .Mitchell,  gr.ind- 
fathrr,  whoowneil  a  farm  (jf  lun.'  Iiundrul  and 
si.xly  acres  of  choice  land.  Of  his  children  one 
was  Hugh  M.  Mitchel,  (father)  who  was  a  farmer 
by  ocuu[>ation,  a  democrat  in  politics  and  a 
presbyterian  in  religious  belief  He  served  for 
manv  years  a--  e<uistable  of  .Mt.  Pleasant  town- 
ship and  was  Mh\a\s  pnuiipt  in  the  di>eliarL;e  of 
every  duly  nl'  thai  ollic  c.  lie  luairied  .Mary 
NeUlM,  daughter  id'.l.iuies  .\euill,  who  \\as  a 
firmer  and  a  miller.  .Mr.  and  .Mr>.  .Mitchell 
Were  the  parents  of  seven  childreti. 

Hugh  W.  Mitchell  was  I'e.ired  (jn  a  farm  ami 
attended  the  comuinn  sehoids.  1, caving  school 
he  learned  the  trade  of  miller  vvhich  he  has 
I'olluwcd  ever  sim-e.  He  owns  and  ojjcrates  the 
iloiiriug  mill  which  was  built  by  his  grandfather 
Newill,  ou  Little  Sewiekley  creek.  He  also 
owns  some  land  ailjoining  the  mill.  In  politics 
Mr.  Mitchell  litis  always  been  :i  liriu  believer  in 


the  principles  and  leading  measures  of  the 
Re))ublicau  party.  Ife  is  I'ather  active  in  local 
political  matters  but  has  never  aspired  to  ollice. 
He  is  a  sle.idy,  thorough-going  business  man  and 
a  reliable  citizen. 


HAllLES  MUHLENBERG,  one  of  the 
veteran  survivors  of  the  old  one  hundred 
and  forty-second  reg.  of  Pa.  Vols,  and  a 
comfortably-situated  farmer  of  Mt.  Pleasant 
township,  is  a  son  of  Henry  Muhlenberg,  a 
native  of  Germany  and  was  born  iSeptember  3t), 
1838,  in  Hanover,  then  a  ju'ovince  of  the  kini'- 
dom  of  Prussia  but  now  a  State  of  the  (iernian 
empire.  1 1  is  granilfalher  Muhlenberg  was  a 
member  of  the  Evangelictil  Lutheran  church. 
He  was  a  life-long  resident  of  Prussia,  where 
be  married  and  hail  two  children,  Eredeiiek  and 
Henry,  who  both  imiuigrated  to  the  I'nited 
Stales  and  settled  in  western  Pennsylvania. 
Frederick  Muhlenberg  resides  in  Somerset 
county  where  he  married  Susan  Cajies  and  is 
engaged  in  I'arming. 

Henry  Muhlenberg,  the  father  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  came  to  Somerset  in  LSaO  but 
soon  removed  to  I'^ayotte  county,  this  Sttite, 
where  he  remained  until  his  death.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Lutheran  church,  and  after  bis 
arrival  in  this  country  he  aliiliated  with  the 
Hemocratic  party  for  whose  nominees  he  idways 
east    his  ballot. 

Cbailes  .M iilih'iiberg  received  his  education 
in  the  excellent  public  schools  of  I'russia.  He 
came  with  his  fitlier  to  Somerset  county  in 
1!S.jO.  He  commenced  life  for  himself  as  a 
common  day  laborer  but  soon  removed  to 
Fayette  county,  Pa.,  where  he  jiurehased  a 
small  farm  of  twenty-eight  acres  which  he  cul- 
tivated for  twelve  years.  Li  1884  he  disposed 
of  his  land  and  bought  his  present  farm  of 
sixty  acres  which  is  situated  three  miles  east  of 
Mt.  Pleasant  in  a  good  farming  section  of 
country.        Mr.    Mtihleiiberg     has    greatly    im- 


ui':srM()i:i:[,A.\'i)  couxrv. 


I)riiV('(l  his  lUnu  :iii(l  is  surccssl'iiljy  L'liLj:ii:;eil  in 
r;iisiii;i;  iiv.uii  aiiil  stock.  lie  is  ;i  ili'iimcrat 
in  p'llitirs  .111(1  u  liicinlicr  auil  deacon  of  the 
Mvanuclical     Liilliciari    cliiiicli.         In     ISdi!     lie 

cnlislnl  in  Co.  l''.,onch Irr.l  and  loi  1  y-srcond 

rcg.  I'a.  Vols.,  and  srived  iinlil  llic  ilo.-.e  (d' tiiu 
war.  llo  jtarticipatcd  in  nunin-ims  cngagenR'nts 
and  skirmishes  and  to(]k  ]iart  in  the  teiTific 
liattle  of  Frcderi(d<shurg.  Fehruary  28,  l>iUS, 
hu  united  in  niarriago  witli  Lydia  Boyer,  a 
daughter  of  Samuel  lloyer,  who  is  a  descendant 
of  the  earlj  settled  and  numerous  Boyer  family 
of  Somerset  county. 


0WEN  MUIiPIlV.  one  of  the  leading 
coke  oven  contractors  <if  the  "  ConncUs- 
ville  coke  region,"  and  the  proprietor  of 
tlie  Murphy  house  at  Youngstown,  is  a  son  of 
Patrick  and  Mary  (Woods)  Murphy  and  was 
born  in  county  Monaglitin,  Ireland,  in  iStil. 
Ills  parents  arc  natives  of  Ireland  and  nicndicrs 
of  the  Catholic  church.  His  father,  Patrick 
Murpliy,  was  reared  ami  educated  in  his  liative 
country  where  he  has  alwavs  remained,  lie  is 
an  extensive  fiirmer  and  a  very  active  and 
tiiorough-going  business  man.  He  was  born  in 
1827  and  is  now  in  the  sixty-third  year  of  his 
age.  He  married  Mary  \Voods  and  has  several 
children. 

()\scn  Murj)liy  was  reared  on  his  lather's  farm 
and    attended    the    pay    schools    of    his    native 
count  V.   ill    wliicli   lie   received    a  gooil   business 
education.      licaving  school  lie  learned  the  trade 
of   stonemason   and    bricklayer.       In    1S81   he 
came  to  the  United  States  and  located  at  llioail 
Ford,  Fayette  county.   Pa.        He  remained  there   { 
for   one  year   during   which   |icriod   of  time  he  | 
worked   at   his   trade    for  the  H.  (!.  Fiick    (Joke   j 
Company.      At  the  end  (A'  that  time  he  went  t<j   [ 
St.     Louis,     ^lissouri,    where     he     worked     for   i 
eighteen   months.      He   then    returned   to  Penn- 
sylvania   and     located   at    .Mount    Pleasant,    this 
county,  wluu'e   he   resided    until     ISSD    when    lie   | 


removed  to  ^'(]llngsto\\  n  and  lias  ccmtinued  to 
live  there  ever  since.  He  is  now  engaged  in  tlie 
erection  of  a  very  large  hotel  which  when  eom- 
plcled  uill  Ilea  \ciy  line  liuildilig  and  a  gnat 
iiMpio\  cnicnt  to  ^  (iiingstowii.  It  is  modem  in 
design  and  no  expense  is  lieing  spared  to  make 
it  tirst-class  in  everv  respect.  It  will  contain  a 
large  number  of  rooms  besides  dining  and  sani]de 
rooms,  pantries,  storeroom  anil  oliice.  It  is  a 
two-story  frame  and  will  be  complete  in  all  its 
equipments  and  arrangements. 

November  0,  1885,  he  married  Lizzie  Me- 
3Iahon  of  Mount  Pleasant.  Their  union  has 
been  blessed  with  two  children,  both  daughters: 
Mary  Edna  and  Annie  Agnes. 

Since  he  came  to  this  county,  Mr.  Miii'iihy 
has  been  largely  engaged  in  contracting.  Ho 
built  150  coke  ovens  at  Broad  Ford,  300  at 
Ciipalo,  1000  ;it  another  point  and  (j08  for  the 
Hostetter  Coke  Company.  In  |)fditics  he  is  an 
aggressive  democrat.  In  religion  he  is  an  earnest 
member  of  the   Catholic  church. 


gAMUEL  Mil  SICK,  a  veteran  soldier  of 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  a  prominent 
('»)  merchant  and  one  of  the  leading  business 
men  of  Lyeii>[)Us,  is  a  son  of  Peter  and  Eliza- 
beth (Seanor)  Musick,  and  was  born  in  South 
Huntingdon  townshi|i,  \Vestmoreland  county, 
I'a.,  Hecember  2'.l,  IM-p").  The  Musick  family  of 
^Veslnloreland  county  was  foundeil  by  David 
Musick,  grandfather,  who  was  born  in  North- 
umberland county.  Pa.,  in  177'"i.  At  thirteen 
years  of  age  he  came  to  this  county  where  ho 
followed  farming  as  an  occupation.  He  was  a 
strict  meinlier  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
church  and  stood  high  in  the  commiinity  in 
which  he  resided  as  an  honest  and  upright  man. 
His  son,  Peter  Musick,  father,  was  born  near 
.Vdainslmrg,  August  I,  PSi)?.  and  died  I'eceni- 
ber  20,  I  HSU,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty- 
two  years.  He  was  a  I'oopcr  by  trade  and  in 
1S;')1  icmoved  to  linily  townshi|i  where  lie  pur- 


498 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


d,;rM.,l  :i  l-inn  aiul  vc<ul-<\  till  liis  .Iratli.  lie 
■\vu-i  ;i  pliiiii,  iin;issiiiaiii^  liKin  alid  :i  coiisisteiit 
iiiriulior  of  iho  l']vaii^i'lical  lAitiiiTaii  cliuicli. 
Ilo  nuin-led  Klizabotli  Scaiuir  by  ^vllum  he  bail 
several  cliiUlrcii.  One  of  tlicir  sons  is  Darwin 
Mii-ick.  tbe  editor  of  tlie  Grecnsburg  Record 
and  wbu  lias  made  tliat  paper  ;i  power  in  tlie 
politics  of  Westmoreland  county.  (See  bis  sketcb 
in  (jroensburg.)  ^Irs  Elizabeth  Musick  sur- 
vived her  husband  but  two  weeks  and  died  in 
the  eighty-first  j'ear  of  her  age.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Philip  Seanor,  who  was  of  German 
descent  and  settled  in  Tlempfield  township  at  an 
early  day.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  a 
Lutheran  in  religious  belief. 

Samuel  ilusick  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  at- 
tended the  common  schools  until  he  was  sixteen 
Years,  of  age  when  he  enlisted  in  company  IS, 
one  hundred  and  forty-second  reg.  I'a.  Vols., 
and  served  from  August,  1802,  until  he  was 
•was  discharged  at  Boston,  Mass.,  July  U,  1S(J5. 
He  participated  in  several  engagements  and  at 
the  battle  of  Fredcricksurbg  received  three  severe 
wounds — one  in  the  face,  another  in  the  chest 
and  a  third  in  the  right  1(^  His  woumls  un- 
fitted him  for  further  active  service  and  when 
partly  recovered  he  was  transferred  to  the  veteran 
reserve  corps  in  which  he  served  until  'the  close 
of  the  war.  He  tlien  returned  liouie  and  in 
ISTl  L-mliarked  in  the  lumber  business  in  In- 
diana county,  Pa.,  which  he  pursued  for  ten 
yoars.  In  .\pril,  ISSf),  he  removed  to  Lycippus 
where  lie  has  resided  ever  since.  In  May,  1887, 
he  engaged  in  his  present  general  mercantile 
business.  He  has  a  good  store-room  and  a  large 
and  first-class  stock  of  dry  goods,  choice  family 
groceries,  notions,  hardware,  Xc.  He  enjoys  a 
fine  trade  and  is  popular  as  a  merchant. 

In  l>;i'8  lu-  united  inuiarriage  with  Elizabeth 
Brinker,  daughter  of  Abraham  ]5rinker,  of 
Ilempfield  township.  They  have  eight  children, 
three  sons  and  five  daughters:  Minnie  M.,  Peter 
A.,  Ida  0.,  Thurman  C,  Abraham  B.,  Sarah 
C,  Viola  M.  and  A'^erna  E. 


Samuel  Musick  owns  coiisidrrable  ])roperty  in 
and  around  i.ycippus.  lie  is  a  democrat  in 
politics,  a  meiiilier  of  tbe  Evangelical  church 
and  is  a  representative  business  man  of  his 
section  of  tbe  county. 

•j"  OSIIU  A  NEWILL,  a  well-known  farmer  of 
■f  ■  Mt.  Pleasant  township  and  a  grandson  of 
(2J  Robert  Newill,  one  of  the  early  pioneers 
of  Westmoreland  county,  is  a  son  of  James  and 
Susanna  (Derby)  Newill  and  was  born  in  Mt. 
Pleasant  town.ship,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa., 
August  14,  Ls21.  His  grandfather,  Robert 
Newill,  was  born  in  Maryland  and  became  one 
of  the  early  pioneers  of  Westmoreland  county. 
He  patented  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of 
land  in  Alt.  Pleasant  township  where  he  resided 
until  his  death.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion an<l  a  democrat  in  politics.  He  married 
Pollv  (ieorge.  by  whom  he  had  three  sons  and 
two  daughters.  One  of  these  sons  was  James 
Newill  (father),  who  was  reared  on  his  Hither's 
farm,  of  which  he  became  the  owner  and  on 
which  he  resided  until  his  death.  Politically 
he  was  of  the  same  faith  as  his  father  before 
him.  He  married  Susanna  Derby,  who  bore 
him  nine  children,  seven  sons  and  two  daughters. 
James  Newill  was  reared  on  a  farm.  He 
received  a  good  business  education  aiul  then 
engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising,  which 
business  he  has  followed  ever  since.  His  well- 
improved  farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  is 
a  i)art  of  the  original  tract  which  was  patented 
by  his  grandfather  Robert  Newill.  Politically 
Joshua  Newill  is  a  republican  and  has  served 
his  township  as  school  director. 

He  was  niarrie<l  to  Cynthia  Long,  a  daughter 
of  George  Long,  of  Mt.  Pleasant  township. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Newill  are  tbe  parents  of  eleven 
children  :  Mary,  born  May  21,  1847,  and  is  the 
wife  of  John  Lemmon  ;  John,  born  February  G, 
184;t,  and  resides  in  Nebraska;  Elizabeth,  born 
January   iU,    1852,   and   is   the   wife  of  J.    P. 


WESTMORKLA  ND  CO  UNTY. 


499 


Springer,  of  lleinpficlil  township  ;  Martini,  liorn 
Octoljcr  4,  18;".  I;  Fi;inidin,  l)orii  Juno  Hi,  1S;.7, 
liiarrit'il  llottio  Sliarllrr  ;  Su<anii.i,  lioiai  Marcli 
17,  ISCO;  Davi.l  N.,  iiuni  April  1."),  I  Slil!,  uiar- 
rioil  .Minnie  Myers  ami  is  a  lawyer  at  (irerns- 
burg ;  Jackson  B.,  born  December  8,  l.siJ4, 
married  Carrie  Johnson  and  resides  at  Kecks- 
biirg;  Presley,  born  January  0,  1868,  a  student 
at  ]\It.  Pleasant ;  Jennie,  born  January  10, 
1870  and  Harlan,  liorn  June  14,  187-2. 


ICIIAEL  PALMKK.  One  who  has 
made  life  a  su<t<'ss  and  established  a 
gipipd  nann'  in  his  cdnuiiunity  is  Michael 
Palmer,  ot"  Youngstuwn.  lie  is  a  son  of  Michael 
and  Christina  (Hays)  Palmer,  and  was  Ijorii  in 
Donegal  townshif),  Westmoreland  county.  Pa., 
May  ;n,  1812.  The  Palmer  family  is  of  Ger- 
man descent  and  the  Westmoreland  county 
branch  of  it  was  f  mnded  hy  Adam  Palmer,  the 
grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Adam 
Palmer  was  a  native  of  what  is  now  Lebanon 
county.  Pa.,  where  his  ancestoi's  had  been  resi- 
dent for  several  generations  and  were  noteil  fur 
tlirift  and  honesty.  He  served  two  terms  of 
enlistment  in  the  Revolutioi>ftiy  war  and  was  at 
Brandy  wine  and  in  several  other  battles.  About 
1782  he  pushed  westward  to  better  his  fortunes, 
located  in  I\It.  Pleasant  tQwnsliip,  where  ho  took 
up  a  large  tract  <d'  land  and  was  a  highly  re- 
spected cilizen.  (X'lhe  cliildren  who  were  hnrn 
to  him  in  this  cmnty  one  was  .Michael  Palmer, 
Sr..  who  removed  to  Donegal  township,  where 
he  purchased  a  farm  and  resided  until  his  death 
in  l.SiJl),  wiiori  he  was  in  the  seventy-fifth  year 
of  his  age.  J  lo  was  a  member  of  the  Evangelical 
Lutheran  church  and  married  Christina  Hays, 
who  was  a  native  of  tliis  county,  a  devout 
Lutheran  and  who  passed  away  in  iK').")  aged 
sixty-nine  vears,  live  months  and  three  days. 

iMiehael  Palmer  attended  the  lairal  schools  of 
liis  neighiiiirhood  and  remained  on  his  father's 
farm  lill  he  was  twenty-four  years  of  age  when 


he  removed  to  Unity  township.  lie  there  pur- 
chased a  firm  which  he  coiilinued  to  lill  for 
foi'ty-three  years.  In  187'.*  he  retired  from 
arlive  life  and  removed  to  ^'o^ngslown  where 
lie  has  resided  evi'r  since.  Por  over  a  half  cen- 
tury of  active  life  he  was  reckoned  one  of  the 
most  industrious  and  successful  farmers  of  his 
section  of  the  county.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Catholic  church,  has  been  a  life-long  democrat 
and  served  his  tow  nsliip  for  one  term  as  assessor. 
Michael  Palmer  was  married  in  1840  to  Mary 
Ann  Henry,  who  died  in  18G7  and  left  five 
children:  Ely  H.,  Isaac  II.,  John  S.,  Mary 
Ann  and  iVgues.  In  1S7'.'  Mr.  Palmer  united 
in  marriage  with  Mary  Alice  Kiintz.  To  this 
second  union  have  been  born  two  sons  and  one 
daughter:  Michael  Francis,  Alexander  Jerome 
and  Elizabeth  (iertriide. 

'I*  AMES  A.  PEARCE,  a  prominent  and  re- 
l'  liable  druggist  of  Livermore  and  a  veteran 
(^  soldier  of  the  late  ''  Great  Rebellion,"  who 
made  a  fine  military  record  and  fought  in  some 
of  the  hardest  battles  of  the  war,  is  a  son  of 
John  C.  and  Sarah  A.  (King)  Pearce  and  was 
born  at  New  Alexandria,  \Vestnioreland  county, 
Pa.,  July  IG,  1847.  The  Pearces  are  of  Scotch- 
Irish  descent,  who  originally  settled  in  Mon- 
mouth county,  N.  J.  about  the  year  1740,  and 
Isaac  M.  Pearec,  the  father  of  John  C.  and 
gramll'ather  of  .lames  A.  Pearce,  removed  west 
in  17^2  and  bought  a  farm  in  Westmoreland 
county  near  New  Alexandria  where  he  died  in 
1847. 

John  0.  Pearce  was  born  near  New  Alexan- 
dria, Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  1822.  He 
was  reared  on  a  farm,  educated  in  the  common 
schools,  taught  several  terms  of  school,  was  a 
clerk  at  New  Alexandria  and  Livermore  and 
became  a  memlier  of  the  mercantile  lirtu  of 
Thomas  (!.  Stewart  i*c  (.'o.,  of  Livermore.  In 
l!S7U  he  removed  to  Saltsburg,  Indiana  county, 
i*a.,  became  ;i  member  of  the  mercantile  linn  of 


iiKionArnifs  of 


Slowart  >'v:  I'lMi'i'i',  wliirli  i-iintiiiin'il  until  ISTS, 
\\licu  Mr,  I'lMiiH'  willnlrcw  ;ui'l  oii^au't'il  in  lii-'^ 
jircsi'iit  clolhiiiii:  hiisiiicss  at  that  |ilaco.  lie  is  a 
stnm;^  re[iiililii;ati,  was  a  tVieinl  of  lluii.  .I(j1iii 
Ci)\n(li.' uTiil  is  a  wunii  supimrtor  of  Jiiilu't'  Jiairy 
^Vllite.  He  is  an  active  worker  in  tlie  Metho- 
dist Kpiscoiial  eluii-eh.  On  July  Hi,  1^41),  he 
niarrieil  Sarah  A.  King,  daughter  of  Charles 
Kinu',  -in  old  steamboat  cajitain  of  Pittshurg. 
'I'o  them  have  heen  born  nine  children  :  James 
A.,  E.  May,  Mary  J.,  wife  of  Simon  Wilt,  of 
St.  Petersburg,  Pa.  ;  Catharine,  married  to 
Alfred  McQuiston,  of  Saltsburg,  this  State ; 
Thomas  S.,  married  to  Julia,  daughter  of  Rev. 
W.  W.  Woodend,  pastor  of  the  Saltsburg  Pres- 
byterian chureli  ;  T.  Stewart  (deceased),  and 
three  who  died  in  infancy. 

James  A.  Pearce  was  reared  and  educated 
at  Livermore  until  the  age  of  fourteen.  C)ii  Sep- 
tember 10,  18G1,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  G,  seventy- 
sixth  Pa.  Zouaves,  served  si.\  months  and  was 
discharged  on  account  of  sickness.  ( In  June 
VJ,  ISlii],  he  enlisted  in  (,'o.  D,  second  reg..  Pa. 
Vols.,  was  discharged  January  -,  lStl4,  and 
four  years  later  entered  the  United  States  Sig- 
nal ('orps  in  which  he  served  until  August  -'2, 
iSi;,");  was  in  the  liattlrs(d'  New  Market,  Wood- 
stock, Piedmont,  Li'xingtmi,  Stanton,  Salem, 
IJerryville,  Ohio,  Cedar  creek,  Fisher's  Hill 
ami  Wincliester.  After  the  war  he  was  com- 
missioned l)y  (lov.  Hartranft  as  second  lieuten- 
ant of  C(j.  j),  Livcriuiue  liangers  of  the  Xali(Uial 
(luiiid:^  and  served  as  such  for  several  ycais. 
I''nun  iMl.Uo  IS7-J  he  was  engaged  hu(d.slcring. 
In  the  latter  year  he  endiaiked  in  his  ju'esent 
pros])erous  and  llouri-hing  drug  business  at 
Livermore. 

On  October  !',  l^iljd,  Mr.  Pearce  united  in 
marriage  with  Margaret  1.  (hiiiningham,  of  near 
liivcrmore.  To  I  heir  iiiikjii  have  iiceii  horn  seven 
children,  of  whom  fiuiraie  living:  (_'liailes  K., 
borii  January  "Jll,  iMiS;  l']ariiest  C,  lioin  He- 
cemher  I IJ,  iMi'.);  K.  Madge,  born  .lime  'J.", 
1.S7:.';    and   .lohn    !(.,  born  February    l^l,  IKTO. 


May  ;'.0,  IST'.i,  his  wife  died  and  on  l''elniiary  1, 
J8M;>,  be  married  Hannah  M .  I  loliues,  daughter 
of  Samuel  Ihduies.      l!v  his  second  marriage  he 


has  two  children  :    Oiio  1 1 ., 


DecemI 


er  -Jri, 


1.SH3,  and  Orpha  Iv,  born  May  ;il,   ISSli. 

In  politics  -Mr.  Pearce  is  an  uncompromising 
republican  and  a  strong  worker  in  that  party. 
He  has  served  twice  as  postmaster  at  Livermore. 
His  first  term  was  from  March  10.  LsTH,  to 
April  1,  lfS7:2,  and  the  second  term  from  De- 
cember 17,  1ST3,  to  September  20,  18S.J.  He 
was  electeil  justice  of  the  jieace  l!S90,  and  is  now 
serviiif?  as  such. 


♦j'OSEPH  E.  PEEBLES,  M.  D.,  one  of 
''»'  the  leading  jihysicians  of  Youngstown 
(^  and  one  of  the  young,  progressive  and 
successful  physicians  of  the  county  and  a 
member  of  the  National  Medical  society,  is 
a  son  of  John  M.  and  Jane  (Hunter)  Pee- 
bles and  was  born  at  Pleasant  Unity,  Unity 
township,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  October 
•J,  IHfj'J.  His  [laternal  grandfather,  llohert 
Peebles,  was  a  native  of  county  Tyrone,  prov- 
ince of  L'Ister,  Ireland.  He  was  a  linen  and 
i  coverlet  weaver  by  trade  and  immigrated  to  this 
I  country  when  a  young  man.  A  fter  arriving  in 
I  the  United  States  he  settleil  in  the  eastern  jiart 
of  Pennsylvania  where  he  followed  weaving  for 
J  many  years.  In  1H:!8  he  removed  with  his 
familv  to  Westmoreland  county  where  he  settled 
in  the  liig(mier  \'alley.  lie  was  a  member  of 
the  United  ]'rcsbylta-ian  church  and  the  Masonic 
fraternity.  He  died  in  ISfjl  w  hen  in  bis  eighty- 
tiflh  year.  One  of  his  sons,  John  M.  Peebles, 
was  born  in  Lancaster  county.  Pa.,  in  LSI  1,  and 
accompanied  his  father  to  the  Ligonier  valley  in 
18;!8.  He  followed  farming  and  schodl  teach- 
ing for  several  years  and  then  gave  his  atten- 
tion to  farming  exclusively  until  lately,  when  he 
retired  from  active  life.  He  resides  at  Pleasant 
Unity  and  has  always  Ijceii  a  stout,  active  and 
stirriiiL;   iiKin.      lie    has   liccn  a  inrmbri-  and  of- 


WKSTMOIlh'LAS]'   COUSTY. 


lic'i-  (if  llic  I  lillcci  I'rc^Kvl.Ti.ili  clillicli  Iwi- 
nearly  sixly  yt-AVs.  In  |iiililiL-s  \iv  Ims  Ikcu  a 
liti,'-l(jri;:  (Icriiocrat  arnl  liclil  many  |i(isilions  of 
liimcir  ;iii.|  Inist.  \'cilmii;,'  well  i.ri  In  Ins  ciL'lil- 
ic'lli  yea]-  III'  is  well  plusi'l  veil  Ixitli  in  linily  ajiil 
iTiinil  for  one  of  liis  years.  He  married  Jane 
lliiuter,  who  was  born  in  Cook  township,  this 
county,  and  died  Oetober  2,  18!S4.  f>he  was  a 
devout  member  of  the  Uniteil  Presbyterian 
cliurcli  and  was  an  excellent  woman.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Peebles  were  the  parents  of  nine  ebildreii, 
four  sons  and  five  daughters:  Dr.  A.  11.,  J-)r. 
Joseph  E.,  Robert  and  II.  M.  (the  girls  are) 
Mary,  Margaret,  Kate  E.,  II.  M.  and  ^adie.  0( 
these  children  five  were  graduates  of  high 
schools. 

Dr.  Joseph  E.  Peebles  was  reared  at  Pleasant 
Unity  and  attended  the  common  schools  of  that 
place  until  he  was  eleven  years  of  age  when  he 
entered  Sowickley  academy.  After  three  years' 
attendance  at  that  institution  of  learning  he 
spent  two  years  in  studying  geometry,  trigo- 
nometry and  civil  engineering  under  a  jiri- 
vate  tutor  who  was  well  versed  and  jjraeti- 
cally  experienced  in  those  branches.  He  then 
engaged  in  the  general  mercantile  Inisiness  with 
Thomas  Ilanna  at  Pleasant  Unity,  which  he  pur- 
sued for  five  years.  Having  made  ciioice  of 
medicine  for  his  life-work  he  aliamlonid  the 
mercantile  business  in  which  he  had  been  very 
successful  and  conimcnceil  reading  meilirine  in 
ISTO  with  his  brother.  Dr.  .\.  II.  PeebU's,  of 
VoiiMiistown,  ibis  roiinty.  la  the  I'all  of  'ISS'J 
he  entered  the  Cincinnati  college  of  Medicine 
and  Surgery  and  graduated  from  that  institution 
February  26,  188.'),  with  the  first  honors  of  his 
class.  After  graduating  he  entered  into  jjart- 
nership  with  his  brother.  Dr.  A.  II.  Peebles, 
and  they  practiced  medicine  for  three  years  at 
Youngstown  under  the  firm  name  of  Peebles  k 
Peebles.  At  the  end  of  this  time  they  dissolved 
partnership  and  since  then  Dr.  Joseph  E.  Peebles 
has  continued  at  Youngstown  in  the  active  and 
successful  practice  of  his  jirofession. 


He    is  a  deni(icral,  a     Knight    (d'   I'yibias   and 
i   a  Chosen   friend.      He  is  a  uiendjer  and  was  fur 
I  one  year  seci'dary  of  the  Wcstmori'lnnd  county 
.Medic.-d    socicly.       lie    is    als<,  a  member   of   the 
;    Slate  Medical    sneicty  and  was    elected    by  it   at 
j  its  meeting    in    lledford    S|)rings,  I'a.,  in  1887, 
j  as  a  delegate  td  the    National    Medical  society. 
I   Dr.  Peebles    is   a    man  of  (^uiet   habits,  pleasant 
manners  and  void  of  any  disp(jsition  for  personal 
display.      He  takes  an  active  interest  in  every- 
thing  that    benefits    his    community    and   is   an 
earnest,  zealous  and  successful  physician. 


•j'ESSE  K.  POURMAN,  the  proprietor  of  a 
"'i'  large,  fine  and  well-ajipointed  grocery 
2/  store  of  Pleasant  Unity  and  a  worthy  de- 
scendant of  the  early  settled  Poorman  family  of 
Unity  township,  is  a  son  of  William  and  Caro- 
line (Kuntz)  Poorman  and  was  born  in  Unity 
township,  Westmoreland  county,  I'a.,  October 
21, 185;").  His  great-grandfather,  Michael  Poor- 
man,  Sr.,  was  b(ii-n  and  reared  in  one  of  the 
eastern  Pennsylvania  counties,  from  wdiich  he 
removed  in  early  life  to  Unity  township  where 
he  settled  on  a  farm.  He  was  one  of  the  eaily 
settlers  of  the  township.  His  son,  Michael  Poor- 
man  (grandfather),  came  to  Unity  township  with 
his  father  when  but  a  mere  child.  lie  was  reared 
and  always  lived  in  Unity  township,  where  he  died 
at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years.  He  was  a  well- 
lo-d(i  farnici',  a  standi  democrat  and  an  earnest 
member  and  liberal  su|iporter  of  the  (.iermari 
Reformed  church.  His  son,  William  Poorman, 
was  born  in  18;)2  and  died  in  18(J1  at  the  early 
age  of  twenty-nine  years.  He  was  of  the  same 
religious  faith  and  political  opinion  as  his  father 
before  him.  He  had  but  merely  entered  upon 
an  active  and  wdiat  jiromised  to  be  a  successful 
business  career  when  he  was  summoned  from  his 
earthly  labors.  He  married  Caroline  Kuntz. 
He  left  his  widow  and  children  to  mourn  a  kind 
husljand  and  an  afi'ectionate  father.      Mrs.  Caro- 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


line  Poorman  was  bom  in  1834  ami  is  a  member  i  bis  life  in   Jefferson  and    Annstronr;;   counties. 


of  tlie  Evanjrelical  Lutlieran  eliiiicl 


He  married    Catharine  Wliitebead   by  whom   ho 


Jesse  K.  roorman  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  ;  liad  five  sons  and  seven  daugliters.  One  of 
rec*'ived  liis  ediualiun  in  eommnn  and  ;i;radcd  [  these  sons  was  Daniel  Potts  the  father  of  the 
sehools.  On  leaving  seh^Md  lie  bad  intended  to  I  llcv.  A.  I).  Potts.  When  a  yonn;,'  man  Daniel 
read  medicine,  but  a  serious  weakness  of  his 
eyes  compelled  him  to  abandon  that  intention. 
He  then  served  as  a  brakeman  on  the  Pennsyl- 
vania railroad  for  two  years,  after  which  he  re- 
turned to  bis  farm  where  he  remained  for  seven 
or  eight  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  be  re- 
moved to  Pleasant  Unity,  was  in  the  undertak- 
ing business  for  three  years  and  then  went  back 
to  farminir.      Then  he  removed  a  second  time  to 


Potts  learned  the  trade  of  carriage  builder  which 
he  followed  for  several  years.  Abandoning  his 
trade  for  awhile  he  turned  his  attention  to  agri- 
cultural and  mercantile  pursuits.  He  next  en- 
laced in  the  furniture  business  at  Delmont  where 
he  died  June  2G,  1884,  when  in  the  sixty-second 
year  of  his  age.  He  was  a  republican  but  was 
liberal  in  his  political  views.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Evangelical   Lutlieran  church  in  which, 


Pleasant   Unity,    where   he    has   been    engaged     however,  he  would  never  serve  as  an  officer  and 


ever  since  in  the  grocery  business.  He  carries 
a  fine  assortment  of  general  groceries,  provis- 
ions and  all  staple  commodities  of  his  line  of 
trade  and  has  built  up  an  extensive  patronage. 
He  has  always  been  an  unswerving  democrat 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church  and 
has  acquired  considerable  means  in  life  by  his 
industry  and  good  management. 

In  1875  ]\Ir.  Poorinaii  united  in  marriage 
with  Mary  C.  Gres.s,  daughter  of  .lacoii  (iress 
of  Unity  t(jwnship  (see  his  sketeli).  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Poornian  have  been  born  five  children, 
one  son  and  four  daughters  :  Clark  L.,  Delia 
A.,  Laura  F.,  Nellie  C.  and  Jennie  C. 


,EV.  A.  1).  I'OTTS,  A.  M.,  pastor  of 
St.  Piiid's  l'lv:ingelieal  l.iitheian  Cliiirch 
near  Pleasant  Unity,  a  favorably-known 
and  highl}'  respected  minister  of  this  county  and 
a  member  of  the  "  Society  of  Science,  Letters 
and  .Alt,"  of  Lomloii,  Kngland.  was  born  at  I>el- 
nioiit,  AVestiuorelaiid  eoiiiity.  Pa.,  Octolicr  •!!, 
1S4:),  iiiiil  IS  u  son  of  Daniel  and  Kosanna  Potts. 
He  is  descended  from  an  oltl  Scottish  family,  the 
first  member  of  which  there  is  any  mention  as  a 
resident  of  Westmoreland  county  is  Jolin  Potts 
(grandfather).  He  was  a  thrifty  farmer  and  a 
btriet  Lutlieran   and  resided   tlie  greater   part  of 


frequently  declined  an  election  as  elder  or  dea- 
con. He  was  an  active  worker  in  his  church. 
With  a  warm  heart,  a  cool  head,  an  earnest  zeal 
and  a  sound  judgment  lie  was  a  man  whose 
counsel  was  often  sought  in  church  matters  and 
who  was  a  source  of  strength  to  the  church  and 
a  help  to  the  pastor.  His  wife  was  of  Irish  des- 
cent. They  had  nine  children,  of  whom  seven 
are  living. 

Hev.  A.  D.  Potts  was  reared  at  Delmont 
where  he  received  his  early  e.liieatioli  in  tlie 
e*)mmon  schools  and  academy  of  that  place.  lie 
took  his  collegiate  course  at  Muhlenberg  college. 
Pa.,  from  which  institution  he  was  graduated 
June  27,  1872.  He  then  entered  and  took  the 
full  course  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  semi- 
narv  at  Pbiladeljibia,  Pa.,  from  which  be  was 
iirailuated  May  1'.'.  L^T.").  On  March  28  of 
that  year  he  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  and 
received  a  call  to  the  Ligonier  charge,  which  he 
held  for  ten  months  and  then  resigned  on  account 
of  ill  health.  In  1879  he  received  and  accepted 
a  call  to  Franklin  charge,  wliieh  he  served  until 
188:},  when  be  accepted  a  call  to  his  present 
charge  of  St.  Paul's  church  at  Pleasant  Unity 
where  he  has  labored  faithfully  and  successfully 
for  the  substantial  growth  and  development  of 
Lutheranism  and  Chrfstianity. 

On    January    7,    187;'^,    he    married    Clarissa 


WliSTMORELAyD  CO UNTY. 


503 


Welty,  :i  d:iu;:;lit(.'r  of  Daniel  ami  Bail^ara  AVelty, 
of  Ilannastown,  tliis  couuiv.  To  Kcv.  and  Mrs. 
I'ott.s  liav<'  IjL-cii  hdiii  six  cliililreii,  (if  >vlioin  four 
arc  liviii-;  A.  Wrlty,  Annie  M.,  .Icnnic  1\.  and 
^'uilio  l{.  'I'ho  t\vodccra-,ed  w  ne  a  .soiMvlu,  died 
in  infancy  and  Mary  K.  wIkj  died  February  II, 
lb>ilJ,  aged  three  years,  tlirec  months  and  liftuen 
days. 

To  St.  Paul's  cliuroh  I'ev.  Potts  has  added 
seventy  members  by  euntirmation  and  fifteen  by 
letter.  He  is  a  classical  scholar,  a  clear  thinker, 
an  eloquent  divine  and  an  unassunnng  gentle- 
man who  has  many  warm  personal  friends 
ivhercver  he  is  known.  lie  was  highly  compli- 
mented in  New  York  City  for  his  masterly  arti- 
cle on  '•]'] volution,  (irowth,  Development,"  and 
u  leading  paper  in  sjieaking  of  him  says  :  "  Mr. 
Potts  is  considered  as  one  among  the  ablest  di- 
vines in  the  Lutheran  churcii.  As  a  writer  and 
a  pulpit  orator  he  has  few  superiors." 


•jr  OSEPII  POUNDS.  The  Pounds  family  is 
I  one  of  the  oldest  and  best  families  in  Derry 
QJ  townsliip.  It  is  of  English,  Scotch  and  DutcJi 
descent.  To  tiie  present  generation  the  most 
prominent  personage  of  this  family  and  the  cen- 
tral figure  in  this  sketch  is  Joseph  Pounds 
(deceased),  who  was  born  in  Derry  township  near 
Livennove,  Decendjer  21.  ITl'-fi,  and  died  on  the 
farm  where  he  was  born,  October  2,  1881,  in  his 
eighty-sixth   year.       Thomas     Pounds    who,    in 

Iii^).';,  at  tiie  age  of  tweiity-imc  "  sailed  from 
London  to  New  England,  eudjarked  in  the  FJi- 
zaheth  and  Ami^"  and  his  wife,  one  of  the  chil- 
dren who  came  in  tiie  JLn/jhiwer  in  IG'iO,  were 
ancestors  of  Joseph  Pounds.  William  Collier,  a 
London  merchant  belonging  to  one  of  the  best 
English  families,  who  came  to  America  in  ltl33, 
and  w  iio  was  assistant  governor  of  the  Plymouth 
Colony  for  thirty  years,  wiien  he  was  succeeded 
because  he  was  "  opposed  to  the  adoption  of  rig- 
orous measures  against  the  'Quakers, "  was  an 
ancestor    of    Josepii     Pounds.       Joiin    Cannan 


(spelled  Cananii  and  Keenan),  vho  came  to  the 
PlyuKjuth  Cdlony  from  London  in  the  ship  For- 
tuiw  in  l(i:Jl,  and  who  was  aflei-wards  married  to 
one  tif  the  ladies  who  came  in  the  Maiijliu'i'r, 
was  the  ance--l(ir  nf  I'dlen  (_'anaan,  married  to 
AVilliam  Drumniond  (grandfather  of  wife  of 
Jos;ph  Pounds).  William  Drummond  (from 
whose  ancestors  descended  Rev.  AVilliam  Drum- 
mond, a  Scotch  Presbyterian  minister,  first  gov- 
ernor of  North  Carolina  and  one  of  the  earliest 
martyrs  in  America),  came  to  New  Jersey  from 
Scotland  in  early  life,  was  mortally  wounded  in 
the  Revolutionary  war,  and  had  among  his 
grandchildren  Mary  Drummond,  wife  of  Joseph 
Pounds.  The  Pounds,  Cannans,  Payards,  Bull- 
mans  and  Colliers  emigrated  from  New  England 
principally  from  the  Plymouth  Colony,  and 
about  ltJG4  settled  at  Basking  Ridge  and  Sterl- 
ing's Buildings,  some  thirty  miles  west  of  New- 
ark, N.  J.,  whence  a  number  of  them  came  to 
Derry  township  just  after  the  Rovolutionary 
war. 

Adonijali  Pounds,  great-grandson  of  Thomas 
Pounds,  married  Sarah  Fitchinger  of  whom  came 
Joseph  Pounds,  who  was  born  in  1750  and  died 
April  4,  ISD').  He  served  with  distinction  in 
the  Revolutionary  war  and  at  its  close  came  to 
Derry  township.  He  married  Sarah  Collier 
(sister  of  Thomas  Collier),  who  was  born  in  1757 
and  died  April  8,  1813.  To  them  were  born 
six  children  :  Stephen,  Sarah,  Hannah,  Eunice 
(Eggen),  Elsie  (Mclntyre)  and  Joseph,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  skctcli.  Joseph  Pounds  purchased 
the  homestead  and  afterward  added  to  it  by  pur- 
chase until  at  his  death  he  owne<l  about  two 
hundred  and  tifty  acres  of  the  best  wdieat  grow- 
ing laml  in  Derry  townslii|).  He  was  a  man  of 
strong  character,  highly  respecteil  and  without  a 
known  enemy.  In  early  life  he  boated  salt  from 
the  Coneinaugh  river  to  Cincinnati  and  points 
below  that  city.  J5ut  his  distinctive  occupation 
was  farming.  He  was  an  ardent  democrat  of 
the  Jacksonian  school.  Joseph  Pounds  was  a 
member  of  "the   Salem   Presbyterian   church  for 


501 


nKiaRM'jni'S  of 


iu';ii-l_v  si'vciity  years,  llo  ]>irsistciitlv  iloclimnl 
to  liiilil  aiiv  cilliiH.'  ill  llii'  fliiiirli  :iihl  never  wouKl 
accept    liny    civil    ollice.       He    uuinied     Mary 

Drmiiiii 1,  lioni  ISOT    and    .lied    iMl.niary   -Jl'i, 

IHI').  llei-  jfrandl'aliier,  William  DniiiiiiKind, 
was  (if  Scotcli  ancestors  who  settled  in  New  Jcr- 
sev  and  was  mortally  wiumded  in  the  Kcvo- 
lutionary  war.  lie  niai'ried  Ellen  Cannun 
and  his  eldest  son  .lolin  was  horn  in  1703  and 
died  in  184o.  .John  Drununond  married  Mary 
]>ullnian,  dautihtcr  of  Jose]>h  and  Theresa  (Bay- 
ard) Jinllnian.  lie  niauufaetiired  salt  on  the 
Concniaugh  river  for  many  years.  His  children 
Were  William,  (ioin,  Joseph,  Ellen  (McCracken), 
John,  Sarah  (Cunningham),  INIary  (Pounds)  and 
Nancy.  To  Josi  jih  and  Mary  (Drummond) 
Pounds  wore  born  nine  children  :  Joseph,  born 
May  12,  1S;!U  ;  M;iry,  born  September  9,  1831, 
died  July  10,  l^:'l:i  ;  Sarah  (McCurdy),  born 
May  ll,'is:j:3:  John  1).,  born  Decen'ibcr  13, 
lSo4  ;  Ellen  (Drummond),  born  September  IS, 
ISoU;  Hannah,  born  March  10,  1838;  Mary, 
born  December  21,  183'J,  died  January  15, 
188!l;  Stephen  C,  born  July  -2.'),  ls41,  and 
AVilliam,  born  April  (i.  184:1,  and  died  October 
lit,  iSTii. 

.loseph  is  a  wealthy  and  hiding  farmer  in 
Cenli'e  township,  Indiana  eimnty,  I'a.  He  was 
first  married  to  Jane  Robinson,  second,  to  Julia 
Henderson  and  third  to  Ellen  Coad.  His  chil- 
dren are:  Mary  (Johnston),  Daniel,  Jiniiic, 
William,  Eiz/io  (deceased),  Netta,  Frank,  Harry 
and  .lose|di.  Sarah  resides  at  l.iverniore.  She 
was  married  to  Alexander  J.  McCurdy  who  died 
September  2,  1884.  Her  children  are:  Rev. 
Dr.  Irwin  Pounds,  of  Philadelphia,  Pa.  ;  Joseph 
A.,  a  lauyerofdreelisl.urL';  II  aiiliah  (deceased)  ; 
John,  postmaster  at  Liveniiore  ;  Ella,  William 
and  .Minnie.  I'llleii  ismairii'd  to  .lolin  Drum- 
mond of  near  Liveniiore,  where  they  purchased 
one  of  the  Pounds  tracts  of  lanil.  .lolin,  Ste- 
phen and  Hannah  reside  on  the  old  Pounds 
homestead  called  "Tunnel  Hill,"  which  is  owned 
liy  .lohn  and  llaiiiiali.      John  spent  some  time  in 


the  oil  country  and  served  w  itli  Capt.  Weaver  in 
Co.  A,  .Villi  reg.  I'a.  \'ols,  against  John  Morgan 
in  Ohio.  He  is  a  successful  farmer  and  biisines.s 
man  and  is  liiL'hly  n'speeted  by  his  niiglibors. 
Stephen  (JolliiT  I'oiinds  was  a  soldier  in  tlie  war 
of  the  Rebellion  in  Capt.  II.  E.  Donnelly's 
Co.  G,  135tli  reg.  I'a.  A'ols.,  in  Capt.  William 
Seanor's  Co.  I,  54tli  leg.  Pa.  A'ols.,  and  in  Cajit. 
Tanner's  Co.  H.  D.  Pa.  A'ol<.  He  has  a  good 
education.  Hannah,  since  the  recent  death  of 
her  beloved  sistei'  ^lary,  continues  to  make  the 
Pounds  mansion  the  most  desirable  place  to  visit 
by  all  the  Pounds  ilescendants  and  one  of  the 
most  pleasant  homes  in  the  community.  The 
Pounds  family  have  been  the  supporters  and 
nearly  all  members  of  the  old  Salem  Presby- 
terian church  for  the  last  hundred  vears. 


*^  RLANDO  C.  HEED,  a  carpenter  and 
■^  '  lumber  dealer  of  New  Florence  was  born 
in  Wheatfield  township,  Indiana  county. 
Pa.,  June  30,  1850.  Ilis  father,  Abner  Reed, 
is  a  native  of  St.  Clair  township,  Westmoreland 
county,  Pa.,  and  was  born  near  Laurel  Furnace 
April  20,  182(i.  He  is  a  maehinist  and  millwright 
by  trade  and  is  an  extensive  dealer  in  lumber. 
He  owns  two  valuable  farms  in  Jelferson  town- 
ship, Fayette  county  and  an  eighty-acre  tract 
in  Derry  township,  this  county.  His  wife  was 
Harriet  Rutler  to  whom  he  was  married  October 
8,  1848  ;  she  was  born  in  duly,  1824. 

Hezekiah  Reed  (grandfather),  a  surveyor  by 
profession,  was  born  in  Sc<itland,  but  the  most 
of  his  life  was  spent  in  Indiana  county,  where 
hi'  died  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-three 
years.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812 
and  as  a  surveyor  ran  the  boundary  lines  of 
Jeflerson,  Armstrong  and  I'larion  counties. 
His  wife  was  ]\Iiss  Shrum  a  native  of  (iermany. 
They  both  came  over  to  America  on  the  same 
steamer,  while  en  route  became  acipiainted,  wore 
afterwanU   mari'ii'il    and    settleil    near    a    place 


WESTMORELAND   CO UXTV. 


uhicli   is   now   known   as   (jarficld,   in   Indiana 
county. 

Orlando  C.  Rei-d  on  Icaxiny  the  conmion 
SfliDols  of  his  iiativc  ti)\\n>hi|i  attriidrd  the 
iStato  lN'i)iMial  schoid  at  l.ociv  llavcn,  I'a.,  and 
tlic  county  normal  in  Clcarlicld  ci>unty,  I'a.  In 
IhSO  he  went  west  and  in  one  year  returned  to 
Pennsylvania.  He  came  to  New  Florence  and 
engaged  in  business,  (tn  Novendier  10,  1881, 
he  was  married  to  Barbara  KufVner,  a  native  of 
St.  Clair  township  and  a  daughter  of  Cornelius 
and  Dorcas  (Brady)  HutVner  df  the  same  town- 
ship. Three  children  have  lieen  born  to  their 
marriage:  Clarence,  born  I'ecember  ol,  1S8"2; 
Nettie  L.,  May  o.  ISS.3.  and  Elsie  M.,  Septem- 
ber 1,  1887.  He  is  a  republican,  member  of 
the  Order  of  Car]ienters  and  doiners  of  America, 
and  is  also  a  meudier  (jf  the  M.  !'].  church  at 
New  Florence. 


spares  any  pains  to  make  his  guests  comfortable 
as  well  as  to  sup]ily  their  every  want.  In  the 
eight  years  that  he  has  lieen  jiroprietur  and 
manager  of  the  house  lie  has  achieved  tlu'  repu- 
tation of  being  a  ^ueccssiid  and  ])ujiidur  land- 
lord. Jle  is  specially  adapteil  for  his  present 
line  of  business  and  has  made  the  Robb  House 
a  most  desirable,  comfortable  and  home-like 
hotel.  Mr.  I'obb  is  a  straight  and  unswerving 
democrat,  takes  an  active  ])art  in  political  cam- 
paigns and  has  held  all  (jf  tlie  various  borough 
otliees  of  Youngstown.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Evangelical  church,  Junior  Order  of  United 
American  Mechanics  and  Chosen  Friends. 

In  1880  Shannon  Robb  united  in  marriage 
with  Rebecca  Bossart,  daughter  of  John 
Bossart  of  Unity  township.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Robb  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  two 
sons  and  one  daughter:  Fraidc  Keenan,  Jessie 
Blanche  and  John  liurton. 


Q^HANNOX  Itor.B.  proprietor  of  the  RolJ. 
(i^ij  House  at  ^'ouiig.-to«  II.  ami  a  great-grand- 
[^  sou  of  .Maj.  (irii.  .Viliiur  Si.  Clair  of 
Revolutionary  fame,  is  a  .--on  id'  W'illiaui  and 
Susan  (\Vest)  Robb  and  ^vas  boni  in  I  nity 
township,  Westmorehuul  county.  I'a.,  Februar}' 
3,  US^O.  William  Roidi  ua>  reared  in  Unity 
township  wliei'e  be  has  ahvays  resided.  He  was 
born  in  18"Jo  and  is  a  member  id'  the  I'^vaiigeli- 
cal  Lutheran  churcli.  He  nianieil  Jane  West 
a  native  of  tliis  county. 

Sbaiiiion  Robb  wa-.  rearnl  in  I'liily  township 
and  altciiih'ii  ihc  coininoii  .schools  till  lie  was 
fdieeii  years  ol'  age.  when  he  eaiiie  to  ^'oiiiigs- 
town  and  learned  llie  trade  i.f  sadillery  ami 
harness  making  wiih  I).  S.  Cibson  of  that  jilace. 
After  comjileting  his  appreiitiee.diip  he  opened 
a  shop  at  Youngstown  and  i'ollo\ved  saddle  and 
harness  making  for  twenty-two  years.  In  1882 
he  engaged  in  the  hotel  business  which  he  has 
conducted  successfully  ever  since.  His  house  is 
well  arranged  for  the  eiilerlaiiiliient  and  accom- 
modation of  the  traNelin^r   puldic  and   he  never 


•jpOHNRU-MHAUiHI  (.leceased).  The  Riim- 
I  baugli  family  is  one  of  the  many  solid  and 
Cil/  substantial  (feriiian  Lutheran  families  who 
settled  in  Westmoreland  county  at  an  early 
jieriod  in  its  liist(uy.  One  of  its  desconilaiits 
who  lu'ld  fi^l  to  its  religious  faith  was  the 
late  John  Rumbaiigh  of  Mt.  I'leasant  township. 
He  was  a  son  of  dobn  and  Hannah  (Harold) 
Rumbaugh  and  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which 
bis  widow  now  lives,  about  three  miles  from  Mt. 
I'leasant,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  SeptenJjcr 
4,  1834.  'flic  Rundiaughs  are  of  (Jernian  ex- 
traction. Henry  Rumbaugh  (grandfather)  was 
a  i'armcr  by  occupation,  a  wdiig  and  afterwards 
a  republican,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Lutheran  church.  He  owned  a  farm  of 
two  hundred  acres  of  land,  ran  a  grist-mill  and 
died  in  Mt.  Pleasant  township,  of  which  he  had 
been  a  resident  for  many  years.  He  married 
Ciiarlotte  Smith  by  whom  he  had  three  S(Uis 
I  and  three  daughters,  and  alU'r  her  death  mar- 
i  rieJ  a  widow,  .\irs.  Mary  (Palmer)   Moser,  who 


50G 


BKiOnAPIIIES  OF 


bore  liiui  one  cliild  :  Ail;un  Rumljaui;li.  John 
KniiiliaiiL'li,  Sr.  (I'allier)  u:ls  lioin  nn  tlic  lumio- 
stc';iil  liuiii  wliicli  he  inherileil  IVoni  liis  father. 
Ilcun>^  :i  raiiiic-r,  a  r(|iiililiraii  ami  l.iillieran. 
Ilr  inani.'^l  llainiah  llamhl,  ulio  hoie  him 
ei;;lit  children,  nl'  wlmm  three  are  (h'ail.  She 
was  a  ihuiLfhter  of  Jacob  Ilarohl,  ^\llo  was  a  na- 
tive of  lleniptiehl  townsliij),  in  which  lie  resided 
until  his  death. 

J(jhn  Unnibanuli  grew  to  manhood  on  his 
father's  farm,  obtained  his  education  in  the  coni- 
moti  schools,  and  assiduously  cultivated  the  farm 
■which  had  originally  belonged  to  his  grand- 
father and  afterwards  inherited  by  his  father. 
His  pride  was  in  being  industrious,  iiis  ambition 
was  to  be  useful,  and  while  lie  gratified  the 
former  he  was  successful  in  achieving  the  latter. 
He  was  a  man  of  substantial  worth  who  de- 
lighted but  little  in  show  and  heartily  detested 
sham  and  aftectation.  He  was  a  stanch  repub- 
lican, an  ardent  Lutheran  and  a  generous  friend. 

In  October,  1805,  he  united  in  marriaLie  with 
Margaret  lirinkei-.  'I'hey  were  the  )iarciits  of 
live  clnhlreii  :  Jaenb,  horn  Octob.a-  {'J,  \^\\\\  : 
Hannah  (i.,  bnrn  August  :11,  l.S(iS  (deceased); 
Josie,  born  April  IT-,  1«7U;  Kobert,  boiii  Jan- 
uary Ui,  1>^7"-1,  and  Elsie,  born  Scptendier  T.), 
IKT;").  Mrs.  Mai-garet  Kiimbaiigh  was  born 
Novcndier  IS,  |S:;-J,  and  is  a  daughter  of  .lacciii 
Itrinker  who  married  r'.li/alictli,  daughter  of 
Jacob  W'elshons,  whose  wife  was  xMattie  Liiliuore, 
by  whom  he  had  four  sons  and  three  daughters. 
Jacob  Urinkei'  was  the  only  son  f)f  J<ihn  and 
Margaret  ( l.eathciiuan)  l!iiid<er,  ami  had  three 
sisters.  Since  the  death  of  John  Hmidjaugh 
his  widow  has  showed  herself  fully  capable  of 
siiccessdiUv  and  judiciously  managing  the  largo 
and  valuable  farm  wiiich  he  owned  when  ho 
died.  This  farm  of  two  hundred  acres  is  valu- 
able for  its  mineral  wealth  as  well  as  its  agri- 
cultural  pldilucts. 

.iolin  liuiiiliaugh  ceased  from  his  life-work 
long  ere  be  reachcil  man's  .albittcd  three-scoria 
and   ten   years.      lie  died   September    l;],   1,S8S, 


at  the  age  of  fifty-four  years  and  nine  days,  and 
his  reiriains  were  deposited  in  St.  .lohii's 
Lutheran  cc^ueterv. 


KJllAKL  KI'Ml!.VL(;il,  a  substantial 
'ij"  f  citizen  of  the  county,  was  born  June  11, 
I  ♦  \'6i\,  in  Mount  Pleasant  township, 
'  AVestmoreland  county.  Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of 
j  Henry  and  Charlotte  (Smith)  Rumbaugh.  His 
grandfather  Rumbaugh,  one  of  a  family  of  twenty- 
five,  twenty-two  sons  and  three  daughters,  was 
a  native  of  Germany,  who  immigrated  to 
I  America,  locating  in  Lancaster  county  and 
later  coming  to  Westmoreland,  where  he  died. 
He  was  an  extensive  farmer,  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  church  and  in  politics  a  whig.  Henry 
Rumbaugh  (father)  was  born  in  Lancaster 
!  county,  Pa.,  about  1781  and  died  in  18Go.  He 
i  was  brought  by  his  parents  to  Mount  Pleasant 
i  township,  this  county,  where  he  resided  until 
bis  death.  15y  occupation  he  was  a  farmer, 
owning  six  hundred  acres  of  laud  ;  he  also 
owned  and  operated  a  distillery  and  a  grist-mill. 
.\  devout  (!hristian  and  earnest  mendjcr  of  the 
Lutheran  church,  he  was  a  model  man  in  all 
that  ])ertaiiied  to  iquightness,  morality  and 
piety.  11(^  was  the  I'riend  of  every  man  and 
every  man  was  his  friend.  Charitable,  liberal 
and  ent(U])rising,  he  was  a  most  useful  man  in 
his  community  ;  he  served  a  number  of  years  as 
Overseer  of  the  Poor  for  Westmoreland  county. 
His  first  wife  was  Charlotte  Smith,  to 
whom  were  born  eight  children:  J(ihn  (de- 
ceased), Peter  (deceased),  Polly  (dead),  Susan 
(dead),  Mary,  wife  of  John  C.  Lobingier,  and 
Michael.  His  first  wife  having  died  in 
1844.  Mr.  Rumbaugh  remarried,  his  second 
wife  being  Mary  Mosier  (nee  Palmer),  who  bore 
him  one  child  :   Adam  Rumbaugh. 

Michael  Rund)augh  was  manied  to  Lavina 
Mosier,  by  whom  he  bad  eight  children: 
(Jharlolte,  wife  of  Marion  l'\)X,  Maicelliis  Smith, 
Henry   Riley   (dead),  Sylvester  (dead),   Aluiira 


WESTMORELAND   COUNTY. 


Luviiia  (dead),  Ada,  wife  of  ^Michael  Myers,  and 
AniiM,  wife  (if  Parker  Siiuiisuii  (di'ad).  He  was 
iiiariied  (lie  seeoiid  time  to  .Maiiiida  ((Joojier) 
Sliiiiiiar,  a  daughter  of  -Vlfred  Cooper,  of  Fayette 
county,  and  to  this  union  one  cliild  lias  been 
born  :  William  Rumbaugh. 

Michael  Rumbaugh  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  and  has  always  followed  farming. 
lie  owns  a  fine  large  farm  upon  which  he  has 
erected  the  most  substantial  buildings  and  made 
all  necessary  and  convenient  improvements.  He 
is  a  republican  in  politics  and  Avith  his  wife  be- 
longs to  the  Lutheran  church,  in  -which  he  has 
served  as  deacon. 

XOIIN    T.    RUSH,   the  present  active    and 

delKeient  superintendent  of  the  "  ^Vhitney 
(\)ke  AVorlcs  "  in  Unity  township,  was  born 
at  Brownsville,  Fayette  county,  I'a.,  ,)une  8, 
1HG-],  and  is  a  son  of  Williaiu  and  Mary  (Welsl 
Rush.  William  Rush  is  a  native  of  county 
jNIonaghan,  province  of  Ulster,  Ireland.  He 
married  Mary  Welsh,  who  was  born  in  county 
Kildare,  in  the  eastern  part  of  that  island  and 
immigrated  (184IJ)  to  the  Unite<l  States  soon 
alter  his  marriage.  He  came  to  western  Penn- 
sylvania, where  he  located  at  Brownsville  and 
worked  for  a  number  of  years  in  the  machine 
shops  of  Capt.  Snowdon  of  that  place.  In 
1870  he  removed  to  Connellsville  where  he  has 
resided  ever  since.  He  now  has  charge  of  the 
pijie  lines  and  keeps  up  the  machinery  at  the 
■•  .Moiivll  Culv  \Vulk.■^.'■  llciH  a  l.niirr  maker 
by  trade,  a  <lemoerat  in  polities  and  a  member 
of  the  Catholic  church,  of  which  his  wife  is  also 
a  niendjcr. 

John  T.  Rush  was  principally  reareil  at  Con- 
nellsville and  received  his  education  in  the  jjub- 
lie  schools  of  th;it  place.  Leaving  school  he 
learned  the  ti'ade  of  machinist  in  the  "National 
liOcomotive  Works  "  at  New  Haven,  and  the 
Baltimore  &  Ohio  Kaihoad  ('ompany's  machine 
shops.      After  serving  the  retjuired   live  years 


apprenticeship  he  was  reconnnended  as  an  ex- 
pert machinist  and  in  Ls,S4  took  charge  of  the 
\Vheeler  and  .Morrdl  coke  works  on  the  S.  W. 
r.  railroad.  He  held  that  position  until  1889 
when  he  became  superintendent  of  the  ^Vllitney 
coke  works  which  are  situated  a  short  distance 
from  Latrobe.  Mr.  Rush  is  a  democrat  in 
political  opinion  and  a  Catholic  in  religious 
belief.  He  is  a  skilled  machinist  and*a  careful 
superintendent,  who  thoroughly  understands  the 
management  of  a  coke  plant  and  the  latest  and 
best  methods  of  keeping  coal  or  coke  works  in 
complete  repair. 


i)  ZRA  SARVER,  a  reliable  citizen  of  iMt. 
I'leasant  township  and  who  has  been  a  suc- 
cessful farmer  in  four  dilferent  townships  of 
this  county,  was  born  in  Path  Valley,  Franklin 
County,  Pa.,  August  22,  1832,  and  is  a  son  of 
David  and  Rebecca  (Johns)  Sarver.  His  paternal 
grandfather  (Sarver)  was  a  native  and  lifelong 
resident  of  Allegheny  county.  Pa.,  where  he 
married  and  had  three  sons:  .Frederick,  lieorf'e 
and  David.  Ilis  maternal  grandfather,  Philip 
Johns,  was  born  in  Wales  and  immigrated  to 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  settled  in  Lancaster 
county.  Of  his  children  we  have  record  of 
Samuel,  who  moved  to  Cumberland  county, 
where  he  died  ;  a  daughter,  who  married  a  man 
by  the  name  of  Herbert,  of  Blair  county,  and 
Rebecca. 

David  Sarver  was  born  in  Allegheny  county 
in  LS(I2,  reui(i\i'd  in  early  life  to  Fraiddin  county 
and  about  the  close  of  the  late  war  came  to  near 
Georges  station  in  Ilempfield  township,  where 
he  now  resides.  He  is  a  republican  and  a  I'res- 
byterian.  He  married  Rebecca  Johns  ami  reared 
a  family  of  eight  children  :  Susan,  dead  ;  Nancy  ; 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  Solomon  Kulins,of  Huntingdon 
county;  Catherine,  married  to  John  McElwee,  of 
Coultcrville  J'a.  ;  Robert,  who  enlisteil  in  the 
eleventh  regiment,  Pa.  Vols.,  participated  in 
several  battles  and  died  in   the  service;   David, 


Blocn.WUIES  OF 


ii   iiiccli;inic   iiiul   rus'uk'.s    ucur    (iioeiisliur^'   :iii(l   ; 
E/,r:i.. 

Ezr;i   S;irver   was   rcarLMl  on   a  farm,  receivcil  [ 
liis   (MliKatioii  ill    llic   cciiiiiiMiii    .scliniils   ami    lias 
aluavs  rollnucil   failiiili^;.       hi    I  S.'.T    lie    rrm(]\'cil 
til  I'oiiii    l(iun^lii|i,  liiil    two  _v cars    lalor  wnil    to 
llciiiiiliolii  towiiship,  where  lie  remained  till  ISTO 
when  he  renioveil  to  East  lluiitingilon  township. 
In    ISSr  he    eanie    to    Mt.    Pleasant    township,   | 
^vhere  he  has  heen  engaged  in  farming  ever  since,   i 
Mr     .'^arver    is    a    memlier    and    deaeon   of    the 
Evan"elical    TiUtheran    church,    a    democrat    in 
politics  anil  lias  held  various  offices.  ' 

lie  united  in  marriage  on  Eeliruary  24,  1^57, 
uitli  Catlierine  Stick,  a  daughtei-  of  .Tdhn  Stick,   \ 
who  like  his  ancestors  was  an  ardent    I^iillu'ran. 
Mr.  and   ^Irs.  Sarver  are   the   parents   of  seven   j 
chihlreii  :  .John  I).,  who  married  Lizzie  Barnhart  I 
and    is    a   druggist  of   Scottdalc ;    Henry    U..  a 
.sewing-maeliini'  and  organ  agent  :  Eadie,  wife  of  | 
W .    ,1.    Shunter,    of     llarii.-dii     (Jity  :     llettie,   I 
Samuel.  lvli;ar,  a  traveling  sale--man,  and  Frank,   | 
^^ho  i^  eULM^ed  in  farming.  I 


•f"  0  II  N  II.  SEE  M  A  N  N,  manager  of  the 
'l"  A.  0.  (Juchran  Coke  <_'ompany  >tore  at 
<lJ  Staufter,  I'a.,  was  horn  Xovemher  1,  l^(j:!, 
in  Mt.  Pleasant  township.  Westmoreland  county, 
I'a..  and  is  a  son  of  Frederick  and  Iteliecca 
(Weimei)  Seemann.  John  l<'rederick  Seeinann, 
Ills  grandfather,  wa-:  ](orn  in  <iermany,  nn  the 
bank  of  the  llliino,  immigrated  to  America,  and 
st'tthd  in  Mt.  rieasaiit  township,  where  he  siie- 
ce»fiillv  practiced  medicine  until  his  death  in 
lM;:t.  JMcdeiiek  Seemann  (father)  \\a>  al,-;.)  a 
naliveof  iK'iniany  and  immigratrd  to  llie  1  niled 
States  hefore  his  father  came.  He  was  l.inii  in 
18o7  and  came  across  the  Atlantic  in  lSo2, 
locating  first  in  New  York  City,  where  he  oh- 
tained  a  situation  in  a  mercantile  lioii-e.  Afti'r 
three  years  he  left  Kew  ^'nrL.  came  In  I'ittshurg, 
fcilloucd  peddling  from  Westmoreland  county  to 
ritlsltiirg   ahonl    four  years,  and   then    in    \^M 


began  dealing  in  tan-ljark  and  lumber,  which  lie 
coiitinued  nearly  all  his  life.  He  was  a  diaiiocrat 
and  always  took  an  active  part  in  political  work, 
liesides  various  ti>wiisliip  ollices  lie  was  elected 
poor  house  director  in  ISS:1,  served  one  term, 
and  thru  built  a  distillery  at  i,aiirelville,  l-'ayette 
county,  I'a.,  which  he  continued  to  run  until  his 
death  in  ISS'.I.  He  was  married  in  ISG'J  to 
Uebecea,  a  daughter  of  John  AVeimer,  of  Donegal 
township,  this  county,  wdio  was  born  in  1842, 
and  \sho  bore  him  thirteen  children,  of  whom 
nine  are  living:  John  IL,  the  eldest;  Frederick 
W.,  married  and  living  at  Mt.  I'leasant;  Vic- 
toria, Josie.  Edward,  Jacob,  James,  Thomas  and 
Magifie,  all  at  home. 

John  H.  Seemann  was  brought  up  at  home, 
att.nded  the  jiublic  schools,  assisted  his  father 
until  si.xtecn  years  of  age,  worked  as  farm  hand 
one  vear  (187'J),  and  then  became  a  store  clerk. 
In  1881  he  was  promoted  to  manager,  which  re- 
si)onsible  position  he  continues  to  occupy. 

John  II.  Seemaim  was  united  in  marriage  in 
1885,  with  Lucy  P.,  a  daughter  of  Daniel  II. 
Pershing,  of  Fayette  county,  Pa.  Mrs.  Seemanu 
was  born  December  18,  1Sij3,  is  of  German 
descent,  and  is  the  mother  of  two  children: 
Roy  B.,  born  July  10,  188tj,  and  Ethel  F.,  born 
January  2Si,  1887.  Mr.  Seemann  is  naturally  a 
democrat,  but  adheres  to  the  principles  of  the 
Prohibition  ]iarty,  in  whose  interests  he  does 
considerable  work.  He  is  one  of  the  county's 
liest  voiiiig  mrii,  energetic,  reliable  and  consci- 
entious; belongs  to  Moss  Hose  Lodge,  No.  350, 
I.  ().  ().  F.  :  Mt.  Plea.sant  Council,  No.  31)2, 
Koyal  Arcanum;  ().  W.  Howell  Council,  No. 
210,  ,Ir.  ().  H.  A.  M.;  and  with  his  wife  is  a 
member  of  the  United  Brethren  church. 


,  W  ( )  F.  ( i  E  0  R  ( r  E  M  cC  L  E  L  L  A  N 
Slll'IABFK,  one  of  the  young,  progress- 
ive ami  successful  teachers  in  the  common 
and  select  schools  of  Pennsylvania,  was  born  in 
Mt.  Pleasant    township,   ^Vestmoreland   county, 


WEST.UORELAND  CO UNTY. 


I'll.,  October  Ti,  ISIi.'i,  anil  is  ;i  sun  (if  Daviil  iinil 
Carolinu  (  Weaver)  Shearer.  The  Shearer.s  are 
■of  Irish  ilesceut  and  have  been  residents  of  tiiis 
county  fur  many  years.  Daviil  ISlicarer  was 
born  in  1822  in  Mi.  Pleasant  townsiiip  from 
Avhicli  he  removed  in  1870  to  Pleasant  Unity, 
■where  he  died  in  1878.  He  was  a  farmer,  a  de- 
mocrat and  a  prominent  member  of  the  Re- 
formed church.  He  married  Caroline  Weaver, 
wlio  is  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church  and 
still  resides  at  Pleasant  Unity.  They  had  seven 
ciiildren.  Mrs  iShearer's  great-grandfather. 
Weaver,  came  into  tliis  county  when  most  of  it 
"was  but  a  wilderness.  Among  the  many  arti- 
cles nf  household  use  which  he  brought  from  the 
east  was  a  pair  of  fire  tongs  of  quaint  design 
which  are  now  in  the  possession  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch. 

George  McClellau  Shearer  was  reared  princi- 
pally at  Pleasant  Unity.  He  received  his  ele- 
mentary education  in  the  common  schools  of  Mt. 
Pleasant  and  Unity  townships  and  Pleasant  Unity 
academy.  He  attended  the  Lock  Haven  State 
Normal  school  of  Pennsylvania  during  the  spring 
terms  of  1885  and  188G.  He  then  passed  the 
junior  examination  ;  was  at  home  during  1887 
and  returned  for  the  spring  term  (1888)  of  that 
institution  of  learning,  from  which  he  was  grad- 
uated June  29,  1888.  He  commenced  teaching 
in  Cook  township  in  1882.  He  next  taught  four 
successive  terms  in  Unity  township  and  for  the 
last  three  years  has  been  teaching  in  the  com- 
mon .sell. Mils  of  Mt.  Pleasant  lownshi|i.  lie 
opened  a  select  summer  school  at  Pleasant  Unity 
in  l8Sit,  and  was  so  successful  that  he  was  soli- 
cited to  organize  his  present  summer  normal 
school  at  that  place.  A  school  of  this  character 
has  been  badly  needed  at  Pleasant  Unity  in  w  hich 
normal  methods  of  teaching  can  be  successfully 
studied  by  many  young  teachers  who  arc  not  yet 
prepared  to  attend  a  state  normal  school,  and 
that  place  is  fortunate  in  securing  the  services  of 
Prof.  Shearer  as  a  teacher.  He  is  a  democrat 
and  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church,  of  wlio>e 


Sunday  school  he  is  assistant  Huperintendent. 
In  educational  work,  although  young  in  years, 
Mr.  Shearer  has  already  made  his  mark  and 
gives  promise  of  attaining  to  future  promini'nce 
in  his  profession. 


II^OUIS  B.  SHUPE,  one  of  Mt.  Pleasant 
J  [  township's  ]irogressive  farmers  and  relia- 
ble citizens,  is  a  son  of  Isaac  and  Marga- 
ret (Barnhart)  Shujie  and  was  born  in  Mt. 
Pleasant  township,  Westmoreland  C(3unty,  Pa., 
March  2o,  1845.  His  grandfathers  were  both 
natives  of  this  State.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
John  Shupe,  was  born  in  Bullskin  township, 
Fayette  county.  Pa.,  where  he  lived  and  died. 
He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  a  democrat  in 
political  opinion  and  a  member  of  the  United 
Brethren  church  in  religious  belief.  He  reared 
a  family  of  four  sons  and  five  daughters.  His 
maternal  grandfather,  Abraham  Barnhart,  was 
born  and  reared  in  Butler  county,  this  State,  but 
in  early  life  removed  to  Mt.  Pleasant  township 
where  he  died  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  He  was  a  large  land- 
holder, an  extensive  farmer,  an  old-time  demo- 
crat and  a  strict  member  of  the  German  Re- 
formed church.  His  wife  was  Hannah  Hugus 
who  bore  him  three  children,  all  of  whom  were 
daughters.  Isaac  Shupe  (father)  was  born  on 
his  father's  Fayette  county  farm  and  was  en- 
gaged in  that  county  until  1844  when  he  removed 
into  Mt.  Pleasant  township  where  he  still  resides. 
He  is  now  in  the  seventy-fifth  year  of  his  age. 
He  is  a  democrat,  a  member  of  the  Reformed 
church  and  a  man  who  has  always  been  indus- 
trious. He  married  Margaret  Barnhart,  who  was 
born  in  1822  and  is  now  si.xty-eight  years  of 
age.  They  are  the  parents  of  two  children : 
John  W.  and  Louis  B.,  who  both  reside  on  the 
home  farm. 

Louis  B.  Shupe  received  his  education  at  the 
\Ve,-tern  Pennsylvania  Scientific  and  Classical  In- 
stitute ofMt.  Pleasant.    Leaving  school  he  made 


liioaiiAvniF.s  OF 


choice  of  farming  as  a  life-pursuit.  For  over 
twenty  years  lie  lias  given  the  larger  part  of  his 
time  to  tlie  successful  cultivation  anil  sul)stantial 
inipniN ciiicnt  <il  iiis  liinii,  whicii  (•(JiilMins  one 
Inuiiheil  Mcics  (if  good  fanning  land  and  lies  one 
and  one-(iuarter  miles  east  of  Mt.  I'lc-asant  bor- 
ough. 

lie  was  married  September  13,  1877,  to  Car- 
oline Barnhart,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Eliza 
(Hugh)  Barnhart,  of  Ilempfield  township.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sliupe  have  been  born  three  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  are  sons:  Cyrus  G.,  Isaac  P. 
and  Carroll  B. 

Louis  B.  Shupe  is  a  democrat  of  the  Jeffer- 
sonian  school,  has  served  his  township  as  school- 
director  for  seven  years  but  devotes  his  time  to 
agricultural  ]iursuits  and  the  care  of  his  farm. 
lie  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  First  Re- 
famed  church,  Mt.  I'leasant. 


/pvAVID  W.  SIIUPE.  Oneofthoold.honor- 
^pJ  able  and  honored  families  of  Westmore- 
land county  is  the  Shupe  family.  One  of 
its  members  is  David  W.  Shupe,  a  substantial 
and  successful  merchant  and  business  man  of 
Pleasant  Unity.  He  is  a  son  of  Daniel  and 
Sarah  (Cease)  Shupe  and  was  born  at  Mt. 
Pleasant,  Westmoreland  county  Pa.,  July  23, 
\Hitl.  I  lis  grandparents,  Isaac  and  Elizabeth 
Shupe,  were  natives  of  Scotland  and  settled  in 
Mt.  Pleasant  township  at  an  early  day.  Isaac 
Shupe  was  one  of  the  prominent  business  men  of 
his  ilay.  He  was  actively  and  extensively  en- 
gaged in  farming,  milling,  tanning  and  general 
merchandising.  He  died  in  1847.  (See  sketch 
of  0.  P.  Shupe).  His  eldest  son  was  Daniel 
Shupe  (father)  who  was  born  June  2G,  1816, 
and  died  suddenly  in  Allegheny  City,  Pa.,  April 
30,  1878,  of  a  congestion  of  the  brain.  He 
was  one  of  the  most  prominent,  successful  and 
popular  business  men  that  ever  lived  in  West- 
moreland  county.      He  owned   and    operated   a 


large  ilouring-niill  at  Mt.  Pleasant  and  in  con- 
nection with  it  was  engaged  in  the  eoinmission 
business  at  Pitt.sburg.  lie  was  also  a  pioneer 
iind  a  successful  operator  in  the  oil  business  near 
Oil  City.  While  ojierating  successfully  upcm  a 
large  scale  in  those  dilVerent  lines  of  business, 
he  still  had  time  to  engage  in  other  inviting 
fields  and  accordingly  dealt  largely  in  real  estate, 
invested  heavily  in  stock  and  built  up  a  good 
trade  in  the  lime  business  at  Mt.  Pleasant.  He 
purchased  one  of  the  first  three  (Jlydesdale 
horses  ever  imported  to  this  counti'y.  At  the 
time  of  his  death  he  owned  several  large  farms 
and  seventy-four  houses  at  Mt.  Pleasant  and  its 
immediate  vicinity.  He  was  largely  instrumen- 
tal in  securing  and  building  the  railway  from 
Broad  Ford  to  Mt.  Pleasant  and  the  township  is 
chielly  indebted  to  him  for  its  handsome  and 
commodious  school  houses.  He  was  an  active 
democrat,  an  energetic  member  of  the  U.  B. 
church  and  served  during  the  last  twenty-five 
years  of  his  life  as  school  director.  He  was 
liberal,  kind  and  generous  and  was  called  "  the 
poor  man's  friend."  In  1840  he  married  Caro- 
line Hitchman  who  died  in  1848  and  left  him 
three  children:  Oliver  P.  (see  his  sketch); 
Lucy  A.  and  Buenavista  T.  He  married  for 
his  second  wife  Sarah  Cease,  daughter  of  Jacob 
Cease  of  jMt.  Pleasant  township.  By  his  second 
marriage  he  had  seven  children :  Carrie  E., 
David  W.,  Jerusha  J.,  Sherman  R.,  Harry  J., 
Emma  K.  and  Minnie  M.  His  widow,  Mrs. 
Sarah  Shupe,  resides  at  Mt.  Pleasant  and  is  a 
member  of  the  U.  B.   church. 

David  W.  Shupe  was  reared  at  Mt.  I'leasant. 
He  received  his  education  in  Mt.  Pleasant  and 
Lebanon  Valley  colleges.  He  also  took  the  full 
course  of  the  Iron  City  Business  college. 
Leaving  school  he  was  employed  for  three  years 
by  the  B.  &  0.  railroad  and  then  spent  five 
years  in  the  oil  country  and  in  traveling  through 
the  west.  In  November,  1887,  he  removed  to 
Pleasant  Fnity  and  engaged  in  the  general 
mercantile  business   wliicii    he  has  pursued  sue- 


1I7;.V7 MOliELA ND  CO  UNTY. 


cessfiilly  ever  since.  lie  has  a  very  large  store 
and  a  fine  truile.  Mr.  Slmpe  is  a  democrat  in 
politics.  He  is  a  member  of  Moss  Rose  Lodjje, 
Nu.  :i.".i),  1.  (».  0.  v.;  K.  of  I..  L„dgc,  No. 
87};J;  K.  of  P.,  Mo.  7-,  ami  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church,  of  whieli  lie  is  a 
trustee. 

lie  married  on  December  2,'),  188i!,  Jennie  V. 
Kilgore,  daughter  of  John  Kilgorc,  who  is  now 
in  the  eightieth  year  of  iiis  age  and  is  a  descen- 
dant of  one  of  the  oldest  families  in  tlie  county. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shape  have  two  cliildreu  :  Jesse 
K.  and  Daniel  K. 


AVID  SIMPSON,  one  of  the  old  and 
1^  I  liighly  respected  citizens  of  1  >erry  towii- 
lip,  is  the  Second  son  and  eldest  living 
child  of  Kobert  and  Margaret  ((iilliland)  Simp- 
son and  was  born  three  miles  from  Jjondonderry, 
in  county  Derry,  Ireland,  xVugust,  \SW.  Rob- 
ert Simpson  and  family  emigrated  from  Ire- 
hiiid  lu  America  in  1834  and  settled  in  Phila- 
ilelphia,  where  he  died  in  1847.  His  wife, 
Margaret  Gilliland,  dicil  at  Johnstown,  Pa.,  in 
1S7"2,  at  ninety-six  years  uf  age.  They  had 
four  sons  :  John,  who  died  at  Philadelphia  and 
whose  son  Robert,  who  improved  the  Singer  sew- 
ing machine,  established  a  large  manufactory 
and  sales  house  in  (jlasgow,  Scotland,  became 
wealthy  and  died  in  Italy  ;  William  died  in  Chi- 
cago and  left  several  children  ;  James  died  at 
Chester,  Pa.,  where  most  of  his  children  reside; 
and  David.  All  four  of  these  brotheis  were 
tailors. 

David  Simpson  came  to  America  in  18oo, 
landed  at  St.  Johns,  N.  B.,  and  from  there  went 
to  Philadelphia,  from  whence  he  walked  to 
Rlairsville,  Pa.,  and  returned  the  next  Spring 
to  Pliiladelphia.  He  then  left  that  city  and 
worked  at  tailoring  in  Baltimore  ami  at  Freder- 
ick and  Ilagerstown,  Md.,  Wilmington,  N.  C, 
and  in  New  York  City.     In  1841    he  went   to 


Ilolliiiayslmrg,  Pa.,  and  from  thence  removed  in 
1842  to  Johnstown  where  ho  worked  for  twelve 
years.  In  184') he  built  the  "  Mansion  House  " 
which  was  r)0x8()  feet  in  dimensions  and  was 
swejit  away  by  the  great  Hood  of  1 88!).  In  1S.')4 
he  sold  the  above  named  house  and  purchased  a 
farm  in  Derry  township  on  which  he  lived  for 
nine  years.  He  then  sold  that  farm  and  bought 
and  sold  two  other  flvrms.  In  1874  he  pur- 
chased his  present  well-improved  farm  in  Derry 
township  on  which  he  now  lives.  He  also  owns 
some  valuable  property  in  Latrobe. 

David  Simpson  was  married  on  July  3, 1841, 
to  Lucinda  Gamble,  a  native  of  Ireland,  by 
whom  he  had  six  children,  of  whom  two  are  liv- 
ing: Martha,  wife  of  Benjamin  Davidson  of 
Chicago ;  and  W^illiam  G.,  a  business  man  of 
Latrobe.  Mrs.  Simpson  died  June  24,  1852. 
On  May  18,  1854,  ^Ir.  Simpson  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Mary  Peoples.  By  his  second  wife 
he  has  six  cliildren  :  Elizabeth  S.,  born  March 
24,  1855,  wife  of  M.  L.  Middlekauf,  a  lawyer  of 
Ilagerstown,   Md. ;  Mary   J.,  born  January  5, 

1857,  and  married  to  George  A.  Lynn  of  Fair- 
field   township,    George    P.,  born    October   23, 

1858,  and  now  resides  at  lilairsville,  Joseph 
seph  W.,  born  January  15,  18G0,  now  a  resident 
of  Saltsburg,  Pa.  ;  David  Eramett,  born  Decem- 
ber 4,  ISGl,  and  is  a  skilled  blacksmith  of  East 
End,  Pittsburg  ;  and  E.  Agnes,  who  was  born 
April  111,  1804.  Mrs.  Mary  Simpson  is  a 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Elizabeth  (Steel) 
Peoples  and  was  born  April  8,  1820.  Joseph 
I'eoples  came  from  Ireland,  and  his  wife  Eliza- 
beth Steel,  was  born  at  Sliippensburg,  Pa.  Her 
parents  Avere  Scotch-Irish  and  came  to  tiiis 
country  in  Indian  times. 

David  Simpson  is  a  strong  and  unswering 
democrat.  He  is  the  oldest  living  charter  mem- 
ber of  Conemuugh  Lodge,  No.  101,  I.  0.  0.  F. 
and  during  his  half  a  century  membership  has 
never  asked  for  or  received  a  cent  of  benefits. 
He  is  kind,  generous  and  obliging  and  stands 
high  among  his  neiirhbors. 


612 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


•f*  ACOB  II.  SMITH,  a  pioininunt  and  pros- 
"'l'  porous  niercliant  vl'  Uradcuvillc  ami  a  Kail- 
<2/  inij;  citizen  of  Derry  township,  was  Ijoiu  in 
|)crrv  Inwiiship,  W'csliiiDiclaiiil  cimiiiIv,  i'a., 
Dc.-i-hiIh  r  -Jl,  IM;il,  ami  is  a  sou  oCLJin  arj.l 
Frances  (IJcilin)  Smith.  The  Smith  and  liei- 
liu  families  are  of  German  descent  and  are 
among  the  ohl  pioneer  and  early  settled  families 
of  ^Vestmoreland  county.  Joseph  Smith  (pater- 
nal grandfather)  was  born  before  1774  and  be- 
came a  resident  of  Derry  township  durii:g  the 
last  century.  He  owned  and  tilled  a  farm  near 
the  site  of  Latrobe  and  married  Christina  Sjiiel- 
nian  of  Unity  township,  by  whom  he  had  thir- 
teen children,  of  whom  five  are  yet  living : 
Jacob,  who  resides  in  Derry  township  ;  Jonas  of 
Bridgewater,  Pa.  ;  Ej)hraim  and  Andrew,  who 
live  in  Unity  township  ;  and  \Villiam  of  Mount 
Pleasant.  Mr.  Smith  was  a  wliig  in  politics. 
He  (lied  in  ls:i(J  and  his  widow  afterwards  mar- 
ried a  Croushore  of  near  Adamsburg.  John 
Smith  (father)  was  born  in  17'J8  and  died  De- 
cember IT),  1878.  He  was  a  shoemaker  by 
trade  and  in  18'iO  married  Frances  Berlin,  who 
died  November  5,  187t).  They  had  four  child- 
ren :  Joseph,  who  married  Jidia  Knox  ;  Jacob 
H.  ;  (jeorge  AV.,  of  I>railenvil!e,  who  married 
Mary  Ilollenbaugh,  and  Susanna  E.,  wife  of  J. 
A.  .Johnson. 

.Facob  11.  Smith  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  at- 
tended the  common  school  at  "  No.  1."  llie  liist 
school-house  built  under  the  )ircsent  scbuol  sys- 
Iciii  ill  1 'cny  towiisbiji.  lie  learned  ibe  Iradi.' 
of  blaihsmith  at  .Mt.  Pleasant  and  followed  that 
business  for  live  years  at  Mt.  I'iiasant,  St.  Clair 
anil  Latrobe.  In  18r)7  he  and  his  brother  Jo- 
.seph  opened  a  store  at  St.  (.'lair.  T\v,)  years 
later  they  sold  their  interest  to  ?\liskelly  ..^  Co., 
and  was  engaged  as  a  clerk  with  them  and  J. 
!!.  McConigal  until  1871.  In  that  year  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  II.  Braden  and  they 
conducted  a  store  at  St.  Clair  for  six  years.  In 
1S77  Mr.  Smith  opened  a  general  mercantile 
store  at  St.  Clair.      This  store  toi'cther  with  his 


dwelling  was  burned  December  0,  IBBf).  In  the 
following  year  he  erected  his  jiresent  line  store- 
room and  dwelling.  Ilia  store  has  been  biir- 
ghiri/ed  llirce  times  within  the  last  ten  yciilM. 
From  lHr)7  to  IISM'J  he  was  ticket  and  freight 
agent  at  St.  Clair  station,  Penna.  railroad  house, 
and  in  1880  the  station  was  burned.  He  lost 
consiilerable  by  that  fire. 

On  April  18,  1858,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Elizabeth  liurd,  daughter  of  Simeon  Burd 
of  Derry  township.  They  have  had  seven  child- 
ren, of  whom  five  are  living  :  Clara  Belle,  born 
April  26,  18(J0  ;  Frances  Harriet,  born  October 
1-3,  18(j.5;  Ale.x.  Sherden,  born  February  3, 
18(38  ;  John  Cameron,  born  July  3,  1873  ;  and 
Jacob  Simeon,  born  July  3,  1876.  On  July  3, 
1884,  Clara  Belle  Smith  married  John  Snell  of 
St.  Clair  and  they  have  three  children  :  Lancelot 
Herbert,  born  May  17,  1885  ;  Cecil  Ethelbert. 
born  Ai)ril  8,  1887  and  Harriet  Belle,  born 
October  21,  188il. 

Jacob  II.  Smith  is  a  reiniblican  in  politics 
and  has  always  met  with  good  success  in  his 
various  business  enterprises. 


TYlLI'r''^I  SMITH,  Sll.,  an  honorable 
and  resjiected  citizen  of  the  county  and 
the  oldest  man  in  Unity  township,  is  a 
Son  of  John  and  Catharine  (Shockey)  Smith 
and  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  he  now  re- 
siiles  in  linity  township,  Westmoreland  county, 
I'll,,  February  12.  1800.  His  grandfather, 
Pliili])  Smith,  was  of  German  descent  and  came 
ill  177U  from  eastern  Pennsylvania  to  Unity 
township.  He  was  a  farmer  and  cooi)er  and 
married  Mary  Aniiel  of  this  county.  One  of  their 
sons  was  John  Smith  (father  of  Win.  Smith), 
who  was  born  in  1772  iind  died  in  1807  when 
only  thirty-five  years  of  age.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  married  Catha- 
rine Shockey  who  was  born  in  176'J  and  lived 
to  be  fifty-two  years  of  age.  They  had  seven  chil- 
dren, of  wlioin  six  grew  up  to  be  men  and  women. 


'i^v-''^^ 


•  -'^f^^^W'-'-'/ft^f' 


■  ''n?(*VV?*':  ^''»J- 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


618: 


William  Smith,  Sr,,  received  his  education  in 
the  rural  schools.  At  eleven  years  of  age  he 
entered  the  store  of  his  uncle,  Jacob  F.  Smith, 
as  a  dork  and  remained  with  him  two  years.  In 
1813  he  wont  to  clerk  in  the  register's  ofhce  at 
Greensburg,  remaining  there  six  weeks,  then 
clerked  in  Pleasant  Unity  in  1814  and  1815  ;  in 
the  year  181G  clerked  in  Donegal,  in  the  year 
1817  and  1818  in  Youngstown,  in  1819  engaged 
in  farming  which  he  has  followed  ever  since. 
He  owns  over  two  hundred  acres  of  land  in  his 
farm  which  is  two  and  one-half  miles  from 
Beatty  station.  He  has  been  an  extensive  far- 
mer and  stock-raiser.  Mr.  Smith  is  a  republican 
and  has  been  a  member  of  Unity  Presbyterian 
church  for  over  sixty  years. 

He  was  married  on  the  5th  of  September, 
1822,  to  Elizabeth  Rings,  daughter  of  Michael 
Rings,  of  Unity  township.  They  reared  a  family 
of  thirteen  children,  of  whom  seven  are  living  : 
Rev.  George  B.,  who  is  a  very  successful  Pres- 
byterian minister  in  Iowa  and  served  three  years 
as  a  soldier  in  the  53d  reg.  Pa.  Vols.,  under 
Meade  and  Grant ;  William  T.,  born  in  1830, 
married  Maria  Wilson  of  Illinois,  March  2, 
1862,  traveled  over  a  large  portion  of  the  United 
States,  visited  England  and  France  and  is  one  of 
the  scientific  and  progressive  farmers  of  the 
county,  whose  library  is  well  filled  with  standard 
works  of  literature,  science  and  agriculture  and 
whose  farm  is  equipped  with  the  latest  and  most 
improved  farming  machinery,  and  has  in  its  rich 
pastures  some  of  the  finest  stock  to  be  found  in 
the  county ;  Noah,  who  is  engaged  in  farming ; 
Catharine,  wife  of  John  Roadman  of  Illinois ; 
Susan,  widow  of  William  Gardiner  and  resides 
in  West  Latrobe  ;  Mary,  at  home,  and  Sarah, 
who  is  married  to  David  D.  Miller,  a  farmer  of 
Mt.  Pleasant  township.  One  of  his  sons  who 
died  was  Ezra,  who  was  a  soldier  in  the  53d  Pa. 
reg.  lie  received  wounds  at  the  battle  of  White 
Oaks  from  which  he  afterwards  died  in  the  hos- 
pital at  Baltimore  and  his  body  was  wrought 
home  by  his  father  and  buried  in  Unity  cemetery. 


'  For  a  man  of  ninety  years  of  age  Mr.  Smith  is 
remarkably  well  preserved  in  body  and  mind. 
He  is  active  on  his  feet  and  has  a  good  memory 
of  everything  of  importance  that  has  occurred  in 
the  county  fur  three-([uurtor8  of  a  conlury.  Ilo 
remembers  Greensburg  when  it  had  but  few  houses 
and  only  one  church,  which  was  a  log  building. 
He  has  witnessed  the  birth  and  growth  of  nearly 
all  the  great  American  industries  of  the  age  and 
all  of  the  wonderful  modes  of  modern  travel  and 
astonishing  methods  of  heating  and  lighting 
buildings  by  natural  gaa  and  electricity.  Within 
the  period  of  his  life  have  occurred  three  great 
wars  of  the  American  Republic,  and  he  has 
memory  of  twenty-one  of  the  twenty-three  chief 
executives  of  the  land  and  has  voted  at  seven- 
teen presidential  elections. 


r^  OBERT  M.  SMITH,  of  Unity  township, 
I  >^  is  one  of  the  young,  energetic  and  suc- 
\S)  cessful  traveling  salesmen  of  western 
.Pennsylvania,  eastern  Ohio  and  northern  Mary- 
land. He  is  a  son  of  Nathan  W.  and  Annie  F. 
(Martin)  Smith,  and  was  born  on  the  farm  on 
which  he  resides  in  Unity  township,  Westmore- 
land county.  Pa.,  May  21,  1862.  His  grand- 
father (Edward  Smith)  was  born  in  Dublin,  Ire- 
land, and  immigrated  during  the  last  quarter  of 
the  eighteenth  century  to  America.  He  soon 
came  to  Westmoreland  county  where  he  loca- 
ted one-half  mile  southwest  of  the  site  of 
Latrobe  in  Unity  township,  on  the  farm  which 
was  inherited  by  his  son,  Nathan  W.  Smith,  and 
is  now  owned  by  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He 
was  an  industrious  farmer  and  died  in  1847  aged 
seventy-three  years.  His  son,  Nathan  W. 
Smith,  was  born  and  reared  on  the  home  farm 
which  he  tilled  until  his  death,  January  3,  1890, 
when  he  was  in  the  sixty-ninth  year  of  his  age. 
He  was  a  successful  farmer,  an  honest  man,  an 
obliging  neighbor,  a  true  friend  and  an  aft'ection- 
ato  father.     He  married  Annie  F.  Martin  and 


614 


BIOGHAPHrES  OF 


reurod  a  respectable  family  of  sons  and  daugh- 
ters.  ]Mrs.  Anna  V.  Sniitli  was  a  nienilier  of  the 
I'rcsliytiTiau  elmicdi  ami  died  in  ISS."!,  aii;ed  lo 
years. 

llobcrt  M.  Smith  was  reared  on  the  farm 
■which  he  owns  ani^whieli  has  been  in  his  family 
for  over  a  hundred  years.  lie  received  his  edu- 
eatiori  in  the  common  schools,  and  since  he  was 
twenty-one  years  of  age  has  been  ehielly  en- 
gaged in  traveling  for  some  of  the  leadini^  im- 
plement houses  of  Pittsbunj,  and  he  manages 
his  farm  which  lie  makes  his  home  and  uj)on 
■wliicli  he  spends  his  time  when  not  on  the  road. 
He  is  an  active  but  conservative  republican  and 
for  the  last  year  has  served  as  tax  collector  of 
Lis  township.  lie  is  a  member  of  the  Knights 
of  Pythias,  Jr.  Order  of  American  Mechanics 
and  Patrons  of  Husbandry.  He  is  well  informed 
uiion  agricultural  subjects  as  well  as  practically 
acijuainted  with  everything  in  the  line  of  labor- 
saving  farm  machinery.  Mr.  Smith  is  a  nieni- 
ber  of  Unity  Presbyterian  church  and  is  well 
liked  by  all  who  know  him. 

In  November,  188G,  he  married  Mary  S. 
Chambers,  ilaiighter  of  Jesse  (JhanJjers,  of 
Unity  township,  wlio  is  a  descendant  of  one  of 
the  oldest  and  thrifty  I'amilies  of  the  county. 
Q'hey  are  the  parents  of  two  children  :  Elizabeth 
J.  and  Robert  M. 


(f^KWlS  T.  SMITH,  .M.  D.,  an  energetic 
'f  [  and  successful  phy-ician  of  Pleasant 
Unity,  a  prominent  member  of  several 
leading  secret  and  beneficial  societies  and  presi- 
dent of  the  "  ^VestInoreland  Agricultural  and 
Industrial  Association,"  is  a  son  of  \VilIiam  and 
Sarah  (Trauger)  Smith  and  was  born  in  ,Unity 
township,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  Septem- 
ber n,  1S4G.  His  family  came  into  the  county 
at  an  early  day  and  auK^ng  his  ancestors  who 
r(!Hideit  in  Ihiity  hiwnship  \\as  his  g|-andfathei-, 
Henry    Sliiilh,    who   was  a    larmer    and    diiij    in 


1872.  He  was  a  farmer,  a  democrat,  a  member 
of  the  Reformed  church  and  reared  a  very 
respectable  family  of  childicn.  \Villiani  Smith 
(lather)  was  one  cif  the  must  pros|)erous  i'armer.s 
of  his  day  and  in  methods  of  farming  he  far 
exceeded  any  of  his  neighbors.  He  was  a 
strong  deaiocrat,  a  Lutheran  in  religious  belief, 
an  active  Sunday-school  superintendent  and 
died  in  August,  1877,  when  in  the  fifty-eighth 
year  of  his  age.  He  was  a  man  who  had  many 
friends  and  but  few  enemies.  He  married  Sarah 
Trauger,  who  was  born  in  1829  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Lutheran  church.  Dr.  Lewis  T. 
Smith  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  received  his 
education  in  Sewickley  academy  and  Muhlen- 
berg college.  He  was  ])rincipal  of  Sewickley 
academy  for  two  terms  and  taught  school  for 
twelve  years.  He  migrated  westward  and 
spent  three  years  on  the  Pacific  coast.  He 
commenced  reading  medicine  in  18Gi)  while  in 
California  and  attended  lectures  at  Jefferson 
college,  Philadelphia,  from  which  institution  he 
graduated  in  the  class  of  187t).  Innnediately 
after  graduation  he  located  at  Youngstown 
w  here  he  practiced  for  one  year.  lie  then  came 
to  I'leasant  Unity  and  has  continued  to  jiractice 
suceessl'ully  at  that  place  until  the  present 
time. 

In  1S74  he  married  llattie  Speer,  of  Phila- 
delphia, who  was  born  in  Prussia  and  is  a 
daughter  of  the  late  Alexander  F.  Speer,  who 
was  a  iiiitive  of  England.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Smith 
have  live  children,  two  sons  and  three  daughters: 
Stella  M.,  Martha  K.,  Sarah  0.,  George  W. 
and  Charles  T. 

I*r.  L.  '1'.  Smith  is  a  democrat  in  politics. 
He  is  a  meuiber  of  the  Chosen  Friends,  Knights 
of  Pythiiis,  J'atriotic  Sons  of  America,  and  is 
master  of  the  county  grange  of  Patrons  of 
Husbandry  and  a  department  commander  and 
State  officer  in  the  G.  A.  F.  He  is  a  member 
and  elder  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church 
and  stands  high  in  his  conuuunity  as  a  phj'sician 
;iiid  a  eil  i/en. 


WESTMORELAND   COUNTY. 


ellRISTIAN  II.  SMITH,  a  successful 
machinist  of  Mt.  I'lcasiiiit  township,  is  a 
son  of  William  anil  Sarah  (Trauycr) 
Smith  anil  was  lioni  Octohcr  31,  LS;')!,  in 
(fnily  l(>wiislii|i,  Wcstmoicliinil  coiiMly,  I'a.  (lor 
ancestral  history  see  sketch  of  iiis  lirotiicr,  l)r. 
L.  F.  Smith  and  that  of  George  Trauger). 
William  Smith  (father)  was  born  in  Unity  town- 
ship June,  1820.  He  was  a  democrat  and  a 
j)rcmincnt  member  of  the  Lutheran  church  in 
which  he  held  the  various  ollices  of  older,  deacon, 
trustee,  Sunday-school  sui)enntcndciit,  etc.  lie 
was  an  ardent  supporter  of  the  ciiurch  and  a 
faithful  follower  of  her  precepts.  He  had 
eleven  children :  L.  T.,  a  physician  of  Pleasant 
Unity;  Christian  II.,  iMartlui  (J.  (deail),  Jennie, 
wife  of  George  Culbertson,  a  dentist  of  Greens- 
burg;  Susan,  wife  of  J.  0.  GiiVen,  a  jeweler  of 
Grecnsburg;  Ella  (dead),  Rebecca  and  William, 
who  both  died  in  infancy  :  Laura  (dead),  Kiz/.ie 
and  one  that  died  in  iufuicy. 

Christian  II.  Smith  icceived  a  common  school 
education  and  possessing  the  talent  for  a  ma- 
chinist he  turned  his  attention  to  ac(juiring  that 
trade  in  which  he  is  quite  successful,  owing  to 
his  own  efforts.  A  natural  machinist  and  a 
skilled  workman,  he  builds  wagons,  pit-cars  and 
anytliing  in  fact  in  that  line.  His  business 
has  grown  to  large  proportions  and  he  has  been 
quite  successful,  owning  at  present  six  acres 
surrounding  his  place  of  business  and  half  a 
dozen  dwelling-houses.  ^Ir.  Smith  is  a  denio- 
crut  and  with  liis  wife  belongs  to  tlie  Lutheran 
churcli. 

Christian  Smith  and  Ada  Gordon  were  married 
July  23,  1885,  and  their  union  has  been  blessed 
with  one  child,  born  August  2G,  1888,  and 
named  I'-llla  Smith. 


^YY^I^LIAM  H.  SNODGKASS,  ex-register 
and  recorder  of  Westmoreland  county, 
was  born  in  Derry  township,  two  miles 
east  of  Mew  Alexandria,  January  !'.•,  182U,  and 


is  a  son  of  John  and  Anna  (Mason)  Snodgrass. 
His    grandfather,    'William    Snodgrass,    was    of 
Scotcli    descent    and    a    farmer    of    Lancaster 
county,  I'a.      He  married  Ellen  Heggs,  a  native 
of    Ireland,    Ijy    wlmm    he    had    live  children: 
John;   Mary,  wife  of  John  Tittle;   Surah,  mar- 
ried to  John  Long ;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Andrew 
Campbell,  and   Margaret.     William   Snodgrass 
and  family  came  to  this  county  about  1800  and 
settled  in  Derry  t(jwnship,  where  Mr.  Snodgrass 
purchased   considerable   land.       He  died  about 
1814,  and  his  widow  survived  him  thirty  years. 
John  Snodgrass  (father)  was  born  in  Lancaster 
county.  Pa.,  not   long    prior  to  the   year  18(tO, 
and  was    but    a    babe    when     brought    by    his 
parents  to  this  county,  where  he  continued  to 
reside    until     his     death    in    November,    1878. 
Uurini'    bis    life    he    became   one   of   the    most 
jiromincnt    business   men    in  western    Pennsyl- 
vania,     "llis    first    jiublic    entei'priso   was    the 
construction  of  two  heavy  sectiinis  (in  the  Penn- 
sylvania canal."      He  was  su]ierintendent  (if  the 
Portage    railroad    for    six   years,   during  which 
time  one  of  his  clerks  was  John  W.  Geary,  who 
was  afterwards  Governor  of  Pennsylvania.   Leav- 
ing  the   Portage   road  in  1813,  he  carried  the 
United  States  mail  from  Ciianilicrsburg  to  Pitts- 
burg  by   stage-coaches    until    the    railroad  was 
built,  and  at  the  same  time  was  engaged  largely 
in  farming  and  was  proprietor  of  two  liouring- 
mills  on  the  Loyalhanna  below  New  Alexandria. 
During  the  war  he,  in  connection  with  others, 
took   a    contract    to    supply   beef-cattle    to    the 
northern  army.      Not  long  afterward  the  coun- 
try    was     lloodeil     with     "  greerjjacks,"     which 
raised  the  price  of  cattle  in  the  market,  causing 
Mr.  Sn(3dgrass  to  lose   heavily  on   the  supplies 
furnished   until     his   large    fortune    was   almost 
(■•one.      He   took  great   interest  in  politics,  and 
in  1850  he  received  the   Congressional  nomina- 
tion in  the  district  composed  of  Westm(jreland, 
Cambria  and  Bedford   counties,   but  a  division 
in   the  party  and  two  other  candidates  on   the 
track  gave   the   district  to  the  republicans. 


/ 

♦16 


BIOORAl'HIES  OF 


William  B.  Snodgras.s  was  educated  in  tiie 
common  scliools,  at  Elder  Kidge  academy  and 
also  attended  school  at  Grcensburg  and  in  Lan- 
caster. Al'ler  l^•avill^;  scIhidI  lie  liceaiiic  siiper- 
jiileiident  (if  ei>nsUuctic;ii  un  Nnrlli  Ijraneli  of 
tlie  Pennsylvania  canal  for  wliicli  liis  father 
had  the  contract.  Two  years  later  he  served  in 
the  same  capacity  on  the  Ne\Y  Portage  railroad 
across  the  Allegheny  mountains.  In  IS/JG  he 
went  to  Dubui(ue,  Iowa,  and  spent  some  years 
in  railroad  work,  after  wliich  he  returned  to  one 
of  his  father's  farms.  In  1875  he  was  nomi- 
nated by  the  Democratic  party  for  register  and 
recorder,  was  elected  in  November  and  entered 
upiin  the  cluties  of  the  oflice  in  January,  187(J. 
Ilis  term  having  expired,  he  in  the  spring  of 
187'J  niovcil  hack  ti>  his  farm  in  Ih'rry  tuwnship 
and  since  then  has  devoted  his  attention  tu 
agriculture.  He  is  a  quiet,  intelligent  gentle- 
man and  takes  much  interest  in  education.  He 
has  served  as  school  director  for  more  than 
fifteen  years. 

^Villiam  15.  Snodgrass  was  married  April  12, 
Iblilj,  to  Mary  Shields,  daughter  of  John  W. 
Shields,  then  of  Salem  township  but  later  of 
Franklin  county.  To  their  union  have  been 
born  four  children :  Itachel  May,  Anna 
Eleanor,  Lizzie  IJeile  and  John  Iv. 


mILLIA:\r  J.  SPllINMiEU,  a  skillful 
nieclianic  of  Mt.  Pleasant  townshi]),  is 
a  son  of  John  P.  and  Mary  (Frank) 
Springer,  and  was  born  January  X'l,  l.s47,  in 
]leni[)lield  tuunship,  Westiuoreland  county,  Pa. 
His  gi'andfather,  (Jeorge  Springer,  was  a  native 
of  (li'i-ni;iny,  where  he  lived  and  died.  In  the 
fatherhuul  lie  was  a  schoolmaster  by  uccujiation 
and  belonged  to  the  lirlbrnied  chui'cli.  He 
married  Katrina  Hull'.  Michael  Fiaiik,  mater- 
nal grandfather,  was  also  born  in  (Jeiniany  and 
died  there,  leaving  a  family  <jf  se\  en  eliildreii. 
.lolm  P.  Springer  (father)  was  born  in  (Jerni;iiiy 
and  imnii'Maled  after   Ins   mariia^'e   to  .\  iiicricii. 


where  he  settled  in  Cambria  county,  Pa.  After- 
ward he  moved  to  Pittsburg  and  still  later  to 
Mt.  Pleasant  township,  this  county,  whore  ho 
died  in  1HM"J.  iioth  in  (icnuany  and  this 
country  he  followed  school  teaching  and  in  this 
county  he  owned  a  large  farm.  Until  the  time 
of  Buchanan's  administration  he  was  a  demo- 
crat but  after  that  he  affiliated  with  the  repub- 
licans. Mary  Frank  (mother)  was  born  in 
Germany  in  1816,  married  at  the  age  of 
twenty-five,  and  had  ten  cliildren,  five  sons  and 
five  diiughters,  all  of  whom  are  living  except 
one  daughter. 

William  J.  Springer  was  married  July  2, 
1869,  to  Mary  Jane  Overly,  a  daughter  of  John 
\.  Overly,  of  Mt.  Pleasant  township,  by  whom 
he  has  three  children  :  Clara  Bertha,  a  teacher 
in  the  Mt.  Pleasant  township  schools ;  Anna, 
who  completed  her  common  school  education  in 
^It.  Pletisant  township  in  1889,  and  Emma. 

Mr.  Springer  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools,  after  which  he  worked  on  his 
father's  farm  until  thirty-eight  years  of  age, 
since  which  time  he  has  worked  at  the  carpenter 
trade.  Ho  owns  a  good  home  and  is  a  first-class 
citizen.  In  politics  he  is  a  republican  and  is  a 
strong  worker  in  his  party.  lie  belongs  to  the 
Patriotic  Oilier  of  the  Sons  of  America,  to  the 
Jr.  O.  U.  A.  M.,  and  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

*j*011N  STEEL  (deceased).     The  late  John 
t     Steel  of  Unity  township  was  one  who  ac- 

(ii/  quired  a  respectable  competency  and  pos- 
sessed many  friends  wherever  he  was  known. 
He  was  born  in  Salem  township,  Westinorehmd 
county.  Pa.,  August  3,  I8"2i;,  and  was  a  son  of 
John  and  Martha  (Walker)  Steel.  His  grand- 
father, James  Steel,  was  a  native  of  Ireland. 
He  had  two  brothers,  John  and  William.  James 
Steel  was  born  in  1741  ami  settled  in  Se- 
wickley  township,  this  county,  in  1772.  He 
was  married  twice,  and  by  his  second  wife,  who 
was  a  Miss    Donaldson,  he   had    three   children: 


WES'nroREL.iyD  co u^ty. 


Janios,  .Tolin  and  William.  Joliii  Steel,  Sr. 
was  born  in  AVestniorelanil  county  in  ITS'J,  and 
died  in  Salem  township  near  llannastowii,  Afay 
22,  18GU,  a^;ed  seventy-one  years,  lie  (>\vne(l 
a  goo<l  farm  -wliieli  lie  earel'iilly  tilleil  and  on 
wliieli  he  reared  a  resjiectable  family.  lie 
Avas  a  member  of  the  United  I'resbyterian 
church,  and  on  May  16,  1813,  married  Martha 
Walker  of  near  Steubenville,  ().,  by  whom  he 
had  nine  children  :  Sarah,  wife  of  Henry  ISyers  ; 
Eliza,  wife  of  Andrew  Mechesney ;  James, 
Joseph  W.,  Jolin,  Margaret,  wife  of  James 
Steel;  Mary  J.  married  II.  T.  Ilunna ;  Martha, 
wife  of  ^lajor  I).  Mechling ;  and  William. 

John  Steel  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm 
and  received  a  fair  education  in  the  subscription 
schools  of  his  neighborhood.  lie  was  a  stirring 
and  hard-working  man  and  a  prosjterous  farmer. 
After  farming  for  some  years  in  Salem  township 
he  removed  to  Unity  township,  where  he  pur- 
chased the  farm  now  occupied  by  his  widow  and 
children.  This  farm  is  on  the  Greensburg  pike, 
two  miles  from  Latrobe,  contains  one  hundred 
and  seventy-two  acres  of  land  and  was  carefully 
cultivated  by  Mr.  Steel  during  his  lifetime. 

On  December  22,  184(!,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Susan  Geiger.  To  their  union  were  born 
twelve  children,  six  sons  and  si,\  daughters : 
Alice,  Harriet,  Martha,  Florence,  Sarah,  AVil- 
liaiii,  John,  Keziah,  Joseph,  .Tnines,  George  and 
('iarcnee.  Mrs.  Susan  Steel  is  a  memiicr  nf  liie 
United  I'resbyterian  church  and  has  managed 
the  farm  very  sueeessfully  since  her  husband's 
death.  She  is  a  daughter  of  George  Geiger  of 
Unity  township,  who  married  Mary  Eekles  and 
reared  a  family  of  nine  children  :  Mary  Ann, 
James,  Eliza,  Harriett,  Keziah,  (jleorge,  Joseph, 
Sarah  and  Susan. 

John  Steele  was  a  rejiublican  in  polities,  a 
ruling  elder  in  Latrobe  United  I'resbyterian 
church  and  took  great  interest  in  everything 
pertaining  to  farming.  He  was  a  kind  husband, 
father  and  friend,  esteemed  by  his  neighbor.s  and 
loved  by  his  family.      He  died  June  15,  1808, 


when  in  the  forty-fourth  year  of  his  age.  Ilia 
dust  rests  in  peace  in  Unity  cemetery,  while  his 
memory  is  cherished  by  the  numy  friends  which 
he  left  behiml  him. 


BRAHAM  M.  STOUFFER,  a  promi- 
nent farmer  of  Mt.  Pleasant  township 
was  born  there,  near  Mt.  Pleasant 
borough,  April  3,  1885,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob 
anil  Mary  (Miller)  Stouffer.  Jacob  Stoufl'er  was 
born  in  Mt.  Plea.sant  township,  this  county, 
about  1787  and  died  there  about  1837.  By  oc- 
cuiiation  he  was  a  farmer  and  a  distiller  and  in 
political  matters  a  whig.  He  was  twice  mar- 
ried, first  to  an  Evans,  by  whom  he  had  five 
children  :  Henry,  living  at  Adamsburg ;  John 
(dead)  ;  Jacob  (dead) ;  William,  a  farmer  of  Il- 
linois, and  Mary  (dead).  His  second  wife  was 
Mary  Miller,  who  bore  him  three  children  : 
Abraham  M.,  Catharine  (dead),  and  one  that 
died  in  infancy.  The  father  of  Mary  Miller 
lived  and  died  in  Bedford  county.  Pa. 

Abraham  ]M.  Stouffer  was  married  September 
1(J,  1858,  to  Anna  Mary  Lobingier,  a  daughter 
of  John  C.  Lobingier  of  JMt.  Pleasant  township, 
and  to  them  have  been  born  si.x  chihlren  :  John 
L.,  who  is  married  to  Malinda  Laufl'er,  a  daugh- 
ter (jf  Henry  Laufl'er  of  Mt.  Pleasant  township, 
and  resides  (III  a  farm  near  Ileela;  Elizabeth, 
who  dii'd  in  youth  ;  iMimia  J.,  wife  of  Hairy  L. 
Mc(jillin  of  Mt  Pleasant  township  ;  Margaret 
A.,  wife  of  John  McGifHn  who  resides  at  Scott- 
dale;  Edward  J.  (dead),  and  Alice  S. 

Abraham  M.  Stouffer  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  of  Westmoreland  county,  where 
he  afterwards  engaged  in  the  profession  of  teach- 
ing which  he  followed  for  si.x  years,  teaching 
four  terms  at  the  same  place.  Leaving  the 
school  room  he  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits 
and  has  continued  at  the  same  ever  since,  now 
owning  three  farms  of  good,  well-improved  land. 
He  is  a  democrat  and  together  with  his  wife  be- 
longs to  the  Lutheran  church.      He  stands  well 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


ill  the  community  and  is  a.  gentleman  of  more 
than  onlinary  intelligence,  \vhose  views  are  lib- 
eral,  broad  and  clear   and  whose    character    is 

aliiivc   rciiiduch. 


^'AMUEL  STROIIM,  one  of  the  substan- 
(aj  tial  and  reliable  farmers  of  Mt.  Pleasant 
{^  to\Ynshij),  was  born  in  East  Huntingdon 
township,  Westmoreland  county.  Fa.,  November 
5,  1831,  and  is  a  son  of  Christian  and  Elizabeth 
(Wertz)  Strohm.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
Jacob  Strohm,  immigrated  from  Germany  to 
Pennsylvania  where  he  settled  in  Lancaster 
county,  but  soon  removed  to  East  Huntingdon 
township.  He  followed  farming  for  a  livelihood, 
was  a  member  of  the  Mennonite  church  and  al- 
ways voteil  the  whig  ticket.  His  maternal  grand- 
father, John  Wertz,  was  born  in  Huntingdon 
county,  this  State,  and  came  in  early  life  to  East 
Huntingdon  township  where  he  followed  farming 
for  over  half  a  century.  His  farm,  now  known  as 
the  Wertz  farm,  is  still  in  the  hands  of  his  de- 
scendants. He  was  a  whig  and  Mennonite.  He 
married  a  Miss  Hoover  who  bore  him  six  sons  and 
four  daughters.  Christian  Strohm  (father)  was 
born  in  Lancaster  county  in  1791  and  died  De- 
cember 9,  18G7.  He  owned  a  farm  of  over 
three  hundred  acres  in  East  Huntingdon  town- 
ship which  he  was  engaged  in  cultivating  for 
many  years  prior  to  his  death.  He  was  a  whig 
in  polities  and  a  memlier  of  the  Mennonite 
cliuii-li.  Ho  married  Elizabeth  AVertzaml  reared 
a  family  of  seven  children,  four  sons  and  three 
daughters. 

.Samuel  Strohin  attended  the  common  schools 
of  his  native  township.  Leaving  sehuol  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  which  he  pursued  for  years  in 
East  Huntingdon  township  and  then  removed  to 
Mt.  Pleasant  township  where  In;  pur(.-liased  his 
present  farm  of  one  hundred  and  tliirty-five 
acres  of  land.  In  additon  to  farming  he  takes 
considerable  interest  in  raising  line  stork.  lie 
is  a  repuldiean  upon   national  issues  but  acts  in- 


dependently when  it  comes  to  local  politics.  For 
township  officers  he  always  votes  for  the  man 
whom  ho  thinks  best  fitted  for  the  position. 

On  July  ;J1,  1S72,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Annie  Pletcher  of  Somerset  county,  this  State. 
Mr.  and  ^h■s.  Strohm  have  been  the  parents  of 
four  children:  Lizzie,  Abraham  B.,  Mary  (dead), 
and  Elma. 

In  religion  Mr.  Strohm  is  a  German  Baptist 
and  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Mt.  Joy 
church  of  that  reliiiious  denomination. 


y^USTIN  T.  TARK,  a  grandson  of  Gasper 
11  Tair  and  an  industrious  business  man  of 
Mt.  Pleasant  township,  was  born  in  East 
Huntingdon  township,  Westmoreland  county, 
Pennsylvania,  April  "JS,  18G1,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  T.  and  Rose  (Bashium)  Tarr.  The  Tarr 
family  is  one  of  the  old  and  well-known  families 
of  southern  Westmoreland  county.  Gasper 
Tarr  (paternal  grandfather)  was  a  native  and 
farmer  of  East  Huntingdon  township,  where  he 
owned  a  large  body  of  land  which  included  the 
site  of  Tarr's  station.  He  was  a  very  wealthy 
man,  a  republican  in  politics  and  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  His  wife  was 
Annie  Taylor,  by  whom  he  had  eight  children. 
Nicholas  Bashium,  maternal  grandfather,  is  a 
native  of  France.  He  resides  at  lietliany,  this 
county,  where  he  is  engaged  in  stock-dealing. 
He  is  a  republican  and  mairied  Sarah  Tarr  by 
whom  he  iiail  six  children.  John  T.  Tarr,  was 
born  about  1  s;;(!  in  Ivist  Huntingdon  township 
ami  is  now  a  resident  ol'  Bullskin  township, 
Fayette  county.  Pa-,  where  he  owns  a  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  seventeen  acres  of  land.  He 
is  a  republican  in  politics  and  served  in  the  late 
war  as  a  member  of  coni]iany  K,  1^1 1th  reg..  Pa. 
Vols.  lie  enlisted  in  ISti^J,  ]KUtiei]iated  in  sev- 
eral battles  anil  was  iliseliarged  at  the  close  of  the 
war.  lie  married  Hose  Itashiuni,  who  died  in 
J  Siil  and  left  two  children  :   .]ose|jh,   a    butcher 


,1,  .iM 


WESTMORELAND   CO  UNTY. 


519 


!it  Orcoiisluiiir,  mill  Austin  T.  His  second  wifo 
u;is  MaiyiM.  llo<l^kins  wlio  lias  Itoriic  him  tliico 
cliildron  :   raoli,  ]}crtlia  J.  and  Laura. 

Austin  T.  Tan-  Avas  reared  in  East  llunting- 
tlon  townsliip  where  ho  attended  the  cnnmion 
scliools  until  he  Avent  to  learn  the  trade  of  stone- 
mason and  bricklayer.  Alter  working  for  nine 
years  at  his  trade  he  engaged,  October,  1889,  in 
his  present  butchering  business  in  Mt.  Pleasant 
township  where  he  owns  three  acres  of  ground 
and  a  good  house  and  staljle  in  connection  with 
his  butchering  establishment.  He  is  a  republi- 
can and  has  serveil  as  inspector  of  election  in 
his  voting  j)recinct.  He  is  a  member  of  Moss 
Rose  Lodge,  No.  (ioO,  L  0.  ().  l'\  and  No.  210, 
Sons  of  Veterans  at  Mt.  Pleasant.  He  resides 
in  Mt.  Pleasant  town.shi]i.  He  and  his  wife  are 
mcndiers  of  the  M.  l'^.  rhiireli. 

Diccinbcr  olt,  l."^M,  Ausliu  'r.  Tarr  niairied 
l!iiiid;i  Liiiiiiinii.  TIm-u'  union  has  been  blessed 
with  tour  children:  .Mninie,  (Jnia,  Ijessie  and 
Van  Amberir. 


ICHOLAS  THOMAS  is  a  native  of  what 
is  now  the  great  Gernuin  Empire  but 
Avas  reared  in  Unity  township,  where  he 
now  resides,  and  bears  the  reputation  of  being 
an  honest  man,  an  honorable  citizen  and  an 
obliging  neighbor.  He  \Nas  born  near  the  river 
Rhine  in  Germany,  April  17,  1827.  He  is  a 
son  of  Philip  and  Elizabeth  (Meiunior)  Thomas, 
wlio  were  bolh  natives  of  the  "  l''atherbuid." 
They  «ere  meiiibrrs  of  the  ('atiiolie  ehurcli  aiul 
came  in  18151  to  this  county,  where  they  located 
on  Sewickley  run  but  afterwards  removed  to 
Unity  townshi]!.  They  bad  six  sons  and  three 
daughters:  Nicholas,  George,  dolin,  Michael, 
Joseph,  Anthony,  I'llizabclh,  Glirislcna  and  Bar- 
bara, 'i'he  father,  I'liilip  Thomas,  was  a  day 
laborer  when  he  arrived  in  the  county  but  soon 
Leeame  a  farmer.  He  was  a  strong  democrat 
;uid  reliable  man  and  died  in  ISTS,  aged 
fighty-one     yeais.  The      molhi'r,      Eli/.abclh 


Thomas,  was  an  amiable  woman  and  passed 
away  in  1887,  at  eighty-three  yeais  of  age. 

Nicholas  Thomas  was  brought  to  the  Ihiited 
States  by  his  parents  when  he  was  only  four 
years  old.  He  was  reared  in  Unity  township 
where  he  received  a  fair  education.  He  learned 
the  trade  of  blacksmith  with  Peter  Kubn,  of 
Blairsville,  Pa.,  and  has  followed  blacksmithing 
for  about  twenty  years.  He  has  worked  in 
Johnstown  anil  Pittsliurg  and  at  Greensburg 
and  Latrobe.  In  It^o.')  he  removed  to  his 
present  farm  where  he  ran  a  shojj  until  1859, 
since  which  time  he  has  given  bis  time  princi- 
pally to  the  tillage  of  his  farm  which  is  only  one 
mile  from  Jieatty's  station  on  the  Pennsylvania 
railroad.  His  farm  contains  over  one  bundre(l 
acres  of  tillable  land,  is  well  adapted  to  dairy 
i  purposes  and  grain  raising  and  is  in  a  good 
neighborhood. 

On  the  li'.ith  of  March,  L^-i;!,  he  married 
Hannah  Uulfner,  daughter  of  Peter  Pull'ner  of 
this  county.  They  have  four  children  :  Annie, 
■\vifo  of  JNLchael  George,  of  Latrobe;  William 
Ji.,  Mary  and  Edmund,  who  married  Mary 
Cute  and  resides  with  his  father.  Mrs.  Hannah 
Thomas  was  born  in  Hempfield  township,  Octo- 
ber "22,  1823,  and  is  a  consistent  member  of  the 
Catholic  church, 

Nicholas  Thomas  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
church.  He  is  a  democrat,  has  served  as  road 
su])ervi.sor  four  years  in  his  township  and 
always  takes  an  interest  in  the  success  of  his 
])arty. 

EORGE  M.  'J'HOMAS  is  a  skillful  and 
reliable  ])harmacist  and  has  been  the  lead- 
'i'  ing  d^uggi^t  of  Hciry  since  opening  in 
the  drug  business  lliere  in  1H79.  He  was  Ijorn 
at  Latrobe,  Westmoiclaiid  county.  Pa.,  March 
I'-i,  l.SUl,  and  is  a  s^in  of  (ieorge  J.  and  Ellen 
J.  (Massenna)  'i'homas.  His  paternal  graml- 
father,  Phillip  J.  Thomas,  came  to  this  county 
in  liS:il  from  (Jeiniany  and  bjcalcd  in  Pitts- 
burg,     lie  soon  removed  l(j  a  larm    near  IJeatty 


BIOGIlArniES  OF 


station,  in  this  county,  wliere  lie  followed  farm- 
ing until  his  death  in  188'J.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Catholic  church  and  stood  high  in  his 
community  as  a  useful  citizen.  His  maternal 
grandfather,  Oswald  A.  Masseinui,  was  a  resi- 
dent uf  Somerset  county,  Pa.,  and  his  parents 
were  natives  of  France.  His  father,  George  J. 
Thomas,  was  born  in  Germany  in  183(1,  came 
Avith  his  jjarciits  to  Pittsburg  and  learned  the 
trade  of  tailor  in  Greensburg,  Pa.,  which  he 
soon  abandoned.  He  then  removed  to  Johns- 
town. Pa.,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  mer- 
cantde  business  until  1874,  when  lie  retired 
from  business  and  engaged  in  other  ]iursuits. 
He  is  now  connected  at  Johnstown  with  the  mer- 
cantile firm  of  George  M.  Tliomas  iS:  Co. 

George  .M.  'J'houias  was  taken  when  he  was 
about  a  year  old  by  his  pai'ents  to  John.^'town, 
where  he  attended  the  jiublic  schools  of  that 
place  until  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age.  He 
then  entered  the  drugstore  of  Dr.  A.  N.  \Vake- 
field,  ill  which  he  remained  as  a  salesman  for 
three  years.  In  that  period  of  time,  under  the 
instruction  of  one  of  the  most  competent  physi- 
cians and  skilled  pharmacists  of  Johnstown,  he 
thoroughly  studied  and  practically  mastered 
every  detail  of  ]iharmacy.  Immediately  after 
leaving  Dr.  \VakefieId  he  came  to  Derry 
Station,  where  he  piircliased  the  drug  store,  and 
and  since  then  (IST'd)  has  successfully  conducted 
the  leading  and  best  equipped  drug  establishment 
of  that  jilace.  It  is  well  stocked  and  coiumo- 
diuusly  arranged  f  )r  the  transaction  of  his  large 
and  growing  business. 

Ho  united  in  marriage  on  the  ol  st  of  January, 
1882,  with  Susie  J.  Sweeney,  daughter  of  the 
late  Manassas  Sweeney,  of  Derry  township. 
Their  union  has  been  blessed  with  three  chil- 
dren :  Marie  J.,  Geoi-ge  J.  and  Jennie  E. 

In  ])iilitical  sentiment  Mr,  Tlionias  is  a  demo- 
crat and  served  from  JSSl  to  INSS  ;is  post- 
master at  l)erry.  In  his  drug  business  be  gives 
Special  attention  to  the  filling  of  prescriptions 
and  the   compounding   of  recipes  and    receives 


the  patronage  of  those  who  value  safety  in  deal- 
ing with  drugs,  which  by  even  a  slight  mistake 
might  prove  fatal.  For  a  young  man  he  ba.s 
achieved  marked  success  and  has  built  a  trade 
of  such  proportions  as  is  not  generally  secured 
by  business  men  until  they  are  well  advanced  in 
years. 

■^EV.  DANIEL  W.  TOWNSEND,  ar» 
earnest,  active  worker  in  all  humane  and 
Christian  enterprises,  is  the  honored  and 
respected  pastor  of  Unity  Presbyterian  church 
around  which  cling  the  memories  of  Rcvoliition- 
:iry  days  and  early  pioneer  times.  He  was  born 
in  Washington  township,  Westmoreland  county. 
Pa.,  April  29,  1834,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  (Shmnaker)  Townsend.  John  Town- 
send  was  born  iu  Westmoreland  county  in  178(5. 
His  life  long  occupation  was  farming  which  he 
followed  in  Washington  township.  He  was  a 
ruling  elder  in  the  Poke  Run  Presbyterian 
church,  of  which  he  was  a  pillar  of  strength. 
He  was  plain  and  unassuming  in  manner  but 
was  firm  and  determined  in  opposing  what  wa.s 
wrong  and  led  the  movement  in  his  community 
against  the  use  of  liijuor  as  a  beverage.  He  died 
in  18t]y  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years.  His 
Avifo  was  a  member  of  the  I'resbyterian  church 
and  died  in  1873,  aged  eighty-three  years. 

Uev.  Daniel  ^V.  Townsend  was  prepared  for 
college  at  Elders  Ridge  academy,  which  he  en- 
tered at  the  age  of  fifteen  years.  He  entered 
AVashington  college  in  1851,  remained  one  year 
and  then  went  to  Jefierson  college,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in  185o.  He  then  ]ireparod 
himself  for  the  ministry  at  the  Western  Theo- 
logical seminary  from  which  he  was  graduated 
in  1858.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  in  1857 
and  in  the  succeeding  year  was  ordained  and  in- 
stalled pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  J'ar- 
nassiis,  which  he  faithfully  served  i'or  a  jiciiod  of 
nine  years.  I'rom  Parnassus  he  removed  to 
Alliance,  Ohio,  where  his  pastorate  lasted  two 
years  and  which  be  resigned   in  order  to  accept 


WESTMORELA  ND  CO  UyTY. 


a  call  from  Unity  Pi-o^bytt'iiaii  cluircli,  -whicli  he 
has  sewed  successfiilly  ever  since.  lie  has  scrveil 
twenty-one  years  as  jiastor  of  Unity  churcli, 
(lining;  whii-h  liiiie  a  nrw  clitin-h  ('dilicc  was 
erecli'il  ami  oilier  inipniv  einenls  made  to  lUe 
cretlit  of  the  congregation  and  many  members 
added  to  the  church.  I  nity  eiiurch  was  organ- 
ized in  1774  and  its  pastors  have  been  :  1774, 
Kev.  James  Powers:  17l<0.  John  McPherrin ; 
18U0,  John  Black  ;  ISOS.  William  Speer  ;  1880, 
Robert  Henry;  iSS'd,  P.  Ilassinger;  1846, 
George  Morton;  1840.  N.  II.  tlillett,  and  18G'J, 
Rev.  D.  W.  Townsend. 

On  the  first  .lay  of  July,  1858,  Rev.  D.  W. 
Townsend  unitcil  in  uiarriaire  with  Elizabeth  M. 
Kier,  a  teacher  in  (Hade  Itiiu  academy  and  a 
daughter  of  James  and  Hannah  Kier,  of  Klders 
Ridge,  Armstrong  county.  llev.  ami  ?^Irs. 
Townsend  have  three  sons  and  one  daughter  : 
Charles  II.,  a  naturalist,  and  now  serving  in  the 
United  States  fish  commission  (steamer  All)a- 
tross) ;  Lizzie  G.,  wife  of  Dr.  AV.  D.  Haymaker, 
of  Weadville,  Pa.  ;  William  B.,  student  of  den- 
tistry at  Philadelphia,  and  Paul,  who  is  attend- 
ing Allegheny  college. 

Charles  II.  Townsend,  the  eblest  son,  is  one 
of  the  young  and  rising  naturalists  of  the  United 
States  and  is  destined  to  make  his  mark  at  no 
distant  day  in  the  future.  He  is  a  graduate  at 
the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  did  held 
Work  in  California  for  two  years,  spent  one  sum- 
mer on  Seal  Islands  in  Behring  Sea,  was  na- 
turalist on  the  revenue  cutter  Corwiii  in  an 
Arctic  e.xploring  expeilitimi  ami  had  charge  of 
the  natural  history  work  of  expeditions  stiit  to 
the  West  Indies  and  Central  America  He  has 
made  some  important  discoveries  in  his  chosen 
field  of  work  and  is  highly  spoken  of  by  the  most 
eminent  naturalists  of  to-day. 

Rev.  D.  W.  Townsenil  was  stated  clerk  cd'  the 
Saltsl)urg  Presbytery  for  six  years  and  has 
served  the  Blairsville  Presbytery  in  tliat  capacity 
fir  the  last  eighti'en  years,  lie  is  a  man  of  fine 
jiersonal     appearance,     a    theologian    of    sound 


doctrinal  views  and    an  earnest  and  convincing 
speaker. 

KOIJGE  TRAIKH'IK,  one  of  the  old  re- 
spected and  .substantial  citizens  of  Mt. 
^  Pleasant  township,  was  born  at  Pleasant 
Unity,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  May  li8, 
1811,  and  is  a  son  of  Christian  and  Elizabeth 
(Lewis)  Traugcr.  His  paternal  grandfather 
was  of  German  extraction  and  lived  and  died  in 
Bucks  county.  Pa.,  where  he  followed  the  occu- 
pation of  farming.  In  politics  he  was  a  whig 
and  served  his  county  as  overseer  of  the  poor. 
He  was  a  tailor  by  trade,  at  which  he  worked 
some  in  connection  with  his  firm  duties.  He 
married  Elizabeth  Lose,  who  bore  him  ten  chil- 
dren. Abram  Lewis'  maternal  grandfather  was 
a  native  of  Bucks  county  where  he  always  re- 
sided. Christian  Trauger  (father)  was  born  in 
Bucks  county  in  1787,  and  enngrated  «  itli  his 
brother  Henry  to  Westmoreland,  Pennsylvania, 
settling  in  Mount  Pleasant  township,  near 
Pleasant  Unit}',  at  which  place  he  followed 
tailoring  for  some  time,  but  soon  sold  out  and 
purchased  a  farm  which  he  cultivated  during 
the  remainiler  of  his  life.  His  death  occurred 
in  l8.Jil.  He  was  a  democrat  and  served  for 
a  time  as  overseer  of  the  }>oor ;  he  was  a  faith- 
ful member  of  the  TiUtheran  church.  Five 
children  were  the  fruits  of  his  marriage  :  Jacob, 
who  is  a  merchant  at  Columbus,  Lidiana  ;  Lewis, 
a  merchant  of  Greensburg;  Solomon,  residing 
at  Greensburg;  Sarah,  wife  of  AVilliam  Smith 
of  Unity  township,  and  George. 

George  Trauger  was  first  marrie<l  to  Hannah 
Rumbaugh,  by  whom  he  had  eight  children  : 
Lucinda,  Elizabeth  (deceased),  Lydia  (deceased), 
Mary,  Sarah,  Martha  J.,  Jacob  L.,  and  John  L. 
Mary,  who  resides  in  Unity  township  ;  Sarah  is 
married  to  William  Leasure,  a  farmer  now  in 
Dakota;  Martha  J.  is  the  wife  of  Ilariy  Brailcf, 
a  merchant  of  Derry  township  ;  Jacob  L.  is  a 
I'armer  of  Unity  tiiwnshi]i  ;  John  L.  was  edu- 
cated fir  the   unnislry    liul    his   throat   gave  out 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


and  he  is  now  managei"  of  a  publishing  com- 
pany at  Colinnlius,  (Jhio,  whore  he  is  also  presi- 
dent of  the  city  council.  George  Weaver  was 
married  tiie  second  time  to  Mary  Ann  Weaver, 
dauglitcr  of  John  Weaver,  of  Mount  Pleasant 
township.  Mr.  Trauger  received  his  education 
in  tiie  subscription  schools  of  his  youthful  days 
and  began  for  himself  as  a  farmer,  llis  main 
business  through  life  has  been  farming  and 
milling  but  was  engaged  for  two  or  three  years 
in  mercantile  business,  owning  a  store  at  Plea- 
sant Unity  and  one  at  Bradenville.  He  owns  a 
fine  farm  underlaid  with  coal  and  a  flourishing 
mill  with  all  modern  improvements,  such  as  the 
roller  process.  He  is  a  democrat,  though  ratlier 
independent  in  local  matters,  and  with  his  wife 
belongs  to  the  Lutlieran  church.  Mr.  Trauger 
is  a  WL-11-proserved  old  gentleman,  looking  many 
Years  younger  tlian  lie  really  is  and  is  one  of 
the  liest  and  most  substantial  citizens  of  the 
county. 

•j'OilN  CUMMINS  WALKINSIIAW,  one 

'i"  of  tlie  prosperous  farmers  and  prominent 
(Jy  citizens  iif  L)erry  town.-;hi]i,  is  a  son  cjf 
Hugh  K.aiid  Mary  ((Juiiiiiiins)  W'alMiishaw  and 
was  liorn  at  iSif.\  Hi'rry,  W  cstniorehiml  county. 
Pa.,  September  7,  18411.  Among  the  many  in- 
dustrious and  thrifty  citizens  of  Derry  township 
■who  came  from  county  Derry,  Ireland,  was  Will- 
iam Walkinshaw  (grandfather).  He  was  a  weaver 
by  trado  and  after  several  years'  residence  on  a 
f.inii  ri'movi'd  lo  Hhiii^viUe  where  he  afterwards 
ilie.l.  lie  had  li\e  suns  and  live  dailgliters,  of 
wiiom  threi'  sons  and  as  many  daiigliters  are 
living:  John,  of  Missouri ;  llettie,  widow  of 
Isaac  McClusker  and  wlio  resides  at  Cone- 
maugh,  Pa.;  Mary,  wife  of  Joim  McCurdy,  of 
IJhiirsville ;  Sarali,  Hugh  ii.  and  liubert,  who 
married  Mary,  ihiughter  of  J.  U.  I'eviuney,  of 
lilairsville  and  lives  in  Missouri.  Hugh  II. 
Walkinshaw  was  born  in  New  Jersey  on  the  5t!i 
of  l)eeember,  \i\~ .  He  was  a  wagoner  on  the 
old  pike  from  Pittbbing  to  i'liihideljihia  for  many 


years,  then  became  one  of  the  pioneer  settler* 
of  Latrobe  and  a  few  years  later  engaged  in 
farming.  He  has  now  retired  from  all  active 
business  and  resides  with  his  son,  William  II. 
He  is  a  democrat,  was  an  elder  of  the  United 
I'resbyterian  church  for  several  years  but  now 
is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  He 
married  Mary  Cummins  and  two  children  were 
born  unto  them :  Jolin  C.  and  AVilliam  II., 
who  is  a  farmer  and  lives  near  Ligonier.  Mrs. 
Walkinshaw  is  a  daughter  of  John  II.  Cummins, 
who  was  of  Irish  descent  and  served  as  a  soldier 
in  the  war  of  1812.  He  removed  about  1859 
from  Derry  township  to  West  Newton,  where  he 
died  June  4,  1880,  at  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty-four  years.  His  wife  was  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  Peter  Miller,  by  whom  he  had  ten 
children,  of  whom  two  sons  and  two  daughters 
are  yet  living:  Alexander,  now  in  Kansas; 
iNlary,  subject's  mother ;  James,  a  resident  of 
Iowa,  and  Elizabeth,  who  married  John  Mc- 
Quaid  and  resides  in  Philadelidiia. 

John  C.  \Valkinsliaw  was  reared  on  a  farm 
and  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  a  select 
school  at  New  Derry.  At  tweiitj'-one  years  of 
age  he  engaged  in  farming,  wliieli  be  has  l\)\- 
lowed  ever  since,  excepting  four  years  (187 -3  to 
1877),  which  he  spent  in  the  ollice  of  the  Mill- 
wood Coal  and  Coke  Company.  He  owns  his 
father's  farm  near  Millwood,  is  an  intelligent 
and  prosperous  farmer  and  keeps  abreast  of  the 
times  in  his  methods  of  farming.  He  is  a  dem- 
ocrat and  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
at  Derry  station.  i\Ir.  Walkinshaw  is  unosten- 
tatious in  manner,  temperate  in  habits  and  kind 
in  disposition.  He  stands  high  in  his  commun- 
ity as  a  neighbor  and  a  man. 

On  October  25,  1882,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  ^lary  Boyd,  youngest  daugliter  of  Kobert 
Boyd,  of  South  Huntingdon  township.  'I'hey 
have  three  chiidren  :  Robert  Boyd,  born  March 
24,  1884 ;  Hugh  Hobinson,  born  March  4, 
18K(j ;  and  Ahiry  iMiuiia,  boiii  September  14, 
1888. 


WESTMORELAND   CO  UNTY. 


/J^  G.  WEAVER.  It  might  scoin  that  the 
|£j  iiitorusis  of  gi'iK'iiil  truilo  in  Wostiuorc- 
hiiul  ciiuiily  Wduhl  be  (hvartL'il  by  tlic 
giuat  iiiuimractiuinj^  iii(|iislriuH  tliat  uxi.Ht  in  tliin 
county,  but  sucli  is  not  the  case,  as  evinced  by  a 
rapid  development  and  great  increase  of  mer- 
cantile business.  Of  the  many  mercliants  con- 
S]»ieuous  for  enterprise  and  ability  is  I).  G.  Wea- 
ver of  Lycippus.  lie  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Annie  M.  (Lose)  Weaver  and  was  born  on  the 
Stockberger  farm  in  Unity  township,  Westmore- 
land county.  Pa.,  October  10,  1«27.  The 
Weaver  family  is  noted  for  its  longevity  and 
many  octogenarians.  Gasper  Weaver,  Sr. 
(great-grandfather)  came  from  east  of  the  Alle- 
ghenies  and  took  up  a  large  tract  of  land  in 
Mt.  Pleasant  township,  at  that  point  where  the 
B.  &  0.  11.  II.  now  is  surveyed.  lie  was  a 
member  of  the  Ilcformcd  church,  a  successful 
manager  ami  died  in  1883,  aged  eighty-two 
ycar.s.  Gasper  Weaver  (grandfather)  came 
with  his  father  to  this  county  when  but  a  boy 
and  the  first  night  after  arrival  tliey  slept  under 
the  wide-spreading  branches  of  a  lofty  white-oak 
tree.  He  had  to  ilee  from  his  cabin  and  farm 
several  times  on  account  of  Indians,  lie  was 
a  tliril'ly  iarinrr,  a  ciinscientiuiis  and  emisislciit 
menibi'r  of  the  German  Uefornu'd  cliiireh  and  a 
man  whose  word  was  as  good  as  bis  bond.  He 
died  in  lHfi7  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  tiglity-iive 
years.  One  of  his  sons  was  John  Weaver,  wiio 
was  born  in  the  initial  year  of  the  present  cen- 
tury. He  was  a  pump-burer  by  trade  and  wlien 
he  purciiased  in  I'ittsburgli  tlie  necessary  outlit 
of  tools  for  following  liis  trade  there  was  no  way 
of  transporting  them  to  Mt.  Pleasant  township, 
and  lie  was  compelled  to  walk  and  carry  llieiii  to 
his  home.  After  working  for  several  years  at 
bis  trado  be  ])urciiascd  a  part  of  his  grand- 
father's farm  and  gave  some  of  his  time  to 
farming.  When  a  boy  be  often  iicard  his  father 
say  that  the  Indians  always  went  to  Cliestnut 
Ridge  to  get  their  lead  for  bulb^'ts,  these 
Indians  claiming  to  cut  this  lead  out  of  rocks  in 


that  mountain  range.  Joiin  Weaver  was  a 
Jacksonian  democrat,  a  stirring  and  energetic 
man  and  a  mend)er  of  the  Reformed  church,  in 
which  be  bad  .served  in  all  of  its  local  ollices. 
He  died  February,  1888,  aged  eighty-two  years, 
lie  married  Annie  M.  Lose,  who  died  in  1885, 
at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  Their  children 
were:  Caroline,  Mary  Ann,  John  W.,  Eliza  J., 
Sarah  B.,  James  K.,  William,  Bell,  Francis  C, 
and  D.  G. 

jNIrs.  Annie  M.  Weaver  was  a  member  of  the 
Reformed  cliurch  and  was  the  daughter  of 
George  Lose,  of  Unity  township,  who  was  a 
member  of  the  church  and  owned  the  present 
John  McLaughlin  farm. 

D.  G.  Weaver  was  reared  on  the  old  AVeaver 
farm,  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of 
his  neighborhood  and  at  eighteen  years  of  age 
went  to  learn  the  trade  of  saddler  and  harness 
maker  with  Henry  Kieher,  of  JMt.  Pleasant. 
After  serving  the  retiuired  three  years  as  an 
apprentice  he  followed  journey  work  until  he 
secured  means  enough  to  engage  in  business  for 
himself  at  Pleasant  Unity  in  1849.  In  1855 
he  purchased  a  store  at  Lycippus,  which  he  con- 
ducted for  four  years,  then  became  a  fuember  of 
I  lie  liriii  ol'  iMclier  A:  \Veaver  of  Mt.  Pleasant, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  the  tanning  business 
until  1801.  During  the  war  he  was  in  Pittsburg 
in  the  service  of  the  government  as  a  harness 
maker.  In  18G"2  he  formed  u  general  mercan- 
tile partnership  with  A.  II.  Strickler  of  Mt. 
Pleasant  which  lasted  for  twelve  years.  From 
1873  to  18H0  he  acted  as  clerk  for  Jacob  Bow- 
ers and  Low  it  lliisbaiid  and  was  general  man- 
ager of  the  company  store  of  the  coke  firm  of 
Mullen  i  Boyle.  In  1880  he  purchased  his 
present  well-arranged  anil  aiiijily-stocked  general 
mercantile  store  at  Ijycippiis.  He  has  a  steady 
and  liii'rative  trade  and  bis  jiatrons  are  dis- 
tributed over  a  wide  area  of  territory. 

In  184'.l  be  married  Klizalietb  Eieher,  a 
daughter  of  llcniy  iMeber,  wf  .Mt.  Pleasant 
borough,    whose  graniUather    Kieher   was   killed 


mOOEAPHIES  OF 


with  a  man  named  Waugh,  on  Four  Mile  run 
anil  is  buricil  on  the  Daniel  Kuntz  farm.  Mr. 
ami  Mrs.  Weaver  have  been  tiie  parents  of  six 
ciiildnii:  Nelson  (I,  Maiy  <'.,  I'linmu  I'..,  .lohn 
Jl.,  who  was  killed  hy  a  laliiii^'  tree  in  I^T.S  ut 
the  age  of  eighteen  years;  Elizabeth  (J.  and 
FranlTw. 

In  politics  i\Ir.  Weaver  has  been  a  life-long 
and  ever-active  democrat,  was  postmaster  at 
Lycippus  for  ten  years  and  is  a  firm  Ix'lievcr  in 
"Free  Trade"  principles.  lie  is  a  member 
and  steward  of  the  M.  E.  church.  His  re- 
markable success  in  life,  his  high  standing  in 
society  and  his  well-deserved  popularity  in  his 
community,  has  been  secured  by  his  business 
ability,  his  excellent  character  and  his  honest 
business  methods. 


I  ODER  S.  WELTY,  an  enterprising  busi- 
ness man,  a  prominent  justice  ami  a 
leading  democrat  of  Mt.  I'leasant  town- 
ship, is  a  son  of  George  ami  Eliza  (Baughman) 
AVelty,  and  was  born  in  Mt.  Pleasant  township, 
Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  .January  2,  18.54. 
His  groat-grandfather  was  a  native  of  Germany 
and  settled  at  an  early  day  near  Greensburg, 
where  he  worked  some  at  his  trade  of  glove- 
making.  His  son,  John  Welty  (grandfather), 
was  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at 
Pleasant  Unity  for  many  years.  He  was  a 
democrat,  served  for  several  years  as  justice  of 
the  peace  in  Unity  township  and  was  a  member 
and  elder  of  the  Reformed  church.  He  married 
a  Miss  Lose,  by  whom  he  had  six  children  and 
of  whom  one  was  George  Welty  (father),  who 
was  born  at  Pleasant  Unity  in  18'i8.  He  was 
a  tanner  by  trade,  built  the  old  Welty  tannery 
in  Mt.  Pleasant  township  and  operated  it  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  February  3,  188-1.  He 
owned  a  good  farm,  was  a  democrat,  served  as 
school  director  of  Mt.  Pleasant  township  and 
was  a  member  of  the  Reformed  cliureii.  He 
married  Eliza  Baughman,  a  daughter  of  Jacob 


Baughman,  who  was  a  farmer  and  speculator 
and  was  a  member  of  the  old  pioneer  Baughman 
family  of  this  county.  Their  children  are  :  Rev. 
■laeol),  who  reeeive<l  an  academic  ediicatiim, 
look  a  full  theological  cour.se,  married  Mary 
Slater,  of  Mt.  Pleasant,  was  ordained  as  a  min- 
ister of  the  Reformed  church  but  afterward 
became  a  Presbyterian  and  now  is  pastor  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  of  Moberly,  Mo. ;  Louisa, 
wife  of  W.  II.  McBeth,  merchant  and  postmaster 
at  McBeth,  this  county;  Roger  S.,  Rose,  mar- 
ried to  Rev.  A.  M.  Iveifer,  a  niini>i>  r  of  tlje 
Reformed  church  at  Greenville,  Pa.;  Lucien  C, 
married  Belle  Schaeffer  and  is  engaged  in  the 
lumber  business  ;  Samuel,  who  married  Caroline 
Pearce  and  is  in  the  lumber  business  ;  and  Clara, 
M.,  wife  of  Samuel  G.  Shaefler,  a  grocer  of 
East  End,  Pittsburg,  Pa. 

Roger  S.  Welty  attended  the  common  schools 
of  his  native  township.  He  learned  the  trade 
of  tanner,  which  he  followed  until  1884  when 
he  engaged  in  his  present  business  of  farming 
and  lumbering.  He  owns  forty  acres  of  good 
farming  land  besides  a  timbered  track  of  one 
hundred  acres.  He  also  owns  ami  operates  a 
portable  saw-mill  and  furnishes  several  coke- 
works  with  lumber  supplies.  He  is  an  unswerv- 
ing democrat  and  was  nominated  by  his  party 
in  1884  for  the  Legislature  but  was  defeated 
with  the  rest  of  the  democi-atic  county  ticket  at 
the  fall  election.  In  the  same  year  he  was  ap- 
jjoinied  justice  of  the  peace  and  elected  in  1885 
for  a  term  of  live  years.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Order  of  Chosen  Friends  and  Reformed 
church. 

December  3,  1874,  Roger  S.  Welty  married 
Mary  Fausold,  a  daughter  of  Hon.  John  Fausold 
(see  sketch  of  II.  F.  Fausold).  Their  children 
are:  Ellen,  born  September  25,  1875;  Lucy, 
born  August  'J,  1877;  Ruth,  born  December  7, 
1878;  Benton,  born  October  iJ,  1880;  Martha, 
born  July  4,  1882  ;  George,  born  May  4,  1884  ; 
Morris,  horn  March  4,  188G;  and  Pauline,  born 
April  8,  1888. 


WJCSTMOniCLA  NI)   CO  UNTY. 


In  IS.SG  Kogor  S.  ^Vt'lty  wrote  a  work  en- 
titk'il  ••  Ueiit,  ^\'':lges  aiul  Capital,"  wliicli  was 
piibli.slieil  liy  tliu  Laporte  Printing  Company- 
In  it  lie  sliDWs  lliat  all  the  ciciiicnlH  that  cdn- 
stitiilc  till'  Slate  air  inler-'leprnilc'iit  anil  may 
anil  must  ailvanco. 


•  KoliCE  W.  WILLIAMS.  Prominent 
iin.ng  the  most  active  and  enterprising 
•i'  merchants  of  Derry  township  is  George 
W.  Williams  of  New  Alexamlria,  who  is  one  of 
the  most  reliable  ami  responsible  business  men 
in  his  section  of  the  county.  lie  is  a  son  of 
AVilliam  and  Mary  M.  (Rhodes)  Williams,  and 
was  born  at  New  Ale.xandri.i,  Derry  townshi)i, 
Westmnreland  eniinty.  Pa.,  February  22,  LS.^O. 
His  gr;inilialher,  Kev.  AVilliiim  \\'illiams,  \Nas  a 
Paptist  minister  who  emigrated  from  Wales  to 
eastern  Pennsylvania,  afterwards  preached  in 
Pitt.-!burg,  and  finally  liAated  near  Ebensburg, 
Pa.,  where  he  died.  His  children  were  :  Thomas, 
living  in  Oregun:  Benjamin,  of  Iowa;  William 
and  Elias,  Margaret  and  Elizaljcth,  who  are 
dead.  AVilliam  AViUiams  was  burn  in  eastern 
Pennsylvania  in  1S(I4,  came  in  184U  to  Ilannas- 
tuwn,  this  eiiimty,  and  later  removed  to  New 
xMe.xandria  where  he  continued  to  work  at  his 
trade  of  wagon-making  until  he  purchased  a 
farm  in  Salem  township.  lie  lived  on  tliis  farm 
till  liS8S\\hen  \iv  rcmiived  to  1  )erry  tnwnship 
where  he  now  resides.  He  is  in  the  eiglitv- 
sixth  year  lA'  his  age  and  is  a  reiiublican  in  poli- 
ties. "iHs  wife,  Mary  M.  (lihodes)  Williams, 
was  born  east  of  the  Allegheny  mountains  in 
181G,  and  is  tiie  mother  of  six  children:  Anna, 
Elias,  George  W.,  Harriet,  Frances  and 
Josejih  T. 

George  W.  Williams  was  reared  at  New- 
Alexandria  and  on  a  Salem  township  farm.  He 
received  his  education  in  the  common  schools 
and  attended  Duff's  Commercial  college  of 
Pittsburg,  from  which  institution  he  was  grail- 
u.itcd  in  1SG7.      Leaving  Pittsburg  he  went  to 


Iowa  wdiere  he  purchased  lots  at  Iowa  Center 
with  a  view  of  building,  but  sold  them  at  a  good 
profit  and  returned  to  New  Alexamlria  and 
served  as  clerk  foi-  five  years  wilh  ihe  nierean- 
tilc  firm  off.  L^  J.  (iailaghrr  of  that  place,  lie 
then  (18S4)  purchased  a  lot  at  New  Alexandria 
and  erected  his  present  dwelling  house  and 
ample  store-room.  He  carries  a  complete  line 
of  general  merchandise  and  is  situated  in  a 
wealthy  section  of  the  county  from  which  he  re- 
ceives a  large  and  remunerative  patronage.  lie 
is  a  republican  in  politics,  has  served  as  council- 
man of  his  borough  and  is  well-informed  upon 
the  political  issues  of  the  day.  Mr.  AVilliams  is 
a  man  of  good  business  qualifications.  He  is  a 
niemljer  of  Philanthropy  Lodge,  No.  22."),  A. 
Y.  M.,  at  (ireensburg. 

He  was  married  in  July,  18s;],  to  Gertrude  L. 
Snodgrass,  daughter  of  John  Snodgrass  of  Salem 
township.  To  their  union  have  been  born  three 
ciiildren :  Mary  Maude,  John  S.  and  <  Jcorge 
W.,  Jr. 

T.  KEY.  BONIFACE  WIMMER,  0.  S. 

B.,  an  arch  abbot  and  the  founder  of  St. 

Yincent's  abbey  and  college,  was  a  veiy 
saintly  man  who  revived  in  America  the  grand 
institutions  of  the  Benedictine  abbeys  of  the 
middle  ages,  from  which  many  nations  of  Eu- 
rope first  received  the  glad  tidings  of  Christian- 
ity, and  we  have  but  few  records  in  human  his- 
tory more  instructive  than  the  missionary  labors 
of  this  most  instructive  prelate,  who  was  earn- 
estly and  successfully  engaged  for  over  half  a 
century  in  the  cause  of  religion,  charity  and 
education.  His  self-sacrificing  efforts  were 
crowned  with  abundant  success  and  thousands 
in  the  various  walks  of  life  throughout  the 
United  States,  who  have  enjoyed  the  salutary 
influence  of  his  institutions  upon  their  spiritual 
and  secular  training,  revere  his  memory  and  ap- 
preciate his  real  worth  as  a  noble  and  large- 
hearted  man.  Boniface  Wimmer  was  born  at 
Thalmassing,  ne;ir  the  city  of  liatisbon,  in   Ba- 


520 


iiiociiArniKS  OF 


Viiriu,  .luiuiary  '.',  li^U',1,  anil  ivr(.'i\  (.•(!  in  holy 
b;i|itisni  i1k'  name  ul'  Sfli;isli;ui.  Fccliij;:;  :iu  in- 
olinatioii  to  ciiilirafc  tlu'  li;;al  ]]r(iro>sic)U  lie 
(Milfii'il  Ihc  riiuci-^ily  uf  Miinirli  in  ISliT. 
Duiin;^  lil.s  eour.se  ol'  iiliiliiso|ili_y,  Imwevrr,  lie 
tunieil  his  uiind  to  a  liiglier  ealling  and  had 
himself  enroUeil  among  the  students  ot"  the 
Georgianum,  a  theological  seminary  attached  to 
tliu  university.  After  the  conifiletion  of  Ids 
course  at  this  institution  he  went  to  the  Dio- 
cesan seminary  at  Ratisbon,  into  which  di(jcese 
he  had  been  received,  to  prepare  himself  for  the 
reception  of  Holy  Orders  under  the  direction  of 
the  saintly  coadjutor  bishop,  MichaenVittmann. 
On  July  31,  I80I,  he  was  raised  to  the  sublime 
dignity  of  the  priesthood.  After  laboring  most 
zealously  and  faithfully  for  one  year  at  Alt- 
Oetting,  a  noted  place  of  pilgrimage,  he  was 
rewarded  witii  a  vocation  to  a  state  of  still 
greater  perfection  and  entered  the  Order  of  St. 
Benedict  in  the  monastery  at  Metten.  From 
1840  to  l.S4ti  he  was  employed  as  professor  in 
Munich 

!n  184i)  the  (|uestion  of  ivndcring  spiritual 
assistance  to  the  greatly  neglected  German  cath- 
olics in  many  parts  of  the  United  States  was 
iigitate<l  in  I'^urope.  Father  Ihiiiil'ace,  as  he  was 
then  called,  laid  do\\  n  a  |ilaii  of  no  oidmary 
merit,  which  dicw  the  altcntiiui  of  the  laidwig 
Mission  Society.  King  J-ouis  1,  of  lla\aria, 
took  a  lively  interest  in  the  matter  and  scut  for 
Father  Boniface.  After  his  majesty  had  atten- 
tively listened  to  all  details  of  the  proposed  un- 
dertaking he  asked  the  father  if  he  were  willing 
to  carry  out  his  own  plan.  Father  Bonitace  re- 
plied that  he  wouhl  be,  provided  the  lit.  Rev. 
Abbot  of  jNIetten,  his  superior,  would  give  his 
consent  and  blessing  to  the  new  luissiou.  This 
permission  and  also  a  ready  promise  of  substan- 
tial pecuniary  assistance  for  a  number  of  years 
was  secured.  Father  lioniface  now  began  active 
preparations  for  the  great  work  for  which  Di- 
vine Providence  had  destined  him  in  the  New 
World.     Father  Boniface's  idea  was  to  select  in 


the  interiiu-  of  the  country  a  central  ]ioint  of  a 
district  thickly  settled  with  ('u'ririan  catholics. 
There  he  intended  to  establi:^h  a  nioiiastery  upon, 
a  larui  which  wnulil  be  alleiiil<Ml  by  lay  brothers. 
\  To  the  uionaslery  he  wished  to  attach  a  collegu 
in  such  a  manner  that  the  institution  would  not 
be  entirely  dependent  upon  its  resources  from 
i  tuition  fees,  but  owing  to  the  prodticts  ami  pro- 
I  cccds  of  the  farm  would  be  enabled  to  educate 
for  little  or  no  compensation  a  considerable 
number  of  boys  ami  young  men,  chielly. of  Ger- 
man parentage,  who  desired  to  become  priests, 
either  secular  or  regular.  A  site  for  his  pro- 
posed establishment  was  oftered  him  by  the  Rev. 
Peter  II.  LendvC,  who  had  founded  a  Catholic 
colony  at  Carrolltown,  Cambria  county,  Pa.,  and 
he  referred  the  matter  to  the  Bishop  of  Pitts- 
burg. On  July  25,  1846,  Father  Boniface  left 
^Munich  for  America  with  fourteen  young  men 
who  were  aspirants  for  the  priesthood.  At  Rot- 
terdam they  embarked  in  the  steamer  Iowa  ami 
landed  at  New  York  city  September  1(!,  184G. 
Here  they  were  met  by  Rev.  Lemke  and  accom- 
panied him  to  Carrolltown,  where  they  arriveil 
on  the  ^jOth  of  the  month.  leather  B(.)nii'ace 
iiumediately  visited  Bishop  O'Connor  of  Pitts- 
bui-g,  who  olTered  hiiu  Sportsintin's  hall  in  this 
county  as  a  favoiable  site  for  a  monastery  and 
college.  In  comjiany  with  the  bishop  he  visited 
the  site  of  the  ])resent  abbey  and  college  build- 
ings, where  he  found  a  plain  brick  church  87 
by  .SI  .V  feet ;  a  parsonage  40  by  40  and  a  school 
house  ;)0  by  20.  A  very  fertile  farm  of  three 
liundred  and  fifteen  acres  of  land  belonged  to 
the  church,  whose  members  were  German  and 
Fnglish-speaking  farmers  of  the  surrounding 
Country.  Father  Boniface  was  highly  pleased 
with  the  place  and  after  a  consultation  with  his 
companions  at  Carrolltown  he  accepted  the  bish- 
op's offer  and  on  the  17th  of  October  took  pos- 
session of  the  parish  of  St.  Vincent,  ivhich  has 
had  an  eventful  history.  In  1787  six  German 
Catholic  ftmilies  settled  near  Greensburg  and 
two    years    later    Rev.    Theoilore    Brouwers,    a 


wi:sTMui!i:LAyD  county. 


l''raiicisc;iu  iiiissioiKiry,  inrivi'il  in  lliis  sfttlc- 
UK'iit.  Ho  [)iiri;li:is(.'tl  Siinrtsiiiiin's  liuU,  ;i  \o'^- 
lioiise,  wliicli  was  occiisidiially  n<i:i]  liy  a  ^rcntle- 
iiiaii  from  Ilarrisbiirg,  ]'a.,  on  liis  liiintinL;  ix 
jit'ilitioris  in  tlic  vicinity.  Fallni'  IJroiiwcrfj' 
intrntiiin  was  to  niaku  tliu  placi.'  a  secoml  Cone- 
wago,  a  residence  ut"  ilevotetl  priests.  After 
the  lapse  of  half  a  century  liis  pidiis  wish  has 
been  fulfilled.  Sportsman's  hall  has  become  St. 
^'^incent's  abbey  and  college,  whose  influence  is 
destined  to  endure  for  centuries.  C)n  October 
24,  1846,  Father  Bonif:\ce  laid  the  spiritual 
foundations  of  the  monastery  by  investing  his 
companions  with  the  lioly  habit  of  the  Order  of 
St.  Benedict. 

From  1S4G  to  ISoO  Father  Pxniifaee  and  his 
fdlldwers  liad  to  encounter  nianv  trials  ami  ]iri- 
valions.  In  IS.'ill  he  founded  the  I'ridry  at  St. 
Mary's,  Elk  county,  Pa.,  introduced  a  connnu- 
nity  of  Benedictine  Sisters  who  took  chai-ge  of 
tlic  jiarochial  schools.  In  tjie  meantinir  his 
liome  labors  at  St.  ^'ineent  had  not  been  neg- 
lected, lie  iuid  replaced  the  old  frame  barn 
by  one  of  brick,  222  x  07  feet.  (.)n  the  site  of 
the  parochial  residence  he  built  an  abbey  of 
400  X  210  feet,  which  is  commodious  and  well 
adapted  to  its  purpose.  The  seminary  was 
erected  under  his  direction  in  1848  ami  is 
growing  more  popular  with  each  succce<liiig  year 
of  its  age.  In  1H;")2  the  college  had  thirty-four 
students.  In  isr)4  the  pupils  had  increased  to 
ninety.  In  ISaf)  the  community  consisted  of 
twenty  jiriests,  sixty-four  clerics  and  sehohi^tics 
and  one  hundred  and  twelve  lay-brotiiers.  In 
consideration  of  this  progress  the  monsatery  was 
raised  by  a  decree  of  the  Holy  See,  dated  Au- 
gust 24,  1855,  to  tlie  rank  of  an  abliey,  and  by 
a  breve  of  September  17  of  the  same  year, 
Father  Boniface  Wimmer  was  appointed  (irst 
abbot.  From  1855  the  order  spread  with  rapid 
strides  in  various  directions.  In  LSTilj  Alibot 
Wimmer  sent  a  c(jlony  of  monks  to  Minnesota, 
■where  they  founded  tiie  present  abbey  and  uni- 
versity of  St.  John.      In  1X57  a  band  of  mission- 


aries left  St.  Vincent  for  Kansas  and  Nebrawka, 
where  they  established  many  stations.  Their 
superior,  Kev.  Augustine  Wirth,  finally  made 
Atchison,  Kansas,  hi.s  headquarters  and  founded 
at  that  place  St.  IJenedict's  abbey  and  college. 
In  1857  Abbot  Winnner  sent  several  fathers  to 
Newark,  N.  J.,  where  they  assumed  charge  of 
the  parish  and  church  of  the  Blessed  "\'irgin, 
and  some  years  later  founded  an  abbey  and  col- 
lege. In  187G  he  sent  a  few  fathers  to  the 
"Caldwell  Place"  near  Charlotte,  N.  C.  They 
erected  a  monastery  and  chapel  and  opened  St. 
Mary's  college,  one  of  the  most  successful  Catho- 
lic institutions  in  the  south.  In  1885  their 
monastery  was  raised  to  the  rank  of  an  abbey. 
During  187G  and  1877  he  established  colonies 
in  Louisiana,  Alabama  and  Georgia.  In  the 
hitter  State  he  i'ounded  an  agricultural  school 
for  colored  boys.  In  1880  he  planted  a  colony 
in  southern  Illinois.  Arch-alibot  ^Vimmcr 
made  four  journeys  to  Konie  in  the  interests 
of  his  order,  where,  during  his  second  visit,  he 
established  the  college  of  St.  Elizabeth. 

St.  Vincent  abbey  and  college  became  wonder- 
fully prosperous  under  the  rule  of  their  illustri- 
ous founder.  These  institutions  are  situated 
forty  miles  east  of  Pittslnirg  and  one  mile  from 
Beatty  station. 

When  the  aged  arch-abbot  was  at  last  called 
out  of  life  to  receive  the  reward  of  his  long  and 
arduous  labors,  the  American-Oasinesc  Congre- 
gration  of  lienedietines,  of  wliich  lie,  in  18G5, 
had  been  appointed  ''  jiractii-s  tid  dies  vitiie  "  by 
I'ope  Pius  I.\,  of  happy  memory,  embraces  five 
:d)beys,  two  independent  priories,  nine  dependent 
priories,  one  hundred  and  fifty-two  other  houses 
and  missionary  stations.  Among  the  latter  were 
the  recently  established  missions  to  the  negroes 
of  Georgia  and  the  Indians  of  northern  Minne- 
sota. The  congregation  had  among  its  members 
three  bishops,  six  abbots,  two  independent  priors, 
two  hundred  and  twrnty  priests,  four  deacons, 
eleven  sub-deacons,  lifty-ninc  clerics  in  minor  or- 
ders,  twelve    novices,    one  hundred   and   sixty- 


528 


nrOORAPIIIES   OF 


seven  scholastics  and  about  one  humh-ed  and 
fifty  lay-brothers.  The  fathers  were  laborhig  at 
the  time  in  twenty-five  dillerent  diuceses  and  vi- 
e:iii:ites,  alleiHliii;;  to  one  liundred  and  sixlv-one 
jiari:^hes  and  nii>sion.s  and  Cunductini^  five  col- 
Ices  with  an  attendance  of  over  one  thousand 
students. 

Covered  witli  the  snows  of  years  and  full- 
handed  of  good  works,  the  aged  prelate,  Boni- 
fiice  Wiuimer,  surrounded  by  his  sorrowing  com- 
munity, calmly  resigned  his  soul  into  the  hands 
of  his  Maker,  December  8,  1S.S7.  His  power  to 
inspire,  to  control  and  teach  men.  was  simply 
■nonderful.  Ilis  name  is  written  on  thousands 
of  hearts,  is  repeated  at  thousands  of  firesides 
and  is  indelibly  inscribed  on  tlie  imperishable 
tablet  of  history  as  one  of  the  greatest  leaders 
in  the  world's  wide  fields  of  modern  missionary 
labor.  His  works  of  love,  bis  deeds  of  kindness, 
his  ads  of  charily  are  the  noble  monuments 
\\\\'\r\\  tlie  gooTl  arch-abbot  raised  to  his  meuKjry, 
and  in  the  completion  of  which  he  spent  over  a 
half  century  of  his  sacerdotal  and  monastic 
life. 


^YT^T^TJ.VM  WRIGHT  is  a  son  of  Daniel 
and  Nancy  (.Jones)  Wright,  and  was 
born  in  t^omerset  county.  Pa.,  Jtdy  18, 
1^41.  His  grandfather,  Frederick  Wright,  was 
a  native  of  Somerset  county  where  he  died,  and 
his  grandfather,  John  Jones,  of  Welsh  descent, 
was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  the  Ivevolution. 
Daniel  Wright  (father)  was  liorn  in  LSJ-J  in 
Somerset  county,  whenee  be  i-.nnf  in  1S.)4  to 
Mt.  I'leasant  township,  this  county.  He  died  in 
1^-Sl.  He  was  a  farmer  and  belonged  to  the 
iJisciple  church,  in  which  he  was  an  elder.  He 
was  the  father  of  seven  sons  and  four  daughters. 
Two  of  his  sons  besides  William  served  in  the 
civil    war.      Norman    cntereil   the    service   near 


the  close  but  Charles  enlisted  earlier  and  saw 
considerable  fighting  at  I^'redericksburg  and  else- 
where. 

William  Wright  has  been  twice  married;  the 
first  time  to  Hannah,  a  daugiitcr  of  Ceorge 
Henri,  by  whom  he  had  si.x  children.  Hannah 
Henri  was  born  in  1843  and  died  in  1S87. 
Elmer  H.,  a  bookkeeper  at  Hecla  coke  works 
who  is  married  to  Martha  Dean  ;  Samuel  S., 
also  a  bookkeeper  at  Hecla  ;  Walter  L.,  Nellie, 
Emerson  and  Thomas  H.  Mr.  Wright's  second 
wife  was  Mary  Laird,  a  daughter  of  Francis 
Laird,  of  Mt.  Pleasant  township,  but  a  native  of 
Scotland.  To  this  marriage  was  born  one  child 
named  llowanl  Ij. 

William  Wright  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  and  worked  as  a  fiirmer  prior  to  entering 
the  civil  war.  .Tunc -21,  ISGl.  He  enlisted  in  Co. 
15,  -JStb  reg.  I'a.  Vols.,  and  served  until  July  20, 
18l!J,  participating  in  the  battles  of  Gettysburg, 
Antietam,  I;eesl)Ui-g,  Maryland  Campaign  under 
McClellan,  Lookout  Mountain.  Missionary  Ridge 
and  various  others,  and  was  slightly  wounded  at 
the  battle  of  Antietam  and  received  a  flesh  wound 
at  Chancellorsville.  He  was  with  Sherman  dur- 
iiif  his  march  to  Atlanta,  and  altogether  saw  a 
great  deal  of  hard  service.  I'art  of  the  time  he 
served  as  a  private  but  later  was  promoted  to  a 
corporal.  After  being  honorably  discharged  he 
returned  to  Mt.  I'leasant  township  where  he  now 
owns  a  small  tract  of  very  fertile  land  and  is  en- 
gaged in  gardening,  fruit-raising,  etc.  In  poli- 
tics he  is  a  republican,  has  served  as  supervisor 
in  his  township  and  is  one  of  the  census  enumer- 
ators who  were  appointeil  forMt.  Pleasant  town- 
shi]),  the  duties  of  which  position  he  idled  in 
June,  1890.  He  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E. 
church  and  for  fourteen  years  superintendent  of 
Sabbath  school  ;  he  is  president  of  the  board  of 
trustees,  is  licensed  as  a  local  preacher  and  be- 
lonirs  to  the  G.  A.  R.  at  Mt.  Plea-ant. 


Cook,  Donegal,  pairfield  |  liigonier 


'fACOB  T.  AMBROSE,  M.  D.,  one  of  the 
oldest  practicing  physicians  of  Ligonier, 
was  born  December  6,  lSo7,  in  Ligonier 
township,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  and  is  a 
son  of  William  and  Sarah  (]>itner)  Ambrose. 
Frederick  Ambrose,  his  great-grandfather,  a 
native  of  Fulton  county,  tVis  State,  came  to 
Westmoreland  county  with  his  tliree  sons, 
George,  John  and  Henry,  and  settled  in  Ligo- 
nier Valley  at  a  very  early  period  in  its  history, 
where  he  remained  until  liis  death  at  a  ripe  old 
age.  These  three  sons  all  reared  families  in 
tlie  Valley,  but  tiieir  descendants  liave  scattered, 
many  of  them  going  west,  until  but  few  com- 
paratively remain  in  tiiat  section.  Henry  ^Vin- 
brose  (grandfather)  was  born  in  Fultcin  county 
about  1702,  and  in  this  county.  t(i  wiiicli  he 
ciiiiic  wlicn  ((uite  yiiuiig  ;  \\v.  I'ullowed  farming 
till  the  end  of  his  life.  His  son,  William  Am- 
brose (father)  was  born  (Jctober  14,  l!SO(J,  in 
Ligonier  Valley,  where  he  owned  land  and  was 
a  tilUr  of  the  soil  all  liis  life.  He  married  in 
182S,  Sarah,  a  daughter  of  I'cter  liituer,  of 
Ligonier  township,  who  was  of  Uernian  descent, 
and  who  bore  him  eleven  children,  of  whom  six 
are  living.  The  following  is  a  record  of  the 
births  and  deaths:  George  W.,  born  June  2\, 
1H2',),  died  November,  IS.Sl  ;  Matilda,  born 
A[iril  18,  18:;2,  married  Ui  Wruvy  Karns;  Mat- 
thew, born  December  10,  l.s:!0,  died  .luly  22, 
1K:!'.I;  Henry  P.,  born  March  10,  18;!4,  living 
on  the  old  homestead  ;  Mary  A,  born  May  11, 
18oi),  wife  of  AVilli:im   Kooiitz  ;   Jacob  'l\,  burn 


December  6,  1837  ;  Josiah  W.,  born  March  2, 
18i0,  lives  at  Ligonier;  Alexander,  born  Jan- 
uary 8,  1842,  died  January  23,  1842;  Lucinda, 
born  February  24,  1844,  married  to  John  Ray; 
Louisa  (twin),  born  February  24,  1844,  died 
June  1,1844;  Amanda,  born  September  27, 
1S4G,  died  December  18,  184(3 ;  William  and 
Sarah  (Bitner)  Ambrose  are  both  dead ;  the 
former  died  January  29,  1SG8,  and  the  latter 
January  2.'>,  1873.  In  his  younger  days  William 
AnJjrose  was  an  "  old-line  whig,"  but  in  liis 
more  mature  yeai's  became  converted  to  the 
principles  of  the  Demncratic  party.  ]5oth  he 
and  his  wife  were  uiembors  of  the  Lutheran 
clnircli. 

Jacob  T.  Ambrose  was  rcart'd  on  his  fatlier's 
farm,  atti'ndnl  cummon  scImihIs  and  I;igonier 
academy,  and  at  the  ag(\  of  iwunty  years  began 
teaching  school,  which  he  continued  for  twelve 
years.  In  18G7  he  commenced  the  study  of 
medicine  with  Dr.  J.  A.  Miller,  of  Ligonier, 
and  in  1870  graduated  from  Long  Island  col- 
lege of  Medicine,  located  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
Dr.  Ambrose  began  and  continued  the  practice 
of  his  ])rofession  for  live  years  at  Stahlstown, 
this  county,  but  removed  to  Ligohicr  in  187"), 
where  he  has  successfidly  jjracticcil  ever  since, 
and  has  built  up  an  excellent  reputation.  He 
is  a  deiiiiiciat  in  |iiilitics  ami  belnngs  to  the 
Lutheran  church  ;  his  wife  is  a  mendjer  of  the 
^L  E.  churcli. 

I>r.  J.  T.  Andirnse  was  married  in  18ii7  to 
Susan   E.,  a  ilaughter  of   iliraiu    Bijucber,  wlio 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


T\"as  born  March  14,  1844,  of  German  ancestors, 
aTnl  tliey  have  liad  seven  chihh'cn  :  Luella  May, 
lioin  Dcceinher  21),  18tJ8;  Flora  V.,  Ihhii  April 
1-J,  lS7l,.li(Ml  D.reiiil.rrl;!,  ISTC;  hilliaii,  \nnu 
I'eliriiary  17,  IST:!;  Nellie  K.,  lioin  January 
;il,  1  ST;'),  (lied  Seiiteniber,  1875;  Charles  D., 
horn  July  (J,  LSTG  ;  Frederick,  born  April  8, 
1883 ;  and  George,  born  September  1"2,  1888. 


(^  MORY  W.  BLACKBURN,  M.  D.,  of 
^\C  Stahlsto'ivn,  one  of  the  yoiing  and  rising 
physicians  of  the  county,  is  a  son  of 
Joseph  and  Lueinda  (Kennedy)  Blackburn,  and 
was  born  in  Donegal  township,  ^Westmoreland 
county,  Pa.,  November  I'J,  1SG"2.  On  b(jth 
sides  of  his  house  he  is  of  Seoteh-Irish  descent. 
His  grandfather,  Hon.  Josepli  Blackl)urn,  Sr., 
was  a  son  of  Antiiony  Blackburn  and  was  a  na- 
tive and  prominent  citizen  of  Donegal  township 
where  he  servetl  as  justice  of  the  peace  for  many 
years.  lie  was  elected  to  the  Pennsylvania 
Legislature  and  walked  across  the  mountains  to 
llarrisburg,  for  which  he  never  received  any 
mileage. 

He  was  a  .Methodist  in  religious  belief.  He 
served  in  the  war  of  1812.  His  son,  Joseph 
Blackburn  (father),  was  born  in  182;!  and  has 
always  resided  in  his  native  township  wiiere  he 
has  followed  farming  as  an  occu))ation  He  is 
a  member  and  trustee  of  the  M.  E.  church,  a 
])rominent  and  active  republican  and  has  served 
for  many  years  as  justice  of  the  peace  for  Don- 
egal township.  He  married  Lueinda  Kennedy, 
a  daughter  of  Joseph  Kennedy,  who  was  a  life- 
long resident  of  Perry  county,  Pa.,  Avhere  he 
was  a  leather  dealer  by  occupation,  a  methodist 
in  religious  faith  and  a  republican  in  political 
opinion.  A  sprained  ankle  caused  him  to  be 
vejeeted  as  a  soldier  in  18(11. 

Joseph  and  laicinda  Blackburn  have  had  si.x 
children  :  Melville,  a  fainier  and  married  to  Ella 
Creager;  Rebecca,  wife  of  Henry  (Jber ;  Frank, 


Watson,  who  died  young ;  Emma  and  Dr. 
iMHory  W. 

Emory   \\^  Blackburn  leccived  his  education 

in  tlu'  c ion  and  silect  schools  at   Stahlslown 

and  llie  Scirnlilic  and  (Jlassical  institute  at  Mt. 
I'leasant.  Leaving  college  he  taught  for  fuur 
years  in  the  common  schools  of  Fayette  and 
Westmoreland  counties  and  during  one  of  these 
years  he  taught  at  Connellsville.  In  1883  he 
quit  teaching  and  entered  the  Medical  depart- 
ment of  the  Western  Reserve  university  at 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
in  18S-1.  Ho  then  went  to  Cincinnati  where  he 
continued  his  professional  studies  in  the  Eclectic 
Medical  institute  of  that  city,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  18S5.  I)uring  that  year  he 
located  at  Stahlstown  where  he  has  been  en- 
gaged in  the  successful  practice  of  medicine 
ever  since.  Dr.  Ijlackburu  bus  built  up  a  large 
pi'actice  in  bis  section,  is  ))opular  as  a  physician 
and  three  young  men  at  the  present  time  are 
reading  medicine  with  him.  Politically  he  is  a 
republican  who  is  always  active  in  behalf  of  his 
party's  interests  and  has  seived  as  a  member  of 
the  school  board  of  Cook  township.  He  is  a 
member  of  Ligonier  Lodge,  No.  3-']l,  F.  and  A. 
M. ;  Ligonier  Lodge,  No.  UGO,  I.  (J.  C.  F. ; 
Ligonier  Council,  No.  ")01,  Royal  Arcanum, 
and  Lodge  No.  431,  P.  0.  S.  A.  at  Stahlstown, 
ami  of  the  M.  E.  church,  of  which  he  is  a  trustee. 

On  ALiy  25,  1884,  Dr.  Blackburn  united  in 
marriage  with  Lizzie,  daughter  of  Lewis  Thomp- 
son (see  sketch).  I'heir  union  has  been  blessed 
with  two  children  :  Byron  and  Ruth. 


§OLICHER.  The  name  Boucher  is  purely 
a  French  name  and  not  German  in  any 
sense.  That  the  first  ancestor  spoke  the 
German  and  not  the  French  language  may  be 
better  understood  by  a  brief  reference  to  history. 
During  the  persecution  of  the  Huguenots  in  the 
seventeenth  century  many  of  them  were  ban- 
ished   from    France    and    driven    to    Lorraine 


WKSTMOllELAND   CO  UNTY. 


and  Alf^ace,  two  sparsely  settled  })rovinees  be- 
longing to  tiio  Gennaii  eni]>ire.  The  jiersecu- 
tion  Avas  carried  to  siieh  an  extent  that  these 
coiinlrics  liei-aiiie  densely  |io|]uliiled  with  i'"rencli 
l-el'iiujees.  I''(ir  lliis  and  (itluT  reasons  Louis  llie 
l''oiirteentli  claimed  these  jirovinecs  anil  taking 
them  from  Germany  they  remained  under  the 
French  dominion  until  the  close  of  the  Franco- 
Prussian  war.  While  living  in  these  "  German 
States  of  France"  the  banished  Huguenots 
learned  to  speak  the  German  language,  which 
they  retain  to  this  day.  It  is  very  common  in 
American  Ijiography  to  find  families  of  French 
extraction  whose  ancestors  spoke  the  German 
language. 

The  BOUCHER  family. — Tiio  first  ancestor 
of  this  family  in  this  country  was  Daniel 
Boucher,  who  came  from  Lonaine  aliout  ]  7.j5. 
lie  crossed  the  ocean  in  a  ship  called  "  The 
President,"  bringing  with  liim  a  wife  and  two 
children.  lie  ]iurchased  laud  ami  became  a 
farmer  in  Albany  to\vnshi]i,  Derks  county, 
Pa.,  his  home  being  about  twenty  miles  from 
the  present  city  of  Keading.  In  religion  he 
was  a  Lutheran  and  he  built  a  church  called 
"  Bethel  "  near  his  home.  It  has  been  relniilt 
three  limes  but  still  retains  the  n;ime  given 
it  bv.  the  founder.  Little  is  known  of  him 
further  than  that  he  lost  a  great  deal  of  prop- 
er! v  during  the  lievolutionary  war,  that  he 
died  in  tlie  early  years  of  tiiis  eentnry  and 
tli:il  his  ashes  rest  in  the  yard  of  the  ehureh 
which  hr  founded.  lie  bad  sons  named  i'eler, 
'William,  I'liilip,  Jacob  and  Henry.  I'eter  died 
witboiU  children.  'William  settled  in  lioss 
county,  Ohio,  in  1801.  I'liilip  remained  with 
his  father,  succeeded  liim  in  the  jjossession  of 
his  lands,  which  are  still  owned  by  his  descend- 
ants, dacob  settled  in  Schuylkill  county.  Pa, 
Henry  was  b(jrn  in  Perks  county,  March  10, 
175'.b  He  was  married  to  ^Lu-y  Shoemaker 
and  moved  from  the  place  of  his  birth  to  what 
is  now  the  town  (if  lliiinbiirg,  where  lie  bcejiiie 
a.   I'aiiiier.      In    |Sil|    he   and  a  neighbor    named 


Jacob  'Will  started  on  horseback  to  the  then 
western  country  with  the  intention  of  ]iurchasing 
lands  and  moving  on  them.  They  roile  as  far 
;is  the  Miami  vaHey  in  Ohi.j,  but  becoming 
friilhtened  by  the  ague  whieli  prevailed  in  that 
section  they  turned  back.  On  their  way  home- 
ward they  purchased  land  in  Somerset  county 
and  in  the  spring  of  IHO'l  moved  there  with 
their  families.  The  land  which  Henry  pur- 
chased is  situated  about  three  miles  from  Glade. 
It  contains  450  acres  and  was  deeded  to  him  by 
John  Gross.  Here  he  lived  until  his  death, 
November  I'J,  1S;')4.  Ills  wife,  Mary  Shoe- 
maker, was  born  January  22,  17G2,  and  died 
Jlay  12,  1840.  They  are  buried  in  the  cem- 
etery at  Glade.  They  had  sons  named  Jacob, 
Henry,  Christian,  David,  Solomon  and  John. 
Their  daughters  were  as  follows:  Elizabeth, 
who  married  Henry  Will  and  moved  to  Ran- 
dolph county,  Illinois.  Magdalene  died  un- 
married in  1870,  aged  ninety-three.  Mary 
married  .John  K.  Tedrow  of  Somerset  county. 
Picbecca  married  John  Corn  and  died  in  182U. 
Catherine  married  John  Henry  Whipkey  and 
Sarah  married  John  King,  both  of  Somerset 
county.  HaniKili  married  Jeremiah  Strawai, 
who  settled  in  northern  Illinois  where  they 
have  left  a  large  number  of  descendants.  Of 
the  sons  named  above,  Jacob  moved  to  Circle- 
ville,  Ohio  ;  Christian  died  in  youth  ;  Henry, 
Solomon  and  .lolin  raised  large  families  and 
lived  ;ind  died  in  Somerset  coiinly. 

I 'as  id  was  born  November  12,  1789,  and  was 
therefore  twelve  years  old  when  his  father 
Henry  moved  into  Somerset  county.  He  was 
married  to  Mary  Eve  Friedline,  May  I'd,  1814. 
She  was  born  August  2^,  17'J4,  and  died  near 
Ligonier  January  11,  1842.  In  18:33  David 
moved  U>  Ligonier  valley  where  he  purchased 
land  near  Ligonier  from  \\'illiani  Ross.  On 
November  11,  1844,  he  was  married  to  Sarah 
Stahl.  By  his  first  wife  he  had  two  daughters, 
one  of  wlnuil,  Eliz;ilieth,  died  in  eliildhood  and 
I  lie     other,    Susan,    was     married    in    l«;i7    to 


IIIOGRAI'IIIES  OF 


Abraliiim  Brant,  of  Lijroiiifr  valley  ;  she  still 
lives,  tliu  widowed  niotlier  of  a  large  family. 
Of  their  sons,  Daniel  dieil  in  Illinois;  John 
died  in  Kansas ;  Isaac  and  I)avid  dieii  in  Cali- 
fornia; Josiah  lives  in  California;  Henry  and 
Simon  live  in  Kansas;  llirani  alone,  of  all 
these  sons,  remained  in  Ligonier  valley,  the 
rest,  with  one  exception,  having  gone  to  Cali- 
fornia to  search  for  gold  shortly  after  its  dis- 
covery. To  his  second  wife  David  had  two 
sons,  Charles  Wesley  and  Lucius  Chapman,  and 
two  daughters,  Emma,  married  to  John  Wood, 
and  Anna,  married  to  Morgan  Beam,  all  living 
in  the  vicinity  of  Pittsburg.  David  died  April 
12,  iSlJS  ;  his  second  wife  died  in  March,  1SS7. 
Hiram  Boucher  was  born  in  Somerset  county 
December  7,  1S21.  On  January  -0,  184o,  he 
was  married  to  Abigail  Seuter,  of  Lii^onier 
township,  who  survivi's  him.  A'eiy  early  in 
manhood  he  united  Avitli  the  M.  E.  church  of 
Ligonier  and  was  one  of  its  leading  members 
up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  He  took  particular 
interest  in  that  bi'anch  of  the  church  work 
which  pertains  to  the  Sunday  school  and  fur  a 
quarter  of  a  century  taught  the  leading  class, 
composed  of  ohl  and  young  men.  Few  were 
more  competent  to  jjerf  um  this  work  than  he. 
Though  having  but  limited  advantages  as  to 
schooling  in  his  youth,  such  as  was  the  lot  of 
most  boys  of  si.xty  years  ago,  he  uas  a  life-long 
and  careful  student  of  the  Bible  and  (.>f  the 
books  pertaining  to  it  and  in  this  line  of  thought 
lie  had  but  few  ecpuils  in  his  cunnnunity.  Tliey 
had  daughters  ;is  follows  :  Elizabeth,  married  to 
Ih'.  .J.  T.  Ambrose  of  Ligonier;  jNLiry,  married 
to  William  (J.  Kno.x  of  Ligonier  township; 
Amanda,  married  to  Hamilton  Smith  of  Ijigo- 
niei';  (Caroline,  married  to  Uev.  <_>.  A.  Emers(jn, 
of  the  Pittsburg  ]\L  K.  Conference;  Sarah,  who 
was  married  to  Hugh  ^L  Clifford  of  Derry  and 
died  January  11,  1887;  Kate,  married  to  Dr. 
Edward  jM.  Clifford,  of  Greensbiirg.  They  had 
two  sons:  David  Williert  and  John  Newton,  the 
former  of  Avhom  died,  aged   two  years,  in  18(J>J. 


Hiram   Boucher  died  of  bilious   fever   October 

18,  18811.  _ 

■TV OX.  JOHN  COVODE.  Among  the 
1^1  prominent  and  distinguished  men  whose 
(sj  names  and  achievements  have  graced  the 
pages  of  Westmoreland  county  history,  whose 
virtues  and  deeds  of  national  interest  and  whose 
fame  as  political  leaders  has  spread  across  the 
continent  is  Hon.  John  Covode,  who  was  born 
in  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  March  17,  1808. 
His  paternal  grandfiither's  real  name  is  not 
known  for  when  a  mere  child  he  was  kidnapped 
in  the  streets  of  Amsterdam,  Holland,  by  a  sea- 
captain  who  brought  him  to  Philadelphia,  gave 
him  the  name  of  "  Garret  Covode  "  and  sold  him 
into  bondage.  After  serving  a  number  of  years 
in  the  capacity  of  a  servant,  part  of  the  time  as 
a  domestic  in  the  househobl  of  (Jeorge  Washing- 
ton, he  became  a  freeman  and  lived  until  182G, 
being  then  ninety-four  years  of  age.  His  sou 
Jacob  Covode,  was  the  father  of  Hon.  John 
Covode,  whose  mother  was  a  Quaker  lady  ;  her 
maiden  name  was  Updegratf.  Tradition  has  it 
that  two  of  her  ancestors,  in  connection  with 
one  Wood,  protested  against  AVilliam  Pcnn's 
decision  that  negro  slavery  was  legal,  wliich,  it 
is  said,  as  the  first  anti-slavery  manifesto  issued 
in  the  New  W^orld." 

Hon.  John  Covode  was  reared  on  a  farm, 
receiving  but  a  limited  education  in  the  sub- 
scription .schools.  For  forty  years  he  conducted 
the  business  of  woolen  manufacturing,  though 
during  this  time  he  gave  considerable  attention 
to  other  matters.  In  early  life  he  was  a  con- 
tractor, became  connected  with  the  public  works 
of  the  State  and  strongly  advocated  the  building 
of  the  State  canal,  after  the  comjiletion  of 
which  he  embarkeil  in  the  transportation  busi- 
ness and  had  charge  of  the  first  boat  that  went 
over  the  canal  from  Philadelphia  to  Ohio.  In 
1845  he  entered  the  political  arena  as  the  whig 
candidate  for  the  State  senate.  He  was 
defeated,  as  his  district  was  strongly  democratic. 


]\'i:sTMni:KLANi>  coux'i  y. 


but  was  again  nominated  in  the  next  cainpaii^n 
and  jiuslied  his  opponent  so  elosely  that  tlie 
democrats  wlio  then  were  in  State  ])Owcr  tiiouiilit 
it  advisahle  to  uhanj^e  liis  district.  In  IH.'A  lie 
was  tlie  wliig  noiiiincu  for  Congress  from  the 
twentieth  district ;  he  was  successful  and  was 
re-elected  in  1S5G,  1858  and  1860.  A  new 
apportionment  having  been  made,  he  was  in 
1866  and  1868  returneil  to  Congress  from  the 
twenty-first  district.  In  1860  and  1868  he  was 
a  very  strong  candidate  for  the  gubernatorial 
nomination  and  in  1869  was  chairman  of  the 
Republican  State  committee,  whicli  position  he 
held  at  the  time  of  his  dcatli,  January  11,  ISTD. 

'■  As  chairman  of  the  iiccompton  Investi- 
gating Committee  in  1858  he  won  a  national 
reputation  which  was  made  more  secure  by  his 
service  as  a  member  of  the  committee  of  Con- 
gress to  ini|uire  into  the  cdndiict  of  tlie  war,  and 
by  his  conspicuous  and  valuable  services  in 
support  of  the  government." 

Few  men  labored  more  zealously  than  he  in 
the  interests  of  the  Federal  government  during 
the  dark  days  of  the  Rebellion  and  but  few  had 
better  knowledge  of  the  inside  workings  of  the 
immense  machinery  employed  for  its  suppres- 
sion. Mr.  Covodo  was  a  man  who  had  the 
coniidcncc  of  all  classes — the  high,  the  low, 
the  rich,  the  poor ;  he  possessed  strong  sense, 
great  energy,  quick  perception,  fine  executive 
ability,  keen  insight  into  human  nature  and  an 
unusual  degree  of  the  faculty  of  combination. 
lie  was  fruitt'nl  in  lesourccs,  untiring  in  execu- 
tion, a  true  friend  and  an  Iioncst  man. 


•j"  OIIN  IIARGNETT  FRANK,  a  substantial 
I     banker  of  Ligonier,  Westmorelaiiil  count v, 
£/      I'a..  v,-as  born  there  Ajuil  1,  1S,",0,  and  is  a   ' 
son  ol'  Jacol)  and  Nancy  (  L'nderwood)   Frank. 
His   great-grandfatlier,    Conrail    Frank,    was    a  I 
native  of  Cermany  and  when  a  young  man  immi- 
grated  to  America  where  he  served  as  a  soblier  i 
in    tiic   (Jontiuental    army   <luring    the   Revoju-  i 


tionary  war,  after  which  he  located  in  Somerset 
comity,  where  he  died.  Ilis  wife  was  Sallie 
Rowers,  of  Chester  county,  who  bore  liiui  six 
children:  Henry,  John,  Conrad,  Sallie,  itetsy 
and  Kate.  Sallie  Rowers  when  a  school  girl 
received  a  dollar  from  the  hand  of  Gen.  Wash- 
ington and  this  piece  of  money  is  preserved  by 
the  Frank  family  as  a  precious  souvenir.  Another 
antiquated  relic  preserved  by  this  family  is  the 
discharge  of  Conrad  Frank  from  service  in  the 
Continental  army,  which  was  issued  after  the 
signing  of  the  treaty  guaranteeing  our  national 
independence.  John  Frank  (grandfather)  was 
born  in  1787  in  Somerset  county,  Pa.,  where  he 
followed  the  occupation  of  farming  until  18ol', 
when  he  removed  to  Westmoreland  county, 
locating  in  Ligonier  township.  After  ten  more 
years  of  farming  he  took  charge  of  the  tunquke 
toll-gate  at  Laughlinstown,  where  he  remained 
until  his  death  in  IS.'jI.  Ilis  wife  was  Anna 
(Hicks)  Frank,  who  bore  him  eleven  children,  of 
whom  but  three  are  living:  Aaron,  a  resident  of 
Ligonier;  Joseph,  living  at  Jenner  X  Roads, 
Somerset  county ;  and  Jacob.  Jacob  Frank 
(father)  was  born  near  Somerset,  Pa.,  September 
11,  1825,  where  he  was  reared  on  the  farm  and 
came  to  this  county  with  his  father  in  ISo'.l.  He 
continued  to  farm  until  1840  when  he  engaged 
in  mercantile  business  at  Ligonier,  whicli  he 
carried  on  twelve  years,  then  removed  to  Shelby 
county.  111.,  and  purchased  a  farm,  but  after 
six  months  returned  to  his  store  business  at 
Ligonier,  wiiicli  he  continued  until  1885.  From 
1>!6S  to  187-  heranthe  "  Classner  House"  and 
in  the  latter  year  built  his  present  house,  \vliieli 
he  conducts  as  a  summer  hotel.  He  marricMJ  in 
\^[~  Nancy  A.,  a  ilaughter  of  James  and  Susan 
I  nderwood,  of  Ligonier,  who  was  born  in  1.^27 
and  who  is  the  mother  of  six  children,  of  wjiom 
four  are  living:  John  II.,  Alice  L.,  liorn  Se]i- 
teiiilier  1,  1s5l',  married  to  A!i)ert  Rieiii/.cr,  of 
Ligonier,  Harry  E.,  born  1851t,  and  Wilbert  W., 
lioni  in  1S6I. 

John  HarLMiett  Frank  was  reared  in  the  his- 


BIOGli.iPlIIES   OF 


torie  Ligonier  A'^alley  where  he  attended  the 
public  schools  until  18(J4,  when  he  went  to 
Michigan.  In  180(3  he  went  to  Cincinnati. 
Ohio,  where  he  finished  learning  the  trade  ul 
engraver  and  die-sinker  with  Laniphcar  X  Co., 
renniining  with  them  till  18GU  and  then  went  to 
Chicago,  III.,  and  entered  into  a  partnership 
with  one  Charles  Myer,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Charles  Myer  &  Co.  This  firm  opened  a  steel 
die-sinking  and  engraving  establishment  on 
Dearborn  street,  Chicago,  but  in  the  fall  of  1870 
sold  out  and  dissolved  partnership.  Mr.  Frank 
then  returned  to  Cincinnati  where  he  remained 
nncil  l'^74  when  his  eyes  failing  he  was  obliged 
to  ijuit  his  trade.  Helurning  to  iiis  native  vil- 
lage he  engaged  in  tlie  hotel  business  for  seven 
years.  In  the  spring  of  1882  he  opened  his 
banking  house  tit  Lingonier  with  which  he  con- 
tinues in  connection  with  his  real  estate  business. 
J.  H.  Frank,  together  with  Messrs.  Mellon  and 
Brenizer,  built  the  first  telegraph  line  connecting 
Ligonier  with  Latrobe  and  is  at  present  mana- 
ger uf  the  lines  for  the  Western  Union  Company 
in  the  former  place. 

John  II.  Frank  was  marricil  Novoniber  21!, 
1S72,  t'l  .\niia  K.,  daughter  of  George  Kibel, 
of  J^igonier,  who  was  born  t^eptember  18,  18.")2, 
of  German  ancestors,  and  who  has  borne  him 
three  children:  Josephine  Alice  and  'William 
Kilirl  (twins),  born  July  22,  1^71,  in  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio,  and  George  ClitVunl,  born  May  1, 
l>7t>.  in  Ligonier,  I'a. 

Mr.  l'"iank  is  an  cnteriirising  citizen,  a  very 
inlflligciit  and  agreeablu  eoiiipanion  and  one  of 
the  best  men  in  the  valley.  He  is  an  unswer- 
ving democrat  and  takes  a  lively  interest  in  the 
iiien  and  measures  of  his  party. 


oliEUT  M.  GRAHAM,  justice  of  the 
peace  and  notary  jiublic  of  the  borough 
of  Ligonier  and  who  residi'S  upon  the 
site  of  '•  Old  Fort  liigonier,"  was  lidrii  in  Unity 
township,  Westmoreland  county,    I'a.,    January 


6,  1824,  and  is  a  son  of  Richard  and  Annie 
(Mellon)  Graham  who  were  natives  of  Ireland. 
Richard  Graham  was  born  in  county  Donegal 
in  17'.>G  and  came  with  his  father  to  this  country 
in  1810.  lie  first  settled  near  Youngstown, 
in  Unity  township,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
farming  from  1817  to  1831.  lie  then  embarked 
in  the  mercantile  business  at  Youngstown,  which 
he  followed  at  that  place  for  seven  years.  In 
1838  he  came  to  Ligonier  and  conducted  a  store 
until  1845.  From  1845  to  1850  he  operated  a 
tannery  and  in  the  latter  year  became  a  resident 
of  Oak  Grove,  where  he  was  in  the  store  busi- 
ness for  nine  years.  lie  spent  the  next  eight 
years  in  Atchison  county,  Kansas,  and  then  re- 
sided at  Ligonier  until  his  death  in  1883.  In 
1821  he  married  Annie  Mellon  who  was  born  in 
County  Tyrone,  Ireland  in  1798,  and  came  with 
her  parents'to  Pennsylvania  in  181G,  where  she 
died  in  1873.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Archi- 
bald Mellon  and  an  aunt  to  Judge  Mellon.  They 
had  eleven  children,  of  whom  four  are  living  : 
Robert  M.,  Eliza  J.,  wife  of  Hon.  N.  M.  Marks 
(see  his  sketch);  ]{ebecca,  wife  of  Tlioinas  Fia- 
ble,  of  Atchistjn,  Kansas,  and  William  M.,  also 
of  Kansas. 

Robert  M.  Graham  was  reared  in  Ligonier 
Valley,  attendeil  the  old  subscription  schools  of 
his  day  and  received  a  good  business  training  in 
his  father's  store.  From  ISlti  to  184!>  he  and 
Jacob  Reed  conducted  a  store  at  Ligonier.  In 
ISl'.l  Mr.  Graham  established  a  store  at  Oak 
Grove  which  he  ran  successfully  until  1877. 
He  also  had  a  branch  store  at  Lockport  on  the 
Pennsylvania  railroad  for  several  years.  In  1878 
he  moved  on  his  farm  near  Oak  Grove  and  de- 
voted his  attention  for  the  next  three  years  to 
farming.  Since  1881  he  has  been  a  resident  of 
Ligonier  borough. 

August  21,  1.S52,  Mr.  (iraham  united  in 
marriage  with  Susan,  eldest  daughter  of  Hon. 
John  Covode,  by  whom  he  had  three  children  : 
(Ibarles  M.,  of  Allegheny  City;  James  1!.,  in 
Denver  city,  ('olorailo  ;  and  Sadie  C,  who  mar- 


WESTMORELAND  CO  UNTY. 


535 


ried  J.  E.  Lose,  of  Indiana  county,  I'a.  Mrs. 
Graliani  died  October  '22,  IS.VJ,  and  on  January 
12,  1871,  ^Ir.  Graham  was  married  to  Lizzie, 
daugliter  of  Thomas  Hague,  of  Minerva,  Stark 
county,  Ohio.  By  his  second  marriage  he  ha<l 
two  sons:  Tiionias  II.,  wlio  lives  in  New  York 
city,  and  Richard  J.,  at  home. 

Robert  M.  Graham  is  an  active  republican, 
has  served  as  justice  of  tlie  peace  in  Ligonier 
township  since  ISBi!,  was  postmaster  at  Oak 
Grove  for  several  years  and  also  at  Ligonier  from 
1883  to  lS8a.  He  served  as  United  States  cen- 
sus enumerator  for  Ligonier  township  in  ISSO, 
was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  for  Ligonier 
borough  in  liS8G,  and  was  commissioned  notary 
public  in  1887.  In  18GS1  he  was  commissioned 
as  assistant  revenue^collector  of  the  fifth  district 
and  discharged  the  duties  of  liis  position  in  a 
very  creditable  manner.  Mr.  (iraham  and  his 
wife  are  niembtis  nf  the  Ligonier  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  His  residence  stands  near 
the  site  of  Fort  Ligonier  and  he  has  in  his  pos- 
session many  relics  of  that  nld  fort.  He  is  a 
prominent  and  highly  respected  citizen  of  his 
boniii:_di  and  township. 


'ON.  .JOHN  HAUGNKTT.  The  char- 
f^l  acter  and  success  of  a  community  depend 
C®  largely  upon  the  mental,  moral  and  busi- 
ness (pialities  of  the  founders  and  earlier  in- 
habitants. One  of  the  oldest  and  best  villages 
and  surriiunding  cuniuiiinities  in  tlie  county, 
considering  the  location  and  natural  advantages, 
is  that  of  Ligonier.  Ilemnicd  in  between  the 
Laurel  Hill  on  the  east  of  Clieslnut  Ridge  on 
the  west,  with  no  oiitlrt  by  \\;iler  and  no  rail- 
wav  coiiiniuiiii-ilioii,  l.igoiiiiT  towiisiiip  liy  >lierr 
force  of  hci-  people's  Millie  and  elitel'prise  has 
risen  to  a  high  place  among  her  sister  townships. 
One  of  the  families  lliat  has  contributed  very 
materially  to  this  result,  iVoin  the  earliest  days 
down  to  the  jireseiit  is  the  Hai-gnett  family,  a 
Avorlhv  member  of   wliieli    is    lion.  John    llarg- 


nctt,  who  was  born  April  13,  LSll,  about  two 
miles  south  of  Ligonier,  Westmoreland  county, 
Pa.,  and  whose  parents  were  Frederick  and 
Catharine  (Tash)  Hargnett.  Jacob  Ilargnett, 
his  grandfather,  was  born  Decendjer  '2o,  173G, 
in  Germany,  immigrated  to  America  early  in 
life  and  settled  near  Ilagerstown,  Md.  iVfter 
living  a  few  years  in  that  State  he  removed  his 
family  to  Westmoreland  county.  Pa-,  and  lo- 
cated near  what  is  now  Ligonier  ab(jiii  ilo-  year 
171)0.  Owing  to  the  hostility  of  the  Indians, 
however,  he  remained  but  a  short  time  and  then 
went  back  to  Maryland.  Eight  years  later  he 
returned  to  Ligonier  and  settled  on  the  same 
tract  of  land  he  had  first  occupied.  On  this 
land  he  lived  until  his  death  and  is  still  in  pos- 
session of  the  family.  Jacob  Hargnett  died  in 
18"2G  and  his  widow  survived  him  but  one  year. 
Frederick  Hargnett  (father)  was  born  in  the 
year  1774  in  Ilagerstown,  Md..  and  in  his  youth 
was  brought  to  Ligonier  Valley  by  his  jiarents. 
In  this  forest-clad,  mountain-bound  valley  he 
was  reared  in  the  midst  of  the  wild  and  savage 
Red  Men  whose  tomahawks  were  a  constant 
menace  to  the  early  settlers.  He  was  a  farmer 
by  occupation  and  followed  the  piiisiiils  of  agri- 
culture until  his  death,  May  3,  ISb").  He  was 
married  in  1803  to  Catharine  'i'ash,  who  died 
February  15,  1871,  and  they  had  eight  chil- 
dren, four  of  whom  are  living  :  Henry,  now  liv- 
ing at  Ligonier ;  John,  Ann,  wife  of  Samuel 
King,  of  St.  Joe  county,  Michigan,  and  Sarah, 
married  to  Jacob  Rrenizer,  of  Ligonier.  Fred- 
erick Ilargnett  was  a  democrat  faithful  to  his 
jKirty  and  belonged  to  the  <Ji'riiiaii  iUd'oruied 
church. 

-lolin  Ilargnett  receive<l  what  education  the 
verv  I'ommon  schools  of  liis  day  allbrdeil  and  re- 
luaiiieil  on  the  old  homestead  faru)  with  his  jiar- 
ents  until  1830,  [when  he  removed  to  Ligonier 
and  worked  for  two  years  in  a  store.  Having 
gained  experience  in  mercantile  pursuits  he  em- 
barkeil  in  that  business,  which  in  connection 
with  .1.  T.    McGowan  he   continued  until   18lil 


BIOORArJIlES  OF 


■when  lie  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace,  which 
oftice  he  held  for  a  quarter  of  a  ctiitiiry.  In 
lSo4  he  was  (•oimiussioiied  |iiwtin:i>ter  and  has 
held  tliat  posilidii  at  variims  lime-;,  in  all  hImhiI 
tweiily-sevcii  years.  AUliiiu;;h  nearly  lour- 
score  years  uf  age  he  has  nut  ontirel}'  given  up 
business,  but  devotes  ])art  of  his  time  looking 
after  the  interests  of  his  property,  of  which  he 
owns  a  goodly  amount.  In  18G1  Mr.  Ilarg- 
nett  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Legislature  of 
Pennsylvania  'in  a  close  and  exciting  contest. 
lie  served  with  credit  to  himself  and  perfect  sat- 
isfaction to  his  constituents  and  the  Democratic 
party,  to  which  he  was  always  loyal.  His  fa-st 
Presidential  vote  was  cast  for  Andrew  Jackson 
and  his  last  for  Grover  Cleveland.  Faithful  in 
his  adherence  to  principle,  loyal  to  his  country, 
enterprising  and  progressive  in  spirit,  John 
Hargnett  is  one  of  the  very  best  men  of  whom 
Ligonier  Valley  can  boast,  a  man  whose  family 
has  been  a  pillar  of  strength  to  the  community 
and  whose  name  is  an  honored  one  in  the  history 
of  the  county. 

lion.  John  Hargnett  was  first  married  in 
18:;1()  to  Susan,  a  daugliter  uf  David  Armor,  of 
near  Ligonier,  who  bore  him  two  ehildren  : 
Armiir,  who  was  born  in  184o  and  died  in  1844, 
and  I'armelia,  born  in  18o7,  and  married  to  Dr. 
L.  T.  lieam,  formerly  of  Ligoniei-,  who  ]ierished 
in  the  Johnstown  ilooil.  .Mr.  llargnett's  wife 
dirilin  1S4.S.  His  present  wife,  whom  he  mar- 
ried in  lS."i4,  was  Eu]ihen.ia  1!.,  a  daughter  of 
('a|il.  .hinir^  McPonald,  of  Indiana  eounly,  I'a., 
and  to  tins  nniou  wrrr  born  two  ilaughtrrs : 
Minnie  P.,  who  is  tiie  wife  of  l)r.  J.  8.  Gaiman, 
of  Lerlin,  Pa.,  and  May  I.,  who  is  yet  at 
home. 


.OVF.PNOll  WILLIAM  IIENDUTCKS, 

,.  L.  I).,  was    lioru   in    Ligonier   Valley, 

■^'      AVestmorelaiid  county,  I'a-,  November  1-, 

1782,    and   was   a  son    of   Abraham   and    Ann 

(Jamison)  Hendricks.      On  tlir    firm  he  grew  to 

man's   csliili'   imil    cijiicali'd    liiin-;c-ir   lalioiin^  at 


different  occupations  to  make  the  money  for  his 
sup])ort  during  his  sehool  and  college  life. 
Among  other  labors  he  was  a  hand  in  a  powder 
mill  I'nr  one  year.  lie  afterwards  taught  seliool 
and  by  great  economy  while  engaged  in  that 
calling  was  enabled  to  enter  college  at  Cannons- 
burg,  Pa.,  and  was  graduated  from  there  in  the 
cla.ss  of  181U.  After  his  graduation  he  went 
west  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  he  read  law  in 
the  office  of  Mr.  Corry,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar.  In  1812  he  went  to  Madison,  Indiana, 
where  he  afterwards  became  one  of  the  most 
prominent  men  of  the  state  and  where  he  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  life. 

In  1814  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Ter- 
ritorial legislature.  In  June,  l81G,  he  was 
appointed  secretary  of  the  convention  to  form  a 
State  Constitution  which  convened  at  Corydon, 
the  seat  of  government  and  the  first  capital  of 
the  state.  In  August,  1810,  be  was  elected  as 
the  first  and  sole  representative  to  Congress 
from  the  state  and  served  three  successive  terms 
until  1822,  when  he  was  elected  the  second 
(iovernor  of  IiKliaua.  During  the  last  year  of 
his  term  as  Governor  he  was  elected  to  the  U. 
S.  .Senate  and  resigned  the  office  of  Governor 
in  order  to  take  his  seat  in  the  Senate  on  March 
4,  1825.  lie  was  re-elected  to  that  body  in 
1850  and  was  a  conspicuous  leader  in  the  Senate 
for  twelve  years.  He  made  the  journey  from 
Tmliana  to  the  Cajiital  usually  on  horseback  as 
fir  as  Ligonier  A'alley  thence  to  Washington 
by  stage.  On  om.'  of  these  journeys  his  wife 
accompanied  him  riding  the  entire  distance 
from  Indiana  to  Washington  on  horseback. 
Governor  Hendricks'  ]tulitical  opinions  were 
truly  democnitic.  When  he  was  a  candidate 
for  Governor  of  Indiana  be  had  no  opponent 
and  no  other  men  in  the  history  of  the  state 
was  ever  so  honored.  On  the  l(Jth  (jf  May, 
1850,  he  died  on  his  Indiana  firm.  The  literary 
degrees  of  A.  P.  in  LsUl,  A.  M.  and  L.  L.  1). 
were  roid'ericd  iijion  bmi  by  tlic  Washington 
collc;'e   of  I'ennsvlvania.       l''roin    181(;   to    1«:i7 


WESTMORELAND   CO  UNTr. 


lio    served    witlioiit    iiiteniiissioii    the  |>eoi)le  of 

lliili;ilKi  ill  the  tlilee  liii;lie>t  ulliees  witliili  tlioir 
;;iri  anil  was  ]iy  I'ar  for  ovit  a  ilccaile  of  years 
llie  iiin^l  |i<i]iiihir  mall  in  llir  stale  Men  who 
I'ihiimI  riii|iires  sImhiIiI  nut  \ir  r'lr^iittcii  ;  lliey 
plant  tlir  tree  (il'ei\il  liliert\  anil  \vater  its  niols 
while  ihdse  who  eoliie  aftef  tlieiii  hut  trim  its 
hraiiches  to  jifeserve  its  s^ymmetry.  If  they 
jilaiit  carelessly  auil  in  jioor  soil  the  tree  will 
have  11  siekly  growth.  Of  the  men  who  ]ilanteil 
Indiana  in  the  wilderness  seventy-five  years 
ago  among  the  highest  honors  should  he  accorded 
to  Governor  William  Hendricks.  In  the  contest 
for  fame  there  is  sharp  competition  and  those 
only  win  who  have  endurance  and  mettle.  A 
number  of  talented  young  men  went  to  Indiana 
in  ({ucst  of  fortune,  and  had  AVilliam  Hendricks 
been  a  dolt  or  a  laggard  he  would  have  been 
distanced  in  the  race.  The  Hendricks  family 
occupies  a  front  place  in  the  history  of  Indiana, 
and  ])robably  there  is  none  other  in  the  state  that 
lias  exerted  so  wide  an  influence  upon  its  politics 
and  legislation.  Governor  Hendricks'  eldest 
son,  John  Abraham,  ■was  eajitain  in  the  Mexican 
war  and  a  colonel  in  tlie  war  of  the  Rebellion. 
A  brother  and  a  nephew  sat  in  the  State  Senate, 
and  another  nephew,  the  Hon.  Thomas  A.  Hen- 
dricks, received  the  highest  honors  his  State 
could  confer  u|iiiii  iiini.  lie  was  elected  United 
States  Senator,  (iovernor  of  the  State,  Vice- 
president  of  the  United  States  in  18S4,  and  has 
gone  to  his  grave. 


OSES  IIORNER,  an  active  and  promi- 
/f  t  iient  farmer  of  Donegal  township,  was 
♦  born  near  the  borough  of  ]\It.  Pleasant 
in  Mt.  J'leasant  township,  ^Vestmoreland  county, 
I'a.,  July  31,  182o,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and 
Catharine  (Beachly)  Horner.  Jacob  Horner 
was  a  native  and  resident  of  one  of  the  eastern 
counties  of  Pennsylvania  till  he  had  attained  his 
majority.  He  then  migrated  to  Somerset  coun- 
ty, this  State,  and  subseipiently  removed  to  Mt. 


Pleasant  township  where  he  was  employed  in 
farming  till  IS-I  1,  when  he  died  in  the  sixty- 
sixth  year  of  liis  age.  lleo^^ned  a  tract  of  land 
which  was  afici-waids  diviilrd  into  three  good- 
si/.i'd  farms.  lie  was  a  iiic'IiiImt  of  llir  (Miiiiari 
lia[)list  eliincli,  an  old-line  whig  and  a  well  res- 
pected citizen  of  his  adopted  township.  He 
married  Catharine  ]3eaelily,  by  whom  he  had 
six  sons  and  four  ilaiighters.  His  father,  Abra- 
ham Horner  (grandfather),  Avas  from  Bloody 
Run,  Pa.,  and  spent  the  last  four  years  of  his 
life  in  this  county. 

Moses  Horner  was  reared  to  farm  work.  He 
received  only  the  advantages  of  about  six  months 
schooling,  but  so  improved  his  time  as  to  acquire 
sufficient  education  for  all  ordinary  business  pur- 
suits. He  followed  farming  in  Mt.  Pleasant 
township  till  184(1  when  he  removed  to  Donegal 
towns'hip,  where  he  purchased  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  thirty  acres  of  land  w  hicli  lie  has 
successfully  cultivated  to  the  present  time.  On 
this  farm  Mr.  Hunier  has  built  his  jiresent  fine 
brick  residence  and  made  many  other  valuable 
improvements. 

He  married  Susanna  Beistel,  daughter  of 
John  Beistel.  To  their  union  have  been  liorii 
four  children,  one  son  and  three  daughters  :  Lu- 
cinda,  wife  of  Jacob  Grove,  who  was  a  soldier  in 
the  late  civil  war  and  is  now  a  farmer  of  Donegal 
township  ;  Noah  J.,  Mary  Emma  (dead)  ;  and 
Annie  C,  who  married  Charles  Brunei- and  died 
in  1887.  Noah  J.  Horner  is  an  active  and  ))ro- 
gressive  merchant  of  Stahlstown,  has  a  fine  store 
room  and  first-class  stock  of  goods.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  M.  E.  church  and  a  republican 
in  politics.  He  married  Cora  Leacock  and  is 
well  respected  by  all  who  know  him.  At  jires- 
ent  he  is  postmaster  in   Stahlstown. 

Moses  Horner  in  politics  is  a  rejuiblican.  He 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  of  which  he  is  a  trustee.  Mr. 
Horner  has  eight  grandchildren  living,  three 
boys  and  five  girls.  His  son  Noah's  children 
are:    ]?urt.  Flora,  Ira,  Mamie  and    Edna.      His 


JIlDaiiAPIIIICS  OF 


tlaughters  (Lucimla  Grove's)  children  are :  Net- 
tie, Noah  and  Elmer.  As  a  citizen,  a  neighbor 
and  a  business  man  Moses   Horner  stands    well 

willl  iIk'  (•iilliMliHiit  V   ill    uhirli   he  resides. 


•foiIN  lIUliBS,  an  old  and  well  estahlishcd 
I  merchant  of  Donegal,  a  substantial  business 
(3y  man  and  a  prominent  member  of  the  Bap- 
tist church,  was  born  at  Mt.  Pleasant,  West- 
moreland county.  Pa.,  May  24,  1825,  and  is  a 
son  of  lion.  Clement  and  Elizabeth  (Ferrell) 
Ilubbs.  The  Ilubbs  family  of  this  county  was 
founded  by  Pr.  Charles  Ilubbs  (grandfather), 
who  was  a  native  of  Germantown,  I'a.,  where  he 
owned  a  farm.  He  migrated  to  Carroll  county, 
Md.,  from  there  came  to  Mt.  Pleasant  where  he 
practiced  medicine  f«ir  many  years  and  then  re- 
moved to  Fayette  county.  Pa.,  in  which  he  died 
in  L^45,  aged  eighty  years.  He  was  a  minister 
in  the  German  Baptist  church  and  was  twice 
married.  His  hr.-t  wife  died  in  ITllo  of  yellow 
fever.  George  Ferrell  (maternal  grandfather) 
was  a  native  of  eastern  Maryland.  He  was  a 
tailor  by  trade,  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war 
and  afterwards  migrated  to  Mt.  Pleasant  towii- 
shiji  where  he  died  and  his  remains  were  interred 
in  Mt.  Pleasant  Baptist  graveyard.  Hon. 
Clement  Hubbs  (father)  was  born  at  German- 
town,  Pa.,  about  lT9o  and  died  in  Iloiiegal 
township  April  14,  18(j5.  He  came  with  his 
father  to  Mt,  Pleasant  where  he  kept  the  (ribbs 
House  until  18o2,  when  he  removed  to  Donegal 
and  was  engaged  in  hotel  keeping  and  mercan- 
tile business  till  his  death.  He  was  a  ba|itist,  a 
re[iublican  and  a  prominent  man  in  his  section 
of  the  county.  He  served  in  the  J'ennsylvaiiia 
Legislature  about  1851L  He  married  Elizabeth 
Ferrell,  by  whom  he  had  five  children  :  Sarah, 
wife  of  li.  L.  Jones;  John,  George  (dead)  ; 
Henry,  resident  of  iScottdalc  an*l  a  merchant  of 
Connellsville,  Pa.  ;  and  Louisa,  wife  of  Jfilui 
L.  Anawaltof  Scottdale. 

John    Hubbs   was  reared  at  Mt.  Pleasant  and 


Donegal  and  received  his  education  in  the  schools 
of  those  two  boroughs. 

In  1855  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness at  l)onegal,  which  he  has  conliniicil  to  pur- 
sue until  the  present  lime.      In  connection  wilh 

i   his  j/eneral  mercantile  business  he  bandies  ugri- 

I 

I  cultural  implements  and  does  business  under  the 

I  firm  name  of  J.  Ilubbs  i!c  Son.  He  is  a  repub- 
lican and  has  served  as  school  director.  Mr. 
Hubbs  has  no  aspirations  for  political  life  and  re- 
fused to  serve  when  elected  as  justice  of  the 
peace.  His  decided  preference  is  for  business 
life  instead  of  polities.  He  owns  his  large  store 
building,  comfortable  dwelling  house  and  con- 
siderable other  property  at  Donegal.  He  has  a 
well  assorted  stock  of  goods,  commands  a  large 
traile  and  is  a  reliable  business  man.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  order  of  Chosen  Friends  and  the 
Baptist  church,  of  which  he  is  a  deacon. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  to  Nancy  Hays,  a 
daughter  of  Lewis  Hays.  'J'hey  are  the  parents 
of  one  child,  a  son,  Elmer  (_'.,  who  is  in  business 
with  his  father,  married  Lulu  Campbell  Decem- 
ber 28,  1885,  anil  has  one  child,  named  Searl 
Ilubbs. 


/pvIXON  HUSTON,  a  firmer,  stock-raiser 
t^J  and  dairyman  of  Ligonier,  was  born 
August  18,  18-^1,  in  Fairfield  township, 
in  Wcstmorelanil  county.  Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of  Wil- 
liam and  Mary  (Bennett)  Huston.  Archibald 
Huston,  his  grandfather,  \s,i^  a  u  iiive  of  Ireland, 
born  in  17(33  and  inimigrateil  to  the  United 
States  about  the  beginning  of  the  war  of  1812. 
He  followed  the  occupation  of  fiirming  in  several 
counties  of  Pennsylvania,  finallv  locating  in 
Westmoreland  county  where  be  died.  William 
Huston  (father)  was  born  in  1808  and  was  a 
native  of  Erin,  which  he  left  at  about  five  years 
of  age  with  his  parents  who  came  to  America. 
After  a  brief  sojourn  in  Chester  and  Indiana 
counties  the  family  settled  in  Fairfield  township, 
this  county,  where  William  grew  to  manhood. 
He  remained  at  home  dm  his  father's  farm  until 


WESTMOlilCLAND   CO UM'Y. 


tliirty  yours  of  ii^c  wlioii  liu  ciigiigcil  in  agricul- 
tural pursuits  tor  iiimself,  at  tliu  same  time  car- 
rying on  a  general  store  at  FairlieUl,  which  he 
coiitiniicil  until  1S1"J.  After  a  in.'iiod  ol'  turn- 
pike  ciinlraeting  in  Wl'.sI  Virginia,  lie  iiinchascil 
a  farm  in  tit.  Clair  township,  tiiia  county,  where 
he  lived  when  elected  sheritf  of  Westmoreland 
county,  in  which  oflice  he  served  from  1)S.5'J  to 
lSiJ:J.  After  his  term  expired  he  engaged  in 
the  hotel  business  at  Latrobe,  Johnstown  and 
Pittsburg  and  then  removed  to  Ligonier,  where  he 
remained  until  his  death  in  1881.  His  wife, 
who  died  in  1885,  was  Mary,  daughter  of  John 
Bennett,  of  Fairlield  township,  who  bore  him 
si.x  children,  of  whom  five  are  living :  Di.xon, 
Elizabeth,  born  in  1833  ;  Archie,  born  in  1835  ; 
John  M.  (deceased),  born  in  1837  ;  William  and 
Mary  Agnes  (twins). 

l)i.\on  Huston  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  until  he  attained  the  age  of  nianliood, 
after  which  he  was  employed  on  the  Pennsyl- 
vania railroad  which  was  in  course  of  construc- 
tion. Upon  its  completion  he  was  road  foreman 
for  a  number  of  years  and  remained  in  the  ser- 
vice of  that  company  twenty-three  years  in  all. 
In  1881  he  moved  to  his  farm  close  to  Ligonier, 
where  he  now  resides.  Mr.  Huston  is  an  ardent 
deiiiocrat  as  was  his  lather,  and  takes  ipiite  an 
interest  in  the  welfare  of  iiis  ]iarty»  He  is  an 
estimiable,  a  well-to-do  gentleman,  one  (d'  the 
grand  citizens  of  Ligonier  Valley. 

Dixon  Huston  was  married  in  lSti4  to  Mar- 
garet, a  daiighti'r  of  Joseph  Naiigle,  of  Ligonier 
tu\Mishi|i  and  tlu'ii-  union  has  been  blessed  with 
two  children:  John  W.,  born  in  .June,  ISlliI, 
now  living  at  Ijigonier,  and  Joseph  L.,  born  in 
June,  18(J'J,  who  is  yet  at  home  with  his  parents. 


ARTIN  L.  KECK.  The  Ligonier  Val- 
I  /  '•')■  ^^''''  '''"^  romantic  and  historical  asso- 
♦  cialions,  witii  its  beaulifid  and  pietiir- 
esipie  scenery  and  its  cool  mountain  streams  and 
grand   ohl   forests,   litis   become  famous   of   kite 


years  as  a  ntitional  summer  resort.  The  leading 
hotel  of  this  beautiful  vtilicy  is  the  Tjigonier 
House,  kejit  by  Mtirtin  L.  Keck,  who  gives 
every  possible  attention  to  his  many  giicsls.  lie 
is  a  son  of  Isaac  and  Tabitha  (Von  Huron) 
Keek,  was  born  Keliruary  'I'l,  1855.  He  is  of 
German  descent  on  both  the  paternal  and 
maternal  sides.  ILs  paternal  grandfather,  Isaac 
Keck,  Sr.,  was  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of 
Salem  township  when  it  was  a  part  of  Bedford 
county.  He  took  up  ;i  large  and  valuable  tract 
of  land  which  was  afterward  divided  into  several 
farms,  one  of  wdiich  is  known  to-day  as  the  old 
Keck  homestead  farm.  He  liveil  under  a  tree 
until  he  built  his  cabin.  According  to  ;dl  ac- 
counts preserved  of  him  by  his  descendants  he 
was  a  very  active  and  brave  man.  He  fought 
nobly  in  the  cause  of  American  Independence, 
and  in  one  of  the  sieges  of  the  Hevuliitionary 
war  leaped  upon  ;i  cannon  while  it  was  still 
smoking  from  being  discharged  and  s]iiked  it  in 
the  very  face  of  the  cannoneers.  After  the 
close  of  the  war  he  returned  to  his  farm  upon 
which  he  died  about  1869.  Isaac  Keck  (father) 
was  born  in  1818,  and  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  in  Salem  township.  He  opened  a  hotel  at 
Piinxsuttiwney,  JelVerson  county,  wliich  he  con- 
ducted successfully  for  many  years,  lie  died  at 
Punxsutawney  in  1882.  In  ISPl  he  married 
Ttibitha  \o\\  lluioii  of  Inditiiui  county.  Pa., 
who  now  resides  at  Punxsutawney.  They  had 
nine  children,  of  whom  five  are  living.  Mrs. 
Tabitha  Keck  is  a  descendant  of  Sir  Jans  A'^on 
ILiroii,  who  married  Lady  Van  Zant  and  who 
came  from  Holland  to  New  Amsterdam  and  was 
a  prominent  man  in  the  civil  and  military  gov- 
ernment of  that  city  before  it  was  cajitnred  by 
the  English  Duke  of  York,  who  changed  its 
name  of  New  Amsterdam  to  that  of  New  York 
in  honor  of  himself.  Her  and  her  children  and 
the  Van  '/ant  iieiis  arc  the  ]iarties  who  claimed 
a  large  part  of  Ne^v  Yoi'k  City  \vhere  'J'rinity 
church  now  stands,  but  were  defeated  in  the 
contest  after  years  of  ei|uity. 


llloOUAl'iniCS  OF 


Martin  L.  Keck  was  reui(.Ml  ami  LMlucati'd  in 
Jeft'orsou  county,  is  a  printer  by  trade  but  a 
thorough  hotel  man,  having  spent  the  last  ten 
vrai'.s  in  hotels  anil  siiiiniicr  resorts.  lie  was 
llie  lir.st  loan  to  ilitrniliiee  and  adnjil  cicclric 
li(ll>.  electric  light  and  natural  gas  ihrougiiout 
a  Imtel  ill  Greensburg — the  Laird  House.  lie 
now  has  charge  of  the  Ligonier  House  which  is 
the  leading  hotel  of  that  place.  Is  refurnishing, 
repainting  and  thoroughly  overhauling  the  en- 
tire house,  making  it  still  more  pleasant  for  his 
patrons. 

On  June  14,  1885,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Mav  M.  Sedgewick  of  Altoona,  Blair  county.  Pa. 

The  Ligonier  House  has  been  refitted  through- 
out by  Mr.  Keck   and  is  specially  arrangoil  for 
a  summer  resort  as  well  as  a  first-class  lujtel.   It 
has    good    sample    rooms,    with    a    fine     livery  ' 
attached  and  a  free  bus  running  to  and  from  all  | 
trains  stopping  at  Ligonier. 

•{•ACOi;  W.  KEFFER,  a  descendant  .d"  an 
I  old  and  well-known  family  and  one  (d'  the 
Qj  leading  merchants  of  Jjigonier  Ijorough, 
was  born  on  the  old  Keffer  homestead,  three 
mik-s  north  of  Ligonier,  Westmoreland  county, 
I'a.,  Marcli  20,  iSla,  ami  is  a  son  of  Michael 
and  Jane  (Clark)  Kefler.  The  Ketl'er  family 
ha-  been  resident  in  the  Ligonier  \allry  fur 
nciirlv  a  eenturv  and  manv  of  its  mendicis  have 
been  identilieil  wilh  lh(^  leailing  indnsliics  and 
|iii--inr-.s  enlerprises  of  liii'  eastern  pail  uf  the 
county.  (For  history  of  parentage  .sec  sketch 
of  J.  0.  Kefier.) 

Jacob  W.  Kert'er  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
attemled  the  common  schools  and  Ligonier  acad- 
emy. At  nineteen  years  of  age  he  engaged  in 
teaching,  which  business  he  followed  for  five 
years.  In  1869  ho  came  to  Ligonier  ami  en- 
tered into  partnership  with  IIon.N.  M.  Marker, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Marker  i*l:  Co.  In  1871 
he  withdrew  from  this  partnershij)  and  A\ent  to 
Illinois,    where    he     taught    school     for    seven 


months.  In  1872  he  returned  to  Ligonier, 
bought  out  the  mercantile  firm  of  Ilargnett  &; 
McGowan  and  established  his  present  store, 
which  is  one  of  the  best  in  the  town.  His  busi- 
ness  is   cimslanliy  increasing  in  importance. 

Jacob  \\ .  Ketl'er  was  married  on  the  'Jth  of 
October,  1872,  to  Emma  J.  McClelland,  who 
was  born  in  Pittsburg  in  1851.  Her  father, 
Archibald  McClelland,  was  of  Irish  descent. 
To  this  union  have  been  born  two  sons  and  three 
daughters :  Frank  M.,  born  1875  ;  John  (i., 
born  1870,  died  in  1881  ;  Mary,  born  1881, 
died  in  1885;  Edna  M.,  1883,"^ and  Ella  L., 
born  1885. 

In  politics  Mr.  Keffer  is  a  democrat.  He  has 
served  as  school  director  and  is  now  a  member  of 
the  town  council.  He  and  his  wife  are  members 
of  the  Evaiiijelical  Lutheran  church. 


EV.  FRANKLIN  KING,  an  industrious 
and  useful  citizen  and  a  local  minister  in 
tiie  Methodist  Episcojtal  church  for  over 
thirty  years,  is  a  son  of  John  and  I'liizalieth 
(liouchcr)  King  and  was  Ijnrn  in  Miildle  Creek 
township,  Somerset  county.  Pa.,  November  15, 
1822.  His  great-grandfather,  Michael  King, 
was  a  native  of  eastern  Pennsylvania.  IK'  was 
a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church  and  a  traveling 
minister  under  IJisliop  Aslniry,  the  first  bishoj) 
in  America.  Jnliii  T.  King  (gramlfather)  was 
a  native  anil  life  long  resident  of  Somerset 
county,  wlieie  he  owned  seven  farms  at  the  time 
of  his  death.  He  was  a  farmer  and  tanner  by 
occupation,  a  methodist  in  religious  belief  and 
a  democrat  in  politics.  Ho  married  Rebecca 
King,  by  whom  he  had  ten  children,  of  whom 
seven  were  sons.  To  each  of  these  sons  he  gave 
a  farm.  One  of  them  was  John  King  (father), 
who  was  born  in  1777  and  died  in  1850,  aged 
seventy-three  years.  He  owned  three  hundred 
acres  of  land,  was  a  class  leader  in  the  M.  E. 
church  and  always  sujiported  the  Democratic 
party.      His  first  wife  was   Elizabeth    Boucher, 


.iirioAiaJ 


WESTMORELAND  CO  UNTY. 


who  liovc  liiiu  two  cliiUlren :  Rev.  Fmuklin 
ami  Ihuriot.  His  secoiul  wife  was  Elizabeth 
Phillips,  Ly  ■whom  he  had  three  children,  Iliram, 
George  and  Sarah.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Boucher) 
King  was  a  daughter  of  Henry  Boucher  (ma- 
ternal graudfutlier),  who  was  born  in  Lancaster 
and  came  to  Somerset  county,  this  State,  where 
he  married  and  reared  a  family  of  five  sons  and 
three  daughters.  He  was  a  member  of  tlie  Ger- 
man Reformed  elmreh.  One  son  was  a  traveling 
minister. 

Franklin  King  was  reared  on  a  farm,  received 
a  gooil  education  for  his  day  and  was  engaged 
in  farming  in  Somerset  county  until  18G1,  when 
lie  reiiiiived  to  I)oiiegal,  where  he  has  resided 
ever  since.  He  owns  one  of  the  finest  laying 
farms  in  tiie  county.  It  adjoins  Donegal,  is  well 
improved  and  cuntains  si.xty-four  acres  of  land 
aliiuist  a>  level  asalK)or.  He  was  married  to  Mary 
Pile,  a  daughter  of  George  Pile,  of  Somerset 
county,  this  State.  They  are  the  parents  of  five 
children:  Almira,  Lucetta,  wife  of  J.  U.  Hein- 
iger.  a  merchant  of  Cambridge,  Ohio ;  Rev. 
Leonidas,  pastor  of  the  M.  E.  church  at  AVi- 
nona,  HI.,  who  married  Ida  Walker,  and  after 
her  death  married  Mattie  Cooper,  who  is  now- 
dead,  ami  Marcellus,  married  to  Mary  Havis 
and  t'Ugaged  in  farming. 

Politically  Rev.  Franklin  King  is  a  prohibi- 
tionist. He  served  as  a  justice  of  the  peace  in 
Somerset  county  for  nine  years  and  has  \<vrn 
school  director  of  the  borough  for  twenty  years. 
lie  is  a  uieiiibir  of  ihe  MclliiMlist  l'",pisc<i|i.al 
ciiureh,  in  whieli  he  iias  served  failiii'uliy  and 
clliciently  since  1858  as  a  local  minister.  He 
was  a  class  leader  in  Somerset  county  for  fifteen 
years,  where  he  also  served  as  a  steward  for 
twelve  years. 

I^^UDWICK  LENHART,  a  descendant  of 
'V  r  one  of  the  jiioneer  families  of  Somerset 
county.  Pa.,  and  a  prosperous  merchant 
of  Donegal  borough,  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Ro- 
sanna    (Young)    Leuhart    and    was    born    near 


Lovansville,  Somerset  county,  Pa.,  November 
11,  182lt.  He  is  of  German  extraction.  His 
paternal  grandfather  (Henry  Leidiart)  was  born 
in  Berks  county.  Pa.,  and  in  178.0  emigrated  to 
Somerset  county  where  he  purchased  a  farm. 
He  was  a  methodist  in  religious  belief,  an  hon- 
est man  in  liis  dealings  and  married  an  English 
woman  by  the  name  of  Shopbelle  who  bore  him 
eleven  children.  Ludwiek  Young,  maternal 
grandfather,  was  a  native  of  Berks  county, 
this  State,  but  removed  to  Somerset  county 
where  he  followed  fiuming  till  his  death.  He 
■married  Barbara  Barrom  by  whom  he  had  four 
sons  and  seven  daughters.  One  of  these  daugh- 
ters was  Rosanna  Young  who  married  Jacob 
Lcnhart  (fiither)  who  was  born  in  Somerset 
county  in  1804  and  died  there  in  188ij.  He 
owned  a  good  farm,  was  an  elder  in  the  Evan- 
gelical Lutharan  church  and  was  an  old-line 
whig  till  the  Know-nothing  party  started,  when  he 
joined  the  democrats.  He  served  as  a  member 
of  his  township  school  board.  He  had  three 
children:  Ludwiek,  Sarah  and  Abraham. 

Ludwiek  Lcnhart  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  that  day. 
He  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter  at  which  he 
worked  for  seven  years.  He  then  engaged  in 
coojiering  and  farming  for  some  time.  He  taught 
two  terms  of  school  after  which  he  w  ent  to  south- 
ern Illinois  where  he  taught  one  term.  After  a 
few  months  stay  in  the  west  lie  returned  home 
and  piireliased  a  farm  which  he  cultivated  until 
iMi'.'  wlieii  lie  embarked  in  llie  mercantile  busi- 
ness at  Ikirkersville.  In  1871  he  removed  from 
that  place  to  Donegal  where  he  opened  his  pres- 
ent general  mercantile  establishment.  He  keeps 
a  full  and  well-a.ssorted  stock  of  goods,  is  always 
attentive  to  the  wants  of  numerous  customers 
and  luvs  a  substantial  and  constantly  increasing 
trade.  He  owns  his  store-room  besides  other 
prijperty  in  the  town. 

Ludwiek  Lcnhart  united  in  marriage  with 
Elizabeth  Howard,  daughter  of  Abraham  How- 
ard, of  Somerset  county.      They  have  five  chil- 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


tlren  :  Elli^ii,  iiiiiniud  to  W.  N.  l$iikci-,  of  Dixon, 
Illinois;  \Villi;ini,  ;i  locomotisc  I'n^'iiii'iT  on  lUc 
Southern  I'acific  U.  H.  ;  Fretin:iu,  who  is  ;i 
r:ulio;ii|  fonliMclor  in  the  west;  Muhlon,  ulio 
\h  one  nl' the  lr|jiililic;ui  cindiiliili's  I'lir  linniiliil- 
tion,  UU'I    Li//,ic. 

In  politieul  opinion  Mr.  Lenhart  is  a  rcpuhli- 
can  and  has  served  as  judge  and  inspector  of 
election  and  school  director  of  his  borough.  lie 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Evangelical  Luth- 
eran churuh. 


•ON.  NOAH  M.  MARKER,  a  resident 
and  jirosperous  merch:int  of  Ligonier,  an 
ex-member  of  the  House  of  Rejiresenta- 
tives  of  Pennsylvania  and  a  prominent  and  in- 
fluential citizen,  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  IMary 
(Ambrose)  Marker,  and  was  born  three  miles 
south  of  the  borough  of  Ligonier,  in  Ligoner 
township,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  1826. 
His  grandfather  (Mathias  Marker)  was  a  farmer 
who  was  born  and  reareil  near  Richiui'nil.  A'a. 
He  remo\eil  in  early  life  to  Maryland  anil  a  few 
years  later  eaiiie  to  Ligonier  townshiji  where  ho 
died  in  IsAtK  His  father  (Henry  Marker)  was 
born  in  177'J  near  the  battlefield  of  Antietam, 
and  came  to  Westmoreland  county  when  quite  a 
yiiiiMg  iiiiin.  He  was  engaged  in  farming  in 
liigiiiiier  tnwusliip  until  liis  death  in  i^i-l  I.  lie 
was  an  active  deinoerat  ami  a  strong  meiidier  of 
the  Reformed  church.  In  ISH'J  he  married 
Mary  And/rose,  daugliter  of  John  -Vmbrose. 
They  were  the  parents  of  seven  chihlren,  all 
sons:  15enjamin,  born  IRll,  died  in  18G'J; 
Frederick,  born  in  1813,  died  in  ISo"  ;  George, 
born  in  1810,  died  in  1<S77  ;  Joseph,  born  in 
1«'21  ;  died  in  1853;  Harry,  born  in  1824  and 
resides  on  his  farm  one  mile  north  of  Ligonier ; 
Noah  ^L  and  David,  who  was  born  in  1828  and 
lives  in  Ligonier.  ]Mrs.  Marker  was  born  in 
178G,  belonged  to  the  Reformed  church  and  de- 
jiarted  tliis  life  in  lS7:'i. 

Noah  M.  Marker  was  reared  on   his  lather's 


farm  and  attended  the  subscription  .schools  of  his 
neigbhorhood,  in  which  he  receiveil  a  plain  but 
practical  business  education.  After  attaining 
his  majority  ho  learned  the  trade  of  tanner 
which  he  followed  thice  years.  In  1850  he  con- 
cluded t(j  retire  from  tanning  in  \Nhich  he  had 
been  reasonably  successful,  and  embark  in  the 
mercantile  business  for  which  he  entertained  a 
liking.  He  opened  a  store  at  Mechanicsburg, 
Pa.,  where  lie  met  with  encouraging  success  for 
the  si.x  years  that  he  remained  there.  In  185G 
he  removed  to  Ligonier  an<l  founded  the  present 
mercantile  establishment.  He  is  now  the  oldest 
merchant  in  the  place  and  his  store  is  heavily 
stocked  with  everything  to  be  found  in  a  first- 
class  mercantile  establishment. 

In  1850  Mr.  Marker  was  married  to  Eliza  J.,, 
daughter  of  Richard  Graham  (see  sketch  of  R. 
M.  Graham).  Their  union  has  been  blessed  with 
seven  children,  five  sons  and  two  daughters  : 
Clarence  F.,  born  in  1851  and  now  in  partner- 
ship with  his  father  in  the  mercantile  business 
under  the  tirn  name  of  "  Marker  ^^  Son ;  " 
(Mara,  born  in  1854  ;  Sehell,  born  in  185G  and 
died  in  1887  ;  Alfred,  born  in  1858  and  died  in 
18G1 ;  Eddie,  born  in  18G1  and  died  in  18G3; 
Frederick,  born  in  18GG  and  died  in  18G7,  and 
Anna,  born  in  1870.  Mrs.  Marker  was  born  ia 
1827  and  is  a  memlier  of  the  Methodist  E]iis- 
copal  church. 

Noah  M.  Marker  is  a  member  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  church  and  is  a  strong  and  active 
working  democrat,  who  has  ever, been  deeply  in- 
terested in  the  weal  and  welfare  of  his  party 
and  its  principles.  Mr.  Marker's  political  career 
commenced  in  1857  when  he  was  elected  school 
director,  an  office  which  he  held  for  twenty-one 
years.  He  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  from 
1858  to  13G3.  In  1878  he  was  elected  as  a 
member  of  the  Pennsylvania  Legislature  and  re- 
presented Westmoreland  county  in  that  honor- 
able body  in  a  very  creditable  manner.  Ho 
served  on  several  im]iortant  committees  ilui'in'T 
the  session  of   1878-7'J,  and   was   known  by   his 


.«>!  ?/^AW'  XV  V,-. 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


fellow  members  of  the  Legislature  as  a  man  of 
safe   and   conservative   views    on    financial    and 

agricultural    matters.  .        ,     I 


rTYlI'LIAM  II.  MATTHEWS,  an  aMcan.l 
clficicnt  surveyor  and  one  of  tlie  most 
liigidy  respected  citizens  of  the  coui- 
nuinity  in  wliicii  he  resides,  was  born  in  St. 
(Jlair  township,  Westmoreland  county,  I'a.,  May 
If),  ISf)!,  ami  is  a  son  of  .losepli  and  Klizabeth 
(McKlroy)  Matthews.  I  lis  graiul|>artuts,  Will- 
iam and  Elizabeth  (Snodgrass)  Matthews,  were 
natives  of  Ireland,  immigrated  to  this  country 
when  quite  young  with  their  parents,  resjiec- 
tivcly.  They  were  married  in  Fairfield  toM  ii:~hip, 
this  county,  in  the  beginning  of  the  present  cen- 
tury. They  settled  in  this  county  ami  were  the 
parents  of  fourteen  children,  of  whom  five  are 
living:  James,  Archie,  Nancy,  wife  of  John  M. 
Snnth,  and  Margaret,  married  to  John  Mclntyre. 
AVilliam  Jlatthews  and  his  Avit'e  were  nuiiiliers 
of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  and  their  re- 
mains are  interred  in  the  Fairfield  I'rcsbyterian 
church-yard.  Joseph  INIatthews  (father)  was 
born  on  his  father's  larm  in  St.  Clair  township, 
June  IG,  1820,  received  hiseducatiun  in  thi'sub- 
scri])tion  schools  of  that  day  and  has  always  ii)l- 
lowed  farming  as  his  occupation.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  of  Fair- 
field. On  November  1,  1848,  he  married  Eliza- 
beth .McElroy,  daughter  of  John  1).  and  Sarah 
(Menoher)  McElroy.  To  Mr.  and  Mr>.  Mat- 
thews have  been  born  six  children  of  whom  two 
aic  living:  Wdliam  II.  and  Maggie  S.,  married 
til  S.  J.  E.  lludf,un.  Tliiise  wild  died  were: 
Sarah  J.,  John,  James  ami  Maiy   .\ . 

William  II.  Matthews  received  his  educatidU 
in  Watertord  schools  and  Fairfield  academy.  At 
twenty  years  of  age  he  began  teaching,  which 
profession  he  followed  for  nine  years.  Seven 
years  of  this  time  was  taught  in  Indiana  county. 
Pa.  During  his  period  of  teaching  he  studied 
surveying  with  J.  A.  Paige,  a  noted    civil  engi- 


neer, and  since  1880  has  devoted  his  time  to  sur- 
veying and  the  management  of  his  farm.  As  w 
surveyor  he  has  been  very  successful.  As  a 
farmer  and  stock-raiser  he  is  among  the  foremost 
of  his  section.  He  is  a  rejiublican  in  political 
opinion,  a  mcnd)er  of  the  Fairfield  United  Pres- 
byterian church  and  one  of  the  most  substantial 
and  trusted  citizens  of  his  township. 

William  II.  Matthews  was  married  June  11, 
1884,  to  Rebecca  Elizabeth  Moore,  daughter  of 
Matthew  M.  and  Margery  (Lactimer)  Moore. 
Mr.  and  JMrs.  Matthews  are  the  parents  of  two 
children  :   Greason  McClarran  and  Mary  Luella. 


eYRUS  ALEXANDER  McCASKEY, 
M.  D.,  a  successful  physician  of  this 
county,  now  resident  of  Bolivar  and  who 
was  one  of  the  first  physicians  to  render  medical 
and  surgical  aidto  the  suB'erers  of  the  great  Johns- 
town Hood,  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Dorcas  Ellen 
(Painter)  McCaskey,  and  was  born  in  Winfield 
township,  Butler  county.  Pa.,  March  8,  1853. 
His  hither  and  grandfather  were  natives  of 
^Vashington  county,  Pa.  The  latter,  Andi'ew 
McCaskey,  was  born  at  Hickory  in  that  county 
in  1800  and  died  in  1808.  lie  was  a  teacher  by 
profession,  a  Presbyterian  in  religious  belief  and 
nnirried  Mary  Harper  by  whom  he  had  six  chil- 
dren :  Nancy,  wife  of  John  Brinker;  Joseph  (de- 
ceased); Louisa  and  Emily,  wife  of  ^\  .  C.  Smith, 
livery  superintendent  of  \Vylie avenue  (Pittsburg) 
cable-car  line.  Joseph  McCaskey  (father)  was 
born  in  18;i4  ami  died  at  forty-two  years  of  age. 
He  was  a  presbyterian,  an  Odd  Fellow  and  served 
in  the  late  war  asa  soldier  in  the  sixth  Pa.  heavy 
artillery.  He  married  I)orcas  E.  Painter,  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  I\Iary  Painter,  by  whom  he  had 
ten  children  :  Dr.  Cyrus  A.,  j\Iary  J.  (deceased), 
Andrew  Presley,  John  Harper,  Melvin  Ellsworth, 
Nancy  Anna,  wife  of  John  Kerr ;  Efiie  Bell, 
married  to  John  Kron ;  iNIaggie  May,  Willie, 
who  died  in  infancy  and  Joseph  (deceased). 
Dr.  C.  A.  jMcCaskey  received  a  common  school 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


544 

iuul  iUM<Unnic  iMlmMtion.  At  seventeen  yeiivs  of 
a.'c  lif  I'oiiMiK'Uool  rcatling  iiinlifiiu-  with  Dr.  J. 
M.  Scott,  (if  rmtl.T  comity.  ;inil  in  IMTo  oiitofod 
tlio  University  of  Wooslor,  Oiiio,  :iiiil  was  ^radii- 
atcil  from  the  Medical  department  of  that  inwli- 
tution  in  the  chiss  of  1876.  After  graduating 
he  hicated  in  Petersville  where  he  remained  two 
years,  then  left  Butler  county  and  was  at  Millers- 
town,  in  the  oil  regions  of  Pennsylvania,  for  ten 
years.  In  188(3  he  removed  to  Pittsburg  where 
ho  practiced  for  two  years  and  on  December  15, 
1888,  he  came  to  Bolivar  where  he  has  remained 
ever  since  in  the  active  and  successful  practice  of 
his  profession,  lie  is  a  republican  in  politics.  lie 
is  a  member  of  a  Lodge,  of  the  I.  0.  0.  P., 
Lodge,  No.  4r)7,  K.  of  P.  and  the  Presbyterian 
church. 

In  1S74  Dr.  McCaskey  married  Sarah  J. 
Whitmire,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Elizabeth 
(Thompson)  Whitmire,  of  l^utlcr  county,  Pa. 
To  Dr.  and  IMrs.  McCaskey  have  been  born  four 
children:  Bertha  D.,  Myrtle  G.,  Joseph  Henry 
(deceased),  and  Ailcen. 

Dr.  McCaskey  was  one  of  the  first  physicians 
to  go  to  Johnstown  after  the  great  flood  at  that 
place  and  was  given  entire  control  of  the  drug 
department  as  soon  as  the  State  assumed  charge 
of  the  place.  He  also  acted  as  assistant  sur- 
,r,.,,n  of  Bedford  street  hospital  ami  was  ap- 
pointed suru'eon  to  the  tenth  regiment  National 
Guards  of  Pennsylvania. 

■r:\ALES  McGOLIiV.  ex-protb.motary  of 
"l3  Westmoreland  county  and  a  prominent 
and  public-spirited  citizen  of  the  Ligonier 
Valley  is  the  fifth  son  and  youngest  child  of 
Zachariah  and  Rebecca  (Fletcher)  McColly  and 
was  born  at  Youngstown,  Unity  township,  West- 
,„oreland  county,  I'm.,  November  '.I,  Is-Jl.  His 
grandfalher  McColly  was  an  early  i.i.uieer  ot 
western  Pennsylvania  and  in  llie  last  decade  of 
the  eighteenth  century  was  killed  by  an  Indian 
while  on  a  scouting  expedition   in  what  is  now 


I,awrence  county,  this  State.      He   had  stopped 

at    a    frontier    cabin    where     religious     services 

were  being    held  and    on    stepping    outside  of 

the  door  was  shot  by   an  Indian  spy   who    was 

concealed  in   the  woods  at  some  little  distance 

from    the    cabin.       His    father,    Zachariah    Mc 

Colly,  was  born  about  1780  in  one  of  the  eastern 

.-.ounties  of  Pennsylvania.     He  learned  the  trade 

of  saddler,  came  to  Youngstown  and  worked  at 

the  saddle  and  harness  business  until  a  few  years 

prior  to  his   death  in  18iil.     He  was  a  stanch 

democrat,  an    active    politician    and    a   stirring 

business  man.     In    180G   he  married   Rebecca 

Fletcher,    daughter    of  David    Fletcher.       She 

was    a    verv    devout   Christian   woman,  a  strict 

and   exemplary     member    of   the    Presbyterian 

church    ami   passed  away    in    1843.      Mr.    and 

Mrs.  McColly  had  six   children,   five   sons  and 

one  daughter  :   Fletcher  B.,  Washington,  David 

Clayton,  Caroline  and  Bales. 

Bales  McColly  at  thirteen  years  of  age  went 
to  Pleasant  Unity,  where  he  worked  at  the  sad- 
dler trade  under  his  brother  Clayton  for  nearly 
three  years  and  then  spent  an  additional  year 
of  apprenticeship  in  a  saddler  shop  at  Youngs- 
town.      In    1841  he    commenced  business    for 
himself  at  Pleasant  Unity,  where  he  conducted 
a  saddlery  shop  for  seventeen  years.      In   1858 
he  was   elected   prothonotary  of  Westmoreland 
county  and  served  very  creditably  in  that  capa- 
city   for  three    years.     He   then    returned    to 
Pleasant  Unity  and  resumed  his  saddlery  and 
harness  business  which  he    followed    for    eight 
years.      During  this  time  lie  dealt  some  in  oil 
and    bought    the    old     Weaver    mill     ]>roperty, 
which   he    sohl  at  a    fair  profit    on  his  invest- 
ment in   it,   and   also  bought  and  sold   the   old 
Thomas  farm    near    Pleasant   Unity  at  a  nice 
profit.     In  1870  he  came  to  Ligonier  and  opened 
his  present  s;i.ldlery  and  harness  manufacturing 
establishment.       Mr.    McColly   is  a   thoroughly 
practical  saddler  and   gives   his   personal  atten- 
tion to   all    work    done  in   his  shop.      He  com- 
mands a  large  and  lucrative  trade  and  is  lield  in 


WICSTMOriELAND  CO  UNTY. 


liigli  I'stc'cni  by  liis  iiuiny  jxitioiis  wlio  confine 
their  [uirchases  to  liis  establishment. 

On  .lanii;iry  12,  iMl7,  he  wa.s  united  in  inar- 
ria^^e  willi  Calhaiino  Kcili^ar,  who  is  a  (laii;;hter 
of  Henry  L'ulgar,  of  Cook  township  and  was  born 
in  1811*.  'J'hcy|have  had  five  children  :  Dr.  Mars- 
ton  M.,  born  in  lb4'J ;  Eugene  A.,  born  in 
1850;  Cicero,  born  in  lS5i!,  died  in  1803: 
Anna  K.,  born  in  185G  and  wife  of  Frank 
Marker,  and  Edward  B.,  born  in  1858. 

Bales  McColly  is  a  member  of  Greensburg 
Lodge,  No.  '2'2.'>,  A.  Y.  M.  and  Ligonier  Presby- 
terian ehureh.  He  lias  been  an  active,  jiersist- 
ent  and  successful  worker  in  the  Democratic 
party  fjr  nniny  years,  but  at  the  present  time 
has  a  slight  leaning  towards  the  prohibitionists. 
lie  is  tall,  rather  dignified  in  bearing  and  is  a 
man  of  fine  personal  appearance,  lie  is  well 
informed  in  biography,  history  and  literature. 
With  the  history  of  the  United  States  he  is  in- 
timately acquainted  and  can  interestingly  relate 
the  story  of  its  rise  and  progress,  its  wars,  politi- 
cal agitations,  as  well  as  accurately  describe  its 
great  commercial  prosperity  and  wonderful  agri- 
cultural and  mineral  developnient. 


•ENRY  M.  MILLIIOFF,  one  of  Done- 
gal's successful  merchants  for  the  last 
thirty-five  years  and  an  active  worker  in 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  is  a  son  of 
Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Fry)  MiUholVand  was  born 
at  Donegal,  ^Vestnloreland  county,  I'a.,  Febru- 
ary 14,  1834.  The  family  is  of  German  de- 
scent, rhilip  and  Barbara  Jlillhofl',  paternal 
grandparents,  came  from  Germany  to  near 
Chambersburg,  Pa.,  where  he  died  and  left  ten 
children  :  Jacob,  John,  Philip,  Daniel,  Henry 
and  five  daughters  :  Christina,  Barbara,  Catha- 
rine, Susan  and  Mary.  He  was  a  Lutheran 
and  had  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  The 
eldest  son,  Jacob  Millholf  (lather),  was  born  in 
17811,  in  Franklin  county.  Pa.,  migrated  aliout 
1812  to  Jones'  Jlills,  this  county,  and  in  iSJd 


he  removed  to  Donegal  where  he  died  Ajiril  22, 
18G2.  He  enlisted  in  the  war  of  18P2,  but 
peace  was  declared  iiefore  his  company  readied 
Gen.  Harrison's  army.  He  was  a  blacksmith 
by  trade,  followed  butchering  ibr  some  time  and 
had  a  store  at  Donegal.  He  was  an  unpreten- 
tious man  and  an  exemjilary  member  of  the 
Lutheran  church,  who  won  the  respect  of  all 
who  knew  him  by  his  Christian  virtues.  He 
never  exhibited  anger,  used  an  unbecoming 
word  or  took  a  drink  of  liquor.  His  first  wife 
died  in  Franklin  county  and  he  afterwards  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Fry,  of  the  Ligonier  Valley,  by 
whom  he  had  five  children,  of  whom  two  are 
living  :  Eliza,  willow  of  Jacob  Maurer  and  Henry 
AL      Those  dead  are:   Jacob,  Matilda  and  Sarah. 

Henry  JNLMiUhort'enjoyedbut  poor  educational 
advantages  and  left  school  at  fourteen  years  of 
age  to  engage  as  a  clerk  in  the  store  of  Lloyd  ilfc 
Vance.  The  firm  changed  several  times  and  in 
1855  he  left  their  service  to  form  a  mercantile 
partnership  with  \V.  R.  Hunter  which  lasted 
until  1871.  He  then  became  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Hubbs  it  MillhoH",  from  w  hich  he  retired 
in  1875;  Four  years  later  he  formeil  a  second 
partnership  \vith  \V.  1!.  Hunter,  wliich  con- 
tinued till  the  death  of  the  latter jn  1885,  when 
Mr.  Millhotr  purchased  the  entire  stock  of  goods 
and  has  continued  in  the  general  mercantile 
business  ever  since.  He  owns  the  store  room, 
lias  a  complete  stock  of  goods  and  does  a  fine 
business.  He  also  owns  a  house  and  lot  and 
fifteen  acres  of  valuable  land. 

November  18,  1855,  he  was  married  to  ILar- 
riet  Wirsing,  daughter  of  John  Wirsing.  To  their 
union  have  been  born  seven  children  :  ALiry  E  , 
wife  of  Rev.  W.  H.  Rider,  of  Akron,  Ohio,  and 
a  ])residing  elder  in  the  M.  E.  church  ;  Kate, 
William  H.  (dead) ;  Anna  C,  wife  of  S.  W. 
Kirk,  a  telegraph  superintendent  at  Johnstown, 
Pa. ;  Lottie  (dead)  :  Harry  F.,  a  graduate  of 
])uft"s  college,  is  a  bookkeeper  in  Cleveland, 
Ohio  ;  and  Clarent'e  I!.,  in  business  with  his 
fiither. 


BIOGRAPHIKS  OF 


III  ])olitics  II.  J\r.  Milllioft'  is  a  republican. 
lie  ami  lii.s  wife  are  ineuibers  of  Donegal  M.  E. 
cliureh,  in  wliicli  lie  lias  served  as  class  leader 
for  twenty-five  years,  steward  and  trustee  and  as 
secretary  and  treasurer  of  its  J:^unday  school. 
He  was  a  lay  delegate  to  the  annual  conference 
Canton,  Ohio,  in  ISTO. 


f.VMFEL  D.  MrRPlIY  wasoneofSher- 
idim'.s  dashing  cavaliy  riders  in  A'ii'giiiia 
aiiil  is  a  ]iuldic-.sj)ii-it'.-d  citizen  and  a 
prominent  and  active  reimblican  leader  of  the 
Ligonier  '\'alley.  He  is  a  sijii  of  Joseph  and 
Matilda  (Mclsaac)  Murphy  and  \\:is  hoi'ii  mi  his 
father's  farm  in  I'aii  field  tnunship,  ^Vcstlllore- 
land  county,  I'a..  .lanuaiy  1-,  184(1.  The 
iMurphy  family  of  the  Ligonier  Valley  is  of 
Scotch-Irish  descent  and  was  founded  a  century 
ago  by  William  Murphy  (grandfather),  who  was 
born  near  Londonderry,  county  Dcrry,  Ireland. 
Ilis  father,  Joseph  Murphy  (great-grandfather), 
was  a  manufacturer  of  salt  and  raised  yearly 
from  twenty  to  twenty-five  horses  for  sale. 
He  had  a  good  education,  was  in  independent 
circumstances  and  had  been  one  of  the  brave 
defenders  of  Deny  when  that  city  was  besieged. 
His  wife  was  Jane  Ijllenilcuning  of  the  noted 
Scotch  family  of  Scotland,  who  were  very  prom- 
inent during  the  feudal  history  of  that  country. 
^Vilialn  Murphy  came  to  Pennsylvania  and 
settled  near  Carlisle,  liut  in  a  short  time 
went  back  to  Ireland  where  he  married  Eva 
Dickey,  whose  father  was  a  farmer  and  distiller. 
Immediately  after  his  marriage  he  retui'iicd  to  tiie 
colony  cif  I'eiin  but  did  nnt  tarry  long  at  (Jar- 
lisle.  He  crossed  the  AUeghenies  and  settled  in 
what  is  now  Fairfield  township  at  a  time  when 
Indian  war  parties  raided  the  Ligonier  ^^llley 
for  [irisoners  and  scalps.  He  purchased  a  large 
tract  of  land  from  an  English  siJdier  u])on  which 
lie  settled  and  lived  until  his  death.  He  was  a 
good  scholar,  a  strict  member  of  the  I'nited 
Presbyterian  church,  a  federalist  in  jiolitiis  and 


one  of  the  best  informed  men  of  his  neighbor- 
hood.     His  family  consisted  of  three  children. 

.Joseph  ^Llrplly  (father)  was  born  January 
19,  1800,  in  Fairfield  township,  wdiere  he  re- 
sided until  his  death,  which  occurred  May  2, 
1877.  He  was  a  farmer  and  a  stock-raiser,  a 
devout  member  of  the  LTnited  Presbyterian 
church  and  an  earnest  republican.  He  was  in 
early  life  an  old  line-whig  but  departed  from  his 
|)olitic;il  faith  once  to  vote  for  Andrew  Jackson, 
on  account  of  his  defeating  England's  veterans 
at  Mew  Orleans.  Later  he  became  one  of  the 
earliest  and  strongest  abolitionists  of  the  county. 
He  was  a  man  (d' strong  constitution,  indomitable 
courage  and  great  energy  and  was  among  the 
first  farmers  id'  the  valley  to  banish  free  \vhiskey 
from  the  harvest  field.  He  married  Matilda 
Mclsaac,  a  lady  of  great  beauty,  who  was  loved 
and  respected  Ijy  all  who  knew  her.  She  was 
a  daughter  of  Hugh  Mclsaac  and  her  birth- 
place was  Stranrar,  near  the  home  of  Robert 
Burns  in  Ayrshire.  Scotland.  Joseph  and  Ma- 
tilda Murphy  were  parents  of  nine  children,  of 
whom  six  are  siill  living.  Five  of  their  sons 
served  in  the  armies  of  the  Union  during  the  late 
war.  Two  of  them  were  captains  and  the  other 
three  served  as  privates. 

Samuel  D.  Murjdiy  received  his  education  in 
the  eouinion  schools  and  JNIechanicsburg  acad- 
emy. Leaving  school  he  taught  two  terms,  after 
which  he  was  engaged  in  the  sheep  and  cattle 
dealing  business  for  a  few  years.  He  next  em- 
barked in  the  milling  business  in  wdiicli  he  con- 
tinued for  some  years.  Disposing  of  his  milling 
intciists  he  then  engaged  in  his  present  business 
of  farming  and  stock-raising  in  Ligonier  town- 
ship. (Jii  his  farm  are  some  of  the  best  im- 
ported horses  which  money  could  purchase  and 
several  of  them  were  directly  imported  liy  Mr. 
Murphy. 

At  eighteen  years  of  age  he  enlisted  in  Co. 
D,  fourth  reg.  Pa.  Cavalry  and  served  eighteen 
months  under  Gen.  Sheridan.  He  participated 
in  several  battles,  had  two  Imrscs  shot  under  him 


cj^    <L^\  Mt^^-fr 


WESTMORELAND   COUNTY. 


549 


and  was  uuistoroil  out  uf"  tlie  United  States  ser- 
vice at  the  close  of  tlie  wai'. 

He  was  married  October  G,  1870,  to  Margaret 
Graham,  eldest  daughter  of  Robert  Graham. 
Their  union  was  blessed  with  five  children  :  Mabel 
and  Matilda,  who  are  attending  scl'.ool  ;  Cora, 
Marion  and  Francis. 

Samuel  D.  Murphy  is  a  member  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  church,  as  were  his  father  and 
grandfather  before  him.  To  his  academic  edu- 
cation he  has  added  years  of  reading  and  a  care- 
ful study  of  the  leading  issues  of  the  day,  and  by 
these  means  has  become  a  well-informed  man 
upon  all  the  topics  of  general  interest  and  suJj- 
jects  of  political  import.  Mr.  Murphy  is  a 
strong  republican  and  has  always  been  an  active 
and  effective  worker  in  the  ranks  of  his  party. 
]Ie  is  now  serving  his  second  term  as  justice  of 
the  peace.  The  business  of  his  office  has  been 
so  fairly  conducted  as  to  give  rise  to  no  dissatis- 
faction, and  his  decisions  have  been  so  well  based 
on  law  and  sn  carefully  anil  clearly  given  that 
110  appi  al  IVnm  tliem  has  ever  been  taken  to  a 
hiirher  tribunal. 


eAPTAIN  GEORGE  II.  MURPHY,  a 
prominent  and  honorable  citizen  of  Fair- 
field township,  who  fought  bravely  for  a 
re-united  country  and  the  preservation  of  the 
Union,  is  a  son  of  .Joseph  and  Matilda  (Mclsaac) 
Murphy  and  was  Imrn  in  Fairlield  township, 
AVestninrehiml  couniy,  I'a..  Febiiiary  IJ,  ISll. 
The  Murph}'  family  of  the  Ligonier  ^'alley  is 
<lcscended  from  AVilliam  Muri)hy  (grandfatlicr), 
who  married  Kva  Dickey,  of  liOndonderry,  lie- 
land,  and  settled  in  Fairfield  township  during 
Indian  times.  He  was  a  good  scholar,  a  United 
Presbyterian  and  was  a  son  of  Joseph  Murphy, 
who  served  in  the  siege  of  Derry,  Ireland,  and 
who  afterwards  was  a  salt  manufacturer  and  far- 
mer of  that  Island.  William  Murphy  left  issue  of 
three  children :  Elizabeth,  Nancy  and  Joseph 
(father)  who  married  Matilda  Mclsaac,  by  whom 


he  had  nine  children,  of  whom  five  sons  gave 
good  service  in  the  field  during  the  late  war. 
Capt.  W.  W.,  who  commanded  company  G, 
fourteenth  Pa.  cavalry  during  the  late  war  and 
now  resident  of  the  State  of  Minnesota ;  Capt. 
George  II.,  H.  M.,  member  of  company  I,  two 
hundred  and  eleventh  reg.  Pa.  A^'ols.  ;  R.'  M., 
who  enlisted  in  company  K,  eleventh  reg.  Pa. 
Yols.  and  was  killed  at  the  second  battle  of  Bull 
Run,  August  30,  18G2;  S.  D.,  who  served  in 
company  D,  fourth  Pa.  cavalry;  P.  J.  Murphy, 
another  son,  resides  ou  the  old  homestead  farm 
in  Fairfield  township.  (For  additional  ancestry 
see  sketch  of  S.  D.  Murphy  of  Ligonier  town- 
ship). 

Capt.  George  H.  Murphy  was  reared  in  Fair- 
field township  until  he  was  si.xteen  years  of  age. 
He  went  to  California  "gold  fields"  by  way  of 
the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  He  sailed  from  New 
York  on  the  steauishij)  Illinois  and  in  eight  ilays 
arrived  at  Aspinwall,  then  crossed  the  Isthmus 
by  rail  and  embarked  on  board  the  Jolin  L. 
Stephens,  which  stopped  for  a  short  time  at 
Acapulco  on  the  coast  of  Mexico.  After  a 
voyage  of  fourteen  days  on  the  Pacific  Ocean 
he  landed  at  San  Francisco,  where  he  remained 
for  three  years  and  succeeded  in  acquiring  a 
considerable  sum  of  money.  In  the  spring  of 
ISCil  he  returned  to  Pennsylvania,  where  on 
Septemlier  12tli  of  that  year  he  enlisted  in 
Company  E,  eleventh  Pa.  Yols.  and  participated 
in  the  batttles  of  (Je(lar  jMountain,  Raj)pahan- 
nock  Statinii,  'J'horoughf ire  Gaji  and  Second 
Pull  Run.  In  the  hist  named  battle  he  was 
struck  (in  the  right  side  of  the  nose  by  a  minie- 
ball  wliich  jiassed  clear  through  the  left  side  of 
his  face  and  came  out  beliiud  his  left  ear.  He 
was  then  wrapped  in  his  blanket  Ijy'two  com- 
rades who  carried  and  jdaceil  him  in  a  ravine, 
Avhere  he  was  left  for  dead  and  was  reported  so 
in  the  list  of  killed  and  wounded.  He  lay  there 
from  four  o'clock  of  August  30  until  the  middle 
of  the  next  day  when  some  Confederate  soldiers 
passing  by  relieved  him  of  his  blanket  and  side- 


BlOQR.U'inES  OF 


arms.  He  then  luado  out  to  ri'iicli  a  stone  house 
where  Conf'edeiate  surj^eons  were  dressing  sonic 
of  tlie  wouniloil  but  was  unalile  to  receive  any 
iitlcntioii  at  thrir  hamls.  lie  lay  liicru  from 
Sunday  until  Tuesday  evenin;^  without  anything 
to  eat  or  drink  and  then  was  picked  uj)  by  Union 
soldiers  and  sent  in  a  wagon  to  Alexandria, 
where  lie  arrived  on  Wednesda}'  night  and 
received  food  and  drink  as  well  as  having  his 
wounds  dressed.  After  recovering  he  enlisted 
July  7,  181)3,  and  was  commissioned  captain  of 
company  B,  first  battalion  Pa.  Vol.  cavalry, 
whicli  he  commanded  until  tlie  close  of  their 
terra  of  service.  He  then  returned  to  Fairfield 
township  where  he  has  been  successfully  engaged 
ever  since  in  farming  and  stock-raising. 

On  December  2.5,  1SG6,  he  married  Nancy  J. 
Kanisey,  a  daughter  of  Charles  and  Isabella 
Ramsey,  of  Fairfield  townshij).  To  captain  and 
Mrs.  Murphy  have  been  born  two  children  : 
Ellen  R.,  who  died  in  infancy,  and  Matilda  B. 

Capt.  George  II.  Murphy  is  a  stanch  repub- 
lican and  has  always  been  rather  active  in  local 
politics.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Fairfield  United 
Presbyterian  church  and  Encampment  No.  •'), 
Union  Veteran  Legion  at  Greeiisburg,   Pa. 


BEACIILEY  MYERS,  one  of  Ligonier 
township's  substantial  and  reliable  far- 
mers and  intelligent  citizens,  is  a  son  of 
Henry  and  Sarah  (Smith)  Myers  and  was  born 
in  Ligonier  tuwiiship,  ^Vc^tnlc)l^■l:lnd  cuunty. 
Pa.,  Marcli  10,  IS,',!).  His  paternal  gnimltather, 
Christian  Myers,  was  burn  and  reared  in  Leb- 
anon county.  Pa.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion and  removed  to  Somerset  county,  this  State, 
where  he  married  ISarbara  Beachley,  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  M.  lu'achley,  by  wliom  he  had 
tliirleen  children:  .Inhn,  ('lirislian,  l']li/.aljctl], 
will)  marrifd  I'etcr  Boenizer  ;  Michael,  Ahram, 
Mary,  wife  of  John  Raymond  ;  liarbara,  who 
married  David  Kimmell  ;  Catherine,  wife  of 
Edward    Clillbrd  ;     Henry,    Jacob,    JV-ter     and 


Susan.  Henry  flyers,  the  son  and  tenth  child, 
was  born  near  Berlin,  Somerset  county.  Pa., 
April  22,  1810.  He  was  brought  on  April  19, 
IKM,  by  his  parents  to  Westmoreland  county, 
where  they  located  in  Ligonier  townshij),  two 
miles  north  of  the  town  of  Ligonier.  He  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  old-time  subscription 
schools  of  that  day  and  dealt  for  several  years 
in  stock  which  he  drove  over  the  old  pike  to 
Philadelphia.  In  1842  he  purchased  the  farm 
which  he  has  tilled  ever  since  and  upon  which 
he  now  resides.  He  is  a  republican  in  politics, 
has  held  many  township  otficcs  and  is  an  earnest 
member  of  the  Ligonier  Valley  Brethren  church. 
On  November  12,  1815,  he  married  Sarah 
Smith,  of  Unity  township.  They  had  eight 
children,  of  whom  five  are  living  :  ^lary  S.,  wife 
of  S.  B.  Fisher;  Lena  C,  who  married  Dr.  W. 
B.  Pool;  Lizzie  11.,  wife  of  John  B.  Steel;  II. 
Smith  and  A.  Beachley.  Mrs.  Myers  is  a 
daughter  of  Henry  Smith,  who  was  a  farmer 
and  distiller.  His  wife  was  Magdalena  Ricliards, 
a  daughter  of  Charles  Richards,  who  was  a  far- 
mer and  served  seven  years  in  the  Revolutionary 
war. 

A.  Beachley  Myers  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  and  attended  the  common  schools  and 
Ligonier  academy.  At  eighteen  years  of  age 
he  left  school  and  engaged  in  farming  which  he 
has  followed  ever  since.  Politically  Mr.  Myers 
is  a  republican  and  served  his  township  for  six 
years  as  auditor  and  three  years  as  school  di- 
rector. He  has  given  his  time  principally  to 
tilling  and  improving  of  his  farm.  He  is  hos- 
pitable and  generous  and  is  well-liked  by  all 
who  know  him.  Although  retiring  in  manner 
yet  is  a  good  talker  and  coinerses  iluently  on 
many  dilVcreiit  subjects. 


TyILLIAM    sea  WRIGHT,    one  of   the- 
old  settlers  of  Cook   township    and  one 
of  the  most  highly   respected  men    who 
ever  lived  in  Westmoreland  county,  was  born  ia 


]yESTMORELAyD  COUyTY. 


Laiiipitcr  township,  Liuicaster  c(juiity,  Pa.,  in 
the  year  IToU.  His  purt'iits  were  William  and 
Ann  (ITaniilton)  Sea\vi-iij;ht,  wlio  \vere  huth  of 
Seutch-Irish  ancestry.  His  f'atliur,  A\'illiani 
Seawriyht,  came  from  Donc^^al,  Ireland,  alioiit 
the  year  1740,  and  settled  in  Lamiiiter  townsliiii, 
Lancaster  county,  Pa.,  and  became  a  prominent 
citizen  and  landholder  in  that  township.  His 
mother,  Ann  Hamilton,  came  from  Belfast,  Ire- 
land, about  the  same  time  and  settled  in  the 
same  locality.  Her  ancestors  were  natives  of 
Scotland  and  came  to  Belfast  at  the  time  when 
Ireland  was  the  refuge  for  persecuted  Covenant- 
ers. She  was  a  descendant  of  the  distinguished 
Hamilton  family  of  Scottish  history.  Her 
brother  William  was  the  grandfather  of  James 
Hamilton,  governor  of  South  Carolina  in  Cal- 
houn's day,  and  was  known  as  the  "  Nullifier 
Governor."  A  pretty  full  history  of  this  fami- 
ly of  Hamiltons  is  given  in  Egle's  Pennsylvania 
Genealogies  by  Col.  Evans  in  his  "  Notes  and 
Queries."  Family'  history  and  family  tradition 
teach  that  Alexander  Hamilton  was  of  this  same 
ancestry. 

In  1771  William  Scawright's  father  died,  leav- 
ing five  children  :  Mary,  Ann,  Esther,  William 
(subject  of  this  sketch)  and  Alexander.  William 
arid  Alexander  were  not  of  age  when  their  father 
died.  After  they  became  of  age  and  after  ^Vil- 
liam's  marriage  to  Jane  Ramsey,  a  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Catharine  (Seawright)  Ramsey,  na- 
tives of  Lancaster  county,  Pa.,  they  removed  to 
Augusta  county,  Va.  In  a  short  time  Alexan- 
der died  and  ^\'illiam  returned  to  Pennsylvania 
and  settled  near  Carlisle,  Cumberland  county. 
Pa.  After  a  short  residence  there  he  started  for 
the  western  part  of  the  State,  stopping  awhile  in 
Huntingdon  and  Indiana  counties,  but  making 
his  final  settlement  in  Cook  township,  this  coun- 
ty, on  the  Luyalhanna  river  about  five  miles 
above  Ligonier.  Here  he  built  a  fulling  mill, 
his  occupation  being  that  of  a  fuller  of  cloth. 
The  foundation  of  this  old  fulling  mill  can  yet  be 
seen  on  a  little  stream  emptying  into  the  Loyul- 


hanna  near  Weaver's  mill.  Not  far  from  the 
old  mill  can  also  be  seen  the  foundation  stones 
of  the  house  which  he  built  before  If^OO  and  in 
wiiich  he  lived  until  his  death  in   iHli.O. 

William  Seawright  reared  a  family  of  seven 
children :  Samuel  Alexander,  William,  Mary, 
John,  Hamilton  and  Archibald.  Samuel  re- 
moved to  Tippecanoe  county,  Indiana,  and  reared 
a  large  family.  Alexander  removed  to  Brooke 
county,  Ya.,  and  from  there  to  Morgan  county, 
Ohio,  and  also  had  a  large  family.  William 
married  Rachel  Brownfield  of  Uniontown.  Pa., 
and  was  the  founder  of  the  Fayette  county  fami- 
ly of  Searights.  He  was  a  man  of  unsullied 
character,  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  demo- 
crats of  Pennsylvania  in  his  day  and  died  Au- 
gust 12,  1852.  At  the  time  he  was  a  candidate 
for  canal  commissioner  of  the  State.  Of  his  six 
children  two  are :  Col.  Thomas  B.,  ex-State 
Senator  and  James  A.,  President  of  the  Peoples 
Bank  of  Fayette  county  at  Uniontown,  P;i.  The 
rest  of  William  Seawright 's  (subject)  children  re- 
mained in  the  Ligonier  Valley  and  died  without 
issue. 

William  Seawright  was  an  elder  in  the  Pres- 
byterian church  at  Pleasant  Grove  at  the  time 
of  his  death,  and  lies  buried  alongside  of  his 
wife  and  most  of  his  children  in  the  beautiful 
graveyard  by  the  Pleasant  Grove  cliureh  near 
Stahlstown  in  this  county. 


AJOR-GENERAL  ARTHUR  ST. 
]jf  f  CLAIR.  A  conspicuous  character  in 
♦  the  history  of  the  American  republic,  a 
brave  military  leader  who  failed  in  winning 
that  fame  to  which  his  courage  entitled  him, 
and  an  officer  of  acknowledged  bravery  and 
prudence  was  Arthur  St.  Clair,  whose  name  is 
inseparably  connected  with  the  formation  and 
early  development  of  W\'stmoreland  county. 
Gen.  Arthur  St.  Clair,  president  of  the  Conti- 
nental Congress  in  1787,  commander-in-chief 
of  the  armies  of  the  United  States  in  17'J1  and 


552 


BIOaUAVIIIKS  OF 


giivcrnur  uf  the  Nurtliwcstcni  Tcrritdrv  from 
]7^>S  to  1.S02,  \v;is  born  at  Tlnirso  Castle, 
Coiintv  ('aithiicss,  Scotlaiiil,  in  17:!4.  lie  was 
a  M.n  of  William  St.  Clair,  who  was  ol'ihe 
same  stock  as  llic  then  I'Lirl  ol'  (.'aithuess,  from 
a  eouimon  ancestry.  Tlie  St.  Clair.s  of  Scot- 
land are  descended  from  WaUlerne  de  St.  Chiir, 
a  Norman  knight  who  married  Margaret,  (hiugh- 
ter  of  Richard,  Duke  of  Normandy.  Their 
second  son,  William  de  St.  Clair,  settled  in 
Scotland.  Of  his  descendants,  one  became 
earl  of  Orkney,  which  title  the  St.  Clairs  ex- 
changed in  1471  for  the  earldom  of  Caitliness, 
wliicli  they  still  hold  under  the  Anglicised  name 
of  Sinclair. 

Gen.  St.  Clair  was  educated  at  the  University 
of  iMlinburgh  and  removed  to  London  to  study 
medicine  under  the  celebrated  Dr.  William 
Hunter.  War  breaking  out  between  England 
and  France,  he  purchased  an  ensign's  commis- 
sion and  served  under  Wolfe  in  his  campaign 
against  Quebec  in  17o!).  After  peace  he  re- 
signed liis  commission  as  lieutenant,  resided  for 
some  time  at  Boston  and  Philadelphia  and  in 
ITii'i  was  jilaced  in  command  of  F(jrt  I.igonier 
byticn.  Cage,  to  whom  he  was  related.  He 
took  u|)  large  bodies  of  land  in  tlic  Ligonier 
Valley,  was  made  protlnjnotary  of  liedford 
county,  Ta.,  in  1771,  and  two  years  later  was 
largely  instrumental  in  securing  the  erection  of 
AVeslmorelaiid  county.  As  prothouotary  and  Jus- 
tice of  llic  peace  of  the  new  county,  Ik-  succcssfuHv 
resisted  the  claims  of  ^'irginia  to  the  territory. 
A\'li(>n  the  Revolution  came  he  cast  in  his  for- 
tunes with  the  colonics.  He  ins])ircil  the  lian- 
liaslouu  i)eclaration  of  1  Iidejiendence  in  177"), 
jierleclcil  the  Associators  .-ukI  was  comn)issii)ned 
colonel  )»y  Congress.  He  raised  a  regiment, 
fought  in  ('anaila  under  Montgomery  and 
Arnold  ami  was  promoted  to  brigadier-general. 
At  Trenton  and  Princeton  he  behaved  with 
great  skill  and  biavery  and  was  conniussione(l  a 
major-general.  lie  was  placed  in  cornm.ind  (jf 
'I'icomb'roga    in     1777    but    was     eom]iillcd    to 


abandon  it  and  retreat  with  a  disastrous  loss  of 
men  and  munitions.  A  ndlitary  court  of  incjuiry 
ac(iuitted  him  of  all  blame.  AVhile  susi)eiided 
fi-om  command  he  Ibiigbt  as  a  vobmleer  at 
15randyw)ne  and  was  with  the  army  at  Valley 
Forge.  He  succeeded  Arnold  in  command  of 
West  Point,  and  was  a  member  of  the  commis- 
sion which  sentenced  Maj.  Andre  to  death. 
After  the  capture  of  Yorktown  he  proceeded 
with  a  body  of  troops  to  join  Gen.  Greene  in 
the  South,  and  on  his  way  be  drove  the  British 
from  Wilmington,  N.  C.  In  1783  he  became  a 
member  of  the  Executive  Council  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, was  elected  to  Congress  and  served  as 
])resident  of  that  body  during  1787.  Upon  the 
erection  of  the  Northwestern  Territor}'  in  1788 
he  was  appointed  governor  and  faithfully  served 
as  such  for  fourteen  years.  In  1790  he  ran  as 
the  Federal  candidate  for  governor  of  Pennsyl- 
vania and  received  2,802  votes,  while  his  suc- 
cessful democratic  opponent,  Thomas  Mifllin, 
had  27,72.5  votes. 

Gen.  St.  Clair  commanded  an  army  of  2,0()0 
men  which  was  sent  against  the  Miami  Indians 
in  1701,  and  on  Novemlier  4th  of  that  year  he 
was  defeale<l  with  a  loss  of  nearly  700  men.  Ho 
was  sull'ering  from  a  fever,  yet  bore  himself 
bravely  in  tlie  thickest  of  the  battle.  The  pub- 
lic was  severe  ami  unjust  in  its  censure,  but  a 
counuitti'e  a}ipointed  l)y  (Jongress  ac(iuitted  liim 
of  all  blame.  When  he  retired  from  public  life 
in  1S02  he  was  an  old  man  and  almost  ruined 
in  i'ortune.  He  returned  about  this  time  to  his 
farm,  two  miles  northwest  of  Ligonier.  He 
owned  10,881  acres  of  land  in  western  Penn- 
sylvania, of  whicli  8,270  acres  were  in  AVest- 
moreland  county.  Gen.  St.  Clair  advanced 
several  thousand  didlars  to  pay  tlie  expenses  of 
the  I'eiinsylvania  line  in  the  Ivevoliitionary 
war,  which  sum  the  goverinnent  refused  to  pay 
him  liecause  he  allowed  the  statute  of  limitations 
to  cut  out  his  claim.  lie  also  advanced  §S,I)()I) 
(o  p.iy  Imliaii  claims  against  the  governnii'iit 
and  finnislie(l  .'i?7,<)|2  to  help  lit  out  the  expedi- 


WKSTMORELA ND  CO  UNTY. 


tioii  of  IT'.H.  These  sums,  which  he  bonowcil, 
the  United  States  also  rcfiised  to  pay  ami  all  of 
his  property,  worth  over  §00,000,  was  sold  hy 
the  sheriff  and  bought  by  his  greedy  creditors, 
who  had  loaned  him  the  al)Ove  amounts  of 
money.  They  obtained  his  land,  will,  furnace 
and  personal  projterty  for  a  mere  song  and  then 
■were  not  satislicd,  but  afterwards  attached  every 
dollar  of  the  pitiful  pension  which  Congress 
granted  to  him  in  1S18.  The  last  period  of  his 
life  was  not  a  pleasing  one  to  contemplate. 
Turned  out  of  house  and  himie,  the  old  patriot 
removed  to  the  summit  of  Chestnut  Kidge  and 
kept  tavern  in  a  log  cabin.  He  received  a 
small  pension  from  the  Assembly  of  Pennsyl- 
vania for  a  few  years  previous  to  his  death  in 
ISIS. 

On  the  ;!lst  id'  August,  ISlS,  the  great  soul 
of  the  old  but  unfortunate  patriot,  Arthur  t^t. 
Chiii-,  left  ils  lenrmeiit  of  clay  and  j)assed  to  its 
eternal  home.  His  remains  were  elitomlird  at 
Grccnsburg  with  iitting  and  aj)proijriaie  cere- 
monies by  the  Masonic  fraternity,  of  whicli  he 
was  a  member.  In  1832  W.  P.  Sanders  de- 
signed and  executed  a  monument  which  the 
JIasons  erected  over  his  bones  and  upon  the 
south  side  of  this  monument  is  carved  the  fol- 
lowing approjiriate  inscription  :  "■  The  earthly 
remains  of  Major-General  Arthur  St.  Clair  are 
deposited  beneath  this  liumble  monument,  which 
is  erected  to  supply  the  place  of  a  nobler  one 
due  from  his  cDHUlry.  He  died  August  'M, 
IM.S,  in  tlie  eigiity-fourth  year  of  his  age." 


^K.EOllGE  SENFT,  the  efficient  supcrin- 
\^j  tendent  of  the  Ligouier  Valley  railroad 
■^  and  a  successful  business  man  of  West- 
moreland county,  was  born  in  Birmingham,  now 
South  Side,  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  May  17, 1848,  ami  is 
a  Son  of  Ji)hn  Frederick  and  Mary  (Grau)  Senft. 
His  pat<'rnal  grandparents  came  from  (Ger- 
many to  tills  cijiint\,  where  they  died  some 
years  ago. 


His  father,  John  I'\  .Senft,  was  born  in  the 
Kingdom  of  l>avaria,  Germany,  in  181'.*,  and 
came  to  Pittsburg,  where  he  worked  at  tailoring 
for  many  years.  From  IHOii  to  1881  he  was 
engaged  in  the  hotel  business  at  Summittsville, 
Allegheny  county.  Pa.,  where  he  now  resides 
and  manages  his  farm  near  that  place.  In  1841 
he  married  Mary  Grau,  who  was  born  in  the 
Kingdom  of  Bavaria  in  1819  and  came  to  Pitts- 
burg in  1840.  Of  this  marriage  were  born 
eight  children  :  John,  wiio  lives  at  Grafton  sta- 
tion ;  Margaret,  dead  :  Gecrge,  Anna  May, 
dead;  Barbara,  intermarried  with  M.  G.  Clever, 
of  .Mita,  Iowa;  Mary  Ann,  wife  of  E.  P.  Ed- 
munson,  of  Lawrence,  Iowa;  Emma,  who  mar- 
ried W.  Minich,  of  Allegheny  county.  Pa.,  and 
llenrv.  Mr.  Senft  is  a  deUKirrat.  lie  and  his 
wife  are  consi>tcnt  nicmbcrs  nf  the  l']\  angelic'al 
church. 

George  Senft  attended  the  Pittsljiirg  schools 
and  learned  the  trade  of  engineer  with  (!.  F. 
Schuchman  &  Co.,  of  Pittsburg,  Pa.  At  the 
end  of  his  three  years  apprenticeship,  in  18U5, 
he  enlisted  in  (Jo.  A,  one  hundred  and  ninety- 
third  reg.  Pa.  A'(ds.  and  served  one  hundred 
days,  which  was  the  term  of  enlistment. 

From  1865  to  1871  he  was  variously  engaged. 
In  the  latter  year  he  took  a  full  course  of  book- 
keeping, accepted  a  position  as  book-keeper 
with  Mellon  Bros.,  of  Pittsburg,  which  he  held 
for  four  months  and  then  entered  the  bank  of 
T.  Mellon  t*c  Sons  as  a  clerk.  He  was  soon 
made  cashier,  in  which  capacity  he  served  ac- 
ceptably for  nearly  ten  years. 

On  October  1,  1881,  he  became  superintend- 
ent of  the  Ligonier  Valley  railroad,  extending 
from  Latrobe  to  Ligouier,  which  was  then  and 
is  still  owned  by- the  Mellon  family  of  Pittsburg. 
It  was  a  narrow-gauge  road  when  Mr.  Senft  as- 
sumed charge  of  it,  but  in  188"2  it  was  changed  to 
a  standard  gauge  road.  His  management  of  the 
road  has  Ijcen  very  successful.  He  is  a  man  of 
recognized  business  ability  and  has  serveil  suc- 
cessfully in  tile  difl'erent  ]iositions  wliicli    he  has 


654 


BIOORAI'UIES  OF 


occujiied.  His  pr:ictical  knowledge  of"  engineer- 
ing is  of  great  ailvantage  to  liim  in  managing  a 
railway. 

Mr.  Seiift  owns  a  (iiic  residence  at  Tjigonier 
on  corner  of  Ciuircli  and  Fairlield  streets,  lie 
also  owns  a  farm  in  Allegheny  county,  Pa., 
and  a  tract  of  land  in  Alton  county,  Mo. 

In  1874  lie  married  Jennie,  daughter  of 
Michael  Ikodgers,  of  Pittsburg,  by  whom  he  had 
one  child,  Gertrude  R.,  who  was  born  in  187a. 
jMrs.  Senft  died  in  1880  and  Mr.  Senft  was  re- 
married in  1884  to  Kizzie  Negley,  daughter  of 
Jolm  R.  and  ('aroiine  IJ.  Negley,  of  Pittsburg. 
By  liis  second  marriage  Mr.  Senft  lias  two 
children  :  ^lary  C,  born  in  1885,  and  George 
F.,  born  in  1887. 


(li^'RANCIS  SMPni.  Among  those  who 
I'r  have  turned  their  attention  entirely  and 
successfully  to  agricultural  pursuits  in  the 
Ligonicr  Valley  is  Francis  Smith,  who  has  been 
a  prosperous  and  highly  respected  farmer  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  county  for  over  sixty  years. 
lie  was  born  in  Ligonier  township,  five  miles 
east  iif  Ligonier,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa., 
January  iiU,  liSO',1,  and  is  tlie  son  of  Thomas 
and  Nancy  (Little)  Smith.  Tiie  founder  of  the 
American  branch  of  the  Smith  family  which  is 
principally  resident  in  the  Ligonier  Valley  was 
Thomas  Smith  (grandfatlicr),  who  was  born  in 
Ireland  about  1710.  When  a  young  man  he 
canir  I'l  this  ciiLiiitry  and  jjurchased  a  cargo  of 
lla.xseed,  which  he  took  back  with  him  and  dis- 
posed of  at  such  a  price  as  to  clear  a  very  re- 
spectable sum  up(jn  ins  investment.  He  was 
■was  "well  pleased  with  w  hat  lie  saw  of  America 
and  soon  after  returning  to  his  native  island 
cb>srd  up  Ills  business  atl'airs  and  immigrated  to 
Pennsylvania,  nherc  he  ."^etlied  in  lieiifiird 
county.  In  1704  he  removed  to  Ligonier  town- 
ship and  patented  three  hundred  and  fifty  acres 
of  land,  upon  which  he  died  in  1821.  His  wife 
was    Jane    Patteison,  who    died    in    lS'2l!.      \l\a 


children  were:  Tiiomas,  Nancy,  Polly,  Mar- 
garet, Ann,  Sarah  and  Jennie.  Thomas  Smith 
(fatiier)  was  horn  four  miles  northeast  of  l^ed- 
ford,  I'a.,  in  1778.  He  n'mi)ve(l  i<j  iliis  county 
with  his  parents  and  engaged  in  farming  with 
his  father  until  1800,  when  he  came  into  pos- 
session of  a  part  of  his  father's  land  and  at  the 
death  of  the  latter  purchased  the  home  farm. 
He  was  a  whig  and  a  member  of  the  "  Seceder  " 
church  for  many  years,  but  near  the  close  of  his 
life  joined  the  United  Presbyterian  church.  In 
180G  he  married  Nancy  Little,  who  was  born  in 
Ireland  June  G,  17^0,  and  jiassed  away  from 
life's  troubles  and  carts  on  December  4,  1865. 
They  had  twelve  children,  of  whom  four  are 
living  :  Francis,  Thomas,  Bell  and  Margaret. 
The  eight  who  died  were  Jane.  William,  Mary, 
Ann,  Joseph,  Julin  L.,  Sarah  Ann  and  an 
infant  unnamed.  Mr.  Smith  was  industrious 
and  thrifty.  He  lived  a  ipiiet  and  peaceful  life 
and  died  on  April  18,  l!S50.  His  life  was  sucii 
that  he  enjoyed  the  confidence  of  all  who  knew 
him. 

Francis  Smith  grew  to  nianhiiod  on  his  fath- 
er's farm  and  received  liis  education  in  tlic  sub- 
scription sciiools  of  his  neighboriiixid.  He 
assisted  his  father  in  tlie  management  and 
cultivation  of  tiie  home  farm  until  18.i(}.  In 
that  year  he  joineil  the  westward  tide  of  emi- 
gration to  Ohio  ami  after  an  examination  of 
several  sections  of  tlie  "Puckeye"  State  he 
located  in  Cleveland  and  engaged  in  the  grocery 
business,  which  he  followed  for  one  year.  In 
1837  he  returned  to  his  native  township,  pur- 
chased the  Finley  farm  and  was  engaged  in  its 
cultivation  and  improvement  for  fourteen  years. 
In  1851  he  sold  the  Finley  and  bought  his  pres- 
ent fiirm,  whicii  is  one-half  mile  west  of  Ligon- 
ier. Here  he  has  resided  ever  since  and  devoted 
his  attention  to  farming  and  stock-raising. 

On  March  2,  18o7,  Mr.  Smith  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Mary  Prown,  daughter  of  Matthew 
and  Jane  Prown.  of  Fairfield  township,  this- 
county.      To   Mr.    anil   Mrs.    Smith    have   been 


WESTMORELAND  CO  UN II'. 


born  seven  cliililren  :  Matthew  B.,  born  De- 
cembei-  <j,  1837  ;  Thomas  J.,  born  March  14, 
1840,  died  June,  l88o;  Nancy  D.,  born  Janu- 
ary 8,  1843.  married  J.  B.  Lytle  of  Wayne 
county,  Oiiio  ;  Jane  M..  horn  January  "JH,  184(j, 
wife  of  Rev.  A.  D.  McCuiJueli,  of  Stewart's 
station.  Pa.;  Eliza  B.,  horn  April  27,  iSlfl, 
married  James  Richards ;  Margaret  A.,  horn 
March  -24,  18o-2,  died  October  31,  1872,  and 
Celia  A.,  born  July  30,  18;J4,  and  is  tlie  wife  of 
II.  G.  StauflTer,  of  JMadison  county,  Iowa.  Mrs. 
Smith  was  born  Ajiril  24.  1813,  and  is  a  nieui- 
bcr  of  tlie  I'niteil  Presliyterian  church  at  the 
present  time. 

Francis  Smith  is  a  republican  and  a  member 
of  the  United  I'reshyteiian  church.  He  takes 
delight  in  farming,  does  all  his  work  well  and  is 
lios])itable.  charitable  and  industrious. 

•t*  ACOB  J.  STAIRS,  the  genial  proprietor  of 
if  the  St.  Elmo  hotel  at  Donegal,  was  born 
(i/  in  Mt.  Pleasant  township,  Westmoreland 
county,  Pa.,  March  26,  1831.  ami  is  a  son  of 
John  and  Susan  (Byerly )  Stairs.  His  grand- 
father, Conrad  Stairs,  was  in  all  probability  born 
in  Germany,  but  lived  and  died  in  Donegal 
townsliip,  this  county,  where  he  followed  the  oc- 
cupation of  farming.  Adam  Byerly,  maternal 
grandfather,  was  a  native  of  Mt.  Pleasant  town- 
ship, this  county,  where  he  resided  until  his 
death.  John  Stairs  (father)  was  born  June  28, 
17',i3,  in  Dtiuegal  township,  Westnmreland 
Cduniy.  I'a..  and  died  in  Mt.  Pleasant  town- 
ship, September  -IK  1.S72.  By  occupation  he  j 
was  a  farmer,  in  politics  a  stanch  democrat,  and  t 
in  religious  matters  stood  connected  with  the 
laitlieran  chiuili.  He  married  Susan  JJyerly 
who  was  horn  Deceudjcr  21,  17'.i4,  and  who 
bore  bim  six  children,  of  wliom  Jacob  J.  Stairs 
is  the  only  one  living.  The  names  of  those  de- 
ceased are  Catharine,  Adam,  Elizabeth,  Mar- 
garet and  John. 

Jacob  J.    Stairs    was    married    to    Elizabeth 


Ferry,  born  August  7,  1837,  and  they  have  had 
four  children  :  Susan,  born  October  31,  1858; 
Martha,  horn  July  20,  1801;  Henry  L.,  No- 
vember 11,  ISOI,  and  Jemima  E.,  July  11, 
18(;7. 

Jacob  J.  Stairs  received  a  common  school 
education  and  followed  agricultural  pursuits  in 
JMt.  Pleasant  township  until  1883  when  he  sold 
out  and  removeil  to  Donegal,  where  he  purchased 
the  St.  Elmo  liotel  which  he  has  been  running 
ever  since.  Mr.  Stairs  is  a  democrat  and  has 
served  as  school  director  and  also  as  councilman 
of  his  borough.  He  belongs  to  a  good  family  of 
the  count}-,  is  an  estimahle  gentleman,  a  courte- 
ous and  obliging  host  and  a  most  excellent  citi- 
zen. 


•t  AMES  TAYLOR,  M.D.  One  who  served 
creditably  in  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylva- 
nia at  a  time  when  this  grand  old  Com- 
monweallh  was  menaced  liy  many  dangers 
and  the  Union  was  threatened  with  destruc- 
tion, was  Dr.  James  Taylor,  who  is  one  of 
the  most  jirominent  and  successful  physicians 
of  the  Lig(Kiier  ^'^alley.  He  is  a  son  of  John 
and  Ellen  (Miller)  1'aylor  and  was  born  near 
Craigs  Mill,  jjoyalhanna  township,  Westmore- 
land county,  Pa.,  October  U,  1822.  James  Tay- 
lor (grandfather)  was  a  native  of  county  Armagh 
where  he  married,  and  immigrated  shortly  after 
his  marriage  to  America.  He  was  a  presby- 
terian,  became  a  member  of  Ebenezer  church  of 
that  denomination  and  died  in  1850.  He  had 
three  children  :  John,  James,  who  died  in  the 
U.  S.  Regular  army,  anil  a  daughter  who  died  in 
infancy.  John  Taylor  (father)  was  liorn  in 
Westmoreland  county  where  he  resided  until 
1830  when  he  leiiioveil  to  Indiana  county,  Pa., 
in  which  j)lace  he  died  in  1854.  lie  was  a  whig, 
a  mendjer  of  Ebenezer  I'resbyterian  church  and 
married  Ellen  Miller,  daughter  of  Sanmel  Mil- 
ler. They  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  all 
sons;  John  M.,  Samuel  M.,  Dr.  James,  I)avid 
M.,  Hugh  M.  and  William  B. 


r.s 


BIOaiUl'lHES  OF 


Dr.  James  Taylor  received  his  education  in 
the  subscription  schools  of  Westmoreland  and  In- 
diana counties  and  Hlair.svillo  academy,  at  wliicli 
instituliiin  he  rcmaiTicd  tor  two  years.  After  i[uit- 
tini;  ihc  acadi'iny  he  taught  school  for  two  years. 
lie  coiiinicnccd  reading  medicine  witli  Dr.  E.  1'. 
J'hin.r.--on  of  IShiirsville,  in  184;'!,  and  three  ycai.s 
later  entered  Franklin  Medical  college  in  which 
he  remained  for  one  year.  He  then  went  to  Jef- 
ferson Medical  college  from  which  institution  he 
was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1851.  Immedi- 
ately after  graduation  he  located  for  the  practice 
of  his  profession  at  West  Fairfield,  where  he  has 
remained  over  since.  His  success  and  popular- 
ity has  been  sueh  that  no  other  field  for  practice 
has  had  sufficient  inducements  to  call  him  away 
from  his  present  location. 

In  January-,  1840,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Susan  Ogdcn,  daughter  of  Col.  Amos  and  Eliza- 
beth Ogilen.  I)r.  and  Mrs.  Taylor  are  the  par- 
ents of  four  children:  Dr.  Amos.  0.,  a  gradu- 
ate of  Ilaimemann  .^[cdical  college  and  located  in 
Bedford  county.  Pa. ;  Jeft'  W.,  who  graduated 
in  1877  at  Wooster  University,  practicing  law 
at  Greenshurg,  married  JIaggie  ^I.,  daughter  of 
Col.  Thomas  F.  Gallagher,  and  has  one  child  : 
Thomas  F.  G.  ;  Dr.  J.  Swan,  graduated  at  the 
Eclectic  college  of  Cincinnati  and  located  at 
Johnstown,  and  Dr.  Joseph  M.,  a  graduate  of 
the  colleL'e  of  1'hysieiaii.s  and  Surgeons  of  J5ail:- 
niore  aii.l  .lell'eison  M,Nlie:il  college  and  located 
at  West  Fairliehl. 

L)r.  James  Taylor  is  a  meniher  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  of  AVest  Fairfield.  He  is  a  repidi- 
licaii  iu  jiolitics,  has  serve<l  nine  years  as  school 
director  and  in  l>itll  represented  Westmoreland 
county  in  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  made  a  good  record  as  a  leirislator. 


(^T^REDERICK   ULERY,  a  soldier  of  the 
I  r     late  war,  manager  of  the  St.  Clair  home- 
stead estate  in  Ligonier  township  and  who 
is  allied  by  marriage  to  the  family  of  Major  Gen. 


Arthur  St.  Clair,  was  born  in  Bedford  county, 
Pa.,  February  22,  1846,  and  is  a  son  of  John 
and  Harriet  (Marks)  Ulery.  John  Ulery  was  a 
resident  of  Bedford  county.  Pa.,  where  he  died 
when  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  but  a 
few  weeks   old. 

At  ,si.\  years  of  age  Frederick  Ulery  was 
brought  to  Ligonier  townshi]),  where  he  was 
reared  and  received  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm  until 
lie  was  seventeen  years  of  age  when  he  entered 
the  Federal  army.  He  enlisted  in  Co.  B,  first 
battalion.  Pa.  cavalry,  served  si.x:  months,  was 
honorably  discharge(^and  immediately  eidisted  in 
the  U.  S.  Signal  Corps,  in  which  he  served  until 
the  war  closed  and  that  corps  was  discharged.  He 
then  returned  to  Ligonier  townsiiip  where  he  was 
engaged  in  farming  for  several  years.  In  1882 
he  became  farm  manager  of  the  old  St.  Clair 
homestead  estate,  which  position  he  has  accept- 
ably filled  ever  since.  This  tract  of  land,  com- 
prising twelve  hundred  and  ninety  acres,  is 
divided  into  several  valuable  farms  and  is  owned 
by  the  Denny  estate,  of  Pittsburg.  It  was  the 
home  farm  of  Major  Gen.  Arthur  St.  Clair  and  is 
situated  about  two  miles  northwest  of  Ligonier, 
near  Mill  creek.  The  General's  old  mansion- 
house,  which  Mr.  Ulery  now  occupies  as  a  resi- 
dence, is  still  standing  and  one  room  with  its 
ijuaintly-carved  mantel-piece  remains  intact  as 
the  famous  old  hero  and  brave  soldier  of  three 
wars  left  it.  Mr.  Ulery  has  in  his  possession 
the  set  of  millstones  which  Gen.  St.  Clair  used 
in  his  gristmill,  which  was  one  of  the  early 
mills  that  was  erected  west  of  the  Allegheny 
mountains. 

Frederick  Ulery  was  married  in  18(j8  to 
Margaret  Piper,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Jane 
(Johnson)  Piper,  of  Ligonier  township,  by  whom 
ho  had  four  children  :  Bertha  II.,  wife  of  Frank 
Karns;  Anna  J.,  Mary  and  Frank  S.  Mrs. 
Ulery  died  in  1878  and  Mr.  Ulery  again  united 
in  marriage  on  February  16,  1881,  with  Eugenia 
F.  St.  Clair,  who  is  a   daughter  of  William   St. 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


Clair  and  a  desceiRlant  of  Major  Gen.  Arthur 
St.  Clair  (see  his  sketch).  To  this  second 
union  have  been  born  four  chil(h'cn  :  Marva  15., 
Dclihi,  CliiTord  and  St.  Clair. 

In  relij^ious  faith  jMr.  Ulery  is  a  niethodist 
and_  member  of  that  denomination  at  Ligoiiier. 
He  is  a  republican  in  politics,  a  thoroughgoing 
and  successful  farmer  and  a  quiet  and  useful 
citizen.  He  is  a  member  of  Franklin  Lodge,  No. 
227,  Junior  Order  of  American  ^lechanics  and 
Fort  Ligonier  Post,  No.  324,  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic. 


LA  UK  WALKER,  a  comfortably  situ- 
ated citizen  of  Ligonier  township  and  a 
well  established  merchant  at  Waterford, 
is  a  son  of  Clark  and  Catherine  (Musgrove) 
AValker  and  was  born  in  Blount  Pleasant  town- 
ship, Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  Deceiuber  2.j, 
184L  His  family  is  of  Scotch  descent.  His 
paternal  grandfather,  Henry  Walker,  was  born 
in  tlie  highlands  of  Scotland  and  came  to  this 
country  when  a  young  man.  He  married 
Rachel  Clark,  by  whom  he  had  four  children  : 
John,  James,  Clark,  Sr.  and  Rachel,  who  mar- 
ried George  Piper.  Clark  Walker,  Sr.  (father), 
was  born  January  24,  1815,  in  Mount  Pleasant 
township,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  and  tlie<l 
in  Laporte  City,  Indiana.  June  25,  1880.  He 
married  Catlierine  Musgrove,  who  is  a  daughter 
of  Joseph  Musgrove  and  resided  at  I\Iount 
Pleasant.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walker  were  born 
ten  children,  of  whom  six  are  living  :  Israel, 
John,  Clark,  Rachel,  wife  of  S.  A.  Crise  ;  David, 
and  Lizzie,  marrieil  to  John  Eldred,  editor  of 
the  Ari^us  of  Laporte,  Indiana. 

Clark  Walker  was  reared  in  a  rural  district 
of  Mount  Pleasant  township  and  attendeil  the 
common  schools.  For  several  years  after  the 
close  of  his  school  days,  he  was  engaged  in 
laboring  on  a  farm.  In  18G3  brought  to  Mount 
Pleasant  township  and  operated  tiie  iirst 
"separator"  grain  threshing  niachine  that  ever 


was  in  that  township.  He  operated  this  ma- 
chine for  seven  years  during  which  time  his 
work  rendered  good  satisfaction  throughout 
Mount  I'lcasant  and  in  surrounding  townships. 
April  1,  1888,  he  removed  to  Ligonier  town- 
ship and  endjarked  in  the  general  mercantile 
business  at  Waterford,  which  he  has  successfully 
pursued  ever  since.  He  occupies  a  building  • 
well  adapted  to  his  business  and  ample  in  size 
to  contain  his  stock  of  goods,  which  include  dry 
goods,  notions,  groceries,  queensware,  hardware 
and  all  other  articles  usually  found  in  a  general 
mercantile  store  outside  of  a  large  town.  Mr. 
Walker  has  always  been  a  steady,  industrious 
and  careful  man  and  deserves  the  success  which 
he  has  achieved  by  his  own  efforts. 

<_)n  iX'cember  4,  185',t,  he  married  Elizabeth 
Ann  Pore,  by  whom  he  had  .five  children,  all  of 
whom  died  in  inflmcy,  except  one  son,  George  F., 
who  lived  to  be  twenty-four  years  of  age.  Mrs. 
Walker  died  September  14,  1872,  and  Mr. 
Walker  was  remarried  on  March  lU,  1874,  to 
Martha  J.  Ellis,  daughter  of  William  Ellis,  of 
Donegal  townshiji.  Of  this  second  marriage 
has  been  born  one  child,  a  daughter  named 
Irnia  E. 


TYILLIAM  WALTER,  one  of  Ligonier 
township's  industrious  and  successful 
business  men  and  for  twenty-four  years 
a  prominent  and  prosjierous  merchant  at  Water- 
ford, was  born  in  Jniiur  townsliip,  Somerset 
county,  Pa.,  August  2'J,  18o4,  and  is  a  son  of 
Gillian  and  Catharine  (Kurtz)  Walter.  His 
grandfather,  John  Walter,  was  a  native  of  Som- 
erset county.  Pa.,  where  he  resided  until  his 
death.  His  wife  was  Susan  Lamar.  They  had 
eight  children,  three  sons  and  five  daughters, 
one  of  whom  was  Gillian  Walter,  who  was  born 
1803  and  died  October  18,  1882.  He  owned  a 
fiirm  ia  that  county  on  which  he  resided  until  his 
death.  His  life-long  occupation  was  farming 
and  stock-raising.  He  married  Catharine  Kuitz, 
who  was  tiie  youngest  daughter  of  Judge  Kurtz, 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


of  Somerset  county,  who  \v;is  Ijcun  MarL-li  17, 
177"J,  :iii<l  (licil  I'ebi-uaiy  8,  1.'sr)7.  Jiiilj^'c  Kurtz 
inunioil  Cliristiiia  Dively  December  20,  17U5. 
They  had  twelve  chihlren,  one  of  wlioin  was 
Calliarine  (Kurt/)  Walter.  .Mi-,  and  Mr.s. 
Walter  were  the  jiarenLs  ol'  nine  children,  four 
sons  and  five  daughters:  John  C,  Harriet,  wife 
of  Conrad  Shafier  ;  William,  Balinda,  who  mar- 
ried Alexander  Korns ;  Sarah,  wife  of  W.  II. 
Walter  ;  Josiah,  Jacob,  Catharine,  wife  of  Will- 
iam Wcgley ;  and  Mary,  who  married  John 
Kaylor. 

William  Walter  was  reareil  on  his  father's 
farm  until  he  was  old  enough  to  attend  school, 
when  he  was  sent  to  Somerset  to  live  with  his 
grandfather  Kurtz,  where  he  attended  the  com- 
mon schools  and  the  Berlin  Normal  school.  lie 
completed  his  education  at  Mt.  Pleasant  college, 
this  county,  and  followed  teaching  in  Somer.set 
and  Westmoreland  counties  until  18i34.  He 
then  went  to  Johnstown,  Pa.,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged as  a  clerk  in  the  dry  goods  business  until 
ISlit),  when  he  reniovcd  to  Ligonier  township 
and  located  at  Waterford  and  ojieiied  his  present 
mercantile  establishment.  He  carries  a  strictly 
first-class  stock  of  goods,  but  now  contemplates 
retiring  from  business  at  this  place  and  I'cuioving 
to  Latrobe.  In  political  afi'airs  Mr.  Walter  is 
a  republican  who  has  always  given  a  hearty  sup- 
port to  his  party.  He  is  a  useful  nicndjcrof  the 
Ligonier  .Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

On  November  T),  18(JS,  he  married  Ishwy  B. 
Sweitzer,  daughter  of  Hon.  John  Sweitzer,  of 
Souicisel  cuunlv,   I'a. 


ICHARD  S.  WIIITWOllTH,  M.  D.,  a 
jihysician  of  Donegal,  was  born  at 
Apollo,  Armstrong  county,  Pa.,  Decem- 
ber 17,  1851,  and  is  a  son  of  Smith  and  Hen- 
rietta (Ford)  Whitworth.  His  paternal  grand- 
father was  a  native  of  England,  a  knight  who 
owned  a  large  tract  of  land  and  who  immigrated 
to  America,  settling   at  Baltimore,   Md.,   where 


he  resided  until  his  death.  In  that  city  ho  built 
several  cotton  mills  and  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  cotton  goods,  but  an  enemy  followed 
him  from  England  and  burned  three  of  his  mills 
in  one  night.  John  Ford  (maternal  grandfather) 
was  also  a  resident  of  Baltimore  and  tlienee 
moved  to  Apollo,  Armstrong  county,  Pa.,  where 
he  died.  He  was  by  occupation  a  contractor 
and  was  atone  time  engaged  on  the  Old  Chesa- 
peake canal.  He  married  iNIary  J.  Sansom,  a 
niece  of  Bev.  James  Sansom,  of  Baltimore,  by 
whom  he  iiad  two  sons  and  three  daughters. 
Smith  Whitworth  (father)  was  born  in  Baltimore 
but  came  to  Apollo  in  the  year  1840,  where  he 
still  lives  at  the  age  of  about  seventy-eight  years. 
He  was  formerly  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business  on  an  extensive  scale  and  still  follows 
it  on  a  small  scale.  He  is  the  fiither  of  five  chil- 
dren :  Alice,  wife  of  Bev.  D.  K.  Nesbit,  pastor 
of  the  First  Congregational  church,  Peoria,  111., 
having  graduated  from  the  Theological  seminary 
at  Pittsburg;  John  F  ,  an  attorney  at  Kittann- 
ing.  Pa.,  who  was  once  appointed  a  cadet  at  West 
Point  but  resigned  on  account  of  iil-health,  and 
who  then  studied  law  at  the  Philadelphia  Law 
school;  James  S.,  an  attorney  at  Apollo,  who 
took  a  course  in  the  Law  department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  I'ennsylvania  ;   IMary  and  Richard  S. 

Dr.  Richard  S.  Wliitworth  is  married  to  Sadie 
A.  "Wilson,  a  daughter  of  William  Wilson,  of 
Allegheny  City,  Pa. 

Dr.  Whitworth  was  educated  at  the  A'erniillion 
Institute  at  Haycsville,  Ohio,  then  read  medi- 
cine with  Dr.  Ansley,  of  Apollo,  now  of  Salts- 
burg,  and  entered  JetVerson  ^Medical  college, 
Philadelphia,  in  1875,  graduating  therefrom  in 
1877.  He  located  at  Rimersburg,  Clarion 
county.  Pa.,  where  hejiracticed  until  1883  when 
he  removed  to  Donegal,  this  county,  where  he 
has  continued  ever  since.  Dr.  Whitworth  is  an 
intelligent  gentleman,  a  thorough  physician,  a 
member  of  a  good  family  and  in  political  belief 
adheres  to  the  teachings  of  the  Republican  party. 


East  and  South  Huntingdon, 
f^ostt^aver  I  Seuuiekley 


EN.  ^[.  M.  DICK.  One  of  Westmore- 
laml  county's  most  prominent  citizens 
♦jv  upon  whom  military  anil  civil  honors  have 
been  bestowed  for  his  worth  alone,  is  Gen.  M. 
M.  Dick,  who  is  a  worthy  descendant  of  an  hon- 
orable family  whose  ancestral  home  is  in  the 
historic  hiiddnnds  of  Scotland.  He  is  the 
seconil  son  and  fmrth  cliihl  of  Kcv.  M.  and 
Eliza  (Murray)  I>ick  and  was  liorn  in  North 
Huntingdon  township  now  Sewiekley  township, 
Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  December  13,  ISCA. 
His  [laternal  granilfather,  M.  Dick,  was  a  native 
of  near  Dundee,  Scotland,  where  he  lived  and 
died.  His  son,  Rev.  M.  Dick,  was  born  at  a 
place  called  Moray  Firth,  received  his  education 
at  Edinburg  and  was  licensed  as  a  minister  in 
the  Associate  Reformed  church.  Leaving  Scot- 
land in  18U4-  he  immigrated  to  America,  loca 
ting  in  Westmoreliind  county,  Pa.,  wheie  he  was 
settled  in  ISOG  over  the  congregations  of  Se- 
wickh\v,  Mt.  I'lca>ant  and  New  Alexamlria.  In 
ISnS  lie  piucliaM'd  a  laini  in  Sew  icklcv  tow  ii- 
ship  on  which  he  lived  until  his  death  in  1S4',I. 
Politically  he  was  a  whig  but  never  exercised 
the  right  of  suflVage.  He  was  a  man  of  line 
education  and  an  able  theologian,  and  during 
1831-li  students  from  the  Tiieological  seminary 
at  Allegheny  (^'ity  received  instruction  from  him 
at  his  hoiue.  lie  left  the  impress  of  his  strong 
mind  on  three  flourishing  congregations  over 
which  he  zealously  administered  with  ability  and 
piety.  In  ISl  ">  Ik;  njarricd  Eiiz.-i  Murray,  who 
bore  liini    ei-ht   childrrn  :    Matilda,    Itev.    Jere- 


miah M.,  who  took  a  collegiate  course  at  the 
Western  University  of  Pennsylvania  and  a  theo- 
logical course  at  Allegheny  Theological  semi- 
nary and  entered  the  ministry  ;  Mary  Ann,  Gen. 
M.  M.,  Rev.  John,  who  took  a  college  course 
and  was  an  active  minister  fir  several  years  in 
the  Inited  Presbyterian  church,  hut  is  now 
living  at  Irwin  where  he  still  preaches;  James 
(deceased) ;  Elizabeth  and  David  M.  (deceased). 
Mrs.  Dick  was  a  daughter  of  Jeremiah  Alurray. 
He  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  iunnigrated  to 
America  prior  to  the  Revolutionary  war  and 
settled  in  Franklin  township,  ^Vestmoreland 
county,  Pa.,  where  he  remained  until  his  death. 
Besides  farming  he  also  dealt  in  merchandise, 
and  built  a  saw  and  grist  mill  on  Turtle  creek 
that  is  still  in  operation,  owned  by  a  Mr.  Rema- 
le}'.  He  was  a  prominent  business  man,  a  dem- 
ocrat and  served  his  township  as  justice  of  the 
])eaee.  The  ancestors  of  the  Murrays  were  rela- 
tives  of  the  ancestors  of  Andrew  Jaekson  in  Ire- 
laud. 

Gen.  M.  M.  Dick  attended  the  subscrij)tion 
schools,  after  which  he  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock-raising  and  later  in  the  banking  business 
at  ^Vest  Newton,  being  sole  owner  of  the  bank- 
ing house  of  M.  M.  Dick  at  that  place.  He  lias 
been  quite  successful  in  business  and  has  ac- 
quired a  handsome  competency.  In  policies  he 
is  an  active  republican,  has  been  school  director 
of  his  township  almost  continuously  for  nearly 
ioity  years  and  served  his  county  one  term 
(IS7(i-7',t)    as    county    cniuuiisMiouer,    being   the 


■  1(1    g.li-Ki    .I'HUiii'MlllHliiiri     \IMHrj     Br:     ('. 


niOGRAPinES  OF 


first  ropulilioiin  tliat  ever  served  in  tluit  eMpacity 
in  WesIUHUeliUnl  ecuntv.  llnlh  lie  and  ids  wile 
are  nicudiers  (if  llie  I'ldled  I'l-esliylrrian  eliurch 
(,rSruM-klr_v.  In  llie  fall  ufi  NS.".  lie  was  cIimUmI 
to  tlie  I'eniisylvania  Legislaliiri' and  servi'd  willi 
credit. 

Gen.  Dick  was  first  married  to  Mary  Ann 
GuH'ev  of  Sewiekley  township,  who  bore  iiim  two 
children  ;  Jeremiah  and  Joseph,  both  of  whom 
are  ilead.  He  next  married  Elizabeth  Gaut, 
whose  only  child  JI.  M.,  died  in  infancy,  she 
herself  surviving  but  a  short  time.  For  his  third 
wife  he  married  Emma  Goehring  of  Allegheny 
Citv  and  to  this  union  has  been  born  one  child, 
an  infant  son  named  M.  JI.  Dick. 

In  the  military  history  of  Westmoreland 
county  from  1841  to  18G5,  Gen.  Dick  was  a 
prominent  actor.  In  1843  he  became  captain 
of  a  volunteer  company  known  as  the  Sewiekley 
artillery,  which  he  commanded  for  nearly  sixteen 
years.  Four  commissions  as  captain  of  this  com- 
pany were  issued  to  him  by  the  Governor  of 
Pennsylvania  at  tlie  following  dates :  June  2G, 
184:),  August  20,  184i);  September 'J,  1854 
and  August  20,  185SI.  His  popularity  as  a 
comjiany  commander  led  to  his  election  as  lieut- 
enant colonel  in  the  first  brigade  of  the  first  di- 
vision of  I'ennsylvania  nnlitia.  He  ^vas  com- 
missidni'd  as  lieutenant  cohmid  un  June  I,  IS  Hi, 
ami  un  June  20,  IS.V.t,  he  received  hi-;  cununis- 
sion  as  brigadier-general  of  the  lirst  Ijrigade  of 
the  seventeenth  division.  His  services  as  a 
brigad('  commander  recommended  him  for  a 
higher  position  and  hewas  idected  niaj(U-general 
of  the  seventeenth  division  which  was  composed 
of  the  uniformed  militia  of  Westmoreland,  AVash- 
ington,  Fayette  and  Greene.  The  late  war  came, 
tlie  militia  organization  went  doAvn  and  he  did 
not  receive  his  commission  as  major-general.  In 
the  war  he  raised  a  cavalry  company  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  men  but  they  were  nut  needed. 
Among  the  first  to  respond  to  the  call  of  the 
government  for  tidops  was  (ien.  l)iek.  He 
raised    a  coinjiany  kno\vn  as  the  Sewiekley  In- 


fantry and  was  commissioned  captain  September 
1,  lMt)l.  This  cumpany  was  placed  in  the  one 
htin(he<lth  I'a.  A'ols.,  lint  was  suun  transferred  to 
the  une  hundred  and  fifth,  when  (ien.  |)iek  was 
(decti'd  niajoi-  of  the  latter  regiment  and  was 
commissioned  its  such  on  October  8,  1861.  He 
took  an  active  part  in  the  Peninsula  campaign 
and  was  in  the  front  of  the  stubborn  battles  of 
Fair  Oaks  and  the  Seven  Days  fight.  Ileadley, 
in  his  war  history,  says:  "  Napoleon's  veterans 
never  stood  firmer  under  a  devastating  fire" 
than  the  officers  and  men  of  the  one  hundred  and 
fifth  regiment  in  the  battle  of  Fair  Oaks. 


VVID    B.    II.    ALLEN    (deceased)    was 

^  '  born   August   21,  182.J,   in    Washington 

county.  Pa.,  and  was  a  son  of  Abia  and 

Mary  (Hough)  Allen.     His  grandfather  was  also 

a  native  of  Wasliington  county,  Pa.,  and  was  by 

occupation  a  farmer.     Abia  Allen  (f\ither)  was 

born  in  Pike  Run  township,  Washington  county, 

I  Pa.     He  was  a  farmer  and  a  consistent  member 

I  of   the    Disciple    church.       Ho    married    Mary 

j   Hough  and  to  them  were  born   three  S(jns  and 

1   three  daughters.      Of  the  scms  the  only  living 

I  one  is  Alexander  Bonaparte,  who  is  a  real  estate 

agent   in  Cleveland,  (Jhio.      David    Hough  (uia- 

I   ternal    grandfather)    was    a    native   uf    Fayette 

county,  Pa.,  and  was  a  miller  and  farmer. 
I       David   B.   II.   Allen   married,  December  31, 
1  184s,  ^lartina,  a  daughter  of  James  II.  Springer, 
and   \i)  their   union  were  born   twelve  cliildreii, 
]  seven    oi'    whom    are   living:   Sarah  J.,  wife  of 
Charles  Corwin,  a  carpenter  of  Kostraver  town- 
ship,  Westmoreland    county.    Pa.  ;    John     II.  ; 
Theodore    J.,    married    to   Belle   McGowan    of 
Lock  No.  4,  AVashington  county,  Pa.  ;   George 
W.,  a   bill  clerk  in  Allen  Kirkpatrick  &  Co.'s 
store  at  Pittsburg,  Pa.  ;  Lena  iMay ;  Robert  F. 
and  Arthur  B. 

David  B.  II.  Allen  was  dhicated  in  the  j)uli- 
lic  schools,  and  being  of  a  niathematical  turn  of 
mind  he   became  a  surveyor.      He   folluwed   this 


^c,J'K,  ^ii/t- 


WKSTMORKLANI)   CO  USTY. 


laisiiu'ss  (liniii;^  tlic  rciiiMliiiK'r  nf  liis  litV  ;iihI  ' 
bcciiiue  ijuite  ]irolk'ic'Ut  ;it  it.  1  Ic  wa^  lon.sulcrrd  j 
a  <xood  business  uiaii,  aiul  on  accoiiiit  ut'  his  j 
geiR-ral  intellij^fiR-f  and  ability  lie  was  railcil  i 
ujHin  to  scttlo  liiaiiy  L'status,  write  wills,  and  do 
Other  work  that  required  knowledge  and  skill. 
In  1851  he  purchased  the  farm  on  which  lie 
lived  at  the  lime  of  his  death.  Owing  to  his 
industry,  economy  and  business  ability  he  was 
enabled  to  accunuilato  considerable  property, 
and  at  his  death  left  more  than  three  hundred 
acres.  During  his  life  he  was  a  stanch  lepub- 
liean  and  took  a  very  active  part  in  political 
matters.  The  Disciple  church  was  bis  chuscn 
denomination,  in  which  be  was  an  elder  and  an 
indefatigable  worker.  He  died  uu  February  '2'2, 
1881,  and  lies  entombed  in  Belle  A'ernon  ceme- 
tery ;  his  widow  resides  in  Uostraver  township. 
^Ir.  Allen  was  a  loving  busi.iaiid,  an  indulgent 
parent,  a  highly  respected  ineiuber  of  society 
and  an  earnest  Christian  geiitleiiian,  whose  clrath 
was  sincerely  mourned  by  all  who  knew  liiiii. 


^XY ILLIAM  D.  AULTMAN,  of  the  general 
niercantilf  firm  of  Aultman  &  Landis, 
of  StonersviUe.  is  a  son  uf  Jacob  Aidt- 
nian,  who  was  born  in  We^tuiorelauil  county, 
I'a.,  ill  ISOl,  Jacob  Aultman  remained  on  the 
iuime  firm  until  be  reached  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  vears.  He  attended  the  common  schools 
and  wurkcd  in  his  father's  pottery  shoj).  In 
IS'J'J  be  began  farming  on  his  own  acemiiil  near 
^Ve^t  Overton  ;  he  continued  to  firm  for  some 
time  when  he  removed  to  a  farm  in  Mt.  Pleasant 
township,  where  he  remained  for  some  time, 
when  he  located  near  StonersviUe  in  East  Hun- 
tingdon township,  purchased  land  and  continued 
to  farm  till  his  death  in  l^TS.  His  first  wife 
was  Mary  How,  by  whom  he  had  no  children  ; 
his  second  wife  Rebecca,  was  a  daughter  of 
Christian  Dobler,  who  was  a  native  of  (jcnnany. 
To  this  last  marriage  were  born  eleven  children, 
sLt  .->ons  ami  Use  daughters,  of  whom  eight  are 


now  living,  .larob  .\iiltman  was  a  republican, 
for  a  niimlier  uf  terms  served  his  township  as 
tax  collector  and  supervisor;  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Lutheran  church,  while  his  wife  was  a 
iiicmber  of  the  United  ISrethren  churcli.  His 
grandfather  Aultman  was  born  in  Germany  and 
came  to  this  country  with  his  family  in  early 
manhood.  He  afterwards  came  to  this  county 
and  located  in  East  Huntingdon  township,  where 
he  lived  till  his  death. 

AVilliam  D.  Aultman  was  born  at  Mt.  Pleas- 
ant, Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  April  2,  1850, 
and  attended  the  public  and  high  schools  of  his 
native  borough.  In  18G8  he  went  to  Des 
Moines,  Iowa,  where  he  was  engaged  for  three 
vears  in  the  stock  business  with  B.  W.  Sliep- 
perd.  In  1871  he  returned  to  Westmoreland 
county,  worked  at  the  carpenters'  trade  until 
1875,  when  he  went  to  Millville,  Sewickley  town- 
ship, and  was  there  successfully  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business  until  1878.  In  that  year 
be  returned  to  StonersviUe  and  was  extensively 
engaged  in  carpentering  and  contracting  up  to 
1881).  In  1880  he  commenced  merchandising 
at  Stoners,  in  which  he  continued  alone  till 
February,  1889,  when  he  took  H.  S.  Landis  in 
as  full  partner.  They  are  both  wide-awake  and 
stirring  business  men  and  are  building  up  a  pay- 
ing business. 

^Villiam  D.  Aultman  was  married  in  1870  to 
Anna  B.,  a  daughter  of  William  H.  Marsh  of 
Sewickley  tow  nship,  whose  family  is  of  pure  Irisli 
extraction.  T'o  their  union  have  been  born  four 
children  :  Elmer  W'.,  Frank  II.,  Jennie  M.  and 
Clarance  L.  Mr.  Aultman  is  a  republican  and 
both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  church 
of  (jr(jd. 


elllllSTOPHER  D.  A ULTMxVN,  a  suc- 
cessful  firmer  and  intelligent  citizen  of 
Sewickley   township  and  a  s(ddier  under 
Grant  in  front  of   Uichmond,  is  a  son  of  Jacob 
and   Rebecca  (^Dobler)   Aidtman  and  was    born 
in   East    Huntingdon    township,    Westmoreland 


JIIOORAPJHES  OF 


county,  Pa.  His  patoriiiil  graiidpaionts,  Mi- 
cliael  and  Sarah  Aiiltiiian,  wcic  natives  <j1'  (icr- 
iiiaiiy  and  came  to  East  lliinliiiirdon  townslii]) 
wlicrc  .MicliacI  AMltinali  |)iiirli:iscd  a  I'-.iviu  U|Hin 
wliicii  lie  roidrd  until  lii.s  ili'alli  in  lM;i;!.  llis 
ciuldren  were:  George,  Nicholas,  Samuel,  Ja- 
cob, William,  Susan,  Nancy  and  Mary.  Jacob 
Aultman,  father,  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm 
and  engaged  in  fanning  for  a  livelihood.  ]n 
1840  he  married  Nancy  Howard,  who  died  in 
1843.  In  1844  he  married  for  his  second  wife 
IJehecca  Dohler,  by  whom  he  liad  nine  chil- 
dren :  Christopher  D.,  Samuel,  AViUiam,  Oan- 
iel,  Clark,  Susan,  Mary,  Sarah  and   Kebeeca. 

Christopher  D.  Aultman  was  reared  (in  his 
father's  farm  and  attended  the  couimon  schools 
until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age.  He  then 
took  a  three  years  course  at  Mt.  Pleasant  col- 
lege and  engaged  in  teaching  in  the  common 
scliools.  In  18l)4  he  enlisted  in  the  three 
months  service  under  Capt.  Dick.  At  the  ex- 
piration of  his  term  of  service  he  entered  Co.  K, 
two  hundred  and  eleventh  reg.  Pa.  A'ols.,  par- 
ticipated in  the  battles  of  Hatcher's  Run,  Fort 
Steadman,  Weklon  Railroad  and  Petei'sburg  and 
was  present  at  Appomattox  Court  House.  At 
the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  honu'  and  re- 
moved to  Mt.  Pleasant  township,  where  he  pur- 
chased an  interest  in  a  saw  mill  which  he  held 
for  two  years.  From  1868  to  1874  he  worked 
at  painting  during  the  summer  seasons  and 
taught  school  d;;ring  the  winter  luonllis.  In 
the  last  named  year  he  puieba~eil  lii>  present 
fa.rni  in  Sewiekley  township,  upnn  which  he  has 
resided  ever  since. 

In  1874  he  united  in  marriage  with  Rebecca 
Greenawalt.  They  are  the  parents  of  three 
children  :  Anne  Pearl,  Arthur  R.  and  Emma  L. 
(Jhristopher  1).  Aultman  is  a  republican  in  pol- 
itics, has  served  several  years  as  school  director 
and  always  takes  an  interest  in  the  success  of  his 
party.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Grange,  Junior 
Older  of  United  American  Mechanics  and 
(iraii-1  Army  of  tlie  Re[iuldic. 


I        Mr.  Aultman    has   given  his  attention  durinc 
j   the  (jast  few  years  chieliy  to  the  ini])rovement  of 
his  farm  and  agi-icultural   pursuits,  in   which   he 
j    has  iiiel  with  'JihhI  success. 


■ROBERT  AUSBURN,  of  Webster,  was 
born  A])ril  20,  1S28,  in  Warren,  Arm- 
S  strong  county.  Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of  Fin- 
ley  and  Sarah  (Bradley)  Ausburn.  llis  grand- 
father, Robert  Ausburn,  was  a  native  of  Cham- 
bersburg.  Pa.,  where  he  remained  the  greater 
part  of  his  life,  but  in  later  years  went  to  Iowa, 
where  he  died.  He  serveil  in  the  war  of  181:j  ; 
by  occupation  he  \vas  a  fanm^r  and  shoemaker, 
and  his  religious  creed  was  that  of  John  Wesley. 
James  Bradley,  maternal  grandfather  was  a 
resident  of  Warren,  Armstrong  county,  a  boat 
builder  and  carpenter ;  he  removed  to  Elizabeth, 
Allegheny  county,  where  he  remained  until  his 
death.  Finley  Ausburn  (father)  was  born  in 
Chambersburg,  Pa.,  March  20,  1810,  and  died 
at  Elizabeth,  this  State,  in  1872,  He  was  by 
occupation  a  boat  builder  and  during  the  war 
of  1812  accompanied  his  father  to  Fort  Duquesne. 

He  was  a  democrat  until  the  election  of  Polk, 
when  he  became  a  whig  and  later  a  republican. 
He  was  identilied  with  the  Methodist  church,  in 
which  he  served  for  forty  years  as  an  olficer. 
He  married  Sarah  Bradley  and  they  had  twelve 
children,  six  sons  and  six  daughters.  Nearly 
all  the  sons  followed  in  the  footsteps  of  their 
father  and  became  mechanics. 

Robert  Ausburn,  on  the  fourth  of  March, 
I8ri2,  was  united  in  marriage  with  Sarah 
Wells,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Wells  of 'Washinir- 
ton  county,  Pa.  During  the  '-gold  fever"  of 
184y,  Mr.  Wells  went  overland  to  California 
where  he  remained  three  years,  then  returned 
and  engaged  in  the  coal  business,  shipping  the 
''dusky  diamonds"  to  Cincinnati  and  other 
points.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ausburn  are  the  parents 
of  nine  children  :  Alice  Ausburn  married  Wm. 
Blair,  a  carjienter  ami   bridge   builijer,   who    re- 


wi:stmoki:lai\d  co unty. 


sides  lit  Elizabetli,  Allegheny  county;  Cornelius 
W.  is  engaged  in  steamboating  at  I'ittsliurg ; 
Calvin  G.,  in  1886  with  two  others  went  to 
Nicaragua,  (Central  Aiucriea,  leascil  a  trait  of 
land  enulainiiig  twoiily  .s(|u;ir(^  miles  t'ur  lifly 
years,  engaged  in  taking  out  gum  and  niaiiogany 
wood  and  later  started  a  supply  store  for  plan- 
tations and  the  steamers  that  touched  there. 
Their  business  so  prospered  that  the  natives 
becoming  jealous  burned  the  store.  The  pro])rie- 
tors  appealed  to  the  U.  S.  Consul  for  redress 
and  the  matter  was  settled  by  the  Nioaraguan 
government  paying  §"J5,(M_)U  damages.  Mr. 
Ausburn  and  his  partners  then  went  into  tlie 
banana  business  in  which  they  are  are  now  suc- 
cessfully engaged.  Harry  V.  Ausburn  was 
married  to  Colorado  Henow,  and  is  a  railroad 
contractor  at  Denver,  Colo. ;  Wm.  T.  married 
Agnes  Woodward  ami  resides  at  Elizabeth,  .Alle- 
gheny county;  Jennie  C.  is  the  wife  of  Elmer 
C.  Steckel,  a  butcher  of  liustraver  townsliin  ; 
Nellie  P..,  Charles  J.,  and  Mary  Iv  are  yet  at 
home. 

Robert  Ausburn  received  his  education  in  the 
schools  of  Elizabeth,  Pa.,  and  was  for  twenty- 
five  years  a  steamboat  builder  and  contractor, 
eiuplciying  at  times  as  many  as  sixty  men.  In 
l^s7;i  lie  ])urchased  a  farm  in  linstraver  town- 
ship and  since  then  has  been  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, lie  is  a  democrat  and  served  several  years 
as  conncilman  of  the  borough  of  Kli/.abeth.  lie 
is  a  progressive,  upright  man  and  has  a  family 
of  wliirli  he  may  be  justly  proud. 


VVID  BAIR,  a  comfortably  situated  and 
^  J  successful  farmer  and  a  solid  and  substan- 
tial business  man  of  South  Huntingdon 
township,  is  a  son  of  Christian  aii<l  (Jhristiiui 
(^W■rtz)  Bair,  and  was  born  in  .South  Huntiu"-- 
don  township,  Westmoreland,  county,  I'a., 
August  l',>,  18oy.  Of  the  settlers  who  came 
into  Westmoreland  county  just  before  the  War 
of  1812  was  Philip  Bair  (grandfather),  who  was 


a  native  of  J  lardy  county,  Va.  (now  West  Vir- 
ginia). He  was  a  firmer  liy  occupation  and 
settled  with  his  family  in  South  Huntingdon 
township  in  l.Stl'.t.  His  fitlier,  Christian  Bair, 
was  leli  years  of  age  when  he  was  brought  to  the 
township.  He  was  a  prosperous  farmer,  a  good 
citizen,  a  devout  member  of  the  Mennonite 
church  at  Stonersville  and  a  whig  and  repub- 
lican in  politics.  He  died  April  27,  1888,  and 
his  remains  were  interred  in  the  cemetery  at 
Stonersville.  He  married  Christina  Wertz  and 
unto  them  were  born  five  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters, of  whom  four  of  the  sons  are  dead.  Mrs. 
Bair  was  a  daughter  of  John  "Wertz,  who  came 
to  near  Jlount  Pleasant  where  he  was  engaged 
in  farming  for  many  years. 

David  Bair  attended  the  common  schools  and 
received  a  good  education.  At  twenty-one  years 
of  age  he  engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising 
and  has  continued  in  that  line  of  business  ever 
since. 

On  October  23,  18G2,  he  married  Lucetta 
Highberger,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Daniel  and 
Susanna  (Weaver)  Highberger,  and  was  born 
December  20,  1840.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bair  are 
the  parents  of  six  children  :  Dr.  (Jeorge  E., 
born  Se])tember  7,  ISdjJ,  married  liertha  Stan- 
ton, graduated  froni  Cleveland  Medical  college,  in 
llS.SI),  practiced  at  Painterville  until  September  1, 
188'J,  and  is  now  taking  a  special  course  at  .Jef- 
ferson Medical  college  ;  Mary  L.,  born  March 
11>,  ISGU,  and  wife  of  John  P.  Markle  ;  .John 
W.,  born  April  27,  I8l]i.)  ;  Clarence  E.,  born 
August  18,  1«71  ;  Maggie  B.,  born  March  12, 
1«74,  and  Charles  H.,  born  April  30,  187G. 

In  agricultural  alfairs  Mr.  Bair  takes  a  deep 
interest.  He  has  been  successfid  in  farming 
and  stock-raising.  lie  owns  his  own  home  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  forty-one  acres  and  has  a 
half  interest  in  one  humlred  and  forty-five  acres 
of  land  in  Sewickley  township,  besides  a  one- 
fourth  interest  in  the  old  Bair  homestead  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  He  is  a  re- 
jjublican  and  an  elder  of  the  Sewickley  Prcsby- 


BIOORAPIIIES  OF 


tovian  chuvch,  of  \Yliicli  liis  wife  is  a  inombor. 
He  is  an  active,  honorable  business  man  and  a 
stock-holder  of  tlie  Sewickley  Mutual  and  Eliza- 
beth lire  insinaiicc  eoni]iaiiies. 


.OTFRED  BESENBEUG,  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial citizens  of  Rostraver  township, 
^  was  born  September  19,  1839,  in  Ger- 
many, and  is  a  son  of  Carl  and  EUeonora 
(Born)  Besenberg.  His  grandparents  on  both 
sides  were  natives  of  Germany  and  never  loft 
the  "fatherland,"  where  Carl  Besenberg  (father) 
was  born.  The  latter  married  Ellconora  Born 
and  they  had  four  children,  two  sons  and  two 
daughters.  Of  the  sons  Gotfred  Besenberg 
came  to  America  in  June,  1864,  landing  at  the 
city  of  New  York  where  he  remained  about  a 
year  and  then  went  to  Georgia.  In  18GG  he 
came  north  and  located  at  West  Newton,  this 
county,  where  he  has  ever  since  remained  work- 
in"  in  the  paper  mill  at  that  place.  He  lives  on 
the  llostraver  side  of  the  river,  where  he  owns 
five  houses  and  several  lots,  which  he  has  ac- 
cumulated by  his  own  hard  work  and  persever- 
ing ellbrts.  In  politics  lie  is  a  republican,  and 
with  his  wife  is  connected  with  the  Lutheran 
church.  He  is  an  honest,  upright,  industrious 
man  and  a  citizen  of  more  than  ordinary  worth. 
On  June  19,  18GG,  Gotfred  Besenberg  was 
married  to  Catharina  Lulev,  a  German  lady, 
born  near  Bremen.  Tticv  have  had  eleven  chil- 
dren, (if  whiini  <ix  are  nnw  living;  Aniui,  wife 
of  AVilliaui  Keiiiley,  of  Bostravor  township, 
who  is  a  fireman  ;  Sophia,  married  to  Edward 
Lawrence,  a  merchant  of  Braddock,  Allegheny 
county:    Ida,  Henry,  William  and  Charles. 


ICIIOLAS  J.  BIGLEY,  Ju.,  a  promis- 
ig  young  doctor  of  Suterville,  was  born 
m  the  city  of  Pittsburg  October  -22, 
ISI'.-J,  and  is  a  son  of  N.  J.  Higley,  who  was 
burn    at    ,\lsaco,    Germany,    in   ^>'<^l\ .      lie    nas 


one  of  the  most  extensive  coal  merchants  of 
western  Pennsylvania  prior  to  the  panic  of 
1873 ;  he  was  styled  the  "  Coal  King,"  and  was 
at  one  time  regarded  as  being  worth  a  million 
dollars.  He  was  married  to  Susannah  Vander- 
ii-rift  in  1840  of  Pittsburg,  Pa.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Capt.  Joseph  B.  Vandergrift,  who 
was  born  at  Germantown,  Pa.,  was  a  prominent 
coal  merchant  of  Cairo  and  afterwards  a  grain 
dealer;  he  removed  to  Vernon,  Jennings  county, 
Indiana,  in  1S52,  where  he  died. 

Dr.  N.  J.  Bigley  is  the  tenth  of  eleven  chil- 
dren born  to  his  parents,  five  boys  and  six  girls. 
His  paternal  grandfather,  Henry  Bigley,  was 
born  in  Alsace,  Germany,  in  1790.  His  ma- 
ternal grandfather,  Capt.  Joseph  B.  Vander- 
grift, was  born  at  Germantown,  Pa.,  in  1799. 

Dr.  N.  J.  Bigley  was  educated  at  Saint  Vin- 
cent Catholic  college  near  Latrobe,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in  the  regular  college  course 
in  1874.  He  I'ead  medicine  with  Dr.  T.  M. 
Sill,  at  Greenock,  Pa  ,  entered  the  Western  Re- 
serve university  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  re- 
ceived his  degree  M.  D.  in  the  Medical  depart- 
ment of  the  same  college.  He  began  the 
practice  in  1885  at  Alpsville,  Pa.,  and  after- 
wards located  at  Suterville  in  1887,  where  he 
has  a  large  and  paying  practice.  He  is  a  demo- 
crat, a  member  of  the  Catholic  church,  is  a 
thorough  scholar  and  a  young  man  of  strong 
convictions. 


rZ^ON.  GEORGE  P.  BLACKBURN.  One 
I^J  who  from  moderate  circumstances  has 
(j)  risen  by  his  own  unaided  eftorts  to  an 
important  public  position,  and  who  has  achieved 
by  a  life  of  usefulness  honorable  distinction  in 
his  native  county,  is  George  Plumer  Blackburn, 
a  modest  but  worthy  descendant  of  honored  an- 
cestors, who  represented  southwestern  Pennsyl- 
vania in  the  State  Senate  and  Congress.  He  is 
a  son  of  .laiiii's  W.  and  Margaret  (Plumer) 
Blackburn    and    was   born    in    Sewickh'y   town- 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


sh\\),  Westmoiolaml  county,  Pii.,  Miiy  4,  1840. 
His  paternal  groat-giandfather,  Antliony  Black- 
burn, was  lioru  in  the  north  of  Irclaiul  and  is 
of  Scotch- hisii  (IcHcciit.  He  iitmiigralcd  to 
I'cnnsylvania,  ^vllcr(•  he  fust  localcd  in  WnU 
county,  hut  in  1773  crossed  the  Allcghenies  and 
hccanie  one  of  tiie  pioneer  settlers  of  South 
Huntingdon  township.  One  of  his  sons,  Will- 
iam lilaekhurn  (grandfather),  was  horn  in  York 
county,  July  1,  177-.  He  married  Jane  Woods 
in  1801  and  settled  in  Sewickley  township.  He 
was  a  farmer,  a  whig  in  politics  and  an  active 
member  of  the  M.  E.  church.  His  son,  James 
AV.  ]]hickhurn  (father),  is  a  native  of  Sewickley 
township  and  during  the  active  period  of  bis 
life  was  engaged  in  farming  and  lumbering.  He 
now  resides  at  West  Newton  and  is  a  member  of 
the  M.  E.  church  and  a  strong  supporter  of  the 
lieiuddican  party.  He  was  married  to  Mai'ga- 
ret  L.  riumer  and  to  tlieir  union  were  born 
eight  children :  William  1'.,  who  enlisted  in 
the  fourth  Pa.  Cavalry  and  was  wounded  at  St. 
Mary's  church,  \-,i.  ;  served  as  editor  of  the 
Falls  City  (Neb.)  Journal ;  traveled  in  Eurojie 
as  a  correspondent  of  the  press  and  was  a  lluent 
and  graphic  writer  ;  is  married  and  has  his  home 
at  Mechanicsburg,  Pa.,  and  holds  a  position  in 
the  treasury  department  in  Washington  City  ; 
Lizzie  M.,  wife  of  (['apt.  T.  W.  Bedford,  a  civil 
engineer,  liut  at  ]jresLnt  a  successful  business 
man  of  Baltimore;  ^latthew  W.,  an  employee 
of  the  Edgar  1'honipsini  steel-works  at  Brad- 
dock,  Pa.  ;  Jennie  F.,  John  H.,  of  New  York 
city,  N\ho  is  assistant  cashier  tif  the  B.  .^  0.  R. 
K.  Cci.  ;  Hon.  George  P.,  and  two  who  died  in 
infancy. 

(ieorge  P.  lilackburn's  maternal  great-grand- 
father, Cieorge  Plumer,  was  of  French-Huguenot 
extraction  and  was  a  son  of  Jonathan  and  Anna 
(Farrell)  Plumer.  He  was  the  first  English 
child  born  west  of  the  Alleghenies  and  his  birth- 
place was  the  site  of  Pittsburg.  He  married 
Margaret  Loweiy,  a  daughter  of  Col.  Alex. 
Lowery,  who  served  on  Gen.  Washington's  staff. 


Geo.  Plumer  served  in  both  branches  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Legislature  and  represented  his 
district  in  Congress  from  ISiil  to  1S27.  His 
second  sou,  Alexander  I'luuier  (gramUalher), 
was  born  in  South  Huntingdon  township  in 
178G,  and  settled  in  West  Newton,  where  he 
died  December  l.'j,  IS75.  He  was  a  merchant 
and  manufacturer  and  a  zealous  whig  and  ardent 
republican,  who  filled  many  positions  of  honor 
and  trust.  In  religion  he  was  an  active  and 
earnest  presbyterian  and  served  as  a  ruling  el- 
der in  that  church  for  years.  His  brother,  Hon. 
John  C.  Plumer,  served  with  distinction  in  the 
State  Senate  of  Pennsylvania. 

George  P.  Blackburn  was  reared  to  industrial 
pursuits.  He  attended  the  public  schools  of 
West  Newton  and  then  went  to  Mount  Union 
college,  Ohio,  where  he  fitted  himself  for  a 
teacher.  At  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  entered 
the  profession  of  teaching,  which  he  z  alously 
and  successfully  followed  for  ten  years.  He 
next  engaged  (1880)  in  flirming  and  stock-rais- 
ing and  has  met  with  his  usual  success  in  this 
line  of  business.  He  has  always  been  an  active 
and  influential  republican  and  has  served  his 
party  fre<iuently  as  county  committeeman  and 
in  county  conventions.  In  the  spring  of  1888 
he  was  nominated  on  the  Republican  ticket  for 
Legislature,  receiving  a  greater  number  of  votes 
than  either  of  his  eleven  competitors.  In  the 
fall  he  together  with  his  three  a.ssociates  on  the 
llepuldican  ticket  was  elected.  He  served  in 
the  session  of  1881)  with  credit  and  honor  and 
was  the  author  of  several  bills  and  resolutions. 

George  1'.  Blackburn  was  married  on  May 
10,  ISHO,  to  Annie  M.,  daughter  of  Robert 
Toild,  of  Rostraver  township,  and  to  them  have 
been  bciiii  one  child,  whose  name  is  Henri- 
etta T. 

\Vhen  a  young  man  Mr.  Blackburn  made  use- 
fulness and  a  comfortable  comj)etence  the  aim 
and  purpose  of  his  life  and  Ijy  patient  imlustry 
and  strict  adherence  to  integrity  overcame  all 
obstacles  in  his  pathway  to  success. 


3  tit 


EIOGEAPIIIES  OF 


•^  BYRAM  BLACKBURN.  Soutli 
%^l  1  [uiitiiigiloii  tuwuslii]),  in  addition  to 
tliL'  many  olenionts  of  wcaltli  that  sliini- 
bcr  in  it-  soil,  ]iossf.ssi.-s  some  very  line  farming 
land.  One  (il'ils  siiece.-isful  farmers  is  A.  llyram 
lilacklmrn,  a  leading  eiti/en  of  the  .community 
in  whicli  he  resides.  He  was  born  in  Rostraver 
township,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  in  May, 
1820,  and  is  a  son  of  Capt.  Anthony  and  Hester 
(McGrew)  Bhiekburn.  The  Bhickburns  settled 
in  eastern  Pennsylvania  at  an  early  day.  John 
BhiLdiburn  (grandfather)  was  a  native  of  Adams 
county,  migrated  to  North  Huntingdon  town- 
ship, this  county,  where  he  farmed  for  several 
years  and  then  removed  to  Canada,  in  which 
English  province  he  spent  his  last  days.  Capt. 
Anthony  Blackburn  wqis  born  in  Sewickley 
township,  October  14,  1780,  and  lived  to  be 
four-score-and-six  years  of  age.  He  raised  a 
comjiany  of  men  in  the  letter  jjart  of  the  war  of 
1812  and  was  commissioned  captain,  bat  before  he 
received  orders  to  take  his  comiiany  to  the  front, 
jieace  was  declared  and  the  company  was  mus- 
tered outof  the  Service,  (.'apt.  Blackburn  wasa 
deinocrat,  a  member  of  tlie  .Methodist  Kjiiscojial 
church  and  a  farmer  by  occupation.  His  wife  was 
Hester  IMcGrew,  a  daughter  of  William  McGrew, 
who  was  a  former  and  a  presbyterian,  ami  died 
in  Sewickley  township.  Capt.  and  Mrs.  Black- 
burn Were  the  parents  of  five  ::ons  and  five 
daughters. 

A.  Byram  Blackburn  was  reared  in  Rostraver 
and  Sewickleys  townships  wliere  he  attended 
the  rural  sehools  of  his  day.  When  of  age  he 
Selected  as  a  life  pursuit  farming,  t<j  which  he 
had  been  reared  and  trained  and  in  wliicli 
he  has  ever  •■^iuce  been  engaged.  He  is  a  demo- 
crat of  tiie  Ji'lfersonian  tyjji^  but  is  no  politician 
or  aspirant  for  office.  He  is  a  trustee  of  the 
Jlethodist  church  of  wdiich  his  wife  is  a  member 
and  regular  attendant. 

Ill  \'6'>'2  ]Mr.  Blackburn  united  in  marriage 
with  Elizabeth  McLJrew.  They  have  liad  ten  ehil- 
dren  :    Anthony,  a   druggist  of  Wooster,  Ohio, 


and  married  to  Hannah  Geizelman  of  that  State ; 
Susan  R.  ;  Oliver  (dead);  Mary  (deceased); 
Archie;  James  A.  ;  Rev.  Win.  S.,  a  minister 
of  the  United  liretbreii  churcli  in  Missouri; 
P)essie,  wife  of  .\lliert  l''ullerton  who  is  a  farmer 
of  Sew  ickleytownshii) ;  Henry  IJ.  F.  and  Jolin  C. 
To  farming  and  other  agricultural  pursuits 
INIr.  Blackburn  devotes  his  entire  attention.  He 
owns  a  very  fair-sized  farm  of  one  hundred  acres 
of  productive  land  in  Sewickle}' township,  and 
conducts  his  farming  and  business  transactions 
upon  safe  and  conservative  methods. 

•j^  AMES  M.  BOYD,  an  active  and  successful 

J  farmer  of  South  Huntingdon  township  was 
born  in  the  house  in  which  he  now  lives 
in  South  Huntingdon  township,  Westmoreland 
county,  Pa.,  April  29,  1847,  and  is  a  son  of 
Robert  and  Nancy  (McCayeal)  Boyd.  His 
paternal  grandfather,  Robert  Boyd,  was  born 
in  the  eastern  part  of  Pennsylvania.  When  he 
came  to  WestuKjrcland  county  he  settled  in 
Sewickley  township  where  he  remained  until  1814 
when  he  removed  to  South  Huntingdon  and  pur- 
chased a  tract  of  three  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land.  He  was  a  member  of  the  United  Presby- 
terian church,  a  whig  in  politics  and  died  in 
1850.  His  maternal  grandfather,  James  Mc- 
Cayeal, accompanied  his  father,  Andrew  Mc- 
Cayeal, from  Ireland  to  the  United  States. 
James  McCayeal  settled  in  Pittsburg  but  re- 
remained  there  only  a  short  time  when  he  re- 
moved to  Madison,  this  county,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  for  many 
years.  Roljcrt  Boyd,  father,  was  Ijorn  in  Se- 
wickley township,  November  20,  l,Si)!t.  He  has 
always  been  engaged  in  fanning  and  stock-rais- 
ing. He  is  a  republican  but  was  an  old  line 
whig  when  that  political  party  was  in  existence. 
He  married  Nancy  McCayeal.  Their  children 
are:  Margaret  .J.,  wife  of  John  Pore,  who 
is  a  farmer;  Elizabeth,  who  marrieil  Geo. 
W.    Markle    (see    his    sketch) ;  James  M.,  and 


]VESTM0EELAN1>   COUSTY. 


Mary,  wife  of  Jolin  Waulkenshiiw,  of  Millwood 
station,  this  (.•ouuty.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boyd  are 
members  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church. 

James  M.  lioyd  was  reared  on  a  i'arni  and  re- 
ceived his  education  in  tlie  eouinion  schools  of 
his  neighborhood.  Le;iving  school  he  engaged 
in  his  present  business  of  farming  and  stock- 
raising. 

On  May  22,  lai'J,  Mr.  Boyd  married  Sarah 
Pinkerton,  a  daughter  of  John  Pinkerton,  and 
sister  to  James  I'inkerton.  To  tlieir  union  have 
been  born  five  children,  of  whom  three  are  liv- 
ing:  Robert  C,  born  May  28,  1882;  Mary  P., 
born  November  12,  l88o,  and  Maggie  A.  who 
was  born  February  20,  1880. 

James  M.  Boyd  is  a  republican  in  politics. 
lie  owns  a  part  of  the  old  Boyd  homestead  farm 
and  has  been  successful  in  farming  and  stoek- 
raising.  lie  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  church. 


■MON  BRONSON,  an  old  inhabitant  and 
highly  respected  citizen  of  Belle  Vernon, 
was  born  August  20,  1834,  and  is  a  son 
of  Abner  and  Eliza  (McLain)  Bronson.  His 
grandfather,  Anion  Bronson,  was  born  in  the 
State  of  New  York  where  he  lived  and  died. 
His  maternal  grandfather,  Samuel  McLain,  was 
a  resident  of  Belle  Vernon,  Fayette  county.  Pa., 
and  a  stanch  democrat.  Abner  Bronson  (father), 
a  native  of  the  State  of  New  York,  migrated  to 
Pittsburg,  I'a.,  and  afterwards  rt'Uioved  to  Ilclle 
Wninii,  Favrlle  cniiuly,  I'a.,  where  he  died. 
His  wife  was  l']li/.a  .MeLaiii,  who  burc  him  lour 
Sons  an<l  two  daughters. 

Amon  Bronson,  one  of  the  sons,  married 
Mary,  a  daughter  of  John  Mackey  of  Washing- 
ton county,  Pa. 

Amon  Bronson,  after  receiving  a  eomnidu- 
school  education,  learned  the  blacksmith  trade 
with  Samuel  Smock,  at  which  he  worked  twelve 
years.  In  ISdii  lie  eniliarked  in  the  general 
merchandise  business  at  Belle  Vernon  with  \V. 


P.  Mackey  as  a  partner.  Their  start  in  business 
was  lunuble,  the  capital  being  but  .St-'>00,  but 
their  integrity,  care  and  enterprise  guaranteed 
prosperity  and  at  the  end  of  nine  years,  when 
they  closed  out  their  stock,  it  Ijrought  .^9,00(J. 
Mr.  Bronson  then  went  into  the  same  line  of 
business  by  himself,  continued  for  eighteen 
years  and  in  the  spring  of  1889  sold  his  stock 
for  §17,000  ;  his  store  building  was  sold  to  John 
S.  Henry,  and  is  now  occupied  by  R.  C.  Schmertz 
&  Co.  In  1881  Mr.  Bronson  helped  to  organ- 
ize the  Belle  Vernon  Saw  and  Planing  Mill 
Company  and  in  1887  he  purchased  the  Belle 
Vernon  foundry,  which  he  is  still  successfully 
operating.  In  addition  to  his  manufacturing 
plant  he  owns  a  large  store  building  and  (juite  a 
number  of  dwelling  houses  in  Belle  Vernon,  Pa. 
Considering  the  fact  that  he  began  married  and 
business  life  with  but  ten  dollars,  we  must 
accord  to  Mr.  Bronson  great  credit  for  his  thrift 
and  enterjirise.  His  success  shows  what  energy, 
perseverance  and  good  juilgment  can  do. 
Though  his  time  was  fully  occupied,  yet  he  was 
never  too  busy  to  attend  to  religious  duties. 
lie  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  in  which  he  is  steward,  choir  leader, 
trustee  and  was  Sabbath-school  superintendent 
for  a  number  of  years.  He  was  formerly  a 
republican  but  ever  since  the  Prohibition  party 
came  into  existence  he  has  belonged  to  it,  stand- 
ing firm  for  tlie  principles  in  which  he  believes. 
He  also  belongs  to  the  Sons  of  Temperance  and 
to  Ethan  Allen  Council,  No.  30,"),  Senior  ().  U. 
A.  M.,  of  Belle  A  ernon.  Amon  Bronson  and 
his  wife  are  among  the  leading  and  best  people 
of  the  county,  yet  they  are  modest  and  unas- 
suming. They  have  hankered  after  neither 
social  nor  political  aggrandizement  but,  as  the 
poet  Gray  has  written  : 

".■\loiig  the  cool,  Miiuestcrcd  vnk-  of  life 
Tlluy  licpt  the  Iluisek-hS  tellol  of  their  \v:iy," 

believing  that  in  deeds  of  charity,  missions  of 
love  and  acts  of  benevolence  the  left  hand 
should  not  know  what  the  riirht  doeth. 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


I^KNJAMIN  nUDl),  a  (Iwceiukiit  of  one 
'I'cllj  oF  tliu  oiliest  fuinilies  of  tlic  county,  ami  a 
fanner  of  llostraver  township,  Westmore- 
land county,  I'a.,  \v:is  jjorn  tlierc  Aui;;UHt  3, 
iMl'i,  nil  llic  I:iimI  lir  ni)U  owns  (in  llie  ^  oii;^liio- 
j;in'ny  river;  lir  is  a  sou  of  .ioseiili  ami  Hli/.a- 
lietli  (Stewart)  Umld.  His  grandfather,  Joseph 
Budd,  was  a  native  of  Ireland  and  immigrated 
to  America  during  the  Frencli  and  Indian  war, 
settling  at  what  is  known  as  Budd's  Ferry,  in 
Rostraver  township.  On  the  voyage  across  the 
Atlantic  ocean  the  ship  containing  him  and  all 
Lis  worldly  effects  was  captured  by  the  French. 
Finally  they  reached  the '' New  World,"  how. 
ever,  and  he  together  with  a  brother  who  accom- 
panied him  took  "  tomahawk  possession  "  of  a 
large  tract  of  land  and  afterwards  by  purchase 
extended  their  possession  until  they  could  travel 
from  Budd's  Ferry  on  the  "  Yough,"  to  Webs- 
ter on  the  Monongahela,  without  trespassing  on 
the  property  of  another ,  they  owned  in  all 
Several  thousand  acres.  Archibald  Stewart 
(maternal  grandfather)  was  a  descendant  of  one 
of  the  earliest  settlers  in  Rostraver  township  ; 
he  went  to  Kentucky  when  a  young  man,  mar- 
ried there  anil  afterwards  returned  to  his  native 
township,  where  he  remained  until  his  death. 
Joseph  Budd,  father  of  Benjamin,  was  born  in 
Rostraver  township  about  1789  and  died  in 
18^2.  in  the  house  now  occupied  by  his  son 
Benjamin.  He  was  by  occupation  a  farmer  and 
formerly  a  democrat  in  politics,  but  upon  the 
formation  of  the  Uepubliean  party  he  joined  that 
organization  and  like  his  father  was  a  member 
of  the  Baptist  church.  He  married  Elizabeth 
Stewart  and  they  had  ten  ciiildren.  five  sons 
and  five  daughters. 

Benjamin  Budd  received  his  education  in  the 
subscription  schools  anil  has  devoted  his  life  to 
the  pursuits  of  agriculture  in  his  native  place. 
He  is  politically  a  republican  and  together  with 
his  wife  and  four  children  is  identified  with  the 
Baptist  church.  Mr.  l!udd  served  twenty-seven 
years  as  captain  of  the  State  militia. 


Benjamin  I'udd  on  January  1,  18.")],  united 
in  marriage  with  Jeanette  Neff,  of  ^Vest  New- 
ton, and  they  had  eight  children  :  Joseph  (de- 
ceased) ;  Andrew,  married  to  Carrie  JNIcIIenry, 
and  livitig  ill  Ifo^Iraver  lown.sliip  ;  I'lli/.abetli, 
wife  of  Albert  McKelvc^^v,  of  Sewickley  town- 
shi]i ;  Bertha  E.  (deceased),  Edward,  man-ied  to 
Annie  IMcKelvey,  of  Sewickley  township  ;  Mer- 
win,  Silva,  wife  of  Harry  Steen,  of  Rostraver 
township,  and  Lavina. 


ILLIAM  A.  BYARS  was  born  in  For- 
far, Forfarshire,  Scotland,  December 
25,  1840,  and  is  a  son  of  James  and 
Margaret  (Anderson)  Byars,  both  natives  of 
Forfar,  Forfirrshire,  Scotland.  James  Byars 
who  still  resides  in  Scotland,  was  born  in  1804. 
He  learned  the  trade  of  dyer  of  cloth,  and 
Avas  afterwards  given  a  position  in  the  Post- 
Oflice  department  of  Scotland.  He  was  married 
ill  1828.  His  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Robert 
Anderson  and  the  mother  of  ten  children,  six 
sons  and  four  daughters.  William  Byars, 
father  of  James  Byars,  was  a  native  of  Sateford, 
Scotland,  and  was  born  about  1768  ;  he  was  also 
a  dyer  of  cloth  and  was  married  to  Mary  But- 
cher and  had  nine  children.  They  were  both 
members  of  the  established  church  of  Scot- 
land ;  the  former  died  in  1805  and  the  latter  in 
1837. 

William  A.  Byars  remained  with  his  parents 
and  atteniled  the  ordinary  and  high  schools. 
On  leaving  school  he  worked  in  a  general  mer- 
chandising store  for  three  years;  he  was  in  Glas- 
gow for  two  years  and  Dundee  two  years  in 
a  general  store  as  clerk.  In  1804  he  left  his 
native  land  and  went  to  South  America  where 
he  accepted  a  position  of  clerk  in  a  store  at 
Iijuique,  Peru.  He  remained  there  until  1860, 
during  which  time  he  traveled  through  nearly 
all  the  South  American  republics  and  returned 
to  Scotland  in  1870.  In  K'^71  he  came  to  the 
United  States  and  located  in  Pliiladel]iliia  where 


x.,^- 


(f^^-^^~^yv4 


WESTMORKLA ND   CO UNTY. 


lie  got  einployincnt  as  clerk  ;  lie  remained  there 
for  only  a  short  time  wlien  he  came  to  Pitts- 
hurj,'  and  lived  till  1874.  In  1874  he  came  to 
WcsliiiiiichiMd  (  iiiiiily,  jiicali'd  al  ISrlliany  wlicie 
for  three  year.i  lie  was  eiijraged  in  general  nier- 
ehandise  and  when  he  removed  to  Stoner's 
branelied  out  in  the  general  merchandising  and 
is  at  present  carrying  on  a  flourishing  busines.s. 
In  1877  he  was  married  to  Elizabeth,  a  daughter 
of  John  Stise,  of  Bethany.  To  them  have  been 
born  five  children,  names  and  births  respec- 
tively: Margaret  A.,  born  January  12,  1879; 
James  Andrew,  born  February,  1881  ;  John 
AVilliam,  born  May,  1883;  William  Anderson, 
March,  1885;   David,  born  July,  1887. 

lie  is  a  republican  and  both  he  and  wife  are 
members  of  the  "  church  of  God."  He  is  a 
man  of  considerable  information  gotten  from  ex- 
tensive travel  and  reading  and  is  one  of  the 
county's  representative  business  men. 


EV.    WILLIAiM    K.  COVERT.      The 

world  contains  plenty  of  men  who  never 
rise  above  mediocrity,  not  because  they 
lack  intellectual  ability,  but  because  they  have  no 
pusli,  no  energy,  no  force  of  character.  Among 
the  nuM  who  p'ossess  a  proper  combination  of 
mental  jiower,  jihysical  vigor  and  force  of  char- 
acter is  Rev.  ^\  .  R.  Covert,  the  pastor  of  the 
church  of  God  at  Stoners,  I'a.  He  was  born 
December  17,  1^53,  in  Fayetteville,  Lawrence 
I'ounty,  Vd..  and  is  a  sun  of  JuM'ph  and  Sujihia 
(Koss)  Covert. 

The  Covert  family  originally  came  from 
France  in  IG^.')  and  settled  near  New  York  city. 
They  wei'c  always  a  liardy  people  and  noted  for 
their  longevity.  They  are  at  present  (|uite  num- 
erous, eighteen  hundred  of  the  family  having  at- 
tended a  re-union  at  Seneca,  N.  Y.,  June  15, 
188'J.  Rev.  V\' .  \\.  Covert's  grcat-great-grand- 
iiither,  Luke  Covert,  was  burn  in  Harlem,  N. 
Y.,  September  15,  1741.  ami  he  had  a  son  Gar- 
rett  Covert   (great-grandfatlier)  who  was  born 


September  15,  17(ilK  Thomas  Covert  (grand- 
father) was  born  Feliruary  1(5,  1798,  near  Tren- 
ton, New  Jersey.  During  niost  of  hia  life  he 
was  cngagi'il  in  tiir  nieiTaiilile  l/iisincss  at  the 
town  on  the  I'.  iV  !'].  iaiiroa<l  that  liow  bears  his 
name.  He  died  at  Covert's  Mills,  I'a.,  in  187-!. 
Joseph  Covert  (father)  was  born  in  Lawrence 
county.  Pa.,  June  '22,  1818,  and  now  resides 
near  London,  Mercer  count}'.  Pa.,  where  he  is 
engaged  in  farming  and  raising  tine  stock.  He 
was  married  June  15,  1843,  to  Sophia,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Peter  Ross,  of  Westmoreland  county.  Pa. , 
who  was  born  of  Scotch-Irish  parents  August  8, 
1828,  died  November  20,  1804,  and  who  was 
the  mother  of  eight  children  of  whom  five  are 
living.  His  second  wife,  to  whom  he  was  mar- 
ried September  24,  18G5,  was  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Anderson,  who  was  born  August  8,  1833,  and 
I  who  bore  him  four  children.  The  children  by 
the  first  marriage  were  :  Nancy  Jane,  born  Sep- 
tember 0,  lfS45;  Samuel,  born  December  19, 
1847  ;  Mary  Elizabeth,  born  June  10,  1850, 
and  died  March  31,  1851 ;  Rachel,  born  March 
10,  1852,  and  died  July  3,  1852;  (Rev.)  Will- 
iam Ross,  born  December  17,  1853  ;  John  Ilez- 
ekiah,  born  I>ecember  10,  1855;  James  Domer, 
born  September  11,  1858;  Martha  Emma,  born 
December  10,  1.S02,  and  died  December  5,  1804. 
The  children  by  the  second  wife  were :  Sherman 
Fuller,  born  October  24,  1800;  Forney  Ells- 
worth, born  August  0,  1808;  Lewis  Burton, 
born  January  28,  1874;  and  Lizzie  Etta,  born 
July  23,  1877.  Joseph  Covert  was  a  democrat 
until  Lincoln's  first  administration  when  he  be- 
came an  earnest,  active  republican.  He  began 
life  a  poor  boy  but  by  his  enterprise  and  business 
qualifications  has  amassed  considerable  wealth. 

Rev.  W.  R.  Covert  was  reared  in  Mercer 
county.  Pa.,  attended  the  public  schools  and  was 
a  student  several  terms  in  the  Edinboro  State 
Normal  school.  In  1872  he  migrated  to  \\'ap- 
pello,  Iowa,  was  ordained  a  minister  of  the  gos- 
pel at  Harmony,  Iowa,  in  October,  1874,  and 
assigned    a  charge.      In    1870   he  removed    to 


BIOGRAPUIES   OF 


Moniiioiitli,  111.,  tlicnce  to  Wurrensburg,  same 
State,  where  dwiiii;  tn  illness  he  was  obli^eil  to 
rcliiKiuisli  his  stmlies  at  Liuonlii  ruiversity  as 
Weil  as  his  [jasldial  eliai'iri'.  lie  then  returned 
to  his  I'alher's  home  in  Mereer  eoinity,  I'a., 
where  he  rumaineil  recruiting  his  health  tor  a 
year,  after  ^Yhieh  he  was  sent  as  general  mission- 
ary to  Crete,  Nebraska.  In  1878  he  was  ap- 
pointed pastor  of  a  church  at  Decatur,  111.  ;  re- 
turned in  a  year  to  Mercer  county  and  opened  a 
mission  at  Clark  ^lills,  preaching  there  for  two 
years  and  at  thesanie  time  attending  Grove  City 
college.  He  was  then  sent  to  Pittsburg  as  pas- 
tor of  the  'IViwiiseml  street  church  where  he  re- 
niaiiK'd  ri\e  vt'ars,  atlainiug  (iiiite  a  reputation, 
his  serniiins  being  freipiently  jirinted  in  the 
Commercuil  Gazi-tte.  In  18(S(j  he  became  pas- 
tor of  the  church  of  God  at  Stoners,  where  be 
has  receivt'd  nim-e  than  ninety  persons  into  the 
church  fellowship  which  now  numbers  more  than 
two  hundred  and  forty  mendiers.  In  all  his 
charges  he  has  been  popular  with  the  people  ami 
has  done  most  excellent  work  for  the  church. 
He  is  a  very  active  member  of  the  Prohibition 
party  and  was  chairman  of  the  State  convention 
at  Ilarrisburg  in  ISSU.  He  is  a  prominent  mem- 
ber and  lecturer  of  the  Jr.  O.  U.  A.  M.  At 
the  re  uniipH  nf  ibe  Cuveil  buiiilv  to  be  held  in 
IS'.IO  1,,.  is  I,,  !„•  bist.irian. 

liev.  W.  U.  (Jovert  iias  won  an  enviable  repu- 
tation as  a  puldic  debater,  especially  in  repre- 
senting the  church  of  God,  in  discussions  with 
Rev.  Clark  llraden,  of  the  l>iseiple  church  and 
W.  E.  Kelley,  the  apostle  of  the  Latter  l)ay 
Saints.  In  his  great  deiiate  in  Philadelphia  in 
1885  against  Spiritualism  he  publicly  alhrmcd 
that  every  medium  was  either  a  dupe,  a  liar,  a 
fraud  or  a  knave ;  and  he  offered  five  hundred 
dollars  to  any  medium  who  could  perform  any 
of  so-called  spiritual  manifestations  which  be 
could  not  dujdicate  or  exphiin  and  demonstrate 
to  be  a.  fraud.  While  hundreds  of  Sjiiritualists, 
including  many  noted  mediums,  were  present 
none  of  them    would   aci'ept    his  oiler  whieli    is 


still  open  to  any  medium  in  the  world,  whom  ho 
will  meet  at  any  time.  l\ev.  ('(jvert  does  not 
ilenounce  honest  spiritualists  as  he  knows  they 
are  delude<l — -but  the  medium  who  knowingly 
deludes  the  people. 

As  a  scientist  Rev.  William  R.  Covert  has 
gained  considerable  reputation.  He  was  as- 
sociated for  several  years  with  Prof.  J.  Stanley 
Grimes,  of  Chicago,  and  wrote  the  introduction 
to  "  Geonomy,"  the  crowning  work  of  this  great 
scientist  which  was  published  by  J.  B.  Lippin- 
cott  k  Co.  In  the  introduction  Rev.  Covert  en- 
dorses the  beautiful  and  original  theory  :  That 
the  growth  of  the  world's  gravitation  is  due  to 
a  single  cause,  the  condensation  of  ether  and 
that  electricity,  heat  and  light  are  motions  of 
ether,  or  stated  more  generally,  that  every  par- 
ticle of  matter  is  continually  assimilating  and 
Condensing  ether,  at  the  same  time  setting  free 
its  latent  beat  which  ju'oduces  vacua,  which  the 
surrounding  ether  moves  in  to  fill  and  the  move- 
ment thus  produced  is  tlie  immeiliate  cause  of 
gravitation.  That  the  internal  heat  and  light  of 
suns  and  planets  and  our  earth  are  due  to  a  single 
cause,  the  condensation  of  ether.  That  the  la- 
tent heat  is  set  free  in  the  earth  by  the  conden- 
sation of  ether  not  having  an  ojiportunity  to 
I'adiate  or  escape  as  last  as  set  free,  produces  the 
internal  heat  in  the  earth  and  the  o.X[)ansion 
caused  by  heat  and  chemical  combinations  with 
the  sinking  of  the  ocean  beds  produces  earth- 
quakes and  volcanoes.  The  light  and  heat  of 
the  sun  is  founded  \\\iu\\  the  principle  that  "  the 
larger  a  globe  is  the  less  is  the  area  of  its  sur- 
face in  proportion  to  its  magnitude,"  and,  there- 
fore, the  more  concentrated  and  intense  must  be 
its  radiation.  That  the  radiations  of  the  sun, 
which  contains  all  but  a  mere  fraction  (1-700 
part)  of  the  matter  of  the  solar  system,  are  so 
intense  that  its  surface  becomes  luminous.  If 
the  sun  were  broken  into  small  globes  like  our 
earth  it  would  soon  cease  to  be  self-luminous. 
Aiiotlier  new  and  original  the(iry  is  '"  mir  conti- 
nents were    createil    by  the    agi'uey  of  tlit  oceau 


WESr.VOIiELA  XD   CO  UNTY. 


currents."  The  c-msc  of  tlie  ooc;in  currents  is 
gravitation,  heat,  cohl,  rotation  of  the  earth  and 
inertia  active  and  passive.  And  that  before  there 
was  any  "  dry  land  "  tiiere  was  tliree  pairs  of 
ellii)tical  ocean  ciiirents  that  collected  sediment 
on  the  ocean's  hed  wliich  oiiginally  produced  three 
pairs  of  .siid\ing  basins  which  forced  the  plastic 
strata  from  beneath  them  and  caused  it  to  raise 
the  earth's  crust  in  the  intcr-oceanic  spaces  and 
thus  creating  originally  three  pairs  of  continents, 
North  and  South  America,  Europe  and  Snuth 
Africa,  and  Asia  and  Australia." 

Rev.  Covert's  theory  is  :  this  would  of  ncces- 
silv  cause  the  land  tn  ri>e  aniiiud  llu' poli's  dv  at 
thcni)rlii  first,  which  would  shut  out  the  \\:iv\n 
water  or  tiie  ocean  cunents  Ironi  the  jkiIcs  an<l 
thus  produced  the  •'  Glacial  Epoch  "  in  which 
mighty  glaciers  advanced  from  the  north  in  not 
only  tiie  ''tertiary  age"  but  also  in  the  "car- 
boniferous "  in-  '•  coal  age  "  sinking  the  earth's 
surface  and  carrying  sediment,  rock,  gravel  and 
sand  and  spreading  it  over  the  low  lands  further 
south,  and  thus  covering  up  tiie  accumulation  of 
the  luxuriant  vegetation  of  ages  and  sinking 
them  below  the  ocean's  surface  :  and  thus  the 
pressure  and  heat  set  free  by  thecondensatidn  of 
ether  with  chemical  uniim  nr  cumbination  formed 
the  coal  beds,  the  process  wuuld  be  repeated  as 
the  earth's  surface  would  slowly  rise  again  after 
the  glaciers  would  melt  ;  and  thus  we  find  coal 
beds  that  grew  on  the  earth's  surfiice  with  sea- 
rock  formed  over  them  and  this  covered  with 
sand,  gravel,  etc.,  alid  this  repeated  several 
times,  as  there  iUc  dilVerent  beds  of  coal  one 
above  the  other  \vith  ocean-formed  rock  between 
them,  showing  there  has  been  several  Glacial 
Epochs  or  risings  and  sinkings  of  the  continents. 

In  mental  science  Kev.  Covert  is  quite  an  ex- 
pert having  been  called  in  insanity  cases.  He 
has  not  oidy  adopted  Prof.  Grimes'  science  of 
the  mind,  but  carried  it  bej'ond  the  point  left  by 
his  preceptor,  the  discoverer  of  this  new  science, 
who  was  iiimself  a  student  of  Spurzheim,  one  of 
tlie  founders  of  the  science  of  phrenology. 


Briefly  stated.  Rev.  Covert's  theory  is  that  the 
seat  of  consciousness  is  located  in  the  upper  part 
of  the  medulla  oblongata  as  locateil  by  I'rof. 
Grimes  in  ISoH  ;  that  the  mind  is  a  unit  but  has 
faculties,  and  that  each  faculty  of  the  mind  has 
a  corresponding  organ  in  the  brain  and  nervous 
system,  and  as  in  proportion  as  the  brain  and 
nervous  system  is  perfect  tlie  natural  phenomena 
of  the  mind  is  perfect.  It  is  not  the  eye  that 
sees  or  the  ears  that  hear,  but  the  mind  sees  and 
hears  through  these  organs  and  in  pro]iortion  as 
these  organs  are  jierfect  the  phenomena  of  the 
mind,  i.  e.  sight  and  hearing,  ai'e  ])erfect  and  so 
•\\  ilh  e\ery  olhei-  facully.  llcncc  if  all  men's 
brains  were  exaclly  alike  all  men  \M)uld  be 
eipndly  alike  mentally.  The  reason  men  natur- 
ally ditl'er  in  mental  phenomena,  such  as  mathe- 
matics, music,  poetry,  language,  mechanism,  etc., 
is  liecause  the  oi'gans  of  the  bi'ain  are  not  all 
equally  developeil.  The  mental  faculties  are 
divided  in  two  grand  divisions — the  "  Intellect- 
uals "  anil  -'Propensities;"  the  intellectuals  are 
divided  into  the  percc]itives  and  retlectives;  the 
propensities  into  the  "  Ipseal  "  and  "  v'^ocial." 
The  Ipseal  into  the  '■  ('orporal,"  "belligerent," 
"  Prudential,"  "  Industrial  "  and  "  Improving." 
Tlie  social  into  the  "  Domestic,"  "  Governing" 
and  "  Conforming."  ^lonomania  is  caused  by 
one  faculty  being  diseased  or  aftected.  Emotional 
insanity  is  caused  by  the  ])roi)ensities  being  dis- 
ordered. Idiocy  is  caused  by  the  intellectual 
organs  of  the  brain  being  deformed,  ilestroyed 
or  diseased;  as  a  person  may  be  blind  ami  yet 
hear,  so  a  person  may  be  monomania  or  emo- 
tional insane  and  not  intellectual  insane,  because 
the  faculties  of  the  mind  are  not  a  unit.  Mesmer- 
ism is  a  species  of  sleep  produced  by  the  undue 
excitement  of  the  conforming  organs.  Those 
who  are  subject  to  it  can  be  mesmerized  and  can 
bo  healed  of  certain  diseases  by  faith.  The  will 
de  Jure  is  a  resultant  or  decision  of  all  the  men- 
tal propensities.  The  will  de  facto  is  one  faculty 
or  propensity  running  the  mental  congress. 

l{ev.  W.  U.  ('(jvcrt   was  united    in    marriage 


BlOORAl'HIES  OF 


Januiiry  1,  1880,  with  Mis.^  Ida,  a  dauj^litcr  of 
Daniel  li.  SloiuT,  uf  near  Stiniriville.  Tiic 
marriage  eereinony  was  jjcrturnu'd  in  tlic  cluux'li 
by  Kev.  C.  II.  Forney,  D.  D.,  editur  of  the 
Church  Advocate,  of  Ilarrisburg,  and  Rev.  W. 
II.  McElveun,  of  New  Brighton,  acted  as  mas- 
ter of  ceremonies.  The  ciiurch  was  beautifully 
decorated,  the  guests  w^ere  numerous  and  distin- 
guished and  the  presents  elegant  and  costly. 


fAMUEL  DAUGIIERTY  was  born  April 
24,  18-13,  at  West  Newton,  Westmoreland 
county.  Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of  Benjamin 
and  Susan  (Coldsraitli)  Daugherty.  His  father 
was  a  native  of  Rostraver  township,  a  carpenter 
by  trade  anil  lived  all  his  life  in  this  county, 
lie  was  iiiariied  to  Susan  C^dldsniitli  and  they 
had  live  children  :  Harriet,  wife  id'  .loseph  Fin- 
ley,  a  carpenter  of  Rostraver  township;  Emily, 
wife  of  Ross  ^\'ilson,  a  farmer  of  AVashington 
county,  I'a.  ;  Alhert  (J.,  married  to  Emma 
Springer  and  now  a  ix'sident  of  Findlay,  Ohio, 
wliere  lie  is  engaged  in  the  furniture  business; 
Sarah,  wife  'if  Israel  Maston,  of  Washington 
county,  and  Samuel. 

Samuel  Daugherty,  after  attending  the  com- 
mon sciiools,  learned  tlie  carpenter  trade,  which 
he  has  followed  all  his  life.  For  about  fourteen 
years  ho  has  hem  in  ihe  employ  of  the  Gibson- 
ton  distillery  as  superintendent.  I'oliticallv  he 
is  and  always  has  been  a  denincrat  :iud  takes  an 
active  interest  in  the  success  of  his  jiarty.  lie 
has  served  on  the  couiily  couniiiltee  almost  cou- 
tiniunisly  sini'e  LS7(I  and  has  been  very  faithful 
and  valuable  in  that  ca|)acity.  He  iias  held  all 
the  ollices  of  the  borough  of  Relle  W-rnon  ;  was 
three  times  elected  justice  of  the  peace  but 
served  only  two  terms  or  ten  years.  In  1870 
Mr.  Daugherty  was  a  young  man  about  begin- 
ning life  with  no  capital  but  sterling  ipialities 
of  head  and  heart,  hut  by  economy,  energy  and 
diligence,  a  strict  and  careful  attention  to  busi- 
ness he  has  succeeded  beyond  his  own  expecta- 


tions and  has  acijiiired  a  valuable  farm  and  an 
elegant  home  in  Rostraver  townshij),  which 
stand  as  monuments  to  his  industry  and  worth. 
In  his  community  he  is  higiily  esteemed  and  in 
every  respect  is  an  excellent  man  and  citizen. 

Samuel  Daugherty  on  July  13,  1870,  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Samantha  Culler,  a 
daughter  of  Abrain  Culler  of  Washington  county, 
Pa.,  but  now  of  Belle  Vernon  and  the  fruits  of 
their  union  are  six  children  :  Joseph  C,  William 
W.,  Benjamin  F.,  Annie,  Laura  A.  and  Eva  J. 


I^IEUTENANT  WILLIAM  C.  DUSEN- 
l'  1  BERY,  a  large  landholder  and  prominent 
citizen  of  South  Huntingdon  township 
and  who  served  in  West  A'irginia  during  the 
late  war,  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Rebecca  (Cham- 
hers)  Dnseiibery  and  was  born  in  ^Monongalia 
county,  Va.  (now  W.  Va.),  April  28,  182G.  His 
grandfiithers,  John  Dusenbery  and  John  Cham- 
bers, were  both  natives  of  Ireland.  The  former 
immigrated  about  1811  to  ^Monongalia  county, 
Va.,  where  he  resided  until  his  death;  and  the 
latter,  a  Covenanter,  came  from  county  Donegal 
to  Pennsylvania  and  after  sei'ving  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary war  settled  in  Allegheny  county,  this 
State.  His  father,  Henry  Dusenbery,  was  born 
in  Philadelphia  county,  Pa.,  about  1790,  served 
in  the  war  of  1812  and  afterwards  removed  to 
Springhill  townshiji,  Fayette  county,  Pa.,  where 
he  remained  some  eight  or  ten  years  and  then' 
moved  across  the  State  line  into  Monongalia 
county,  \'a.  He  was  a  democrat,  a  member  of 
the  M.  E.  church,  and  married  Rebecca  Cham- 
bers, by  wliom  he  had  eight  children,  of  whom 
five  are  still  living. 

William  C.  Dusenbery  received  his  education 
in  the  rural  schools  of  his  day  and  worked  as  a 
day  laborer  for  ten  years  at  twenty-seven  cents 
per  day.  He  then  purchased  a  farm  in  Alle- 
gheny county.  Pa.,  which  two  years  later  lie 
rented  and  bought  one  of  his  father's  farms  in 
Virginia.      He  also  purchased  a  mill  in  Marion 


KKSTMOniCLAyD  CO USTY. 


county,  that  State.  Two  years  later  (October 
2,  18('.2)  he  enlisted  in  Co.  B,  ITCth  Reg.  W. 
Va.  Scouts,  and  was  elected  first  lieutenant, 
having  lacked  but  one  vote  of  .securing  tlie  cap- 
taincy of  the  company.  At  the  battle  of  Fair- 
mount  he  received  an  injury  in  the  knee  which 
still  gives  him  trouble.  After  the  war  he  dis- 
posed of  his  West  Virginia  property  and  bought 
a  mill  in  Allegheny  county,  Pa.,  which  he 
operated  one  year,  then  removed  to  Enon  Val- 
ley, Lawrence  county.  Pa.,  where  he  conducted 
a  hotel  for  two  years  and  at  the  end  of  that 
time  returned  to  Allegheny  county,  Pa.,  ami 
resided  there  two  years,  lie  then  purchased 
his  present  fiirm  of  350  acres  in  South  Hunt- 
ingdon township  and  since  that  time  has  been 
actively  engaged  in  farming  and  the  real  estate 
business. 

On  April  24,  1847,  he  united  in  marriage 
witli  Hetty  Ann  Iluey.  Of  their  marriage 
have  been  born  eight  children:  Henry  and 
Mary  (dead) ;  Rebecca,  w  ife  of  John  Nicewon- 
ger,  of  Mendon  ;  John  (resides  witli  liis  father). 
Belle  (deceased);  l>r.  AVashington,  wliu  read 
nu'diciue,  attended  ii'cturcs  at  Cleveland,  C)hio, 
niairlrd  Alice  (Jniver  and  dii'il  ;it  his  I'athtT's 
home  in  I'cnnsylvania  October  11,  1S8S;  Jacob 
B.  (deceased);  and  Samuel  0.,  who  married 
Flora  Malone  and  resides  with  his  father. 

Lieutenant  Dusenbery  is  a  republican  in  pol- 
itics, has  served  as  school  director  in  Jetl'erson 
township,  Allegheny  county.  Pa.,  and  is  an 
industrious  wnrkcr  in  the  interests  of  his  party. 


AVID  ERRETT,  one  of  Sewickley  town- 
ship's most  pros[)erous  farmers  and  a 
soldier  in  front  of  Riclimond  during  the 
late  war,  was  born  in  Salem  township,  West- 
moreland county.  Pa.,  February  21,  181(],  and 
is  a  son  of  Adam  and  Sarah  (Ream)  Errett. 
His  paternal  grandfather,  Ailain  Errett,  Sr., 
Avasborn  in  Ileinpfield  township,  wiievche  passed 
his  life  as  a  farmer.    He  was  a  Lutheran,  an  nld- 


line  wdiig  and  later  a  republican.  His  maternal 
grandfather,  Henry  Ream,  was  born  in  Salem 
townsiiip  where  he  lived  till  his  death,  lie  was 
a  farmer  by  occupation,  a  democrat  in  jiolitical 
sentiment  and  a  devout  member  of  the  ICvan- 
gelical  church.  Adam  Errett  (father)  was  born 
in  181G,  in  Hempfield  township,  in  which  he  has 
always  resided.  He  followed  farming  till  about 
1867,  when  he  retired  from  all  active  business 
pursuits.  He  is  a  republican  in  politics  and  a 
mendjcr  of  .'Vdamsburg  Evangelical  Lutheran 
church.  On  August  3,  1838,  he  married  Sarah 
Keam,  daughter  of  Henry  Ream,  by  wiiom  he 
has  had  four  children,  of  whom  two  are  living  : 
Cyrus,  who  lives  in  llemijtield  township  and  is 
engaged  in  farming  and  David. 

David  Errett  passed  his  boyhood  days  on  a 
farm  and  attended  the  common  schools  of  his 
native  township.  In  18G4  he  entered  company  E, 
two  Imndred  and  si.\th  reg.  Pa.  Vols,  and  served 
in  front  of  Richmond  where  he  was  chiefly  em- 
ployed in  doing  picket  duty  and  buihling  forti- 
fications around  the  doomed  capital  of  tlie 
Southern  Confederacy.  After  Lee's  surrender 
lie  returned  liome  and  was  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  Salem  township  till  187"',  wlien  he 
removed  to  Sewickley  township  ami  purchased 
a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  si.x  acres  which  he 
has  been  tilling  and  improving  ever  since.  In 
connection  with  farming  he  has  been  engaged  in 
stock-raising  for  .several  years. 

^lay  3,  1800,  he  married  Maria  Bierer,  who 
is  a  daughter  of  Amos  15icrcr,  of  Hemplield 
township.  To  ^Ir.  and  Mrs  Errett  have  been 
born  thirteen  children,  of  whom  eleven  are 
living  :  John  M.,  Adam,  Lizzie,  Abraham,  Nel- 
son, Sadie,  David,  Jr.,  Annie,  Amos,  Delia  and 
Jacob.  The  two  dead  are  William  and  Mabel. 
Mrs.  Errett  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
church  at  Adamsburg. 

In  politics  Mr.  Errett  is  a  republican.  In  re- 
ligion he  follows  the  footsteps  of  his  father  and 
grandfatlier  and  is  a  lutheran,  being  a  member 
of  the  Adainsburi'  church    of  that  religions  de- 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


nomiiKitiou.  ITo  is  a  proniiiu'nt  ami  useful  uieiii- 
bcr  of  Three  Graces  Lodge,  No.  !)34,  I.  O.  0.  F. 
Iiiilc|ieH(leiit  Onler  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Madi- 
son. 

HARLESII.  EWIG,  a  jauuiiueut  mem- 
ber     of      Dravo     Metimdist      Episcopal 

'church,  a  tasteful  farmer  of  Scwickley 
township  and  a  man  of  good  general  iufornia- 
tiou,  was  liorn  in  Bedford  county,  Pa.,  July  1, 
1842,  and  is  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Elizabeth 
(Ilutton)  Ewig.  His  grandfather,  Jacob  Ewig, 
was  a  native  of  Bedford  county,  Avhere  be  al- 
ways resided.  lie  owned  two  large  firms  in 
Bedford  county.  He  was  a  well  e<lucated  man. 
tau'^ht  sciiool  some  but  gave  his  time  cliielly  to 
farming.  He  was  a  democrat  politically,  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  married 
Mary  M.  Apple  who  bore  him  tliree  children  : 
Daniel,  -Jacob  (dead),  and  Mary  (deceased).  His 
maternal  grandfather,  John  Hutton,  >vas  born 
in  Lancaster  county,  Pa.,  but  removed  in  early 
life  to  Salem  townshiji.  (_)ne  day  he  started  on 
horseback  to  attend  some  business  and  was 
thr(jv\u  Ijy  his  horse  which  fell  on  him  and  killed 
him.  lie  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  a 
\Wiig  in  politics.  Daniel  Ewig  (father)  was  bcirn 
in  Bedford  county  in  1811.  He  followed  firm- 
ing ibr  a  few  years,  then  came  across  ibe  Alle- 
gheny Mountains  in  1S.")4  to  Monongaiiela  ('ity, 
Washington  county,  Pa.,  where  be  was  en- 
gaged in  steamboat  building  Ibr  nuiy  year.>, 
after  which  he  removed  to  his  present  home 
at  McKeesport,  Pennsylvania,  He  is  a  re- 
publican, a  member  of  the  Methodist  K).iscn]i;il 
church  and  married  Elizabetii  Ilutton.  To  their 
union  have  been  born  ten  children:  Charles  IL, 
Mary  J.,  wife  of  Albert  Wilson  ;  William  (dead), 
Jacob  (deceased),  John,  an  engineer,  who  mar- 
ried Margaret  J.  Wilson  ;  Nancy,  who  married 
Joseph  Wood  and  is  dead;  Daniel,  who  married 
Jennie  Means  and  is  superintendent  ni'  the 
Urme  coal-works  in  ()hi<j;  l^aura,  wife  of 
Thomas  Bower,  an   artist   and   photographer  in 


McKeesport,  Pa.;  Eliza  V.,  died  when  3'oung; 
and  i)avid  who  marrieil  Ella  Bell,  and  they  re- 
side in  Washington  county.  Pa.  William  Ewig, 
tiic  secon<l  son,  enlisted  in  IHl]-']  in  the  hundred 
and  fourteenth  reg..  Pa.  Vol.  cavalry,  and  served 
nearly  to  the  close  of  the  war.  He  participated 
in  several  battles,  was  taken  prisoner,  sent  to 
j  Libby  prison  and  afterwards  exchanged.  He 
j   died  soon  after  his  exchange  from  the  effects  of 

his  confinement  in  Danville  jjrison. 
■  Charles  H.  Ewig  received  a  good  common 
I  school  education  toNvliich  he  has  addeil  lai'gely 
j  by  constant  reading.  He  has  always  followed 
'  farming  and  owns  fifty-four  acres  of  land  which 
'  he  has  improveil  and  made  very  productive.  He 
:  is  a  democrat,  was  appointed  rnud  commissioner 
j  is  his  townsjiip  by  Judge  Logan,  at  expiration 
j  of  appointment  was  elected  to  same  oHice  for 
I  a  period  of  tliree  years,  and  has  served  as 
I  school  director  for  a  numlier  of  years.  In  1880 
I  was  appointed  colleetor  of  taxes  by  county  com- 
1  missioners.  He  and  his  wife  and  daufrhter  are 
members  of  Dravo  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
I  wliicii  he  has  served   as   trustee,   steward,   class 

leader  and  Sunday  scIiodI  superintendent. 
I  On  .lunc  IS,  ISd:;,  he  married  Maggie  -Mc- 
Donald, who  was  liorn  May  l!7,  IS.'Jl.  They 
I  have  had  two  children;  .Tennie  ^L,  an  intelli- 
gent young  bidy,  will)  was  burn  November  13, 
l.'^TI  ;  attended  MeadviHe  and  Heaver  colleges 
and  makes  a  specialty  of  the  languages,  and 
Sylvoter,  Ikuii  .laniiary  '2'),  187'J,  and  on  July 
8th  of  the  same  year  died.  Mrs.  Ewig  has  been 
for  thirty  ye.irs  an  active  sabbath  schoolteacher 
and  earnest  church  worker.  Her  mother,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Jane  Todd,  was  born  in  county 
'J'yrone,  L'eland,  August  .j,  180(j,  and  died 
February  '2.'),  1874,  just  twenty-three  years  after 
her  husband  (Alexander  McDonald's)  death. 
His  father,  Alexander  McDonald,  Sr.,  owned  the 
farm  where  JMrs.  Ewig  and  her  husband  now 
reside,  of  which  their  daughter  Jennie  is  the 
lifth  (5th)  generatii^n  still  living  on  the  farm. 
In  1883    Mr.  Ewig  was  a   deb^-gate    to  the  Lay 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


581 


Electral  conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  at  Beaver  Pa.  He  has  hitoly  received 
an  invitation  from  the  World's  Fair  Committee 
to  attend  iit  ('lii<"iL'0  in  IMD'i. 


TUIIN  G.  FELGER,  one  of  Sewickley  town- 
t  ship's  active  and  prosperous  farmers  and  a 
(2/  Pennsylvania  veteran  who  was  twice 
wounded  in  the  late  war,  is  a  son  of  John 
Casper  and  Elizabeth  (Mertz)  Felger  and  was 
born  at  Waiblingen,  kingdom  of  Wurtendjerg, 
<irnnahy,  May  2,  1840.  John  Casper  Felger, 
who  was  a  farmer  in  Germany  immigrated  to 
the  United  States  in  1847.  He  located  at  ^Vest 
Newton  where  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business  and  dieil  after  a  residence  of  six  months. 
He  married  Elizabeth  Mertz,  by  wlioin  he  had 
seven  children,  of  whom  three  lived  to  be  men 
and  women.  Mrs.  Felger  died  in  1888.  Slie 
was  a  daughter  of  Casper  Mertz  who  came  on  the 
same  ship  to  America  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Felger 
in  the  fall  of  1847.  He  was  well  advanced 
in  years  and  died  a  few  days  after  landing  at 
New  York  City.  He  was  pressed  with  his  team 
when  living  in  Europe  to  liaul  provisions  for 
Bonaparte's  army. 

John  G.  Felger  left  Germany  before  lie  was 
old  enough  to  receive  the  educational  advantages 
of  that  country.  He  received  liis  education  in 
the  common  schools  of  Sewickley  township  and 
when  Lincoln  made  his  first  call  for  three  liund- 
red  thousand  men  lie  enlisted  in  tiie  United 
States  service  September  4,  1801,  in  company 
E,  one  hundred  and  fifth  reg..  Pa.,  Vols.,  and 
served  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  until  Sep- 
tember 14,  18t)4,  when  he  was  iionorably  dis- 
charged from  the  service  of  the  United  States. 
He  was  at  the  siege  of  Yorktown  and  in  the  bat- 
tles of  Williamsburg,  Fair  Oaks  and  Charles 
City  X  Roads  where  he  was  wounded  in  the 
thigh.  He  then  was  sent  to  the  hospital  at 
Annapolis,  Md.,  where  he  remained  two  months. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  he  rejoined  liis  regiment 


south  of  Washington  City  and  participated  in  the 
battles  of  Fredericksburg,  Chaiicellorsville, 
Gettysburg,  the  Mine  Run  campaign  and  the 
terrildo  Wilderness  lli;!its,  in  tiio  lust  of  whidi  lie 
was  .seri(jus]y  woundi  li  in  thr  kiuc.  lie  tiuni 
was  removed  to  the  hospital  at  Saterlee  United 
States  hosjiital.  West  Philadelphia,  where  he 
remained  until  he  was  discharged. 

After  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Felger  engaged 
in  his  present  business  of  farming  and  stock- 
raising.  He  owns  a  farm  of  two  hundred  acres 
of  good  farming  and  grazing  land  which  is  sit- 
uated in  the  south  central  part  of  the  township 
and  within  easy  ilistancc  of  Cowansburg  railroad 
station,  Youghiogheny.  In  politics  he  has 
always  been  a  republican.  He  is  a  member  and 
trustee  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of 
AVineland  Grove  and  belongs  to  Youghiogiieny 
Grange,  Patrons  of  Husbandry,  at  West  New- 
ton. He  has  always  believed  that  the  promo- 
tion of  the  best  interests  of  agricultural  pur- 
suits would  be  secured  by  an  honorable  and 
reliable  farmers'  organization,  and  he  advo- 
cates the  Grange  as  representative  of  the  best 
organized  effort  ever  niaile  for  the  protection 
and  [iromotion  of  agricultural   interests. 


EHEMIAH  FINLEY,  one  of  South 
Huntingdon's  reliable  and  substantial 
farmers,  is  a  son  of  Capt.  John  and  Polly 
(Stokcly)  Finley  and  was  born  in  South  Hunt- 
ingdon township,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa., 
January  6,  1821. 

Andrew  Finley  (grandfather)  was  born 
in  Virginia  from  which  he  migrated  in  an 
early  day  to  Westmoreland  county  where  he 
settled  in  South  Huntingdon  township.  He 
owned  a  farm  of  four  hundred  acres  and  was 
a  prominent  man  in  the  early  history  of  that 
township.  He  was  a  presbyterian  and  a  demo- 
crat and  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  for 
many  years. 

Capt.  John  Finley  (fatlier)  was  born  in  1790 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


and  always  followcil  tanning.  He  comniauilcd 
a  militia  company  lor  many  years  ami  si.'rvtil  as 
justice  of  tlio  peace  tor  several  terms.  He  was 
a  ileniocrat  and  a  presbylerian  aiicl  dieil  on 
the  homestead  farm,  lie  married  Polly  Stokely 
by  whom  he  hail  nine  children,  of  whom  seven 
are  dead.  Mrs.  Finley  was  a  daughter  of 
Nehemiah  Stokely,  who  was  a  native  of  A'^ir- 
ginia  and  first  came  to  western  Pennsylvania 
as  a  soldier  in  a  company  which  was  sent  out 
against  the  Indians.  He  served  as  justice  of 
the  peace  in  1782  and  was  for  many  years  a 
very  prominent  military  man  in  South  Hunting- 
don township. 

Nehemiah  Finley  was  reared  to  manhood  on 
his  father's  farm.  He  attended  the  subscription 
schools  of  his  native  township  and  upon  attain- 
ing his  majority  engaged  in  farming  and  stock- 
raising.  He  owns  a  well  cultivated  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  thirty  acres  and  raises  some 
very  fine  stock. 

He  was  married  to  Josephine  Kerr.  Their 
union  was  blessed  with  two  children  :  I'olly, 
who  married  Jacob  Mason,  of  McKeesport,  Pa., 
and  Lucetta,  wife  of  William  McMichael,  who  is 
a  blacksmith  of  South  Huntingdon  township. 

Nehemiah  Finley  has  ever  been  a  stanch 
republican  from  principle  and  is  always  deeply 
interested  in  whatever  bcnelits  farming.  His 
farm  is  well  improved,  productive  ami  is  con- 
veniently located  to  church,  school  and  mar- 
ket. 

•|'()1IN  i;.  KISIIKK,  a  s.m  of  (ir(,rge  and 
t  Margaret  (Colure)  Fisher,  was  Imrn  Octo- 
(*/  ber  7,  1812,  in  llostraver  townshiji,  West- 
moreland county.  Pa.  John  Fisher  (grand- 
father) a  native  of  Germany,  immigrated  to 
America  and  settled  in  Lancaster  county.  Pa., 
where  he  followed  Aveaving  and  farming.  His 
maternal  grandl'ather  Cidure  was  a  resident  of 
East  Jlunlingilmi  township,  \\  estnioreland 
County,  Pa.,  in  which  jilacc  he  died.  (Jeorge 
Fisher  (father)  was  born  in  Lancaster  county, 


Pa.,  and  came  with  his  ]iarents  to  Westmoreland 
county.  Pa.,  settling  in  llostraver  township, 
where  he  purchased  land,  about  two  hundred 
ami  eighty  acres,  and  went  to  farming.  He  was  a 
democrat,  an  active  worker  for  tlie  interests  and 
success  of  his  party  and  devoted  member  of  the 
Lutheran  church. 

John  G.  Fisher's  wife_  was  Charlotte,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Solomon  Suter  and  they  had  two  chil- 
dren :  Mary  and  Ida  Belle.  In  1869  his  wife 
died  and  Mr.  Fisher  married  again,  his  second 
wife  being  Charlotte,  a  daughter  of  William 
Hough,  of  South  Huntingdon  township,  West- 
moreland county.  Pa.,  and  to  their  union  have 
been  bora  three  children  :  William  (dead),  Cla- 
rissa (dead),  and  Margaret. 

John  G.  Fisher  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  Rostraver  township,  this  county,  since 
which  he  has  devoted  his  attention   to   agricul- 
tural pursuits  in  his  native  township.     He  is  a 
political    disciple  of   JctVerson  and  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church   for  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  century.     Mr.  Fisher  is  an 
estimable     gentleman    upon     whose    head     the 
snows    of   nearly    eighty    winters    have    fallen. 
Seneca  says,  '•  Life  is  a  voyage,  in  the  progress 
!  of   which    we    are   perpetually     changing    our 
j  scenes;   we  first  leave  childhood  behind  us,  then 
j  youth,  then  the  years  of  ripened  manhood,  then 
j   the  better  and  more  pleasing  ])arts  of  old  age." 
j  In  these    -pleasing   parts,"   therefore,  we   find 
[  Mr.   Fisher  anil  wish  him  many  years'  enjoy- 
1   nu'Ut  of  ihem  ere  he  is  called  to  the   laud  of  hii 
fathers. 

•j-OHN  C.  FLANAGAN,  a  prominent  and 
l'  well  respected  citizen  in  his  neighborhood 
(*/  and  a  prosperous  farmer  of  llostraver  town- 
ship, is  a  son  of  Patrick  and  Nancy  (Hastings) 
Flanagan  and  was  born  on  the  obi  homestead 
fuiii  111  I!M>ti:iver  iiiwnshi]),  AVcstmoreland 
ciumly,  !'a.,  .M.irch  ;!0,  1,S2(;.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  James  Flanagan,  was  a  native  of 
Ireland,  where  he  lived  and  died  when  well  ad- 


WKSTMORKLA ND   CO  t/iVri'. 


58:J 


vanced  in  years.  His  maternal  grandfather, 
William  Hastings,  emigrated  from  Ireland  and 
sctlleil  near  I'rownsville,  Ta.,  wliere  lie  and  liis 
wilr  died  s<iirii!  yrars  after  llieir  arrival.  He 
wa.s  a  farmer,  a  deiiiiicrat  and  a  ])ie.-^lj_Yterian. 
His  father,  Patrick  Flanagan,  was  born  in  Ire- 
land in  177G,  where  he  lived  until  he  was 
eighteen  years  of  age,  when  he  crossed  the 
Atlantic  ocean  and  came  to  western  Pennsyl- 
vania. He  became  a  contractor  on  the  National 
road  or  "Old  Pike"  between  Uniontown  and 
Brownsville.  He  married  and  removed  to  Ros- 
traver  township,  wIktc  lie  ])urcliased  and  tilled 
the  farm  now  ()Wiie<l  by  the  subjtx't  of  this 
sketch.  He  was  a  successful  farmer  and  an 
ardent  democrat.  His  first  wile  was  Nancy 
Hastings,  by  whom  he  had  si.\  children  :  Mary 
J.,  Eliza,  wife  of  Thomas  J.  Hay  ;  Margaret  A. 
(d(;ceasud);  William  (deceased);  John  ('.  and 
Uev.  Jauies  11.,  a  Presbyterian  minister  of 
thirty-five  years  standing  and  who  has  been  the 
popular  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at 
Grafton,  W.  Va.,  for  the  last  twenty-one  years. 
After  his  first  wife's  death  ]\Ir.  Planagan  mar- 
ried Margaret  Bailey,  who  bore  him  one  child. 
Belle  F. 

John  C.  Flanagan  received  his  education  in 
the  schools  of  his  neighborhood  and  has  always 
been  engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising. 
He  owns  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven  acres  of 
the  cilil  homestead  farm,  which  originally  con- 
tained olio  hundred  and  si.xty-nine  acres  of  land, 
besides  controlling  his  late  brother  William's 
estate  of  one  hundred  and  si.xty-nine  acres. 
John  C.  Flanagan's  farm  is  well  improve<l  and 
very  productive.  He  has  engaged  to  some  ex- 
tent of  late  years  in  raising  improved  stock  and 
at  present  owns  several  flocks  of  very  fine  sheep. 

On  August  29,  18G0,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Sarah  Ann,  daughter  of  A.  U.  Smith,  of 
Rostraver  township.  They  had  two  children  : 
Mary  E  and  Maggie  B.  ^Irs.  Flanagan  was  a 
member  of  the  PresljyLcrian  clmrch  and  passed 
,  to  hci-  eternal  home  on  Februaiy  "J,  li^.^N. 


John  C.  Flanagan  is  a  democrat  in  politics 
and  has  filled  all  the  ollices  of  his  township. 
He  is  a  memlier  of  Ueliobotli  Presbyterian 
church  and  enjoys  the  respect  of  his  neighbors. 


/TNAVID 
^jy   Ilunti 


AVID  F.  FOX,  a  retired  farmer  of  East 
:ingdon  township,  Westmoreland 
county,  I'a.,  was  born  there  in  1815  and 
is  a  son  of  Christian  and  Elizabeth  (Funk)  Fox. 
Henry  Fox,  his  grandfather,  was  a  native  of 
Chester  county,  Pa.,  removeil  to  this  county 
about  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century  and 
began  farming  in  East  Huntingdon  township, 
where  he  remained  until  his  death  in  1824. 
Christian  Fox  (father)  was  born  in  Chester 
county  in  1785  and  came  to  this  county  with 
his  father  in  1700.  He  attended  the  very  com- 
mon schools  of  that  day  and  by  iinlustry  and 
ellort  obtained  a  fair  education.  He  renr.iined 
at  home  until  his  father's  death,  then  took  charge 
of  the  old  homestead  farm  on  which  he  continued 
until  1873,  when  ho  was  gathered  to  his  fathers. 
He  was  married  in  1811  to  Elizabeth  a  daugh- 
ter of  Rev.  David  Funk,  of  this  county,  and  to 
their  union  were  born  eight  children,  four  of 
whom  are  living  :  David  F.,  Mary,  widow  of 
Jacob  Overholt ;  John  F.,  now  of  Findlay,  Ohio, 
and  Abraham,  who  lives  in  California.  Mrs. 
Fox,  the  mother  of  these  children,  died  in 
1S71. 

David  F.  Fox  was  reared  on  his  fatiier's 
farm,  attended  the  public  schools  and  in  1840 
rented  a  farm  in  East  Huntingdon  township  and 
began  life  for  himself  as  a  farmer.  Three  years 
later  he  purchased  a  farm  in  Sewickley  town- 
ship, sold  it  four  years  afterwards  and  bought 
one  in  his  native  township.  In  1858  he  ]nir- 
chased  the  old  homestead  farm  and  lived  on  it 
until  1876,  when  he  bouglit  property  at  Tarr's 
station  and  moved  there.  While  a  farmer  he 
maile  a  specialty  of  stock  dealing,  in  which  he 
was  very  successful.  In  politi(^s  he  ailliercs  to 
the  princi)iles  of  the  l!e[)uldi(;au   party;    he   be- 


584 


BIOORAPHIES  OF 


longs  with  his  wife  to  thu  c-hurcli  of  (jod  at 
Stoneivillo. 

David  F.  Fox  was  married  in  1S40  to  Mary, 
a  (hiugliter  of  Joiiu  Silianian,  of  East  1  hintiiig- 
ilon  townsliij),  a  lady  of  Irish  descent,  who  was 
born  in  IMIT  and  wiio  has  borne  him  five  ciiil- 
dren,  of  whom  two  are  living:  Phebe  A.,  wife 
of  William  Stoner,  and  Mary  C,  married  to  P. 
R.  Tarr,  all  residents  of  East  Huntingdon  town- 
slii[i. 

The  Fox  family  is  among  tiie  old  and  early 
settled  families  of  the  county  and  its  members 
have  always  been  highly  respected,  substantial 
citizens. 


•jlrjIIN  C.  FOX,  an  influential  citizen  and 
'I  useful  business  man  of  Sewickley  town- 
ee ship,  was  born  in  East  Huntingdon  town- 
ship, Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  March  8, 1829, 
and  is  a  son  of  Henry  H.  and  Magdalena 
(Christman)  Fox.  The  Fox  family  of  tliis 
county  have  been  chiefl}'  farmers  fur  o\'er 
one  hundred  years  and  none  of  its  members 
have  ever  l)een  politicians.  Henry  Fox  (great- 
grandfatlier)  was  born  in  Chester  county,  Pa., 
in  IT  If)  and  settleil  in  Mount  Pleasant  townshij) 
in  the  spring  of  17U7.  He  located  two  and 
and  one-half  miles  west  of  Mount  Pleasant, 
where  he  owneil  three  hundred  acres  of  the 
smoothest  and  finest  farming  land  in  the  town- 
ship. He  liad  two  sons  and  several  da\ighters 
and  sleeps  in  the  Stonersville  cemetei  v  beside 
liis  Min  .li>lin  and  gnindsnn  llrnry  Iv.  llcnrv 
Fox  died  July  -J.'),  IMJI,  aiul  liis  wife,  Mary, 
survived  him  until  August  oD,  is;]!,  nhcu  she 
]iasscd  away  in  the  eightieth  year  of  her  a"e. 
.inliii  li'iix  (granilfather)  was  born  in  Chester 
county.  Pa.,  October  "ill,  1777,  and  died  March 
17,  18GG.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Mennonite 
church,  an  old-line  whig  and  industrious  farmer 
and  owned  six  hundred  acres  of  the  finest  farm- 
ing land.  He  was  twice  married.  His  first 
wile  was  Eli/.abclb  Koscnberger,  to  whom  was 
iinrn  (Uie  son  and  three    daU'dilers,  and   his  sec- 


ond wife  was  Caroline  Fredrika  Sharber,  was  a 
native  of  Germany,  to  whom  were  born  six  sons 
and  one  daughter.  His  son  by  the  first  mar- 
riage was  Henry  U.  Fox  (father),  who  was  born 
April  2-1,  1804,  in  East  Huntingdon  township, 
where  he  died  September  12,  1888.  He  was 
reared  in  Mount  Pleasant  township,  where  he 
learned  the  trade  of  tanner,  but  soon  moved 
back  to  his  native  township  and  followed  the 
tanning  business  for  several  years.  He  then 
engaged  in  farming  and  pursued  it  during  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Mennonite  church,  an  old-line  whig  and  after- 
wards a  republican.  On  April  28,  1852,  he 
married  Magdalena  Christman,  who  bore  him 
eight  children  :  Catherine,  who  married  H.  S. 
Stoner,  now  of  Nebraska ;  John  C,  Jacob  C, 
who  maried  Sarah  Dillinger ;  Mary  A.,  mar- 
ried D.  W.  Shupe,  a  member  of  Co.  K,  two 
hundred  and  eleventh  reg.,  Pa.  A''ols.,  who  fell 
before  Petersburg,  and  Henry  C.,  who  married 
Harriet  Lucetta  Fisher,  who  lives  near  Greens- 
burg.  Mrs.  Magdalena  Fox  was  a  daughter  of 
Jacob  Christman,  who  was  a  farmer  of  Mount 
Pleasant  township,  a  member  (jf  the  (ierniaii 
Kefoiined  church  anil  married  first  a  Miss 
Laufl'er,  by  whom  he  had  two  sons  and  seven 
ilaughters,  and  afterwards  a  widow  Albright,  by 
whom  he  had  two  daughters.  Mrs.  Fox  was 
iilso  a  sister  of  Hon.  Jacob  Christman,  who 
served  in  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania  and 
whose  descendants  are  now  in  the  west. 

John  C.  Fox  attended  the  rural  schools  of  his 
day.  He  followed  farming  for  several  years  in 
East  Huntingdon,  Mount  Pleasant  and  North 
Huntingdon  townships.  In  18()4  he  removed 
to  Sewickley  township,  where  ho  owns  a  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  twenty-two  acres. 

On  March  4,  1851,  he  was  married  to  Han- 
nah Kintigh,  who  was  born  July  1,  1830,  and 
is  a  daughter  of  Ailam  Kintigh,  whose  young- 
est son,  Anthony,  was  killed  at  the  battle  of 
Mnrfreesboro.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fox  have  been 
born    eight    children:      Elmina,   born   April   7, 


WES7  MORELA  ND  CO  UNTY. 


585 


18;")4,  die.l  in  1804 ;  S:irali  E.,  born  July  9, 
ISaO,  and  wife  of  W.  II.  Iligliberger ;  Isiuloia, 
born  June  23,  1858,  and  married  to  Albert  C. 
Ilighberger;  LutilhiH  ('.,  liorn  February  12, 
18tjl  ;  Lizzie,  born  Oetober  21,  1803,  died 
in  infancy;  William  II.,  born  Oetober  7, 
18G6  ;  Emma,  born  July  26,  18G8  ;  Magdalena, 
born  April  11,  1871,  and  Mary  A.,  born  Au- 
gust 4,  1873.  Mrs.  Hannah  Fox  is  a  grand- 
daughter of  Anthony  Iluft",  who  was  a  son  of 
one  of  the  early  pioneers  of  Mt.  Pleasant  town- 
ship and  had  ten  sons  and  two  daughters.  The 
Ruffs  were  an  important  family  and  for  further 
account  of  them  see  sketch  of  G.  A.  Ruff. 

John  C.  Fox  was  an  old-line  whig,  then  a  re- 
publican and  now  is  a  prohibitionist,  but  no 
politician,  lie  and  his  entire  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  United  Brethren  church,  in  which 
he  is  serving  as  Sunday-school  superintendent 
and  has  been  class  leader  and  steward.  Mr.  Fox 
is  a  good  business  man,  has  settletl  up  several 
estates  and  was  school  director  of  Mars  Hill 
Independent  School  district  for  fifteen  years. 


*^IIOMAS  D.  FREEBLE,  the  clhcicnt 
\JfJ  postmaster  at  StaufTer's,  Pa.,  was  born 
'!>  June  25,  1843,  in  Derry  township,  West- 
moreland county,  Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas 
and  Ellen  (Alexander)  Freeble.  His  father, 
Thomas  Freeble,  a  carpenter  and  contractor, 
was  born  in  1813  in  Unity  township,  same 
county,  but  worked  at  his  trade  in  Derry  town- 
ship until  his  death  in  1848.  He  married  in  1835, 
Ellen,  daughter  of  William  Alexander  of  Salem  (a 
descendant  of  the  family  of  whom  the  town  of 
New  Alexandria  was  named),  of  Salem  tfiwnship, 
Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  and  they  bad  .six 
children,  of  whom  but  two  are  living.  He  was 
a  republican  and  with  his  wife  belonged  to  the 
Lutheran  church.     He  died  in  1848. 

Thomas  D.  Freeble  was  reared  in  Derry  town- 
ship, in  New  Alexandria,  Pa.,  where  he  attended 
the  public  schools  ;  he  also  went  one  year  to 


Duff's  Commercial  college,  Pittsburg,  Pa.  In 
1801  he  enlisted  in  Co.  K,  11th  Pa.  Vols.,  un- 
der Col.  Coulter  of  Grecnsburg,  and  served  till 
IHOy.  In  18(14  be  again  enlisted  for  one  year 
in  Co.  A,  110th  reg.  Pa.  Vols.,  and  served  till 
the  close  of  the  war.  Mr.  Freeble  took  jiart  in 
the  battles  of  Fredericksburg,  Bull  Run  and 
Antietam,  and  other  smaller  engagements.  Af- 
ter the  war  he  went  to  Sharpsburg,  Allegheny 
county.  Pa.,  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  for 
a  year,  removed  to  West  Newton,  Pa.,  where  he 
was  engineer  at  the  old  coal  shaft  for  two  years  and 
and  fireman  for  a  time  on  the  B.  &  0.  R.  R. ;  in 
1808  went  to  Monongahela  City  and  ran  an  en- 
gine in  planing  mills  for  three  years,  and  for  two 
years  was  engineer  on  the  P.  V.  ..t  C.  U.  R., 
and  from  there  (in  1874)  went  to  his  present 
location  at  Stauffer,  Pa.,  where  he  was  engineer 
for  the  coke  works  about  thirteen  years.  In  con- 
nection with  that  he  served  two  terms  as  postmas- 
ter, receiving  the  first  appointment  under  Gar- 
field's administration  and  the  second  under  Har- 
rison's. He  is  (juite  active  in  behalf  of  the  Re- 
publican party  and  is  a  prominent  member  of 
Robert  Warden  Post,  No.  163,  G.  A.  R.,atMt. 
Pleasant,  Pa. 

Thomas  D.  Freeble,  in  1805,  married  Mary 
B.,  a  daughter  of  James  M.  McKean  (great- 
grandson  of  Thomas  McKean,  signer  of  the  De- 
claration of  Independence),  of  Salem  township, 
Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  and  to  their  union 
have  been  born  nine  children,  six  of  whom  are 
living:  Thomas  M.,  Augustus  G.,  James  L., 
Emma  M.,  Ivy  May  and  Pearl  Roche. 


AVID  C.  FRICK.  One  of  the  foremost 
Pv  business  men  of  the  pleasant  little  village 
of  Rurs  Dale,  is  David  C.  Friek.  He 
is  a  son  of  Daniel  W.  and  Mary  (Coughenour) 
Friek,  and  was  born  in  South  Huntingdon  town- 
ship, Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  November  17, 
1846.  Daniel  \V.  Friek  was  born  in  1817,  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  subscription  scho(jls, 


BIOGRAriHES  OF 


bogan  farming  fov  liiuiself  in  18:58  ami  reiiiDvnl  to 
I 'avis  counlv,  Iowa,  in  LSfiL',  wlicrc  \w  \<\w- 
cliased  a  laiui  but  sobl  it  (biriiig  that  same  yiar. 
]lu  tliuli  rcturiK'il  to  this  cimiity  whcvu  he 
bought  bis  present  farm  in  iSoiuh  Huntingdon 
township,  of  John  Forsytlie.  He  is  a  ileiiioerat 
and  has  been  a  very  successful  farmer.  In  1845 
he  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Jolin  (.'ougbenour, 
of  Ilostraver  townsbip,  this  county.  They  had 
three  children,  of  ■whom  David  G.  and  PrisciJla 
are  living.  Mrs.  Frick  died  in  1804  and  Mr. 
Frick  was  married  the  ensuing  year  to  Mrs. 
Anna  Tinsman.  Daniel  W.  Frick  is  a  son  of 
George  Frick  (grandfather)  who  was  born  in 
Westmoreland  county  in  1792  and  died  in  1855. 
George  Frick  was  a  farmer,  distiller  and  mer- 
chant. He  married  Susan  Oorder  who  died  in 
1856.  He  was  an  active  business  man,  a  life- 
long democrat  and  served  very  creditably  in  the 
war  of  1812. 

David  C.  Frick  passed  his  early  years  on  his 
father's  farm  and  attended  the  common  schools. 
He  assisted  his  father  in  farming  until  1806 
when  he  migrated  to  the  State  of  Iowa  where  ho 
labored  on  a  farm  in  Scott  county  for  nearly  a 
year.  In  1867  he  re-crossed  the  Mississippi 
'river  into  Illinois  and  worked  for  two  years  in  a 
hnnber  mill  at  liapid  city.  In  186'.)  Mr.  Frick 
rctuined  to  his  native  county  and  in  1870  re- 
moved to  Mt.  Pleasant  where  he  worked  for 
three  years  at  carpentering.  In  1873  he  came 
to  lluft"s  Dale,  engaged  in  his  present  contract- 
ing and  building  business,  and  eleven  years  later 
established  his  planing-mill  and  lumber  yard. 
He  has  a  very  neat  and  well-equij)ped  shop  and 
is  amply  prepared  to  do  any  kind  of  work  in  his 
line  of  business. 

On  April  26,  1874,  he  married  Mattie  Recce, 
daughter  of  John  Ileece,  of  East  Huntingdon 
township.  To  their  union  have  been  born  six 
children,  two  sons  and  four  daughters,  of  whom 
four  are  living.  Mrs.  h'rick  was  born  in  1855 
and  is  a  member  of  tiie  Methodist  Episcopal 
churcii. 


D.  0.  Frick  is  active  and  enterprising  and 
lias  been  very  successful  in  liis  present  business 
of  contracting  and  building.  He  is  a  democrat, 
has  served  as  township  assessor  and  collector  ami 
is  a  member  of  Unice  Lodge,  No.  86LI,  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 


y  AMES  P.  FRYE,  M.  D.,  of  Webster,  was 
'l  born  December  25,  1849,  in  Washington 
(1/  county.  Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of  Solomon  and 
Charlotte  (Scott)  Frye.  His  grandfather,  Sam- 
uel Frye,  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  died  in 
Washington  county.  Solomon  Frye  was  born  in 
1811  in  Washington  county  where  he  followed 
farming  for  many  years,  after  which  he  removed 
to  California,  Pa.,  and  kept  a  drug  store. 
Politically  heis  a  republican  and  in  religious 
faith  adheres  to  the  teachings  of  the  Disciple 
church  with  which  he  is  identified.  He  mar- 
ried Charlotte  Scott,  whose  immediate  ances- 
tors were  residents  of  Washington  county  and 
they  had  nine  children,  of  whom  seven  are 
living,  all  being  in  the  employ  of  railroad 
companies  except  Dr.  James  P.   Frye. 

Dr.  James  P.  Frye  was  educated  at  the 
California  State  Normal  school,  after  which 
lie  entered  the  college  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons at  Raltimore,  from  whieli  institution  he 
was  graduated  in  1881.  Immediately  after 
graduation  he  located  at  Webster,  this  county, 
where  he  has  over  since  been  engaged  in  tlie 
practice  of  his  profession  and  has  met  with 
excellent  success.  He  is  a  republican  in  poli- 
tics and  like  his  father  is  a  member  of  the 
Disciple  churcli,  while  his  wife  belongs  to  the 
Methodist. 

Dr.  James  P.  Frye  on  the  23d  of  Decem- 
ber, 1884,  was  united  in  marriage  with  Ada 
L.  Sansom,  a  daughter  of  Irving  Sansom,  and 
their  union  has  been  blessed  with  one  child, 
a  daughter,  wiiom  they  have  named  Frances 
Folsom  Frye. 


]vi-stmori:land  co untv. 


•JPUIIN  Fl'LLKllTON,  one  of  the  iictivc  :uid 
I  iiitelliiront  citizens  of  !-^oiitli  Iliiiitini^clon 
(tJ  townsbip,  as  well  as  one  of  the  towiisliip's 
most  substantial  farniei's,  was  born  in  i  lc'iii|ifieltl 
townsbi]),  Westniorelaml  county,  I'a.,  January 
2;"),  1830,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Mary 
(Kilgore)  Fullerton.  His  grandfather,  William 
Fullcrton,  uas  born  and  reared  in  county 
Antrim,  Ireland,  where  ho  lived  and  died.  He 
was  an  industrious  and  well-to-do  farmer.  One 
of  his  sons  was  Samuel  Fullerton  (father)  who 
immigrated  to  America  about  1818.  He  settled 
near  (ireensburg.  He  died  near  West  Newton 
in  1877,  aged  eighty -three  years.  Before  leav- 
ing Ireland  he  learned  the  trade  of  weaver  which 
he  followed  for  several  years  after  coming  to 
Westmoreland  county.  When  he  quit  weaving 
he  engaged  in  farming  which  he  followed  until 
his  death.  He  was  a  democrat  of  the  old  school 
and  a  useful  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
His  wife  was  Mary  Kilgore,  by  whom  he  had 
two,  sons :  John  and  William,  who  was  a  farmer 
of  South  Iluntingclon  township,  in  which  bodied 
January  1,  1800.  Mrs.  Fullerton  was  a  grand- 
daughter of  Capt.  David  Kilgore  (maternal 
grandfather)  who  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent. 
He  was  born  in  Cumberland  county,  I'a.,  in 
174a,  removed  to  this  county,  commanilod  a 
company  in  the  eighth  reg.,  of  the  Pennsylvania 
line  during  the  Revolutionary  war  and  died  July 
11,  1814.  (See  sketch  of  his  grandson,  Jesse 
Kilgore.) 

.lohn  Fullerton  received  his  education  in  the 
comniou  scliuiils  of  Westmoreland  and  Fayette 
counties  and  Mt.  Pleasant  high  school.  Leaving 
school  he  followed  teaching  in  Tyrone  township, 
Fayette  county  and  various  other  townships  in 
Westmoreland  county  for  seven  years.  He  then 
in  1862  engaged  in  farming  in  Mt.  Pleasant 
township,  which  he  pursued  till  1864  when  he 
removed  to  where  he  now  lives  in  South  Hunt- 
ingdon township. 

On  December  20,  1860,  he  married  Margaret 
J    iiaut,  who  was  a  daughter  of  John  Gaut,  and 


died  July  9,  1876.  To  this  union  were  born 
eight  children:  Mary  (drad)  ;  Margaret  II., 
wife  of  G.  W.  Painter,  who  is  a  farmer  of  Cass 
county,  Mo.;  .lohn.  a  farmer  of Nehemaha  coun- 
ty, Nebraska;  William  (deceased)  ;  Albert,  who 
married  Lizzie  Blackburn  and  is  a  farmer  ; 
Martha,  Samuel  and  Clara  A. 

In  political  opinion  Mr.  Fullerton  is  a  demo- 
crat. His  home  farm  consists  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty-si.x  acres  and  another  farm  in  the  town- 
ship which  he  owns  contains  one  hundred  and 
fifty  acres  of  i.'Ood  farming  land. 


AT  HAN  N.  FULLERTON,  a  well  known 
citizen  of  Sewickley  township,  and  who 
made  an  enviable  war  record  in  the  cause 
of  the  Union  during  the  late  war,  is  a  son  of 
Aloxamler  and  Louisa  (Newlon)  Fullerton  and 
was  born  in  Allegheny  county.  Pa.,  January  4, 
1844.  His  grandfathers,  William  Fullerton  and 
Nathan  Newlon,  were  farmers  and  natives  re- 
spectively of  Ohio  and  Allegheny  county.  Pa. 
Ilis  father,  Alexander  Fullerton,  was  born  in 
Ohio,  but  came  to  Westmoreland  county  and 
worked  in  Markle's  paper  mill,  where  he  re- 
ceived injuries  that  resulted  in  his  death.  He 
married  Louisa  Newlon  and  left  eight  children  : 
Nathan  N.,  A.  Byram,  married  to  iSIartha 
Greenawalt,  resides  at  McKees])ort,  Pa.,  was  a 
soldier  during  the  last  war,  enlisted  in  Co.  K, 
fifteenth  Pa.  Cavalry  and  was  with  Sherman  in 
his  march  to  the  sea ;  William  M.,  who  enlisted, 
in  August,  1862,  in  Co.  F,  one  hundred  and 
fifty-fifth  reg.  Pa.  Vols.,  participated  in  several 
battles  and  received  injuries  at  the  battle  of 
Fredericksburg  which  resulted  in  his  death ; 
Margaret  J.,  wife  of  I.  M.  Thomas,  an  old 
soldier  of  the  one  hundred  and  fifty-fifth  reg., 
who  was  badly  wounded  at  Hatcher's  Run ; 
Henry,  who  married  Henrietta  Wright  and 
resides  in  Dearbon  county,  Indiana  ;  Eliza- 
beth (dead);    Theodore  C,  a  highly  resjiected 


nUHlUAI'lIIKS  OF 


jDiiiii,'  iniin,  will)  WHS  killud  nt  Ainicville,  on 
tlie  Vougliioglieiiy  river  by  the  coal  shoot; 
and  Mary  N.,  youngest  child,  now  living  at 
Pittsliurg. 

Natliaii  N.  Fidlerton  received  his  education 
in  the  common  schools.  AVhen  twelve  years  of 
age  his  fotJier  died,  and  being  the  eldest  child, 
he  was  kept  very  busy  in  heljiing  his  mother  to 
support  the  family.  On  August  14,  1862,  he 
enlisted  in  Co.  A  (Highland  Guards),  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty-fifth  reg.  Pa.  Vols,  (called  the  Pa. 
Zouave  reg.)  He  served  from  Antietam  to  Ap- 
pomatto.x  Court  House,  participated  in  thirty-two 
battles  and  skirmi.shes,  was  never  sick,  e.xcused 
from  duty,  punished  or  received  a  furlough  while 
in  the  service.  After  Lee's  surrender  he  was 
promoted  to  a  mounted  orderly  and  served  on 
the  staff  of  General  Pearson.  After  the  war 
he  engaged  in  farming  with  Samuel  Smith  of 
Sewickley  township  and  has  been  following  that 
business  ever  since. 

He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Mars  Hill 
Baptist  church  since  1862,  and  is  at  present  a 
trustee  of  the  church.  His  wife  and  two  of  his 
children  are  also  members  of  the  same  church. 
Mars  Hill  is  the  only  Baptist  church  in  Sewickley 
township,  is  situatcti  near  the  Youghiogheny 
railroad.  0.  A.  Gardner  is  the  present 
pastor. 

On  February  11,  1869,  Mr.  Fullertun  united 
in  marriage  with  Margaret  Smith,  daughter  of 
Samuel  Smith  (see  his  sketch).  To  this  union 
liave  been  born  four  children  :  Minnie  A.,  burn 
JiJovember  14,  186!l;  Edward  M.,  born  March 
29,  1873;  Samuel  S.,  born  January  21,  1876; 
and  one  who  died  in  infancy. 

Nathan  N.  Fullerton  is  a  republican,  ranks 
as  one  of  the  live,  active  workers  of  his  party 
in  Sewickley  township  and  has  served  foi'  several 
years  as  central  committeeman  of  his  township. 
He  was  one  of  the  originators  and  first  directors 
of  the  Sewickley  Industrial  Association  and  has 
served  as  a  director  almost  continuously  to  the 
present  time. 


(TJr^J^^NKLrN  GILMORE,  an  efficient  river 
jj^l      pilot  of  long  experience,  was  born  Octo- 
ber 3,  1844,  in  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  and   is   a 
son   of  John   and   Susanna   (Spargo)  Gilmore. 
William  Gilmore,  his  grandfather,  was  born  in 
the   northern    part    of   Ireland,  immigrated    to 
America  and  settled   in   Pittsburg,    Pa.,  where 
he  remained  until  his   death.     He  Avas  a  whig, 
later  a  republican,  and  was  an  active  worker  in 
his  party,  which   rewarded  him  with  the  offices 
of  tax  collector,  street  commissioner  and  various 
others  in  his   city.     He   was  a    coal   operator, 
from  which  business  he  accumulated  a  handsome 
fortune ;  he  died  in  1859.    John  Gilmore  (father) 
was  born  in  1805,  in  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  where  in 
after  years  he  conducted  a  large  wagon  manu- 
factory.    During  the   Mexican  war  he  made  a 
lot  of  wagons  for  the  government  and  took  them 
to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  to  sell,  but  in  the  meantime 
the  war  closed  and  the  wagons  were  left  on  his 
hands.     He   then   returned   home,   leaving   the 
wagons  in  charge  of  an  agent,  who   sold  them 
but  never  sent  Mr.  Gilmore  a  penny  of  the  pro- 
ceeds.     Shortly    after    this    war    Mr.    Gilmore 
embarked  in  the  coal  business  and  became  one 
of    the  early  operators  on  the  river.     He  also 
possessed  considerable  floating  property  on  the 
Monongahela  river,  owning  at  one  time  as  many 
as  eight  steamboats.     He  died  in  August,  1884, 
in  AVashington  county.  Pa.,  opposite  to  Webster, 
and  left  to  his  heirs  about  five  hundred  acres  of 
land  and  coal.     He  married   Susanna  Spargo, 
who  is  still  living  at  the  age  of  about  seventy- 
two  and  who   bore  him  eight  children.     Mrs. 
Gilmore  is  a  grand-daughter  of  a  Mr.  Spargo,  a 
native    of    England,    who    immigrated    to    the 
United    States    and    settled    in  Pittsburg,   Pa., 
South  Side  (Birmingham). 

Franklin  Gilmore  received  a  public  school 
education  in  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  since  which  he  has 
been  engaged  on  the  river  as  pilot,  running  from 
Geneva,  Pa.,  to  Louisville,  Ky.  He  ia  at  present 
the  pilot  of  the  steamer  Acron.  In  1862  he 
enlisted  in   Co.  A,  one  hundred   and   fifty-fifth 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


589 


reg.  Pa.  ^'^ols.,  in  which  he  serveil  until  the 
cK)so  of  tlie  war.  lie  cntcrt'il  as  a  privato,  was 
proiuoteil  to  sergeant  and  took  part  in  the  battles 
of  Fredurieksbiirg,  Chancullorsville  anil  the 
AVihlerness.  On  tlie  seooml  day  of  the  last 
mentioned  battle  he  was  wounded,  carried  to 
the  hospital  at  I'iiiladelphia,  Pa.,  and  after 
four  months  rejoined  the  army.  At  the  battle 
of  Hatcher's  IJun  he  was  again  wounded  and 
taken  to  the  hospital,  where  he  remained  until 
the  close  of  the  war.  Mr.  Gilraore,  who  fought 
and  bled  for  his  country,  is  certainly  a  worthy 
mcnilier  of  Stark  Weather  Post,  No.  00,  G.  A. 
R.,  to  which  he  belongs,  at  Monongahela  City. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  believes  in  the  political  doctrines  of  the 
Republican  party  and  is  held  in  high  esteem  by 
all  who  know  him. 

Franklin  Gilmore'a  wife  was  Rachel  Matilda, 
daugiiter  of  George  Thomas,  of  Webster,  West- 
moreland county.  Pa.,  and  to  their  union  have 
been  born  eight  children,  five  of  whom  are  living  : 
Sarali  Alice,  James  K.,  Samuel F.,  Stepiien  O.and 
Albert  C. 

r^AMUEL  HIBBERT  GRACE,"  the  effi- 
0j  cient  superintendent  of  the  Amieville 
©^  Coal  Works  on  the  B.  .S:  0.  R.  R.,  was 
born  Juno  10,  IMOO,  on  Penn  avenue  in  the  city 
of  Pittsburg,  Allegheny  county.  Pa.,  and  is  a 
son  of  Capt.  Redman  Grace,  who  was  born  in 
Baltimore,  Md.  He  was  for  twenty-five  years 
cajitain  in  various  steamers  in  the  i)acket  line 
that  plied  tiie  Ohio  river  between  Pittsl)urg  and 
Cincinnati  antl  was  part  owner  in  the  packet 
line.  He  was  also  hull  inspector  at  Pittsburg 
for  two  terms.  He  was  the  founder  of  the  Cash 
Insurance  company,  of  Pittsburg,  which  is  at  the 
present  time  one  of  the  largest  and  wealthiest 
insurance  companies  of  that  city.  After  fifteen 
years'  connection  with  that  company  he  left  it 
and  organized  the  City  Insurance  company,  of 
which  he  was  vice-president  and  general  agent. 
He  was  a  democrat,  a  highly-respected  member 


of  the  Catholic  church  and  a  very  thorough  and 
successful  business  man.  His  death  occurred  in 
Pittsburg  in  August,  1886.  His  wife  was  Mary 
Elizabeth,  a  daughter  of  George  Singer,  a  fur- 
niture dealer  of  Pittsburg.  Of  seven  children 
Samuel  H.  Grace  was  the  fifth  born.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  and  at  the  Ger- 
man high  school  of  his  native  city.  He  first 
engaged  in  the  grocery  business  on  the  corner 
of  Penn  avenue  and  Eleventh  street,  at  which 
he  continued  for  five  years ;  he  then  engaged  as 
clerk  in  N.  J.  Bigley's  store  at  Alpsville,  when 
in  1882  he  was  appointed  to  his  present  position. 
He  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  in  Sewickley 
township,  is  an  active  republican  and  is  an  in- 
fluential leader  in  tiiat  party.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Catholic  church. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Kate,  a  daughter  of 
Capt.  N.  J.  Bigley,  who  is  an  operator  in  the 
Amieville  mines.  To  their  marriage  have  been 
born  nine  children  :  Nicholas  John,  born  Novem- 
ber 11,  1873;  Redman  John,  born  March  23, 
1875;  Sarah  Susannah  Marie,  born  August  21, 
1870,  died  December,  1870  ;  Samuel  llibbert, 
born  February  27,  1881 ;  Maria  Estella,  born 
April  7,  1878;  George  and  William  Singer 
(twins),  born  j\Iarcli  17,  1884,  both  died  Sep- 
tember, 1 884  ;  Osilbert  Fotterman,  born  August 
2,  1885,  and  Susan  Catharine,  born  June  'J,  1888. 

S.  II.  Grace  is  a  well-informed  man,  of  fine 
address,  is  a  capable  and  popular  justice  of  the 
peace,  the  only  member  of  his  father's  family 
who  became  a  republican  and  one  of  the  most 
successful  young  business  men  of  Westmoreland 
county. 

•jfACOB  P.  IIAIIN,  a  substantial  citizen  and 

Jan  industrious  farmer  of  South  Hunting- 
don township,  is  a  son  of  John  and  Mar- 
garet (Felgar)  Hahn  and  was  born  in  the 
kingdom  of  Wurtemberg,  southwestern  Ger- 
many, October  22,  1844.  His  paternal  and 
maternal  ancestors  were  residents  of  Germany 
for  several  centuries  back.       His  father,  John 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Ilulin,  was  born  in  180'J  in  Wurteniberg,  whose 
tenitoriul  limits  had  been  extended  six  years 
prior  to  that  time  by  Napoleon  Bonaparte  who 
(■lKini;id  it  from  a  <liiehy  to  a  kingdom  whieli 
it  lias  reiiKiiiied  e\er  sinLX'  through  all  the 
various  ehanges  that  have  taken  place  in  the 
territory  of  the  present  German  Empire.  John 
Hahn  came  from  Germany  to  America  about 
1847  or  184S  and  purchased  the  farm  upon 
which  the  subject  of  this  sketch  resides.  He 
was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  a  democrat  in  polit- 
ical sentiment  and  a  lutheran  in  religious  be- 
lief. He  gave  all  of  his  attention  to  the  improve- 
ment of  his  farm,  upon  which  he  died  August 
13,  1882.  His  wife  was  Margaret  Felgar,  who 
bore  him  two  children  :  Jaco!)  1'.  and  Elizabeth, 
who  married  Martin  Orsick. 

At  three  years  of  age  Jacob  P.  Hahn  was 
brought  from  Germany  by  his  parents  to  South 
Huntingdon  township  where  he  was  reared  and 
attended  the  common  schools.  At  twenty-one 
years  of  age  he  engaged  in  farming  which  he 
has  followed  ever  since.  For  many  years  he 
has  successfully  ran  a  grain-threshing  machine 
in  South  Huntingdon  and  adjoining  townships. 

He  was  married  on  September  27,  1877,  to 
Alice  Hough,  who  is  a  daughter  of  Seth  Hough, 
of  East  Huntingdon  township.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hahn  are  the  parents  of  seven  children:  Etta 
L.,  Lucetta,  Lucy  R.,  Ida  M.,  William  H., 
John  S.  and  Frank. 

Jacob  Hahn  like  his  father  before  him  is  a 
lutheran  in  religious  faith,  while  his  wife  holds 
to  the  universalist  teachings.  He  is  a  member 
of  Schndr's  Evangelical  Lutheran  church,  a 
democrat  in  politics  and  an  honest  man.  He 
owns  a  valuable  and  desirable  farm  which  con- 
tains one  hundred  and  seven  acres  of  good 
farming  and  grazing  land  and  is  situated  in  a 
progressive  section  of  the  county.  He  is  a 
fitting  representative  of  the  v«turdy  and  intelli- 
gent race  from  which  he  is  descended,  and  has 
alwaj's  given  careful  attention  to  any  business  in 
which  he  has  been  engaged  or  took  an  interest. 


r^AMUEL  T.  IIASSON,  one  of  the  wide- 
(3j  awake  residents  of  Ivostraver  townsliip, 
[^  Westmoreland  county.  I'a.,  was  born  there 
December  It!,  1M")2,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  '!'. 
and  Uachel  Jane  (Shepiierd)  llasson  ;  married 
in  18o7,  still  living.  His  grandfather,  Samuel 
Hasson,  was  a  native  of  Lancaster  county. 
Pa.,  and  emigrated  to  Rostraver  township,  this 
county,  where  he  remained  until  his  death  ;  his 
wife  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-six 
years.  He  was  a  gunsmith  by  trade.  Joseph 
Shepherd  (maternal  grandfather)  was  born  near 
Philadelphia,  Pa.,  and  (^migrated  to  Fayette 
county,  where  he  died  near  Perryopolis.  He 
was  by  occupation  a  cabinet-maker,  in  politics 
a  whig  and  in  religious  faith  a  ijuaker.  Dr. 
Samuel  Hasson  (father)  was  born  in  1817,  in 
Rostraver  township,  read  medicine  with  Dr. 
John  Hasson,  of  West  Newton,  and  is  among 
the  oldest  practicing  physicians  in  the  counties 
of  Washington  and  Fayette.  In  politics  he 
adhered  to  the  principles  of  the  Democratic 
party  and  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church. 
He  married  Rachel  Jane  Shepherd  and  they 
had  ten  children,  nine  sons  and  one  daughter. 
Three  of  the  sons  entered  the  service  of  the 
Federal  Government  during  the  late  war.  Ben- 
jamin Franklin  Hasson  eidisted  in  the  twenty- 
second  Pa.  Cavalry  as  Second  Lieut,  at  the 
beginning  of  the  war  and  served  three  years. 
He  was  with  Sheridan  in  the  Shenandoah  and 
was  captured  by  the  rebels  near  Mooriield  and 
taken  to  Libby  prison  where  he  was  held  about 
nine  months.  While  the  Confederates  were 
conveying  prisoners  to  Andersonville  Mr.  Has- 
son escaped  and  rejoined  the  army  at  Little 
Washington,  N.  C.  Sylvanus  Hasson  entered 
the  eighty-fifth  reg.  of  Pa.  Infantry  and  served 
with  it  as  orderly  sergeant  for  three  years, 
participating  in  all  the  battles  of  his  regiment. 
James  S.  Hasson  served  three  years  as  a  private 
in  the  eighth  Pa.  Reserves  and  one  year  in  the 
sixteenth  Pa.  Cavalry.  He  was  wounded  at 
Antietam  and  lost  a  finger  at  Fredericksburi;. 


}yiLSTMOEELAND   CO  UNTY. 


Samuel  T.  JIasson  attoiiilf(l  the  coimiion 
sclu)ols  ami  learueil  the  trade  of  a  printer  at 
lirowiisville,  at  wiiicli  lie  workeil  alniut  six  years 
us  foreman  on  llie  ( Niiiiiellsville  iMnnilur  anil 
two  years  as  i'oi-eman  on  the  W^asliitiglou 
Observer,  lie  afterwards  went  to  I'ittsbiirg 
and  worked  on  the  Chronicle  Telegraph  and 
later  beeame  foreman  on  the  Waynesburg 
Republican.,  continuing  in  tiiat  position  for  two 
years  when  his  health  began  to  fail  and  he 
abandoned  his  trade.  He  purchased  a  farm  of 
thirty  acres  in  Rostraver  township,  kept  it  five 
years  and  sold  it,  reserving  the  coal.  Besides 
this  Mr.  Ilasson  owns  eighty  acres  of  good  land 
in  his  native  township.  lie  is  identified  with 
the  Baptist  church,  belongs  to  the  Odd  Fellows 
and  is  an  ardent  republican,  having  served  for 
a  number  of  years  on  the  county  committee. 

Samuel  T.  IJasson  was  married  to  Ruth 
Jones,  a  daughter  of  John  Jones,  of  Fayette 
county,  and  the  fruits  of  their  union  are  two 
children:  Claude  and  Jesse  H.  Mrs.  Ilasson 
departed  this  life  on  the  ninth  of  March,  1889. 


'Joseph  Hamilton,     of  the  early 

J  settled  families  of  AV'^estmoreland  county 
one  was  the  Hamilton  family  and  one  of 
its  many  worthy  descendants  is  ,)osc]ih  Hamil- 
ton of  Sewickley  township.  He  is  a  s(jn  of 
Samuel  and  Mary  (Cook)  Hamilton  and  was 
born  in  Sewickley  township,  August  22,  1831. 
About  lh(!  close  of  tin'  Revolutionary  war 
,Ni\  brothers  liy  the  name  of  Hamilton  came  to 
the  United  States.  Five  of  them  came  together 
and  located  on  the  site  of  I'i'ttsburg  since  whicli 
time  nothing  has  ever  been  heard  of  them  or  any 
of  their  descendants.  The  sixth  brother,  Rob- 
ert Hamilton,  grandfather,  came  after  the  others 
had  located  at  Fort  I'itt.  He  settled  in  1782  in 
Sewickley  township  where  he  followed  farming 
until  his  death  in  1815.  Ho  was  a  weaver  by 
trade,  a  member  of  the  Covenanter  chureli  in 
Ireland,  but  in  this  country  united  with  the  As- 


sociate Reformed  ehureh.  He  took  an  active 
part  in  the  \Vhiskey  Insurreelion  of  IT'.'I,  ami 
married  Margaret  Harris,  by  wlmm  he  IkuI  nine* 
ehildn.'n.  One  of  his  sons  was  Samuel  Hamil- 
ton, wlio  was  lioMi  in  171'').  He  served  in  Capt. 
Jose[)h  Markle's  cavalry  troop  during  the  war  of 
1812,  and  was  in  the  siege  of  Fort  Meigs  and 
some  severe  fighting  along  the  river  Raisin. 
He  was  an  old-line  whig  and  later  a  republican. 
He  married  Mary  Cooper  and  reared  a  family 
of  six  children. 

Mrs.  Mary  Hamilton  was  a  daughter  of  John 
Cooper,  who  was  a  Chester  county  farmer, 
and  a  strong  democrat  and  who  owned  a  part 
of  the  ground  on  which  the  battle  of  Gettysburg 
was  fought. 

Joseph  Hamilton  received  bis  education  in  the 
early  common  schools  of  his  neigbborhood  and 
has  always  followed  farming. 

He  enlisted  in  Co.  II,  fifty-eighth  reg.,  Pa. 
Infantry  and  served  for  five  months.  Mr. 
Hamilton  is  a  republican  and  has  served  as  as- 
sessor and  tax  collector  of  Sewickley  township. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Grange  and  a  trustee  of 
Sewickley  United  Presbyterian  church. 

January  1,  18G6,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Mary  Elizabeth  Milligan,  daughter  of  William 
T.  Milligan.  They  have  one  child,  a  daugiiter 
named  Annabel. 


•jr  AMES  HENDERSON,  one  of  the  old  and 
I  well-known  citizens  of  South  Huntingdon 
itJ  township  and  a  life-long  democrat,  is  a  son 
of  James  and  Eleanor  (McGufley)  Henderson 
and  was  born  in  South  Huntingdon  township, 
West'jioreland  county.  Pa.,  December  5,  1821. 
His  paternal  grandfather  (John  Henderson), 
Avas  a  native  of  Ireland  and  in  all  ])robability, 
after  coming  to  Westmoreland  county,  settled 
near  Youngstown.  His  occupation  was  farm- 
ing. His  maternal  grandfather  (Robert  Mc- 
Guftey)  was  of  Irish  extraction,  a  successful  far- 
mer, a  strict  presbyterian,  an  unbending  demo- 


BIOORAPHIES  OF 


crat  and  a  resilient  of  Soutli  Iluntingilon  town- 
ship, in  which  he  died  on  January  14,  1815.  In 
connection  with  liis  fanning  lie  owned  and  opera- 
tcil  a  di.stilh'ry  an  did  most  of  iho  I'aiincis  of 
that  day.  His  father  (James  Henderson,  Sr.), 
was  born  in  the  county  and  resided  in  South 
Huntingdon  township  during  the  greater  part  of 
his  life.  lie  was  a  democrat  and  married  Elea- 
nor McGufley  who  was  born  in  171)6  and  died 
jNIarch  16,  1861.  Their  union  was  blessed  with 
eight  children,  si.x  sons  and  two  daughters. 

James  Henderson  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
received  his  education  in  the  subscription  schools 
of  that  day.  At  thirteen  years  of  age  he  went 
to  reside  with  Robert  McCormick  who  lived  on 
a  farm  now  owned  by  Mr.  Henderson.  Mr.  Mc- 
Cormick was  born  in  1782  and  died  January  20, 
1844.  His  wife,  Mary  (McGufley)  McCormick, 
an  aunt  of  Mr.  Henderson,  was  born  February 
23,  1788,  and  passed  away  February  7,  1844. 
James  Henderson,  upon  arriving  at  man's  estate 
engaged  in  farming  as  his  life  vocation.  He  has 
resided  upon  his  present  (McCormick)  farm 
since  1879,  in  which  year  he  purchased  it,  and 
has  given  bis  attention  to  farming  and  stock- 
raising. 

On  August  5,  1845,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Elizabeth  Clark,  daughter  of  John  and 
Sarah  (Clark)  McElhany.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hen- 
derson have  had  six  children,  of  whom  tlirce  are 
living  :  John,  born  May  3,  1847,  married  Mary 
Wilson,  is  a  painter  by  trade  and  served  as  a 
member  of  the  206th  reg.  Pa.  Vols,  from 
September  8,  1864,  to  the  close  of  the  war  ; 
^lary  E.,  born  November  26,  1852,  and  wife  of 
David  I'ettigrew,  of  West  Newton,  and  Sarah 
J.,  wiio  was  born  March  18,  1855,  and  now  the 
wife  of  Frank  Linn,  son  of  James  Linn  (see  his 
sketch).  Mrs.  Henderson  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  at  West  Newton. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Henderson  is  a 
stanch  democrat  who  believes  in  "  free-trade  " 
as  necessary  to  the  prosperity  of  the  United 
States.      He  owns  a  fertile  farm   of  sixty-four 


acres    of   land 
enjoy  life. 


ind 


ifortably  situated  to 


Y]fYl''''f'^^'  !'•  IH''NI!Y  is  a  son  of  Edward 
\i\  and  Susan  (Couglienuur)  Henry  and 
was  born  in  Sewickley  township,  West- 
moreland county,  Pa.,  March  20,  1841.  Edward 
Henry,  Sr.,  grandfather,  was  of  Irish  descent.  He 
was  a  shoemaker  by  trade  but  devoted  his  time  to 
farming  in  the  summer  and  teaching  in  the  win- 
ter. He  was  a  native  of  this  county,  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  died  in  Sewick- 
ley township.  One  of  his  sons  was  Edward 
Henry  who  was  born  in  1814  in  Sewickley 
township,  and  now  resides  in  South  Hunting- 
don. He  has  always  followed  farming.  He 
was  formerly  a  whig  but  is  now  a  republican. 
He  married  Susan  Coughenour.  They  had 
seven  sons  and  two  daughters,  of  whom  both 
daugliters  are  dead.  JNIrs.  Henry  died  in  1881 
and  her  remains  are  buried  near  Grapeville. 
Her  father  was  Daniel  Coughenour  of  German 
descent.  His  ancestors  came  from  Germany  to 
Virginia  and  subseijuently  removed  to  West- 
moreland county.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion and  his  wife  was  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian church. 

William  P.  Henry  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  and  engaged  at  Spring  Creek  (now 
Ilallon)  in  the  mercantile  and  lumbering  busi- 
ness, which  he  followed  for  three  years.  He 
(1868)  then  disposed  of  his  mercantile  interests 
and  devoted  his  attention  wholly  to  the  lumber 
business  for  the  next  twenty  years.  In  1888 
he  sold  his  property  in  Elk  county,  Pa.,  removed 
to  Westmoreland  where  he  purchased  his  present 
farm  of  seventy-four  acres  in  South  Huntingdon 
township  and  has  been  successfully  engaged  in 
farming  and  stock-raising. 

In  1866  he  united  in  marriage  with  Rachel 
Ferguson,  a  daughter  of  Ebenezer  Ferguson, 
of  Jefferson  county,  Pa.  Their  children  are 
Susanna,  born  December  4,  18G6,  and  wife 
of  Charles  Wistrau,  of  Elk  county.  Pa.,  Mary 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


Q.,\m\n  Octnlicr  It'i,  ISl'.S;  I'Mwanl  K.,  born 
February  17,  DSTl  ;  'J'illie  K.,  born  April 
2(5,  18713;  Annstruiig,  b.ini  May  Ki.  1«78  ; 
TIarvcy,  born  Aiiu'iisi  "27.  IHsd;  l'"'ian)<,  boi'ii 
.lime  H,  1SS;1;  lliii.'!,  ,)..  burn  l''ibriiury  (i, 
lSSr>,  uihl  William  r.laiiif,  born  June  1*0,  1«S!). 
In  1802  Mr.  Henry  enlisted  in  Co.  H.,  lUSth 
reg.  Pa.  Vols.,  and  served  his  full  term  of  enlist- 
ment. He  is  a  republican  and  served  as  consta- 
ble, supervisor  and  overseer  of  the  poor  in  Elk 
county,  Pa.  Mr.  Henry  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Madi- 
son. He  is  a  member  of  the  Patrons  of  Hus- 
bandry and  has  always  been  recognized  as  an 
intelligent  and  progressive  business  man. 


■Tl-RRAM  F.  HIG1IP.EU(!EH,  a  substan- 
tial farmer,  a  well-known  citizen  and  a 
l)rominent  and  leading  school  director  of 
Sewickley  township,  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and 
Mary  (Funk)  Highberger  ami  was  born  within 
one  mile  of  where  he  now  lives  in  Sewickley 
township,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  November 
23,  1839.  On  the  paternal  side  he  is  of  Ger- 
man ancestry.  His  great-grandfather,  John 
Highberger,  Sr.,  was  a  native  of  (iermany  and 
immigrated  in  1803  to  Westmoreland  county 
where  he  settled  in  what  was  then  North  Hunt- 
ingdon but  now  Sewickley  township.  He  pur- 
chased a  tract  of  170  acres  of  land  from  Wil- 
liam Mcdrcw,  wliifh  had  boon  patented  by 
James  MeCirow  in  17117.  This  farm  has  lieen 
in  the  Highberger  name  ever  since  and  is  now 
owned  by  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  John 
Highberger,  graudfither,  inherited  a  part  of  his 
father's  estate  and  followed  farming.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Dunkard  church,  a  quiet  and 
peaceable  citizen  and  a  man  who  always  attended 
strictly  to  his  own  business.  He  married  Sarah 
Keefer,  by  whom  he  had  twelve  children,  and 
after  her  death  he  married  her  sister,  Eva 
Keefer,  who  bore  him  one  child.  Jacob  High- 
berger (father)  was  a  son  by  the  first  wife,  Sarah 


Keefer.  He  was  born  July  T),  ISIO,  on  the 
homestead  farm,  on  which  he  resided  at  his 
death,  which  occurred  October  17,  1881.  He 
was  buried  in  the  Madison  cemetery.  He 
was  a  funnel',  u  niendjrr  of  tlie  t  iiitcd  Hrethren 
church  and  an  uncompromising  republican.  Ho 
served  as  justice  of  the  peace  for  five  years  be- 
sides holding  various  other  township  offices. 
He  married  Mary  Funk,  a  daughter  of  Daniel 
Funk,  of  German  descent.  To  them  were  born 
two  sons  and  one  daughter:  David,  a  tinner  by 
trade,  who  married  Catlierine  Poyd  and  resides 
at  Wilkensburg,  Pa. ;  Julia  Ann,  wife  of  Thomas 
Lee,  a  farmer  of  Hempfield  township;  and 
Abram  F.  Mrs.  Highberger  was  born  Febru- 
ary 10,  1814,  died  July  1,  1887,  and  her 
remains  were  buried  in  the  Madison  cemetery. 
The  remains  of  John  Highberger,  Sr.,  ami  his 
son  John  are  interred  in  the  ])rivate  ce.iietery 
on  tlje  Pool  farm. 

Abram  F.  Highberger  attended  the  common 
schools  of  his  neighborhood  and  at  twenty-one 
years  of  age  began  life  for  himself  as  a  farmer. 
He  has  always  followed  farming  and  stock- 
raising  and  owns  one  of  the  fine  and  well- 
improved  farms  of  Sewickley  township,  which 
contains  170  acres  of  land. 

He  was  married  on  November  14,  1861,  to 
Keziah  Tarr,  who  was  born  December  20,  1841. 
To  this  imion  have  been  born  five  children: 
Mary  E.,  born  October  1,  1802,  died  April  17, 
ISlil;  Alma  K.,  born  March  30,  1804,  and 
married  November  5,  18S4,  to  James  Mitdiell, 
a  farmer  of  Sewickley  township  ;  Henry  M., 
born  January  U,  180G;  Abbie  E.,  born  March 
11,  1872;  and  John  S.,  born  September  28, 
1877.  Mrs.  Keziah  Highberger  is  a  daughter 
of  Henry  and  Elizabeth  (Pool)  Tarr  and  is  one 
of  a  family  of  six  sons  and  four  daughters. 
One  of  these  sons  was  Lieut.  John  P.  Tarr,  who 
served  in  Co.  K.,  205th  reg.  Pa.  Vols,  and 
was  killed  in  one  of  the  last  battles  of  the  late 
civil  war. 

Abram  F.  Highberger  is  a  republican.     He 


■'ii<|a'i  a  ti  Uji'. 


594 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


has  served  as  school  dii-ector  for  t\Yu  terms 
aiiil  has  boen  re-oK'ctod  for  a  tliinl  term.  lie 
is  a  iiKiiilKr  cif  l'hilaiitlini]iy  hoil^o,  No.  l!2.'), 
.\.  \'.  M.  11.'  is  a  iin'MiluM-  and  Iruslcodf  liic 
11.  i;.  .■Iiinrli  and  uas  our  .,f  th.:  l.iuldlli-  c.iii- 
iiiiltro  ipf  the  new  LI.  IJ.  cliurcli  at  Macli.soii, 
whifh  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $7,000.  lie  is 
also  a  trustee  of  the  Madison  cemetery  and  was 
elected  to  till  the  vacancy  occasioned  hy  his 
father's  death. 

SIMON  IIIGHBERGER,  one  of  Sewickley 
township's  industrious,  energetic  and  pros- 
it jierous  farmers,  is  a  son  of  John  and  Sarah 
(Keefer)  IIi;.diberger  and  was  born  in  Sewickley 
township,  Westmoreland  county,  I'a.,  May  2, 
18:17.  John  Ilighbcrger  was  a  son  of  John 
liiglibcrger,  Sr.,  a  native  of  Lancaster  county, 
I'a.,  who  removed  to  ^Ve^tmclreland  county  in 
about  178;")  and  purchased  the  farm  on  which 
Simon  Ilighbergcr  now  lives.  This  farm  has 
been  owned  by  the  family  for  about  one  hundred 
and  ten  years.  John  llighberger  was  born  on 
his  father's  farm  but  after  arriving  at  manhood 
he  purchased  another  farm  in  Sewickley  town- 
ship on  which  he  lived  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred May  21,  18C0.  He  was  a  cooper  by 
trade  but  followed  fanning.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  United  Brethren  church  and  was  a  demo- 
crat in  polities  until  just  before  Ins  death  when 
he  voted  the  rejiubliean  ticket.  He  was  twice 
married.  His  tirst  wife  was  Sarah  Keefer, 
whose  father  was  a  native  and  farmer  of  Venango 
county,  I'a.  Siie  bore  him  twelve  children  and 
after  lier  ileatli  he  married  her  sister,  Eva 
Keefer,  by  whom  he  had  one  cbihl. 

Simon  Higliberger  received  quite  a  limited 
education  in  the  conuuon  schools  but  lias  made 
U])  fir  this  ileficiency  by  extensive  reading  and 
self-study.  He  learned  the  trade  <jf  shoemaker 
at  whieli  he  worked  continuously  and  success- 
fully until  lie  was  forty  years  of  age.  He  then 
purchased  his  present  farm  of  eighty  acres  which 
he  has  been  engaged  in  cultivating  ever  since. 


He  was  formerly  a  republican  but  now  afliliatos- 
with  and  yields  an  earnest  supjiort  to  the  I'ro- 
hiliition  party.  He  and  his  wile  are  mendiers 
of  llie  Mellio.lisl  l',piseo]iai  eiiureh  at  Wineiaiid 
of  whicii  he  is  class  ieaijer  and  reeonliiig  stew- 
ard of  J51ackburn  charge. 

On  December  23,  1847,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Martha  Greenawalt,  daughter  of  Christian 
and  Hannah  Greenawalt,  of  Sewickley  township. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  llighberger  are  the  parents  of 
four  sons  and  one  daughter:  Albert  C,  born 
March  15,  1849,  who  is  a  carpenter  and  married 
Isadore  Fox  on  January  15,  1878  ;  William  E., 
born  June  15,  1851,  married  Ilattie  Lewis,  of 
New  York  State,  and  is  a  car]ienter  and  tank 
maker  by  trade  but  follows  farming  near  the 
city  of  Lincoln  in  Lancaster  county,  Nebraska; 
James,  born  August  2,  1851,  married  Kate 
Marsh  and  is  a  carpenter  at  Irwin;  Hannah, 
born  January  28,  1850,  and  Clark  W.,  born 
March  13,  18G1,  united  in  marriage  with  Ella 
Zimmerman  and  is  farming  near  the  city  of 
Lincoln  in  Lancaster  county,  Nebraska. 

Simon  llighberger  gives  close  attention  to  all 
his  business  affairs  and  by  hard  work  and  good 
management  has  secured  for  himself  a  comforta- 
ble home. 

']t[   W.  HIXENBAUGH,  a  carpenter  of  Smith- 

Jton,  is  a  son  of  James  and  Mary  (p]Iliott) 
Ilixenbaugb.  James  IIi.\eid:)augh,  a  black- 
smith by  trade,  of  German  descent  and  was 
born  in  Ivostraver  township,  Westmoreland 
county.  Pa.  His  grandfatlier,  John  Hi.xen- 
baugh,  was  a  native  of  Germany  and  a  glass- 
blower  by  trade.  Mary  Elliott  was  a  daugiiter 
of  William  Elliott  of  I'erryopolis,  Fayette 
county,  I'a.  J.  W.  Hixenbaugh  was  married  to 
Mariah,  daughti'r  of  \Viiiiam  Lee,  of  Smithtoii, 
July  13,  1873.  I'.j  them  Jiave  iicen  born  five 
children:  James  W.,  born  April  2,  1875;  Har- 
bison 0.,  born  Aj>ril  25,  1877  ;  Elfie  L.,  born 
July  15,  187U  ;  Mary  E.,  born  January  I'J, 
1883;  and  Daisy  G.,  born  June  I'J,  1888. 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


lie  is  a  republican  in  politics  and  is  at  present 
a  niemljcr  ot"  tlie  repulilican  county  committee. 
For  the  past  ten  years  he  has  been  a  resident  of 
Siiiitlitoii.  Mr.  ITixenlniiigli  is  a  man  of  ability 
and  ;j;(iiius  ;  \\r  lia.s  iiivculi.d  and  is  ihe  pali'ii- 
teo  of  tiie  "  Friction  Kelt  i'ldley."  His  patent 
No.  400,213  was  granted  him  on  March  20, 
1889.  The  invention,  a  valuable  one,  is  a  great 
improvement  over  the  ones  heretofore  in  use. 
It  consists  in  a  pulley  having  pockets  in  its  rim 
extending  radially  towards  the  centre  of  the 
wheel;  each  of  the  pockets  being  provided  with 
means  of  adjusting  and  holding  blocks  of  clastic 
or  fibrous  material  extending  to  or  slightly 
beyond  the  face  or  rim  of  the  i)ullcy.  The  ob- 
ject of  bis  invention  is  to  prevent  the  slipping 
of  tiie  belt  when  running  over  the  pulley  and 
also  to  prevent  the  belt  running  off  the  pulley 
when  in  operation,  as  well  as  to  some  extent 
provide  means  to  tighten  the  belt.  His  inven- 
tion is  a  valuable  one  and  will  be  brought  into 
general  use. 

"".EORGE  nOHENSHELL,  of  German 
descent,  an   old    and   well-known    citizen 

Y  and  a  life-long  resident  of  South  Hunting- 
don township,  is  a  son  of  John  and  Susanna 
(Hartman)  Hohonshell,  and  was  born  in  South 
Huntingdon  township,  Westmoreland  county, 
I'a.,  September  25,  1>520.  His  paternal  grand- 
father was  born  and  reared  in  one  of  the  eastern 
counties  of  the  State,  from  which  he  came  to 
what  is  now  South  ^Huntingdon  township.  He 
was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  a  member  of 
the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church.  His  maternal 
grandfather,  John  Hartman,  came  from  Germany 
and  settled  in  South  Huntingdon  township,  where 
he  married  and  reared  a  family.  He  was  a 
farmer  and  miller  and  like  the  majority  of  Pro- 
testants from  the  "  Fatherland"  at  that  day,  held 
membership  in  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church. 
His  father,  John  Hohenshell,  was  born  Septem- 
ber 14,  n[)C,  and  died  Novendjer  OU,  li^rAt. 
lie    was    a   shoemaker    Ijy    trade,    but    I'ollowed 


farming.  He  owned  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
fd'ty  acres,  was  a  ilemocrat,  served  in  the  War 
of  1812  and  was  a  devout  member  of  the 
TiUtheran  ehiircli.  lie  married  Susaniui  Hart- 
man aiid  reared  a  i'aiiiiiy  (d  ihirleeu  cliildren,  id' 
wliuni  six  sons  are  yet  living. 

George  Hohenshell  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm,  attended  the  subscription  schools  of  his 
neighborhood,  and  then  learned  the  trade  of 
carpenter,  which  he  followed  for  many  years. 
In  18G2  he  enlisted  in  Co.  F,  one  hundred  and 
sixty-eighth  reg.  I'a.  Vols,  and  served  in  North 
Carolina  for  nine  months  and  ten  days.  Of  late 
years  Mr.  Hohenshell  has  been  engaged  in 
farming  and  has  his  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
lifly  acres  in  a  line  state  of  cultivation.  He  is 
a  republican  and  a  supporter  of  the  United 
Brethern  church. 

He  united  in  marriage  on  February  5,  184G, 
with  Mary  Smutz,  a  daughter  of  David  Smutz. 
To  their  union  have  been  born  twelve  children  : 
Professor  Eli,  who  served  as  principal  of  the 
Charleston  and  Birmingham  schools  of  Illinois 
and  now  president  of  Campbell  University  at 
Ilolton,  Kansas ;  David,  married  to  Cornelia 
Frick  and  is  a  teacher  and  carpenter;  Martha  J., 
wife  of  William  Fleming,  of  Mill  Grove  ;  Marion, 
deceased  ;  Josiali,  deceased  ;  John,  who  married 
Barbara  Rowe  ami  is  a  farmer ;  Mary  Isabella  ; 
Anna  M.,  wife  of  Frank  Sherbondy,  of  Meiidon  ; 
Professor  George,  a  well-known  educator,  who 
married  Clara  D.  Moffat  and  is  jjrincipal  of  the 
Harrisonburg  Normal  school,  which  is  one  of 
the  most  flourishing  educational  institutions  of 
Northern  ^'irginia;  Irvin,  married  Etta  \Valters 
and  is  a  teacher;  Elmer,  who  is  teaching  with 
his  brother  in  Virginia;  and  Douier,  who  is  teach- 
ing in  the  common  schools  of  South  Huntingdon 
township. 

^AVID   W.    HOUGH,   a  prosperous   far- 
^J   mei'    and    an   unassuming    and  excellent 
citizen  of  Sdutli   Huntingdon    to\Mislii)i, 
was  born  near  tlie   farm    on   which  he   now   re- 


596 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


sides  in  South  Huntingdon  townsliip,  West- 
moreland eounty,  P:i.,  Novonibcr  l!,  ]S"2'.I,  and 
is  a  S(in  of  ^Viilianl  and  Eli/ahctii  (^'al•nel•) 
llongli.  lli.s  paternal  grandfatiu'i-,  I'aid  llongh, 
was  a  native  of  ]5ucks  connty,  I'u.  He  was  a 
miller  by  trade  and  migrated  westward  when  a 
young  man  to  Westmoreland  county,  where  he 
settled  on  a  small  stream  in  South  Hunting- 
don township,  which  is  now  known  as 
Paul  Hough's  run.  He  owned  a  large 
tract  of  land  and  was  a  democrat.  His 
maternal  grandfather,  Michael  Varner,  was  of 
German  descent.  He  was  born  in  Pliiladeljihia 
county.  Pa.,  and  came  to  Westmoreland  county, 
where  he  first  located  near  the  site  of 
JNlacbcth  post-office,  but  subseijuently  removed 
to  near  Smithton.  He  owned  a  ■  ood  farm  and 
was  a  democrat  in  political  faith  and  a  lutheran 
in  religious  belief.  David  Hough  (father)  was 
born  on  Paul  Hough's  run  and  was  reared  to 
to  farming.  He  was  a  democrat  and  held  vari- 
ous township  offices.  He  was  a  good  farmer,  a 
member  of  the  Lutheran  church  and  died  at  the 
village  of  Centreville  in  1881.  He  married 
Elizabeth  Varner,  by  whom  he  ha(i  fourteen 
children. 

David  W.  Hough  received  his  education  in 
the  .sehiHils  of  his  neighborhood.  When  of  age, 
do  t'or  himself,  he  engaged  Iti  his  ]iresent  busi- 
ness of  farming  to  which  he  had  been  carefully 
trained. 

D.W.  Hough  has  been  twice  married.  His  first 
wife  was  Polly  Ueynolds.  'riicy  were  the  par- 
ents nf  tell  children  :  Dennis,  liorn  Ciiober  1  ;J, 
1854,  married  Ada  Parker  and  is  engaged  in 
farming;  Cordelia,  born  March  '22,  J85tJ,  and 
wife  of  Cyrus  Snyder,  of  Jeannette  ;  Henry, 
born  February  25,  1858,  and  died  August  23, 
1877  ;  William  S.  L.,  born  July  3,  18(J0,  mar- 
ried Leah  Suter,  a  daughter  of  Squire  Suter, 
and  is  a  farmer ;  Amanda,  born  July  3,  18G0, 
and  wife  of  Henry  Taylor,  who  is  a  foreman  in 
the  Scottdale  rolling-inill ;  Jacob,  born  Febru- 
ary 7,  18G3,  married  Mollie  Aspey  and  resides 


at  Jacob's  Creek,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the 
contracting  business  ;  Samuel  S.,  born  October 
4,  18t34,  taught  school  for  several  years,  was 
principal  of  East  Hrady  (Pa.)  schools  for  two 
years  and  is  now  studying  for  the  ministry  at 
Dayton,  Ohio ;  Luretta,  born  April  5,  1867, 
and  married  to  Orton  Hough,  who  is  a  farmer 
of  South  Huntingdon  township,  and  Harriet, 
who  was  born  April  13,  ISGU,  and  died  January 
21,  1870.  After  Mrs.  Hough's  death  in  1874, 
Mr.  Hough  united  in  marriage  on  September 
29,  1880,  with  Mrs.  Rebecca  Walter,  widow  of 
Jacob  Walter  and  daughter  of  Joseph  Ilepler. 
By  this  second  marriage  he  has  one  child, 
Charles,  who  was  born  April  24,  1885. 

In  farming  ]\Ir.  Hough  has  met  with  very  en- 
couraging success.  He  owns  a  farm  of  fifty- 
eight  acres  of  choice  land  which  is  well  im- 
proved and  carefully  cultivated.  He  also  owns 
a  half  interest  in  a  good  grain  and  stock  farm 
of  ninety-si.x  acres.  In  politics  he  is  a  democrat 
of  the  old  school. 


•f-OSEPH  D.  HOUGH  is  a  grand.son  of 
"I?"  Joseph  Hough  who  was  a  native  of  Ger- 
(2/  many  and  an  early  settler  on  Jacob's  creek, 
AVestmoreland  county.  He  was  married  to 
Polly  Walts  who  was  born  in  Westmoreland 
county.  Joseph  Hough  was  one  of  the  sturdy 
farmers  of  his  day  and  on  his  farm  of  some  four 
hundred  acres  were  located  a  grist-mill,  distillery 
and  carding  machine.  He  afterwards  sold  his 
I'iirni  in  South  Huntingilon  townsliip  and  re- 
moved to  Sewickley. 

Joseph  D.  Hough  was  born  October  15,  1827, 
and  is  the  second  born  of  five  children  to  Daniel 
Hough  and  lluth  Stem,  the  former  born  in 
South  Huntingdon  and  the  latter  a  daughter  of 
Jacob  Stem,  of  South  Huntingdon.  His  father, 
Daniel  Hough,  owneil  a  farm  of  two  hundred 
and  thirty  acres  at  Port  Royal  and  owned  and 
operated  a  grist-mill  and  distillery.  Of  twelve 
children  born  to  Daniel  Hough  nine  are  living: 


^<53^   t     // 


■Layy>^ 


irZi^j^ 


WESTMORELAND   COUNTY 


599 


Seth,  Joseph  D.,  Noali,  Samuel,  Elijah,  Maria, 
Juhii,  riiark-s  O.  and  Agnes.  Hetty,  roily  and 
Aiu:inila  aie  dceeased. 

.Iii^rljii  I'.  ll(Mi^li  was  nKinieil  on  July  -4, 
1848,  to  .Julian  Sniitli,  of  Sniitliton,  by  Itev. 
Mackin,  of  (iieensburg.  Uf  nine  children  born 
to  tiicir  union  eight  are  living  :  Lenora,  born 
Septenilier  JJO,  lS4D,  is  now  the  wife  of  Thomas 
T.  Franci.s;  John  II.,  horn  December  12, 18.')!, 
was  married  in  187G  to  Mary  Lee;  George  M., 
born  February  23, 1854,  died  October  15, 1856  ; 
])a\id  1>.,  born  April  2,  185G,  was  twice  mar- 
ried, first  to  Ella  Hough,  now  deceased ;  his 
second  wife  was  Lizzie  Hamilton  ;  Samuel  L., 
born  July  13,  1858,  married  to  Lizzie  Ander- 
son ;  Mary  J.,  born  April  2,  18G1,  was  married 
to  Dr.  Xicolay,  of  Suiithton,  now  deceased  ; 
l>;iniel  Iv,  born  May  G,  ISl'.-'l;  Evalinu,  born 
Augii-I  17,  l^^G.'i,  is  tile  wife  of  Jacob  Ander- 
son, and   Fraiilclin  E,  born  Decemlier  2G,  18G8. 

Mr.  Hough's  present  business  is  farming. 
He  assisted  in  laying  out  the  town  of  Smithton, 
has  lived  tiiere  since  1849  and  for  si.x  years  was 
jiroprietor  of  tlie  Hough  House.  He  is  a  demo- 
crat and  an  iniluential  citizen  of  South  Ilunt- 
intrdon. 


fll^AUL  HOUGH,  a  well-known  citizen  and 
a  prosperous  farmer  of  South  Hunting- 
don township,  is  a  son  of  AVilliam  and 
Elizabeth  (Varner)  Hough  and  was  horn  in 
South  Iluntingilon  township,  Westmoreland 
county,  I'a.,  Fel)ruary  7,  1824.  His  grand- 
father, I'aul  Hough,  resiiled  on  a  small  stream 
of  water  in  Soutli  Huntingdon  township  which 
was  named  after  hiin.  Ho  owned  aboiit  ten 
hundred  acres  of  land  and  operated  a  distillery 
in  addition  to  farming.  He  was  a  democrat  and 
married  a  Miss  Weigle,  who  was  of  German 
descent.  His  father,  William  Hough,  was  born 
in  the  township.  lie  owned  a  farm  of  two  hun- 
dred and  thirty-six  acres,  and  like  the  majority 
of  the  farmers  of  his  time  he  built  and  conducted 
a  distillery.    He  was  a  liberal  contributor  to  the 


Lutheran  church  of  which  he  was  a  member  and 
regular  attendant.  He  married  h'Ji/.abetli  Var- 
ner,  a  daugliter  of  Michael  \'arner,  who  was  a 
farmer,  a  di^lillci-,  a  demoi-rat  and  a  niriiilicr  of 
the  JjUthcran  cliurrli.  To  thrir  union  were 
born  fourteen  children,  of  whom  eleven  are  yet 
living.  For  additional  history  of  the  Hough 
family  see  sketch  of  David  W.  Hough. 

Paul  Hough  enjoyed  none  of  the  educational 
advantages  of  the  present  day.  He  attended 
the  old  subscription  school  for  a  brief  period,  but 
bv  reading  and  self-study  he  has  acquired  a  fair 
and  good  business  education.  He  has  made 
farming  the  principal  business  of  his  life. 

He  was  married  to  Lavina  Frick,  who  is  a 
daughter  of  John  Frick  and  a  cousin  to  Henry 
Clay  Frick.  To  their  union  liave  been  born 
eight  sons  and  tliiee  daugliters  :  ^\'illiam,  who 
is  a  farmer  and  mairicd  Cordelia  Anderson  ; 
Franklin,  who  married  Lucetta  Hunter  and  is 
'  engaged  e.xtensively  in  farming  in  lo^^a;  Pear- 
son, a  brick  moulder  of  Denver,  Colorado  ;  Polly 
'Etta,  wife  of  Hiram  Mill,  who  is  a  farmer  of 
East  Huntingdon  township;  Samuel ;  Paul,  Jr., 
who  is  in  Iowa  and  married  Lizzie  Kilday; 
Lizzie,  George  and  Lewis,  triplets;  Charles  and 
Lavina. 

Politically  Mr.  Hough  is  a  democrat  and  has 
served  his  township  as  supervisor  and  school 
director.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
church  and  always  contributes  to  every  enter- 
prise which  is  intended  to  promote  the  best  in- 
terests of  his  township. 


ILLIAM  HOUSEHOLD,  one  of  the 
bright  and  intelligent  men  of  the  county, 
was  born  February  25,  1833,  in  Ros- 
travcr  township,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  and 
is  a  son  of  George  and  Rutii  (Walker)  House- 
hold. His  great-grandfather  Walker,  a  native 
of  Wales,  immigrated  to  the  United  States  and 
settled  in  Virginia  previous  to  the  war  of  the 
Revolution,  where  he  followed  the  occupation  of 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


faniiiiig.     EhLiiezer   ^Valkel•   (maternal    graiul- 

fatlicr)  was  buni  in  ^'ll■J:inia,  hut   coming  nortli 

lie  settled  in  Uustraver  tounsliip,  Westnioielanil 

county,  Pa.,  where  lie  cleared  tlu^  land  wliieli  is 

IH)U   llic  faiiii    (iwncd    ami    iiccii[ii(d    Ky   William 

iloiisi'lioid.      lie  was  a  vci'y  large  ami  well-liuill 

man,  eminently  (itted  to  cojje  with  the  dangers 

and  difficulties  of  the  forest  in  those  early  days. 

Ills  wife  was  Mary  Bruce,  a  descendant  of  the 

royal    Braces    of    Scotland,   whose    memorable 

zeal,  patriotism  and  sufferings  in  their  struggle 

for  freedom   from   the   tyrannical   oppression  of 

the  English  monarclis  historians  will  never  cease 

to  commemorate,  and  whose  praises  will  be  sung 
by  poets  of  every  succeeding  generation.  Will- 
iam Household  (grandfather)  was  born  in  Xor- 
folkshire,  England,  where  he  carried  on  farming 
until  his  death,  wliich  occurred  in  the  same 
shire.  George  Household  (father)  was  born  in 
Norfolk,  England,  June  'J,  17NU,  and  died  No- 
vember 5,  18G7.  lie  immigrated  to  America  in 
1819  and  settled  in  Bostraver  township.  lie 
was  a  whig  in  [tolitics  and  by  occupat.iun  a 
farmer  and  local  |ir(aelu'r  in  the  Mrtlmdist 
Episcopal  cbiireh.  lie  married  Kuth  Walkei' 
June  I'J,  18lii5,  and  they  had  live  children,  one 
son  and  four  daughters. 

William  Household  attendeil  the  ].ublie 
schools,  but  for  most  of  his  education  is  in- 
debted to  his  home  or  juivate  study,  to  wliicii 
lie  devoted  much  time  and  assiduous  laboi'.  When 
he  left  the  parental  roof  to  figlit  tlie  battle  of 
life  for  himself  he,  recognizing  the  truth  ami 
f.in-c  nf  llie  words  of  Spenser,  '•lliisbamhy 
supplieth  all  things  necessary  for  fooil,"  decided 
to  engage  in  farming,  which  he  did.  lie  also 
turned  his  education  to  account  by  teaching 
school  two  terms,  one  before  and  the  other  after 
the  adoption  of  the  county  superintendency  sys- 
tem, ilr.  Household  has  gained  a  great  deal 
of  valuable  information  by  traveling  both  in 
America  and  Europe.  He  has  been  "across 
the  continent"  to  the  Pacific  and  in  Europe 
through   England,  Scotland,  Erance,   Belgium,   |  Philip  Howell  (grandfather)  migrated  about  1707 


Holland,  Prussia,  Switzerland,  Austria,  Bohe- 
mia, Sa.\ony,  Bavaria  and  other  countries.  He 
is  an  active  worker  in  the  Uepublican  party  and 
a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church  at  Concord,  Bos- 
traver  tmvnsbip;  has  been  Sabbatli  Hcliool  super- 
inlendent,  steward,  trustee,  I'onieremx'  steward 
and  delegate  to  the  lay  conferences  held  at  New 
Brighton,  Pittsburg,  and  Beaver,  Pa.,  and  Can- 
ton, Ohio.  He  is  master  of  Rostraver  Grange, 
No.  010,  Patrons  of  Husbandry,  which  is 
located  at  Rostraver  post-office,  about  fimr  miles 
south  of  West  Newton.  This  grange  was  or- 
ganized FebrLuiry  10,  1890,  with  twenty-eight 
charter  members  and  is  in  a  flourishing  condi- 
tion. He  is  a  very  congenial,  well-informed 
man,  of  excellent  business  qualifications  and  is 
highly  regarded  by  all  who  know  him. 

William  Household  married  October  21, 1859, 
Lizzie,  a  daughter  of  Ebenezer  and  Lavina 
Smith,  of  Indiana  county,  I'a.,  and  to  them 
have  been  born  four  children,  three  of  whom 
are  living:  Harry,  Ebbie  B.,  who  devotes  his 
time  to  farming  and  stock-raising,  and  A'ina  G. 
Harry  graduated  from  iVllegheny  college,  Mead- 
ville.  Pa.,  in  June,  1880,  and  has  entered  the 
theological  department  of  Boston  university. 
A'ina  (i.  is  at  present  attending  Allegheny  col- 
le''e  and  will  Lrradiiate  with  the  class  of  1801. 


mILLIAM  B.  HOWELL.  An  active 
democrat,  a  leading  farmer  and  a  promi- 
nent member  of  the  grange  organization 
and  a  man  remarkably  well-versed  in  the 
pioneer  history  of  western  Pennsylvania  is  Will- 
iam li.'  Howell,  of  Sewickley  townsiiip.  He  is 
a  son  of  Andrew  and  Margaret  B.  (Heynolds) 
Howell  and  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  he 
now  lives,  in  Sewickley  township,  Westmoreland 
county,  Pa.,  November  IG,  1843.  On  the  pa- 
ternal siile  he  traces  his  ancestry  four  genera- 
tions back  to  Llewellyn  Howell,  who  immigrated 
from  Wales  to  (Jecil  county,  Md.    His  son.  Col. 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


to  Elizabeth  townsliip,  Alleglieny  county,  T*a. 
lie  was  a  prcsbj'teriaii,  a  coloiu'l  in  tlu'  iiiiliti;i, 
liad  several  adventures  with  Imliuns  :inil  took 
part  in  the  AVhiskey  Insurrection.  An  old  In- 
dian chief  gave  liini  a  powder-horn  which  h:i.s 
the  date  17t)7  cut  upon  it  and  is  now  owned  by 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Col.  Howell  married 
ilargaret  Cooper,  sister  of  Col.  Cooper,  and 
died  about  18.32.  One  of  their  sons  was  Andrew 
Howell  who  was  born  in  ITOtj.  In  1842  he  re- 
moved to  Westmoreland  county  where  he  died 
July  24,  18lJ5.  He  followed  farming  and  mer- 
chandising and  was  a  democrat  and  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church.  He  married  .Margaret 
B.  Reynolds  and  tliey  were  the  parents  of  two 
children:  John  (deceased),  and  William  H.  Mrs. 
Howell  was  a  daughter  of  Capt.  William  Key- 
nolds,  wiio  was  born  at  Mt.  Pleasant  and  raised 
and  commanded  a  company  of  troops  during  the 
war  of  1812  which  he  eiiuipped  largely  at  his 
own  expense.  His  father,  Jii-^hua  Reynolds,  was 
an  English  naval  olTicer  under  George  III,  of 
England.  He  cruised  in  nearly  ever)'  sea  of  the 
known  world  but  finally  resigned  his  commission 
and  came  to  America.  After  a  short  stay  in 
Philadelphia  he  removed,  about  1775,  to  West- 
moreland county  where  he  located  in  Mt.  Pleas- 
ant townshij)  and  followed  farming. 

AVilliaiii  I).  Ilowcll  wah  rcarcil  on  tin'  farm 
wlu-rc  lie  has  alway.s  lived  and  altcndid  the  com- 
mon schools.  His  occupation  in  life  has  been 
farming  and  raising  thorough-bred  stock,  especi- 
ally sli.-cp  and  hogs.  He  hiis  Wru  <\\vvru,v  of 
liic  SiH  icivlcy  liiduslri;il  .Vs.socialion  cM'r  since 
it  was  organized  in  1M77  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Grange.  Though  not  a  political  aspirant,  yet 
he  has  been  chosen  repeatedly  to  fill  various  town- 
ship olHces  and  has  been  serving  for  several  years 
as  school  director.  Mr.  Howell  eidisted  in  the 
State  militia  in  1803  but  was  never  called  into 
service  and  at  the  Irwin  celebration  of  AVashing- 
ton's  first  inauguration  Mr.  Howell  was  made 
couniiander  of  battery  R,  of  I'itlsburg,  and  was 
selected  to  represent  Gen.   Washington.      He  is 


an  elder  in  the  Madison   Presbyterian  church, 
of  which   his   wife   is   a   member. 

He  united  in  marriage  in  January,  1873, 
with  Sarah  A.  Andrews  and  their  union  has 
been  blessed  with  hve  children  :  Mary  E.,  born 
January  4,  1874  ;  Alexander,  born  October  12, 
187.5;  Margaret  C,  born  April  2.  1879;  James 
Hunter,  born  December  7,  1881  ;  and  Sophia  R., 
born  June  12,  1884. 


RCHIBALD  B.  HUNTER,  president  of 
the  Scwickley  Fire  Insurance  company 
and  one  of  the  substantial  business  men 
of  South  Huntingdon  township,  is  a  son  of  David 
and  Margaret  (Boyd)  Hunter  and  was  born  in 
South  Huntingdon  township,  Westmoreland 
county.  Pa.,  December  17,  1848.  William 
Hunter,  Sr.,  (great-grandfather)  a  native  of 
Ireland  and  a  shoemaker  by  trade  who  came  to 
South  Huntingdon  township  prior  to  the  Revo- 
lution. One  of  his  sons,  William  Hunter  (grand- 
father) was  two  years  old  when  he  left  Ireland 
in  17G7.  He  itdierited  the  large  tract  of  land 
which  his  father  patented.  William  Hunter  Avas 
a  federalist  and  belonge<l  to  that  school  of  politi- 
cians founded  by  Alexander  Hamilton.  He  was 
commissioned  justice  of  the  peace  by  Governor 
Sny<lerand  liild  that  olllce  until  1822,  when  he 
(IumI  in  the  lifiy-sevcnlh  year  of  his  age.  David 
Hunter  (father)  was  born  November  23,  1800, 
in  South  Huntingdon  township,  learning  the 
trade  of  tanner  at  Mt.  Pleasant,  where  he  worked 
at  tanning  for  a  sbort  time  and  then  engaged  in 
the  mercantile  business.  He  soon  i[uit  merchan- 
dising and  returned  to  his  native  township  where 
he  embarked  in  his  present  business  of  farming. 
He  was  a  whig  until  the  formation  of  the  Re- 
publican party  when  he  joined  it  and  has  sup- 
ported its  jirinciples  and  candidates  ever  since. 
In  1848  he  married  Margaret  Boyd  who  died  in 
1874.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Archibald 
Boyd,  who  was  a  Scotchman,  a  democrat  anil  a 
member     of  the    United    Presbyterian    church. 


BIOQEAPHIES  OF 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hunter  had  seven  cliildreu  ot' 
■\vliom  four  are  living.  David  Hunter  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Sewickley  I'resbyteriau  eliurcb  and  lias 
bcrn  a  rutin;:  <'ldi'r  Uiv  iivri-  luiirlri'n  v<ar>. 

Arvinl.ald  liiiiilrr  uas  reined  on  bis  r;ilbrl''s 
faiiii  ami  iiUciidnl  the  eiimiiinn  scbdiil.-s  (if  bis 
naU\e  Idwnsbip.  Attaining  bis  niajcjiity  be  i-n- 
gaged  in  farming  and  stuek-raising  and  bas  pur- 
sued tbat  business  ever  since. 

He  was  married  on  Septendjer  15,  1S74,  to 
Sarah  Florence  Bell,  daughter  of  William  Bell. 
Tu  their  union  have  been  born  seven  children  : 
David,  Cora,  William,  Bennett  B.,  Emma, 
Archibald  B.,  Jr.  and  Mary  Frances. 

A.  B.  Hunter  owns  and  resides  upon  a  valu- 
able firm  of  iwo  hundred  and  forty-nine  acres 
ot  land  in  South  Huntingdon  township.  He 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Sewieklev  Pres- 
byterian church.  He  is  a  mendjer  of  Mendon 
Lodge,  No.  27G,  Jr.  0.  U.  A.  M.  ami  Mendon 
Orange,  No.  Hi'>'>,  V.  of  H.  He  is  a  rejiubJican 
and  ;ui  active  \vorker  in  tbat  party  whm  bis 
services  are  needed.  Mr.  Hunter  lias  been  p|-esi- 
dent  for  four  years  of  the  Sewickley  Fire  Insur- 
ance company  which  was  chartered  in  1881  and 
whose  field  of  operations  embrace  Westniurelaml 
county,  Elizabeth  township,  Allegheny  ciMinty  ; 
and  Terry,  Lower  Tyrone  and  Builskui  town- 
ships, Fayette,  county,  Pa. 


tOllN  WlNTRll  HYDE,  of  Webster,  was 
I  born  at  \Vesteliester,  New  York,  August 
(ZJ  -7,  iSoii,  and  is  a  sun  of  .Juseiih  and  Eliza 
(Winter)  Hyde.  His  ancestors  on  both  sides 
were  English,  and  on  the  maternal  side  were 
natives  of  Yorkshire.  Both  grandfathers  lived 
and  died  in  England,  where  Joseph  Hyde 
(father)  was  born  and  whence  he  immigrated  to 
America  in  1881,  having  married  Eliza  Winter 
before  his  departure.  He  first  located  at  Pitts- 
burg where  he  worked  at  carpet-dyeing.  Later 
be  was  engaged  in  the  counties  of  Beaver,  Mer- 
cer  and    Lawrence,  in    the    latter    of  which  he 


died.  He  was  an  "old-line  whig,"  later  a  re- 
publican, served  ten  years  as  justice  of  the 
jieaee  in  Lawrence  county  and  with  bis  wife  be- 
I'Uiged  to  ibr  itaplist  cbinvli.  He  was  ijio 
fallier  of  lime  ebiMi-en,  lliiee  of  whom  ale  now 
living:  John  Winter,  .losepji  and  I'islber. 
Joseph  Hyde  is  a  butcher  at  Sharon,  Pa.,  and 
Esther  is  the  wife  of  George  W.  Reed,  of  the 
same  place. 

John  Winter  Hyde  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon and  academic  schools,  and  after  a  short  en- 
gagement in  the  wagon  business,  embarked  in 
the  mercantile  line  at  Wurtemberg,  Lawrence 
county,  in  18.3,5.  Later  he  removed  to  Sharon, 
Mercer  county,  and  in  1882  went  to  Allegheny 
county  as  manager  of  the  comiiany  store  at  Cam- 
den, where  he  remained  until  1887,  \\lien  he 
became  superintendent  of  the  company  store  of 
Thomas  &  Fawcett  &  Sons,  coal  operators  at 
Webster.  Mr.  Hyde  is  an  intelligent,  compe- 
tent and  thoroughly  reliable  business  man  ;  is  a 
repiiblieali  in  ]j(i|itics,  and  witli  bis  wife  is  con- 
nected with  the  Haptist  church  at  Salem,  in 
which  he  is  a  deacon.  He  belongs  to  the  Anci- 
ent Order  of  United  Workmen  and  to  the  Eiptit- 
able  Aiil  Society. 

John  W.  Hyde  on  the  2'Jth  of  September, 
18.")u,  was  united  in  marriage  with  Sarah  E.,  a 
daughter  of  Joseph  A.  and  Delilah  (Houk)  Mar- 
shall, and  the  fiiiits  of  their  union  were  twelve 
children  :  I'iliza  1).  was  born  November  '.'.o, 
1S51,  and  died  September  15,  1855;  William 
Winter,  born  ^La■ch  5,  185ti,  is  married  to 
Minerva  McGilvey  and  resides  at  West  Middle- 
sex, Mercer  county,  wdierc  he  is  engaged  in  the 
drug  business  ;  James  Marshall,  born  May  25, 
185S.  is  a  druggist  of  Glen  wood,  Allegheny 
county,  and  is  married  to  Dora  White;  David 
Edwin,  born  August  2G,  18U0,  died  February 
7,  1803;  Joseph  was  born  September  2,  18G2, 
and  died  October  10,  same  year;  Ida  Caroline, 
born  February  23,  18G4,  is  the  wife  of  Pierce 
H.  Shearer,  of  Webster,  road  master  on  the 
McKeesport  and  Belle  Vernon  railroad ;   Alfred 


WKSTMORELAND  COVM  1 


0.,  li..ni  Novcnilicr  1<),  ISlKi,  is  ;i  ,lnii:;;ist  of 
Meri.-i.'r  county;  ('hiiissa  Iv,  liuni  .liiuc  -'.>, 
18G'J,  WHS  marrifil  to  James  W.  Carson,  of 
ritlsl)iii;.^li,  \vli(,-i-c  tlicy  ikhv  reside,  .loliii  was 
born  Novenilier  ITi,  iSTii;  Sailie.  Lorn  in 
August,  1877,  was  diowiiud  Deoeuilior,  LSiSli, 
iu  the  Shenango  river,  at  West  Widillesex, 
Mercer  county;  Frank,  born  April  3,  1881, 
and  an  unnamed  infant  who  died  in  1878. 


,LARENCE  M.  JONES,  a  glass-blower, 
was  born  December  23,  1854,  in  Clyde, 
New  York,  and  is  a  son  of  William  II. 
and  Mary  (Belden)  Jones.  William  Junes,  his 
grandfather,  was  a  native  of  England,  immigrated 
to  the  United  States  and  settled  in  Clyde,  N.  Y., 
where  he  died.  Ilg  was  by  occupation  a  jiot- 
maker  for  glass  works.  John  Belden  (maternal 
grandfather)  was  born  in  llocklaud  eounty,  New 
York,  and  married  Mary  A.  Garner,  who  was 
born  in  the  Catskill  mountains.  lie  was  a 
soldier  in  the  war  of  181-.  William  II.  Jones 
(father)  was  born  at  Clyde,  New  York,  and  emi- 
grated to  Pittsburg.  In  1858  he  removed  to 
Belle  Vernon,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  where 
he  still  lives,  lie  is  a  glass  blover  by  occu- 
pation and  an  iictive  worker  in  the  interests  of 
the  Kepublican  party.  lie  married  Mary  A. 
Belden  of  Hose  Valley,  New  York,  July  l:;, 
1852,  and  they  had  five  children. 

Clarence  M.  Jones,  one  of  the  children,  united 
in  wcdinck  willi  Sarah  Iv  Mo-burg,  ,luly  'A, 
ISTli,  and  their  union  has  l)ei'n  blest  with  seven 
children:  Ada  J.,  Clarence,  Lily  E.,  Lulu  1!., 
Clyde  F.,  Edgar  II.  and  Mary  E. 

Clarence  M.  Jones  received  a  common  school 
education,  and  has  followed  glass-blowing  all  his 
working  life.  He  is  a  stanch  republican  and 
has  served  his  borough  in  the  capacity  of  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board  of  which  he  is  president. 
Mr.  Jones  is  a  member  of  Belle  Vernon  Council, 
No.  535,  Royal  Arcanum  at  Belle  Vernon,  also 
of  Local  Assembly,  No.  300,  Knights  of  Labor 


anil  of  the  Sovcifigns  of  Industry  ;inother,  labor 
organization.  He  is  an  iiiduslriuus,  honest  man 
whoso  devotion  to  ]irinciple  is  worthy  of  great 
praise. 

ICIIAEL  KECK  of  Rostraver  township, 
was  born  August  23,  1834,  in  Witten- 
berg, Prussia.  His  grandfather,  Malhias 
Keck,  was  a  native  of  Germany  and  immigrated 
to  America  in  1837,  settling  in  Westmoreland 
county.  Pa.  He  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade  and 
a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church. 
Michael  Keck  (fatlier)  was  born  in  Germany  in 
1800,  married  there  to  Anna  Mary  Letsche  and 
came  to  America  in  1837.  He  was  a  democrat 
politically,  a  shoemaker  by  trade,  and  was  the 
fatlier  of  eleven  children;  seven  of  them  were 
born  in  Germany  and  came  to  the  LTnited 
States,  and  four  of  them  were  born  in  this 
county.  Michael  Keck,  Sr.  and  his  two  sons, 
Benjamin  and  John,  served  in  the  Civil  war. 
John  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  the  Wilder- 
ness but  contimied  to  serve  throughout  the  war. 
Michael  was  taken  prisoner  during  the  memora- 
ble retreat  of  Banks  ;  he  was  in  the  service  but 
a  short  time  wlien  lie  was  taken  sick  and  com- 
pelled on  that  account  and  because  of  age  to 
return  home. 

Michael  Keck,  Jr.  was  born  in  Gcrniany  and 
came  to  the  United  States,  being  but  three  years 
of  age  when  brought  here  by  his  parents.  After 
leaving  the  common  schools  he  mined  until 
ls7ti,  part  of  the  time  being  nu\nager  of  a  coal 
pit.  Since  the  Centennial  year  he  has  been  en- 
gaged in  farming  aiul  holds  title  to  a  farm  along 
the  Youghiogheny  river  in  Rostraver  township. 

Michael  Keck  was  married  December  2'.), 
lS5t(,  to  iSarbara  Hart,  and  is  the  father  of 
eleven  children  :  Anna  M.,  the  wife  of  William 
Kelly  who  resides  in  Rostraver  township  ;  James 
B.  married  to  Annie  Sheets  and  living  in  the 
same  township ;  Eleanor,  married  to  John  Mc- 
Minn  of  Scolt  Haven;  (Jeorge,  married  to 
Lillian  Ward;    Dora  II.,  wife  of  I'aul   l{.  Ran  of 


BIOGRAI'IIIEH  OF 


West  Newton  ;  Julai  W.,  W;ilter,  Eilitli,  Rose 
E,  IreiK'  iiiul  Lulu  15.  Mr.  Ki;i;k  is  a  doniourat, 
an  fxcelloiit  iitizou  ami  an  industrious,  honest 
and  ujiriglit  njan,  and  with  liis  wife  liclungs  to 
tlie  Lutheran  church  at  West  Neutun. 


fAMUEL  KEEPER  (deceased).  The  hite 
Samuel  Keefer,  who  had  uuxde  many 
warm  and  admiring  friends  for  himself  in 
Sewickley  township,  was  a  son  of  Benjamin  and 
Magdalena  (Baker)  Keefer.  He  was  born  in 
Sewickley  township,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa., 
October  22.  1820.  His  father,  Benjamin 
Keefer,  was  reared  in  Armstrong  county,  Pa., 
but  when  a  young  man  he  removed  to  Sewickley 
township  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  for 
many  years.  He  was  burn  in  tlie  latter  part  of 
the  eighteenth  century,  married  ^Llg<lalena 
Baker  and  reared  a  family  of  ten  children.  He 
was  a  quiet,  retiring  citizen  and  a  nuui  who  was 
not  desirous  of  holding  ofiice  or  in  any  way 
rendering  himself  unduly  conspicuous. 

Samuel  Keefer  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  and  received  liis  education  in  the  old  log 
school  houses  and  under  the  subscription  school 
system  of  that  day.  He  always  followed  farming 
in  Sewickley  townshij)  where  he  owned  the  val- 
uable grain  and  mineral  farm  on  which  his  widow 
and  part  of  his  family  now  reside. 

He  united  in  marriage  November  15,  1849, 
with  Lydia  Fortney  and  to  them  were  born  two 
sons  and  five  daughters :  Elizabeth,  John  S., 
married  Olivia  Lewis,  of  Sharpsburg,  Pa.,  taught 
school  for  several  years  and  is  bookkeeper  for  the 
gas  company  at  West  Newton  where  he  resides  ; 
(icorge  C,  a  carpenter,  who  married  Jennie 
Holler  and  lives  at  Madison  ;  JMuma  R.,  Jennie 
jM.,  married  to  John  A.  Long,  a  carpenter,  who 
lives  in  Pittsburg;  Annie  L.,  wife  of  Cyrus 
Freed,  a  school  teacher  of  Fayette  county,  Pa., 
and  Delia  L.,  married  to  John  F.  Boyd,  who  is 
a  farmer  of  South  Huntingdon  township.  Mrs. 
Lydia  Keefer  is  a  daughter  of  George  and  Eliz- 


abeth (Richards)  Fortney.  She  is  a  member  of 
the  M.  E.  clinrcb,  was  boi-n  in  Mt.  I'leasant 
township  June  12,  18:!0,  and  is  one  of  a  family 
of  two  sons  and  live  daughters,  of  whom  two  are 
dead. 

Samuel  Keefer  was  a  republican,  had  served 
his  township  as  tax  collector  and  school  director 
and  was  a  trustee  and  class-leader  of  Madison 
Methodist  church,  of  which  he  had  been  a  mem- 
ber for  many  years.  Samuel  Keefer  died  De- 
cember 3,  1887,  when  in  the  sixty-eighth  year 
of  his  age,  leaving  a  bereaved  wife  and  family 
with  numerous  friends  and  a  large  circle  of  ac- 
quaintances to  mourn  the  loss  of  an  aft'ectionate 
husband,  a  kind  parent  and  a  valuable  citizen. 


>Jv.EORGE  W.  KELLBY,  of  Scotch-L-ish 
\^J  descent,  and  an  intelligent  and  indus- 
^  trious  firmer  and  the  proiirietor  of 
"  \V'alt's  Mills"  ]>roperty  was  born  in  South 
Huntingdon  township,  Westmoreland  county, 
Pa.,  December  21,  1822,  and  is  a  son  of  George 
and  Anna  (McMicliael)  Kelley.  James  Kelley 
(grandfather)  emigrated  from  county  Down, 
Ireland,  to  Chester  county,  Pa.,  where  he  re- 
mained till  17'J1,  when  he  sold  his  farm,  crossed 
the  Alleghenies  and  located  in  South  Hunting- 
don township.  He  owned  three  hundred  acres 
of  land  adjoining  Pittsburg  which  he  lost  by 
litigation,  and  likewise  two  farms  in  HempfielJ 
township.  He  owned  five  farms  aggregating 
eight  hundred  acres,  which  stretched  in  an  un- 
broken line  from  Big  Sewickley  to  the  Mt. 
Pleasant  Pike,  a  distance  of  two  miles.  These 
farms  were  inherited  by  his  five  sons,  then  were 
called  "  Kelley's  Row,"  and  are  known  by  that 
lunne  until  the  present  day.  He  married  Mar- 
garet Glindinning,  of  Chester  county,  who  was 
of  Irish  birth.  Their  children  were :  James, 
Adam,  George,  William,  Daniel,  Dorcas  and 
Nancy.  James  Kelley  died  in  1815  aged  ninety- 
two  years  and  his  wife  passed  away  in  1824  at 
ninety  years  of  ago.     He  was   a   presbyterian 


WJC.rnfORELA  ND   CO  UNT  V. 


anil  siii)iioitetl  Wusliiiigtou  for  i>resi(lcnt  in 
17'.I3.  (ieorgo  Kelluy  (tUtlicr)  was  bom  July 
24,  1777,  in  Chester  county,  ami  at  fourteen 
years  uf  a;.'e  canic  with  hi^  iiai-ents  to  Wcstniore- 
laml  county,  where  he  was  en^'a^eil  in  farming 
as  long  as  he  lived.  lie  was  a  member  of  the 
U.  P.  church,  an  ardent  whig  and  in  1810 
married  Anna  McMichacl,  by  whom  he  had 
five  children  :  Samuel  M.  (dead) ;  Margaret  G. 
(dead) ;  George  W. ;  Mary  A.  (dead) ;  and 
Lucinda  Jane,  wife  of  John  M.  Kougli,  of  Mt. 
Pleasant,  who  was  a  soldier  and  wounded  at 
Antietam.  George  Kelley  died  April  1"2,  1851', 
aged  eighty-two  years.  Mrs.  Kelley  died  Feb- 
ruary IG,  1870,  aged  eighty-two  years.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  Samuel  McMichael,  who  came 
from  Scotland,  served  as  a  sergeant  through  the 
Revolutionary  war,  purchased  a  farm  in  Adams 
county,  Pa.,  which  he  sold  fur  Continental 
money  that  became  worthless  on  his  hands,  and 
in  1784  removed  to  South  Huntingdon  town- 
ship, where  he  soon  died  from  the  effects  of 
exposure  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  He  was  a 
[iresbyterian,  married  Anna  Horn,  of  Scotch 
birth  and  had  eight  children :  Robert,  Isaac, 
Samuel,  Jane,  Elizabeth,  Margaret,  Anna  and 
]\Iary.  Mrs.  McMichael  died  in  183lt  at  eighty- 
nine  years  of  age. 

(Jcdigc  W.  Iv'elley  inlierited  his  I'atiu'r's  farm 
of  line  luindred  and  fifty-nine  acres  of  land  on 
which  he  continued  to  reside  until  1878,  when 
he  exchanged  one  hundred  acres  of  his  land  for 
the  Walt's  mill  property  in  Scwickley  township 
consisting  of  fifteen  acres  of  laud,  a  large  frame 
four-story  grist  mill,  a  saw-mill,  two  dwelling- 
houses,  a  store  building  and  blacksmith  shop. 
For  the  past  twelve  years  he  has  given  his  time 
to  the  management  of  his  mills,  farming  interests 
and  attending  to  the  store  and  post-oflice. 

On  March  22,  18G0,  he  was  married  at 
Greensburg  by  Rev.  J.  Smith,  D.  D.,  to  Mary 
Jane  Latta.  To  their  union  have  been  horn  six 
children:  Isadora  Alice,  Sallie  Anna,  (Jlive 
Jane    Kilgore    and   Edith   Mary   Latta   (twins), 


Maggie  Martha  and  Albert  Plainc.  Edith  died 
at  eight  yearsof  age.  I\Irs  Kelley  is  a  daughter 
of  Si|uire  Thomas  and  Sarah  (Kilgore)  Latta, 
of  Mt.  Pleasant  township,  nmv  deceased,  who 
were  of  Scoti'li- Irish  di^scenl  and  were  presby- 
terians.  Sijuire  Latta  had  been  a  member  of 
sessions  in  his  church  for  thirty  j'ears. 

George  W.  Kelley,  his  wife  and  eldest  children 
are  members  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church, 
of  which  he  has  been  a  ruling  elder  for  thirty 
years.  He  is  an  ardent  and  uncompromising 
lejiublican  and  has  always  been  an  earnest  advo- 
cate of  the  "great  American  system  "  of  protec- 
tion to  home  labor  in  all  its  branches.  He  also 
is  an  able  advocate  of  popular  education  and  a 
firm  supporter  of  our  common  school  system 
and  is  now  and  has  been  for  several  years  a 
member  of  the  school  board  of  his  township. 

•f'ESSE  KREPPS,  of  Rostraver  township, 
T  Avas  born  January  20,  1833,  in  Menallen 
(o/  township,  Fayette  county.  Pa.,  and  is  a  son 
of  Jacob  and  Mary  (Chrise)  Krepps.  His 
grandfather,  Christian  Krepps,  was  a  native  of 
Germany,  and  with  three  sons  immigrated  to 
America,  locating  at  Harper's  Ferry,  Md.  They 
afterwards  removed  north  to  Fayette  county, 
this  State,  and  all  of  the  name,  who  spell  the 
name  with  a  doulilc  ji  are  the  descendants  of  the 
aforementioned  three  sons,  one  of  whom  was 
.Jacob  Krepps.  The  latter  was  a  miller  by  trade 
and  in  politics  was  rather  independent  though  ho 
usually  voted  w  ith  the  Avhigs ;  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Lutheran  church.  He  was  married  to 
iMary  Chrise,  and  they  had  eleven  children, 
nine  sons  and  two  daughters. 

Jesse  Krepps  is  of  purely  German  descent. 
He  received  liis  education  in  the  country  schools 
and  has  followed  farming  all  his  life.  He  lived 
in  Fayette  county  until  18AS,  when  he  removed 
to  Rostraver  townshiii,  this  county,  and  pur- 
chased a  farm  on  which  he  has  ever  since  been 
engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising.      In  poll- 


606 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


tics  liu  is  a  democrat,  ami  with  his  wife  belongs 
to  the  Cuinberhuul  riesbyteriau  cliurch.  On 
November  -I',  185'J,  ^Ir.  Krepps  was  married 
to  Hannah  Zunilell.  a  Jaughter  of  John  Zunilell 
(sec  sketcii  of  the  /.innlell  family).  'I'liey  have 
five  ehihlren  :  Mary  C,  wife  of  Wm.  K.  Craw- 
foril,  of  Rostraver  township,  a  silversmith,  who 
lost  liis  entire  stock  of  goods  in  the  terrible 
Johnstown  Ihiod  ;  George  W.,  a  farmer  of  Ros- 
traver township,  who  is  married  to  Fannie 
Swearingen ;   Ida  M.,  John  /.,  and  J.  Lloyd. 


^TIRTSTfAX  LASH,  of  Sontli  lliiniing- 
don  lownNJiip,  was  boin  Kcbrnary  -, 
ISI)',',  in  Sewickley  township,  AVestmore- 
land  county,  I'a.,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and 
Barbara  (Funk)  Lash.  His  grandfather  Lash 
was  of  (Jcrman  descent,  but  lived  and  dieil  in 
the  eastern  part  of  the  United  States.  Christian 
Funk,  nniternal  grandfather,  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania, east  of  the  mountains,  came  to  South 
Huntingdon,  Westmoreland,  where  he  took  up 
a  large  tract  of  government  land  on  which  he 
lived  and  died.  '•  Funk's  mill  "  on  Sewickley 
creek  was  built  by  him  and  he  also  built  the 
house  now  occupied  by  Christian  Lash  ;  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Mennonite  church  and  in  the  early 
days  services  were  held  in  that  Imuse.  Joseph 
Lash  (father)  was  born  near  Cundjcrland,  Pa., 
and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  came  with  a  nuin  by 
the  name  of  Williams  to  what  is  known  as  the 
"  (Juaker  sttlement  "  in  Sewickley  township, 
wlieie  lie  learned  tlic  carpenter  trade.  He  was 
poor  but  honest,  industrious  ami  economical, 
and  ere  long  accumulated  five  hundred  dollars, 
when  he  married  and  purchased  about  two  hun- 
dred acres  of  land  in  Sewickley  township,  where 
he  died  in  \'6bl  at  the  age  seventy-seven  years. 
His  brother,  David  Lash,  was  a  soldier  in  the 
war  of  1812  and  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  New 
Orleans.  Joseph  Lash  nuuried  TSarbara  Furd< 
and  they  had  twelve  children. 

Ciiristian  Lash  received   liis  education  in   the 


common  and  select  scliools  and  has  always  fol- 
lowed the  ])ursuits  of  agriculture.  He  was  a 
whig  originally,  later  a  republican  and  has 
served  his  townshiji  as  supervisor,  etc.  He  is 
and  has  been  lor  nearly  sixty  years  a  nieudjcr 
of  the  United  Brethren  church,  in  which  he 
has  served  faithfully  in  nearly  every  official  ca- 
pacity and  was  the  first  superintendent  of  the 
Sabbath  school.  He  was  largely  instrumental 
in  building  the  Sewickley  United  Brethren 
church,  donating  land  and  money. 

Christian  Lash  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Loy, 
of  eastern  Pennsylvania,  who  died  January  ol, 
ISHd.  They  had  live  children  :  Barbara,  John, 
Elizabeth,  L'iiristia)!  J.,  and  Cephas  11.  Bar- 
bara, who  was  the  wife  of  AVilliam  NefV,  is  now- 
dead.  Jolin  Lash  was  married  to  ]\Iartha  Ann 
Funk  anil  has  five  children  living  and  two 
dead:  Joseph  C,  married  to  Margaret  A]iple; 
Barbara  J.,  wife  of  Wesley  B.  NeQ';  Rachel  E. 
(dead);  William  H. ;  Hiram  P.  ;  Mary  A.  (dead), 
and  John  A.  Elizabeth  Lash  was  nnirried  to 
Michael  Fritchman,  a  prominent  former  of  An- 
drew county,  Mo.  Christian  Lash  was  first 
married  to  Rebecca  Mct.irew  and  the  second 
time  to  Lucinda  Donavan  ;  lie,  too,  lives  in  An- 
drew county.  Mo.  Cephas  H.  Lash  lives  in  Se- 
wickley township  and  is  married  to  Mary  Kerns. 

Christian  Lash,  although  past  four-score 
years  of  age,  has  not  entirely  retired  from  the 
active  duties  of  life.  He  has  lived  a  long  and 
useful  life  and  in  his  declining  years  looks  with 
pride  and  satisfaction  on  his  numerous  descend- 
ants. He  has  five  children,  thirty-three  grand- 
children and  nineteen  great-inandchildren. 


Q)  PHRAIM  LATTA,  a  practically  e.xpe- 
^j*  rienced  and  successful  farmer  and  a  resi- 
dent of  Sewickley  township  since  1882, 
was  born  in  South  Huntingd(jn  township,  Wcst- 
morelanil  county,  Pa.,  October  '24,  1824,  and  is 
a  son  of  Moses  and  Sarah  (Johnson)  Latta. 
His  paternal    grandfather    came    from    tiie    old 


WJiS'nfoEEL.  1 XD   CO  UXTY. 


worlil  to  Aiuor'K'a  ami  in  all  probability  was  born 
in  Irelanil,  as  liis  personal  appearance  indicated 
that  lie  was  of  Trisli  nationality.  Tie  pnrcbased 
;nid  livc(i  on  ibi'  lanii  in  Soiilb  liiiulinL'dcjn 
towu^lii|i  which  i.-^  now  owned  by  William  Tay- 
lor, lie  was  a  democrat,  a  nieniljcr  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  cliiircli  and  married  a  Miss 
Thompson,  by  whom  he  liad  one  cliild  :  Moses 
Latta.  His  maternal  grandfatlier,  Matthew  Jolin- 
son,  wa.s  born  in  connty  Down,  Ireland,  ami  im- 
migrated to  America  about  1789.  He  purcliascd 
a  team  in  eastern  Pennsylvania  and  started 
for  the  conntry  west  of  the  Oliio  river,  Imt  wlien 
he  arrived  in  Sontli  Huntingdon  townslii[i,  one 
of  his  liorses  dropped  dead  ami  not  being  able 
to  replace  it  with  one  wliich  suited  him  he  con- 
cluded to  go  no  further  west  and  purchased  a 
form  upon  which  he  resided  until  his  death. 
lie  was  a  farmer,  a  democrat  and  a  member  of 
tlie  I'nited  Presbyterian  church.  lie  married 
Fannie  Jane  Belford  in  Ireland  before  coming 
to  tliis  country.  They  had  eight  children: 
James  and  Sarah  (motlier),  born  in  Ireland,  and 
Mary,  William,  Fannie  K.,  Nancy,  Eliza  L.  and 
Matthew,  boru  in  South  Huntingdon  township. 
His  father,  Moses  Latta,  was  born  in  South 
llunlingdon  townsliip  aliout  1TM(J  and  died  in 
18til.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  and  a 
conservative  democrat.  He  lias  served  as  school 
director  and  held  various  otiicr  townsliip  ollices. 
He  married  Sarali  Johnson  and  they  wi^ie  tlie 
parents  of  five  sons  and  five  daughters,  of  whom 
three  sons  and  three  daughters  are  living. 

Ephraim  Latta  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  his 
neigiiborhood.  He  followed  farming  in  South 
Huntingdon  township  until  1S82,  wlieii  he  sold 
the  homestcail  farm  to  ^\'illiaIn  Taylor  and  ])ur- 
chased  his  present  farm  in  Sewii-l;ley  t(jwiisliip. 
Mr.  Latta  is  a  democrat  in  jiolitics  ami  lias 
served  as  school  director  of  his  township.  He 
and  liis  wif(!  am  mcmhei's  of  the  old  "i)i(k" 
I'nited  Presliytciian  chiircii 


He  was  united  in  marriage,  February  l(i, 
1857,  to  Jane  Dick,  a  daugliter  (jf  Jolin  and 
:\Iaria  (McClintock)  Dick.  To  Mr.  ami  Mis. 
lialta  liavc  been  born  nine  chihircii,  lA'  wliom 
six  arc  deal  and  liiire  living:  .Martha  A.,  Iiiirn 
January  18,  18.j8,  died  June  28,  187U;  Emma 
J.,  born  August  20,  1859,  died  June  17,  18G5  ; 
Clara  B.,  born  December  15,  1801,  died  May 
14,  18(13;  James  E.,  born  April  15,  18l!4,  died 
June  14,  1870;  Harry  M.,  born  May  3,  180(1; 
married  Rachel  Funk  and  resides  at  "Wesc  New- 
ton ;  William  E.,  born  July  17,  1868,  died  June 
■20,  1870  ;  Alma  N.,  born  June  18,  1870  ;  Liz- 
zie M.,  b(u-n  March  5,  1S75,  died  May  10, 
1S89;  and  Alex.  M  Dick,  born  February  2"), 
187S>. 


PETER  LIMBAUGH  was  born  April  9, 
1S54,  under  tlie  sunny  skies  of  France. 
He  came  to  America  in  1872  and  settled 
first  at  Irwin,  afterwards  went  to  Alleglieiiy 
county,  thence  to  Jimtown,  Fayette  county, 
where  he  resided  for  three  years.  He  subsequently 
removed  from  there  to  South  Huntingdon.  His 
business  is  that  of  coal  mining.  He  was  mar- 
ried on  December  25,  1S75,  to  Miss  Carrie 
Sheppard,  a  daughter  of  James  R.  Shejipard,  of 
Ueai'antown.  To  their  union  have  been  born 
six  children :  Minnie,  born  May  22,  1870  ; 
James  S.,  October  5,  1879  ;  George  M.,  August 
14,  1881;  Candasie  P.,  March  30,  l.S,S3; 
Robert  F.,  August  22,  1885,  who  died  Novem- 
ber 8,  1889,  and  Florence  B.,  born  April  13, 
1887,  who  died  August  5,  1887. 

Peter  Limbaugh  (the  subject  of  this  sketch), 
is  a  republican  in  his  political  opinions  and  is  a 
stanch  highly  respected  citizen  of  his  adopteil 
township.  His  education  was  received  in  tlie  oidi- 
iiarv  schools  of  Franco.  His  father,  Peter  Liin- 
haugh,  resides  at  Beach,  France  ;  he  married  in 
1851,  at  the  age  of  31,  and  is  now  in  tiie  sixty- 
ninth  year  of  his  age.  He  was  married  to  Jennie 
Bile,  of  Beach,  France. 

Peter    Limbaugh's    (subject    of     this    sketch) 


BIOGRAnilES  OF 


gr;iiiilf;itlu'i'   Liiiil);iugli's   ii;iiiie   was    also   Peter, 
aiul  he  was  a  native  of  France. 


•i'AMKS    S.    I. INN  is   one  of  tlio   liiglily  re- 

JspecleJ  citizens  of  South  Iluntingilon  town- 
ship, was  born  on  the  site  of  the  present 
Presbyterian  church  at  West  New  ton,  Westmore- 
land county,  Pa.,  September  30,  182G,  and  is  a 
son  of  Willianand  Elizabeth  (Clark)  Linn.  His 
paternal  grandfather,  James  Linn,  was  born  in 
Ireland  in  17G2  and  di  d  at  Washington,  Wash- 
ington county,  Pa.,  in  18-38.  He  married  a  Scotch 
lady  before  coming  to  America.  He  was  a  far- 
mer and  a  member  of  the  "  Old  Covenanter" 
church.  His  maternal  grandfather,  Clark,  was 
a  resident  for  many  years  of  Sewickley  town- 
shi|i,  where  he  died.  His  father,  William  Linn, 
was  born  in  Washington  county,  Pa.,  April  10, 
1792,  and  came  to  West  Newton  prior  to  1800. 
At  that  place  he  owed  the  ground  upon  which 
the  Presbyterian  church  now  stands.  He  learned 
the  trade  of  blacksmith,  was  drafted  and  served 
in  the  War  of  1812  on  the  northwestern  fron- 
tier where  he  became  sick  and  was  given  up  to 
die  by  the  army  physicians.  He  recovered,  re- 
turned to  Pittsburg  where  he  worked  at  his  trade 
and  where  he  was  offered  eight  acres  of  land, 
including  the  site  of  the  Union  depot  for  a  very 
small  sum  of  money.  He  was  a  democrat,  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  a 
strung  stock-holder  and  treasurer  of  the  ^Vest 
Newton  Bridge  company.  He  owed  consider- 
able property  and  the  farm  upon  which  the  sub- 
ject 111'  this  sketch  resides,  and  lived  hir  many 
years  at  West  Newton,  where  he  died  July  22, 
1858.  On  January  27,  1820,  he  married  Eliza- 
beth Clark,  who  bore  him  four  sons  and  four 
daugiiters  :  Eliza  Jane,  born  December  24,  1821, 
died  in  San  Fi'ancisco,  California,  where  her 
husband,  John  J.  Fulton,  still  resides  and  where 
he  made  a  medical  discovery  which  has  made 
him  wealthy  ;  Sarah  Matilda,  born  January  24, 
1824,   and   widow    of  Dr.    J(jhn   McGrew,  who 


served  as  a  captain  in  the  bite  war  ;  JanK^s  S., 
born  September  liO,  1820  ;  Mary,  born  July  21», 
1829,  and    widow    of  Elliott    Davis,  who    was  a 

fai- r   of    li'oslravt  r    township;    William,  Ihuu 

April  12,  ls;i2,  and  died  in  infancy;  'riujmas 
S.,  born  November  24,  1833,  married  Maggie 
Boyd,  and  died  in  San  Francisco ;  he  served  as 
an  escort  once  for  President  Lincoln,  was  a  ser- 
geant in  the  army,  was  wounded  at  Gettysburg 
and  served  throughout  the  late  war  :  Amanda, 
born  October  12,  1837,  and  wife  of  Dr.  Samuel 
Fife,  of  West  Elizabeth,  Pa.,  and  William,  who 
wasborn  July  27, 1843,  and  died  January  2,1845. 

James  S.  Linn  attended  the  common  schools 
and  studied  Latin  and  higher  branches  under 
Senator  Edgar  C.  Cowan.  Leaving  school  he 
engaged  in  his  present  business  of  farming  to 
which  he  added  dairying  a  few  years  later. 
He  owns  a  good  farm  of  one  hundred  and  fif- 
teen acres,  upon  which  he  has  erected  a  fine 
residence,  and  is  furnished  throughout  with  na- 
tural gas  and  all  modern  conveniences.  He  also 
owns  valuable  property  at  West  Newton. 

James  S.  Linn,  on  April  5,  1852,  united  in 
marriage  with  Phemiah  McGiffen,  who  wasborn 
September  23,  1832.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
James  and  Phemiah  (Shaw)  McGitfen.  To  their 
union  have  been  born  four  children  :  William, 
born  June  24,  1853  ;  Frank,  born  October  15, 
1858,  married  Sailie,  daughter  of  James  Hen- 
derson, and  has  one  child,  Bessie  Fay  ;  Jose- 
phine, born  April  13,  18(52,  and  died  in  infancy, 
and  Homer  J.,  who  was  born  Novendier  (3,  18C4. 

In  political  sentiment  Mr.  Lin)i  is  a  demo- 
crat, has  served  as  hcIiooI  direeloi-  for  twelve 
years  and  as  a  road  supervisor  for  four  years. 
He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  at  Wyland's  Grove,  in  Sewiekly 
township. 

f;%  OBERT  T.  LOVE,  a  substantial  farmer, 
was  born  April  25,  1822,  in   Hempfield 
township,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  and 
is   a   son   of    Heiijamin    ami    ^L^ry    ('rinstnian) 


VESTMOliELA  XD   CO  UN2  Y. 


009 


Love.  Benjiimin  Love  (graudfother)  was  a 
native  of  Trclainl  but  iiiimigrated  t(i  tlie  Uuited 
8lati's  wlieii  aliiiut  twriitv-ono  years  of  a^^c  ami 
sclllcil  Hear  ( Jrcnislmi'L',  I'a-,  ulicrr  lie  iciuaiiicil 
until  his  ileatli  some  ten  years  later.  His  wife 
also  was  born  in  L'eland  and  immigrated  to 
America  where  she  married  and  lived  until 
1852,  when  she  died  at  the  advanced  age  of 
101  years.  Benjamin  Love  (father)  was  born 
in  1795  and  came  to  this  country  with  his  father 
when  but  a  boy.  For  a  number  of  years  he 
was  a  wagoner  but  in  1820  he  began  farming  in 
Ilempfield  township,  which  he  continued  about 
three  years,  then  removed  to  East  Huntingdon 
township  and  purchased  a  farm.  After  seven 
years  he  sold  his  real  estate  and  bought  a  farm 
in  South  lluntingdcjn  townshi]),  on  which  he 
remained  until  his  death  in  1S<)2.  He  was 
married  to  Mary,  a  dauuditer  of  Abraham  Tinst- 
man  of  East  Huntingilon  township,  who  was 
born  in  1800,  died  in  1S52  ami  who  became  the 
mother  of  fourteen  children,  eleven  of  whdin 
are  living.  Mr.  Love  was  in  religious  matters 
a  believer  in  the  doctrines  of  ^L^rtin  Luther 
and  in  politics  an  ardent  follower  of  Jackson 
an'd  an  active  worker  in  the  interests  of  his  party. 
Robert  T.  Love  was  brought  up  in  the  coun- 
try where  he  attended  the  common  schools  and 
woi'kc'd  as  a  fai'iii  liaiul.  For  seven  years  he 
thus  worked  I'm  .lulin  Kiigh,  then  tunk  the 
JJiigh  farm  "  on  the  shares  "  and  continued  to 
run  it  until  ISlU  when  he  removed  to  South 
Huntingdon  township.  He  remained  there  but 
two  years  and  then  ]itn-eh;ised  part  of  the  lUigh 
farm,  on  which  he  has  ever  since  resided.  Mr. 
Love  is  a  modest,  unassuming  man  who  follows 
his  occupation  quietly  and  contentedly,  remind- 
ing one  of  the  typical  farmer  who  walks  "  In 
glory  and  in  joy  behind  his  plow  upon  the 
mountain  .side."  He  is  an  active  democrat  and 
lias  served  several  terms  as  assessor  and  school 
director  of  his  townshi]).  Both  he  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  .M.  ]'].  ehureh  and  rank 
among  the  best  people  of  their  community. 


Robert  T.  Love  was  married  in  1854  to  Eliz- 
abeth, a  daughter  of  .John  Rugh,  wlio  was  born 
in  1800  and  who  has  borne  him  three  ehildien, 
two  of  whom  are  living:  Mary  A.,  wife  of  1). 
\V.  Fox,  a  farmer  of  J'last  Huntingdon  town- 
ship, and  Ella,  married  to  (.'iaik  S.  Stoner,  also 
a  farmer  of  that  township. 


jf^EONARD  E.  LUCE,  a  progressive  farmer 
y  j  and  enterprising  citizen,  was  born  May 
II),  LSol,  in  Rostravcr  township,  West- 
moreland county.  Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of  Stephen 
and  Sarah  (Everly)  Luce.  His  grandfather, 
Lockard  Luce,  was  in  all  probability  a  native  of 
New  Jersey  where  he  lived  and  died.  He 
served  with  credit  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution, 
when  to  be  a  patient  soldier  in  the  army  of 
])atriots  severely  tried  the  souls  of  men  Leon- 
ai'd  Everly  (maternal  grandfather)  \vas  a  German 
by  birth  and  immigrated  to  America,  settling 
in  AVashington  county.  Pa.,  where  he  remained 
until  removed  by  death.  Stephen  Luce  (father) 
was  born  in  New  Jersey,  came  west  and  settled 
in  Rostraver  township,  Westmoreland  county, 
Pa.,  but  subsequently  removed  to  Redstone 
township  in  the  adjoining  county  of  Fayette 
where  he  followed  the  occupation  of  farming 
and  stock-raising  as  long  as  he  lived.  He  was 
a  democrat  and  a  worthy  mendier  of  the  Meth- 
odist church. 

Leonard  E.  Luce  was  married  February  2i3, 
1857,  to  Margaret,  daughter  of  Hugh  McMahan, 
and  to  their  union  have  been  borne  nine  chil- 
dren, eight  of  whom  arc  living:  Mary,  wife  of 
Gibson  Winnet,  a  farmer  of  Rostraver  town- 
ship; Thomas  E.,  Elmer  E.,  J.  Wesley,  Fred- 
erick L.,  Amelia,  Anna  B.  and  Mattie. 

Leonard  E.  Luce  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  Fayette  county.  Pa.,  and  in  1852 
removed  with  his  father  to  the  adjoining  county 
of  Westmoreland.  They  settled  in  Rostraver 
townshi])  on  the  farm  now  owned  and  oceu])ied 
by  Mr.  Luce,  who  has  resided  there  continuously 


r.IOGRAPHIES  OF 


from  tliiit  time.  Tlio  fUrin  contaiii.s  VM  acros 
ami  is  well  improvc'd  aiiil  valu;il)le.  Mr.  Liico 
is  an  active  worker  in  the  Denioeiatic  iiuity  and 
lia.s  lielil  the  (ilhccs  of  school  iliicctor  and  niad 
supcrvisoi',  holh  of  which  aie  of  gicat  im|iort- 
ance  to  the  jieople  of  any  locality,  lie  is  a 
progressive,  puhlic-spiriteil  man  and  one  who 
belongs  to  that  class  whose  honor,  enterprise 
and  social  qualities  sive  character  to  a  commu- 
nity. 


X  OIIN  LYNN,  of  Rostraver  township,  a  son 
'j'  of  William  and  Elizabeth  (Chain)  Lynn, 
(2/  was  born  January  !S,  1S43,  in  Redstone 
township,  Fayette  Co.,  I'a.  His  grandfather, 
John  Lynn,  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  immigrated 
to  America  and  settled  in  Fayette  Co.,  near 
Peirvopolis,  where  he  followed  the  trade  of 
tailoring.  William  Chain,  maternal  grandfather, 
was  a  laborer  and  lived  most  of  his  life  in 
Tyrone  township,  Fayette  county. 

William  Lynn  (father)  was  born  in  LS17,  near 
Perryopolis,  Fayette  county,  and  now  resides  in 
Rostraver  township,  this  county,  his  life  occupa- 
tion having  been  chiefly  that  of  farnjing.  lie 
was  married  to  Elizabeth  Chain,  and  they  had 
eleven  children,  of  whom  nine  are  living.  Wm. 
Henry  Lynn,  one  of  the  sons,  enlisted  in  Co.  G, 
sixteenth  Pa.  Cavalry  in  LS(j2  and  serveil  until 
June,  ISOr),  taking  part  in  many  bloodv  and 
important  battles. 

,fohn  Lynn  attended  the  common  schools  of 
his  day  and  learneil  the  blacksmith  trade,  at 
which  he  has  wt)rked  ever  since,  carrying  on 
wagon-making  in  connection  therewith.  The 
latter  trade  he  never  learned,  but  being  naturally 
apt  he  picked  it  up.  Previous  to  the  war  he 
lived  in  Fayette  county,  but  in  18(JG  he  re- 
moved to  Rostraver  township,  this  county, 
where  he  has  ever  since  carried  on  his  busi- 
ness. He  is  a  democrat,  an  Odd  Fellow 
and  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.  Post  at  Smith- 
ton.  Mr.  Lynn,  on  the  (Jth  of  Septemiier, 
18lJ2,   enlisted    in    (Jo.    (i,   sixteenth    I'a.    Cav- 


alry and  served  until  mustered  out  at  Lynch- 
burg, Va.,  Jun<,'  14,  18(1").  participating  in  all 
the  battles  of  his  regiment,  among  the  most  im- 
portant of  which  were  Gettysburg,  Sheppards- 
towii.  White  House  Landing,  Culpepper  Court 
House,  New  Market  Road  and  the  Wilderness. 
He  served  his  country  faithfully  and  made  for 
himself  a  record  as  a  valiant  soldier. 

John  Lynn  was  first  married  to  Mary  King, 
a  daughter  of  William  King,  of  Fayette  county, 
by  whom  he  had  two  children :  Alzana  and 
Frank,  both  deceased.  His  second  wife  was 
Mary,  a  daughter  of  Henry  Owens  (now  de- 
ceased) and  they  have  had  the  following  chil- 
dren :  Priscilla,  born  March  17,  1S(J8,  now  the 
wife  of  James  Zearley,  of  Rostraver  township  ; 
William  Henry,  born  December  9,  1809;  John 
Klmer,  b(u-n  October  'l-l.  1871  ;  Ada,  born  De- 
cendjer  15, 1873  ;  Alfred  (deceased),  born  January 
19,  187G;  Allena,  born  .January  20,  1877; 
Samuel  P.,  born  Septendier  18,  1879  ;  George 
Alonzo,  born  Se])tember  22,  1882  ;  and  Caleb  Z., 
born  August  31,  1884. 


•jpOSEPH  MARKLE,  a  descendant  of  an 
'f'  old  and  distinguished  family  of  Westmore- 
(o/  land  county  and  the  owner  of  one  of  the 
finest  farms  of  South  Huntingdon  township,  is 
a  son  of  Gen.  Joseph  and  Elizabeth  (Lloyd) 
IMarkle  and  was  born  in  South  Huntingdon  town- 
ship, Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  May  8,  1830. 
His  great-grandfither,  John  Chrisman  Merklin 
(written  ]\Lirkle  in  the  U.  S.),  was  born  at 
Alsace,  on  the  Rhine,  about  1(378.  In  168.'J  or 
ItiSG  he  went  to  Amsterdam,  Holland,  where  he 
married  Jemima  Weurtz  or  Weurtzen,  who  was 
a  sister  of  the  admiral  of  that  name.  In  1703 
he  emigrated  to  Berks  county,  Pa.,  where  he 
reared  a  family  of  nine  children.  His  youngest 
child,  Gaspar  iNIarkle,  removed  to  Westmoreland 
county  in  1770  and  founded  the  "  South  Western 
Pennsylvania  "  branch  of  the  Markle  family. 
(For  a  fuller  history  of  Gaspar  Markle  and  the 


WESTMORELAND   COUNTY. 


Markle  family  see  sketoli  of  Shepurd  1>.  Miukle, 
Jr.,  of  West  New  toll.) 

1 1  is  oiliest  chilli  by  his  second  wife,  Mary 
Uoailariiicl,  was  Gen.  Joseph  Markle  (father), 
who  was  horn  Fehniary  !•''.  1777.  At  an  early 
age  he  was  engaged  in  transporting  salt  liuni 
eastern  cities  on  paekhorses  through  unbroken 
forests.  In  17'J'J,  1800,  IbiOl,  180B  and  IbO'J 
he  made  trips  to  New  Orleans  with  boat-loads  of 
Hour  from  his  father's  mill.  From  his  first  trip 
he  returned  by  what  is  called  the  wilderness 
route  by  way  of  Natchez,  Nashville,  liCxington, 
Chillicothe,  etc.  From  the  ne.\t  trip  (1800)  he 
returned  by  sea  as  a  common  sailor  on  board 
the  ship  Mars,  commanded  by  Capt.  George. 
From  his  remaining  trips  he  returned  by  sea  but 
always  as  a  passenger.  In  ISOG  he  built  a  flour- 
ing mill,  and  five  years  later  he  and  Simon  Drum 
erected  the  third  ]>aper-mill  ever  built  west  of 
the  Alleghenios. 

Whi-n  the  War  of  1812  broke  out  General 
Markle  was  \ery  acli\ely  eng:iL'rd  in  prosecuting 
various  business  enterprises.  l;iit  his  jiatriotism 
was  far  superior  to  his  business  ambition,  and 
he  left  his  farms  and  mills  to  raise  a  troop  of 
cavalry.  Of  this  company  he  was  elected  cap- 
tain and  led  it  into  the  thickest  of  the  fight  at 
the  battle  of  Mississinewa.  He  also  took  a 
creditable  part  in  the  siege  of  Ft.  Meigs. 
Shortly  after  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  elected 
Major-General  of  Penn.sylvania  militia  for  the 
division  composed  of  the  counties  of  Fayette  and 
Westmoreland.  In  1S44  General  Markle  was 
the  whig  candidate  for  governor  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  was  defeated  by  only  4,000  votes  in  a  poll 
of  31G,000.  He  ran  4,000  votes  ahead  ot  the 
whig  jiresidential  ticket  in  the  State.  He  was 
a  great  reader,  jjossessed  a  good  memory,  and 
was  well  known  for  his  courage,  honesty  and 
hospitality. 

General  Markle  was  twice  married.  His  first 
■wife  was  Elizabeth  Painter,  a  daughter  of  Judge 
Jacob  Painter,  by  whom  he  had  three  sons  and 
one  daughter.     His  second  wife  was  Elizabeth 


Lloyd,  daughter  of  Col.  Joseph  Lloyd,  who  was 
born  in  the  Ligonier  Valley.  (leneral  and  Mrs. 
Markle  had  twelve  children.  (]'\)r  account  of 
these  children  see  sketch  of  George  \V.  Markle.) 

•loseph  Markle  was  reared  on  the  homestead 
farm  of  his  father.  He  received  his  education 
ill  common  and  select  schools,  and  at  an  early 
age  turned  his  attention  to  farming  and  stock- 
raising  which  lie  lias  successfully  pursued  for 
many  yeai's. 

In  December,  18.J.J,  he  was  married  to  Jane 
Pinkertori,  a  daughter  of  Si[uire  Pinkerton,  who 
had  been  justice  of  the  peace  for  many  years  in 
Sewickley  townslii]).  They  have  five  children, 
three  sons  and  two  daughters:  Clara  E.,  wife  of 
J.  R.  Cannon  of  Allegheny  City,  Pa. ;  Mary 
E.,  who  married  William  P.  Bell  of  South  Hun- 
tingdon townshiji;  John  P.,  ^vho  married  Lizzie, 
daughter  of  David  Baer  ;  Shepard  E.,  a  hard- 
ware merchant  of  New  Haven,  Pa.,  and  George 
Lloyd. 

.Joseph  Markle  is  a  republic;iii  in  politics,  but 
is  not  an  extremist.  lie  owns  alarm  of  one 
hundred  acro<  of  first-class  land,  which  is  a  part 
of  the  ancient  homestead  and  is  well  adapted  to 
tillage  or  stock-raising.  Mr.  Markle  and  his 
wife  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at 
West  Newton.  He  is  well  informed,  honest  and 
hospitalJe. 

""  EORGE  W.  MARKLE,  a  grandson  of 
U  Gasper  Markle  and  a  highly  res})ected 
citizen  of  South  Huntingdon  township, 
wa>  born  in  South  Huntingdon  township,  West- 
moreland county,  Pa.,  December  2,  1841,  and 
is  a  son  of  Gen.  Joseph  and  Elizabeth  (Lloyd) 
Markle.  He  is  a  grandson  of  Caspar  Markle 
whose  father,  John  (Jhrisman  Markle,  was  born 
in  Alsace  on  the  Rhine  iind  came  to  America  in 
1703.  Another  member  of  the  Markle  family, 
Hon.  Abraham  Markle,  removed  from  Germany 
to  Canada,  where  he  served  as  a  delegate  in  the 
Provincial  Parliament.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1812,  served  as  colonel  in  the  Ameri- 


lilOGRAPIHES  OF 


can  army  and  received  four  sections  of  land 
from  the  government  in  place  of  Lis  property  in 
Canada  wliich  was  afterwards  confiscated  liy  tlie 
lliilisli  :iiilliiirilics.  S('\cnd  ol'  ( Jas|iaiil  IMmt- 
IJc's  hdijs  ^(•rv(■d  in  llii;  Indian  wars  and  mir  of 
tlieui,  Cieorge,  was  prominent  in  the  defense  of 
AVheeling,  while  his  (Gaspard's)  brother  was 
under  Commodore  Barney  in  the  Ilevolution. 
Gaspard  Markle  made  some  of  the  first  flour 
manufactured  west  of  the  Allegheny  mountains, 
and  Jacob  Yoder  who  transported  it  on  flat-boats 
to  New  Orleans  liad  a  monument  erected  over 
his  remains  b}-  the  citizens  of  Spencer  county, 
Ky.,  to  commemorate  that  fact.  (For  further 
history  of  the  Markle  family  see  sketch  of 
Joseph  Markle  and  also  of  Shepard  B.  Markle, 
Jr.,  of  West  Newton).  Gen.  Joseph  Markle 
served  with  distinction  in  the  War  of  ISlii. 
From  a  general  order  issued  by  Gen.  William 
H.  Harrison  on  August  10,  1813,  we  extract 
the  following  in  regar<l  to  (Jen.  Markle  and  his 
company :  "  In  the  course  of  eleven  months 
service  in  which  the}'  have  performed  as  much 
severe  duty  as  any  troops  ever  did,  the  General 
has  found  as  much  reason  to  applaud  their  steady 
and  subordinate  deportment  in  camp  as  their 
coolness  and  valor  when  opposed  to  the  enemy, 
both  of  which  were  eminently  displayed  at  the 
battle  of  Mississnewa  and  at  the  siege  of  Ft. 
iSIeigs."  On  January  18,  1805,  Gen.  Markle 
married  Elizabeth  Painter.  Their  children 
were  Shepard  B.,  ]\Iary  E.,  widow  of  John 
Boyd,  Eli;is  !!.,  died  in  181S,  and  Gen.  Cyrus 
!'.  His  sccon<l  wile  was  Elizabeth  Lloyd,  whom 
he  married  on  Septcmi/er  liT,  1825.  By  this 
second  union  there  wuie  twelve  children  of 
whom  six  are  dead :  George  AV.,  Lafayette,  a 
lawyer  by  jirofession  and  who  edited  the  Xijack 
Chronicle,  Rockland  county,  N.  Y.,  at  the  time 
of  his  death,  Joseph,  llo.xanna,  wife  of  Dr.  W. 
L.  Miller,  of  Allegheny  city,  Sidnie,  wife  of 
liobert  Taylor,  of  AVest  Newton,  and  Margaret. 
Gen  Mai'kle  was  a  meiiilier  «l'  the  I'rcsbyterian 
church.      In  the  late  wai'  u]ion  a  threatened  in- 


vasion of  Pennsylvania  he  raised  a  company  of 
cavalry  for  home  defense  when  eighty-four  years 
of  age.      lie  died  March  If),  ISllT. 

( ieorge  W.  Markle  was  iciii-cd  upon  n  farm  and 
reeeivi'il  his  eiliication  in  ciuiiniiiii  and  privale 
schools  of  the  county.  \Vhen  old  enough  to  en- 
gage in  business  for  himself  he  embarked  in  faming 
in  w  hich  he  has  continued  successfully  ever  since. 

He  was  married  on  June  3,  1875,  to  Elizabeth 
L.  Boyd,  daughte;'  of  Robert  Boyd.  To  their 
union  have  been  born  si.x  children  :  Edith  B., 
Lawrence  L.,  Alice,  Harry  W.,  Robert  L.  and 
Maggie  E. 

In  political  opinion  Mr.  Markle  is  a  republi- 
can. He  is  a  member  of  Y'oughiogheny  Grange, 
No.  916,  Patrons  of  Husbandry  ivnd  Sewickley 
Presbyterian  church,  of  which  he  is  a  trustee. 
He  owns  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  very  good  farming  and  grazing  land  in  South 
Huntingdon  township,  upon  which  he  resides. 
As  a  citizen  and  a  man  he  is  highly  respected 
and  esteemed. 

^'j'YlI'TJAM  MEREDITH,  a  resident  of 
East  Huntingdon  township,  a  ])romi. 
nent  locomotive  engineer  and  the  in- 
ventor of  exhaust  nozzel,  is  a  son  of  William 
and  Mary  (Williams)  Meredith,  and  was  born 
in  Staflor(l  county,  England,  December  30, 
1842.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Josejdi  Mere- 
dith, was  a  native  and  resident  of  Shropshire, 
England,  where  he  had  the  management  of  a 
parish  for  a  gentleman  by  the  name  of  Booth. 
He  was  a  mend>er  of  the  Established  church  of 
England,  married  Mary  Fellows,  and  had  four 
children  :  Joseph  ;  John,  who  was  a  large  shoe 
manufacturer  of  London  ;  Thomas  and  Will- 
iam, Sr.,  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
AVilliam  Meredith,  Sr.,  lived  and  died  in  his 
native  country.  He  married  Mary  AVilliams,  a 
daughter  of  William  \ViHianis,  who  Avas  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Established  church,  and  lived  to 
be  ninety-six  years  of  age.  They  had  eight 
sons  and  three  daughters,  of  whom  ten  are  living. 


WESTMORELAND   COUNTY. 


William  Moicilitli  was  rearod  in  Kiij^laiid 
wiievc  lio  recoivc'il  a  very  fine  cdiicatioii,  ami 
served  for  some  time  as  a  valet  to  a  distinguished 
gentleman  of  that  country.  He  then  learned 
the  tracle  of  locomotive  engineer,  and  in  K^TH 
iiiiniigrated  to  Canada  where  he  was  a  superin- 
tendent of  a  large  iron-works  for  one  year.  At 
the  end  of  that  time  he  came  to  Westmoreland 
county  and  accepted  his  present  position  as  en- 
gineer at  the  Morewood  coke-works.  He  is  a 
republican  in  politics.  He  is  a  member  of  M. 
E.  church,  Mt.  Pleasant  Lodge,  No.  90,  Knights 
of  the  Domestic  Chain,  Hylas  Lodge,  No.  474, 
Knights  of  Pythias,  and  the  National  Associa- 
tion of  Stationary  Engineers,  and  wliile  in 
England  he  was  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order 
of  Foresters  of  tliat  country.  He  owns  a  fine 
and  attractive  residence  property  in  East  Hunt- 
ingdon township,  near  Mt.  Pleasant,  upim  which 
he  has  erected  a  modern  and  well  finished 
house  of  si.\  rooms. 

On  June  8,  1862,  he  married  Martha  Brom- 
yard, who  is  a  native  of  England.  They  have 
one  child:  Bertha,  who  was  born  May  1,  iStio, 
and  is  the  wife  of  William  Hitchcock,  who  is  a 
locomotive  engineer  and  owns  considerable 
property  at  ^lorewood. 

William  ^leredith  is  the  inventor  of  the 
"  E.xhaust  Nozzel  "  for  locomotives.  It  saves 
both  water  and  fuel,  takes  the  back  pressure 
from  the  engine  and  arrests  and  prevents  sparks 
from  ilying.  He  lias  taken  out  jiatents  on  this 
invTiilioM  in  Scotland,  iMiixlaiul,  Ireland,  Canada 
and  the  United  States.  'rii...sr  who  are  com- 
petent to  speak  upon  tlie  subject  ])ronounee  it 
useful  and  valuable  invention  and  predict  its 
introduction  into  general  use  at  no  distant  day 
in  the  future. 


OBERT   McGUFFEY,    of  Scotch-Irish 
descent  and  one  of   South  Huntingdon's 
many  prosjjerous  and  reliable  farmers,  is 
a  son  of  Robert  and  Catharine  (Weaver)  Mc(iuf- 


fey,  and  was  born  in  South  Huntingdon  town- 
ship, Westmoreland  enunty,  ]'a.,  Feliruary  l^!, 
1851. 

His  ]iaternal  ancestors  are  of  Scotch-Irish  ex- 
traction. His  grandfather,  Robert  McCiulfey, 
Sr.,  moved  his  family  on  pack-horses  to  West- 
moreland county,  where  lie  settled  on  a  tract  of 
land  which  now  comprises  the  farms  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  and  his  brother.  He  was  a 
farmer  and  owned  and  operated  a  small  distillery. 
Robert  McGutTey,  Jr.,  (father)  was  born  in  ISOl 
on  the  home-firm  on  which  he  died.  He  was 
a  millwright  and  carpenter  but  gave  a  portion  of 
his  time  to  the  management  of  the  large  farm 
which  he  owned.  He  was  a  democrat,  had  held 
various  township  offices,  served  in  the  Pennsyl- 
vania militia  and  was  a  member  and  trustee  of 
the  Sewickley  Presbyterian  church.  He  mar- 
ried Catharine  AVeaver,  a  daughter  of  John 
Weaver,  who  was  a  native  of  South  Huntingdon 
township  and  removed  to  tlie  "Forks"  in  Alle- 
gheny county.  Pa.  ]Mr.  and  Mrs.  McGufi'ey 
had  si.x  children,  all  of  whom  are  living  :  Benja- 
min F.,  married  Alma  Aspey  and  lives  at  Hun- 
ker's station  ;  ISIartha,  who  is  married  to  William 
F.  Pool  of  Manor  station  ;  Robert,  Catharine, 
Mary  J.,  widow  of  A.  G.  Milligan  and  John  C. 

Robert  MeGulVey,  after  receiving  his  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools,  engaged  in  farmin" 
which  he  pursued  until  he  removeil  to  Painters- 
ville,  where  he  formed  a  partnership  with  a  Mr. 
Stanton  in  the  wholesale  feed  business  which 
lasted  fir  sixteen  iiKUitlis.  He  then  returned  to 
his  farm  and  resumed  farming  and  stock -raising 
which  business  he  has  continued  to  follow  ever 
since.  He  owns  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and 
fifty-four  acres  of  first-class  land  which  is  well- 
improved  and  in  a  good  state  of  cultivation. 

He  is  an  active  democrat,  served  as  collector 
of  ta.xes  in  1880  and  was  re-elected  in  the  spring 
of  IS 'JO. 

On  October  19,  1881,  he  married  Hattie 
Stewart,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Harriet 
Stewart  of  Sewickley  township.      Mr.  and  Mrs. 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


McGuffey  liave  four  children  :  INIary  J-,  Grover 
C,  Harrison  and  Bertlia  A. 

Robert  McGufi'ey  is  a  iiiemlior  of  tlie  Grange 
and  Junior  Grderof  United  Ann  ricaii  Mccliiiniert 
ut  Mrndon. 

-LEXANDER  McMAIIAN,  one  of  tlie 
intelligent  and  substant}al  citizens  of 
Welister,  was  born  July  17,  1S4:5,  in 
Allenjhcny  county,  Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of  Hugh 
and  Margaret  (Manown)  McMahun.  His  gnind- 
father,  also  named  Hugh  McMahan,  was  a  native 
of  Ireland  who  emigrated  to  America  in  181G  and 
settled  in  Allegheny  county,  Pa.,  where  he  re- 
njained  until  1828.  He  then  removed  to  Ros- 
traver  township  in  the  adjoining  cuunty  of  West- 
moreland, where  he  carried  on  the  business  of 
fanning  until  his  death.  He  was  a  di  ludciat 
and  a  ilevuut  niendier  of  the  Catholic  ciiurcli. 
HuLdi  jMclMahan  (father)  was  born  in  Ireland  in 
18U2  and  came  with  iiis  father  to  America  where 
he  followed  farnung  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  188-2.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he 
owned  a  tract  of  five  hundred  acres  of  land.  The 
first  crop  of  wheat  he  raised  on  his  firm  was  cut 
by  himself  with  a  sickle,  and  tiie  last  crop  during 
his  life  was  taken  off  by  five  reapers  and  one  self- 
binder,  all  running  at  one  time,  which  shows  the 
vast  progress  made  in  fanning  and  the  use  of 
agricultural  maciiinery.  Mr.  McMahan  was  the 
father  of  nine  children,  five  of  whom  were  boys. 
In  politics  he  adhered  firmly  to  tlie  democratic 
fiith  and  lield  several  imj)iirtant  ollices  in  his 
township.  He  was  a  man  of  very  liigh  standing 
in  his  community,  being  univeisally  recognized 
as  a  modest,  industrious  g?ntlenian  of  undoubted 
integrity  and  consistent  Christian  character.  lie 
was  an  active  member  of  the  Catholic  cliurch 
and  a  man  whose  noble  e.xample  lives  after  him. 
John  Manown  (maternal  grandfather)  was  a  na- 
tive of  Irelaml  who  emigrated  to  America  and 
settled  in  Allegheny  county.  Pa.,  where  he  re- 
mained until  removed  by  death. 

Alexander  McMahan  was  educated  in  the  pub- 


lic schools  of  Rostraver  township,  after  which  he 
carried  on  firming  till  1888  when  he  embarked 
in  the  hotel  business  at  Webster,  in  which  lie  is 
now  engaged  I'oliticaliy  lie  adheres  to  tlie 
ilemocralie  faith  while  in  religion  lie  is  an  active, 
earnest  menilier  of  the  Catholic  church.  He  is 
a  man  of  excellent  business  (qualifications,  sober, 
ijuiet  and  industrious. 

Mr.  ]McMahan  married  February  5,  18(37, 
Mary  Ellen,  daughter  of  Thomas  Daly,  of  Dela- 
ware, and  sister  of  Thomas  Daly  the  efficient 
foreman  of  the  great  Gibsonton  distillery  at 
Belle  A'evnon.  She  has  borne  him  nine  chil- 
dren whose  names  are  Anastatia,  Margaret  A., 
Hugh,  Athalia,  Thomas  Lafiyette,  Lillian  E., 
Ella,  Harold  and  Marr    Dalv.  " 


LEX.VNDER  S.  MlLl,lGAX,a  descend- 
ant of  a  ."^cotch-lrisli  fimily  noted  fiU'  its 
longevity  as  well  as  its  thrift  ami  moral- 
ity, and  an  intelligent  citizen  of  Sewickley  town- 
ship, is  a  son  of  John  and  Sarah  (Simeral)  Milli  • 
gan,  and  was  born  in  the  house  in  which  he  now 
resides  in  Sewickley  township,  'Westmoreland 
county.  Pa.,  December  18.  ISH.  John  Milli- 
gan  (great-grandfither)  was  born  in  Ayrshire, 
Scotland,  came  to  this  country  before  the  Revo- 
lution and  lived  for  some  time  near  Carlisle,  in 
the  Cumberland  Valley,  where  he  tended  a  mill 
and  often  ground  flour  and  meal  for  Wasliing- 
ton's  army.  He  married  Mary  Adams  and  in 
1780  removed  to  Westmoreland  county  where 
he  located  on  the  farm  of  John  Cainahan,  now 
kiHjwn  as  the  Willow  Tree  Farm.  He  patented 
four  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Sewickley  town- 
ship and  served  for  many  years  before  his  death 
as  justice  of  the  peace.  He  married  more  young 
couples  than  any  other  magistrate  in  the  county 
on  account  of  his  short  marriage  ceremony.  He 
was  born  in  1752,  married  Mary  Adams  in  1775 
and  had  ten  children,  three  sons  and  seven 
daughters  :  Jean  nnirried  Col.  David  Nelson  ot 
Crawford  county  ;  Nancy  married  Richard  Sim- 


WJCSTMOEELAND   CO UXTY. 


mons ;  Ak'xundcr,  who  inarrieJ  Nolly  McLin- 
toL-k  ;  Mary  died  ;it  fifty-two  yeurs  of  ago ; 
Pc;:;.'V,  who  died  aged  one  year,  and  the  next 
ehild  was  also  naiucil  I'cggy,  who  luan-ii'd  Sam- 
uel Millc-i-;  daines  (!.  nianied  Drhorah  hlekh's  ; 
Nelly  married  Hugh  Mcldntoek  ;  Ann  mai'ried 
AVilliaiu  Hutchinson  and  John  (grandfather)  who 
married  Margaret  Thompson.  In  1802  John 
Miliigan  started  with  a  boat  load  of  flour  and 
whiskey  to  New  Orleans.  The  flour  souring  on 
the  way  he  took  it  to  Liverpool,  England,  sold  it 
to  tlie  starch  manufacturers  of  that  city  and  in- 
vested the  proceeds  in  dry  goods  and  queens- 
ware.  He  then  visited  his  native  place  in  Scot- 
laml  and  induced  his  half-brother,  the  Rev. 
James  Milligan,  an  eloquent  Associate  Keformed 
minister,  to  come  with  him  to  America  where  he 
became  noted  as  one  of  the  early  Abolitionists, 
and  while  pastor  of  a  church  at  Bygate,  A'cr- 
uiont,  ^vas  egged  liy  a  pro-slavery  mob.  John 
Milligan  (grandfather)  was  born  June  '10.  1~X'J, 
on  the  liome  farm  \\hcre  he  always  lived  and 
upon  which  he  died  August  17,  LS72.  He 
served  in  Capt.  Markle's  cavalry  company  dur- 
ing the  War  of  18  J  2  and  was  a  strong  whig.  He 
was  an  elder  in  the  old  "  Dick  "  U.  P.  church 
which  he  helped  to  found  in  1808  and  to  re-build 
the  house  in  183-5,  which  occupied  the  site  of  the 
present  church  edifice  erected  in  1882.  He  mar- 
ried Margaret  Thompson  who  bore  him  four  sons 
and  two  daughters,  all  of  whom  are  dead  except 
one  son,  Josepli.  The  sons  were:  William  T. 
■n\\i>  married  Kosana  ]5ell ;  Joseph  married 
llanntdi  Highbcrger  ;  Alexander,  who  married 
Mary  l^rishin,  and  John.  The  ilaughters  wire: 
Jane,  wife  of  John  McYeal,  and  Mary  .\nn,  who 
married  Isiael  .Miller.  John  Milligan  (father) 
was  born  March  28,  18111,  in  the  old  homestead 
house  in  which  he  always  lived  and  where  he 
died  December  20,  187!).  He  now  sleeps  with 
his  filher  and  grandfather  in  the  old  Dick  grave- 
yard. He  was  a  whig  and  later  a  republican. 
He  wi|s  a  supporter  and  regular  attendant  of  the 
U.  1'.  church.      In  1.S40  he  married  Sarah  Sim- 


eral,  daughter  of  Alexander  Simeral,  of  Sewick- 
ley  township.  They  had  five  children  :  Alexan- 
der S.  and  Margaret  Jane  (twins),  born  IX'ceni- 
bcr  IS,  l,sn  ;  Hai-iisdu  and  Mai'y  Ann  (twins), 
horn  Seplemlicr  I,  IS  I,'",,  mid  Siuah  1!.,  Inirn 
September  27,  IHh'i,  married  George  H.  ]5un- 
ner,  January  4,  1883,  and  has  two  sons  :  John 
Milligan,  born  November  28,  188C,  and  Walter 
^Milligan,  born  July  27,  1888.  Harrison,  the 
second  son,  married  Elizabeth  Robertson  and 
lives  in  Rostraver  township  and  has  one  son  : 
Arthur  Edgar. 

Alexander  S.  Milligan  received  his  education 
in  the  common  schools  and  at  the  present  time 
is  engaged  in  ftxrming  and  stock-raising.  His 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-six  acres  of  land  is 
in  Sewiekley  township.  He  is  a  republican, 
always  takes  an  active  part  in  polities  and  is  a 
clear-headed  and  euerLtetic  business  man. 


•j^AMES  M.  MILLIGAN.  A  funily  which 
I  is  numbered  among  the  early  lamilies  of 
(1/  Westmoreland  county  is  the  Milligan  fam- 
ily, which  was  founded  by  John  Milligan,  a 
Revolutionary  soldier  and  the  grandfather  of 
James  M.  ]\Iilligan,  who  is  one  of  the  well- 
known  anil  highly-respected  citizens  of  Sewiek- 
ley township.  James  M.  Milligan  is  a  son  of 
James  C.  and  Deborah  (Eekles)  Milligan  and 
was  born  in  Sewiekley  township,  Wtstmoreland 
county.  Pa.,  New  Year's  Day,  1819.  The  Mil- 
ligans  are  of  Scotch  descent  and  locate  the  home 
of  their  trans-Atlantic  ancestors  near  the  birth- 
)jhice  of  the  j)oet  15urns,  in  Ayrshire,  Scotland. 
Jcjhn  Milligan  (grandfathei-)  leit  Scotlaml  prior 
to  1774;  settled  in  Chester  county,  Pa.  He 
ground  corn  for  Washington's  army  when  they 
were  encamped  at  ^^Uley  Forge  and  after  the 
Revolutionary  war  came  to  Westmoreland  county. 
He  settled  at  the  ''  Willow  liec  "  fairu,  but  soon 
removed  (178"))  to  Sewiekley  township,  where 
in  17S(i  he  patented  four  hundred  acres  of  land. 
He   married    Mary  ,\ilams   and    they    had    llireo 


niOGRAPHIES  OF 


sons  and  six  (laughters :  AlLXunder,  John  and 
James  C,  Jane,  Elinor,  Margaret,  ^lary,  Nanuy 
and  xVnna.  (For  further  account  of  John  Mil- 
ligan  and  his  son  James  C,  see  sketches  of  Dr.  J. 
D.  Milligan,  of  Greensburg,  and  A.  S.  Milligan.) 
James  ]M.  Milligan  received  a  common  scliool 
education  and  also  taught  school  in  Sewickley 
township.  Since  then  he  has  been  engaged  in 
farming  and  takes  especial  delight  in  the  care 
and  management  of  his  well-kept  farm. 

On  February  17,  1842,  he  married  Rosan 
Murtland,  of  Irish  descent  and  who  died  Feb- 
ruary 27,  184G.  By  this  marriage  he  had  one 
child:  Daniel  Murtland,  who  was  born  May 
2(),  1843;  eidistud  in  Co.  A,  fifteenth  Keg.,  Pa. 
Cavalry,  August  1!',  18G'2  ;  participated  in  the 
battle  of  Murfreesboro,  was  promoted  to  first 
sergeant  for  bravery ;  carried  dispatches  for 
Gen.  Rosecrans  in  several  battles;  served  under 
Sherman  in  the  march  to  the  sea  and  was 
wounded  in  North  Carolina  on  tlie  loth  of 
April,  1 8Gf) ;  came  home,  entered  and  gradu- 
ated from  Iron  City  Business  college  and  be- 
came bookkeeper  fur  the  James  Sparks  steel- 
works, but  his  wound  never  healed  rightly  and 
finally  caused  his  death  Ajiril  lH,  18(;;i.  lie 
was  an  cxeiiiphiry  young  man  ami  w:is  a  ci in- 
sistent member  of  tlie  United  Brethren  chincli. 
On  October  10,  1850,  James  M.  Milligan  unittd 
in  marriage  with  Elizabeth  Davidson,  daugiiter 
of  Samuel  and  Hannah  Davidson,  of  Madison. 
To  this  second  union  have  been  born  two  suns 
and  two  daugliters  :  Dr.  Julin  D.  (see  .sketch); 
liusetta  II.,  burn  February  27,  18.V'),  married 
Juhn  S.  Cojie,  September  27,  1874,  and  has  two 
children — Alverda  M.,  born  December  15, 187G, 
and  Clayton  C,  born  July  22,  188o — Sadie  E., 
born  Aprd  10,  1858,  and  Harry  E.,  burn  Octo- 
ber 15,  18G7. 

In  politics  Mr.  Milligan  is  a  republican.  He 
voted  for  General  William  Henry  Harrison  in 
1840  and  fur  his  grandson,  Benjamin  Harrison, 
in  1888.  He  and  his  wife  and  children  are 
members  of  the  United  Brethren  cliurcl:. 


ytYlULIAM  MITCHELL,  Sii.  (deceased), 
Ijfl  whu  was  a  well-knuwn  citizen  of  Se- 
wickley township,  was  a  son  uf  Joiiu' 
and  Mary  (Leech)  Mitchell.  He  was  born  in 
Philadelphia  county,  Pa.,  May  8,  181M,  and 
died  in  Sewickley  township,  February  1-J,  1BS5. 
His  father,  John  Mitchell,  was  a  native  of  Eng- 
land and  came  to  Philadelphia  county,  Pa., 
where  he  was  engaged  in  the  general  mercantile 
business  fur  several  years.  He  then  removed  to 
Sewickley  tow  nship  and  purchased  a  farm  uf  one 
hundred  and  fifty  acres,  near  Madison,un  which  his 
grandsons,  Williamand  John  Mitchell,  now  reside. 
William  Mitchell,  Sr.,  was  reared  in  I'liila- 
deljiliia  county,  this  State,  and  came  with  his 
father  to  Sewickley  township,  where  he  engaged 
in  farming  as  a  life-long  pursuit.  His  life  was 
straightforward,  unchequered  and  uneventfid. 
He  was  a  democrat  in  political  opinion,  an 
earnest  and  consistent  member  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  church  and  a  plain,  unassumin" 
man  wliu  was  highly  respected  by  his  ncii'li- 
bors.  He  was  a  kind  husband,  a  loving  father 
and  a  generous  friend. 

On  September  27,  1851,  he  married  Mary  J. 
Woodward,  a  daugiiter  uf  Jeliu  Woodward,  who. 
was  a  native  uf  Pennsylvania,  and  married 
Ke/.iali  Henry,  by  whom  he  had  ten  children  : 
Juel,  William,  Laughlin,  Capt.  John  and  Mary 
J.,  Sarah,  Elizabeth,  Pamelia,  Louisa  and  Kezia. 
The  four  sons  served  in  the  late  war,  one  of 
whom,  John,  went  out  as  a  private  in  Co.  E, 
fifth  Reg.,  I'a.  Vols,  and  was  promoted  to  a  cajj- 
taincy.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mitchell  were  buia 
three  sons  and  one  daughter  :  Elizabeth,  wife  uf 
Rev.  C.  M.  Ilartzell,  pastor  of  the  Reformed 
church  at  Latrobe  this  county;  James,  a  farmer 
in  Sewickley  township,  who  married  Alma  lligh- 
berger,  daughter  of  Abram  Ilighberger  (see  his 
sketch),  and  ^Villiam  and  .John,  who  are  unmar- 
ried and  reside  witii  their  mother  on  the  home 
farm,  which  they  have  kejjt  in  a  good  state  of 
cultivation  and  productiveness.  They  are  in-, 
dustrious  and  successful  f  trnicrs. 


WESTMORELAND   CO  UNTY. 


017 


-LBEirr  MONMVKR  istlio  fiftli  ofsovon 
cliililri'ii  Ixini  to  (iccii-gt'  aiiil  CaroliiiL' 
Flick,  till'  luttiT  a  il;iii;;litcr  of  (!cori£0 
l-'rick.  'I'lio  |.;ilcnial  ^ian.ir.,11,,1-  of  AIImtI, 
Moiiiiiyur,  Jiiliu  .Mniiiii yer,  (if  (Icniiaii  origin, 
was  boiu  and  reared  near  Adanisbuig,  I'a.,  and 
Avas  married  to  Catliariiic  Loce.  1'liey  first  set- 
tled in  (Jreeno  county  and  suliseiiiientiy  removed 
to  near  Smitliton  in  South  Huntingdon  town- 
ship. 

Albert  Monmyer  was  married  January  17, 
1882,  to  a  daughter  of  William  and  Florinda 
Hepder.  To  their  marriage  have  been  born 
three  children  :  Lueetta  F.,  born  June  U,  1883  ; 
A'enia,  born  June  10,  1SS7,  and  an  infant  born 
September  20,  1889. 

He  owns  a  small  but  valuable  farm  of  sixty- 
two  acres,  underlaid  with  rich  stratas  of  coal  and 
limestone. 

His  education  was  received  in  the  common 
schools  of  the  county.  He  is  an  active  worker 
in  the  Democratic  party  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  church  at  Smitliton. 


yTTn'I^^AlM  F.  MORGAN  a  mcrcliant  and 
Ijfl  prominent  member  of  the  (J  rand  Army 
of  tiu'  Kcpiiblic,  was  born  A|iril  12, 
l.''4-3,  in  Elizabeth,  Allegheny  county,  Pa.,  and 
is  a  son  of  Benjamin  F.  and  Martha  (Tower) 
Morgan  and  a  grandson  of  Morgan  I).  Morgan, 
a  native  of  Glamorganshire,  Wales,  who  immi- 
grated to  America  in  1814  and  settled  at  i'itts- 
burg,  I'a.,  where  ho  devoted  his  time  to  teaching 
school  and  blacksmithing  until  he  died  in  Is.'it). 
Benjamin  F.  Morgan  (fither)  was  burn  April  ;">, 
1824,  in  the  city  of  Bittsburg,  Ba.,  where  he 
lived  until  1873  when  he  removed  to  Bellaire, 
Ohio.  He  died  in  the  latter  place  October  8, 
188JI.  He  was  a  man  of  piety  and  served  for 
twenty  years  as  elder  in  the  First  Presbyterian 
church.  South  Side,  Bittsburg.  In  18t.>l,  July 
4,  he  entered  the  sixty-second  reg.,  Ba.  Vols., 
Col.  Black,  and  served  three  years,  when  he  was 


discharged  August  8,  18(54,  having  taken  jiart 
ill  every  battle  in  which  his  regiment  was  enga- 
ged. His  occupation  was  tiiiit  of  glass-cutter 
and  during  his  lil'o  Ik^  laid  by  a  haiidsoiiu!  coni- 
[leleiicy  for  his  family.  He  was  tiie  father  of 
six  children,  all  living,  of  whom  William  F. 
Morgan  is  the  eldest.  His  maternal  grandfather 
'I'owcr  was  a  native  of  Bennsylvania  and  married 
Martha,  a  daughter  of  Col.  Edward  Cook,  who 
served  in  the  llevolutionary  war  on  the  staff  of 
Gen.  Washington  and  who  also  took  a  leading 
part  in  the  Whiskey  Insurrection,  at  which  time 
there  was  a  reward  of  five  hundred  dollars  offered 
for  his  head.  A  Mr.  Hamilton  was  sent  for 
him,  but  Cook  escaped  and  went  into  the 
U.  S.  Congress  then  sitting  in  Bhiladelphia  and 
gave  himself  up.  Some  time  after  the  war  for 
Independence  he  came  to  Fayette  county,  Ba., 
where  he  took  up  six  hundred  acres  of  land  in 
the  vicinity  of  Cookstown,  which  bears  his  name. 

William  F.  Morgan  married  Martha,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Frank  lleeder,  who  was  for  forty  years  a 
justice  of  the  peace  in  Washington  county,  Pa. 
They  have  six  children  :  Harry  K.,  Frank  E., 
Pearl  A.,  Katie,  May  E.,  and  Helen  G. 

William  F.  Morgan  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic and  high  schools  of  Bittsburg,  which  ho  left 
at  the  age  of  eighteen  to  enter  the  civil  war.  He 
was  one  of  the  seventy-five  thousand  volunteers 
called  for  in  April,  1861,  and  served  in  the 
thirteenth  reg.  Ba.  Vols.  He  enlisted  July  4, 
18G1,  in  the  sixty-second  reg.  Ba.  Vols.,  and 
served  till  March  25,  18G3  ;  re-enlisted  August 
!),  18G3,  in  a  Bennsylvania  battery  of  light  ar- 
tillery for  one  year  but  served  until  the  close  of 
the  war.  He  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Wil- 
liamsburg, Hanover  Court  House,  Mechanics- 
ville,  Gaines'  Mill,  Seven  Days  fight  and  the 
siege  of  Yorktown,  and  was  on  guard  at  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.  when  Bresident  Lincoln  was  as- 
sassinated. He  was  one  of  the  guard  of  honor 
that  accompanied  the  remains  from  the  White 
House  to  the  capitol  where  they  were  to  lie  in 
state.      While  there  he  saw  and  talked  with  B.os- 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


ton  Corbett  who  shot  Booth,  tlie  slayer  of  the 
"  Martyr  President."  Mr.  Morgan  is  a  promi- 
nent member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Repub- 
lic and  is  an  active  republiean.  lie  followed 
glass-cutting  until  1873  in  Pittsburg,  moved  to 
Belle  Vernon  and  continued  it  there  until  18S0, 
when  he  embarked  in  the  mercantile  business. 
lie  is  an  elder  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and 
an  earnest  worker  in  the  cause  of  Christianity. 


^YY^^'^-^-^^f  *^'-  NEWLIN,  who  owns  one 
(if  tlie  well-improved  farms  uf  Sewiekley 
township  and  wIkj  is  a  leading  citizen  of 
tile  community  in  which  lie  has  resided  for 
nearly  sixty  years,  was  born  in  Eliialjeth  town- 
ship, Allegheny  count}'.  Pa.,  iVpril  IT),  l!S:JO. 
and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Jane  (*)ng)  Newlin. 
Natiian  Newlin,  paternal  grandfather,  was  born 
east  of  the  Allegheny  mountains.  He  was  a 
large  landholder  of  Allegheny  county  and  his 
farms  are  in  the  hands  of  his  grandsons.  He 
was  reared  a  Quaker  but  "finally  united  witli  tlie 
M.  E.  cliur;h.  He  donated  the  land  on  which 
the  Dravo  I\I.  E.  church  now  stands.  He  was 
a  whig  and  married  Jane  Shannon,  by  whom  he 
had  five  sons  and  si.x  daughters.  Jesse  Ung, 
maternal  grandfather,  was  a  resident  for  many 
years  of  Sewickley  township  in  which  he  died. 
He  was  a  farmer,  a  whig  and  a  <,|iiakcr  or 
Friend.  His  wife  was  Betsey  McGrew,  a  mem- 
ber of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  Sewickley. 
township,  by  whom  he  had  four  children.  John 
Newlin  (father)  was  born  in  Allegheny  county, 
Pa..  June  22,  1798,  and  died  December  7, 
l'S41.  He  followed  farming  until  his  niairiage 
after  which  he  removed  to  MillviUe,  in  Sewick- 
ley township,  where  he  engaged  in  the  mercan- 
tile business  as  long  as  he  lived.  He  was  a 
whig  and  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church.  He 
married  Jane  Ong  and  their  uiiicui  w.is  blessed 
with  si.x  children  :  Jesse,  born  January  1,  LSJ2  ; 
Elizabeth  W.,  burn  September  lU,  1824;  Wil- 
liam C,  Jane,  born  September  30,  1832  ;  James 


B.,  born  February  23,  183.5,  and  John  IL,  born 
March  30,  1840.  Mrs.  Jane  (Ong)  Newlin 
(mother)  was  born  October  18,  1797,  and  lived 
until  Februar}'  11,  1877.  She  made  her  home 
for  many  years  with  AViUiam  C. 

William  C.  Newlin  acquired  a  good  common 
school  education.  He  taught  school  for  several 
winters  and  worked  at  brick  masonry  during  the 
intervening  summers.  In  1857  he  purchased  the 
farm  of  fifty-four  acres  on  which  he  resides  ami  on 
which  he  has  erected  a  good  house,  barn  and 
outbuildings.  This  farm  is  part  of  the  original 
tract  rescued  I'loiii  tin;  wilderness  about  the 
middle  of  the  last  century  b^'  John  McDonald, 
Mrs.  Newlin's  great-grandfather.  He  is  a  re- 
publican, a  member  and  trustee  of  the  Dravo 
Methoilist  Episcopal  cliLirch,  of  which  church  he 
has  been  a  .steward  i'or  at  least  twenty-live  con- 
secutive years 

He  was  married  on  May  0th,  1852,  to  Livvia 
J.  McDonald,  daughter  of  Alexander  and  Jane 
(Todd)  McDonald.  Of  this  marriage  have  been 
born  two  children  :  Margaret  Jane,  born  Feb- 
ruary 24,  1853,  died  March  7,  1804,  and  the 
Rev.  Alexander  Willis,  born  April  9,  1850, 
graduated  from  California,  Pa.,  Normal  school 
in  1877  and  Allegheny  college,  Meadville,  Pa., 
in  1884  ;  married  Mary  E.  York,  of  Randolph, 
Ohio,  June  3i),  1SS4;  was  professor  of  drawing 
and  elocution  in  the  California,  Pa.,  State  Nor- 
mal school  for  two  years ;  was  professor  of 
Hebrew  and  Greek  in  Allegheny  college  for  four 
years;  entered  the  ministry  in  1888  and  is  now 
pastor  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of 
Damascus,  Ohio,  where  he  is  having  groat  suc- 
cess. Mrs.  L.  J.  Newlin  was  born  January  2, 
1830,  is  a  Methodist  and  is  of  Scotch  extraction. 
Iler  father  was  a  great-grandson  of  William 
McDonald,  who  emigrated  from  Scotland  to  Ire- 
land and  Avliose  son,  John,  was  one  of  the  first 
settlers  of  Sewickley  township.  His  only  child, 
Alexander  McDonald,  Sr.,  inlierited  the  home- 
stead and  inaiiied  l,iv\ia  Watson  and  had  three 
Sons  and  one  daughter.      One  of  these  sons,  was 


WES TMOUELA ND   CO  I r.V lY. 


Alexander  McDonalil,  -who  inlicrituil  his  fatlK'i's 
farm,  was  a  democrat  and  Presbyterian.  lie 
had  four  children  :  Henry,  born  in  1828  ;  Liv- 
via  J.,  born  in  1830;  Margaret,  born  in  1S:!1, 
and  William,  born  in  183'J. 

W.  C.  Newlin  is  correct  in  bis  business 
methods  and  has  acquireil  a  competency  by 
honesty  and  economy.  lie  is  a  kind  neighbor, 
wins  and  retains  the  good-will  of  all  who  know 
him. 

•j^OIIN  NORCROSS,  a  descendant  of  the 
I"  New  Jersey  Norcross  family  of  Revolution- 
2/  ary  fame  and  one  of  the  oldest  school  direc- 
tors of  Pennsylvania  in  years  of  service  and  a 
resident  of  Sewickley  township,  is  a  son  of 
Charles  and  Martha  (Wheatley)  Norcross  and 
was  burn  in  the  Red  Lion  district,  Jeil'erson 
township,  Fayette  county.  Pa.,  May  12,  \X'2'2. 
Prior  to  the  Revolutionary  war  a  Norcross  set- 
tled in  New  Jersey  and  had  four  sons.  Three 
of  these  served  in  the  heroic  struggle  of  the 
American  colonies  for  independence,  for  which 
one  of  them  gave  his  life.  The  fourth  son, 
William  Norcross  (grandfather),  emigrated  in 
17'J.5  from  New  Jersey  to  Fayette  county,  Pa., 
and  settled  on  the  Monongabcla  river  where  he 
was  ofi'ered  the  land  for  his  gun  but  did  not  take 
it.  This  land  is  now  owned  by  the  Seele  heirs, 
lie  was  a  blacksmith,  a  member  of  the  C.  P. 
church  and  late  in  life  removed  to  Greenfield 
(Coal  Center),  Washington  county,  this  State, 
where  he  died.  Before  he  left  New  Jersey  he 
married  Sarah  Taylor  and  one  of  his  sons  was 
Charles  Norcross  (father),  who  was  about  five 
years  of  age  when  he  left  New  .Ier.«ey.  He 
live<l  in  Fayette  county  till  1S21  when  he  re- 
moved t(i  Kostraver  township  whirc  he  bouglit  a 
farm  and  on  which  he  died  November  2,  1844. 
He  was  the  first  man  in  that  township  to  vote 
the  whig  ticket.  He  was  a  Baptist  and  mar- 
ried Martha  Wheatley,  a  daughter  of  John 
Wheatley,  who  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey, 
and  settled  near  Perryopolis,    Fayette  c(juntv, 


Pa.,  where  he  afterwards  died.  Charles  Nor- 
cross reared  a  family  of  four  sons  and  i'nur 
dangliters,  of  whom  tiiree  sons  and  one 
daiitditer  are  living:  William,  wlio  lives  u  ar 
I'erryopolis  ;  Levi  resides  in  Kansas  where  he 
owns  a  cattle  ranch  of  1,'JUO  acres  of  land  ;  Re- 
becca, married  to  ^V'illiam  Ross  and  lives  in 
South  Huntingdon  township,  and  John. 

John  Norcross  received  his  education  in  the 
rural  schools  of  his  day.  He  learned  the  trade 
of  blacksmitli,  at  which  he  worked  from  twelve 
years  of  age  until  he  was  thirty-four.  He  then 
(18.56)  purchased  his  present  farm  of  eighty 
acres  and  lias  been  engaged  in  firming  ever 
since. 

John  Norcross,  on  March  5,  1840,  married 
Eliza  J.  Patterson,  a  daughter  of  James  Patter- 
son of  Perry  townsliip.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nor- 
cross are  the  parents  of  three  children:  Mary 
E.  ;  Rebecca,  wife  of  Henry  Stahl,  of  East 
End,  Pittsburg,  who  is  a  traveling  salesman  for 
l)ilworth  Brothers  of  that  city  ;  and  William 
R.  Norcross. 

In  politics  Mr.  Norcross  is  a  republican.  He 
has  served  for  twenty-two  years  as  a  school 
director  of  Sewickley  township  and  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board  during  the  late  war, 
when  it  handled  thousands  of  dollars  of  com- 
mutation which  was  raised  by  the  township. 
His  long  retention  in  olfice  as  school  director 
speaks  highly  of  his  efficiency  and  popularity 
as  a  member  of  the  school  board. 


ATTHEW  OSBURN,  one  of  the  thor- 
'if  /  oiigh-going,  energetic,  live  busint^ss  men 
♦  of  Westmoreland  county  and  tlie  pt>j)U- 
lar  proprietor  of  the  splendid  and  commodious 
Osburn  House  of  Sutersvilie,  is  a  son  of  George 
and  Jane  (Cowen)  Osburn  and  was  born  in 
North  Huntingdon  townshiji,  Westmoreland 
county.  Pa.,  August  25,  183G.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  Archibald  Osburn,  was  born  in 
Ireland   and    recciveil   a    good    education.       Ho 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


ciiiiL'i:itiil  to  AVi'stiiiorolaiitt  county  wIk'I'o  lie 
sulllr.l  near  StiMvarlsN  illu.  lie  was  a  iirc^hy- 
turian  of  lliu  "  ()lil  Union  "  as  it  cxistcil  bot'ore 
tlic  cliuicli  sc'iiaratLil  and  was  a  proniinoiit  man 
in  liis  comniiinity.  Ilia  niatcinal  grandtatlicr, 
Josepli  Cowen,  was  boiu  in  2><cw  Jersey  and 
served  in  the  War  of  1812.  For  his  services  in 
that  struggle  he  received  a  land  warrant  for  ICO 
acres  of  land.  lie  came  to  Westmoreland 
County  about  the  beginning  of  the  present  cen- 
tury, was  of  Scotch  descent  and  of  the  same 
Cowan  family  from  which  United  States  Senator 
Edgar  Cowan  was  descended.  His  mother  was 
a  cousin  to  Joseph  Cowan,  the  grandfather  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  George  Osburn 
(father)  was  a  hatter  by  trade.  He  was  a  good 
■workman,  an  industrious  man  and  died  in  Ibo'J. 
He  was  a  native  of  this  county  ai'd  married 
Jane  Cowan,  who  died  in  18lJ2.  They  had 
four  children,  of  whom  three  are  living. 

Matthew  Osburn  received  his  education  in 
the  common  schools.  His  father  died  when  he 
(Matthew)  was  only  three  years  of  age  and  he 
Avas  compelled  to  do  for  himself  at  an  early  age. 
AVith  untiring  energy  and  commendable  zeal  he 
labored  at  all  kinds  of  work.  He  was  a  driver 
in  the  Westmoreland  Coal  company's  mines  for 
some  time  and  in  1802  became  superintendent 
of  Y.  C.  H.  Coal  company's  coal  mines  on  the 
\\.  k  O.  railroad.  After  fifteen  years  ellicient 
service  as  superintendent  for  that  company  he 
(1880)  engaged  as  inspector  of  ears  for  the 
1!.  .^  ().  railroad.  In  ISSS  he  opened  a  hotel 
at  Sniithton  but  the  ne.\t  year  removed  to 
Sutersville,  where  he  erected  his  present  hotel, 
which  is  one  of  the  best  hotels  in  the  county. 
The  Usburn  House  is  a  fine  conspicuous  frame 
building,  40  s.  80  feet  in  dimensions,  four-stories 
in  height  and  is  well  arranged  and  comjiletely 
furnished  throughout  for  the  comfort  and  accom- 
modation of  its  many  patrons.  Mr.  Osburn 
well  understands  his  business  and  the  cuisine 
and  bill  of  fare  are  etiual  to  tliose  of  a  first-class 
city  hotel. 


On  Se]iteniber  12,  18.')7,  he  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Eli/.abetli  Cregg  of  near  SaUsbui'g, 
Pa.  'They  have  nine  children :  James  II., 
George  E.,  Oliver  O.,  Anne  (!.  and  Jennie  C. 
(twins),  Lawience  E.,  Maud  11. ,  I'ldith  1^.  and 
Eva  A. 

Matthew  Osburn  is  a  democrat  in  politics 
and  has  served  as  school  director.  He  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Fraternity  for 
twenty-one  years  and  is  a  Knight  Templar  of 
Kedron   Commandery,  No.  IS,   of  Greensburg. 


/^BRAHAM  0.  OYERIIOLT,  aprosper- 
\^  J  ous  farmer  and  intelligent  citizen  of  East 
Huntingdon  township  and  a  descendant 
of  one  of  the  old  and  substantial  families  of  the 
county,  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  he  re- 
sides in  East  Huntingdon  township,  Westmore- 
land county.  Pa.,  July  12,  1811,  and  is  a  son 
of  Martin  and  Catherine  (Overholt)  Overholt. 
The  Overholts  are  of  German  origin  and  are 
widely  scattered  throughout  East  Huntingdon 
and  adjoining  townships.  The  founder  of  the 
American  branch  of  the  family  was  Martin 
Overholt,  who  came  from  Germany  to  Bucks 
county,  this  State,  some  time  after  1730.  He 
was  born  in  ITO'J  and  died  in  1740,  leaving  a 
family  of  four  children,  one  of  whom  was  Henry 
Overholt  (grandfather)  who  was  born  in  1730. 
He  married  Anna  Beidler  in  17G5  and  reared 
a  family  of  five  sons  and  seven  daughters.  He 
was  a  farmer  and  distiller  and  removed  in  1800 
to  East  Huntingdon  township,  where  he  died 
March  5,  1813,  and  preceded  his  wife  to  the 
tomb  by  twenty-two  years,  (^ne  of  his  five 
sons,  Martin  Overholt  (father)  was  born  in  1772, 
came  to  this  country  in  18C2  and  purchased,  in 
180'j  the  farm  now  owned  by  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  He  was  married  in  1802  to  Catherine, 
daughter  of  -Vbiaham  Overholt,  a  minister  of 
the  Mennonite  church  and  not  related  to  Henry 
Overholt.       Tiicy    had    four    sons    and    three 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


daughters.  Of  these  seven  chililron  the  follow- 
in"-  three  are  living :  Anna,  wiihjw  of  Adam 
Tinsnian,  Abraham  O.  and  Martin  0.  Martin 
Ovcrholt  died  June  18,  IHIi.O,  and  Mrs.  Over- 
holt  i)assod  away  December  -1,  ISGG. 

Abraham  0.  Overholt  was  reared  and  has 
always  resided  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was 
born  and  which  he  has  owned  since  his  father's 
death.  lie  attended  the  old  subscription  schools 
of  three  (juarters  of  a  century  ago  and  received 
a  very  fair  education.  Leaving  school  ho  gave 
his  attention  to  farming  and  stock-raising  and 
has  successfully  pursued  that  business  for  nearly 
sixty  years. 

On  March  25, 1847,  he  married  Mary  Stoner, 
daughter  of  Abraham  Stoner,  of  East  Hunting- 
don township,  this  county.  They  have  three 
children,  one  son  and  two  daughters  :  Susan, 
born  January  20,  1849,  Anna,  born  July  1, 
1851,  and  John  born  July  7,  1856. 

The  farm  of  Abraham  Overholt  contains  one 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  choice  farming  land 
and  a  portion  of  it  is  heavily  underlaid  with 
limestone  and  coking  coal.  Mr.  Overholt  was 
an  old  line  whig  while  that  political  party  was  in 
existence  and  since  then  he  has  been  a  republi- 
can. He  is  a  member  of  the  Stonersville  Men- 
nonite  church.  Tiie  Overholts  with  scarce  an 
e.xception  have  always  been  republicans  and 
members  of  the  Mennonite  church. 


AMES  M.  rATTERSON,onoof  Ilostraver 
township's  leading  farmers  and  substantial 
citizens,  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  he 
now  lives,  in  Ilostraver  township,  Westmoreland 
county.  Pa.,  October  20,  1837,  and  is  a  son  of 
Elijah  and  Mary  (McConnell)  Patterson.  He 
traces  his  ancestry  back  to  Eastern  Pennsylvania, 
from  which  his  paternal  grandfather,  John  Pat- 
terson, emigrated  to  Rostraver  township,  where 
he  purchased  five  hundred  acres  of  land  for  about 
■$1,500.      He   was   a  fanner,   a   democrat    and   a 


member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church. 
His  mother's  people  were  originally  natives  of 
Washington  county.  Pa.,  from  which  his  maternal 
grandfather,  Adam  McConnell,  removed  to  Alle- 
gheny county,  Pa.,  where  he  lived  for  several 
years  and  died.  He  was  a  farmer,  a  democrat, 
a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812  and  a  life-long 
member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church. 
His  father,  Elijah  Patterson,  was  born  in  eastern 
Pennsylvania,  about  1776  ami  came  with  his 
father  to  Ilostraver  township,  where  he  died  in 
1839.  He  was  of  the  same  political  opinion  and 
religious  faith  as  his  father.  In  1827  he  united 
in  marriage  with  Mary  McConnell.  To  their 
union  were  born  five  children:  Robert  S.,  a 
farmer;  Adam  M.  (dead),  Thomas  (dead), 
James  M.  and  Mary  E. 

James  M.  Patterson  worked  on  his  father's 
farm  and  attended  the  common  schools  until  he 
attained  his  majority.  He  then  engaged  in 
farming  and  stock-raising  for  himself  and  has 
followed  that  business  ever  since.  He  owns  a 
fertile  and  well-improved  farm  which  is  a  part 
of  the  original  five  hundred  acre  tract  purchased 
by  his  grandfather  Patterson.  He  served  a  short 
time  in  the  late  civil  war  and  was  a  member  of 
Co.  II,  fifty-eighth  reg.  Pa.  Vols. 

James  M.  i'atterson,  on  February  14,  1861, 
united  in  marriage  with  Margaret  Orr,  daughter 
of  Lowery  and  Rachel  (Boyd)  Orr.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Patterson  have  had  three  children,  of  whom 
two  are  living  :  Minnie  B.,  born  September  24, 
1864,  and  married  David  Larimer,  who  is  a 
son  of  Thomas  Larimer,  and  is  engaged  in 
farming ;  and  Annie,  who  was  born  October  14, 
1866. 

In  politics  Mr.  Patterson  is  an  active  repub- 
lican but  is  not  an  extremist.  In  religious  belief 
he  holds  to  the  faith  of  his  father  and  grandfather. 
He  and  his  wife  and  daughters  are  members  of 
the  West  Newton  L'nitcJ  l^resbyterian  church. 
He  has  been  successful  in  farming  and  enjoys 
the  reputation  of  being  an  intelligent,  honorable 
ami  upright  citizen  of  his  native  township. 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


•j^SllAEL  PATTEKSON,  a  successful  and 
I  «  (.•ll-i'cspcctcd  I'aruiLT uf  luistiaver  tmMisliip, 
I  is  a  suii  ft'  AVilliaiu  auil  June  (^Curniu)  I'at- 
tersDii  ami  was  lioni  in  ^\  cstuuirclaiiil  cuiiuty, 
I'a..  January  '■'>,  iSli:'-.  J  lis  I'atlioi-,  William 
raltcisuii,  was  a  rosiilL-ut  of  RiistiaVLT  township 
duririg  the  greater  jiart  of  his  life.  He  was  a 
miller  by  oceiqiation  but  gave  considerable  at- 
tention to  farming.  In  jiolitical  opinion  he  was 
a  democrat  of  the  Jacksonian  school.  lie  owned 
a  farm  ou  the  bank  of  the  Youghioghcny  river, 
on  which  he  died  in  1842.  He  married  Jane 
Corw  in,  who  bore  him  twelve  children,  of  whom 
si.x  are  living. 

Israel  Patterson  was  reared  on  a  farm,  where 
he  was  trained  to  agricultural  pursuits.  He  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  subscription  schools 
of  that  day.  He  made  clioice  of  farming  as  a 
life  jiursuit  and  has  been  a  fiirraer  ever  since 
leaving  school.  He  owns  a  large  farm  of  two 
Imndred  and  live  acres  of  valuable  land  in  Kos- 
traver  township,  where  he  is  very  condbrtably 
situated  for  enjoying  life  after  many  years  of 
honest  labor.  While  attending  to  his  farm  he 
has  engaged  in  raising  and  dealing  in  stock  and 
has  been  successful  in  that  line  of  business.  In 
politics  he  has  ever  been  a  stanch  republican 
from  principle  and  has  served  his  to\snshipas 
school  director  and  road  supervisor. 

Mr.  Patterson  was  married  to  Margaret 
Owens,  of  -Mclveesport,  AUeglieny  county,  Pa. 
To  their  union  liave  been  born  six  children: 
Charles  C,  .Mfaretta,  Anna  V.,  Alfred  G., 
Hattie  and  Fanny. 

Israel  Patterson  is  a  plain  and  unassumin<' 
man  and  has  always  been  a  peace-lovin"  and 
law-abiding  citizen. 


'toiIN  S.  PATTERSON,  a  progressive  far- 

I     mer    ut    lujstraver  township,  was  boi'u  .May 

2/     -,    PSoO,    in     iiedstone    township,   Fayette 

county.  Pa.,  and   is   a  son  of  (ieorge  and  Mary 

(Stevens)  Patterson.     This  is  one  of  the  old  and 


resjiccted  families  of  the  county.  More  than  a 
century  ago  Alexander  Patteison,  tlie  great- 
great-grandfather  of  John  S.  Patterson,  took  out 
a  patent  lor  a  tract  of  land  in  Hostraver  town- 
.-liip,  tliis  county,  containing  tuo  hundred  and 
forty  acres  and  known  as  the  "  Kicli  Grove." 
This  was  afterwards  transferred  to  Thomas  Pat- 
terson (great-grandfather)  in  17*J3.  The  patent 
is  signed  by  Thomas  ililllin,  the  first  governor 
of  Pennsylvania  under  the  constitution  of  IT'.'O. 
Thomas  Patterson  (grandfather)  was  born  on  the 
old  homestead  about  1781,  prior  to  the  taking 
out  of  the  patent,  and  died  in  IS'lo.  He,  like 
his  ancestors,  followed  farming  and  in  politics 
was  always  found  in  opposition  to  the  old  Demo- 
cratic party.  He  was  married  to  ]\Iary  Shields, 
a  native  of  Allegheny  county.  Pa.,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  fifty-six  years  and  lies  interred,  to- 
gether with  all  the  Patterson  ancestry  of  this 
county,  in  tlie  burial  ground  of  the  Kehoboth 
Presbyterian  church.  Of  their  children  the 
only  one  now  living  is  George  Patterson  (father) 
who  Avas  born  on  July  IG,  1821.  on  the  old 
homestead,  where  he  has  spent  all  his  years  en- 
gaged in  the  pursuits  of  husbandry,  except  seven 
years  during  which  he  lived  in  Fayette  county. 
He  was  originally  a  whig,  hut  since  the  fornia- 
ticjn  of  the  Kepublican  party  he  has  been  iden- 
tified with  that  organization.  lie  is  the  father 
of  two  children  :  John  S.,  and  Naomi,  who  is 
tlie  wife  of  Dr.  Patton,  whose  sketch  appears 
el;-eulieie  in  this  volume.  John  Stevens,  ma- 
ternal grandfather,  was  a  native  of  Fayette 
county.  Pa.,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming 
until  his  death  ;  he  lived  and  died  in  what  is 
known  as  the  ''  Red  Lion"  country  in  Iiedstone 
township.  ' 

John  S.  Patterson,  having  obtained  a  common 
scliocd  education,  devoted  his  attention  to  agri- 
culture in  the  pursuits  of  which  he  has  con- 
tinued ever  since  on  the  "old  iiomcstcad,"  to 
which  the  family  is  and  has  for  generations  been 
warmly  attached.  It  is  the  well-beloved  spot 
Avliere  first   their  eyes   beheld  the  light  of  day, 


WESTMORELAyD  CO  USTY. 


the  s;icred  "home,  sweet  home,"  urouml  wliicli 
cluster  the  memories  of  ehihlhooil's  huppy  day.s, 
the  bright  iheaias  of  youth  and  tiie  auroral 
liglit  of  fust  love.  Mr.  Patterson  is  a  congenial 
companion,  an  esteemed  citizen  and  a  progres- 
sive anil  intelligent  nian.  He  is  a  repuldiean 
and  a  member  of  the  (.'umberhind  I'resbyteriaii 
church. 

John  S.  Patterson  and  Cora  Harris,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Benjamin  and  Sarah  (Freeman)  Harris, 
■were  united  in  marriage  in  October,  IMTo,  and 
their  union  has  been  blessed  witii  five  children: 
l.ubi,  b.irn  (Iclober  7,  1 S7  t  ;  Mary,  born  May 
17,  IS7ti  ;  Winnie,  born  May  ol,  ISSl  ;  (Jeorge 
H,  born  Novendier  lo,  18i5tJ,  and  Cora  Edna, 
born  November  ij,  1888. 


R.  PvOBEPvT  G.  PATTON,  a  skilled 
£y  liractitioner  of  dentistry,  was  born  Juno 
19, 184U,  iuWashington  township,  Fayette 
county,  Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of  Stephen  and  Susan 
(Galloway)  Patton.  His  great-grandfather, 
Joseph  Patton,  was  a  native  of  New  York,  re- 
moved to  Fayette  county,  Pa.,  in  1778,  where  he 
took  up  a  section  of  land  which  he  farmed  ami 
at  the  same  time  operated  a  distillery.  He  had 
one  son  who  served  in  the  War  of  181'J  anil 
another,  John  Patton  (grandfather),  who  was 
born  in  Fayette  county,  I'a.,  where  he  died  in 
18(32  at  the  age  of  eighty-three.  John  I'atton 
married  Nancy  Woodrow,  who  bore  him  eight 
children.  He  was  a  farmer  and  acijuired  con- 
siderable property  during  his  life.  Stephen 
Patton  (father)  was  born  February  1,  180(j,  in 
Fayette  county,  Pa.,  where  he  is  still  living. 
During  the  active  period  of  his  life  he  was  a 
carpenter  and  undertaker  and  owned  a  farm 
which  he  worked  for  a  number  of  years.  In 
politics  he  adhered  to  Jefl'ersonian  principles, 
served  as  a  school  director  and  belonged  to  the 
Ilchoboth  Presbyterian  church.  He  married 
October    l!8,    1838,    and    had     nine    children. 


Robert  Galloway  (maternal  grandfather),  a  native 
of  the  Emei-ald  Isle,  immigrated  to  the  I'nited 
States  about  177:i  and  settled  near  New  Salem, 
Fayette  county.  Pa.  He  was  a  mill-wright  Ijy 
trade,  built  a  mill  at  New  Salem  and  afterwards 
removed  to  AVashingt(jn  townsiiip,  Fayette 
county.  Pa.,  where  he  built  what  is  known  as 
•'  Galloway's  nnll,"  near  Fayette  City.  He 
was  a  presbyterian  ami  a  working  democrat. 
His  eyes  first  beheld  the  light  in  1768  and  he 
closed  them  fmever  in  1817.  He  married 
A  nine  Moss,  of  New  Salem,  Fayette  enunty, 
Pa.,  who  Ijore  him  nine  ehildren,  seven  of  w  bom 
livi'il  to  manhood  ami  womanhood. 

Robert  G.  Patton  uuirried  Naomi,  a  daughter 
of  George  and  Mary  (Stephens)  Patterson,  of 
Fayette  county.  Pa.,  and  to  their  uninn  have 
been  born  live  chililren  :  Mary  O.,  Allie  S., 
Oeea.  A.,  George  W.  and  Fred  E. 

Robert  (.i.  Patton  was  educated  in  the  public 
schoe)ls  and  studied  dentistry  under  Dr.  S.  S. 
Patton,  of  Waynesliurg,  Pa.,  and  in  1867  began 
the  practice  of  dentistry  at  Fayette  City  and 
Belle  Vernon,  Pa.,  since  which  time  he  has 
been  actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his 
chosen  profession.  He  also  owns  a  fine  farm 
formerly  the  property  of  Michael  I'inley,  one 
of  the  first  settlers  of  the  county.  Dr.  Patton 
devotes  some  of  his  time  to  the  afiairs  of  his 
farm  ami  to  raising  and  dealing  in  stock.  He 
is  an  active  democratic  worker  and  has  held 
various  offices  in  his  township  ;  is  a  member  of 
the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  church  and  I. .( ). 
CI.  F.,  at  Fayette  City.  Dr.  Patton  is  a  self- 
made  man.  He  began  life  very  poor  and  by 
industry,  economy  and  integrity  he  has  achieved 
success.  lie  has  a  brother,  Noah  W.  Patton, 
who  is  a  physician  at  Smithton,  Pa.,  and 
another,  Joseph  G.,  who  is  a  minister  of  the 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  church  at  Brownsville, 
Fayette  county.  Pa.  Dr.  R.  (J.  Patton  belongs 
to  an  intelligent  family  and  is  a  man  whoso 
social,  moral  and  intellectual  (pialities  are  far 
above  the  averajie. 


•624 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


\{.  N.  AV.  PAT'I'ON,  is  ii  Icudiii^r  pliysiciuii 
■^  '  iif  Soutli  Iluiitingiloii  to\viislii|).  His 
lather  was  \ii>n\  in  Perry  townsliip  Fay- 
etle  (■(iiiiity.  I'a.,  in  l.'~l).").  He  was  iiiairieil  t(i 
II. Ill  nail,  a  (laiiL^liler  of  lioberl  (lalaway  in  1  H.'iS. 
Dr.  I'attoii's  father  was  also  a  native  of  Fayette 
county,  Pa.,  and  his  grandfatlier,  an  early  settler 
in  western  Pennsylvania,  was  a  native  of  Ireland. 
Di'.  Patton  worked  in  the  cabinet-shop  of  his 
father  till  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  ;  he  then 
attended  school  at  California  for  six  terms  and 
■was  graduated  from  there  in  1878.  In  the 
meantime  Dr.  Patton  began  the  study  of  medi- 
cine, lie  afterward  attended  lectures  at  Jefter- 
son  Jledical  College,  Philadelphia,  and  was 
graduated  March  2!*,  1884.  Immediately  after 
his  graduation  he  practiced  for  nine  mouths 
with  Dr.  John  II.  Davidson  of  Perryopolis. 
At  the  expiration  of  the  nine  months  with 
Davidson,  he  practiced  medicine  alone  at  Perry- 
opolis until  1887.  In  1887  he  came  to  Smith- 
ton,  Westmoreland  county,  where  he  has  since 
resided,  built  up  a  lucrative  practice,  and  is 
recognized  as  an  able  and  successful  young 
physician.  He  has  been  twice  married  ;  in  1878 
to  Miss  Emma  R.,  daughter  of  Rev.  William 
AVilson,  of  Kansas  ;  she  died  in  1879,  and  he  was 
afterward,  married  to  Miss  Anna,  daughter  of 
J.  S.  Ellwell,  a  farmerof  Perry  township,  Fayette 
county.  Pa.  lie  has  two  children;  William  W., 
by  his  first  wife,  born  ^larch  '22,  187'J,  ami 
Edwin  W.  by  his  present  wife,  born  August  18, 
1885.  Dr.  Patton  is  a  Past  Grand  in  the  Lodge 
of  Odd  Fellows.  In  politic-'  he  is  a  democrat  and 
was  a  ruling  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church  at 
California.  Since  his  residence  at  Smithton  he 
has  been  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church,  a  class 
loader  in  the  same  and  an  ellicient  Sabbath  school 
worker. 


ORGAN  S.  PAUL,  of  Rostravc-r  town- 

^t' /    ship,  was  born  November  16,  1827,  in 

♦        Richmond  county,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of 

Benjamin    and   Catherine  (Sowasli)  Paul.      His 


grandfatlier,  Morgan  Paul,  was  a  native  of 
Mai'vhuid,  immigrated  to  the  vicinity  of  \W'St 
Newton,  and  dieil  on  what  is  known  as  tiie 
Oliver  farm  in  Rostraver  township.  He  was  by 
trade  a  miller,  in  [tolitics  a  whig  and  r('[)ublican 
and  in  religious  belief  a  methodist.  Benjamin 
Paul  (father)  was  born  in  Rostraver  township, 
this  county,  and  in  politics  and  trade  followed 
in  the  footsteps  of  his  father.  lie  was  twice 
married,  the  first  time  to  Catherine  Sowash, 
who  died  when  her  son  Morgan  S.  was  but  two 
years  of  age.  His  second  wife  was  Frances 
Brenneman,  who  bore  him  eleven  children. 

On  the  4th  of  October,  1855,  Morgan  S. 
Paul  was  united  in  marriage  with  Mary  J. 
Monroe,  who  bore  him  four  children,  two  sons 
and  two  daughters  :  Morgan,  Andrew  F.,  Nettie 
and  Kate.  Mr.  Paul  on  the  5th  of  May,  1870, 
remarried,  his  second  wife  being  Margaret  Jane 
Hamilton,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Hamilton, 
of  Sewickley  township,  who  served  intheWarof 
1812. 

M.  S.  Paul  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools,  and  is  a  miller  by  trade,  own- 
ing the  mill  on  his  property,  which  is  located  on 
Pollock's  Run  in  Rostraver  township.  lie  is  a 
stanch  republican  and  with  his  wife  connected 
with  the  United  Presbyterian  church  at  West 
Newton.  He  is  a  progressive,  enterprising  citi- 
zen and  a  man  of  excellent  moral,  social  and 
business  qualities. 


/^LBERT  PENNEY,  a  son  of  Richard  and 
\\^  Harriet  (Barclay)  Penney,  was  born  Jan- 
uary 19,  1840,  in  Rostraver  township, 
Westmoreland  county.  Pa.  His  grandfather, 
David  Penney,  was  a  native  of  Rostraver  town- 
ship, where  he  remained  until  his  death.  He 
lived  on  the  banks  of  the  "  Yough"  river,  was 
a  farmer  and  large  landowner,  a  democrat  and 
a  member  of  the  Baptist  church.  His  old 
homestead  was  called  the  "Baptist  Hotel." 
Stephen    Barclay,   m;iternal   grandfather,   lived 


^^^l■s TMon i:l a sd  co unt y. 


ami  died  in  West  Newton ;  lie  w;is  a  silver- 
siiiitli  by  trade  and  belon^etl  to  tlie  Metlioilist 
E])iseo]ial  cliincli.  lie  served  as  a  soldier  in 
the  W'ai'  of  1  S  rj  and  was  woiiniled,  on  aeeoiuit 
ol  wiiieli  liis  uid.iw  ilicw  a  |irii^ioM  in  later 
years.  Uicliard  I'ennoy  (fatlier)  was  Lorn  on 
the  old  homestead  in  Kostraver  township,  where 
he  followed  fanning.  He  married  Harriet  Bar- 
clay and  they  had  five  children,  of  whom  four 
are  living.  After  his  wife's  death  he  re  married, 
hia  second  wife  being  a  Miss  Walters,  who  bore 
him  four  children. 

Albert  Penney  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  Kostraver  township  and  began  life 
for  himself  as  a  farmer,  then  teamed  for  a  time 
and  worked  two  years  as  a  deck  hand  on  the 
Missouri  river.  In  1886  he  accepted  the  posi- 
tion of  watchman  for  the  Pittsburg,  McKees- 
port  and  Youghiogheny  railroad  and  has  held 
the  same  ever  since.  Mr.  Penney  is  an  indus- 
trious, well-to-do  man,  owning  good  property  in 
his  native  township,  is  a  democrat  in  politics  and 
■with  his  wife  belongs  to  the  Baptist  church  at 
AVcst  Newton. 

On  the  31st  of  December,  1807,  Albert 
Penney  was  united  in  marriage  with  Josejdiine 
Sterner,  a  daughter  of  George  Sterner,  a  farmer 
of  l{ostraver  townshij).  Mr.  and  ^^rs.  Penney 
are  the  parents  of  live  children,  of  whom  four 
are  living. 

•jlp  AMES  PINKERTON,  of  South  Hunting- 

Jdon  township,  was  born  May  12,  18:J'],  in 
Sewickley  township,  Westmoreland  county, 
Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Barr)  Pin- 
kerton.  His  grandfather,  James  Pinkerton,  was 
born  near  Carlisle,  Pa.,  and  after  the  Kevolu- 
tionary  war,  in  which  he  served  as  a  soldier, 
immigrated  to  Westmoreland  county,  settling  on 
the  banks  of  the  Sewickley  creek,  about  two 
miles  above  Bell's  Mills.  He  was  a  blacksmith, 
and  his  old  account  book,  which  is  in  the  pos- 
session of  James  Pinkerton,  indicates  that  he 
located   there    about    178o.      He    made   annual 


trips  to  Carlisle  to  pack  over  the  sup]dies  neces- 
sary to  carry  on  his  business.  lie  owned  a 
farm  on  Sewickley  creek  that  now  belongs  to 
the  AVestmoreland  ("oal  Company.  In  religious 
liclief  he  was  a  srccder,  an  elder  in  his  church, 
of  which  he  is  one  of  the  organizers.  It  is  now 
called  the  "  Old  Sewickley  "  United  Presby- 
terian church  and  in  its  burial  ground  Mr.  Pin- 
kerton, who  died  in  1811,  and  quite  a  number 
of  his  descendants,  lie  entombed.  John  Barr 
(maternal  grandfather)  was  a  native  of  Ireland 
and  immigrated  to  this  country,  settling  near 
Carlisle,  Pa.,  where  he  married  Mary  Nelson  and 
soon  came  on  west  to  this  county,  locating  in 
South  Huntingdon  township  about  17'Jl.  He 
at  that  time  had  one  child,  which  together  with 
all  his  effects  he  conveyed  across  the  mountains 
on  three  horses.  He  settled  on  the  land  now- 
occupied  by  ]Mr.  Pinkerton,  which  was  origi- 
nally a  part  of  a  tract  of  land  patented  by  the 
Martin  boys,  who  after  being  freed  by  the  In- 
ilians  who  had  captured  them  took  out  a  patent 
for  the  land  which  is  now  contained  in  the  Hun- 
ter, Fullerton  and  Pinkerton  farms.  Mr.  Barr 
was  a  farmer  and  distiller.  He  died  in  1847 
and  is  buried  at  the  cemetery  of  the  "  Old  Se- 
wickley "  Uniteil  Presbyterian  church,  of  which 
he  was  a  member.  John  Pinkerton  (father)  was 
born  in  1801,  in  Sewickley  townsiiip  and  died 
in  1878.  He  was  the  youngest  of  a  family  of 
five  sons  and  four  daughters,  all  born  in  Se- 
wickley township  except  two.  He  was  identi- 
fied with  the  United  Presbyterian  church,  a 
member  of  its  session  and  was  politically  a  whig 
and  later  a  republican.  He  served  his  township 
four  years  as  justice  of  the  peace.  He  married 
Mary  Barr,  by  whom  he  had  six  children,  one 
of  whom  (John)  served  in  the  civil  war  from 
18G'J  until  the  close  of  the  contest,  going  out  as 
a  private  but  serving  most  of  the  time  as  ser- 
geant. He  (John)  was  in  Gen.  Thomas'  array, 
('o.  H,  fifteenth  reg.  Pa.  Cavalry  and  took  part 
in  the  battles  of  Chickamauga  (where  he  was 
Gen.    Thomas'   orderly).    Stone    Iliver,    Mossy 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Crock,  the  expedition  against  IIooil  and  otlicrs. 
At  Stony  Creek  lie  wa.s  eiiiituriMl  ami  lielil  about 
two  uiontlis  in  Libby  i>risnii.  He  ilicil  in  lss-2 
from  the  elVerts  ,.1"  liis  iilr  in  tiie  lirbl  and  the 
ihmgeon. 

Janus  I'inkerton  has  always  followed  furniing 
in  South  Huntingdon  township,  having  located 
tiiere  when  but  eighteen  years  of  age.  lie 
owns  a  good  farm,  is  connected  with  the  United 
Presbyterian  church,  in  which  he  is  an  elder, 
and  is  in  jiolitics  a  republican.  lie  is  one  of 
tlie  directors  of  the  Sewickley  Mutual  Fire  In- 
surance Company,  which  was  chartered  in  1882 
and  is  a  reliable,  cheap  and  fn'st-elass  organiza- 
tion. 

dames  I'inkerlon  was  nianied  Octolicr  Ki, 
18^2,  to  Luemda  M.  Scholl,  and  to  tlieni  have 
been  born  three  chihlren  :  Mary  Logan,  John 
and  Anna,  the  last  two  bein^  deceased. 


<JY  ^  ^^  f'  ^  '^  ^'  ^^-  1'  *-'  t)  L  E,  a  prominent 
farmer,  was  born  in  East  Huntingdon 
township,  AVestmoreland  county.  Pa., 
September  4,  1816,  and  is  a  son  of  Peter  and 
Rosanna  (Suter)  Poole.  Peter  Poole  was  born 
in  1780  in  Berks  county,  Pa.,  near  Heading  and 
removed  in  his  youth  to  East  Huntingdon  town- 
ship where  he  worked  for  some  time  as  a  farm  hand 
and  in  ISO'J  marfied  a  Miss  Tintsman.  He  then 
j)urchased  a  small  tract  of  land  and  liegan  farm- 
ing and  keeping  "  road  tavern  "  at  what  is  known 
as  tiie  old  "  Pull's  Head"  tavern  stand  on  the 
jiike  near  IJethany,  wliere  he  remained  until  his 
death  in  18;j',l.  His  first  wife,  who  bore  him 
three  children,  one  of  whom  is  living,  died  in 
181.0,  and  in  181G  he  re-married,  his  second 
wife  being  liosanna,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Suter, 
of  Westmoreland  county,  who  bore  him  live  chil- 
dren, all  living,  of  whom  the  ehlest  is  William 
A.  Poole.  Mrs.  Rosanna  Poole  (nee-  Suter) 
died  in  1877.  Mr.  Poole  was  a  nieudjer  of  the 
Lutheran  cliiu'cb  and  a  democrat  in  politics. 
\\'illiuMi  ;V.   I'ooie  was   reared   on    hn    fiilher's 


farm  and  remained  at  home  till  his  father's  death. 
In  18-10  he  began  life  for  liiniself  as  a  farmer  on 
one  of  his  father's  farms,  wliere  he  remained 
till  1877  wiirii  111'  sold  it  and  boiigiit  aiiolber 
near  'I'arr's  station  on  llie  S.  W.  !'.  K.,  where 
he  now  resides. 

In  1840  he  married  Hannah,  a  daughter  of 
AVilliam  Husband  of  East  Huntingdon  township, 
and  to  them  was  born  five  children  :  Winfield, 
at  home  with  his  parents;  Annetta,  wife  of 
William  Sears,  who  lives  in  Elkhart  county,  In- 
diana ;  Artie,  married  to  Israel  Painter,  a  son  of 
Israel  Painter,  and  now  a  resident  of  South 
Huntingdon  township;  Mollie,  wife  of  AVilliani 
llissem  of  Salem  township,  and  John,  who  is 
at  home  with  his  parents. 

William  A.  Poole  is  a  democrat,  takes  an 
active  part  in  the  all'airs  of  liis  party  and  is  a 
member  of  the  M.  E.  church,  as  is  also  his  wife. 
He  is  one  of  tlie  old  and  reliable  inhaliitants  of 
his  native  toiuisbip,  and  is  now  living  a  quiet 
life  on  liis  farm  which  is  nicely  located  and  un- 
derlaid with  an  excellent  vein  of  coal.  Mr. 
Poole  believes  in  the  saying  of  Byron,  "  There 
is  a  pleasure  in  the  jitUhless  woods,"  and  finds 
abundant  enjoyment  in  the  solitude  of  country 
life. 


LIVER  PORTER,  one  of  the  leading 
citizens  and  most  substantial  farmers  of 
the  county,  was  born  jNIarch  IG,  1829, 
in  Rostraver  township,  Westmoreland  county. 
Pa.,  where  he  still  resides  and  is  a  son  of 
Horatio  and  Elizabeth  (Armstong)  Porter.  His 
grandfather,  Caleb  Porter,  was  of  W^elsli  extrac- 
tion and  a  native  of  Maryland,  but  immigrated 
to  Westmoreland  county,  settling  in  Rostraver 
township  in  the  early  days  when  Indian  fight- 
ing was  one  of  the  necessities  of  existence  there. 
He  was  at  one  time  cajituredby  the  savages,  but 
managed  to  regain  his  freedom.  He  ^vas  a  Free 
Will  Baptist  and  a  democrat  of  the  Jacksonian 
type.  Pobert  Armsti-ong  (maternal  grandfather) 
was  of  Irish  descent  and  spent  most  of  ids  lif(!  in 


WEsrm)RELA  ND  CO  uyrv. 


Hostnivcr  townsliiii,  wliere  lie  cliod.  Horatio 
PorttT  (father)  was  boni  in  Kostraver  township 
on  the  old  homestead  in  180G  and  died  in  l<Sa3. 
Like  his  father  he  was  a  farmer  and  a  sterling 
democrat.  He  was  married  to  Elizid>elh  Arms- 
trong, who  bore  him  seven  ehildren — one  son 
and  six  daughters. 

l)liver  Porter  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  township  and  has 
devoted  his  life  to  farming,  threshing  and  stock- 
raising,  lie  holds  title  to  a  valuable  farm  of 
two  hundred  acres  and  is  a  reliable  and  success- 
ful man  of  business.  Politically  he  is  a  demo- 
crat and  one  of  the  most  active  and  useful  mem- 
bers of  the  party  in  his  township.  Mr.  Porter 
is  a  man  of  generous  impulses,  intelligent  and 
liberal  views,  firm  convictions,  prepossessing 
appearance,  agreeable  manners  and  excellent 
character. 

In  August,  180'),  Oliver  Porter  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Mary  II.  Houseman,  a  daughter 
of  Joseph  Houseman,  of  Washington  township, 
Fayette  county,  and  they  have  had  eight  chil- 
dren, of  whom  seven  are  living :  Ella  W., 
Joanna  II.,  Jacob  II.,  Charles  \.  Mary  E., 
Oliver  T.,  and  Lydia  M.  Ella  W.  Porter  was 
married  March,  ISsiJ,  to  William  D.  Waltz, 
of  South  Huntingdon  township,  who  devotes 
part  of  his  time  to  agriculture  and  the  reminder 
to  the  j)rofession  of  teaching. 


•foiIN  S.  IIEEVE.S  was  born  May  -Ji), 
t  1842,  in  Rostraver  township,  Westmorelaml 
Qj  county,  Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and 
Mary  (Smock)  Reeves.  His  great-great-grand- 
father, Samuel  Reeves,  was  born  in  Manchester, 
England,  in  the  latter  part  of  the  .seventeenth  cen- 
tury. He  was  a  tiller  uf  the  soil  and  immigrated 
to  America,  locating  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  where 
he  died.  During  Queen  Anne's  Avar  (170'J-171-j) 
he  served  in  the  British  army.  Abner  Reeves 
(great-grandfather)  was  born  near  what  is  now 
the  city   of   Newark,  N.  J.,  migrated  to   AVest- 


moreland  county.  Pa,  in  183-1,  settling  in  Ros- 
tr:;.ver  townshij)  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety 
years.  Samuel  Reeves  (grandfather)  was  born 
in  Rostraver  township,  where  he  (■;irri<'il  on  the 
cooper  trade  ami  tanning  and  was  for  twenty 
years  a  justice  of  the  jieace.  He  assisted  in 
jHitting  down  the  AVhiskcy  Insurrection  of  1T[)4. 
being  a  Lieutenant  of  the  Pennsylvania  militia 
at  that  time.  Samuel  Reeves  (father),  one  of  his 
sons,  was  b<irn  in  1818  in  Rostraver  township, 
where  he  is  still  living,  owning  a  large  farm  and 
engaging  in  stock-i'aising.  Very  early  in  life 
he  evinced  a  taste  for  military  lilb  and  served 
two  terms  of  seven  years  each  in  the  guard  of 
)\'nnsylvania,  in  which  he  was  a  commissioned 
oliicer.  At  the  breaking  out  uf  the  Mexican 
war  he  tendered  Ins  services  to  the  government, 
but  his  weight  being  two  hundred  and  thirty-two 
(lounds  he  was  considered  too  heavy.  Mr. 
Reeves  has  been  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  more  than  half  a  century  and 
is  regarded  by  all  as  a  gentleman  of  unquestioned 
integrity  and  probity.  He  is  a  man  whose  love 
of  country,  adherence  to  duty  and  devotion  to 
principle  are  iudeeil  worthy  of  commendation. 
In  early  life  he  was  a  whig,  but  later  a  rejiub- 
lican,  an  abolitionist  who  was  active  in  the  sup- 
port of  every  measure  that  tended  to  effect  the 
freedom  and  advance  the  cause  of  the  negro. 
He  is  the  father  of  four  children,  three  of  whom 
are  living:  Nancy,  .lohii  S.  and  Elizabeth. 
Abraham  Smock  (maternal  great-grandfather) 
was  a  native  of  Bohemia,  immigrated  to  the 
United  States,  located  in  what  is  now  Lan- 
caster county.  Pa.,  Ijut  afterwards  removed  to 
Westmoreland  county,  same  State,  where  he  dieil. 
Henry  Smock  (maternal  grandfather)  was  born 
in  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  in  1773,  and  dic<I 
at  Belle  A'ernon  in  18.07.  His  wife,  Elizabeth 
(Shelller)  Smock,  died  in  1881,  at  the  advanced 
age  of  ninety-six  years. 

John  S.  Reeves  was  educateil  in  the  jniblic 
ami  academic  schools  of  his  native  township  and 
innnediatelv   thereai'ter  entered  the  civil  war  at 


BIOQRAPIIIES  OF 


tlic  ;ige  of  twenty.  lie  joineil  tlie  Ringgold  Cav- 
alry, an  indeiirinlent  (ii-;^anizatitin,  .Tuly  IG, 
1>^<I1,  and  reiiiaiiu'il  with  it  until  18G4,  ■when  it 
consolidated  with  the  twenty-second  I'a.  Cavalry. 
Mr.  lleevcs  continued  with  his  regiment  and 
served  till  the  close  of  the  war,  participating  in 
the  hattles  and  campaigns  under  Kelly,  Rose- 
crans,  Lander,  Shields,  Fremont,  Banks,  R.  R. 
Hayes,  Averill,  Custer,  Sheridan  and  Meade. 
Mr.  Reeves  did  valiant  service  for  his  country, 
and  in  recording  his  deeds,  as  well  as  his  father's 
Jove  of  country,  the  historian  is  justified  in  en- 
circling their  names  with  the  halo  of  patriotism. 
After  the  war  John  S.  Reeves  went  to  Illinois, 
engaged  with  the  American  Art  Association  of 
Chicago,  then  dealt  in  stock  until  married  and 
returneil  to  Pennsylvania.  In  1807  he  went  to 
Nebraska  and  was  engaged  with  the  AVcstern 
E.xpress  Company  as  assistant  division  superin- 
dent  on  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad.  In  1808 
he  again  returned  to  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
farmed  until  the  Centennial  year,  when  he  went 
into  the  United  States  Revenue  Service.  In 
188G  he  was  removed  from  this  service  for  par- 
tisan reasons,  the  democrats  having  control  of 
the  national  government.  John  S.  Reeves  has 
always  been  an  anient  republican  and  was  a 
member  of  the  county  committee  continuously 
from  186!t  till  1888.  In  the  county  convention 
liehl  at  Greeiisburg  in  1873  he  presented  the 
first  resolutions  declaring  James  G.  Rlaino  the 
choice  of  the  republicans  f  jr  the  ])residency  ; 
he  has  been  chairuiaii  of  county  convi'iitions  as 
well  as  seci'etary  and  reading  clerk.  Twice  ilid 
his  fellow  citizens  elect  him  justice  of  the  peace, 
and  twice  he  refused  to  serve  ;  but  in  1 8HG  he  was 
again  electeil  and  has  since  been  serving  in  that 
capacity.  He  is  a  prominent  member  of  the 
G.  A.  R.,  at  Belle  Vernon,  having  joined  the 
original  Post  No.  3,  at  Freeport,  Illinois,  or- 
ganized by  John  A.  Logan  in  186G,  and  is  aj 
present  representative  to  the  State  Encamp- 
ment. He  is  also  a  member  of  the  K.  of  P., 
the  Jr.  0.  U.  A.  M.,  the  Sr.  0.  U.  A.  M.  and 


the  Royal  Arcanum,  in  which  he  has  filled  every 
position  up  to  State  representative.  Mr.  Reeves 
is  at  present  engaged  in  the  real  estate  and  col- 
lecting business  and  in  securing  pensions  for 
deserving  soldiers.  He  is  a  ])rolific  writer,  con- 
tributing extensively  to'  the  county  and  city 
papers.  The  members  of  the  Reeves  family 
have  been  noted  for  longevity  and  size ;  their 
average  weight  is  at  least  two  hundred  pounds. 

John  S.  Reeves  married  September  18,  1866, 
Clarissa  C,  a  daughter  of  W.  F.  Beebe,  of 
Freeport,  Stevenson  county,  Illinois,  and  they 
have  tAvo  children  :    Samuel  0.  and  Cora  B. 


I^OUIS  S.  RHODES,  postmaster  and  a 
'y[  leading  merchant  and  business  man  of 
South  Huntingdon  township,  was  born 
on  Jacob's  creek,  same  township,  AVestmoreland 
county.  Pa.,  April  2,  1858,  and  is  a  son  of  Dan- 
iel and  Rebecca  (Armstrong)  Rhodes.  Daniel 
Rhodes  was  married  to  Rebecca  Rhodes,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Ezra  and  Elizabeth  Armstrong  of  Fayette 
county,  and  at  the  old  frame  church  on  Jacob's 
creek  by  Rev.  Joshua  Newbold.  She  died  on 
January  24,  1888.  The  paternal  grandfather 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  a  native  of 
Berks  county,  Pa.,  and  one  of  the  pioneer  set- 
tlers in  the  neighborhood  of  Smithton. 

Louis  S.  Rhodes  attended  the  public  schools. 
He  took  special  courses  at  West  Newton  under 
the  management  of  John  II.  Stephens  ;  after- 
wards entered  California  Normal  school  and  was 
giaduateil  from  there  in  the  class  of  1880.  Pre- 
vious to  his  graduation  he  had  taught  school  for 
seven  years  :  two  years  in  South  Huntingdon, 
one  year  in  Perry  townshiji,  Fayette  county,  and 
four  years  in  Sewickley  township.  After  his 
graduation  he  taught  for  two  years  and  received 
a  State  teacher's  certificate.  On  June  2G, 
1882,  he  began  merchandising  at  Jacob's  creek 
where  he  has  built  up  a  paying  and  substantial 
business.  In  February,  1886,  he  was  elected 
justice  of  the  peace  for  his  township,  for  a  period 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


of  five  years.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Lizzie,  a 
daughter  of  Jolin  Duncan  (deceased),  of  Mt. 
Pleasant,  February  2(3,  1885,  by  tlie  Rev. 
AVakcdcld  of  the  same  ])lace.  'I'o  their  union 
have  been  horn  two  chihh'on  :  Florence  (!.,  iinin 
December,  188r),  and  Edith  R.,  born  November 
10,  1887.  He  is  an  influential  republican, 
served  as  a  delegate  in  1887  to  the  republican 
State  convention  at  Harrisburg,  and  was  ap- 
pointed postmaster  at  Jacob's  creek  in  A]iril, 
188!t. 

'NDREW  ROBERTSON,  of  Rostraver 
tdunship,  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Jane 
(Mitchell)  Robertson„was  born  May  4, 
1824,  in  South  Huntingdon  township,  West- 
moreland county.  Pa.  His  grandfather  (James 
Robertson)  was  of  Irish  extraction  but  lived  and 
died  in  South  Huntingdon  township,  where  he 
followed  the  occupation  of  farming  and  was  one 
of  the  earliest  settlers.  He  was  in  religious  be- 
lief a  presbyterian  and  in  politics  a  democrat. 
Hugh  Mitchell,  maternal  grandfather,  was  a 
native  of  Ireland  and  iir.migrated  to  America, 
settling  in  this  county,  where  he  was  one  of  the 
very  early  settlers  of  South  Huntingdon  town- 
ship. He  was  a  husbandman  and  in  political 
matters  a  federalist.  In  the  above  mentioned 
township  Thomas  Robertson  (father)  was  born  in 
1784.  About  1835  he  moved  to  Rostraver 
township  where  he  purchased  a  large  tract  of 
land,  owning  in  all  some  eight  hundred  acres. 
He  engaged  largely  in  the  raising  of  stock  and 
especially  fine  sheep,  and  was  one  of  the  niost 
successful  farmers  of  his  day.  He  was  a  whig, 
later  a  republican  and  served  as  elder  in  tiie 
Presbyterian  church.  He  married  Jane  Mitciiell 
and  they  had  eleven  children.  Thomas  Robert- 
son, during  the  War  of  1812,  served  as  a  soldier 
in  the  army  of  the  west.  He  died  in  1871  at 
the  advanced  age  of  eighty-seven  years. 

Andrew  Robertson  received  his  education  in 
the  common  and  select  schools  and  has  devoted 
his  time  and  attention  to  the   jiursuits  of  agri- 


culture, taking  a  special  delight  in  raising  fine 
stock.  He  and  his  lirother  own  about  ei"ht 
hundred  acres  of  well  cultivated  land  in  one 
body.  He  is  a  pros]>erous,  progressive  and 
enterprising  citizen.  Ho  has  always  been  a 
republican  and  has  served  his  township  as  school 
director.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  connected 
with  the  Presbyterian  church  at  West  Newton 
in  which  Mr.  Robertson  is  an  elder. 

Andrew  Robertson  was  married  December 
12,  1850,  to  Rebecca  Irwin  of  Allegheny 
county,  and  they  have  ten  children,  all  livini'  : 
James,  Isaac  I.,  Thomas,  Belle,  Oliphant  P., 
Alexander  M.,  William,  Rebecca  J.,  Lizzie  F., 
and  Calvin  Knox.  Oliphant  P.  Robertson  was 
graduated  from  Washington  and  Jefl'erson  col- 
lege, studied  law  at  Pittsburg,  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1887,  and  has  since  then  been  prac- 
ticing in  that  city. 

•i-ACOB  EDMUND  ROBERTSON,  one  of 
I  South  Huntingdon's  prosperous  farmers  and 
(sj  reliable  citizens,  is  a  son  of  William  and 
Matilda  (Weaver)  Robertson  and  was  born  in 
the  house  in  which  he  now  lives,  in  South 
Huntingdon  township,  Westmoreland  county, 
Pa.,  November  3, 1855.  His  great-grandfather, 
James  Robertson,  was  one  of  the  early  settlers 
of  Rostraver  township,  where  he  followed  farm- 
ing. He  was  a  presbyterian  and  democrat. 
Thomas  Robertson  (grandfather)  was  born  in 
1784,  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812, 
moved  about  1855  to  Rostraver  township,  where 
he  i)urchased  eight  hundred  acres  of  land  and 
was  noted  for  the  fine  sheej)  which  he  raised. 
He  was  a  whig  and  elder  in  the  Presbyterian 
church  and  died  in  1(S71.  His  wife  was  Jane 
Mitchel  who  bore  him  eleven  children,  one  of 
whom  was  \Villiam  Robertson  (father)  who  was 
born  in  1814  in  South  Huntingdon  township, 
where  he  died  March  15,  ]<S7l!.  He  was  a 
laihir  by  trade  but  ijuit  tailoring  to  engage  in 
the  mercantile  business  at  West  Newton    which 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


lie  followed  until  1851,  when  lie  i-euioved  to  the 
fnnn  now  owned  hy  the  suhjeet  oi'  llii.s  sketch. 
He  was  a  repuldiean  in  polities  and  a  member 
and  tru^itee  of  the  Presliyterian  ehuieli  at  Se- 
wickley.  lie  married  Matilda  Weaver,  who 
was  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Weaver,  and  died 
March  17,  1883,  aged  sixty-seven  vears.  They 
were  the  parents  of  nine  children :  Mary  J., 
Margaret,  widow  of  James  Irwin,  of  Allegheny 
county,  I'a.,  and  now  lives  in  Ohio;  Elizabeth, 
wife  of  William  II.  Jlilligan,  a  farmer  of  Ros- 
traver  township  ;  Thomas  J.,  of  Harrison  county, 
Ohio,  who  married  Letitia  Wall,  and  after  her 
death  was  married  to  Maggie  Andrews ;  Salina, 
wife  of  Joseph  Mayes,  of  Jefterson  county.  Pa.: 
James  W.,  who  married  Sarah  Sherbondy  and 
is  engaged  in  farming ;  Mattie,  w  ife  of  James 
S.  l>lack,  a  farmer  and  stock-raiser  of  (>liio; 
Jacob  E.  and  llattie  (deceased). 

Jacob  E.  Robertson  was  raised  on  the  home- 
stead farm  of  his  grandfather,  which  he  and  his 
IjMilher  James  William  owns.  They  attended 
the  common  schools  of  their  iiati\e  tinviisliip, 
received  a  good  education  and  then  engaired  in 
farming  and  stock-raising,  which  they  lia\e  pur- 
sued successfully  ever  since.  Their  farm  is  in 
the  western  part  of  the  township,  contains  one 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land  and  is  very  pro- 
ductive. He  is  a  republican  in  politics  and  a 
ruling  elder  of  Sewickley  Presbyterian  church, 
of  which  his  wife  is  a  member.  He  is  a  niemljer 
of  Mendon  Grange,  No.  855,  Patrons  of  Hus- 
bandry and  always  takes  an  active  part  in 
whalever  is  calculated  for  tiie  proiuoti(jn  of 
agricultural  interests. 

On  November  i'l,  18S2,  Jacob  K.  Rcbc'rlson 
was  married  to  Leila  Nicholls,  daughter  (pf  David 
and  Margaret  C.  (Hrennen)  Nicholls.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Robertson  have  been  born  two  cliil- 
dien  :  Rertlia  May,  born  July  'li,  l.'^SS,  and 
Ethel  Adela,  born  August  29,  1885. 

Jacob  Edmund  Robertson  has  worthily  won 
and  is  well  deserving  of  the  success  which  he 
has  achieved  in  life. 


ellARLES  ROSSELL,  one  of  the  repre- 
sentative citizens  of  Rostraver  town- 
ship, was  born  December  11),  ISOII,  in 
Franklin  township,  Fayette  county.  Pa.,  and  is 
a  son  of  James  and  Annie  (Harford)  Rossell. 
Jobe  Rossell,  his  grandfather,  was  a  native  of 
New  Jersey  but  came  westward  to  Fayette 
county,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  ;  he  died 
some  years  ago  at  Perryopolis,  that  county, 
Charles  Harford,  maternal  grandfather,  was  of 
English  extraction  and  lived  in  Fayette  county. 
James  Rossell  (father)  was  lioiii  in  New  Jersey 
and  brought  to  Fayette  county  by  his  j)arents, 
where  he  continued  to  reside  until  his  death. 
He  was  by  occupation  a  farmer  and  in  politics 
an  "  old  line  whig."  His  first  wife  was  a  Miss 
Fitts,  who  bore  him  three  children.  He  was 
married  the  second  lime  to  Annie  Harford,  by 
whom  he  had  ten  cliildien. 

Charles  Rossell  was  given  the  eiliicatioii  af- 
forded by  the  very  common  schools  of  his  day 
and  learned  the  shoemaker  trade,  at  which  he 
worked  but  a  short  time,  when  he  abandoned  it 
to  engage  in  agricultural  jiursuits  in  the  county 
of  Fayette,  where  he  continued  in  that  business 
for  thirty  years.  In  18G3  he  removed  to  Ros- 
traver township,  this  county,  where  he  has  ever 
since  followed  farming.  Politically  he  was  ori- 
ginally a  whig,  later  a  republican  and  latterly 
he  has  voted  the  democratic  ticket.  Mr.  Rossell 
is  an  intelligent  gentleman,  of  excellent  views 
and  decided  convictions.  Blessed  with  a  good 
constitution  of  which  he  has  taken  proper  care, 
the  frosts  of  fjiir-score  years  have  faileil  to  con- 
geal his  blood,  liax'e  left  him  in  ]iossession  of 
health  and  strength  i|uite  remarkable  for  one  of 
his  years.  For  more  than  half  a  century  he  and 
his  wife  have  been  consistent  members  of  the 
Baptist  church. 

Charles  Rossell  was  united  in  marriage  July 
5,  1832,  with  Sarah  Layton,  and  their  union 
was  blessed  with  six  children,  of  whom  but  two 
are  living  :  James  and  Mary.  James  Rossell  is 
a    carpenter,    residing    in    Rostraver    township, 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


was  nian-ied  to  Elizabeth  NefF,  and  Mary  Ros- 
scU  becainc  the  wife  uF  Elias  McClellan,  a  far- 
mer of  tlie  suiiie  townsliip. 


UINCEY  A.  RUFF,  of  German-French 
extraction,  is  the  leading  merchant  uf 
Ruflsdale  and  opened  the  first  store  in 
that  pleasant  little  village,  lie  is  a  son  of 
William  and  Catharine  (Null)  Ruft"  and  \vas  born 
in  East  Huntingdon  township,  Westmoreland 
county.  Pa.,  March  17,  1S36.  The  Rufts  were 
among  the  early  German  settlers  v.lio  came  from 
the  eastern  part  of  the  State  and  purchased 
nearly  all  the  land  of  the  Scotish-Irish  pioneers 
of  what  is  now  East  Huntingdon  townsliip. 
These  liermans  were  thrift}',  prudent  and  highly 
religious.  His  grandfather,  Anthony  Rull, 
owned  a  considerable  boily  of  lan<l  in  Mt.  Pleasant 
township,  where  he  owned  and  operated  a  small 
distillery  until  his  death.  His  father,  William 
Ruft',  is  a  native  of  Mt.  Pleasant  township  and 
was  born  about  three  miles  north  of  the  town 
of  Mt.  Pleasant  in  ISOU.  He  received  only  the 
scant  education  that  was  imparted  in  the  early 
years  of  the  present  century.  He  remained  with 
his  father  on  the  farm  for  some  time,  and  then 
purchased  a  farm  in  East  Huntingdon  town- 
ship to  which  he  soon  removed.  He  engaged  in 
tilling  his  farm  but  devoted  a  portion  of  his 
time  for  several  years  as  a  contractor  on  the 
Construction  of  a  plank  road  that  was  intended 
to  he  laid  lietwecn  Ciindierlaiid,  Maryland  and 
Wheeling,  N'irginia  (now  ^Vest  Virginia).  He 
was  engaged  in  farming  and  improving  his  farm 
until  old  age  disqualified  him  from  labor  and 
business.  In  June,  1888,  when  verging  well  on 
to  his  eightieth  birthday  he  passed  away,  lie 
was  married  to  Catharine  Null  who  was  born  in 
1813  at  McKean's  old  stand,  four  miles  west  of 
Mt.  Pleasant.  They  were  both  Lutherans  and 
had  two  sons  and  four  daughters,  of  whom  five 
arc  living.  Mrs.  RiilV  is  of  French  parentage, 
resides   upon   the   home  farm  witii  three  of  her 


children  and  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  Henry 
Null,  a  native  of  Eastern  Pennsylvania,  who 
settled  in  East  Huntingdon  township  jirior  to 
1800. 

(.Juincey  A.  Ruft'  was  reared  on  a  farm  where  he 
remained  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age. 
His  education  was  obtained  in  the  common  schools 
and  Westmoreland  college,  which  was  in  exist- 
ence from  1849  to  1871  at  Mt.  Pleasant.  In 
1858  he  connnenced  teaching  in  the  common 
schools  of  South  Huntingdon  township  and 
taught  for  eleven  years  in  this  and  other  town- 
shii)S  of  the  county.  In  18G9  he  removed  to 
Ruft'sdale,  where  he  became  its  pioneer  merchant 
and  has  continually  increased  its  original  stock 
of  goods  until  his  store  is  now  the  leading  mer- 
cantile establishment  of  his  section.  He  carries 
a  large  and  complete  stock  of  di-y  goods,  iTro- 
ceries,  tobacco,  notions,  hardware,  confection- 
aries  and  tinware  and  has  an  extensive  trade. 

In  1846  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Jennie 
Hutchinson.  They  have  had  two  sons  and  a 
daughter  of  whom  one  son  and  one  daugliter  are 
living:  Ula  E.  and  Lloyd  H.  Mrs.  Ruft"  was 
born  in  East  Huntingdon  township,  this  county, 
in  1842  and  is  a  daughter  of  James  L.  Hutchin- 
son. 

In  political  matters  Mr.  Ruff  holds  to  the 
tenets  of  the  Republican  party.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Jr.  0.  U.  A.  M.,  I.  0.  of  0.  F.  and  the 
Presbyterian  church,  of  which  his  wife  is  a  mem- 
ber. As  a  merchant  he  stands  well.  As  a 
citizen  he  is  highly  respected. 


^IIOMAS  SAMPSON  was  born  in  Ro.s- 
\fj  travcr  township,  \VestmurcIand  county, 
-iv  Pa.,  January  24,  1812,  and  is  a  sou  of 
John  and  Mary  (McGavitt)  Sani]Json.  His 
grandfather,  James  Sampson,  was  a  native  of 
Ireland  and  immigrated  to  America,  settling  in 
Westmoreland  county,  near  what  is  now  called 
Brush  Creek,  North  Huntingdon  township, 
whence  in  later  years  he  removed   to   Rostraver 


632 


HIUGRAPJIIES  OF 


towiisliip  wlifie  lie  dieil  on  the  farm  luiw  owned 
by  his  son  lUnjaniin.  lie  \vas  a  faiuier  by  oe- 
cupation.  Thomas  McGavitt  (maternal  "grand- 
father), a  weaver  by  trade,  was  also  a  native  of 
Ireland,  wiio  crossed  tlie  Atlantie  to  the  United 
States,  locating  in  Rostraver  township,  this 
county,  where  he  died  on  the  same  farm  on 
wliich  James  Sampson  died.  John  Sampson 
(father)  was  born  on  the  Emerald  Isle  and  was 
brought  to  tills  country  by  his  parents  when  he 
was  about  twelve  years  of  age.  lie  followed 
farming  nearly  all  his  life  in  Rostraver  town- 
ship having  located  there  in  1809.  He  was  a 
democrat  and  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  He  first  married  Mary  McGavitt,  by 
whom  he  had  five  children.  His  second  wife 
was  Lavina  Leydburn  who  bore  him  four  child- 
ren. 

Thomas  Sampson  received  what  education  the 
subscription  schools  of  his  day  afl'orded  and  has 
all  his  life  been  engaged  in  the  pursuits  of  agri- 
culture. Like  his  father  he  is  identified  with 
the  Presbyterian  church  and  the  Democratic 
party.  He  was  first  married  to  Maria  ]>oyd,  by 
whom  he  had  two  children :  Mary  J.  and 
Simeon.  His  second  wife  was  Mrs.  (Finley) 
Carothers  and  to  this  union  has  been  born  one 
child,  a  daughter  named  Lavina  Samjison. 


§ENJAJIIN  L.  SAMPSON,  a  prosperous 
energetic  business  man  of  Rostraver  town- 
ship and  (ine  of  its  leading  citizens,  is  a 
son  of  John  and  Lavina  (Lightburn)  Sampson 
and  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  he  now  re- 
sides in  Rostraver  township,  Westmoreland 
county.  Pa.,  March  16,  1832.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  James  Sampson,  was  a  native  of 
Ireland,  lie  immigrated  to  America  in  1790. 
In  that  year  he  settled  near  Irwin,  this  county, 
but  subsetjuently  remo\ed  to  Rostraver  town- 
ship where  he  died  August  20,  1831.  His  ma- 
ternal grandfather,  Benjamin  Liglitlnirn,  was 
born   on    one    of  the  Bermuda  islands,  came  to 


New  Jersey  in  1774  and  entered  Princeton  col- 
lege. Jle  attended  that  institution  for  two. 
years,  then  enlisted  in  the  Continental  army, 
was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Princeton  and 
served  during  the  remainder  of  the  Revolution- 
ary war  as  a  ([uartermaster.  In  1783  he  immi- 
grated to  Pennsylvania  and  settled  in  Rostraver 
township  at  Budd's  Ferry,  where  in  1790  he 
married  a  Miss  Ilayden.  He  died  in  1802  and 
left  a  family  of  seven  children.  He  was  a  farmer 
and  a  member  of  the  established  Church  of  Eng- 
land. ]Mrs.  Lavina  Lightburn  Sampson  was. 
born  February  12,  1792,  and  died  March  6, 
1879.  His  father,  John  Sampson,  was  born  in 
Ireland,  February  1,  1778.  He  came  in  1785 
with  his  uncle  William  Sam/^son  to  what  was  then 
called  the  Black  Horse  tavern.  It  was  a  famous 
resort  of  Rostraver  township  at  that  time.  John 
Sampson  was  a  farmer  and  owned  the  farm  upon 
which  the  subject  of  this  sketch  resides.  He  was 
a  democrat  and  died  March  21,  1858.  He  was 
twice  married.  His  first  wife  was  Mary  Mc- 
Gavitt, by  whom  he  had  five  children,  and  after 
her  death  he  married  a  Lavina  Lightburn,  who 
bore  him  one  son  and  three  daughters. 

Benjamin  L.  Sampson  received  a  limited  edu- 
cation in  the  early  common  schools  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, but  by  reading  and  study  he  has  educated 
himself  thoroughly  for  business  pursuits  and  has 
ac([uired  a  good  knowledge  of  academic  and  high 
school  branches.  lie  has  followed  farming  and 
stock-raising  as  a  life  vocation  and  makes  a 
specialty  of  fine  hogs.  He  owns  a  choice  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  thirteen  acres  of  very  pro- 
ductive and  highly  cultivated  land.  At  this  time 
Mr.  Sampson  is  in  partnership  with  J.  J.  &  C. 
P.  Ray.  They  are  building  a  large  flouring- 
mill  in  Rostraver  township  opposite  West  New- 
ton on  the  Yougliioghcny  river.  They  propose 
to  nuike  this  mill  inferior  to  none  of  its  size  in 
western  I'cnnsylvania. 

On  October  20,  1871,  Mr.  Sampson  married 
Harriet  G.  Reed  of  Rostraver  township.  To 
their  union    have    been    born  seven  children,  of' 


WESTMORELAND  COiV.V:  i. 


■nhoni  tliree  :ue  living  :   William   R.,  Mnggie  L. 
iind  John  B. 

]5cnjanun  L.  Sampson  is  a  nicnilior  and  trus- 
tee (if  Wi'sr  Newton  I're.sliyteiian  iliiiicii.  lie 
is  a  democrat  in  polities  anil  lias  helil  ail  the 
local  offices  of  Lis  township.  He  is  a  very  fine 
business  man,  though  quick  yet  is  careful  in  all 
of  his  commercial  transactions  and  is  fair  and 
honorable  in  all  of  his  dealings. 


yYY^LLI^^^I  ^-  SCIIOLL,  one  of  the  cn- 
I  ¥  I  ergetic  and  comfortably  situated  farmers 
of  South  Huntingdon  township,  is  a 
son  of  Christian  and  Ally  Anna  (Miller)  Scholl 
and  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  he  now  lives 
in  South  Huntingdon  township,  AVestuioreland 
county,  Pa.,  October  15,  1S45.  His  great- 
grandfather SehoU  was  of  German  extraction. 
He  was  a  farmer  and  miller  of  Northampton 
county,  Pa.,  where  he  died.  One  of  his  sons 
was  Charles  J.  Scholl  (grandfather)  who  built 
the  first  flouring  mill  of  Rochester,  New  York, 
in  1800.  In  1801  he  came  to  Westmoreland 
county  and  erected  the  Laurelville  Mill  near  Mt. 
Pleasant.  Si.xteen  years  later  he  moved  from 
his  location  near  Mill  Grove  to  the  •' Robb  " 
farm  near  West  Newton.  In  a  few  weeks  he  re- 
moved to  the  farm  on  which  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  resides  and  built  a  large  stone  house 
which  was  burned  .January  8,  18G5.  He  was  in 
Gen.  Markle's  cavalary  troop,  which  served  in 
the  War  of  181"2.  He  was  a  whig  and  a  luth- 
erali.  Christian  Scholl  (father)  was  born  near 
Mill  Grove,  December  1-,  1814,  and  has  always 
followed  farming.  He  is  a  republican  in  poli- 
tics and  a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
church  at  West  Newton.  He  married  Ally 
Anna  Miller  and  seven  children  were  born  to 
their  union:  David  S.  (dead);  Hannah,  who 
died  young;  William  L.,  Lucinda,  wife  of 
James  Pinkerton,  who  is  a  fMrnur  ;  Milbird  V. 
(see  his  sketch)  ;  Mary  i'l.  (dead)  and  .lubn  K., 
who  married  Mary  Greenawalt   and    is    eiigaL'cd 


in  farming.  ]Mrs.  Scholl  died  June  1-2,  1870. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  Miller  who 
was  born  in  Sewickley  township.  He  was  a 
democrat,  a  niendier  of  the  Seccder  church  and 
a  shoemaker  by  trade.  He  was  a  son  of  I.saac 
Miller  a  native  of  eastern  Pennsylvania.  He 
was  captured  by  the  Indians  and  carried  to 
Ohio  and  after  a  captivity  of  several  months 
escaped.  On  his  road  back  to  his  home  he 
passed  through  what  is  now  Sewickley  township 
and  was  so  favorably  impressed  with  the  country 
that  in  a  few  years  he  moved  to  that  township  as 
a  settler. 

William  L.  Scholl  received  his  education  in 
the  common  schools  of  his  native  township  and 
has  always  been  engaged  in  farming  and  stock- 
raising.  For  sixteen  years  he  ran  a  threshing 
machine  and  did  a  large  amount  of  work  in  that 
line  of  business. 

On  March  10,  1870,  he  married  Florence  M. 
Bell,  who  is  a  daughter  of  David  Bell,  and  was 
born  in  1850.  To  their  union  have  been  born 
five  sons  and  four  daughters:  Milo  T.,  born 
December  31,  1870  ;  Emma  B.,  born  August  2ti, 
1S72,  and  died  October  12,  1887  ;  Ally  Anna, 
born  March  28,  1874  ;  Charles  C,  born  Janu- 
ary IG,  1876  ;  David,  born  November  24, 1878  ; 
John  H.,  born  May  21,  18S0  ;  Sarah  J.,  born 
July  20,1882;  Adaline,  born  July  2,1885, 
and  William  ^V.,  born  Novenilier  7,  1S87,  died 
May  (3,  1888. 

In  politics  Mr.  Scholl  is  a  republican  and  ad- 
vocates the  jjrinciples  of  that  party. 


-^E  N  J  A  M  I  N  F.  S  II A  W  L  Y,  a  highly 
respected  blacksmith  of  East  Hunting- 
don township,  is  a  son  of  Noah  Shawly, 
who  was  born  in  Somerset  county.  Pa.,  in  1829, 
and  Sarah  Zimmerman,  a  native  of  Somerset 
county.  Pa.  Noah  Shawly  remained  on  his 
father's  farm  till  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years, 
altendcd  the  common  schools  and  received  a 
fair  education.      In  1848  he  left  home  and  be;ran 


BIOORAPIIIES  OF 


funning  in  Jcnner  townsliiii,  SonuTSet  county. 
In  1854  lie  romovod  to  Li^xoirior  township 
and  continued  to  farm  there  until  1860  when 
he  purchased  a  farm  in  Cook  township, 
wliero  he  now  resides.  In  tiio  fall  of  1HIJ3  he 
enlisted  in  tlie  Union  iirniy  in  Co.  E,  two 
hundred  and  eleventh  Pa.  A'ols.,  and  was  out 
until  the  war  successfully  closed.  lie  is  a 
I'ejmblican,  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church 
and  fur  a  nundior  of  years  laid  the  ollice  of 
township  sujKrvisor.  In  1848  lie  was  married, 
his  wife  being  a  daughter  of  Conrad  Zimmer- 
man, of  Somerset  county.  Both  he  and  his 
wife  are  of  German  origin  and  had  eleven 
children,  six  sons  and  five  daugliters.  Adam 
IShawdy  (grandfather)  was  born  at  Ciiiiiberland. 
Md.,  where  his  father,  Abraham  Shawly,  had 
come  from  Germany  about  1755. 

Benjamin  F.  Shawly  (the  subject  of  this 
sketch)  was  born  in  Somerset  county.  Pa., 
January  6,  1850,  reared  on  his  father's  farm 
and  attended  the  schools  in  the  neighborhood. 
In  1870  he  began  to  learn  his  trade  at  Ligonier. 
In  1871  he  removed  to  Mt.  Pleasant  and  worked 
in  the  machine  shops  there  for  one  year  when 
he  engaged  with  W.  II.  and  S.  S.  Smith,  black- 
smiths, with  whom  he  remained  up  tn  1S7G. 
In  the  same  year  he  located  at  Stuuersville 
where  he  and  S.  S.  Smith  formed  a  partnership 
under  the  name  of  Smith  i^c  Shawly.  This 
partnership  continued  until  the  death  of  Mr. 
Smith  in  187'.',  when  Mr.  Shawly  purchased 
his  former  partner's  interest.  For  one  year  his 
brother  Noah  was  with  him  in  business;  after- 
wards T.  J.  Shirer  was  a  partner  fir  a  short  time 
and  from  1882  to  1889  Mr.  Shawly  successfully 
carried  on  business  alone  and  accumulated  about 
§12,000  worth  of  property.  In  ISSO  B.  F. 
French  became  his  partner  which  partnership 
now  exists.  In  dune,  1877,  he  marricil  Eliza- 
beth, daughter  of  Jacob  (Irof't,  of  Coid<  town- 
ship, and  has  one  chibl,  Jennie  M.,  who  is  nine 
years  of  age.  He  is  a  prominent  reimblican  of 
his  townshi]),  having  held   the  ollice  of  ebction 


judge  and  a  mendjcr  of  the  Republican  county 
committee.  He  and  his  wife  are  both  consistent 
members  of  the  church  of  God. 


R.  JOSEPH  W.  SlIELAIl,a  young  phy- 
sician of  splendid  reputation  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  the  county  and  a  resident  of 
Stoncr's  is  a  native  of  Niles,  Trumluill  county, 
Dhio,  and  was  iiorn  June  2,  1850.  IIu  is  a  son  of 
J.  E.  and  (Jelestia  (.McElwee)  Shelar  ;  the  former 
was  born  in  Trumbull  county,  Ohio,  in  1833 
and  the  latter  a  daughter  of  Thomas  McElwee, 
was  a  native  of  (Jc^hunbiana  county,  Ohio.  J. 
E.  SliL'lar  w  hen  a  boy  learned  the  trade  of  roller 
at  which  he  workeil  up  to  1870.  In  1«70  he 
was  prouioted  to  superintendent  of  the  mills 
at  Niles.  Ohio.  He  is  prominent  in  council- 
manic  affairs  of  that  place  and  was  for  a  time 
chief  of  police.  He  enlisted  in  the  linion  army 
in  the  fall  of  1803  in  an  Ohio  reg.  of  YoU. 
He  entered  as  a  private  and  was  mustered  out  as 
a  corporal  in  April,  1804.  He  married  in  1854. 
He  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  and  have  had  ten  children,  five  sons  and 
five  daughters.  The  Shelars  m  America 
originally  came  from  Germany  and  were  among 
Pennsylvania's  earliest  settlers.  The  grand- 
father (Shelarj  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
among  (Jhio's  pioneers  who  emigrated  from 
Pennsylvania  nearly  a  century  ago. 

Dr.  Joseph  W.  Shelar  attended  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  town.  His  first  work  was 
as  errand  boy  in  a  general  store  at  Niles ;  on 
leaving  this  position  he  attended  two  terms  at 
high  school  when,  in  1874,  he  became  apprenticed 
for  three  years  at  the  printer's  case.  At  the 
end  of  his  term  he  went  to  Warren,  Ohio, 
remained  but  a  short  time  when  he  returned 
home  where  he  became  an  employe  in  a  nail 
factory.  In  1880  he  came  to  Mt.  Pleasant  and 
entered  the  drug-storeof  E.  J.  McElwee  as  clerk  ; 
he  continued  there  for  one  year  when  Mr,  McEl- 
wee started  a  branch  house  at  Stoner's  which  Dr. 


]\-EsTMORELASD   CO USTY. 


635 


Shelar  mantiged  till  1SS4.  He  begin  the  study 
of  medicine  in  1882,  entered  Long  Island  Hos- 
pital college  at  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  in  1883, 
iittendcd  three  courses  of  lectures  and  was 
graduated  in  the  class  of  iSSII.  llo  began  ihe 
practice  of  medicine  in  the  same  year  at  St<]ner's 
•\vliere  he  has  since  successfully  jiracticed.  In 
18S8  he  was  married  to  Betta,  a  daughter  of  Solo- 
mon Stoner  of  East  Huntingdon.  Dr.  Shelar  is 
a  republican  in  politics  and  a  member  of  the  ^I.  E. 
church,  while  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the  U.  B. 
church. 

iHILIP  SHEBLER,  one  of  Rostraver 
township's  enterprising  farmers  and  stock- 
raisers,  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Mary 
(Davis)  Shepler  and  was  born  March  23,  l83ll, 
on  the  farm  in  Rostraver  township,  Westmore- 
land county,  Pa.,  on  which  he  now  lives.  His 
great-grandfather,  Matthias  Shepler,  was  a  native 
of  (iermany  and  immigrated  to  America,  settling 
in  this  county,  wikere  he  took  '"tomahawk  pos- 
session" of  a  tract  of  land  containing  about  four 
hundred  acres,  for  wliich  he  afterward  obtained 
a  patent  and  which  has  remained  in  the  family 
for  four  generations,  being  now  owned  and  occu- 
pied by  Philip  Shepler,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  Philip  Sliepler  (grandfatiier)  was  born 
in  Rostraver  t(jwnsliip,  Weslmoreland  county. 
Pa.,  and  died  in  the  same  place.  He  foUoweil 
the  occupation  of  farming  and  was  a  quiet,  un 
assuming  man  of  strict  integrity.  Garret  Davis 
(maternal  grandfather),  al.so  a  fai'iner,  was  born, 
lived  and  died  in  .Jellerson  county,  Ohio.  Samuel 
Shepler  (father)  was  born  in  179/J,  in  Rostraver 
township,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  and  died 
in  the  same  place,  on  the  farm  now  occupied  by 
his  son,  Philip  Shepler.  He  was  a  farmer,  a 
democrat  and  a  consistent  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist church.  He  died  November  23, 1875,  and 
his  remains  lie  biuicd  in  [''ell's  cemeterv,  in 
Rostraver  townsiiip.  1  le  married  Mary,  daughter 
of  Ciarret  Davis,  who  boie  him  three  chihlren  : 
Davis  (deceased),  Mary  and  I'bili]). 


Philip  Shepler  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  and  has  always  followed  farming  and 
stock-raising  on  his  farm  of  two  humlrcd  and 
fifteen  acrvs,  which  was  foi'inerly  own(.'d  by  his 
fathei-.  Mr.  Shepler  is  an  earnest,  active  demo- 
crat and  a  devout  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  of  Belle  Vernon.  He  is  a 
conscientious  man,  a  substantial  and  respected 
citizen  of  the  county. 

Philip  Shepler's  first  wife  was  Sarah,  daughter 
of  William  Huston,  of  Columbiana  county,  Ohio, 
who  ^vas  the  mother  of  eight  children,  si.x  of 
whom  are  living:  James  Wesley,  Samuel  D., 
Marion  McClellan,  Frank,  Irwin  and  Lizzie  J., 
the  wife  of  S.  I.  Cowan,  of  Beaver  county,  Pa., 
now  a  resident  of  Rostraver  township,  West- 
moreland county.  Pa.  The  second  wife  of  Philip 
Shepler  was  Edna  A.,  daughter  of  James  Watson, 
and  this  union  has  been  blesseil  with  live  children  : 
Adolph  B.,  Ella  ^L,  Elma  Inez,  Lloyd  H.  and 
Lucius  W. 

f  SAAC  SHEPLER  was  born  March  20, 
i'  1840,  in  Rostraver  township,  Westmoreland 
I  county.  Pa.,  near  Belle  A'^ernon,  Fayette 
county,  and  is  a  son  of  Capt.  Joseph  and  Mary 
(Blackburn)  Shepler.  Matthias  Shepler.  his 
great-grandfather,  was  a  native  of  Jlaryland 
and  emigrated  to  'Westmoreland  cpunty,  settling 
in  Rostraver  township  during  the  Revolutionary 
war.  He  was  therefore  one  of  the  early  settlers 
of  the  county.  His  son,  Isaac  Shepler  (grand- 
father), was  born  in  Itostraver  township,  AVest- 
moreland  county.  Pa.,  where  he  lived  and  died  ; 
in  the  same  township  was 'born  Joseph  Shepler 
(father)  on  the  Gth  of  March,  1807.  He  was  a 
democrat  and  an  ardent  supporter  of  his  party. 
For  seven  years  he  served  as  captain  of  the 
eighty-eighth  reg.,  first  bat..  Pa.  Militia,  and 
was  also  first  lieut.  of  the  Rostraver  Cavalry, 
which  he  organized.  He  was  for  seven  years 
captain  of  a  company  called  the  Monongahela 
Itlues,  and  botii  he  and  his  wife  have  been  mem- 
bers of  the  M.  E.  chiirch  fcjr  over  fifty  years,  in 


lo 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


which  he  h:is  been  a  chiss-leailor,  trustee  and 
steward.  lie  married  Mary  Blackburn  and 
they  have  had  four  children,  all  of  whom  are 
livinj;.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shepler  are  yet  living 
though  lidlli  iia\c  passed  llie  eighty-.sccond  mile- 
stone on  tlie  pathway  "f  life.  Joseph  lilaekliuni 
(niaternal  grandfather)  was  a  native  of  West- 
moreland county,  Pa.,  but  removed  to  Putnam 
county,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  until  his  death. 

Isaac  Shepler  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  and  the  Syracuse  Business  college,  from 
■which  he  graduated  on  June  4,  186G.  He 
began  life  as  a  farmer  and  in  187'J  and  1880  he 
was  on  the  upper  Missouri  engaged  in  the  mer- 
cantile business  on  a  boat.  In  1881  he  returned 
to  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  where  after  farm- 
ing for  two  years  he  purchased  property 
in  North  Belle  Vernon  on  which  he  now  resides. 
lie  bought  one-fourth  interest  in  the  Belle 
Vernon  Saw  and  Planing  Mill  company,  which 
lie  sold  in  1SS9.  Mr.  Shepler  is  a  Jack- 
son democrat  and  takes  a  great  interest  and  a 
vigorous  part  in  political  atl'airs.  During  An- 
drew Johnson's  administration  be  was  for  a  time 
government  storekeeper  and  under  Cleveland's 
administration  he  served  as  ganger.  lie  is  a 
member  of  the  school  board,  in  which  position 
he  has  served  several  terms  and  has  also  held 
other  offices.  He  is  a  leading  member  of  the 
M.  E.  church  at  IJelle  Vernon  and  is  a  Master 
Mason,  a  member  of  Gummert  Lodge,  No.  2;V2, 
at  Fayette  City,  Pa. 

Isiuie  Shejiler  married,  December  L'S,  1870, 
Eveline  S.,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Shepler,  aitd 
to  them  have  been  born  four  children  :  Jiary  B., 
born  September  3,  1874  ;  William  Jones,  born 
August  8,  1876 ;  James  Kerr,  born  December 
2,  1872,  and  Elizabeth  C,  born  August  19, 
1883. 


|f^)EWIS  SHEPLER,  one  of  Webster's  busi- 
ly  ness  men,  was  born  Septeirdjc:r  2-'),  1839, 
in  the  tnwiiship  of  Kustraver,   county  of 
^Vestmoreland,  Pa.,  and   is  a   son  of  Davis  and 


Elizabeth  Shepler,  both  of  whom  arc  dead. 
Lewis  Shepler,  whose  ancestral  history  is  given 
in  the  sketch  of  his  uncle,  Philip  Shepler,  was 
educated  in  the  cunimon  schools  of  Uostraver 
township,  after  wliieh  he  foilcjwed  farming  i'or  a 
period  of  twenty  years  and  then  (1883)  embarked 
in  the  business  of  butchering,  which  he  is  con- 
ducting at  the  present  time.  He  owns  valuable 
j)roperty  in  Webster  where  he  lives  and  is  a 
highly  respected  citizen  who  belongs  to  a  good 
family,  of  which  he  is  a  worthy  member.  He  is 
a  political  f  illower  of  Jefferson  and  active  worker 
for  his  party. 

Lewis  Shepler  was  married  to  Louisa,  daughter 
of  Van  Reeves,  of  Rostraver  township,  and  to 
their  union  four  children  have  been  born  :  Van 
T.,  who  is  married  to  Florence,  daughter  of  F. 
A.  Fell,  of  Webster,  and  who  resides  in  Coal 
Centre,  Pa.,  where  he  is  a  clerk  in  a  mercantile 
establishment ;  Harry  D.,  Maggie,  an  efficient 
teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  Webster,  and 
Lewis  B. 


AVIS  SHEPLER  (deceased),  whose  an- 
cestral history  appears  in  the  sketch  of 
his  brother  Philip,  was  born  in  Rostraver 
township,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  in  1818, 
and  died  in  the  same  place  April  3,  1883.  He 
received  such  education  as  the  common  or  sub- 
scription schools  of  the  early  part  of  the  century 
afforded  and  devoted  his  whole  life  to  agricul- 
tural pursuits  except  four  or  five  years  preceding 
his  death,  during  which  time  he  carried  on  in 
connection  with  farming  a  mercantile  business 
at  California.  Washington  county,  Pa. 

Davis  Shepler  was  twice  married,  the  first 
wife  being  Elizabeth  Shepler,  a  cousin,  to  whom 
Avere  born  four  children  :  Lewis,  whose  sketch 
may  be  found  in  this  work  ;  Sarah  E.,  wife  of 
Nathaniel  Houseman,  a  farmer  of  Fayette 
county.  Pa.  ;  Maigaret  (deceased)  and  Samuel, 
who  married  Sarah  Davis,  of  Ohio,  ami  lives  in 
Rostraver   townshij).     The   fii'st   wife  of  Davis 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


Shepler  having  died  lie  on  the  2d  of  October, 
\^A\\  married  Catharine,  a  dauglitcr  of  Joseph 
AVest,  of  Alleglicny  county,  Ta.  Mr.  West 
■was  a  farmer  and  at  one  time  owned  a  portion 
of  the  land  on  which  Homestead,  Allegheny 
county.  Pa.,  now  stands.  Davis  and  Catharine 
(West)  Shepler  were  the  parents  of  twelve  chil- 
dren :  Alonzo  (dead):  Lauretta,  the  deceased 
wife  of  Robert  Lynch,  a  merchant  of  lirowns- 
ville,  Fayette  county,  Pa. ;  Josephine,  wife  of 
Wilbur  McFall,  now  residing  in  Braddock,  Alle- 
gheny county.  Pa. ;  Philip,  who  is  married  to 
JLary  Honey  and  lives  on  the  farm  of  his  de- 
ceased father  ;  Elmer  (dead) ;  Delia,  married  to 
Clarence  E.  Boyd,  now  living  at  Columbia, 
AVashington  county.  Pa  ;  William,  Nannie, 
Charles  and  Edward,  all  deceased.  Mrs.  Cath- 
arine Shepler  (relict  of  Davis)  resides  in  Kos- 
traver  townsiiiii,  near  Belle  Vernon,  in  the  ad- 
joining county  of  Fayette. 

Davis  Shepler  was  one  of  those  men  who  did 
with  his  might  whatever  he  undertook.  He  was 
an  enthusiastic  worker  in  the  cause  of  democracy 
and  an  earnest  member  of  the  Methodist  church, 
in  which  he  was  a  class  leader  nearly  all  liislife. 
He  was  also  for  many  years  the  energetic  and 
faithful  superintendent  of  the  Sabbath  school. 
He  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity.  Philips  Lodge,  Monongahcla  City, 
Washington  county,  Pa.,  by  which  order  lie  was 
buried.  For  seven  years  he  served  as  lieutenant 
in  the  State  militia  of  Pennsylvania  and  in  all 
his  life  was  a  true  man,  the  mililest  work  of 
(lod. 


/^LBERT  S.  SHERRICK,  M.  D  ,  a  prom- 
Kl^  ineiit  and  leading  physician  of  Stoner's, 
is  a  son  of  Jacob  0.  and  Mary  E.  (Stuck) 
Sherrick  and  was  born  at  Bethany,  East  Hunt- 
'ingdon  township,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa., 
June  2,  18ii2.  Jacob  0.  Sherrick  was  born 
about  1827  in  this  county  and  followed  farming 
until  the  latter  j)art  of  his  life,  when  he  engageil 


as  a  distiller  with  S.  Dillinger  cV  Co.,  of  ]5eth- 
any.  After  serving  several  years  with  the  above 
firm  he  purchased  a  grist  mill  and  a  distillery 
near  Tarr's  station  and  operated  them  success- 
fully until  his  death  in  18G5.  He  was  a  repub- 
lican in  early  life  but  later  became  a  democrat 
and  supported  the  democratic  ticket  until  his 
death.  He  married  Mary  E.  Stuck,  whose 
father  was  of  German  stock  and  died  at  Stoner's 
in  1872.  ^L•.  Sherrick  had  four  sons  and  four 
daughters.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  consist- 
ent members  of  the  church  of  God.  Mrs. 
Sherrick  resides  at  Stoner's. 

Dr.  A.  S.  Sherrick  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools.  From  1879  to  1883  he  was  en- 
gaged in  teaching  in  the  common  schools  of 
Rostraver  township.  In  1883  he  commenced 
the  stud)'  of  medicine  under  the  instructions  of 
Drs.  McCormick  and  Kifcr,  of  Irwin,  Pa.  In 
the  spring  of  1884  he  attended  lectures  at  West- 
ern Reserve  Medical  college,  in  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
and  was  graduated  from  there  in  the  spring  class 
of  1885.  In  1885  he  located  at  Stoner's  and 
since  then  has  been  engaged  successfully  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession. 

In  October,  1882,  he  married  Isabella  Mc- 
Cormick, daughter  of  Dr.  James  ^L  McCormick, 
of  Irwin,  Pa.  They  have  three  children  liv- 
ing. 

He  is  a  republican  and  has  served  as  school 
director  for  several  terms.  Dr.  Sherrick  is  a 
member  of  the  church  of  God,  while  his  wife 
is  a  meiiibcr  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at 
Irwin,  lie  is  a  well-read  physician,  has  an  ex- 
tensive practice  and  is  well  informed  on  tlie 
current  medical  literature  of  the  day. 


jf^OUIS  L.  SMITH,  of  South  Huntingdon 
'^  [  township,  was  born  September  2,  1844, 
in  Lower  Tyrone  townsiiip,  Fayette 
county.  Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of  Nehcmiah  and 
Ellen  (Snyder)  Smith.     Clement  V.  Smith,  his 


G3S 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


brother,  was  Ijorn  in  the  same  ]ilacc  December 
lit,  iNllI.  'I'hcir  ^raiidl'iitbcr,  fleiiieiit  fc^mith, 
was  a  native  nf  J'ehiware,  whence  be  eaine 
westuanl  and  settled  at  I'ittsifurg  :  lie  after- 
wards removed  to  Connelisville  and  tbenee  tn 
McKeespurt,  in  all  of  which  ])laces  he  carried 
on  shoe-making  i|uite  extensively,  employing  a 
number  of  men.  lie  was  a  democrat  and 
identified  with  the  Methodist  clnirch.  Liuhvick 
Snyder,  maternal  grandfather,  was  a  native  of 
Fayette  county  where  he  lived  and  died.  By 
occupation  lie  was  a  farmer,  in  politics  a  demo- 
crat and  in  religious  faith  adhered  to  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Dunkard  church.  Nehemiah 
Smith  (father)  was  born  in  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  but 
■was  reared  at  Connelisville  where  he  remained 
until  about  forty  years  of  age,  when  he  removed 
to  Tyrone  township  and  purchased  a  farm.  On 
this  he  lived  until  1873  when  he  sold  out  and 
removed  to  South  Huntingdon  township,  this 
county,  where  he  died  March  liO,  18S0.  He 
married  Ellen  Snyder  and  they  had  si.\  children, 
of  whom  four  are  now  living. 

Clement  V.  Smith  was  married  to  Elizabeth 
Blair,  a  daughter  of  Parkhill  Blair  of  Perry 
township,  Fayette  county,  and  to  them  have 
been  born  five  children :  Lily,  Susan,  Jesse, 
Rlioda  an<l  William  (dead).  Louis  L.  Smith 
was  married  to  Mary  A.  .lohnson,  a  daughter  of 
Saiiiiirl  .Idhiisoii,  and  they  have  fiiiir  cliiliiren  : 
Ella,  Maltie,  dulin  and  Sanniel  Jjii\y. 

Louis  L.  and  Clement  \'.  Smith  received  a 
common-school  ediicalion  and  have  ever  since 
di'Milcd  ihcir  lime  Id  I'armilig  and  slncL-raising. 
'I'hey  give  much  altenlion  lo  raising  all  kinds  of 
fine  stock  but  make  a  specialty  of  Jilack  Shire 
horses  of  the  I'luto  family ;  they  have  some 
horses  of  that  breed  that  cannot  be  e.xcelled. 
In  cattle  their  specialty  is  the  Short  Horn  and 
in  hogs  the  Cheshire.  They  own  a  large  farm 
of  well-improved  land  and  buy,  sell  and  breed 
the  finest  kind  of  stne-k.  They  are  exet'llent 
business  men  and  in  |ioli(icM  I  hey  believe  in  the 
principles  of  democracy. 


EOPvGE  \V.  SMrni,  a  prominent  busi- 
ness man  of  \Vel)stei',  this  county,  was 
born  January  2.'),  l,s;j;i,  in  AVheeling, 
AV.  \'a.,  and  is  a  sun  of  William  and  Margaret 
(Johnson)  Siuilh.  William  Smith  was  a  native 
of  Scarborough,  England,  iuimigrated  lo  Amer- 
ica at  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century 
and  located  at  Ijrownsville,  Fayette  county, 
where  be  carried  on  the  business  of  street-con- 
tracting lor  a  time  but  soon  left  for  Wheeling, 
W.  Va.,  in  which  place  he  continued  the  same 
work.  He  was  originally  a  whig  but  was  con- 
verted to  the  democratie  faith.  He  died  in  18G3, 
a  consistent  member  of  the  Church  of  England. 
His  wife  was  Margaret  Johnson  of  Scarborough, 
England,  who  bore  him  sixteen  children.  Seven 
of  them  are  living,  two  of  whom  are  George  W. 
and  Robert,  the  latter  residing  in  Wheeling 
where  he  is  engaged  in  the  paint  business. 

George  W.  Smith  was  married  September  14, 
1871,  to  Olena,  daughter  of  Daniel  Richards, 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  town  of  Webster. 
They  have  but  one  child,  Herbert  B. 

George  W.  Smith  was  educated  in  the  public 
and  academic  schools  of  Wheeling,  W.  Va., 
after  which  ho  went  to  Brownsville,  Fayette 
county.  Pa.,  and  learned  the  trade  of  machinist. 
Tiater  he  became  a  boat  engineer  and  was  in 
Louisiana  on  a  trip  when  that  State  seceded 
from  the  Union.  Hi'  then  relurned  to  Bnnvns- 
viUe  and  assisted  in  the  organization  of  <_'o.  C, 
eighty-fifth  reg.  Pa.  ^'ols.  in  18G1.  He  served 
as  sergeant  and  was  engaged  in  the  battles  of 
Williamsliurg,  ( 'hiekahominy,  b'air  Oaks  and 
the  Seven  Days  light.  He  was  wounded  tlu'ough 
the  knee  and  ankle  at  Harrison's  Landing  July 
5,  18G2,  and  was  honorably  discharged  in  18G3. 
He  then  returned  and  assisted  in  building  gun- 
boats for  the  government.  Not  long  afterward 
he  became  a  clerk  on  a  boat  on  which  he  re- 
mained for  some  fourteen  years.  In  1877  he 
embarked  in  the  mercantile  business  at  AVeb- 
sler,  in  which  he  is  still  engageil.  He  is  an 
enthusiastic    democrat,    a    worker  in  his   jiarty 


WESTMORELAND   COUNTY. 


and  a  member  of  the  county  committee.  Neither 
businei^s  nor  politics,  liuwevcr,  is  allowed  to 
consiinie  his  time  to  the  detriment  of  his  chosen 
religious  dfuonjinatioii,  the  M.  l'-.  ehiirch,  in 
which  he  is  a  trustee  and  steward.  Mr.  Smith  is 
a  member  of  the  A.  ().  U.  ^\^.,  commander  of 
Thomas  A.  Armstrong  Post,  No.  572,  G.  A.  R., 
at  Webster,  and  belongs  to  the  Masons,  F.  and 
A.  M.,  the  thirty-second  degree  of  the  iNIasuns 
and  the  Ancient  Accepted  Scottish  Kite  or 
Consistory. 


'AMUEL  SMITH,  an  old  and  avcII- respec- 
ted resident  and  one  of tlie  active,  success- 
fid  and  progressive  fanners  of  Sewickley 
township,  was  born  in  East  Huntingdon  tow  n- 
sliip,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  July  18,  1814, 
and  is  a  son  of  George  and  ^lagdalena  (Grubb) 
Smith.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Juhn  Smith, 
was  a  native  of  Franklin  county,  I'a.  lie  en- 
listed in  the  Continental  arm}',  took  ]]art  in 
several  battles  of  the  Revolutionary  war  but  was 
reported  missing  after  a  severe  engagement  and 
never  was  heard  of  afterwards.  His  maternal 
grandfather,  Christian  Grubb,  was  born  in  Lan- 
caster and  immigrated  to  Franklin  county.  Pa., 
•where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  and  hauling 
country  produce  to  Baltimore,  Md.,  until  he  was 
killed  by  his  team  becoming  frightened  and  run- 
ning over  him.  He  was  a  lutheran,  married 
and  reared  a  family  of  five  children,  one  son  and 
four  daughters.  One  of  the  latter,  Magdalena, 
married  George  Smith  and  was  the  mother  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  The  son,  Adam 
Grubb,  was  a  soldier  under  Scott  in  Mexico,  was 
reported  missing  after  a  battle  and  in  all  prob- 
ability was  killed,  as  no  account  was  ever  had  of 
him  afterwards.  His  father,  George  Smith,  was 
born  in  Franklin  county.  Pa.,  in  1776  ;  he  moved 
to  East  Huntingdon  township  in  180G  where  he 
followed  farming  until  his  death  in  1853.  He 
was  a  republican  jiolitically,  a  member  of  the 
Evangelical  Lutheran  church  and  married  Mag- 


dalena Grubb,  by  whom  he  had  eight  childi-on  : 
^largaret,  wife  of  Moses  Slnqie  (both  dead); 
Kate,  widow  of  Jacob  Ijouck  ;  Sannul.  Mary, 
wife  of  Ijcnjamin  Clair,  of  Illinois;  John,  died 
in  1841;  (ieorge,  who  lives  at  Humboldt,  Allin 
county,  Kansas  ;  Jacob  and  Elizabeth,  wife  of  J. 
Beard. 

Samuel  Smith  obtained  his  education  in  the 
subscription  schools  of  his  boyhood  days.  He 
learned  the  trade  of  carpenter  which  he  followed 
for  ten  years  and  then  (1844)  purchased  the 
farm  on  which  he  has  resided  ever  since.  His 
farm  contains  one  humlred  and  seventy-four 
acres  of  good  and  well-improved  laml.  It  is  in 
the  southwestern  part  of  the  township  and  is  a 
very  desirable  jiroperty.  Mr.  Snutli  was  form- 
erly a  whig  and  now  is  a  republican.  He  served 
Sewickley  township  for  sixteen  years  as  school 
director  and  three  years  as  load  commissioner. 
He  with  his  entire  i'amily  are  menibers  of  Mars 
Hill  Baptist  church. 

On  September  19,  1839,  he  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Mary  Ann  Appier,  daughter  of  Jacob 
and  Mary  Ann  (Love)  Appier,  of  Union  county, 
JId.  To  jNIr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  have  been  born 
seven  children :  Cyrus,  a  carpenter  of  Irwin, 
married  to  Hester  Biggs  and  who  enlisted  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1862,  in  Company  K,  112th  reg..  Pa. 
Vols,  and  served  three  years  as  a  soldier  and 
drill  master  ;  Kate;  Margaret,  wife  of  Nathan 
Fullerton,  a  farmer  of  Sewickley  township ; 
Addie,  married  to  John  Ogg,  who  is  a  blacksmith 
bv  trade  ;  Martha  (dead) ;  Joseph  (deceased) ;  and 
Mary. 

Cyrus  Smith  married  Hester  Biggs  October 
17,  186G,  had  four  boys:  Bert,  tlie  oldest  dead  ; 
liaymond  Smith,  Edward  Smith  and  Samuel 
Smith. 

Margaret  married  Nathan  Fullerton  February 
11,  1869,  had  four  children:  Minnie  A.  Fuller- 
ton,  Edward  M.  Fullerton,  Samuel  Fullerton ; 
the  young  girl  died  when  a  few  days  old. 

Ada  S.  Smith  married  John  Ogg  November 
11,    1875,    hatl   five   children:     Jessie  S.  Ogg, 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Lizzie   Kate    Ogg,    Eva  Lena    Ogg,   Alvin  St. 
Olaii-  Ogg,  and  Samuel  Aslifonl  Ogg. 


(t>'INLKV  ('.  SMOOK,  of  near  I'.rllc  Ver- 
i\  iKiii,  WMH  liorii  August  •!,  ISfil,  iu  Uo.s- 
travcr  towiishi]!,  Westiuorelainl  county 
Pa.,  on  the  farm  lie  now  owns  and  is  a  son  of 
Pliilip  and  Emeline  (Fleming)  Smock.  His 
grandfather,  Abraham  Smock,  was  of  German 
descent,  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  lived  for  a 
time  iu  Kostraver  township,  but  removed  to 
Kansas,  where  he  died.  Politically  he  was  for- 
merly a  whig  and  later  a  republican.  James 
Fleming,  maternal  grandfather,  lived  and  died 
in  Rostraver  township,  where  he  was  a  husband- 
man and  one  of  the  early  settlers.  Philip 
Smock,  son  of  Abraham  and  Isabella  Smock 
(father),  was  born  January  1,  1819,  near  Webs- 
ler,  iu  Rostraver  township,  where  ho  followed 
iarniing  anil  stock-raising  until  his  death  March 
20,  1879.  lie  was  of  German  descent,  a  very 
shrewd,  industrious  and  successful  man  of  busi- 
ness and  a  large  property  holder,  owning  over 
three  hundred  acres  of  valuable  land.  In  politics 
he  was  a  stanch  republican,  always  taking  an 
active  part  in  the  interest  of  his  party  and  he 
belonged  to  the  First  Presbyterian  church  of 
Belle  Vernon,  Pa.,  while  his  wife  was  a  rnoth- 
odist.  He  was  married  Noveiuber  (i,  1h4.'), 
to  Emeline  Fleming,  who  bore  liiui  thirteen 
children,  nine  sons  and  four  daughters. 
Eleven  of  these  children  are  living,  eight  sons 
and  three  daughters.  Although .  uneducated 
Mr.  Smock  was  ambitious  in  all  educational  en- 
terprises. 

Finley  C.  Smock  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  his  native  township  and  has  ever 
since  devoted  his  time  to  farming.  In  politics 
he  adheres  to  the  principles  of  the  Republi- 
can jiarty  in  whose  interests  he  is  an  active 
worker  Mr.  Smock  is  a  wide-awake  farmer, 
keeps  up  to  the  times  and  is  a  reliable,  sturdy 
and  substantial  citizen. 


He  was  united  in  marriage  January  5,  1882, 
with  Kate  Irons,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Irons, 
a  farmer  of  Gibsonton,  this  county,  and  they 
have  one  child,  Ressie,  born  Ajiril  15,  1884. 


^  VERELL  F.  SPRINGER,  one  of  Belle 
(^  Vernon's  enterprising  citizens,  is  a  son  of 
James  and  Sarah  (Smith)  Springer,  and 
was  born  April  1,  1843.  in  Rostraver  township, 
Westmoreland  county.  Pa.  His  great-great- 
grandfather was  a  native  of  Stockholm,  Sweden, 
and  came  to  America  previous  to  the  war  of  the 
Revolution,  settling  in  Wilmington,  Delaware, 
whence  he  finally  moved  to  Lancaster  county, 
Pa.,  where  he  died.  In  order  to  pay  his  pas- 
sage across  the  Atlantic  he  sold  himself  to  the 
navigation  company,  which  he  was  obliged  to 
serve  for  five  years.  lie  afterward  (in  1783) 
leased  one  hundred  acres  of  land  on  which  the 
city  of  Wilmington,  Del.,  now  stands,  began 
farming  and  eventually  became  wealthy.  He 
had  a  son  Daniel  born  in  Wilmington,  Septem- 
ber 15,  17(52,  who  also  died  in  Lancaster  county, 
Daniel  Springer's  second  son,  Michael^  was 
born  April  25,  179G,  in  Lancaster  county,  and 
removed  to  Rostraver  township,  this  county, 
where  he  lived  till  his  death.  He  was  one  of 
the  earliest  settlers  in  Westmoreland  and  when 
he  came  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  the  best 
land  could  be  purchased  for  a  sack  of  salt  or 
ilour.  His  occupation  was  that  of  farmer  and 
he  died  on  the  property  now  known  as  the  Belle 
Vernon  Cemetery  farm  ;  his  son,  James  Springer, 
was  born  in  Rostraver  tijwnship  and  died  on  the 
old  homestead  in  April,  187C.  He  was  a 
farmer  by  occupation,  a  democrat  in  politics  and 
a  member  of  the  Disciple  church.  He  was  the 
father  of  eight  children,  five  of  whom  are  living. 
Among  those  living  are  Anselm,  a  contractor  and 
builder  of  Belle  A'^ernou  ;  Theodore,  a  resident 
of  Ciiicago,  who  is  the  inventor  of  the  Cosmose 
gas  apparatus  from  which  he  realized  a  hand- 
some   fortune ;    and    Everell   F.   whose    mater- 


WESTMuniiLA A'Z)   CO  UNTV. 


Tial  gi-iindfathcr,  DuviJ  Smith,  was  of  Irish  de- 
scent, a  faniKT  by  occupation,  and  lived  and 
died  in  Kostravor  townsliip.  lie  was  a  soldier 
in  llie  Hevolulionary  war  and  served  tiiroughont 
tlie  contest,  being  engaged  in  nearly  all  the 
princi[)al  battles.  At  the  battle  of  Cowpens  he 
was  both  shot  and  bayonetted  and  lay  three 
days  on  the  battlefield  before  receiving  assist- 
ance. 

Everell  F.  Springer  married  Ella,  daughter 
•of  Henry  lloll'nian,  of  Eoonesboro,  Iowa,  and 
has  two  children  dead  and  five  living  :  Gertruile, 
Blanche,  Florence  A.,  Everella  and  Everell. 

Everell  F.  Springer  attended  the  common 
schools  and  graduated  from  the  California  State 
Normal,  after  attending  for  a  time  Washington 
and  Jefferson  academy.  In  18G5  he  went  to 
Boonesboro,  Iowa,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
leather  and  finding  business.  Later  he  went 
into  the  patent-right  business  for  his' brother 
and  traveled  over  many  of  the  western  States 
during  the  two  years  he  remained  with  him.  He 
then  returned  to  Westmoreland  county  where 
he  farmed  a  while  and  ran  what  is  known  as 
the  Springer  House,  in  Belle  Vernon.  At 
present  Mr-  S|iringer,  ■wiiu  is  a  very  active  man, 
engages  in  farming,  gardening,  the  hotel  busi- 
ness and  in  ISbo  embarked  in  the  drug  business 
in  Belle  ^\»rnon.  He  is  a  democrat  and  takes 
an  active  part  in  jiulitical  matters.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum,  of  which  he  is 
a  charter  member,  of  the  Belle  Vernon  Council 
and  has  passed  thrnugh  all  tiic>  chairs. 

•jj^OHN  STEllKKTT.  There  is  none  better 
'i  or  more  favorably  known  in  his  section  of 
<®/  the  county  than  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
His  father,  Moses  Sterrett,  was  a  native  of 
Chester  county,  I'a.,  and  was  born  in  17l>3. 
Reared  near  Reading  he  received  such  education 
as  couhl  lie  gotten  from  private  tutors  of  that 
<lay.  In  \lX\'i  lie  slarlnl  w  ilji  ins  tatlirr,  .lolm 
i^U'rrelt,  to  KeiiliirKy,  inleudiii;,'  lo  join   one   of 


Boone's  colonies,  coming  as  far  west  as  the  pres- 
ent site  of  Mt.  I'leasant,  where  they  became 
snow-bound  and  could  go  no  farther. 

After  a  time  they  were  so  taken  with  the  sur- 
rounding country  that  they  took  a  ))re-eniption 
claim  and  concluded  to  make  a  permanent  settle- 
ment. They  purchased  what  is  now  known  as 
the  old  Sterrett  homestead,  and  on  this  farm  is 
where  he  lived  till  his  death  in  1839.  Moses 
Sterrett  was  married  in  1708  to  Margaret  Wood- 
row,  a  daughter  of  Col.  John  Woodrow.  of  East 
Huntingdon,  who  was  a  leader  in  an  alarm  of 
Indians  in  the  neighborhood,  on  account  of  which 
they  called  him  "  Colonel."  To  them  was  born 
seven  children.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church  and  died  on  January  1,  1831. 
John  Sterrett  (grandfather)  was  born  in  Ireland 
in  171U,  was  an  early  immigrant  to  America  and 
was  forced  to  leave  his  native  land  on  account  of 
cruelty  he  received  from  his  "bound  boss."  lie 
succeeded  in  getting  on  a  vessel  bound  for  this 
country  and  hid  away  among  the  cargo  until  he 
was  well  out  to  sea.  On  reaching  this  country 
he  was  sold  to  a  tanner  of  riiiladelphia  for  his 
'■  p.issage  money,"  and  with  whom  he  remained 
unld  he  had  learni-il  the  trade  of  tanning. 
He  went  to  Chester  county  where  he  began 
business  on  his  own  account.  He  continued 
there  at  tanning  till  1786  when  he  came  to  East 
Huntingdon  township  where  he  died.  Mary 
(Webb),  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Boone) 
^Vebb,  the  latter  a  niece  of  Daniel  Boone,  was 
his  wife,  a  native  of  Berks  county.  Pa.,  and  the 
maternal  grandmother  of  John  Sterrett.  She 
died  in  this  county  in  1815. 

John  Sterrett  was  boin  in  East  Huntingdon 
township,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  on  Novem- 
ber "23,  1805,  and  still  resides  on  the  same  farm 
where  he  was  born.  He  received  a  good  practi- 
cal education  in  the  old  subscription  schools  suf- 
ficient to  enable  him  to  teach.  He  taught  school 
fnini  1^'33  to  1838.  In  1838  he  became  a  clerk 
in  ihe  lir>t  sloi'e  sl:irh'd  in  the  neigiiboihood  by 
Samuel  iMilieilon.      In  IMIT.   lie   took  eharue  of 


IlfOORAPniES  OF 


the  old  luniu'stcail  t;inii  ami  since  lie  lias  suceuss- 
fully  cavrifil  oa  fanning.  Ik-  is  a  liberal  rcimh- 
lican  in  politics,  is  unbiasoil  by  jnrjmlico  ami 
jirofei's  to  Voir  lor  ibo  ln's(  man.  lie  N\as  never 
liiarrieil,  is  a  veiicrabii',  uell-preserveil  old  bac  b- 
C'lor  and  one  of  llic  "  buidinarks"  of  i'last  lliiiit- 
ingdon,  \vliose  honesty  ami  integrity  have  been 
his  chief  guiding  stars  through  along  and  ex- 
emplary life. 


•f  OIIN  F.  STAUFFER,  an  intelligent  and 
I  prosperous  farmer  of  East  Huntingdon 
(cJ  township,  was  born  in  what  is  now  Upjjer 
Tyrone  township,  Fayette  county,  Pa.,  May  11, 
ISlib  He  is  the  only  child  of  Samuel  and 
Anna  (Fretts)  StautVer,  the  former  a  native  of 
Northampton  and  the  latter  of  Westmoreland 
county,  this  State.  Samuel  Staufler  removed  to 
Fayette  county  when  a  young  man  and  engaged 
in  farming.  He  married  Anna,  daughterof  (Jhris- 
tian  Fretts,  and  was  drowned  in  the  Youghiog- 
lieny  river  when  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
only  four  weeks  old.  Mrs.  Staufler  died  in  East 
Huntingdon  township  on  February  1, 1H78.  John 
Staull'er  (grandfather)  was  born  in  17.')"  in  the 
eastern  part  of  this  State,  came  west  of  "  the 
mountains,"  settled  permanently  in  IMOO  in  Ty- 
rone township,  Fayette  county,  and  died  in  1S4(). 
His  widow,  Barbara  Staufler,  died  in  ISfJl  at 
the  age  of  ninety -six  years. 

.\rier  his  I'albrr  was  drowned  John  I''.  Staull'er 
was  bidugbt  iiy  bis  iiKitluT  to  I'last  1  lunt  iiigibin 
township  and  reared  by  her  peo[de.  He  atten- 
ded the  old  subscription  schools  and  then  engaged 
in  farming.  He  came  in  possession  of  his 
maternal  grandfather  I'^retts'  farm  through  his 
mother,  who  inherited  it  at  her  father's  death. 
He  has  ever  since  resided  on  and  now  owns  this 
old  Fretts  farm  which  is  ailjoining  tlie  borough 
of  Scottdale.  It  is  a  very  valuable  tract  con- 
taining one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  good 
farming  and  mineral  land. 

He    was    united    in    marriage,    Feliruary    19, 


IHfiO,  with  Catherine  Monosmith,  who  liore  him 
ten  children:  Anna,  born  Mareb  -i,  ISfd,  died 
in  l!S(J8  ;  Samuel,  born  May  '2,  1S;")3,  died  in 
lS,",it;  Klizabclh,  born  1  (e.'endicr  1  .■'),  1  S.S  1,  wife 
(d'  Kev.  .M.  (I.  r..Itcr,  «i  Washington  county, 
I'a.  ;  John  M.,  born  .March  2U,  l.S.'jT  ;  Haniel 
M.,  born  March  17,  18rV,t,  married  I'arbaia 
Saylor,  of  Fayette  county.  Pa.,  and  is  engaged 
in  farming;  Catharine,  born  July  5,  18G1,  wife 
of  J.  N.  Stoner;  Eli  M.,  born  May  3,  1864, 
married  Flora  Sherrick  ;  Ada,  born  December 
17,  1860,  wife  of  T.  W.  Porter;  Martin  N., 
born  April  7,  18(J',t,  died  in  1871 ;  and  Sallie, 
born  April  4,  1872.  Mrs.  Stauffer  was  an 
earnest  member  of  the  Iteformed  church  and 
passed  away  July  2"),  1888. 

J.  F.  Staufler  is  a  republican  in  his  political 
views.  He  has  been  for  over  half  a  century  one 
of  the  substantial  farmers  and  respected  citizens 
of  East  Huntingdon  township.  He  is  an  un- 
assuming and  useful  memlier  of  the  ^lennonite 
church. 

^AMUEL  STONE,  a  i>ractical  and  exper- 
(^j  ienced  mining  superintendent  of  both  an- 
(^  thraeite  and  bituminous  coal  mines,  assist- 
ant sujierintendcint  of  Sewickley  mines  and  a 
Courteous  gentleman,  is  a  son  of  Samuel  Sr., 
and  Annie  (Sparrow)  Stone  'and  was  born  in 
England  in  l82ti.  Samuel  Stone,  Sr.,  was  born 
and  reareil  in  I']iigland  where  he  dieil  in  1811). 
lie  was  an  industrious  and  jieaeeable  man.  His 
wife,  Anne  (Sparrow)  Stone,  was  a  native  of  the 
same  country  and  died  in  1831. 

Samuel  Stone  was  reared  in  England  where 
he  received  his  education  and  was  engaged  in 
coal  mining  until  18411.  In  that  year  he  came 
to  I'ennsylvania  where  he  located  at  Pottsville, 
Schuylkill  county,  and  was  engaged  for  twenty- 
five  years  in  the  anthracite  coal  mines  of  that 
county.  In  1871  he  was  employed  by  the  Penn 
(!as  Company  on  account  of  his  practical  knowl- 
eilge  of  deep  coal  milling  to  sink  the  Irwin 
shaft.     A    few    years    later   the  same  comjiany 


WESTMORELA  ND  CO  UNTY. 


again  oinpltiyoil  liiiii  two  !-iiik  two  additional 
sliaf'ts.  llosank  Tcnn  slial't  Xo.  1  and  No.  "J. 
After  completing  tliese  shafts  he  located  at  Se- 
wickley  in  Sewickley  township  and  became  mine 
boss  for  the  Pcnii  (ias  (.'nal  <  'oiiipany.  'i'lii.s  [lO- 
sition  he  held  for  fourteen  years,  wiien  he  was 
promoted  to  assistant  superintendent  and  has 
continued  as  such  until  the  present  time. 

In  1851  he  united  in  marriage  with  Elizabeth 
Jones.  To  their  union  were  born  eleven  child- 
ren, of  whom  four  died  in  infancy  and  Anna 
who  passed  away  at  twenty-two  3'ears  of  age. 
Their  five  living  children  are  :  John,  Benjamin, 
Samuel,  George,  William  and  Harry. 

Samuel  Stone  is  a  republican  in  politics  and 
is  a  protestant  in  his  religious  views.  JNlr.  Stone 
has  devoted  his  life  to  mining  and  has  success- 
fully improved  his  many  chances  for  the  study 
of  his  chosen  business.  Several  years  «ork  in 
the  deep  collieries  of  England  uuide  liim  thor- 
oughly ac(iuainted  with  the  scientific  mcthotls  of 
working  mines  in  the  "  old  world  ;"  while  twenty- 
five  years  spent  in  the  anthracite  veins  of  eastern 
Pennsylvania,  and  half  as  niany  years  more  of 
mine  management  in  the  bituminous  coal  fields 
of  this  County  lias  gi\en  him  an  iiitiiuiite 
knowledge  of  Aiiiciican  mines  and  the  vari(ius 
successful  luetiiods  >\i  their  uperalinn  and  iiiau- 
agcment.  lie  is  an  esteemeil  citizen,  stamls 
high  as  au  ellirient  mine  superintendent  and 
bears  the  reputation  of  an  honorable  man. 


-'YY'I''''^'^'  I'-  'I'lMMS  Nvas  JKun  July 
:J."-,  lS;;il.  in  l;,jslraver  township,  West- 
moreland county,  I'a.,  and  is  a  son  of 
Samuel  and  Elizabeth  (  farmer)  1'imins.  I  lis 
maternal  grandfather,  William  Parmer,  was  a 
resident  of  Fayette  county.  Pa.,  and  subse- 
(luently  removed  from  i!ro\vns\iik'  to  liosira- 
vi'r  township,  this  counly.  Samuel  'riiiims 
(father)  was  born  in  Itostravt'r  townshiji  and 
lived  and  died  there.  Saniiud  Tiuims  was  a 
democrat    anil    a    poor  though  honest  and  up- 


right laborer.  He  married  Elizabeth  I'armer 
and  they  had  four  chddren  :  Sarah  Ann,  Mary 
A.,  Mahahl  (deceased),  and  William    P. 

Sarah  Ann  Timms  was  niarrieil  to  John  Peau- 
luout,  who  served  in  llie-(Jivil  wai'  and  was  killed 
at  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness. 

William  P.  1'imms  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  and  began  life  on  his  own  account 
as  a  farmer,  but  later  abandoned  that  calling  for 
railroading  which  he  has  followed  ever  since. 
He  is  a  sober,  industrious,  well-to-do  man  of  ex- 
cellent character,  intelligent  views  and  enjovs  the 
esteem  of  all  who  know  him. 
In  November,  ISo.'),  he  mariied  Margery 
McLain,  a  daughter  of  John  McLain  of  Pos- 
traver  townshij),  and  they  have  had  four 
children :  Finley,  Samuel,  Carrie  and  John. 
Finley  Timms  is  marrieil  to  Ada  Patterson,  a 
daughter  of  Pobert  Patterson,  and  is  a  plumber 
of  \Vest  Newton  Carrie  Timms  became  the 
wife  of  Cyrus  Lcjop  of  Sewickley  township,  but 
she  is  no  longer  living.  John  Timms  died  in 
youth  and  Samuel  has  likewise  gone  to  his  ever- 
lasting home.  Mrs.  Margery  (McLain)  Timms 
is  a  consistent  member  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church. 


•j' AC(_)]5  'J'OMEH,  one  of  the  best  citizens  of 
'1  Rostraver  township,  was  boiu  Nin  ember 
2/  -4,  1S3-2,  in  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  and  is  a  s(jn  of 
Jacob  and  Sarah  (Hollobaugh)  Tomer.  John 
1!.  Tomer  (grandfallier)  was  a  nati\e  of  ^lary- 
land  and  migrated  to  Pittsburg  in  1804  wliei'c 
he  resided  till  his  death.  He  was  a  butcher  by 
occupation,  a  meuJjcr  and  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  (jerman  Reformed  church  on  the  corner  of 
Si.xth  avenue  and  Smithfieid  street,  Pittsburg,  Pa. 
John  IloUobaugh  (maternal  granilfather)  lived 
ami  died  iu  Ai-mstrong  ctuinty,  Pa.,  where  he 
was  a  farmer  and  liiml)c>inian.  Jacob  Tomer 
(father)  was  boin  near  Hageistow  n,  Maryland, 
in  IT'.'l  and  dieil  in  \Vebsier,  tins  counly,  in 
188;j-      At  the  age  of  ten  he    removed    with   his 


BIOORAPHIES  OF 


father  to  Pittsburg,  where  after  arriving  at  man- 
hood he  carried  on  the  business  of  butchering. 
In  18G9  he  located  at  Webster,  purchased  a  farm 
and  coal  lands  and  (iiicrated  a  ciial  conipany  fir 
some  time.  lie  was  the  father  often  chihlren, 
five  of  whom  are  yet  living. 

.laeob  Tomer  (the  subject  of  this  sketch)  was 
educated  in  the  city  of  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  where  he 
became  a  pharmacist  and  carried  on  the  drug 
business  for  four  years.  In  I860  when  the 
civil  war  was  raging  in  all  its  fury,  he  enlisted 
as  a  volunteer  and  entered  the  third  Pennsylva- 
nia Cavalry  as  hospital  steward.  He  was  with 
the  army  of  the  Potomac,  took  part  in  most  of 
the  battles  in  which  that  array  was  engaged  and 
served  till  the  close  of  the  war.  Jlr.  Tomer  is  a 
prominent  democi'at  and  takes  an  active  jiart  in 
the  political  matters  of  his  township.  In  1888 
he  was  elected  justice  of  the  ]ieaee  in  ItdStraver 
towiiship,  where  he  iiwns  a  valuable  firm.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  I.  0.  0.  F.,  the  A.  0.  U. 
AV.  and  the  G.  A.  U.,  has  many  e.xcellent  traits 
of  character  and  is  a  useful  and  respected  mem- 
ber of  society. 

Jacob  Tomer  married  Harriet  Gillingham  of 
Webster  in  August,  IbTl.  Ten  children  have 
been  born  to  them,  seven  of  whom  are  yet 
livintr. 


'^  UIIN  A^OGEL  was  born  December  18, 18-1-2, 
?  in  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of  Conrad 
(ZJ  and  Lizzie  A'ogel.  He  was  educated  in  the 
Catholic  school  of  Allegheny  City  and  began 
life  for  himself  as  a  teamster  in  Pittsburg  and 
Allegheny.  In  1860  he  removed  to  Webster, 
AVesiumreland  county,  Pa.,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged at  mining  and  driving  until  188-),  when 
he  went  into  the  hotel  business  at  Webster  and 
has  continued  the  same  ever  since. 

He  married  Eva  Stinegle,  of  Iron  City,  AVest- 
morehmd  county.  Pa.,  and  they  have  nine  chil- 
dren :  Lizzie,  J(jhn,  Mary,  Conrad,  Lena,  AVil- 
liam,  George,  Alva  and  llarald. 


The  history  of  the  world  abounds  in  instances 
of  devotion  to  country.  In  all  ages  have  been 
found  men  willing  to  sacrifice  their  fortunes  and 
their  lives  for  their  native  land — men,  thousands 
of  whom  if  not  so  famous,  were  equally  as  heroic 
as  Arnold  Winkleried,  who  rushed  upon  the 
spears  of  the  Austrian  phalanx  crying  "  Make- 
way  for  liberty!"  But  we  need  not  go  to 
Athens  or  Sparta  to  find  examples  of  oravery 
and  heroism  by  which  to  excite  the  patriotic 
emotions  of  the  rising  generation  or  to  rouse 
them  to  deeds  of  valor.  AVe  have  them  all 
around  us,  but  ''  full  many  a  flower  is  born  to 
blush  unseen,"  and  we  are  apt  to  overlook  them. 
Among  those  who  deserve  jjraise  for  services 
rendered  their  country  is  John  Vogel,  who  en- 
listed in  Co.  C,  sixty-third  reg.  Pa.  Vols,  in 
1861,  and  served  faithfully  till  February  10, 
18ti."),  when  he  was  honorably  discharged  at 
Pittsburg.  Besides  various  minor  engagements 
he  participated  in  the  great  battles  of  Yorktowu, 
Williamsburg,  Fair  Oaks,  Seven  Days  fight, 
Spottsylvania  Court  House,  Wilderness,  Cold 
Harbor,  Second  Bull  Run,  Fredericksburg,  An- 
tietam  and  Chancellorsville.  At  the  latter  place 
ho  was  captured  and  carried  to  Libby  prison, 
but  was  released  at  the  end  of  nine  days.  He 
was  taken  prisoner  a  second  time  at  Cold  Har- 
bor and  carried  to  AndersonviUe,  where  he  was 
held  for  more  than  six  months.  During  this 
time  the  prisoners  were  permitted  to  dig  a  well 
in  Mr.  Vogel's  tent,  which  was  utilized  to  assist 
him  and  a  few  of  his  fellow  prisoners  to  escape. 
While  they  were  digging  the  well  they  were  also 
digging  a  tunnel  to  reach  outside  of  the  stock- 
ade. The  dirt  from  the  tunnel  was  dumped  into 
the  well  through  a  hole  communicating  with  it 
and  was  then  carried  outside  with  that  taken 
from  the  well.  No  mishap  occurred  and  every- 
thing was  in  readiness  fin-  the  escape  when  a 
treacherous  fellow  prisoner  divulged  the  plans 
to  the  otlicials.  John  Vogel  is  a  thorough 
democrat,  a  memlier  of  Starkweather  Post, 
No.   GO,   G.  A.  R.,  Monongahela  City,  and  is 


WES'nrORELAXD   COUNTY. 


nil     excellent     citizen,     modest,     ujirij^'lit     luul 
fUitlifiil. 


|EV1  WEAVER,  oi"  Wel^tcr,  is  n  huh  v( 
John  and  Elizabeth  (Ilanold)  Weaver  and 
was  born  November  27,  1827,  in  Eliza- 
beth township,  Allegheny  county,  Pa.  John 
W'eaver,  his  grandfather,  was  born  in  Tenden- 
gen,  Germany,  and  emigrated  to  America,  locat- 
ing at  New  York  City,  where  he  obtained  some 
land.  He  afterwards  leased  the  property  for 
ninety-nine  years  and  since  that  time  a  jiortion 
of  New  York  City  has  been  built  upon  the  tract. 
lie  subsequently  removed  to  near  Greensburg, 
Westmoreland  county,  where  he  remained  until 
his  death.  John  Weaver  (father)  was  born  in 
Westmoreland  county  about  the  year  178(3  and 
died  in  Allegheny  county  in  1803.  lie  was  a 
farmer  and  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  cliurch. 
lie  was  formerly  a  whig  and  latterly  a  republi- 
can. He  niuiiied  twice,  his  first  wife  being 
Elizabeth  Ilarrold  and  the  second  Susana  Suter, 
a  daughter  of  Eli  Suter,  of  Sewickley  township, 
a  prominent  politician  and  business  man  of  the 
county. 

Levi  AVeaver  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  and  has  devoted  his  entire  life 
to  the  j)ursuits  of  husbandry.  lie  owns  a  valu- 
able tract  of  land  in  llostraver  township.  He 
is  a  republican  and  has  served  his  township  in 
various  jiolitical  capacities  ;  both  he  and  his  wife 
are  idriililli'cl  witli  tlie  Lutheran  ehureli  in  nhicli 
Mr.  Weaver  is  an  elder. 

Levi  Weaver  was  married  November  27,  1849, 
to  Mary  Ann  Alms,  daugiiter  of  Michael  Alms, 
of  this  county  and  their  union  has  been  blessed 
with  eleven  children  :  Benjamin  F.,  married  to 
Josephine  Lane,  and  now  living  on  his  father's 
farm  in  Allegheny  county  ;  John  M.,  married 
to  Martha  Kyal,  and  living  on  the  same  farm  ; 
Joseph  J.,  Elizabeth  J.  (deceased) ;  Susan  A., 
Ann  <J.,  Levi  S.,  Mary  A.,  Margaret  E.,  James 
II.  and  Adam  M. 


/pvANIEL  F.  WILLIAMS,  one  of  the  many 
I^V  eJiter|irisiiig  and  substantial  farmers  of 
South  Huntingdon  township,  is  a  son  of 
Thomas  and  Margaret  (Hough)  Williams  and 
was  born  in  Redstone  township,  Eayette  county, 
I'a.,  February  4,  18;!7.  His  great-grandlatiier, 
Daniel  Williams,  was  born  in  Northampton 
county.  Pa.  He  was  a  German  lutheran  and 
took  up  about  five  thousand  acres  of  land  near 
the  site  of  Greensburg,  by  "tomahawk  right." 
One  of  his  sons,  Daniel  Williams,  Jr.  (grand- 
father) was  born  near  Greensburg  and  was  a 
well-to-do  farmer.  Of  his  children,  Thomas 
Williams  (father)  went  to  Ligonier  Valley  and 
operated  a  tannery  for  several  years.  Ill  health 
compelled  him  to  quit  tanning  and  in  183tj  he 
removed  to  South  Huntingdon  township,  where 
he  purchased  a  farm  and  acquired  sullicient  land 
to  give  each  of  his  four  sons  a  good  farm.  He 
was  a  strict  member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
church,  an  earnest  democrat  and  served  his  town- 
ship as  school  director  for  several  terms.  He 
was  born  near  Greensburg,  September  8,  1805, 
and  died  at  his  home  in  South  Huntingdon  town- 
ship on  February  8,  1872.  He  married  Mar- 
garet Hough  and  they  reared  a  family  of  four 
sons  and  four  daughters.  Mrs.  Williams  was  a 
daughter  of  David  Hough  who  was  born  near 
Mt.  Pleasant,  this  county.  He  removed  in  early 
life  to  the  property  which  he  purchased  near 
Fayette  City  (tlicn.Cookstown),  Fayette  county, 
Pa.  He  was  a  miller  by  trade  but  gave  a  part 
of  his  time  to  farming.  He  owed  an<l  operated 
three  fiouring  mills  and  a  distillery  besides 
managing  several  farms.  He  was  a  whig  and  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

Daniel  F.  Williams  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
attended  the  common  schools.  Farming  was  his 
choice  for  a  life  vocation  and  upon  attaining 
his  majority  he  engaged  in  farming  and  stock- 
raising. 

He  was  married  on  February  7,  18G2,  to  Re- 
becca Nicholson,  a  daughter  of  William  Nichol- 
son, of  South   Huntingdon  township.     To  their 


BIOORAPHIES  OF 


union  have  been  born  nine  children  :  Jobn,  who 
is  a  I'anncr  i>f  Sewickloy  townshij)  anJ  nianicd 
M;ir;^aret  Williams;  Elinor  S.,  who  niarrieil 
Alice  Kho.lcs;  William  F..  'I'liomas.  Davi.l 
Bovil,  Clarence,  Lewis,  Mary  Eilna  and  Harry 
(dead). 

Daniel  F.  Williams  has  been  very  successful 
in  his  chosen  pursuit  of  farming.  He  has  five 
farms  of  t]')!]  acres  of  land  and  also  three  farms 
near  Seattle,  Washington.  He  is  a  progressive 
farmer  and  kec])S  some  choice  stock.  He  is 
a  democrat  and  has  served  one  term  as  school 
director. 

'  ■  AYLOIl  WILSON,  afarmer  and  gardener, 
was  born  December  I'.i,  1825,  in  wiiat  is 
^  now  Penn  township,  Allegheny  county. 
Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Bridget  (Kain) 
AVilson.  His  grandfather,  Samp.sou  WiLon, 
was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.  He  was  a  saddle- 
tree maker  while  there  but  in  1817  he  renioved 
to  Allegheny  county,  Pa.,  where  he  purchased  a 
tract  of  land  and  eventually  became  very 
wealthy.  He  was  a  whig,  a  Presbyterian  and 
served  some  years  as  justice  of  the  peace.  Joseph 
Wilson  (father)  was  born  in  Philadelphia  but 
was  married  in  Allegheny  county,  Pa.,  where  he 
carried  on  farming  until  his  death  in  LSG'.l  at  the 
age  of  eighty-six.  He  served  in  the  War  of  lSl-2  ' 
ami  was  with  .lacksDn  beliiml  llie  lialesi.f  entlun 
at  New  Orleans.  He  wa.s  a  member  ot'  the  I 
Presbyterian  church  and  a  strong  worker  for  the 
whig  party.  His  wife  was  Bridget  Kain  and  to 
them  was  born  twidve  children.  Four  of  the  sons 
— Johnson,  Carson,  Washington  and  ALirk  served 
in  the  civil  war.  Jolm.son  Avas  killed  at  the 
battle  of  Fair  Oaks  ;  Carson,  went  out  as  a  ])ri-  | 
vate  and  was  promoted  to  lieutenant  but  was 
killed  in  the  mine  explosion  before  Petersburg ; 
Washington,  was  killed  at  Gettysburg  by  the  ex- 
jilosion  of  a  shell  :  Mark,  volunteereil  and  went 
to  the  front  but  became  sick  and  returned.  Bar- 
neti  Kain  (maternal  grandfather)  was  born  in 
Philadelphia,  I'a.,  but  removed  in  later  years  to 


Allegheny  county,  Pa.  While  in  Philadelphia 
he  wtis  a  sailor  Imt  during  the  latter  portion  of 
his  life  was  a  fanner.  He  was  a  whig  and  a 
member  of  the  M.  Iv  church. 

Taylor  W  ilson  married  September  2,  18.')5, 
Hannah,  a  daughter  of  John  Lehew,  of  Fayette 
county,  Pa.,  and  to  their  union  have  been  born 
four  children :  Eva,  Harvey  F.  and  Lucinda 
(twins),  and  Mark  T.  Eva  is  the  wife  of  Joseph 
Reed  who  resides  at  Beaver  Falls  where  he  is 
engaged  in  the  wire-mill.  Lucinda  is  married  to 
William  Boyco,  a  glass-blower  wlio  now  lives  in 
Belle  ^'ernon. 

Taylor  Wilson  was  educared  in  the  subscrip- 
tion and  public  schools  of  Allegheny  county. 
Pa.,  and  then  learned  the  trade  of  siiip-carpenter 
at  which  he  worked  along  the  Monongahela  and 
Ohio  rivers  for  twenty  years.  In  18(17  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  in  Kostraver  township,  Westmore- 
land county,  Pa.,  and  has  ever  since  been  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  gardening.  He  is  a  rejiub- 
lican  and  an  active  worker  for  the  success  of  his 
party  ;  has  served  a  number  of  years  as  school 
director  and  held  the  office  of  assessor.  He  has 
been  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church  for  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  century  and  is  a  man  of  ex- 
cellent habits  and  character. 


KESLEV  WILSON,  an  extensive  farmer 
of  Sewickley,  was  born  near  Coimellsville, 
Fayette  county,  Pa.,  July  4,  is] 2,  and 
is  a  son  of  John  Wilson  who  was  born  near  the 
same  place  anil  was  a  sou  of  one  of  Fayette 
county's  earliest  pioneers.  John  Wilson  was 
married  to  Elizabeth  Roughcorn.  Her  death 
occurred  on  February  9,  18(jt).  To  their  union 
were  born  two  children  :  Barbara  A.,  who-died 
December  21,  1885,  and  Presley.  The  latter 
was  educated  in  the  private  subscription  schools 
of  the  county,  and  began  life  as  a  farmer  wiiich 
he  has  ever  since  followed.  His  father  dying 
when  he  was  (juite  young,  he  went  to  live  with 
his  uncle,  Ceoige  \Vilson  of  Sewickley  townshiii, 


WESTMORELAND  CO  VNl  i . 


with  wlioni  he  resided  until  he  married  Margaret 
Copelaud,  when  he  went  in  1841  to  reside  on 
his  farm  in  Sewickley  township,  where  he  is  at 
present  living'.  'I'Imj  cliihin.-n  to  his  first  wife 
are  all  inaiiicd :  (jeorge  ^V^  was  luarriLMl  tu 
Maggie,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Hannah 
Ilobaugli ;  Thomas  C.  was  married  to  Elizabetli 
M.,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Elizabeth  Loop  ; 
Albert  C.  was  married  to  Mary  J.,  daughter  of 
Daniel  and  Eliza  Ewig ;  Maggie  J.  was  married 
to  John  S.  Ewig.  ilargaret  (Copeland)  Wilson 
(wife)  was  born  February  4,  1810,  and  died  No- 
vember 23,  1867.  He  was  married  March  'I'd, 
1870,  to  Maggie  B.,  daughter  of  Henry  and 
Elizabeth  Loop  of  Sewickley  township.  She 
was  born  rei)ruary  11',  1847.  To  them  have 
been  born  five  chihlren  :  William  Henry,  born 
January  7,  1871;  Lizzie.  Arretta,  born  April 
19,  1875  ;  John  Lester,  born  April  3,  1877  ; 
Eva  Painter,  born  August  28,  1870  ;  and  Flor- 
ence Belle,  born  September  20,  1882.  .Mr. 
AVilson  is  a  stanch  republican,  was  formerly  a 
whig  and  voted  for  Clay,  Harrison  and  Scott. 
He  is  a  methodist  in  his  religious  belief  and  his 
wife  is  a  member  of  that  church.  The  house  in 
which  he  now  lives  was  built  in  182G,  and  the 
old  log  barn  on  the  farm  which  is  still  in  use 
was  built  in  1819.  Mr.  Wilson,  besides  owning 
a  good  farm  where  he  lives  near  Shaner  on  the 
Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad,  has  a  fine  farm  in 
Coupon  county,  Illinois. 


YYyI'^''^-''^^'  ^'  "^VILSON,  a  jirosperous 
1  1i'  I  '"ei'chant  and  the  efKcient  postmaster  at 
Tarr's,  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Anna 
(Douthard)  Wilson,  and  was  born  near  McKees- 
port,  Allegheny  county,  Pa.,  July  2G,  185G. 
The  Wilson  and  Douthard  families  came  from 
Great  Britain  to  Pennsylvania  prior  to  the  Rev- 
olutionary war.  The  ^Vilsons  were  from  Scot- 
land and  settled  in  Indiana  county,  while  the 
Douthards  resided  in  Ireland  until  they  engaged 
in  an  attempted  insurrection  against  the  English 


government  and  were  compelled  to  ily  to 
America.  Joseph  AVilson  was  born  in  1814 
near  Saltsburg,  Indiana  county.  Pa.  He  at- 
tended the  subsci'iption  schools,  went  west  (jn 
attaining  his  majority,  sjjent  some  time  near 
Chicago  when  it  was  a  village  of  less  than  a 
dozen  houses,  and  was  in  different  parts  of  Illi- 
nois until  1841,  when  he  returned  to  Saltsburg, 
Pa.  About  1842  he  removed  to  Pittsburg  and 
engaged  in  boating  coal  down  the  Mississippi 
river  until  18t34.  In  that  year  he  returned  to 
Indiana  county,  engaged  in  farming  for  eighteen 
years  and  in  1882  removed  to  Stonersville,  this 
county,  where  he  died  January  8,  1884.  In 
1848  he  married  Anna,  daughter  of  J.  W. 
Douthard  of  Jeflerson  county,  Pa.  They  had 
seven  sons  and  two  daughters,  of  whom  five  are 
living.  Mr.  Wilson  was  a  republican,  and  he 
and  his  wife  were  consistent  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

William  D.  Wilson  left  home  at  eighteen 
years  of  age  and  began  life  for  himself.  After 
working  at  several  places  he  came  to  Tarr's  and 
labored  in  the  coal  mines  near  that  railway  sta- 
tion until  1883,  when  he  was  badly  injured  by  a 
fall  of  coal  and  disabled  from  work  for  a  long 
time.  In  188(3  he  was  elected  ta.x  collector  for 
East  Huntingdon  township  and  served  in  that 
capacity  for  one  term.  In  1887  he  engaged  in 
the  general  mercantile  business  at  "  Old 
Bethany,"  and  one  year  later  removed  to  Tarr's 
and  opened  his  present  store.  He  has  a  good 
stuck  of  goods  and  is  building  up  a  paying  trade. 
He  is  an  active  republican  and  was  appointed 
postmaster  May,  188'J. 

On  October  19,  1881,  he  married  Lizzie 
Husband,  daughter  of  William  Husband  of 
Rutf's  Dale.  They  have  two  children :  Colter 
II.  and  William  W.,  aged  respectively  seven  and 
five  years.  Mrs.  Wilson  is  of  German  descent, 
was  born  in  1853,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
JNIethodist  Episcopal  church. 

W.  D.  Wilson  is  a  member  of  Moss  Rose 
Lodge,  No.    350,  Independent    Order   of  Odd 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


I'Vllows,  l{c.l  Cross  Castle,  No.  UC,  A.  ().  of 
^1.  C,  J5olli;iiiy  (.'ouiicil.  No.  1.".;".,  Jr.  i  >.  U.  A. 
JI.,  T;0(lge  No.  ri,'.t77,  Kni^lit.s  oF  Labor,  iiiul 
tlio  Mt'tlioilist  Episcopal  cliurcli.  lie  was  a 
(lulcgatc  in  ISHU  from  Di.stritt  No.  11  of  the 
Connellsville  coke  region  to  the  Richmond  con- 
vention of  the  Kni";hts  of  Labor. 


•jpOIIN  S.  ZUNDEL,  one  of  Rostraver  town- 
j '  ship's  prominent  citizens  and  an  excellent 
(2/  representative  of  the  best  class  of  West- 
moreland county  agriculturists,  was  born  in  East 
Huntingdon  township,  Westmoreland  county. 
Pa.,  May  28,  18-13,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Catharine  (Shelkey)  Zundel.  For  history  of 
paternal  grandfather  see  sketches  of  William  and 
Jacob  Zundel.  His  father,  John  Zundel,  was 
born  in  1807  and  died  x\ugust  14,  188y.  At  an 
early  age  he  went  to  live  with  John  Snyder  of 
near  ilt.  ricasant.  On  attaining  his  majority 
he  engaged  in  farming  on  a  tract  of  land  contain- 
ing one  hundred  and  six  acres,  near  Mt.  Pleas- 
ant, which  was  willed  to  him.  In  ISu'l,  upon  the 
death  of  John  Snyder  and  his  wife,  he  purchased 
their  farm  in  Rostraver  township.  lie  was  very 
successful  in  business  and  successively  bought 
theSlatterliack,  Robert  J'atterson  and  McClellan 
farms  in  the  same  township.  He  was  a  strictly 
honest  man  and  was  highly  esteemed  for  his  in- 
tegrity, kindness  and  generosity.  lie  was  a 
strong  democrat,  a  member  of  Rehoboth  Presby- 
tiiiaii  clnnch  and  liad  an  estate  worth  ^<?.')0,000  j 
at  liie  time  of  his  dealli.  He  married  Catliarine  | 
Shelkey  who  bore  him  six  children,  of  whom  four 
are  living. 

John  S.  Zundel  received  an  academic  educa- 
tion. At  sixteen  years  of  age  he  engaged  in 
teaching  which  he  followed  continuously  for 
about  eighteen  years.  He  then  embarked  in 
his  present  business  of  farming  in  which  he  lias 
met  with  good  success. 

On  July  1,  18(J'.>,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Annetta  Hough  who  is  a  native  of  Brownsville, 


Pa.,  and  a  daughter  of  Paul  and  Mary  (Smith) 
Hough,  who  were  born  in  South  Huntingdon 
township,  this  county,  respectively  in  ISiiO  and 
18"i4.  I'aul  Hough  Was  a  farmer  by  occupation 
and  a  deniociat  in  politics.  He  removed  in  1H83 
to  15rownsville,  Pa.,  where  he  lived  a  retired  life 
until  his  death  which  occurred  January  3,  18'J0. 
He  had  four  children,  of  whom  three  are  still 
living.  His  widow  still  resides  at  her  Browns- 
ville home. 

John  S.  Zundel  owns  a  small  but  very  produc- 
tive farm  of  sixty-seven  acres  of  desirable  land. 
He  has  always  been  an  active  worker  in  the 
Democratic  party  and  has  filled]various  township 
offices.  Mr.  Zundel  and  his  estimable  wife  are 
members  of  the  West  Newton  Presbyterian 
church. 


•J-ACOB    ZL'NDEL,    a   leading    citizen    and 

J  farmer  of  Rostraver  township,  was  born 
January  20,  1828,  in  East  Huntingdon 
township,  Westmoreland  county,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  and  Catharine  (Shelkey)  Zundel.  His 
grandfather,  John  ^L  Zundel,  was  born  in  Wit- 
tenberg, Cicrmany,  immigrated  to  America  and 
settled  near  Pittsburg  with  a  colony  brought  over 
by  George  Rapp.  He  shortly  afterwards  deserted 
the  colony  and  settled  in  Ilempfield  township, 
near  Harold's  church,  where  he  engaged  for  a 
time  in  teaching  the  ''  young  idea  how  to  shoot," 
after  which  he  removed  to  East  Huntingdon 
township,  where  he  lived  till  his  death.  He  was 
a  democrat  in  politics  and  a  member  of  the  Luth- 
eran church,  in  which  he  was  at  various  times 
deacon,  elder  and  choir  leader.  His  son  John 
was  born  in  Hempfield  township,  this  county,  in 
1807,  and  died  August  14,  1889.  John  Zundel 
was  a  farmer  and  owned  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  in  Rostraver  township  on  ^vlliL■ll  ht. 
lived  till  his  death.  In  politics  he  was  an  actuc 
democrat  and  served  his  township  in  various 
olKces.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Reformed 
I'resbyterian  cluircli.  .Jacob  Zundel's  maternal 
grandfather,   Conrad   Shelkey,    was  a  native  of 


WESTMORELAyn  COUSTY. 


619 


Germany  who  immignited  to  America  prior  to  the 
struggle  for  Iiulopcnclence,  ami  located  near 
Chainbersliurg,  Pa.  lie  served  during  the  Kev- 
olutionary  war  as  a  teauisttr  ami  was  a  |iiililical 
follower  of  Tiionias  Jetl'erson. 

Jacob  Zundcl  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  this  county  and  lias  always  followed 
farming  and  stock-raising  on  his  own  well  im- 
proved farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven 
acres.  He  is  an  unswerving  democrat  and  has 
held  the  responsible  office  of  school  director  and 
other  positions  of  trust  and  honor  in  his  town- 
ship. In  religious  faith  he  follows  in  the  foot- 
steps of  his  fatlier,  being  a  consistent  member  of 
the  Reformed  PresliytL-rian  church. 

Jacob  Zundel's  wife  was  Melissa  Jane,  daugh- 
ter of  David  McLain,  of  llostraver  township. 
They  liave  had  twelve  children,  eleven  of  whom 
arc  living.  The  children  are  named  :  ^Villiam 
A.,  Hannah  li.,  .loim  C,  Annctta,  Mary  R., 
James  Me.,  David  D.,  Walter  11.,  Jesse  K., 
Earl  I),  and  Nannie  Mc.  John  is  married  to 
Nannie,  a  daughter  of  David  Finley,  of  Rostra- 
ver  township. 


f^XY^LLIAM  ZUNDEL,  one  of  Rostraver 
township's  best  people,  is  a  son  of  John 
and  Catharine  (Shelkey)  Zundel,  and 
was  born  October  11,  183o,  in  Mt.  Pleasant 
township,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.  His 
grandfather  was  Michael  Zundel,  a  native  of 
Germany,    who  came   to    America    and   settled 


in  the  vicinity  of  Greenshurg.  He  after- 
wards moved  to  Mount  Pleasant  township, 
this  count}',  where  he  continued  his  occupa- 
lion  of  farming.  He  was  an  earnest,  active 
member  of  the  Gernnm  Lutheran  church. 
John  Zundel,  the  father  of  William,  was 
born  June  1(3,  1S07,  near  Greensburg,  re- 
moved to  Mt.  Pleasant  township,  and  again  in 
1854  removed  to  Rostraver  township  where  he 
purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
eight  acres  from  Capt.  John  Snyder,  and  there- 
after followed  farming  till  the  close  of  his  life  on 
the  fourteenth  of  August,  188'J.  He  was  a 
leading  member  of  the  German  Lutheran  church, 
while  in  politics  he  was  a  follower  of  the  illus- 
trious Jackson.  He  was  the  father  of  seven 
children. 

William  Zundel  married  Isabella  Frazier,  in 
Septeiuber  \i<(V^,  and  they  have  two  children  : 
Ada,  wife  of  Samuel  A.  Rrown,  a  farmer  of 
Washington  township,  Fayette  county,  and  a  son 
of  Joseph  Brown  of  Kansas,  and  Willma  Oreda. 

William  Zundel  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Mt.  Pleasant  township,  and  has  al- 
ways followed  the  business  of  farming,  taking  a 
special  delight  in  agricultural  pursuits.  He  is 
the  fortunate  possessor  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty-eight  acres  of  excellent,  well-cultivated 
land  in  Rostraver  township.  Jlr.  Zundel,  who 
is  a  democrat  and  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  at  Rehoboth,  is  a  substan- 
tial citizen  of  excellent  social,  moral  and  intel- 
lectual ijualities. 


Franklin,    H^mpfield,    Loyalhanna 
and  Salem 


•^  AMES  AGNEW,  a  native  of   Scotland,  a 

J  graduate  of  the  far-famed  Glasgow  college 
and  for  nearly  fifty  years  past  a  resident 
and  liiglily  respected  citizen  of  Ilempfield 
township,  is  a  son  of  John  and  Janet  (Black) 
Agnew  and  was  born  in  Wigtownshire,  an 
agricultural  and  pastoral  county  in  the  south- 
western part  of  Scotland,  December  9,  ISO". 
Few  are  the  families  who  can  trace  their 
lineal  history  as  far  back  as  the  Agnews. 
In  1066,  when  William  the  Conqueror  in- 
vaded England  and  won  the  kingdom  at  the 
battle  of  Hastings,  tliere  were  two  General 
Agnews  in  his  army.  On  one  of  them  he 
bestowed  an  estate  in  the  west  of  Scotland 
and  to  the  other  he  gave  an  estate  in  the  north 
of  Ireland.  From  the  latter  is  descended 
Judge  Agnew  of  Pennsylvania,  and  a  descendant 
of  the  former  was  Andrew  Agnew,  tlie  paternal 
grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  One 
of  Andrew  Aguew's  sons  was  John  Agnew, 
wiio  received  a  fine  classical  education.  He 
jjreferred  farming  to  a  profes.sional  life  and  was 
thus  engaged  until  1844,  wlien  lie  came  to 
Ilempfield  township,  where  he  died  some  years 
afterward  at  an  advanceds  age.  He  married 
Janet  Black,  who  died  young.  Of  tlieir  marriage 
were  born  four  cliildren,  of  whom  two  are  living: 
James  and  Jane,  widow  of  Alexander  Kerr, 
■who  was  a  prosperous  farmer  of  Ilempfield 
townsliip. 

.lames  Agnew  was  e<lucated    in    preparatory 
and   academic    schools     and    Glasgow   coUeire, 


from  which  famous  institution  of  learning  he 
was  graduated  in  1825.  Soon  after  graduation 
he  was  elected  professor  of  Greek  in  Bradmore 
college,  London,  England,  and  occupied  that 
chair  for  four  years.  lie  then  embarked  in  the 
mercantile  business  at  Linlithgow,  a  prosperous 
manufacturing  town  si.xteen  miles  west  of  Edin- 
burg,  an  old  royal  city.  While  in  business 
there  he  was  seized  with  asthma  with  which  he 
is  still  afiiicted  and  was  compelled  to  remove  to 
the  country,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming 
for  a  few  years.  Not  liking  the  Scotch  method 
of  farming  tiien  in  use  in  tlie  district  where  he 
resided,  he  concluded  to  come  to  America  and 
in  1843  arrived  in  Westmoreland  county,  where 
he  located  near  Grapeviile,  on  the  farm  on 
wiiich  he  now  lives. 

In  1829  Mr.  Agnew  married  Alice  Leader, 
of  London.  To  this  union  were  born  three  sons 
and  four  daughters:  James,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy ;  Margaret,  who  was  the  jjife  of  Michael 
Seanor,  of  Grapeviile ;  Alice,  who  was  married 
to  John  Gilchrist,  of  Adamsburg  ;  Jane,  wife  of 
Jacob  Eiseman,  a  farmer  of  Ilempfield  town- 
ship ;  Janet,  who  was  married  to  a  Jlr.  Kearney, 
who  is  an  engineer  and  lives  in  tiie  West  In- 
dies, ami  Joliii,  who  was  well  educated,  traveled 
througiiout  the  United  States  and  in  California, 
South  America  and  Europe.  He  was  to  have 
been  his  fatiier's  successor  on  tlie  home  farm, 
but  died  at  tiiirty-five  years  of  a"e.  Mrs. 
Agnew,  who  died  in  ISd.S,  was  a  ihuighter  of 
William   Leader,  who  was  an  artist  of  consider- 


WESTMORELAND   COUNTY. 


able  eminence.     He  was  both  a  jiainter  and  car-  1 
ver,  but  died   at    the  early    age   of   thirty-four  i 
of  consumption,  which  disease  was  hereditary  in  I 
his  family  and  of  which  iMrs.  Agnew  and  all  her  j 
children  died  excepting  Mrs.  Jane  Eiseman,  who 
is    now    living   in    Hempfield    township.       Mr. 
Agnew,  in  five  years  after  the  death  of  his  wife, 
marrieil    Margaret    Todd,    the    daugliter    of    a 
Glasgow  merchant  and  who  has  lieeii  a  faithful 
helpmeet  to  him  ever  since. 

In  political  opinion  Mr.  Agnew  is  a  democrat 
from  principle  but  has  always  ke])t  clear  of 
politics,  lie  has  been  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  for  over  si.xty  years.  He  has 
been  a  great  reader  and  close  student  ever  since 
leaving  college  and  is  well  informed  in  litera- 
ture, the  sciences  and  the  arts.  He  is  si.x  feet  in 
height,  of  fine  personal  appearance  and  well  pre- 
served for  his  years.  His  home  farm  consists  of 
two  hundred  and  twenty-si.x  acres, of  land  in  the 
Grapeville  Natural  (las  district  and  is  underlaid 
with  a  heavy  vein  of  coal.  To  this  farm  he  has 
added  many  more  acres  by  purchase. 


•jfOHN  W.  ALLSIIOUSE,  an  influential 
I  farmer  of  Hempfield  townsinp,  a  director 
0/  of  the  Westmoreland  Agricultural  associa- 
tion and  an  active  leader  in  Grange  work,  was 
born  in  North  Huntingdon  township,  Westmore- 
land county,  Pa.,  Octobw  21;l,  1(>;1G,  and  is  a 
son  of  Samuel  and  Lydia  Ann  (Daughman) 
Allshouse.  John  Allshouse  (grandfather)  was  a 
native  of  this  county.  He  married  Margaret 
Klingensmith,  moved  to  Armstrong  county.  Pa., 
where  he  bought  two  farms  and  died  some  thirty 
ago  at  an  advanced  age.  Samuel  Allshouse 
(father)  was  born  about  1808.  He  accompanied 
his  parents  to  Armstrong  county,  where  he  was 
reared  to  manhood.  He  then  returned  to  West- 
moreland and  located  on  the  farm  now  owned  by 
his  son  Adam  B.,  and  on  which  he  died  Novem- 
ber 5,  1880.  He  was  a  strict  lutheran,  held 
all   the  local  ofKces  of  lirush   Creek  church  of 


that  denomination  and  was  one  of  the  originators 
and  early  directcjrs  of  IJrush  Creek  cemetery. 
He  was  married  to  Lydia  Ann  Baughman,  a 
daughter  of  Adam  Baughman,  of  North  Ilunt- 
ingilon  township,  whose  father  came  from  Hol- 
land and  owned  some  eight  hundred  acres  of 
land.  They  had  eight  children,  of  whom  seven 
are  living  :  Eliza  Jane,  wife  of  Solomon  Ilar- 
man  ;  Sarah,  wife  of  Jonas  Gongaware,  of  Har- 
rison City  ;  Albert  S.,  of  Kittanning ;  Lydia 
Ann,  Josiah,  I'risciUa,  wife  of  John  Rumbaugh, 
and  Adam  B. 

John  W.  Allshouse  at  tended  the  common  schools 
and  at  the  age  of  twenty-five  years  went  to 
^^enango  county.  Pa.,  where  he  drilled  oil-wells 
for  a  year  and  followed  teaming  for  two  years. 
During  the  last  year  of  this  time  he  invested 
$1,000  in  a  one-sixteenth  interest  of  an  oil-well 
which  sold  for  $400,000  in  1805.  He  returned 
to  tliis  county  and  purchased  his  present  farm 
and  returned  to  the  oil  regions,  where  he  drilled 
oil-wells  and  was  engaged  in  contracting  for 
nine  years. 

In  1(^77  he  returned  to  his  farm,  upon  which 
he  has  since  lived.  He  has  built  a  good  resi- 
dence and  is  constantly  engaged  in  the  improve- 
ment of  his  land,  which  in  addition  to  the  fer- 
tility of  the  surface  is  lieavily  underlaid  with 
coal. 

October  9,  1H6o,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Mary  Jane  Kemp,  daughter  of  Levi  Kemp,  of 
Hempfield  township.  To  their  union  have  been 
born  ten  children  :  Samuel  H.,  Lydia  E.,  Mar- 
garet J.,  John  Marshall,  Laura  E.,  Susie  A., 
James  F.  (deceased),  Luella  Virginia,  Grover 
Cleveland  Allshouse  and  one  which  died  in  in- 
fancy. 

John  W.  Allshouse  is  a  strong  democrat,  an 
active  officer  of  Brush  Creek  Evangelical  Lu- 
theran church  and  an  efficient  director  of  Brush 
Creek  Cemetery  association.  He  is  a  charter 
member  and  treasurer  of  Highland  Grange,  No. 
807.  Patrons  of  Husbandry.  Ho  was  elected 
in  1889  as  a  director  of  the  Westmoreland  Agri- 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


cultural  society,  wliich  \v;i^  ineoqioratcd  in  ISGO, 
and  his  services  wore  such  as  to  procure  his  re- 
election as  one  of  the  directors  for  I.^^SIO.  :\Ir. 
Allshouse  is  an  anient  and  successful  worker 
in  tlie  interests  of  the  gi-an-e  movement  in 
Westuiureland  county.  ]Iis  success  in  farming 
attests  his  knowledge  of  agriculture  and  his  po- 
sition in  the  county  agricultural  society  is  evi- 
dence of  the  high  rank  he  holds  among  the 
foremost  farmers  of  Westmoreland  county. 


j^^    W.  ARMBRUST.    Westmoreland  county 
1       to-day  is  one  of  the  most  prosperous  and 
(i)       rapidly   progressive   counties  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  one  of  its  many  practical  and  success- 
ful  business   men — a   class   so  essential   to    the 
stability  and  iirosperity  of  financial  aflairs— is 
J.    W.    Armbrust.    an   active  and    enterprising 
citizen  of  Ilempfield  township.      lie  is  a  son  of 
A\'illiaui  and  Margaret  (Gongaware)  Armbrust, 
and  was  born  at  Adanisburg,  Ilempfield  town- 
siiip,  \VestmoreIand  county,  Pa.,  May  28,  184G. 
His  paternal  grandfather,  John  Armbrust,  was 
born    in    Germany    and    came    to    the    United 
States  on  board  the  second   German  ship  that 
ever  sailed   from   that   empire  to  this  country, 
which   took    thirteen  weeks   to  make   the   trip, 
landing  in  Philadelphia.     He  was  a  printer  by 
trade  and  edited  a   German   paper  at   Greens- 
buig,  known  as  the  Star  uf  t/o-  IWat,  and  after- 
wards   beeanie   editor    of  the    True    Ihinocrat, 
which  was  a  democratie   ]i:iper.      He  was  a  well 
educated   man   and    taught   German   scliools   in 
the  county  for  sevLial  years.      He  was  a   demo- 
crat  who   alway>    worked    unceasingly    for    the 
welfare   of   iiis    party;    a    lutheraii    who    never 
neglected  any  duty  of  his   church    and  a   man 
will)  ever  cr)iitriliuted   to  any  deserving  cause  of 
ciiarity.     His  wife  «as  Catliariiie  Siiatler,  wjioui 
lie  luairie.l    in    (l.rniauy.      ']'o    tiieui    « ere   born 
"""■  ^-liildicn  :   CaMuriiu'  aii.l    jirgiim,  bo,n   in 
Germany:  l':iizalK-lh,  .lolm,  .Jaeob,  Daniel,  Wil- 
liam, Midia.l  and  Mary  Ann,  all  bom  in  ^\\^st- 


moreland   county.     ■\Villiam   Armbrust  (father) 
was  born  in  a  log  house  \vliich  stood  adjacent  to 
the  site  of  Ackerman's  music  store  at  Green.s- 
burg,  January   4,  1H1«,  and   learned   the    trade 
of  cabinetmaker   witli    a    man    by    the    name  of 
Henry    Miller,    in    Greeiisburg.      He  followed 
cabinetmaking  at  Adanisburg  and  New  Stanton 
till   1860,  when  he  removed  to  AVeaver's  Old 
Stand,  where  he  purchased  a  grist  and  saw-mill 
and   a    farm    of  one    hundred    and    eighty-two 
acres  of  land.     He  soon  erected  a  new  and  well 
equipped  mill  on  the  site  of  the  one  which  he 
had  purchased   and   enjoys   quite  an  extensive 
custom.     He  was  postmaster  at  Weaver's  Old 
Stand  during  the  late  war.     He  is  a  democrat, 
a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church  and  a  steady- 
going  and  prosperous  citizen.   On  April  7, 1842, 
he  married  .Margaret  Gongaware,  a  daughter  of 
Jonas    (iongaware,    of   near    Adanisburg.       To 
this  union  have  been  born   four  sons  and  four 
daughters :   Lewis  F.  (see  sketch) ;  Jonas,  Wil- 
liam, Daniel   Webster  (dead) ;   Mary  Jane,  wife 
of  Emory    Kelley,    of  East    Huntingdon   town- 
ship ;    Sarah   E.,  married   to   Allen    Wright,  of 
Mt.  Pleasant  township  ;  Christine  Alice,  wife  of 
Eli  Peterson,  of  the  last  named  township;  John 
Weiman,  who  is  in  the  sewing  machine  business 
with    Israel    Glunt,  of  Greensburg,  and   Lydia 
E.,  wife  of  John  iMiller. 

J.  W.  Armbrust  received  his  education  in  the 
common  sehools,  Greensburg  academy  and  Ste- 
venson's normal  school  at  West  Newton.  At 
nineteen  years  of  age  he  commenced  teachin'^ 
and  was  engaged  in  that  profession  for  five 
years.  He  taught  two  terms  of  school  in  Ros- 
traver  to^^nship,  two  terms  at  New  Stanton  and 
one  at  Weaver's  Old  Stand.  In  1870  he  opened 
a  general  mercantile  store  at  the  latter  place, 
whieli  he  eonducted  successfully  for  eighteen 
years ;  ho  also  was  [.ostmaster  during  Cleve- 
land's a(lniini>tration.  lie  tJien  disposed  of  his 
stcH-e  and  |iuicha>(d  a  small  farm  near  Weaver's 
Old  Stand,  upon  «liirh  he  iias  resided  ever 
since.      Aftrr  leaving  the  mercantile  business  in 


m-^.-  ■■■' 


'/h  ayl^^/rr^^<.^'^7^--- 


WEST^TORELAND   COUNTY. 


1888  Mr.  Annlinist  still  coutiuiRMl  in  his  prus- 
eut  business  ot  Luying  and  slii[iping  grain. 

He  united  in  marriage  on  December  31, 1869, 
witli  Susan  Mclntyre,  daughter  ot'  James  Mc- 
liayre.  uf  llemiineld  townshiii.  Of  this  mar- 
riage have  been  born  live  sons  and  lour  daugh- 
ters:  Charles  S.,  a  fireman  on  the  1*.  K.  R.  ; 
Homer  C,  Ella  M.,  William  A.,  Theodore  F., 
Harry  0.,  Emma,  Alice  and  JIaggie. 

J.  AV.  Armbrust  is  a  member  of  Brush  Creek 
Lutheran  church,  Security  Council,  No.  1G8, 
Jr.  0.  U.  A.  M.,  Sewickley  Grange,  No.  704, 
Patrons  of  Husbandry,  Good  AVill  Assembly, 
No.  G'JOo,  Knights  of  Labor  and  Enterprise 
Lodge,  No.  830,  K.  and  L.  of  H.  J.  W.  Arm- 
brust is  conservative  and  safe  in  his  business 
methods  and  has  been  remarkably  successful  in 
all  his  enterprises.  He  is  a  stanch  democrat 
and  has  always  been  an  earnest,  live  and  work- 
ing member  of  his  party  and  ever  active  in  the 
advancement  of  its  interests. 
} 

^fY^^'TJAM  R.  EARNHART,  county 
surveyor  of  Westmoreland,  is  one  of 
the  most  progressive  farmers  of  western 
Pennsylvania  and  a  writer  on  farm  topics  in 
several  agricultural  journals.  He  was  born  on 
the  old  Ijarnhart  homestead  in  Hempfield  town- 
ship, Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  June  "23, 1841, 
and  is  a  .-^ou  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Row)  Barn- 
hart.  The  Barnharts,  who  settled  in  this 
eiiunty,  were  a  raec  df  thrifty,  honest  and  peace- 
liii  j  .  ..|  K-  and  whose  characters  were  without 
blot  ur  stain.  William  Barnhart  (grandfather) 
purchased  the  homestead  farm  in  181.')  upon 
which  the  subject  o{  this  sketch  resides,  and 
Avhich  farm  has  never  passed  out  of  the  iiaiuls  of 
the  Barnhart  family.  \Villiam  Barnhart,  Jr. 
(grandfather)  was  a  successful  farmer  and  a  useful 
member  of  the  Reformed  church.  He  married 
Catherine  Runibaugh,  of  near  IMount  Pleasant. 
Of  his  eiiildren  one  was  John  liarnhart  (f;ither), 
who  was  bnrn  March  14,  1807,  and  died  Febru- 


ary 14,  18.58.  He  was  remarkably  successful  as 
a  farmer  and  served  for  many  years  as  an  eilicient 
oliieer  of  the  Reformed  church.  He  was  a 
I)roniinent  and  inlluential  man  in  his  community 
where  he  was  highly  rcspecteil  ibr  hia  incorru])- 
tiblc  integrity,  warm  generosity  and  many  acts 
of  kindness.  He  was  a  strong  democrat  but 
never  asked  for  any  office  within  the  gift  of  his 
party.  He  married  Elizabeth  Row,  a  daughter 
of  George  Row,  of  Salem  township,  by  whom  he 
had  seven  children,  of  whom  four  are  living. 
Mrs.  Barnhart  was  born  in  1801,1  and  died  in 
1884. 

William  R.  Barnhart  received  his  education  in 
the  rural  schools  and  AVestmoreland  College  at 
Mount  Pleasant.  He  was  especially  strong  in 
mathematics  at  school  and  devoted  much  time 
to  surveying,  in  which  he  became  proficient. 
Leaving  school  he  was  engaged  in  farming  and 
surveying  until  1808,  when  he  was  elected 
county  surveyor.  He  served  very  creditably 
and  at  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office  re- 
turned to  his  farm,  where  he  remained  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pursuits  until  1889,  when 
he  was  re-elected  county  surveyor.  He  entered 
upon  the  duties  of  his  office  January  1,  1890, 
and  is  now  faithfully  discharging  the  same. 

January  29,  1803,  Mr.  Barnhart  married 
Catherine  Sherrick  Shupe,  a  daughter  of  George 
Shupe,  of  near  Mount  Pleasant  and  a  resident  of 
Fayette  county.  Pa.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barrdiart 
are  the  parents  of  four  sons  and  five  daughters : 
A.  Elizabeth,  who  is  teaching  ;  Ella  J.,  wife  of 
William  Blank :  George,  who  married  Agnes 
Steel  and  engaged  in  farming;  Cora  ]L,  John 
Love,  attending  Fraid<lin  and  Marshall  college 
and  preparing  for  the  ministry  ;  Lavina  S.,  Al- 
berta M.,  AViUiam  R.  and  Paul  Shupe. 

In  political  opinion  Mr.  Barnhart  is  an  ear- 
nest democrat  who  is  ever  working  for  the  suc- 
cess of  his  party.  William  R.  Barnhart  has 
been  a  deacon  ami  elder  of  the  Reformed  church 
fnr  the  last  tweiily-seveli  years.  lie  \\as  one  of 
the    eight    lay    delegates   of   his    denomination 


6oG 


BIOORAPBIES  OF 


from  the  United  States  to  the  Allianee  of  tlie 
ilillei-eiit  Kefonned  deiiouiiiiations  of  the  world, 
\vhieli  was  held  at  London,  England,  in  July, 
l<S!S'd  Leaving  Lomlon,  he  made  an  extensive 
tour  through  contineiilal  Europe  and  visited 
many  of  its  special  points  of  interest.  He  has 
always  taken  an  active  interest  in  school  affairs 
and  everything  to  promote  the  public  good  or 
the  general  interests  of  his  eouimuuity.  His 
two  furiii.s  consist  of  two  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  of  very  fertile  and  highly  culti\ated  land. 
Mr.  liarnliart  understands  the  secrets  of  pro- 
gressive agriculture  so  well  and  practices  them 
•so  successfully  that  he  raises  as  many  htishels  of 
wheat,  corn  and  cuts  as  many  tons  of  hay  per 
acre  as  any  other  farmer  in  the  county  and  at 
the  same  time  does  not  impoverish  the  soil  of 
his  fertile  f'urnis. 


AyAMUEL  BARNHAIIT  is  a  useful  citizen 
/^\   of  Hempfield  township  and  stands  in  the 

(^  front  rank  of  the  progressive  farmers  of 
the  county.  lie  was  horn  on  the  old  Barnhart 
homestead  farm  in  Hempfield  township,  West- 
moreland county,  Pa.,  December  2,  1838,  and 
is  a  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Row)  Barnhart. 
The  founder  of  the  liarnhart  family  of  this 
county  was  William  J5arnhart  (great-grand- 
father), who  was  an  honest,  upright  and  truth- 
loving  man.  He  settled  on  the  farm  in  Hemp- 
field township  on  which  his  son  William  R. 
Barnhart  (see  his  sketch)  now  resides.  William 
Barnhart  left  several  children,  one  of  which  was 
William  Barnhart,  Jr.  (grandfather).  He,  like 
his  father,  was  a  peaceable,  quiet  citizen  and  an 
exemplary  member  of  the  Reforme(l  church. 
He  married  Catherine  Rumbaugh  of  near  Mt. 
Pleasant.  ()f  their  children  one  was  John 
Barnhart  (firther).  He  died  in  February,  1858. 
He  was  a  successful  farmer,  a  strong  democrat 
and  an  earnest  member  and  faithful  officer  of  the 
Reformed  church.  His  life  was  straightforward, 
unfaltering  and  worthy  of  imitation.     He  mar- 


ried Elizabeth  Row,  who  was  a  daughter  of 
George  Row  of  Salem  townshiji.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Barnhart   were  the  parents  of   seven  children. 

Samuel  Barnhart  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  and  attended  the  common  schools  and 
Greeniburg  academy.  Ever  since  leaving  school 
he  has  been  engaged  in  farming.  In  IbGS  he 
removed  to  his  present  home  farm  which  is 
heavily  underlaid  with  coal. 

He  united  in  marriage  with  Mary  Martha 
Byers,  daughter  of  Henry  Byers.  Their  union 
has  been  blessed  with  ten  children  :  John  lUy- 
mer,  Caleb  Stark,  Samuel  Albert;  William 
Nevin,  learning  trade  of  tinner;  Henry  Byers, 
Jennie  Saphora,  Sarah  Elizabeth,  Grace  Ger- 
trude, Lucian  Cort  and  Emma  Kate. 

In  farming  ]Mr.  Barnhart  is  hard  to  excel. 
He  raises  some  of  the  best  slice})  in  the  countv, 
has  fine  crops  of  grain  and  owns  a  fine  iish 
pond  from  which  he  obtains  large  quantities  of 
carp  and  bass.  He  owns  two  farms  aggregating 
17U  acres  of  choice  land.  ]Mr.  Barnhart  is  a 
strong  democrat,  has  served  eflSciently  as  school 
director,  and  is  an  earnest  member  of  the 
Second  Reformed  church  at  Greensburjr. 


EV.  J.  NEVIN  BAUMAN,  the  des- 
scendant  of  an  old  and  honored  family, 
an  earnest,  zealous  and  faithful  minister 
and  the  present  efllicient  pastor  of  the  Reformed 
church  at  New  Salem,  is  a  son  of  Rev.  Frederick 
C.  and  Elizabeth  J.  (Cort)  Bauman.  His  pater- 
nal grandfiither,  Bauman,  was  a  native  and  resi- 
dent of  Germany,  where  he  married.  He  had  eight 
children,  three  born  in  Germany  and  the  others 
born  in  Greene  county,  Ohio  :  Rev.  Frederick  C, 
John,  Sojihena,  Rosanna,  Catherine,  Mary,  Hat- 
tie  and  jNIartha.  His  maternal  gramlfather,  Dan- 
iel Cort,  was  a  native  of  Westmoreland  county  and 
removed  to  Zwingle,  Iowa.  He  married  Sarah 
Bughman,  by  whom  he  had  five  children  :  Albert 
M.,  Eli:«abeth  J.,  Emma,  Sarah  and  JMargaret. 
His   father,  Rev.  Frederick    C.    Bauman,   was 


WESTMORELAND   COUNTY. 


G57 


boni  in  Eborschiitz,  Germany,  and  came  to  this 
country  at  tun  years  of  age.  lie  attendctl  the 
common  scliools  of  Pulaski,  Williams  county, 
Ohio,  for  ii  short  time  and  then  enlered  Ih/idcl- 
burg  college  at  Tilllin,  Ohio,  from  which  he  grad- 
uated in  185-J.  After  graduation  be  located  at 
Zwingle,  Towa,  where  he  is  still  actively  engaged 
in  ministerial  labors.  In  the  early  days  of  bis 
Diiuistry  he  extended  liis  labors  to  the  section  of 
country  surrounding  /wingle,  organized  several 
congregations  within  a  radius  of  fifty  miles  and 
traveled  on  foot  to  supply  the  most  of  his  ap- 
pointments. In  1854  he  married  Elizabeth  J. 
Cort.  They  have  nine  children  :  Samuel  II., 
D.  Theodore,  attorney-at-law  and  editor  of 
Grundy  county,  Iowa,  Herald;  Rev.  J.  Nevin, 
Albert  B.,  Maggie,  wife  of  Rev.  J.  L.  Bretz,  of 
Canal,  Fulton  county,  dhii.) ;  Meta,  Bertha, 
Estclla  and  Mabel. 

Rev.  J.  Nevin  Bauman  attended  the  common 
schools  of  Zwingle,  Iowa,  until  si.xteen  years  of 
age.  lie  taught  one  term  of  school  (1870-77) 
and  then  entered  tiie  preparatory  school  at  Mcr- 
ccrsbiirg,  Franklin  county,  I'a.  From  there  he 
went  in  1878  to  Franklin  and  Marshall  aeaileiay 
at  Lancaster,  Pa.,  and  completeil  his  academic 
course.  In  the  autumn  of  1879  he  entered 
Franklin  and  ^Marshal  college  and  was  graduated 
from  that  well-known  institution  of  learning  as 
valedictorian  of  the  class  of  1883.  In  the  fall 
of  1883  he  Avas  enrolled  as  a  student  in  the  Re- 
formed Theological  seminary  at  Lancaster  and 
graduated  from  that  institution  in  the  class  of 
188G.  Immediately  after  finishing  his  theological 
course  he  became  and  has  served  ever  since  as 
pastor  of  the  Reformed  church  at  New  Halem. 
He  is  a  meudier  of  Carmel  Lodge,  No.  ;'>4"J,  of 
liidrprndent  Onh'r  of  Odd  Fellows,  of  New 
Sahiii ;  iJclmont  Council,  No.  58,  Junior  0.  U. 
A.  .M.,  and  Delinont  Grange,  No.  85U,  Patrons 
of  Husbandry.  Rev.  Bauman  is  a  scholar,  a 
gentleman  and  a  faithful  Christian  minister. 
His  pastorate  at  New  Salem  lias  been  remarka- 
bly successful  and  bis  eflbrts  have  been  unceas- 


ing for  the  unity,   peace,   temporal   prosperity 
and  spiritual  welfare  of  his  church. 

•j["OllN  BLACK,  of  Delm.-nt,  was  born  Au- 
f'  o'^'^''  1"^'  185^0,  in  North  Huntingdon  town- 
(*!/  ship,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  and  is  a 
son  of  Samuel  and  Jane  (Mansperger)  Black. 
Ilis  father,  Samuel  Black,  was  a  son  of  Pat- 
rick Black,  who  was  born  in  1801.  He  was 
by  occupation  a  farmer  and  for  many  years 
served  as  elder  in  the  Long  Run  Presbyterian 
church.  On  March  27,  1828,  he  married  Jane 
Mansperger  and  they  had  fifteen  children  :  Mary, 
wife  of  William  Ewing ;  John,  James,  Rachel, 
Jane,  married  to  Charles  Fleming ;  JMargaret 
I\I.,  Elizabeth  M.,  Ellen,  Sarah,  Matilda, 
Maria  M.  and  Josephine  K.  and  three  died  in 
infancy. 

After  leaving  the  common  schools  John  Black 
turned  his  attention  to  farming  and  has  all  his 
life  been  engaged  in  the  pursuits  of  agriculture. 
He  resided  near  Irwin,  in  bis  native  township, 
until  March,  1882,  when  he  removed  to  Salem 
township  where  he  had  purchased  a  farm  in 
the  Grapeville  gas  belt.  On  this  farm  Mr. 
Black  now  has  three  producing  wells.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  New  Salem  Presbyterian  church 
in  which  he  is  an  elder  and  is  recognized  as  a 
man  of  far  more  than  ordinary  piety.  Honest, 
industrious  and  persevering,  he  has  made  life  a 
success,  and  has  not  made  the  mistake  of  ne- 
glecting to  make  this  life  a  preparation  for  the 
future.  Charitable  in  spirit,  liberal  in  his  views 
and  decided  in  his  convictions,  be  may  justly  be 
regarded  as  an  excellent  neighbor,  a  good  citizen 
and  a  sincere  (Christian. 

On  February  12,  185G,  John  Black  was  mar- 
ried to  Sarah,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Ludwick,  of 
Irwin,  and  their  union  has  been  blest  with  nine 
children  :  Ellen,  who  died  at  the  age  of  four 
years  ;  Nancy  Jane,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eight ; 
W.Franklin,  married  to  Malvina  Shustcr  ;  Anna, 
wife  of  John  R.  Cochran,    of  Salem    township  ; 


BIOarxAPJIIES  OF 


Samuel,  .Toliii,  Jiinies,  (Hi;irlL'S  anil    one  ilicil   in 
infancy. 

T('irAKL(i.]',LANK,;i.kstTntl;uitufiui 
ijlil,  lioniiraMr  ami  linncst  (Icrniaii  laniilv 
aU'l  one  111'  tliu  I'lircniDSt  ami  mu.st  siic- 
CL'ssful  I'armeis  oF  ilciiipfield  township,  is  a  son 
of  Goorge  A.  am]  Catherine  (Shelley)  Blank  and 
was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  his  brother,  John 
Blank,  now  lives  in  Ilempfield  township,  West- 
moreland county,  Pa.,  November  22,  1829. 
George  A.  Blank  was  born  thirty  miles  west  of 
riiihulelphia,  in  Montgomery  county.  Pa.,  in 
17112.  At  the  instance  of  his  uncle,  Jacob  Ber- 
<Tur,  who  had  no  children,  he  came  to  Westmore- 
land county  and  resided  with  Mr.  Berger  for 
several  years.  Jacob  Berger  was  a  very  wealthy 
farmer  for  his  day.  lie  was  a  prominent  man  in  his 
community.  When  the  county-seat  was  changed 
to  Greensburg  he  hauled  the  court  records  from 
the  old  Ilannastown  court-house  to  Greensburg. 
His  wife  was  Margaret  Blank,  who  was  a  sister 
to  George  A.  Blank's  father.  George  A.  Blank 
by  hard  work  and  prudent  management  soon  ac- 
tjuired  means  enough  to  purchase  the  farm  now 
owned  by  his  son,  John  Blank,  lie  was  over 
si.x  feet  _in  height  and  very  strong.  lie  was  a 
democrat,  an  elder  in  the  Lutheran  church  and 
an  influential  man  in  his  neighborhood.  He 
learned  the  trade  of  shoemaker  at  Germaiitown, 
Pa.,  and  liefnre  leaving  the  east  he  married 
Catliarine  Shelley,  who  wa.-:  a  native  of  Mont- 
gomery eounly  and  died  in  IMT').  'I'liey  bad 
<'le\en  ehddren,  of  \\honi,se\en  ;ue  dead.  Mr. 
Blank  o«ned  about  si.x  hundred  acres  of  land 
wlun  he  die.l  in  ISll.j. 

iMiehael  (!  i'dank  received  his  education  in  the 
rural  schools  of  his  neighborhood.  His  liist  em- 
))loyment  was  farming  for  his  father.  Connueiic- 
ing  life  as  a  farmer  he  has  remained  one  until  the 
present  time. 

March  22,  1800,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Hannah  F.  Earnest.  To  them  was  born  ten 
children,  of  whom  ei:_dit  are  li\in:::  William  II., 


b(U-n  March  24,  ISiil,  manied  to  Klla,  daughter 
of  W.  li.  Barnhart  ;  Ivlward,  lioiii  May  15, 
1S()3,  married  Maggie  Bowman  and  is  a  livery- 
man of  Greensburg  ;  Liile,  born  January  Hi, 
ISIi."),  and  wife  of  .lobn  Kair  ;  .lobii,  born  Gc- 
toljcr  G,  IiSGH,  and  resides  on  the  home-farm  ; 
Emma,  born  October  13,  1871  ;  Ella,  boi'U  No- 
vember 19,  1874  ;  Bessie  E.,  born  July  4,  1878 
and  Charles,  born  August  IS,  1881.  i\Irs. 
Blank  was  born  May  13,  1838,  and  is  a  con- 
sistent member  of  the  Lutheran  church. 

Michael  G.  Blank  is  a  member  of  the  Luth- 
eran church.  He  was  on  the  building  com- 
mittee for  the  new  Lutheran  church  at  Greens- 
burg and  gave  liberally  towards  its  erection.  He 
is  a  democrat  and  has  served  for  sixteen  years  as 
school  director.  He  owns  a  beautiful  farm  of 
two  hundred  and  seventy-five  acres  and  raises 
fine  crops.  lie  has  some  large  herds  of  choice 
stock.  As  a  farmer  and  stock-raiser  he  has  been 
remarkably  successful.  Mr.  Blank  has  made  a 
practical  study  of  the  principles  of  good  farm- 
ing and  has  successfully  applied  them  to  the  cul- 
tivation and  improvement  of  his  firm.  He  is 
thorough-going,  straightforward  and  honest  in 
his  business  transactions  and  is  a  gentleman  of 
excellent  standing  in  his  own  community. 

•jt*  OIIN  II.  BUOWN,  a  clear-headed  and  ener. 

I  getic  business  man,  a  prosperous  farmer  and 
'^  a  successful  merchant,  was  born  at(jrape- 
\ill(!  llemplield  township,  Westmoreland  county, 
I 'a.,  dune  29,  1843,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  (Painter)  Brown.  His  paternal  graml- 
father,  .lohn  Brown,  was  born  in  iM'auklin 
county.  Pa.,  and  immigrated  to  Seuickley  town- 
ship when  ([uile  a  yijung  man.  He  married  a 
Miss  Carlise  and  after  her  death  wedded  a  Miss 
Lucas.  He  was  a  farmer,  reared  a  large  family 
of  children,  and  lived  to  be  ninety-one  years  of 
age.  John  Brown's  fither,  who  died  in  Frank- 
lin county,  was  boin  in  Ireland.  His  maternal 
grandfather,  Hon.  Jacob   Painter,  was  associate 


WESTMORELAND   COVyXY. 


judge  of  Westmoix'laiul  county  from  ISOG  to 
18:21.  His  fatlior,  Ca]it.  Joliii  Drown,  w;is 
l)orn  June  1(!,  isOl),  in  Sewioklcy  townshi]). 
He  fdlKiwiMl  MiickMuilliiiiii;  imlil  1S,">K  whrn  lie 
l)ec;inio  :i  ]i:nlnL'r  in  u  .sluri.'  at  (.Jraiievillc. 
Tiirte  yuars  later  liu  retired  from  the  firm  and 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  businos;;  for  liiniself 
at  that  place,  \vhicii  he  continued  till  his  death 
in  1877.  lie  was  a  republican  and  a  local 
leader  in  his  Jiurty,  but  never  desired  nor  \vould 
accept  any  ollicu.  He  was  an  esteemed  mendjer 
of  the  lielbuned  church  and  married  Elizabeth 
I'ainter,  by  whom  he  had  five  children,  of  whom 
two  are  living:  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Albert  L. 
Magill,  of  Grapeville,  Pa.,  and  John  II. 

John  II.  Brown  attended  the  CJrapeville  schools, 
Harrison  City  academy  and  Dufl's  Commercial 
Business  College  of  Pittsburg,  from  which  insti- 
tution he  was  graduated  in  1864.  After  com- 
pleting his  business  course  at  Pittsburg  he 
engaged  in  farming  and  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness witli  his  father  at  Grapeville.  At  the  death 
of  the  latter  he  purchased  the  store,  and  since 
1872  has  successfully  conducted  a  paying  mer- 
cantile business  at  tliat  place. 

He  was  married  ciu  January  KJ,  1872,  tii 
Nannie  J.  McCartney,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  N. 
INIcCartney,  of  Columbia,  Pa.  Their  children 
ai'o :  Walter,  Itlaiiche,  Ruse,  Prestmi  and 
Mary. 

John  II.  Brown  is  a  republican  and  has  served 
as  mendicr  of  the  county  conmiittee  of  that  jiarty 
evi-l'  since  all;iiniiig  bis  niajmitv.  He  uwns  a 
valuable  farm  upon  which  are  four  strong  llowing 
natural  gas  wells.  One  being  the  famous  (jasser 
that  was  lighted  in  honor  of  President  and  Mrs. 
Cleveland  when  they  lionored  Grajieville  with 
their  ])resence  in  1^S7.  .Mr.  Blown  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Jeannettc  (Jouiieil,  No.  1.114,  itoval 
Arcanum,  and  the  only  uidei-  to  which  he  ever 
asjiired.  He  is  propiietoi'  of  the  town  of  East 
Jeanetto  which  be  expects  to  be  connected  with 
(iie<'n>burg  by  cabb'  or  eleclric  ears  in  the  near 
filliire. 


;  'f'AMES  BUCHANAN  was  b<irn  in  Salem 
j  I  township,  Westmoreland  county,  P;i.,  Au- 
I^J  gust  22,  1817,  and  is  a  son  of  David  and 
Margaret  (.Mellride)  liMchanaii.  David  15u- 
i  clianan,  his  grandfatlier,  was  a  native  of  Ireland 
but  immigrated  to  the  United  Statesand  settled  in 
Salem  township,  this  county.  His  wife  was  Jane 
McClintock,  who  bore  him  five  children  :  John, 
Thomas,  David,  Catharine  and  Jane.  John  mar- 
ried Prudence  McConnell,  Catharine  became  the 
wife  of  John  Guthrie,  of  Armstrong  county,  and 
Jane  was  wedded  t(j  \Villiani  McKee,  of  the  same 
county.  Daviil  Buchanan  (father)  was  born  in 
Salem  township  in  17'J1.  He  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Preslj^'terian  church  at  Congruity, 
and  lived  near  there  until  eighty  years  of  age, 
when  he  removed  to  Peoria  county,  111.,  wliere 
he  died  in  1881).  He  married  Margaret,  a 
daughter  of  James  and  Martha  McBride,  who 
also  dieil  in  Illinois  Julj'  2'J,  1872,  at  the  age  of 
eighty  years.  She  bore  him  nine  children : 
James,  born  August  2,  1817  ;  Jane,  born  No- 
vember :JI,  l.'sLs  ;  David  Wilson,  born  March 
4,  1821;  Martha,  born  August  22,  1823; 
Alc-xamler,  born  July  2'),  1S2.">;  Maria,  born 
Jleceinber  2'.*,  1^27;  Prudence,  born  January 
1,  183U;  .Margaret,  born  Aiuil  18,  18:J2;  and 
Elizabeth,  born  March  8,  l^-).;.  Jane  married 
Samuel  Ralston,  of  Salem  tiiwiisliip.  David 
Wilson  was  married  to  Margaret  Henry  and  now 
lives  in  Kansas  ;  Martha  was  married  to  Jijhn 
Irwin,  August  20,  184.'),  and  now  lives  in  Colo- 
rado; Prudence  became  the  wife  of  John  Sloan 
.Vpril  8,  l^.Jl  ;  Maria  married  P>enjamin  Mar- 
shall December  27,  1852  and  removed  with  him, 
to  Earinington,  111.  ;  Margaret  wedded  Samuel 
Rainey,  of  Salem  township,  Ajiiil  18,  l,s,")4; 
Alexander  first  married  Martha  Irwin,  Deeeni- 
ijcr  4,  L'^'jI,  now  ileceased,  then  Margaret  Mcw- 
iierter,  his  ])resent  wife;  Elizabeth  was  married 
to  Nelson  Cuimingbam,  of  Kno.x  county,  111., 
March  10,  l8o7. 

.lanu's    rjui.-banan    attended    the   subscription 
schools  of  his  nati\e  to\Misliip  aiid  at  the  age  of 


BIOGnAPIIlES  OF 


twenty-one  bou^lit  a  farm  on  Poi'ter  run,  Salem 
tOAvnshi|i,  on  wlik-li  lie  re-iJeil  continuously  for 
forty-seven  years.  In  l^S'i  lu'  renioveil  to  New 
Salciii  IiuI'iiultIi,  wlieie  lie  nnw  irsi.lcs.  He 
seivr(l  tuiei'  as  scIukiI  diiceldr  in  liis  native  'lis- 
Irict  ami  is  iinw  an  elder  in  the  I'resbyterian 
cliureli  at  Congruity. 

James  Bueiiaiiau  was  niarried  January  T, 
lS'41,  to  Mary  Ann,  a  daughter  of  Samuel 
Henry,  of  Salem  township,  who  died  ^lay  16, 
liTS,  and  in  18So,  ^lay  1,  he  took  unto  him- 
self ;i  second  wife  in  the  person  of  Lyda  A.,  a 
daughter  of  Robert  Shields,  of  Salem.  His  first 
wife's  children  were  :  ^Margaret  June,  born  April 
11,  1S42;  Mary  Elizabeth,  born  June  3,  1844; 
Martha  Louisa,  born  August  27,  1840,  died 
February  18,  184S ;  Emma  Prudence,  born 
January  8,  1849  ;  Sarah  Maria,  born  October 
•20,  18.')1;  Harriet  Marshall,  born  April  lU, 
18o4 ;  David  McBride,  born  March  7,  1867  ; 
Anna  Martha,  born  March  27,  18(-i2.  Margaret 
Jane  married  Kobert  F.  Stewart,  of  near  Con- 
gruity,  June  l>,  1880;  Mary  E.  wedded  Hubert 
15.  Jvirkpatrick,  of  Armstrong  county,  Decem- 
ber 7,  18()!';  Emma  1'.  was  marrieil  to  AVilliam 
B.  Shields,  of  Franklin  county,  April  G,  1870  ; 
Sadie  M.  married  Robert  Christie,  of  Peoria 
county.  111.,  June  17,  188;");  Harriet  .M.  resiile.s 
at  home;  David  McBride  married  Mary  E. 
Mc(_'onnell,  of  Salem  township,  DeeeiiJier  5, 
1X7.S;  and  Anna  M.  became  the  wife  u{  W.  J. 
Zimmerjuan,  of   i'elmont,  December  27,  lN^2. 


.EURtiE   W.  CROUSIIORE,  one  of  the 

lOiil  leading  and  must  enterprising  cili/ens  of 
•i-  (irapcville  Station,  was  biun  near  Adams- 
burg,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  March  14, 
1844,  and  is  a  son  of  George  and  Margaret 
(Baughman)  Croushore  (for  ancestral  history 
see  sketch  of  Henry  (Jroiisiiore). 

George  W.  Crouslmre  attended  the  Brush 
creek  public  school  and  livnl  witii  Ins  mwliirr 
on   the   larm    until    about    lifteeii    years    of   a''e, 


when  lie  learned  the  trade  of  stonemason,  which 
he  followed  for  three  years  and  then  went  home 
and  maile  a  large  iiumlni-  of  bricks  for  his 
mollicr,  she  at,  lli;il  time  owtiiiig  a  lirickynrd. 
in  1S(;I  he  purchased  the  interest  of  Daniel 
Beck  in  the  steam  tannery  at  Grapeville,  and 
thus  became  the  partner  of  his  brother,  Michael 
Croushore.  He  then  learned  the  tanning  busi- 
ness practically  and  scientifically  and  in  about 
tln-ee  years  purchased  his  brother's  interest, 
since  which  time  he  has  conducted  the  business 
himself,  except  a  short  period  wdiile  a  Mr. 
Knappenberger  held  a  fourth  interest.  For 
nine  years  Mr.  Croushore  has  been  ticket  agent 
at  Grapeville  on  the  P.  R.  R.,  but  at  present 
his  son  is  attending  to  that  business.  About 
two  years  ago  his  tannery  was  burned  down, 
but  it  was  at  once  rebuilt  and  made  more  com- 
plete in  all  its  appointments  than  ever.  In  his 
tanning  Mr.  Crousliore  gives  special  attention  to 
the  jireparation  of  belting  material.  Having 
been  a  life-lon<^  working  democrat  he  was  in 
1885  ajipointed  i)ostiuaster  umler  President 
Cleveland's  administration  and  held  tlie  jjosition 
four  years.  He  has  never  aspired  to  any  elec- 
tive office,  as  his  time  and  attention  have  been 
engrossed  with  business  ami  private  afl'airs. 
The  denomination  of  his  choice  is  the  Reformed 
church,  in  which  he  is  an  elder  and  has  also 
served  as  a  deacon.  Mr.  Croushore  is  an  in- 
dustrious and  energetic  man  and  deserves  tiie 
jirosjierity  he  has  enjoycil.  He  has  the  finest 
residence  in  his  neighborhood,  ami  besides  real 
estate  owns  two  gas  wells  in  the  Grapeville  tlis- 
trict  and  is  drilling  another. 

Cieorge  AV.  Croushore  was  united  in  marriage 
September  1,  1804,  with  Sadie,  a  daughter  of 
Henry  Allshouse,  of  Greensburg,  and  they  have 
had  eight  children,  of  whom  seven  are  living: 
Maggie,  at  home;  Harry,  engaged  in  the  drug 
business  at  Jeannette;  \Villiam  lirant,  manager 
of  ticket  and  express  office  at  (irapeville  ;  John 
Gallery,  going  to  school  at  Greensburg;  Charles 
(J.,  Herbert  L.  and  Franklin  H. 


WESTMORELAND   CO  UXTY. 


/^EORGE  F.  DIBLE;  of  near  IMurrysville, 
VfJ  ^  leading  fanner  and  stock-raisur,  was 
'1*  liorn  1  )uc-einl)i'r  '21,  182.S,  in  Franklin 
townslii]),  WostiiKirelaml  county,  I'a.,  and  is  a 
son  of  Jacob  and  Susanna  (Allsliouse)  Dible. 
His  great-grandfatlier  was  a  resident  and  in  all 
probability  a  native  of  eastern  Pennsylvania, 
whence  he  immigrated  to  this  country,  settling 
in  Franklin  township,  where  he  was  one  of  the 
very  earliest  settlers.  The  Dibles  are  of  Ger- 
man extraction  and  originally  the  name  was 
Diblobiss.  Jacob  Dible  (grandfather)  was  a 
native  of  this  county.  One  of  his  children  was 
culled  Jacob  Diblc  (father),  who  was  born  near 
Harrison  City  in  17S0  and  died  in  1872.  By 
occupation  he  was  a  farmer,  in  jiolitics  a  demo- 
crat, served  many  years  as  justice  of  the  peace 
and  was  a  strong  supporter  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  in  whicli  he  was  an  elder  for  half  a  cen- 
tury. His  first  wife  was  Susanna  AUshouse, 
who  was  born  in  1782  and  died  in  1835,  leaving 
the  following  children :  Henry,  who  died  in 
1803;  John,  born  1805  and  .lied  18(J6  ;  Isaac, 
born  in  180U,  died  1885;  Margaret,  born  1808, 
dieil  184G  ;  Jacob,  born  IMl,  died  188(J ;  Cath- 
arine, born  1818  ;  Mary,  born  1817,  died  184tJ ; 
Nathaniel,  born  1821.  died  1846;  Eli,  born 
1823;  Susanna,  born  1824,  and  George  F., 
1828.  His  second  wife  was  Elizabeth  Kistler 
(nee  Bughman).  Henry  AUshouse  (maternal 
grandfather)  was  a  native  of  eastern  Pennsyl- 
vania and  came  at  an  early  day  to  this  county, 
settling  near  where  Harrison  City  now  stands 
and  remaining  there  until  his  death. 

George  F.  Dible  aud  Martha  Tilbrooke, 
daughter  of  William  Tilbrooke,  were  united  in 
marriage  February  21,  1850,  and  have  had  the 
following  children  :  Elizabeth  Jane,  born  De- 
cendjer  10,  1850,  died  185'J ;  Margaret  A., 
born  December  0,  1852,  died  November  2(3, 
1875  ;  Susan  J.,  born  August  8,  1855  ;  William 
Jacob,  born  June  23,  1857,  who  is  married  to 
Jennie  liobb  and  is  a  merchant  at  Braddock, 
Pa.;   ^lartha  E.,  born  July   10,  1»5'J,  the  wife 


of  Elmer  Campbell,  now  a  tinner  at  Kittanning  ; 
liuth  A.,  born  June  26,  1801,  died  1867  ;  John 
F.,  born  May  10,  1863,  died  October  23,  1887; 
Andrew,  born  June  1  :>.  iJ^ilii,  died  Novendjer 
20,  1888;  Sarah  J.,  born  August  10,  ls(i8,  the 
wife  of  Alfred  ]\IcPherson,  now  of  Washington 
county,  and  Joseph,  born  July  12,  1870,  who 
died  on  the  day  of  his  birth. 

George  F.  Dible  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  and  has  always  followed  the 
business  of  fiirming  and  stock-raising,  now  own- 
ing a  valualile  farm  in  Franklin  township.  Po- 
litically he  is  a  prohibitionist  and  is  a  stanch 
supporter  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  in  which 
he  has  been  an  elder  for  some  fifteen  vears. 


j^  OHN  KELLEY  ELLWOOD  was  born  in 
'i'  Salem  township,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa., 
2/  June  22,  1858,  and  is  a  son  of  Levi  M.  and 
Mary  (Mears)  Elhvood.  Prior  to  tlie  Revolu- 
tionary war  his  great-grandfather,  Robert  Ell- 
wood,  and  a  brother  sailed  from  the  shores  of 
Erin  and  came  to  America,  Avhere  the  former 
settled  in  New  Jersey  and  the  latter  went  farther 
west  into  the  then  unsettled  wilds,  since  Avhich 
time  lie  and  his  descendants,  if  any,  have  been 
entirely  lost  to  the  other  branch  of  the  family. 
Robert  Elhvood  served  seven  years  with  Wash- 
ington in  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  He  used 
to  relate  that  after  the  battle  of  the  Brandywine 
that  stream  was  so  full  of  dead  Hessians  that 
one  could  walk  across  the  stream  on  them  with- 
out wetting  his  feet.  More  Hessians  than  Brit- 
ish were  killed  because  the  English  put  their 
hired  troops  in  front.  After  the  war  Robert 
Elhvood  immigrated  to  western  Pennsylvania 
and  settled  on  a  tract  of  land  near  Murrysville, 
which  is  now  owned  by  John  W.  Elhvood  of 
Franklin  townshi]).  He  married  a  Miss  Stoops 
of  South  Mountain,  where  "  Antietam  "  was 
fought,  who  died  about  1842,  aged  one  hundred 
and  seven  years.     One  of  their  sons  was  George 


BIOGEAPIIIES  OF 


Ellwood  (grauilfutlier),  ^vIlo  was  born  near  Mur- 
rysvilk',  this  county,  about  IIVIK  lie  was  twice 
marricil,  first  to  a  Gillespie,  by  whom  lie  hail  two 
sons:  AViliiaui  anil  llobert ;  iiis  second  wife  was 
Kancy  Jones,  u  sister  of  Judge  Jones  (deceased), 
of  Salem  township,  whose  father  was  a  native 
of  Wales,  but  came  to  America  and  after  serv- 
ing through  the  Revolutionary  war  settled  in 
this  county.  To  this  union  were  born  eleven  chil- 
dren :  James,  George,  John,  Thomas,  Eleanor, 
David,  Levi  M.,  Matthew  M.,  Mary  Jane,  Samuel 
and  Josiali  AV.  Of  these  thirteen  children  but 
three  reside  in  this  county  :  Matthew  M.  in  Derry 
township;  Samuel,  in  Bell  township,  and  Levi 
M.  (father)  in  Salem  township.  The  latter  was 
born  in  Loyallianna  township  (in  a  portion  that 
is  now  Bell),  December  25,  lS2ii.  He  nuirried 
and  has  three  children  :  John  K.,  Mary  E.  and 
Nancy  S. 

John  K.  Ellwood  was  reared  on  the  farm,  at- 
tended public  ami  select  schools  and  graduated 
from  Heidelberg  college,  Tiffin,  <Jhio,  in  1~>63, 
delivering  the  valedictory  oration.  Most  of  his 
time  since  then  has  been  spent  in  educational 
work  as  jirincipal  of  the  St.  Petersburg,  Mauch 
Chunk  and  other  schools.  He  is  registered  as 
a  law  student  and  will  soon  complete  his  stud- 
ies. In  1SS8  he  was  one  of  the  democratic 
nominees  for  Assembly,  but  at  the  general  elec- 
tion went  down  with  the  remainder  of  the  ticket. 
He  is  married  to  Anna  N.,  daughter  of  David 
Braden  (see  sketch  of  W.  D.  Braden),  and  they 
have  two  children:   Edna  P.  and  'Jrville  A. 


^TEPIIEN  HENRY  EMMENS,  D.  C.  L., 

(^j  a  descendant  of  an  old,  honorable  and 
(^  titled  English  family  and  the  inventor  of 
the  wonderful  explosive,  Emmensite,  which  is 
destined  to  revolutionize  the  modern  warfare  of 
the  world,  was  born  in  Lewisham,  in  the  county 
of  Kent,  England,  December  21,  18io,  and  is 
a    son    of   William  ami  Elizabeth  (Fitzgerald) 


j  Emmens.  The  founder  of  the  Emmens  family 
!  in  Eu'dand  was  Sir  Charles  Emmens,  who  came 
I  over  to  England  with  William  of  Orange  and  was 
an  (illicer  of  high  rank  in  the  army  of  the  invad- 
ing Piinee.  Sir  Charles'  cuat  (if  arms  bore  the 
motto  :  Sans  peur  et  saus  isouci — without  care, 
without  fear. 

Thomas  Emmens,  grandfather,  was  a  lineal 
descendant  of  Sir  Charles  Emmens  and  was 
keeper  of  the  records  of  the  treasury  of  Lon- 
don. He  was  often  engaged  in  the  confidential 
service  of  the  British  government  and  never 
failed  in  any  mission  upon  which  he  was  sent. 
William  Emmens,  father,  was  born  in  London. 
At  an  early  age  he  entered  upon  an  active  busi- 
ness career  which  terminated  with  his  death  in 
1888.  He  served  as  president  of  the  National 
Bank  of  Ireland  for  many  years  and  at  the  time 
of  his  death  was  president  of  the  Church  of 
England  Insurance  institution  and  a  director  of 
the  great  Cambrian  Railway  company.  He  was 
I  an  old  Westminster  presbyterian  school  man 
and  belonged  to  the  conservative  party  in  poli- 
ties. He  married  Elizabeth  Fitzgerald  a  cousin 
of  the  present  prime  minister  of  England  and  a 
lineal  deseedant  of  "  Fair  Rosamond." 

Stephen  Henry  Emmens  was  educated  in 
Kings  College,  London,  from  which  institution 
he  was  graduated  in  18GS  with  the  degree  of 
D.  C.  L.  After  graduation  he  became  a  Fellow 
of  the  Actuaries  and  was  a  manager  of  insurance 
for  his  father  for  a  time.  He  had  been  educated 
for  the  profession  of  civil  engineering  and  pur- 
posed serving  as  such  in  the  East  Indies  but  was 
prevented  in  several  ways  from  carrying  out 
that  intention.  In  18tJ2  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  Sanuiel  Isaac  in  blockade-running 
business.  Mr.  Emmens  had  charge  of  the 
scientific  and  engineering  part  of  the  business. 
After  blockade-running  ceased  he  was  engaged 
fur  several  years  in  civil  engineering  and 
was  engaged  upon  the  Mersey  tunnel  and 
several  other  gigantic  engineering  enter- 
prises.      He  served  for  a  time   as   an  editorial 


WESTMORELAND   COUNTY. 


wiitfi-  on  the  staff  cif  the  London  Standard. 
lie  also  was  a  poetical  writer  on  the  Fiai  and 
went  to  Paris,  where  he  edited  a  paper  and  was 
correspondent  for  a  London  journal.  lie  wrote 
the  novel  entitled  "  The  rhilosojjher,"  which  was 
published  as  a  serial  in  the  ''  Dublin  JMagazine." 
He  stood  for  Parliament  at  the  request  of  the 
Conservative  committee  but  was  defeated  by  the 
Liberals.  He  was  the  first  Conservative  in  Eng- 
land to  declare  for  "Home  Rule"  and  his  ad- 
dress issued  upon  that  subject  has  since  been 
verified.  In  187S  he  was  engaged  in  several 
large  mining  and  commercial  enterprises.  He 
had  control  of  four-fifths  of  the  arsenic 
trade  of  the  world  and  manufactured  one- 
half  of  all  of  that  article  which  was  then 
used.  In  187S  he  injured  his  spine  from  which 
he  has  never  fully  recovered.  His  injury  com- 
pelled him  to  relinquish  many  of  his  most 
important  enterprises  at  the  very  moment  of 
ultimate  success.  In  February,  1886,  he  came 
to  the  L^nited  States  to  secure  a  patent  on  a 
wonderful  explosive  which  he  had  invented  and 
which  is  now  known  as  Emmensitc.  ^Vilile 
waiting  for  his  patent  he  did  some  engineering 
work  and  inspected  a  tin  mine  in  Dakota  for  an 
English  firm.  In  1888  a  company  was  formed 
for  the  manufacture  of  Emmensite  and  the  pres- 
ent extensive  works  were  erected  near  Paintcrs- 
ville,  this  county,  where  Dr.  Emmens  has  lately 
conducted  a  series  of  experiments,  showing 
Emmensite  to  be  the  most  powerful  as  well 
an  MHi)kclcs-i  and  noiscK-ss  c.xpKisive  in  tlii' 
World. 

Dr.  Emmens  united  in  marriage  with  Lydia 
Prcvost,  a  cousin  of  Admiral  Prevost,  who 
is  in  coniiuaud  nf  (iihraltar.  I)r.  and  Mrs. 
Emmens  have  two  children  :  Newton  and  A'^iolet, 
who  has  finishe<l  her  education  at  Oxford  and 
received  her  degree.  Mrs.  Emmens,  under 
the  professional  name  of  Adeline  Paget,  is  one 
of  England's  most  noted  concert  and  oratorio 
singers.  She  never  sings  upon  the  stage  and  is 
now  in  London. 


ll"  AMES  ROSS  EWING,  M.  D.,  is  one  of 
'i'  those  who,  though  eminent  and  deserving, 
(»J/  yet  are  modest  and  unassuming;  he  desires 
no  fulsome  )naise  and  wislu'S  nothing  written 
concerning  him  exce[it  what  is  conceived  in  the 
same  spirit  that  prompted  the  memorable  order 
of  the  lion-hearted  Cromwell,  "  Paint  me  as  I 
am!"  He  was  born  August  12,  184-4,  in 
Young  township,  Indiana  county.  Pa.,  and  is  a 
son  of  Alexander  and  Catherine  Eaton  (McAfee) 
Ewing.  His  grandfather,  Ewing,  removed  to 
southwestern  Pennsylvania  and  settled  in  what 
is  now  Indiana  county  when  it  was  yet  an  almost 
unbroken  wilderness.  About  the  close  of  the 
Revolutionary  war  he  married  a  Miss  Moore, 
supposed  to  have  been  of  Irish  descent.  This 
lady  prior  to  lier  marriage,  owing  to  the  hostility 
of  the  Indians,  was  frequently  obliged  to  flee  for 
refuge  to  the  block  house  at  llannastown,  and  on 
one  occasion  was  captured  by  the  savages,  but 
fortunately  was  soon  rescued.  The  children  of 
this  marriage  were :  James,  William,  John, 
Robert,  Alexander,  Rebecca,  married  to  Josejih 
Harbison,  and  Sarah,  married  to  John  McCurdy. 
Alexander  Ewing  was  born  in  1808  in  Indiana 
county,  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  \Villiam  Ken- 
nedy, one  of  the  commissioners  of  that  county. 
He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  old  Ebenezer 
Presbyterian  church,  in  which  he  was  an  elder, 
and  was  a  conscientious  Christian  gentleman, 
noted  for  his  great  piety  and  godliness.  At 
length,  "  Grown  ripe  in  years  and  old  in  jiiety," 
ill'  was  gathered  to  his  fathers,  there  to  reap  the 
reward  of  the  righteous. 

Following  in  the  footsteps  of  his  worthy 
father  he  was  a  member  of  the  Ebenezer  Pres- 
byterian church  and  engaged  in  the  pursuits  of 
agriculture.  He  was  married  in  1832  to  Cath- 
erine Eaton  McAfee,  who  was  born  in  1811 
near  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  whence  she  was  taken  at 
the  age  of  14  years  Avith  her  parents  to  Sewick- 
ley  township,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  where 
she  was  married.  Alexander  Ewing  took  his 
wife  to  the  old   homesteail   in  Indiana  countv, 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


■where  they  continued  to  reside.  The  children 
of  this  union  were  eleven,  ot"  whom  eight  are 
dead:  Joseph,  Will  and  Alexander  Stewart 
died  in  childhood;  David  and  Mary  in  youth 
within  a  lew  liours  of  each  other  ;  lioyd  E.  in 
tlie  army  in  IblJl,  of  typhoid  fever,  lie  was  a 
meinher  of  Co.  E.,  eleventh  reg.,  Pa.  Res. 
(Col.  Thos.  F.  Gallager's  regiment).  Rebecca 
Margaret  died  in  ISTO,  aged  twenty-two,  and 
Sarah  Jane  in  1872,  aged  thirty-two.  Of  those 
living  John  Maxwell  Ewing  is  the  eldest  and 
lives  on  a  farm  in  his  native  county ;  he  also 
was  a  soldier  and  served  three  years  in  the  above 
mentioned  company  and  regiment.  The  next 
is  liev.  Thomas  R.  Ewing,  a  graduate  of  Wa.-;h- 
ington  and  Jefl'erson  college  and  the  Western 
Theological  seminary,  who  is  now  located  at 
Blairsville,  Pa.,  where  he  is  the  owner  and  prin- 
cipal of  the  Blairsville  Female  seminary.  Dur- 
ing tiie  war  he  served  on  the  Christian  commis- 
sion. The  youngest  is  Dr.  James  Ross  Ewing. 
Alexander  Ewing  died  in  ISSl  at  the  old 
homestead  in  Indiana  county,  and  his  widow 
who  survives  him  is  living. 

John  McAfee,  maternal  grandfather,  came  to 
his  death  by  accidentally  drowning  about  1830 
in  a  creek  that  flowed  through  his  farm.  His 
widow  survived  him,  living  to  the  advanced  age 
of  eighty-nine  years.  They  had  six  children, 
who  married  as  follows :  John  married  Mary 
Bovard ;  James  Rqss  McAfee  first  married  a 
Miss  Reed  and  after  her  death  wedded  Eliza 
Craig  ;  Matilda  became  the  wife  of  John  Moore  ; 
Catherine  Eaton  married  Alexander  Ewing, 
and  Nancy  wedded  James  (lallagiier,  of  Indiana 
county. 

Dr.  James  Koss  Ewing  was  reared  in  tiie  sol- 
itude of  the  country,  •'  Where  heavenly-pensive 
Contemplation  dwells,"  and  where  the  warblincr 
birds,  the  rippling  brooks  and  the  gentle  rust- 
ling of  the  leaves  call  man's  attention  to  the 
beauties  of  nature  and  the  goodness  of  "  nature's 
(iiid."  Amid  these  rural  .scenes  he  lived  during 
the  lirst  eighteen  years  of  his  life.     He  attended 


the  common  schools,  in  which  he  obtained  suffi- 
cient education  to  enable  him  to  begin  teaching 
in  the  winter  of  18G1-2.  The  next  two  years 
'were  S])ent  in  Pittsburg,  and  in  Augu^^t,  18(34, 
he  enlisted  in  Co.  G,  two  hundred  ami  sixth 
reg.,  Pa.  Vols.  (Col.  Brady),  and  served  during 
the  remainder  of  the  war.  After  the  war  he 
taught  three  more  winter  terms,  in  the  meantime 
attending  the  Jacksonville  and  Louisville  acad- 
emies in  Indiana  county  and  reading  medicine 
with  Dr.  William  Jack.  In  1870  he  graduated 
from  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and 
Surgery  and  practiced  his  profession  in  Indiana 
county  until  March,  1875,  when  he  removed  to 
Oakland  X  Roads,  Westmoreland  county,  re- 
maining there  ten  years.  During  the  winter  of 
1S84-5  Dr.  Ewing  took  a  post-graduate  course 
of  six  weeks  in  the  Jefferson  Medical  college  at 
Philadelphia,  and  in  188.5  located  at  New  Salem 
(Delmont),  succeeding  Dr.  J.  A.  Fulton.  During 
winter  of  1888-'J  betook  a  second  post-graduate 
course  of  more  than  four  months  in  the  same 
institution.  He  then  resumed  his  practice  at 
Delmont,  which  is  as  extensive  as  that  of  any 
physician  in  the  county.  Dr.  J.  R.  Ew  ing  is  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  of  Geo. 
A.  Cribbs  Post,  No.  540,  G.  A.  R.,  and  of  Car- 
mel  Lodge,  No.  542,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  of  Delmont. 

Dr.  James  Ross  Ewing  was  married  Decem- 
ber G,  1871,  to  Sarah  Melissa,  a  daughter  of 
Robert  and  Margaret  J.  (Billick)  Orr,  who  was 
born  December  13,  1840,  and  who  has  borne 
him  one  child,  a  son,  John  Herbert  Ewing,  the 
date  of  whose  birth  is  March  5,  1873. 


^^EVI  FOX,  one  of  the  most  thrifty  and  sub- 
y  f  stantial  farmers  of  Ilempfield  township, 
and  an  active  business  man  and  intelligent 
citizen,  is  a  son  of  John  and  Anna  Fox  and  was 
born  in  HempBehl  township,  ^Vestmoreland  coun- 
ty. Pa.,  May  13,  1831.  The  Fox  family  of 
Ilemplield  lownshi])  is  of  (leniiau  lU'igin  and  is  a 
branch  of  the  Fu.k  family  of  Adams  coujity.  Pa. 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


C05 


Jacob  Fox  (gnuuU'atlioi)  was  a  native  of  Gettys- 
burg ami  iiinnigrated  when  a  .young  man  from 
Adams  to  Westmoreland  county.  He  settled  in 
IlempOeM  ti)\Mi>lii|],  near  New  Stanton,  where 
he  died  at  tlie  age  (jf  fifty -eight  years.  He  was 
a  drover,  purchased  cattle  and  sheep  in  Westmore- 
land and  adjoining  counties,  which  he  sold  in  the 
eastern  markets  and  surroundings.  His  son  John 
(father  of  Levi)  was  born  at  Gettysburg,  but  was 
reared  in  llempfiehl  townsldp.  He  learned  the 
trade  of  hatter  wiiieh  he  followed  for  many  years. 
He  owned  two  good  farms,  voted  the  democratic 
ticket,  was  an  earnest  member  of  the  Reformed 
church  and  died  November  4,  1874,  aged  seventy- 
five  years.  ^Vlien  in  the  twenty-seventh  yearof  his 
age  he  married  Anna  Cribbs,  daughter  of  Chris- 
tian Oribbs,  of  Hempfield  township,  by  whom  he 
had  four  children  :  Isaac  (dead),  Levi,  ]\iollie 
(deceased)  and  John  who  lives  near  Seanor's 
church.  Mrs.  Anna  Fox  died  December  "20, 
1872,  aged  sixty-five  years. 

Levi  Fox  was  reared  on  a  farm,  received  his 
education  in  the  common  schools,  began  life  for 
himself  as  a  farmer  and  has  followed  farming 
ever  since  in  Hempfield  township.  By  industry, 
economy  and  good  management,  he  has  been 
successful  in  fanning  and  slock-raising  and  has 
acquired  considerable  means.  He  owns  three 
well  improved  farms,  raises  fine  cattle  and  horses 
and  harvests  large  crops  of  grain  and  hay.  He 
is  a  democrat  in  his  political  views  and  a  luth- 
eran  in  religion,  being  a  member  of  Brush 
Creek  eliureb  of  liiat  religious  dt'nomiiuition. 

He  uuiied  lu  marriage  on  November  "JH, 
ISa.'),  with  Sarah  Strohm,  who  is  a  daugher  of 
Christian  Strohm  and  was  born  in  East  Hunt- 
ingdon township,  March  20,  1834.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Fox  have  been  born  eight  children  : 
Lydia  A.,  Marion  S.,  John  Franklin,  Levi  C, 
lias  taugiit  one  term  of  seiiool;  Sarah  A.,  Chira 
A.,  \ufe  of  .losiaii  Conrad,  of  llohiics  county, 
Ohio  ;  Logan  U.  ami  James  Irvin,  wlu)  died  in 
infancy.  John  Franklin  F(jx,  the  second  of 
these    sons,    received   a  good    eduealion,    taught 


school,  and  is  now  attending  lectures  at  tlie 
Eclectic  Medical  college,  from  wliicli  institu- 
tion he  will  jrraduate  soon. 


TYILLIAM  G.  FRY  was  born  in  Salem 
township,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa., 
May  8,  1834,  and  is  a  son  of  Isaac  and 
Polly  (Sadler)  Fry.  His  grandfather,  George 
Fry,  came  to  this  county  from  eastern  Penn- 
sylvania atiout  the  year  1800  and  married  a 
lady  by  the  name  of  Pifer.  Jacob  Sadler 
(maternal  grandfather)  came  to  Salem  township, 
this  county,  from  North  Carolina  about  1812; 
while  out  hunting  wild  turkeys  about  1830  he 
was  accidently  shot  and  killed.  Isaac  Fry 
(father)  was  born  in  Salem  township  in  1811  ; 
he  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  has  lived  in 
his  native  township  all  his  life.  He  married 
Polly  Sadler,  who  was  born  in  this  county  in 
1812  and  whose  parents  were  Jacob  and  Julia 
Ann  Sadler ;  they  had  ten  children  :  William 
G.,  Zephaniah  (died  in  1882),  Samuel  J., 
Lebbeus  B.,  Elizabeth  (wife  of  Levi  Potts), 
Zachariah,  Alexander  and  three  who  died  in 
infiincy. 

\Villiam  G.  Fry,  the  oldest  living  child  of  the 
family,  attended  the  schools  of  his  native  town- 
ship till  twenty  years  of  ago  and  then  went 
three  years  to  Delmont  academy.  In  April, 
1801,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  C,  ninth  Pa.  Reserves, 
went  to  the  front  and  participated  in  the  battles 
of  Oranesville,  Second  Bull  Run,  South  Moun- 
tain, Antietaui,  Fredericksburg,  Ciiantilly  and 
Gettysburg,  besides  various  minor  engagements. 
He  was  a  sergeant  of  his  company  and  was 
slightly  wounded  by  a  shell  at  South  Mountain. 

While  on  detached  iluty  at  Pliiladeljihia  he 
organized  the  one  hundred  and  eiglity-sixtli  reg. 
Pa.  \\)ls.,wiiieli  he  drilled  and  prejiared  lor  the 
service.  He  was  niusti'ivd  out  at  Pittsburg  in 
May,  1804,  and  then  returned  to  Salem  town- 
ship,   wliere    he   was    married    to    liannali    Iv. 

d    llannah 


McCoiinell,  a  daughter  of  Hanic 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


McConnell  of  the  same  place.  They  have  had 
five  chiUlren :  Nettie  J.,  died  January  26,  ISSS, 
aged  twenty-one  years;  Yiola  M.,  Anna  W., 
Earl  W.  and  Isaac  McConnell. 

William  G.  Fry  is  a  prosperous  farmer  and  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Con- 
gruity;  Carmel  Lodge,  Xo.  542,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  at 
Delmont,  in  which  he  has  passed  all  the  chairs ; 
Union  Veteran  Legion,  of  Greensburg ;  and  of 
John  B.  Keenan  Post,  No.  500,  G.  A.  R.,  of 
New  Salem. 

J.  GONG  A  WARE.  A  thrifty, 
energetic  and  moral,  conscientious  and 
substantial  people  were  the  German  ele- 
ment of  the  pioneer  and  early  population  of 
AVcstmorcland  county.  A  descendant  of  one 
of,  tliese  early  settled  German  families  is  P.  J. 
Gongaware,  of  llempfield  townshiji.  He  is  a 
son  of  Jonas  and  Christina  (Naly)  Gongaware 
and  was  born  one  mile  west  of  Adamsburg, 
Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  January  '.\  1820. 
Philip  Gongaware  (paternal  grandfather)  left 
Germany  during  the  latter  part  of  the  last 
century  and  sought  for  a  home  on  this  side  of 
the  dark  Atlantic,  lie  purchased  a  large  tract 
of  land  near  the  site  of  Adamsburg  and  reared 
a  family  of  four  sons  and  six  daughters.  He  was 
a  democrat,  a  lutheran  and  a  prosperous  farmer. 
One  of  these  four  sons  was  Jonas  Gongaware 
(father),  who  was  born  in  IT'JS.  He  was  a 
blacksmith  by  trade.  His  chief  source  of  in- 
come for  many  years  was  from  his  work  for  the 
old  pike  teamsters.  He  purchased  two  farms, 
acipiired  considerable  other  property  and  died 
in  1880  at  eighty-live  years  of  age.  He  was  a 
sturdy,  honest  and  resolute  rnan,  served  for 
many  years  as  an  oflicer  of  the  Evangelical 
Lutheran  church  and  was  a  democrat  of  the 
old  school.  His  wife  was  Christina  Naly,  who 
bore  him  ten  children,  of  whom  nine  lived  to  be 
men  and  women.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Fred- 
erick Naly  and  lived  to  be  over  eighty  years  of 
age. 


P.  J.  Gongaware  was  reared  on  a  farm. 
He  made  good  use  of  the  limited  educational 
advantages  afforded  by  the  old  subscription 
schools  of  that  day  and  scoured  a  practical 
education  suilicient  to  fit  him  for  any  ordinary 
business.  He  engaged  in  life  for  himself  as  a 
farmer  and  stock-buyer.  He  continued  farming 
near  Adamsburg  until  1867,  when  he  purchased 
the  farm  upon  which  he  now  resides  at  'Weaver's 
Old  Stand.  It  is  known  as  the  old  Weaver 
form,  contains  one  hundred  and  eighty-seven 
acres  of  good  farming  and  grazing  land  and  is 
partly  underlaid  with  coal.  To  this  tract  he 
added  by  purchase  several  other  pieces  of  land 
of  which  he  has  recently  sold  some. 

On  March  25,  1855,  Mr.  Gongaware  married 
Ilettie  Eiseman,  a  daughter  of  George  A.  Eise- 
nian,  of  Hemjificld  townshiji.  Six  children  have 
been  born  to  them  ;  Alice,  wife  of  Millard 
Hillis ;  Oclia  F.,  Ida  C,  who  attended  the 
Greensburg  seminary;  George,  who  attended 
Greensburg  academy  and  now  at  Thiel  college, 
where  he  is  preparing  for  the  Lutheran  ministry; 
Annie  L.  (deceased),  and  Jlamie,  who  is  attend- 
ing school. 

P.  J.  Gongaware  is  an  active  member  of  St. 
John's  Evangelical  Lutheran  church,  of  near 
j\It.  Pleasant  and  has  filled  all  the  local  offices 
of  that  church.  He  is  a  democrat  of  the  Jack- 
sonian  type  and  one  of  the  most  wealthy  and 
prosperous  farmers  in  llempfield  township. 


A]MES  G.  HUMES  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  (Park)  Humes  and  was  born 
November  24,  1827,  in  Franklin  township, 
Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  where  iie  still  re- 
sides. His  grandfather,  John  Humes,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Ireland,  who  immigrated  to  America, 
settling,  it  is  thought,  in  Franklin  township,  this 
county,  where  he  remained  until  his  death.  Ilis 
wife  was  a  Miss  Gibson,  who  bore  him  three 
sons  and  four  daughters.  AVilliam  Park  (mater- 
nal grandfather)  was  also  born  in  Ireland,  immi- 


]VESTMonELAND  COUNTY. 


grutcil     to     Franklin     townsliip,    this    county,  | 
avIrtc  lie  died.     Jolin  Humes  (tatiior)  was  born  1 
in    that    township,    May    21,    IT'JT,  ami  died 
tJK'ru   -May    -1,    ISdit.      |)iiriii;j;   tlic   latter   part   | 
of  his   life   lie   was  a    I'resliyterian   and    herauie   | 
an    elder    in  that  cliureh   February   -4,   l.^-iM.   , 
He  was  first  married  to    Elizabeth    Park,    by  i 
■whom  he  had  three  children  :   William  P.  (dead),  i 
John  F.  and  James  G.     John  F.   Humes  lias 
been    twice    married ;    first  to  Kachel  Shields, 
a    daughter  of  Robert  Shields    of   Salem,  and 
second,  to  Jennie  Woodrow  of  Allegheny  coun- 
ty.     He  now  lives  at  Tarcntum  where  he  was 
formerly  cashier  of  the   Tarentum  bank.     John 
Humes  was  married  the  second  time  to  Sarah 
Waters    and    they    have    had    three    children  : 
Thomas  M.,  a  former  school   teacher  but  now  a 
farmer    of  Salem   township  ;    Mary  J.,   wife  of 
George  R.  Remaley  of  Franklin  township  :  and 
Jeremiah  (dead.) 

James  G.  Humes  and  Anna  C.  Remaley, 
daughter  of  George  Remaley,  were  united  in 
marriage  December  21,  18G5,  and  they  have 
had  children  as  follows:  John  F.,  born  Jan- 
uary 13,  18lJ7,  now  in  the  gas  and  oil  business 
in  Allegheny  county  ;  Clara  J.,  born  A[iril  tl, 
ISG'.I,  a  teacher  in  the  schools  of  Franklin  lown- 
shii.;  Robert  B.,  born  October  1;J,  1^70;  (J. 
Denver,  born  October  24,  ISTJ;  Susie,  T.  Dull', 
boin  October  2',i,  ISTS,  died  Ajiril  20,  ISSO, 
and    James   G.,  born  June  20,  1S.S4,  died  April 

;'.,  ism;. 

Janii's  G.  Humes  acquired  a  lair  education  in 
the  common  schools  and  in  1850  went  to  ()hio 
where  he  worked  a  few  years  and  then  returned 
to  his  father's  farm,  where  he  stayed  until  his 
marriage  in  1805.  He  has  ever  since  devoted 
his  attention  to  the  pursuits  of  agriculture. 
Formerly  Jlr.  Humes  was  a  republican  but  is 
now  a  prohibitionist,  and  has  served  a  numlier 
of  years  as  school  director ;  he  has  never,  how- 
ever, aspired  to  any  political  office.  He  has 
been  an  active  and  consistent  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  since  alioiit   1.S15,   and   on 


the  11th  of  April,  1800,  became  an  elder  in  the 
church.  The  Humes  family  is  an  old  and  high- 
ly respected  one,  and  among  the  upright,  con- 
scientious [icople  of  the  township,  none  stand 
higher  than  James  (J.    Humes. 


r)rLOIS  HACKLEY,  of  Salem  township, 
was  born  in  AVurtemberg,  Germany, 
June  21,  1834,  immigrated  to  America 
in  1854,  and  came  directly  to  Westmoreland 
county,  locating  in  Salem  township  where  he  has 
ever  since  resided.  His  father,  Joseph  llack- 
ley,  was  born  in  Wurtemburg,  Germany,  where 
he  married  ^lary  Whiteman  who  was  also  a  na- 
tive of  that  kingdom;  the  former  died  there  in 
1S34  ami  the  latter  in  1830.  They  had  four 
children:  Terracy,  wife  of  John  Graff  of  Saux 
City,  Wisconsin  ;  Joseph,  a  soldier  in  the  late 
war,  died  in  Wisconsin  in  1805  ;  Mary,  married 
to  ^Michael  Holtzwarth  of  Pittsburg,  Pa.  ;  and 
Alois. 

Alois  Hacklc}'  had  been  in  the  United  States 
but  a  few  years  when  the  Rebellion  broke  out, 
but  he  joined  company  I,  one  hundred  and  si.xty- 
eighth  reg..  Pa.  \'ols.,  and  served  the  Federal 
government  I'aithlully  until  July,  1803,  when  he 
was  mustered  out  and  returned  to  his  adopted 
home.  He  is  quiet  indisposition,  honest,  indus- 
trious, thrifty  and  reliable.  He  owns  one  of  the 
best  though  not  largest  farms  in  Salem  township, 
and  under  his  wise  and  careful  management  it  is 
very  productive  ami  well-paying.  Mr.  Hackley 
is  one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of  his  township, 
a  faithful  husband,  a  kind  firther  and  a  man 
whose  integrity  is  unquestioned,  whose  character 
is  unsullied. 

On  the  22d  of  November,  1858,  Alois  Hack- 
ley  and  Anna  J.  Dible,  of  Murrysvillo,  were 
united  in  the  holy  bonds  of  matrimony  and  the 
fruits  of  their  marriage  are  ten  children. 

Alois  Hackley  is  straightforward  in  all  of  his 
business  dealings  with  his  fellow-men  and  always 
endeavors  to  do  what  is  ri;'ht. 


BIOORAPHIES  OF 


•jf  ACOB  C.  HALL,  uf  Man y.-^ville,  u  i-otired 

J  fanner  ami  pi-uiiiiii(.'nt  L-ili/fii  of  Fiaiiklin 
towiisliip,  is  a  son  of  Williuiii  and  Susanna 
(Glunt)  Hall,  and  was  born  November  23,  1S28, 
in  Peun  to\vnsliip  (now  Franklin),  AVcstmore- 
land  county,  Pa.  His  grandfather  was  Charles 
Hall,  a  native  of  Ireland,  who  lived  and  died 
in  that  country.  John  Glunt,  maternal  grand- 
father, was  a  native  of  eastern  Pennsylvania, 
who  emigrated  to  this  county,  settling  in  the 
"  Manor."  William  Hall  (lather)  was  born  in 
Ireland  about  1795  and  came  to  America  about 
IblG,  remaining  for  a  time  at  Philadelphia  and 
then  coming  to  Franklin  township,  this  county. 
He  owned  a  good  farm  and  was  by  occupation  a 
husbandman.  He  first  married  Susanna  Glunt, 
by  whom  he  had  four  sons  and  four  <laughters, 
si.x  of  whom  are  yet  living.  His  second  wife 
was  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Glunt,  nee  Kemerer. 

Jacob  C.  Hall's  wife  was  Elizabeth,  a  daugh- 
ter of  George  and  Unity  (C'arlin)  llichey,  of 
Allegheny  city.  Pa.,  who  was  the  si.xlh  of  a 
family  of  fourteen  children  ;  of  these  (Jharles 
Richey  served  in  the  late  civil  war  as  a  soldier, 
enlisting  in  18G2,  and  was  killed  at  the  battle 
of  Antietam.  Hamilton  Richey  also  served 
one  year  in  the  same  war  as  a  cavalryman,  and 
was  wounded  in  the  foot.  Joseph  Richey  served 
in  the  war  also,  but  when  at  New  Orleans  on 
his  ^vay  home  took  a  fever  and  died,  conse- 
quently the  family  has  no  clear  record  of  his 
military  services.  Mr.  Hall  has  four  children  : 
Nannie  R.,  wife  of  George  Kunklemaii,  a  far- 
mer, of  Praidvlin  township;  .^largaret  K.,  mar- 
ried to  Joseph  L.  Hoey,  a  merchant  of  ^lurrys- 
ville ;  Nettie  M.,  wife  of  Elmer  E.  Smith,  of 
MurrysviUe;  \Vm.  IL,  imw  ticket  agent  at 
Dubois,  Pa. 

Jacob  G.  Hall  after  leaving  the  counnon 
schools  began  the  business  of  farming,  wliich  he 
followed  continuously  until  the  fall  of  1889, 
when  he  retired  from  his  farm  and  now  resides 
at  MurrysviUe.  He,  like  all  his  ancestors,  is  a 
democrat  and  has  been  an  active  worker  in  his 


party.  He  has  served  as  road  supervisor  and 
now  holds  that  position  in  his  township.  Both 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hall  are  members  of  the  Re- 
formed Presbyterian  church,  in  whicli  he  is  a 
zealous  worker,  and  has  been  an  ehler  as  well 
as  Sunday  school  superintendent.  Mr.  Hall  is 
an  ardent  supporter  of  his  church  and  in  every 
respect  an  excellent  citizen. 


•tYlI^r^I--^^^  J-  HALL,  one  of  Franklin 
township's  leading  farmers  and  best  citi- 
zens, is  a  son  of  Wm.  and  Susan  (Glunt) 
Hall,  and  was  born  January  1,  182G,  in  what 
is  now  Penn  township,  AVestmoreland  county. 
Pa.  His  grandfather  was  Chas.  Hall,  a  native 
of  Ireland,  who  never  left  his  native  laml ;  but 
grandiather  Glunt  lived  and  died  in  Penn  town- 
shij),  this  county.  Wm.  Hall  (father)  was  born 
in  Ireland  and  immigrated  to  the  United  States, 
settling  in  Penn  township,  this  county,  where 
he  carried  on  farming  until  his  death.  In  poli- 
tics he  was  a  democrat  and  in  religion  a  presby- 
terian.  His  first  wife  was  Susan  Glunt,  by 
whom  he  hail  eight  children:  Wm.  J.,  Jacob, 
Levi,  James,  Christina,  Eliza,  Katy  Ann  and 
Susan.  His  wife  having  died,  he  married  a 
Mrs.  Glunt  (jit'e  Kemerer.) 

Wm.  J.  Hall  married  Margaret,  a  daughter 
of  James  ('hristy,  of  Franklin  township,  and 
they  had  three  children  :  William,  who  is  mar- 
ried and  living  in  Michigan;  Susan,  now  the 
wife  of  Henry  Masters,  a  farmer  of  Franklin 
township;  iMargaret  J.,  wife  of  Wm.  Portzer  a 
farmer  of  Allegheny  township.  Mrs.  Hall  died 
and  Mr.  Hall  afterwards  married  Rachael  Ell- 
wood  (7iee  Christy),  by  whom  he  had  one  child : 
Robert,  who  is  a  sawyer  and  with  his  wife  re- 
sides in  Franklin  township.  His  second  wife 
having  died  Mr.  Hall  was  again  married,  this 
time  to  Ann  M.  Hall,  by  whom,  he  has  five 
children:  John,  Guy,  Annie,  Orbin  and  Charles. 

Wm.  J.  Hall's  education  was  received  in  the 
common  schools  and  all  his  life  has  been  devoted 


WESTMOr.ELAyD  COUNTY. 


to  tlie  pursuits  of  agriculture  and  to  sawing, 
lie  is  a  itomocrat  and  a  uiL'Oiber  of  the  M.  E. 
cliiireli,  of  wliieli  he  is  a  steward.  .Mr.  Hall 
heldni^.s  (o  a  gdud  family  and  is  a  genlh'iiian  id' 
lionor,  integrity  and  excellent  character  in  every 
respect. 

PHILIP  HILL,  an  influential  citizen  of 
Franklin  townsliip,  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Catharine  (Beamcr)  Hill,  and  was  born 
February  20,  1830,  in  Franklin  township,  West- 
moreland county.  Pa.  His  grandfather,  John 
Hill,  was  of  German  extraction,  but  lived  and 
dieil  in  Franklin  townsliij),  of  which  he  was  one 
of  tliC  earliest  settlers,  being  obliged  to  light 
with  tlie  Indians  to  jirotect  his  life  and  prop- 
erty. He  was  a  distiller  and  also  a  farmer. 
He  had  four  cliildrrn  :  Daniel,  Juhn,  Susan  and 
Polly.  John  Heanier,  maternal  gran<lfather, 
was  of  (ieriuan  ck-sceiit,  but  a  native  of  eastern 
Pennsylvania,  wiience  he  emigrated  to  Franklin 
township,  this  county,  where  he  died.  He,  too, 
was  a  farmer  and  distiller,  and  was  also  by 
trade  a  tailor.  He  married  Eva  Buttenberf; 
and  they  had  seven  children :  Henry,  John, 
Philip,  Michael,  Catharine,  Sarah  and  Peggy, 
all  of  whom  are  dead  e.xcefit  Peggy,  who  lives 
at  Apollo,  Pa.  John  Hill  (father)  was  born  in 
1802  in  Franklin  townsliip,  this  county,  and 
lived  there  all  his  life,  carrying  on  farming  anil 
blacksmithing.  He  died  in  1886.  His  first 
wife  was  Catharine  Beamer,  by  whom  he  had 
nine  children:  John,  Henry,  Philip,  Sarah, 
Susan,  Catharine,  Rebecca,  Christina  and  Eva 
(dead). 

Pbili[)  Hill's  wife  was  Kachael  Morrison  (nee 
Mathes),  a  daughter  of  Jame.s  and  Mary  (Clif- 
ford) Mathes,  who  was  born  at  JMurrysville, 
September  11,  1837.  His  father  was  a  native 
of  this  county  ami  the  father  of  eight  chihhen  : 
.loscjih,  .Mary  A.,  William,  James,  John,  -Mar- 
garet, Jackson  ami  llachael.  Uf  these  children 
three  are  yet  living.  Mr.  Hill  was  previously 
married,   however,   to   Nancy   Ross,  a   daughter 


of  Hugh  Ross,  of  Allegheny  county,  Pa.,  by 
whom  he  had  ten  children  :  Lizzie,  Catharine, 
John,  (ieoige,  Anna  M.,  Joseph,  Certrude, 
Helle,  .Artie  S.  and  .May.  (if  lluse  (iertrnde, 
P>ello,  May,  J(din  and  Joseiili  are  living;  the 
latter  is  a  resident  of  Nebraska. 

Philip  Hill  received  his  education  in  subscrip- 
tion schools  and  has  always  followed  farming, 
now  owning  a  valuable  farm  in  Franklin  town- 
ship. He  is  <i  stanch  and  influential  democrat, 
has  served  as  assessor  and  tax  collector  of  his 
township,  and  with  his  wife  belongs  to  the  M.  . 
E.  church  at  Sardis,  in  which  he  holds  the  posi- 
tions of  trustee,  steward  and  treasurer.  He  is 
an  active,  energetic  man  of  excellent  character, 
and  a  citizen  of  honor,  worth  and  stability.  He 
entered  Co.  A,  one  hundred  and  sixty-eighth 
reg.,  Pa.  Vols.,  but  served  only  about  six  weeks 
when  he  was  allowed  to  return  home. 


•j|*USIAII  HARA'EY,  one  of  the  residents 
I  of  the  county,  was  born  February  12,  I80y, 
2/  in  Franklin  township,  Westmoreland  county, 
Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Margaret  (Dunn) 
Ilarvey.  His  grandfather,  Josiah  Harvey,  was 
a  native  of  England  but  immigrated  to  America 
at  an  early  day  and  served  as  aid-de-camp  on 
the  staff  of  Gen.  ^Vashington  during  the  entire 
Revolutionary  war  ;  afterwards  during  the  In- 
dian troubles  he  was  a  captain  of  scouts  in 
Westmoreland  county;  he  died  in  1818,  aged 
about  seventy-si.x  years.  John  Ilarvey  (father) 
was  born  east  of  the  Allegheny  mountains  and 
on  April  23,  180.5,  married  Margaret  Dunn, 
who  bore  him  three  chihlren  :  Ann,  born  June 
27,  1800;  Josiah  and  J.  T.  Harvey. 

Josiah  Harvey  was  born  at  a  time  when  edu- 
cational advantages  were  decidedly  limited;  his 
entire  time  at  scjiool  did  not  exceed  eigiiteen 
months  and  that  was  spent  in  the  ordinary  sub- 
scription schools  of  his  day.  In  1824  when 
but  fifteen  years  of  age  he  engaged  in  the  full- 
ing  and   carding  business   at    -Murrysvilie,  this 


BIOGRAPniES  OF 


ooiiiity,  witli  lii.s  uiiilo  Josiali  W.  ll;irvi'y.  wlio 
livL'it  to  the  ;ulvaiici.'il  age  of  10:3  years.  With 
liis  iiiiclo  lio  roinaiiied  five  yoais  ami  tlii'ii  licgan 
l>usiiiess  fur  liimsclf  at  llie  same  |]lace,  ccnitinu- 
iiig  tlicri;  fur  twi'iity-miu  yearn.  In  IS.'jl  lie 
Opened  u  general  nierclianilise  store  at  that 
point  but  after  six  years  sold  out  and  embarked 
in  the  insurance  business.  He  removed  in  1860 
to  Salem  borough  where  he  has  ever  since  con- 
tinued in  the  same  business  except  for  a  period 
of  five  years,  during  the  first  of  which  he  was 
mercantile  appraiser  and  the  last  four  was  gen- 
eral field  manager  in  connection  with  Simon 
Ilugus  for  the  Salem  Oil  company,  which  was 
operating  on  Oil  creek.  In  1876  ^Ir.  Harvey 
was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  in  Salem  bor- 
ough, wiiich  office  he  has  held  continuously 
since  that  date;  in  1880  he  was  again  appointed 
mercantile  appraiser.  For  nearly  forty  years 
he  has  been  connected  with  the  I.  0.  O.  F..  in 
which  order  he  is  a  Past  Grand  ;  is  identified 
with  the  Presbyterian  church,  in  which  he  has 
been  a  trustee  for  about  tiiirty  years.  In  poli- 
tics he  has  always  been  a  stanch  democrat,  hav- 
ing cast  liis  first  vote  for  Andrew  Jackson.  In 
Franklin  township  lie  served  as  assessor  and 
ta.x-collector  ami  was  a  member  of  the  school 
board  for  twelve  years;  in  Salem  borough  he 
lias  served  as  tax-collector  and  has  been  one  of 
the  school  board  for  nine  years.  During  the 
administration  of  President  Pierce  he  Avas  ap- 
pointed postniasti'r  at  Murrysville  and  held  the 
(illice  unlil  I  Ml  I,  uliru  lie  resigned  ami  tele- 
graphed to  Kul'iis  King,  pdstniaster-general,  re- 
commending Johnston  McElroy,  who  received 
the  commission,  being  the  first  appointee  under 
Lincoln's  administration. 

Josiah  Harvey  in  18-'!0  was  mari-ied  to  Cath- 
erine l)uer  (if  Muirysville  and  they  have  three 
children  living:  JauH's  Stewart  Harvey,  a 
farmer  of  West  A'irginia;  David  Todd  Harvey, 
a  member  of  the  AVestnioreland  county  bar  ;  and 
Maigaret  Duer  Harvey,  who  is  now  the  wife  of 
II.  ?>I.  Hosack  of  Plairsville,  Iinliana  countv.  Pa. 


4. 


ICIIAKL  RUtill  lIAYMAKKii,  a  de- 
scendant of  a  prominent  pioneer  family 
of  the  county  and  a  son  of  John  and 
Ann  (Nowlon)  Haymaker,  >\as  born  l)eeend.er 
;•,  LSK),  1,11  iIk;  olil  homestead  in  Franklin 
township,  Westmoreland  county,  I'a.  His  great- 
grandfather was  Christopher  Haymaker,  a  na- 
tive of  Germany,  who  immigrated  to  this  coun- 
try, where  he  died  in  1TS8,  and  lies  burieil  at 
the  mouth  of  Plum  creek,  where  the  village  of 
Verona  now  stands.  Jacob  Haymaker  (grand- 
father) was  one  of  the  early  residents  of  Franklin 
township  and  a  noted  justice  of  the  peace  in 
"ye  olden  time,"  who  was  the  father  of  three 
sons:  John,  George  and  Michael,  who  all  be- 
came wealthy  farmers  and  leading  men  of  the 
township.  One  of  these  sons,  John  Haymaker 
(father),  had  five  sons  who  served  in  the  civil 
war  and  ■  all  came  home  safe.  They  were  all 
volunteers  and  their  names  were  William  N., 
George,  John,  Michael  R.  and  Frank  Laird. 
At  the  battle  of  Fair  Oaks  William  was  shot 
through  the  leg  and  at  Malvern  Hill  John  was 
shot  through  an  arm,  but  neither  wound  proved 
very  serious  and  both  entirely  recovered. 

Michael  R.  Haymaker  spent  his  early  life 
on  the  home  farm,  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  and  was  for  years  a  miller  at 
the  old  mill  on  the  homestead,  which  was  built 
in  180'J.  Latterly  he  has  been  engaged  in  the 
pursuit  of  agriculture,  in  which  he  has  achieved 
success.  Mr.  Haymaker  eidisted  August  1st, 
ISi'il,  ill  (',,.  A.  sixty-third  reg.  Pa.  \'ols.,  and 
served  in  Phil.  Kearney's  Division,  partici- 
pating in,  numerous  battles,  among  which  were 
the  Wilderness,  Cold  Harbor  and  Spottsylvania. 
His  chief  service,  however,  was  that  of  issuing 
clerk  in  the  lirigade  commissary.  Mr.  R.  Ilay- 
midier's  great-uncle,  Frederick  Haymaker,  was 
the  private  secretary  of  Aaron  Burr  during  the 
alleged  conspiracy  troubles,  but  he  remained 
loyal  to  the  country,  and  afterwards  removed  to 
Ohio,  where  he  reared  a  family  of  twenty-one 
children.      M.  P.  Haymaker   is  now   a  niendjcr 


WESTMORELAND   CO  USTr. 


of  tlie  Cr.  A.  R.  ami  bclonjj;s  to  the  rresbytcrian 
chiuvli.  llis  groat-graiulfutlier  and  wife  and 
two  cliildiun  were  captured  by  Indians :  one 
of  the  children,  a  little  boy,  died  in  captivity. 
Mr.  Haymaker's  great-grandfather  and  grand- 
mother were  sold  as  prisoners  of  war  and  eon- 
fined  in  prison  in  Canada  for  four  years.  His 
grandmother  remained  with  the  Indians  during 
that  time.  After  peace  Avas  declared  she  was 
recovered  by  her  parents,  she  being  at  that  time 
nine  years  of  age.  He  belongs  to  a  family  of 
thirteen  children  ;  one  brother  and  three  sisters 
sleep  in  the  cemetery  at  Murrysville  ;  William  N. 
resides  in  the  village  of  Turtle  Creek  ;  (Jeorge 
is  a  prosperous  and  wealthy  farmer  of  Warrens- 
burg,  Mo. ;  John  and  Frank  Laird  are  residents 
of  AVest  Virginia  ;  Mary,  intermarried  with  llev. 
A.  McElwain,  D.  D.  ;  Nancy,  married  L.  M. 
Service,  ]SI.  D.  (lately  deceased),  both  residents 
of  Philadelphia;  Keziah,  married  William  Cham- 
bers, and  at  present  is  a  resident  of  this  county 
near  Apollo  ;  Elizabeth,  married  J.  W.  Harvey, 
and  resides  in  Foxburg,  Clarion  county,  Pa. 


^YY^LLIAM  HILLIS,  an  old  citizen,  an  in- 
telligent farmer  and  active  republican  of 
llemiifield  township,  was  born  one  mile 
north  of  Mt.  Pleasant,  Westmoreland  county. 
Pa.,  April  8,  I81!l,  and  is  a  son  of  Robert  and 
Elizabeth  (Wynn)  Ilillis.  His  grandfather, 
William  Ilillis,  was  a  linen  weaver,  who  came 
in  IT'.t'.l  from  Ireland  to  AVestinoreland  county 
where  he  settled  in  the  neighborhooil  of  Mt. 
Pleasant.  He  left  two  sons  named  Robert  and 
John.  Robert,  the  elder  son,  was  the  father  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Jle  was  born  in  the 
north  of  Ireland  at  a  place  from  which  he  could 
look  over  on  the  "  braes  "  of  Scotland.  At  fif- 
teen years  of  age  he  embarked  on  board  of  a 
ship  for  America,  and  after  a  stormy  voyage  of 
three  months  landed  at  New  York  City.  He 
accompanied  his  father  to  this  county,  where  he 
(Robert)  died  in  June,  181'J,  at  thirty-five  years 


of  age.  Robert  Ilillis  was  one  of  the  most 
powerful  men  ])liysically  that  ever  lived  in  the 
county.  He  was  a  weaver  jjy  trade,  a  democrat 
in  politics  and  married  Elizabeth  Wynn  who 
bore  him  one  child  (William).  She  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Jonathan  and  Peggy  (Reed)  Wynn,  who 
came  to  Westmoreland  from  Chester  county. 
Pa.  Jonathan  Wynn  was  an  iron-master,  a 
whig  and  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church. 

AVilliam  Ilillis  received  his  education  in  the 
schools  of  his  neighborhood  and  Washington 
college,  which  he  attended  for  one  year.  Leaving 
college  he  taught  ten  winter  terms  of  school 
while  he  employed  the  intervening  summers  in 
farming.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  relin- 
(juislied  teaching  and  gave  his  attention  entirely 
to  farming  and  stock-raising  which  he  still  con- 
tinues to  pursue. 

He  united  in  marriage  on  February  22,  1844, 
with  Catherine  Simpson,  a  daughter  of  James 
Simpson,  who  was  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812. 
Of  their  marriage  have  been  born  ten  children, 
of  whom  seven  are  living :  Albert,  who  is  a  far- 
mer; Millard  F.,  Lyman,  who  was  clerk  for  four 
and  steward  for  two  years  of  the  county  home ; 
Warren,  who  will  graduate  in  April,  1890,  from 
Meadville  Business  college;  Edgar  C,  also  a 
farmer  ;  Emma,  wife  of  C.  C.  Ilarrold  of  Hemp- 
field  township,  who  is  engaged  in  farming;  and 
Jessie  Benton. 

William  Ilillis  was  a  whig,  and  when  that 
party  went  down  he  affiliated  with  the  republican 
organization.  He  was  a  strong  union  man 
during  the  war,  has  never  sought  any  office  and 
is  always  actively  engaged  in  politics.  He  is 
strictly  temfjcrate,  thoroughly  industrious  and 
has  been  a  useful  member  of  the  Big  Sewickley 
Regular  Baptist  church  for  fifty  years. 


'IIOMAS  HISSEM  is  one  of  the  respected 
citizens  and  substantial  farmers  of  Salem 
-;•      township.        He    is   the    fourth   son    and 
eighth  child  of  Abner  and  Mary  (\Velker)   His- 


BIOGRAnilES  OF 


scin  and  was  born  in  IIcm|ifii'lil  towiisliiji.  \Ve.st- 
morelaiiil  comity,  I'a.,  June  lo,  1^24.  Aimer 
Ilissem  was  a  consistent  iiienilier  of  tlie  Presby- 
terian <lnnrli.  lie  nianicil  Mary  Welker  ulio 
(lieil  AiiLTUst  --.  IS.iS.  'I'heir  iiniiiu  Was  Messeil 
witli  eleven  cliiMron:  Elizabeth  (ilecea.sed),  who 
■was  born  in  1!S05,  and  married  Samuel  Fox; 
Jane,  born  February  8,  1807,  married  Joshua 
Evans ;  AViiliam,  born  April  22,  1809  ;  Samuel 
(dead),  who  was  born  July  4,  1811 ;  Ruth,  (de- 
ceased), born  iNIareh  8,  1814,  and  was  the  wife  of 
Jonas  Ruff:  Mary,  born  November  28,  181G, 
married  George  Speelman  and  is  dead  ;  Abner, 
Jr.,  born  February  1,  1820 ;  Anne,  who  was  born 
May  15,  1822,  and  is  the  wife  of  David  Kintigh, 
now  of  Ohio;  Thomas;  Jesse  (deceased),  born 
January  24,  1827  ;  Emily,  wiio  was  born  Aug- 
ust 24,  182II,  and  died  at  five  years  of  age. 

Thomas  Ilissem  was  reared  to  agricultural 
pursuits  and  received  his  education  in  the  sub- 
scription schools  of  the  neighborhood.  At  nine- 
teen years  of  age  he  left  school  and  learned  the 
blacksmith  trade.  After  serving  the  usual  aj)- 
prenticeship  of  three  years  at  that  trade  he 
opened  a  shop  for  liimself  which  he  conducted 
for  four  years.  In  1850  Mr.  Ilissem  removed 
to  Salem  townshi])  where  he  has  been  engaged  in 
blacksmithing  and  farming. 

lie  was  married  March  12,  184G.  to  Susan 
Klingensmith,  daughter  of  David  and  Maria 
Klingensuiith,  of  I'l'iin  townsiiij).  Mr.  and  Mrs.  t 
Ilissem  have  had  nine  children  :  .lesse,  who  died 
at  fivo  year.s  of  age  ;  David  K.,  Krolielia,  wife 
of  Amos  J.  Shutt;  Ann  Maria,  who  married  J. 
F.  Walton  ;  Melissa  J.,  wife  of  W.  II.  J,,hnson  ; 
Lyman;   William  E.  ;   Schuyler  ('.,  and    Ira  0. 

TlidiiiaM  Ilissem  owns  a  well  cLillivalcil  and 
valuable  farm  in  Salem  towiisliip.  lie  is  a  mem- 
ber of  New  Salem  I'resbyterian  church  and  Good 
Intent  Grange,  No.  8li2,  Tatronsof  Husbandry 
of  Salem  township.  .Mr.  Ilissem  is  a  (juiet, 
peaceable  citizen,  an  excellent  neighbor  and  hon- 
est nian  and  an  exemplary  church  member.  In 
politics  he  is  a  re|iublican. 


/^-XAVIl)  K.  IIISSEM.a  man  of  strong  iu- 
1^  telleetual  force  and  a  leading  citizen  of 
Salem  towiishi|i,  Westmoreland  county, 
I'a.,  was  lioiii  iheie  .lune  27,  IS'id,  ;in(l  is  a  son 
of  Tlionias  and  Susan  (  Klingensinilli)  Ilissem. 
(For  ancestry  see  sketch  of  Tliomas  Ilissem). 
David  K.  Ilissem  left  the  common  schools  at  the 
age  of  sixteen  years  and  learned  the  blacksmith 
trade  with  his  father.  On  March  4,  1875,  he 
went  to  Grapeville,  this  county,  where  he  worked 
some  time  as  a  journeyman  and  then  returned 
home  where  he  workeduntil  September  10,  1876, 
when  he  purchased  a  farm  near  Beaver  Run 
school  house  in  what  is  now  the  ftimous  Grape- 
ville Gas  Belt.  On  this  farm  the  Philadelpiiia 
Gas  company  is  now  operating  and  has  one  well 
an  excellent  producer.  Since  buying  and  re- 
moving upon  his  farm,  which  contains  all  modern 
improvements,  ^Ir.  Ilissem  has  steadily  worked 
at  his  trade  in  which  he  does  a  large  and  paying 
business,  lie  is  a  member  of  Good  Intent 
Grange,  No.  802,  P.  of  II.,  in  which  he  has  held 
the  important  office  of  Lecturer  and  is  now  the 
Worthy  Master.  Recognizing  the  fact  that  the 
farmers  as  a  class  have  been  imposed  upon  and 
deprived  of  those  "equal  rights  "  to  wdiich  they 
are  entitled  under  the  great  organic  law  of  our 
republic,  he  takes  an  active  interest  in  this  or- 
ganization and  is  a  vigorous  champion  of  the  in- 
terests of  the  tiller  of  tlie  soil,  whose  cause  is 
just  and  whose  righteous  demands  have  been  ne- 
cessitated liv  the  oppression  of  corporate  and 
mono])olistic  ))ower.  ^Ir.  Ilissem  possesses  native 
ability  of  a  high  order,  is  a  forcilde  speaker,  a 
logical  reasonerand  man  of  sound  common  sense. 

I).  K.  Ilissem  was  married  October  o,  1870, 
to  Eiz/ie  M.  Johnston,  a  daughter  of  AViiliam 
and  ]\ielinda  C.  Johnston,  of  Salem  township, 
who  was  born  Novendier  12,  1854. 

They  have  had  six  chihlren  :  Birdie  M.,  born 
August  G,  1877  ;  Maggie  F.,  August  ID,  1878  ; 
Linnie  V.,  November  2!l,  1H7M;  Earle  D., 
August  12,  1888;  Susan  A.  and  Lizzie  .M.,  who 
died  in  inl'aney. 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


AJOU  AVI1,TJA^[  lirCrS,  one  of  tlio 
I   I     |iroii]iuriit  citi/A'li.s   111"    tlic    (.'oiiiitv,   w;i.s 

'^  honi  June  -i!),  182:5,  near  S:ilcin  (Dul- 
mont),  Wfstniureland  county,  Pa.,  and  is  a  son 
of  Henry  and  Elizabetli  (Swartz)  llugus.  His 
grandfather,  John  Ilugus,  was  a  Huguenot  and 
immigrated  from  France  to  this  country,  locating 
in  eastern  Pennsylvania,  where  his  son  Henry 
■was  born,  probably  in  Northumberland  county, 
about  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war. 
Henry  Hugus  (father)  removed  to  Pleasant 
Unit}',  this  county,  and  finally  to  Salem  town- 
ship, where  he  died  in  1848.  He  formerly  en- 
gaged in  farming  but  at  Salem  carried  on  the 
hotel  business  in  connection  therewith.  He  was 
married  to  Elizabeth  Swartz,  a  native  of  Dau- 
phin county,  who  was  of  German  descent,  and 
they  had  nine  children,  two  of  whom  are  living — 
Henry  and  AVilliam. 

William  Hugus  after  leaving  the  subscription 
schools  of  his  day  began  life  as  a  store  clerk  in 
Pittsburg,  and  in  1848  engaged  with  John  Zim- 
merman as  a  jiartner  in  the  mercantile  business, 
remaining  with  him  four  years  when  he  sold  out 
and  for  the  ne.xt  eight  years  ran  a  woolen  mill. 
He  then  embarked  in  photography  but  soon  quit 
to  serve  his  country  on  the  field  of  battle.  On 
the  second  of  July,  18(11,  he  enlisted  in  the 
eleventh  Pa.  Reserves  as  sergeant-major  and 
served  till  Septendjer  20,  18(J2,  participating  in 
all  the  engagements  of  his  regiment  except  Sec- 
ond Pull  Run.  Mr.  Hugus  has  a  unique  army 
record.  IK-  went  out  as  a  regimental  ollicer  and 
never  belonged  to  any  company  ;  after  serving 
for  a  time  he  was  appointed  band-master  and 
when  he  got  orders  to  muster  out  his  bands  he 
did  so  but  refused  to  muster  himself  out  and  re- 
mained with  the  army,  though  he  belonged  to  no 
particular  part  of  it,  and  at  the  time  of  the 
muster  out  was  Acting-l^uartermastcr  of  the 
regiment.  After  the  battle  of  Antietam,  how- 
ever, he  was  mustered  out  by  Col.  Magilten 
an<l  returned  home,  where  he  ran  a  livery  stable 
for  a  time  and  later  carried  on  the  drug  bu.siness 


for  some  years.  November  1,  IS.")!),  lie  was 
coniiiiissioned  by  the  Ucivernor  of  Pennsylvania 
Aid-de-camp  with  the  rank  of  ca])taiu  in  lirst 
brigade,  17th  division,  unifoi'med  militia  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  on  the  eightii  of  September, 
1875,  was  commissioned  by  tlic  Governor  Aid- 
de-camp  with  the  rank  of  Major  in  the  8tli 
division  of  the  National  Guards  of  Pennsylvania 
(now  the  10th  reg.,  N.  G.  P.);  this  division 
was  at  the  Pittsburg  riots  in  1877.  On  the  fifth 
of  November,  1870,  Maj.  Hugus  was  elected 
and  commissioned  justice  of  the  peace  for  the 
borough  of  New  Salem  for  the  terra  of  five  years 
and  served  with  ability  and  fidelity.  In  1881 
he  was  elected  register  and  recorder  on  the 
democratic  ticket,  having  a  majority  over  his 
competitor  of  eight  hundred  an<l  seventy-four 
and  running  about  four  hundred  votes  ahead  of 
the  ticket.  During  his  three  years  of  service  in 
this  office  he  resided  at  Greensburg  but  returned 
in  1885  to  Delmont,  where  he  now  lives.  For 
some  years  lie  was  a  metnbcr  of  the  firm  of 
Clements,  Clawson  ..^  Ilugus  but  in  March, 
1881',  sold  out  and  is  now  practically  retired, 
though  still  engaged  in  repairing  and  improving 
his  property.  He  is  a  member  of  Major  John  B. 
Keenan  Post,  No.  500,  G.  A.  11.,  in  which  order 
he  is  now  a  past  commander  ;  also  a  member  of 
Carmel  Lodge,  No.  542,  I.  0.  O.  F.  He  is 
identified  with  the  Reformed  eluirch  and  is  a 
gentleman  of  agreeable  manners,  un(iuestioned 
character  and  wide-spread  popularity.  Like  his 
ancestoi'S  for  generations  back  he  is  a  sonnd 
democrat  though  by  no  means  a  bigoted  partisan. 
Major  William  Hugus  was  twice  married,  his 
first  wife  being  Eleanor  M.  Christie,  of  Pittsburg, 
to  whom  he  was  married  in  1851  and  who  died 
December  29,  1853.  He  married  a  second  time 
October  29,  18C.8,  Sarah  J.  Walton,  of  DelmoiU, 
being  the  woman  of  his  choice.  They  have  four 
children  living  :  Hattie  Eleanor,  born  ( (ctober 
23,  18G9;  Joseph  W.,  born  Ajail  7,  1871; 
Nancy  E.,  born'  March  27,  1S73;  and  Helen 
Grace,  born  January  29,  1881. 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


ARION  IIUGUS.  The  introduction  of 
I  f  natural  gas  as  a  fuel  marks  an  important 
♦  epoch  in  the  history  of  Westmoreland 
County,  and  one  \vh(j  is  successfully  engai^ed  in 
develo[)ing  gas  wells  and  supplying  gas  for  do- 
mestic use  is  Marion  Ilugus,  an  active  and  enter- 
prising business  man  of  New  Salem.  lie  is  a  son 
of  lion.  John  and  Ann  C.  (McGinlcy)  Ilugus  and 
was  born  in  AVestmoreland  county,  Pa.,  March 
17,  1847. 

A  French  Huguenot  by  the  name  of  Ilugus 
immigrated  to  this  country  about  174.J,  and 
settled  in  Northampton  county,  Pa.  His  son, 
John  Ilugus,  removed  to  Unity  township  and 
reared  a  family  of  several  children.  One  of 
the  sons  was  Ilcnry  Ilugus,  the  grandfatlier  of 
Marion  Ilugus.  Henry  Ilugus  removed  in 
1818  to  Salem  township,  where  he  purchased  a 
farm  one  and  one-half  miles  south  of  New  Salem, 
on  which  he  died  in  182'J.  He  married  Eliza- 
beth Schwartz,  who  passed  away  in  June,  1854. 
They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children  :  Cath- 
arine, wife  of  Isaac  Bosler  of  Ohio  ;  Margaret, 
who  married  George  Lose  ;  Sarah,  wife  of  George 
Keck  ;  Hon.  John,  Simon,  Isaac,  Jacob,  Henry, 
who  married  Sarah  Waugaman  and  one  of  whose 
8on«  is  Prof.  George  II.  Ilugus,  the  present  elfi- 
cient  and  popular  county  superintendent  of 
common  scliools,  and  William.  Of  these  chil- 
dren, Hon.  John  Hugus  was  born  at  Pleasant 
Unity,  December  21,  1810,  and  received  his 
education  in  the  schools  of  his  neighborhood. 
At  eighteen  years  he  engaged  at  New  Salem  in 
the  mercantile  business  which  he  followed  for 
over  twenty  years.  He  also  carried  on  milling 
and  owned  and  operated  for  several  years  a  large 
distillery  near  New  Salem.  He  served  as 
sheriff  of  Westmoreland  county  from  1849  to 
1852  and  in  1870  was  elected  to  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Legislature,  in  which  he  served  for  two 
years.  He  married  for  his  first  wife  Ann  C. 
McGinley  and  for  his  second  C.  A.  Ford. 

Marion.  Hughes  received  his  education  in  the 
public  ai^il  select  schools  of  Salem  borough  and 


Jefferson  college  which  he  attended  one  year. 
At  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  engaged  in  the 
distilling  business  ut  Boucpict,  which  he  followed 
for  three  years.  He  then  assisted  his  father 
until  187t)  wlien  he  went  to  the  oil  fields  in 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  remained  until  1882. 
In  that  year  he  engaged  with  the  noted 
contractor,  Daniel  Dull,  and  was  employed 
for  two  years  in  drilling  artesian  wells  in 
New  York  city.  In  1S7'J  he  returned  to 
Westmoreland  county  and  embarked  in  the 
natural  gas  business,  which  he  has  followed  ever 
since.  At  the  present  time  he  is  supplying 
New  Salem  with  natural  gas  for  domestic  and 
manufacturing  purposes. 

He  was  married  on  June  15,  1870,  tj  Susanna 
OJgen  of  Torrance,  who  died  and  left  him  one 
child,  Ira.  He  united  in  marriage  with  Sarah 
Mcllvain,  daughter  of  John  Mcllvuin  of  ^Vil- 
kinsburg.  B\'  his  second  marriage  he  has  one 
child,  a  ilaughter,  who  is  named  Martha   Helen. 

Marion  Hugus  is  a  member  of  Westmoreland 
Lodge,  No.  518,  A.  Y.  M.  and  New  Salem 
Presbyterian  church. 


XOIIN  A.  JONES,  an  industrious  trades- 
I  man  of  Weaver's  Old  Stand  and  a  soldier 
(2/  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  the  Army  of 
the  South  and  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland, 
was  born  in  Franklin  county.  Pa.,  December  18, 
1833,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Jlary  (Kunkle) 
Jones.  John  Jones  (the  father)  was  born  in 
Wales  and  was  brought  to  the  United  States  by 
his  father.  He  was  a  blacksmitli  by  trade  and 
worked  principally  in  Franklin  county.  Pa. 
He  lived  to  be  seventy-five  years  of  age.  His 
wife  was  Mary  Kunkle,  who  bore  him  four  chil- 
dren. She  died  in  the  seventy-second  year  of 
her  age. 

John  A.  Jones  learned  the  trade  of  black- 
smith with  his  father  in  Franklin  county  and 
removed  about  1857  tn  .Mt.  Pleasant  where  he 
I'an  a  blacksmith  shop  for  live  years.      In   18(J2 


n'ESTMORELAXD  CO  UNTV. 


wlicn  p:itriot.-i  wore  ik'spoiuleiit  of  tlie  cause  of 
the  Union  lie  culisteil  in  Co.  B,  tweiity-eiglitli 
reg.  I'a.  Vols,  but  wa.s  soon  tran.-iferred  to  a 
riiiiaiieipliia  r()iii|i;uiy.  lie  servnl  with  llie 
Army  of  tiie  rutumar,  was  ne.xt  sent  south  ami 
was  then  transferred  to  the  western  army,  lie 
was  witli  Sherman  in  his  Georgia  march  to  the 
sea  and  his  Carolina  march  toward  Lee  and  the 
army  of  Northern  Virginia.  He  served  as  reg- 
imental blacksmith  for  a  couple  of  years  and 
then  was  made  wagon-master.  lie  received  an 
injury  of  his  back  wliich  still  troubles  him.  In 
1865  he  was  honorably  discharged  from  the 
United  States  service  after  having  been  in  the 
field  for  three  years  and  three  months.  After 
the  war  closed  he  returned  to  AVestmoreland 
county  and  resumed  work  at  his  trade.  In 
1S76  he  removed  to  Weaver's  Old  Stand  where 
he  has  conducted  a  blacksmith  shop  ever  since. 

Mr.  Jones  united  in  marriage  with  Nancy 
Kuhn  of  Mt.  Pleasant.  They  have  had  si.x 
children  :  Sarah,  wife  of  Robert  Wagoner  of 
Tarr  station  ;  MoUie ;  Minnie,  who  is  married 
to  Cyrus  Stout  of  llufl"s  Dale ;  Lydia,  Clara 
and  Alice.  Mrs.  Jones  is  of  German  extrac- 
tion and  her  father  was  a  shoemaker  who  worked 
at  his  trade  at  Mt.  I'leasant  for  many  years. 

.Idhn  A.  Jones  is  a  good  workman  and  has 
prospered  at  his  trade.  He  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  United  Brethren  church.  He 
is  a  democrat,  has  always  supported  the  candi- 
dates of  the  Democratic  party  and  believes  that 
its  return  to  power  is  niccssary  for  the  prospciilv 
of  the  nation. 


■T^ENRY  KECK  (deceased)  was  born  in 
I  J  New  Salem,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa., 
(*)  July  '22,  1831,  and  was  a  son  of  George 
and  Sarah  (Hugus)  Keck.  His  graiidlatlur, 
George  Keck,  a  faiiniT  liy  oc('ii|ialion,  rcsidrd 
in  I'enii  township,  tliis  county,  where  he  ilicd  in 
18r)«.  lie  had  a  son,  (ieorge  Keck  (fallier), 
■\vho  was  born   in   the    "Manor,"   in   Ibi'S,  :iud 


!  who   followed  farming   until    lS4ii  when   he  re- 
I   ni<iveil  to  New  Salem   (L»elmont)   and    kept    the 
I  Walton    House   for   three   yt-'ars.       During   the 
lie.xl  ten  years  he  ran  a  hotid  in  Miirrysville  but 
j   was  burneil  out  in  1S.'>(J;   then,  alter  a  year   in 
I   Irwin,  he  returned  to  New  Salem  and  engaged 
I  for  several  years   in   the  general    merchandise 
business.     After  running  a   tannery  for  a  time 
he   engaged   in   the   drug  business   with   Zach. 
Zimmerman,  but  in  a  few  years  engaged  in  the 
mercantile    business   in   company  with  his  sou 
Henry.     George    Keck    died    jMarch   2,    1872. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church  and 
married    Sarah    Ilugus    of   New    Salem    about 
1830,  who  bore  him  eleven  children  :    Henry ; 
Margaret  Ann,  who  nuirried  Jerry  Wanamaker  ; 
Sarah,  wedded  to  Dr.  Murray ;   Lucinda,  mar- 
ried Samuel  McCutcheon ;   Maria,  now  in  Ne- 
braska ;     Simon    P. ;     Emma,    wife    of   George 
Harding  of  Nebraska  ;  Louisa,  married  to  Dr. 
Bush  of  Nebraska ;    William   H.,  a  jihysician ; 
George  M.  and   Clara,  wife  of  Charles  Coverly 
of  Nebraska. 

Henry  Keck  left  the  common  schools  at  the 
age  of  twenty  years  and  served  four  years  as 
clerk  in  a  Pleasant  Unity  store.  During  the 
ne.xt  four  years  he  was  in  company  with  his 
father  at  Murrysville  running  a  general  store, 
after  which  ho  spent  three  years  at  Rural  Vil- 
lage, Armstrong  county,  and  the  same  length 
of  time  at  Lebanon,  Indiana  county.  Return- 
ing to  New  Salem  in  18(30,  he  engaged  with  his 
father  in  the  dry  gooils  business,  which  he  con- 
tinued till  1884.  In  1884  he,  in  company  with 
Joseph  Harvey  and  Dr.  L.  R.  Metzgar,  built  a 
large  woolen  factory  in  Salem,  which  is  yet  in 
successful  operation.  Mr.  Keck  was  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  church  for  thirty -six  years 
and  was  a  most  estimable  Christian  gentleman, 
wlio'^e  death  (U^8()'),  cast  a  lasting  gloom  over 
thr  entile  coiiiiiiunity. 

Henry  Keek  \\as  married  September  21, 
1M.")1,  to  Mary,  a  dauglittr  of  Josejih  and  Mary 
Miller  of  Murrysville,  and    to    them   were  Ijorn 


676 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


the  following  children  :  Clara  Virginia  and  Ida 
]\Iay  (died  in  childhood);  George  A.,  born 
October  17,  l8oS  ;  .L.sepli  M.,  born  :\rarch  27, 
IHOI  ;  Milo  '!'.,  bdiu  Octolicr  I'J,  iSC,:;;  ;„id 
Sadir  A.,  bnni  .Marcli  l'ii,   |S70. 

Mr.  iveck  was  siu'cetdcil  in  tlie  dry  gonds 
store  in  KS.S7  by  iiis  two  sons,  George  A.  and 
Joseph  M.,  who  are  also  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  woolen  goods  and  are  now  doing  a 
very  extensive  business  in  both.  Tiie  nierean- 
tile  establishment  is  a  most  excellent  one  and 
its  pi-oprietors  are  not  only  efficient  young  busi- 
ness men  but  popular  and  deserving  citizens  as 
well. 


^  LIJAH  NEWLON  KEISTER,  a  substan- 
la^j*  tial  and  leading  citizen  of  Fianklin  town- 
ship, and  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  oldest 
and  most  highly  respected  families  of  the  same, 
is  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Jane  (Aber)  Keister,  and 
was  born  August  23,  1«22,  near  Murrysville, 
Westmoreland  county.  Pa.  His  grandfather  Avas 
George  Philip  Keister,  a  native  of  Germany, 
who  came  to  this  country  about  the  middle  of 
the  eighteenth  century  and  settled  in  Franklin 
townshij)  where,  in  1784,  Daniel  Keister  (father) 
was  born.  The  latter,  who  died  in  1862,  was  a 
farmer  and  owned  a  tract  of  nearly  two  hundred 
and  fifty  acrfS.  Ilis  wife  was  also  a  native  of 
Franklin  township  and  died  on  May  14,  1828. 
They  had  a  family  of  five  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters, of  whom  all  arc  living  except  one  daughter. 
Philip,  one  of  the  sons,  served  as  a  soldier  in  the 
late  war  and  now  resides  in  Iowa. 

The  earlier  life  of  Elijah  N.  Keister  was  spent 
on  his  father's  farm,  and  since  leaving  the  com- 
mon schools  in  which  his  education  was  received, 
he  has  been  continuously  engaged  in  ai'ricultnral 
pursuits,  now  owning  a  valuable  farm  consisting 
of  more  than  one-half  of  the  old  homestead. 

His  fiist  wife,  whom  he  married  December 
20,  1841!,  was  Jane  King,  by  whom  he  liiid  live 
children,  hair  ol'   whom  are   ll\iiig.      Tlir   rhlest 


son,  Milton  Keister,  was  educated  for  the  medi- 
cal profession,  and  alter  graduating  located  in 
Illinois  where  he  practiced  until  bis  death  in 
1SS1.  'I'be  <ith<'i'  cliililren  are:  Sarah,  Anna, 
(uMiige  \\ .  and  JoJiu  ('.  <  )f  thesr,  Emma  is  the 
wife  of  E.  E.  McWilliams  who  resides  in  Mur- 
rysville.  Mrs.  Keister  having  died  September 
8,  18G9,  he,  on  the  18th  of  November,  1870, 
was  married  to  Catharine  Walp,  a  descendant  of 
one  of  the  old  and  respected  families  of  the 
county.  This  marriage  has  been  blessed  with 
one  child,  a  son  named  Newton  Homer  Keister, 
who  was  born  December  7,  1873. 

Elijah  N.  Keister  is  one  of  the  sturdy  and  re- 
liable residents  of  his  township,  is  at  present  tax 
collector  and  has  served  as  school  director  and 
assessor  several  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  at  Murrysville,  of  which  he 
for  a  long  time  was  treasurer  and  one  of  the 
trustees.  In  politics  Mr.  Keister  is  a  sterling 
democrat  and  a  willing  worker  in  the  interests  of 
his  party.  Modest  and  unassuming,  strictly 
honorable  and  conscientious. 


ICIIAEL  B.  KIFER  is  a  great-grand- 
I  I  son  of  Andrew  Byerly  wdio  was  a  pio- 
♦  neer  settler  of  this  county  and  a  trusted 
scout  of  Col.  Bouipiet  in  the  French  and  Indian 
war.  Michael  P>.  Kifer  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary 
(liyerly)  Kifer,  anil  was  born  in  Hempfield  (now 
Penn)  township,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa., 
August  22,  1S43.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
Henry  Kifer,  settled  on  the  "  Agnew  "  farm, 
near  the  site  of  Grapeville,  which  he  afterwards 
traded  for  one  on  which  the  borough  of  Penn 
now  stands.  He  was  married  to  a  Miss  Myers  of 
Hempfield  township,  and  they  reared  a  large 
family.  Jacob  Kifer  (father)  was  born  on  the 
site  of  Penn.  He  learned  the  trade  of  mason 
which  he  followeil  until  his  death  in  1845.  Ho 
married  l\Iary  Uyerly  who  was  the  youngest 
daughter  of  Michael  Kyerly,  and  died  in    18li». 


WEST^fORELAND   COUXTY. 


Mr.  unci  Mrs.  Kifor  were  the  parents  of  four  sons 
and  four  daughters :  David,  Susan,  Elizabetli, 
Mary,  Sarah,  Samuel,  Jacob  (dead)  and  Henry 
(docea.sed).  Mrs.  Kifer,  wlio  died  in  1.S77,  uas 
a  grandihiughtor  of  Andrew  ]{yerly,  whose  name 
is  inseparably  connected  witii  tlie  jiioneer  liistory 
of  wliat  is  now  Westmoreland  county.  Andrew 
Byerly  (maternal  great-grandfather)  it  is  said, 
came  from  Lancaster  county.  Pa.,  and  was  among 
the  first  pioneers  who  settled  west  of  the  Alle- 
ghenies.  He  was  a  brave  and  daring  frontiers- 
man and  was  one  of  Col.  r>ouc|uet's  scouts  at  the 
battle  of  "Bushy  Hun."  He  was  a  prominent 
man  in  the  early  history  of  this  county,  and  his 
remains  rest  in  the  Brush  Creek  cemetery.  For 
farther  history  of  Andrew  Byerly  see  sketch  ol 
Chris.  Cribbs  of  Greensburg.  Andrew  Byerly 
married  Beatrice  Cuddin  who  was  a  native  of 
Swit/erhind.  She  was  a  WiUiiau  of  more  than 
ordinary  ability  and  great  courage.  (For  an  ex- 
tendcil  account  of  her  trials  on  the  western  bor- 
der, see  sketch  of  C.  A.  Cope  of  Greensburg). 
One  of  Andrew  and  Beatrice  Byerly's  sons  was 
Micliael  (maternal  grandfather),  who  was  born 
in  Lancaster  county.  Pa.  He  married  and  had 
children,  of  wlioin  subject's  mother  was  the 
youngest.  He  <lied  in  lS-_",t  ami  twenty  years 
later  his  wiJuw  passed  away. 

Michael  B.  Kifer  was  reared  in  Hempfield 
township  and  attended  the  common  schools  until 
he  wad  fourteen  years  of  age.  He  then  learned 
the  trade  of  tailor  and  has  followed  that  line  of 
business  almost  continuously  ever  since. 

On  December  S,  18(J0,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Emma  J.  Clark,  who  is  a  daughter  of  David 
Clark,  of  Stoystown,  Somerset  county.  Pa.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Kifer  have  one  child,  Howard  C,  who 
was  born  April  29,  L^TL 

He  is  a  descendant  of  an  honest  and  substan- 
tial German  family  on  both  his  paternal  and 
maternal  side,  and  many  of  his  ancestors  sleep 
in  the  Brush  Creek  cemetery.  He  is  an  indus- 
trious citizen  and  has  been  successful  in  his  Imsi- 


•jl'ESSE  KILGORE,  a  gran.lson  of  the  Rev. 
I  olutionary  patriot,  Cajit.  David  Kilgore, 
(®/  and  one  of  Heinpfield  township's  most 
highly  respected  citizi-ns,  was  born  two  miles 
from  Pleasant  lUity,  in  ,M(junt  Pleasant  town- 
ship, Westuioi-eland  ccninty.  Pa.,  Septcmlier  S, 
1808,  and  is  the  eldest  son  of  John  and  Xancy 
(Hunter)  Kilgore.  His  grandfather,  Cajjt. 
David  Kilgore,  was  a  son  of  James  Ivilgore, 
who  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent  and  came  from 
his  birthplace  in  Ireland  to  the  Cumberland 
vallev  in  Pennsylvania  before  1741).  Caj)t.  Da- 
vid Kilgore  was  born  in  Cumberland  county, 
Pa,,  in  1745,  removed  to  Westmoreland  before 
the  Revolutionary  war  and  in  177G  was  com- 
missioned captain  of  a  company  in  the  eighth 
reg.  Pa.  Line.  He  sold  a  \aluable  mill  prop- 
erty for  money  with  which  to  clothe  his  com- 
pany and  never  asked  or  received  any  conipen- 
bation  from  the  government.  He  served  through- 
out the  war,  returned  home  and  was  a  justice  of 
the  peace  for  many  years.  He  owned  three 
large  farms  in  Westmoreland  and  several  more 
in  Indiana  county.  He  was  brave  and  high- 
spirited  and  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  Hi.^  wife  was  Sarah  Mickey  of  Cum- 
berlaml  comity,  who  bore  him  seven  sons  and 
three  daughters.  He  died  July  11,  1814,  and 
his  widow  passed  away  December  14,  18o0,  aged 
eighty-si.x  years.  C)ne  of  the  sons  was  John 
Kilgore  (father;,  who  was  born  in  1777  and 
died  November  2'2,  1847.  He  was  a  successful 
farmer,  an  earnest  and  devoted  presbyterian  and 
a  strong  democrat  in  political  opinion.  He  was 
cheerful  and  kind  in  disposition  and  commanded 
the  respect  of  all  who  knew  him.  He  married 
Nancy  Hunter,  who  Avas  born  in  Ireland,  Feb- 
ruary 2,  177-,  and  died  December  '22,  18o2. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Ale.\.  Hunter  and  was 
of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kilgore 
had  five  children  :  Jesse,  David,  born  April  15, 
1810;  John,  born  September  12,  iSll;  Alex., 
born  August  lo,  1813,  and  Nancy,  born  in 
181G  anil  died  in  1825. 


<%^- 


Jcisc  Kilgt're  rtveived  lii?  eJucation  iu  the 
rui-:il  scliiu'ls  of  MiMinr  Ple;is;int  ti)\Mi-lii|i. 
CvMrniuMiiiiig  iu  lSl5ii  lu'  laiiglu  three  terms  iiiul 
'•  boarded  rmiiid,  "  as  was  the  custom  of  tljat 
(lav.  He  iiext  kept  a  store  for  tAVO  years  and 
then  engaged  in  his  present  occupation  of  fann- 
ing. He  has  always  been  a  democrat,  was 
elected  justice  of  the  peace  in  18-t5,  served 
from  1858  to  1860  as  county  treasurer  and  was 
re-elected  justice  of  tlie  peace  in  1887.  He 
moved  to  his  present  farm  near  Greensburg  in 
ISiio.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian ehurcli  for  over  sixty  yeais,  an  elder  of  the 
same  since  1802  and  is  a  man  who  is  popular 
Avith  his  neighbors. 

On  February  12,  l>-o5,  Jesse  Kilgore  united 
in  marriage  with  Mary  Poornian.  'I'hey  have 
four  children  :  Nancy,  widow  of  John  S.  AVelty  ; 
Louisa  C,  « ife  of  J.  J.  Johnston  (see  his  sketch) ; 
John  1'.,  and  Mary  E.,  wife  of  ^V.  J.  Perrv, 
who  is  a  merchant  in  Pittsburg. 

John  P.  Kilgore,  son  of  Jesse  and  Mary 
(Poornian)  Kilgore,  was  born  near  Kcw  Alex- 
andria, this  county,  March  23,  1841.  He  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  common  schools  and 
Sewickley  academy.  Leaving  school  he  was 
clerk  for  Lobaugh  a:  Kunkle  of  Greensburg  for 
a  short  time.  From  18(i0  to  I8ilii  he  was  a 
member  of  ilie  oil  iirm  of  Kilgore,  Wanaiiiaker 
\  Co..  of  N'euaugo  counly,  I'a.  Fiom  ihe  oil 
I'egi'in  lie  returned  to  this  county,  purchased  the 
Henry  George  farm  at  George's  station,  engaged 
in  farming  and  breccling  fine  live  stock  ;  in  IStiT 
he  became  a  miiiiber  of  the  Iirm  of  A.  k"c  J.  1'. 
Ivilgore  and  engaged  successfully  in  buying  and 
selling  horses.  In  187o  the  firm  purchased  a 
stable  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  and  became  extensive 
shippers  of  horses  to  that  market.  Dishonest 
employees  and  the  panic  ruined  their  business. 
Since  1881  he  lias  been  engag(;d  in  the  mercan- 
tile business  at  George's  station. 

On  February  2'J,  1872,  John  P.  Kilgore 
married  Maggie,  daughter  of  Samuel  Long.  To 
heir      union    have    been    born    three    children: 


Louise  (deceased) ;  Hallie  ],.,  who  died  from  the 
elleets  of  a  fall,  and  Maggie.  Mrs.  K'ilgore  is 
a  member  ol'  the  Presbyterian  church. 

In  politics  ^Ir.  Kilgore  is  a  democrat  and  has 
served  as  postmaster  at  George's  station  since 
1881.  He  is  a  successful  mertdiant  and  a  genial 
and  obliging  gentleman. 


•|*ACOB  H.  KUHNS,  a  prominent  contrac- 
tor and  builder,  is  a  son  of  John  W.  and 
Hannah  JL  (Hobaugh)  Kulins  and  was 
born  ^larcli  11,  1850,  in  Franklin  township, 
Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  where  he  yet  resides. 
His  grandfather  was  William  Kuhns,  a  native 
of  Armstrong  county.  Pa.,  where  he  lived  and 
died.  George  Hobaugh,  maternal  grandfather, 
was  born  at  Adainsburg,  this  county,  June  5, 
1802.  He  was  a  son  of  Valentine  Hobaugh  of 
German  descent  wdio  settled  at  Adamsburg  when 
the  Indians  were  yet  plentiful  in  that  locality 
(his  wife  and  two  daughters  having  been  cap- 
tured by  the  redskins  and  carried  to  Canada, 
where  they  were  held  captives  for  several  years 
before  being  rescued.)  George  Hobaugh  married 
Elizabeth  Cline  and  they  had  eight  children, 
four  of  whom  died  young.  From  the  founda- 
tion of  the  Democratic  party  down  to  the  jiresent 
day  the  Hobaughs  have  been  stanch  democrats. 
John  \V.  Kuhns  (father)  was  born  in  Allegheny 
county.  Pa.,  March  23,  182o,  but  his  father 
dying  when  he  was  young,  he  was  reared  by  his 
aunt  Barbara  Kuhns,  who  brought  him  to 
Fianklin  township  where  he  has  lived  ever  since. 
He  is  a  carpenter  by  trade,  a  member  of  the 
Reformed  church,  in  which  he  has  served  as 
deacon  and  an  elder  for  many  years  and  an  un- 
flinching democrat.  He  is  the  father  of  seven 
children  :  George  (dead),  Jacob  II.,  Elizabeth, 
William  (dead),  Catharine  C,  John  II.  and 
Jennie  M.  Of  these  Elizabeth  is  the  wife  of 
Dr.  W.  J.  Hugh  of  East  End,  Pittsburg. 

Jacob  II.  Kuhns  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  and  Laird  Institute  at  Marys- 


...i  Ut.. 


^\'EST^WRELA  yO   CO  UNTY. 


villo,  (iftfi-  which  he  learned  the  carpenter  trade, 
and  has  followed  contracting  and  building.  lie 
is  a  democrat  and  served  several  terms  as  one  of 
the  auditors  of  his  township.  He  belongs  to 
Lodge  No.  Ki;'),  of  the  Brotlierhood  of  Carpen- 
ters and  Joiners  of  America,  E.  E.,  Pittsburg, 
Pa.,  and  to  the  Reformed  church  at  ^lanordale 
in  wliich  he  has  held  almost  every  office  con- 
nected therewith.  He  is  an  active,  earnest 
supporter  of  the  church,  a  citizen  of  the  best 
kind  and  his  fine  library  bears  testimony  to  his 
literary  taste  and  general  intelligence.  Ilis  father 
■was  a  soldier  in  the  civil  war,  enlisting  in  Com- 
pany C,  one  hundred  and  sixty-eighth  reg.  Pa. 
Vols,  in  18G2  and  served  until  his  time  expired. 
He  participated  in  quite  a  number  of  skirmishes 
in  North  Carolina.  He  is  a  member  of  Corporal 
Murray  Post,  No.  24-3,  G.  A.  R.  His  brother, 
John  H.,  is  a  member  of  Carmel  Lodge,  No. 
218,  L  0.  0.  F.,  at  Delmont;  of  the  Enter- 
prise Council,  Jr.  0.  U.  A.  :\[.,  No.  10.5,  IMurrys- 
villc.  Pa.,  and  of  the  Brotherhood  of  Carpenters 
and  Joiners  of  America,  E.  E.  Pittsburg,  Pa., 
No.  165. 

yfY^T'T^^-^-^I  C-  LUTES,  one  of  those  who 
I  I  I  iiiitlifully  served  their  country  in  tiie 
dark  <lays  of  the  Rebellion  and  who  is 
now  a  farmer  in  his  native  township,  is  a  son  of 
John  and  Hannah  (Glunt)  Lutes  and  was  born 
July  20,  1842,  in  Franklin  township,  Westmore- 
land county,  Pa.  His  grandfather  Lutes  was  a 
native  of  G(.'rniany  and  never  emigrated  from 
the  '■  fatlierland"  but  grandfather  Glunt  was 
born  in  this  county  and  died  in  Franklin  town- 
ship. The  latter  was  married  to  Susan  Cline, 
and  had  eight  chihlren  :  Joseph,  Sarah,  Josiah, 
Hannah,  Esther,  Eliza,  Jacolt  and  David.  Of 
these,  David  Glunt,  the  youngest  child,  in  the 
late  war  served  nine  montlis  in  the  one  hundred 
and  si.xty-eighth  reg.  Pa.  militia. 

John  Lutes  (father  was  born  in  Germany  and 
immigrated  to  America  in  liis  young  days,  locat- 
ing in  Pittsburg.     He  married  Hannah  Glunt 


who  bore  him  six  children  :  Susan,  AVilliam  C, 
Josephine,  John,  Alexander  anil  Christy  (dead). 

William  C.  Lutes  was  married  June  3,  1875, 
to  Caroline  Rainer  l)y  whom  he  hail  six  chil- 
dren, four  of  them  living:  AVilliam  J.,  Kijward, 
Annie  and  Harry. 

William  C.  Lutes  received  his  education  in 
the  common  schools  and  is  the  architect  of  his 
own  fortune.  For  some  years  after  leaving 
school  he  worked  as  a  day  laborer  and  in  1879 
began  farming  for  himself.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Reformed  church,  a  democrat,  belongs  to 
Corporal  Murray  Post,  No.  243,  G.  A.  11.  and 
has  served  his  township  in  tiie  capacity  of  a 
school  director. 

In  18G2  Mr.  Lutes  served  his  nine  months  in 
the  one  hundred  and  sixty-eighth  reg.  Pa. 
Militia  and  at  the  expiration  of  that  time  he  en- 
listed in  company  M,  second  Pa.  Cavalry,  in 
which  he  served  till  tlie  close  of  the  war,  par- 
ticipated in  nearly  all  the  important  battles  of 
tlie  Army  of  the  Potomac.  At  Petersburg,  Va., 
he  was  taken  prisoner  and  held  in  the  Rebel 
prisons  at  Libby,  Andersonville  and  Florence  for 
eight  months  before  being  exchanged.  During 
his  first  nine  months'  service  Mr.  Lutes  served 
as  corporal  and  his  war  record,  taken  as  a  whole, 
id  one  of  wliicli  he  may  be  justly  ])roud. 


-r^ERMAN  LUCIUS,  of  near  Greensburg 
I^J  and  who  has  been  a  successful  merchant 
(2)  under  Alexander  II,  Czar  of  Russia, 
William  I,  Emperor  of  Germany  and  Ulysses  S. 
Grant,  eighteenth  president  of  the  United  States, 
is  a  son  of  Ferdinand  Victor  and  Augusta 
(Geuth)  Lucius,  and  was  born  on  April  7,  1S50, 
in  the  old,  popidous  and  thi-ifty  city  of  Darm- 
stadt which  is  the  capital  of  Hesse  and  Starken- 
burg  and  is  situated  in  what  is  now  the  western 
part  of  the  present  German  Empire. 

The  Lucius  family  of  Germany  was  remark- 
able for  the  number  of  able  and  efficient 
teachers  which  it  produced.     Ferdinand  Lucius,. 


BIOGRAPHIES   OF 


paternal  grandfather,  was  a  fine  scholar  and  an 
eminent  teacher  of  philosophy  and  theology  at 
Ingenheini.  lie  died  after  a  long  and  useful 
life  of  teacliing  in  the  higli  schools  of  his  native 
country.  Ferdinand  ^'ietor  Lucius,  fatlier,  was 
horn  February  'Ift,  1818,  in  Mainz  or  Mayence, 
a  fortified  city  on  the  river  Rhine  and  now  the 
capital  of  Rhein-Hesse  province.  State  of  Hesse. 
He  was  carefully  trained  and  educated  in  the 
best  schools  of  his  day.  He  made  teaching  his 
profession,  taught  for  some  time  in  diflerent 
towns  and  then  became  a  teacher  of  philosophy 
and  theology  in  the  city  of  Darmstadt,  which 
position  he  held  until  his  death.  His  time  and 
attention  were  devoted  entirely  to  his  profession. 
He  was  married  to  Augusta  Geuth,  daughter  of 
Rev.  Ferdinand  George  Geuth,  who  was  an  emi- 
nent and  liigldy  respected  minister  of  the  prov- 
ince Nassau.  To  their  union  were  born  eleven 
children,  of  whom  four  are  dead. 

Herman  Lucius  attended  the  celebrated  pub- 
lic schools  of  Germany  and  took  the  full  course 
at  the  "•  Lyceum,"  from  whicii  institution  he  was 
graduated  in  IHO'J.  Leaving  school  he  engaged 
in  tiie  mercantile  business  which  he  pursued  for 
six  years  in  Germany  and  immigrated  to  New 
York  city,  where  he  opened  a  store  and  continued 
mercliandising  for  four  yeais.  In  IST'J  he  re- 
turned to  Europe  and  went  to  St.  Petersburgh 
where  he  resided  for  three  years  under  tiie  iron 
rule  of  the  Russian  Emperor,  Alexander  II,  and 
was  engaged  in  the  wholesale  wine  and  liijuor 
business.  In  1882  he  returned  on  a  visit  to  his 
native  city  in  Germany  and  then  crossed  the  At- 
lantic ocean  a  second  time  to  New  York  city, 
where  he  embarked  and  continued  in  tlie  jewehv 
business  for  three  years.  At  tiie  end  of  that 
time  (188.0)  Mr.  Lucius  retired  from  business, 
concluded  to  spend  a  few  years  on  a  farm  for 
the  benefit  of  his  health  .which  had  became  poor 
and  located  at  George's  station,  this  county 
(tiiree  miles  oust  of  Greensburgi  wliere  he  re- 
sides at  this  time. 

He  was  married  on  Sejitember  30,  18S'J,  to 


Elizabeth  T.  Rosenberg.  She  was  born  near 
Chambersburg,  Cumberland  county.  Pa.  and  a 
daughter  of  Reuben  Rosenberg,  who  is  a  pros- 
perous fiirmer  of  that  time  honored  old  county. 


QLEXANDER  McALISTER,  one  of  the 
leailing  farmers  and  best  citizens  of 
Franklin  township,  was  born  May  15, 
1835,  in  the  liighlands  of  Scotland,  the  native 
land  of  his  parents,  John  and  Isabella  (McMul- 
len)  McAlister.  His  grandfather  McAlister, 
a  tailor  by  trade,  was  also  a  native  of  Scotland, 
where  he  lived  and  died,  and  belonged  to  the 
Presbyterian  cliurcli.  Grandfather  McMullen, 
was  likewise  a  native  of  Scotland,  the  home  of  true 
patriots,  of  '•  Scots  wha'  hae  wi'  Wallace  bled." 
John  McAlister  (father)  was  born  in  Scotland 
about  17 '.'5,  and  immigrated  to  America  in 
1850,  locating  in  Franklin  township,  where  he 
passed  the  remainder  of  his  days.  He  was  by 
trade  a  co])persmitli,  a  democrat  in  politics  and 
in  religious  belief  an  adherent  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  churcli.  His  family  consisted  of  five 
sons  and  four  daughters,  all  born  in  Scotland 
except  James. 

Alexander  McAlister,  on  the  first  of  No- 
vember, 1855,  united  in  marriage  with  Flora  A. 
Keith,  a  daughter  of  Duncan  and  Mary  (Camp- 
bell) Keith,  wiio  was  born  August  15,  1835,  and 
the  ciiildren  of  this  union  have  been  ;  Margaret 
C.  (dead),  Angus,  Joiin,  Duncan,  David,  Mar- 
gery, Elizabeth,  Annie,  Martha,  Cora  ami  Flor- 
ence. Angus  is  married  to  Elizabeth  Hamilton 
and  now  lives  at  East  End,  I*ittsburg,  and  Da- 
vid is  in  the  employ  of  the  Philadel])hia  gas 
company  as  bookkeeper. 

Alexander  McAlister  received  part  of  his 
education  in  Scotland  and  jjart  in  the  common 
schools  of  this  county.  '  All  his  life  has  been 
devoted  to  the  business  of  farming  and  he  now 
owns  a  valuable  farm  near  Sardis.  l,n  politics 
he  is  a  standi  democrat  and  a  man  of  much  in- 
fluence in  his   party.       Strictly   honest,  careful 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


and  conscientious,  and  witlial  shrewd,  economi 
cal  and  entoi'|ii  ising  ;  Mr.  McAlL^ter  lias 
acliieved  success  in  life  and  a  reputation  for 
honor  and  the  other  essential  qualities  tif  a  good 
citizen  of  wiiieli  lie  iiuiy  he  justly  proud,  lie  has 
served  si.\  years  as  school  director,  and  upwards 
of  twenty  years  as  justice  of  the  peace  for 
Franklin  township,  and  together  with  his  wife 
and  family  belongs  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  in  which  he  has  held  the  offices  of 
trustee  and  steward. 


r^AMUEL  1).  McQUAID  was  born  June 
(^j  27,  1S;J4,  in  Salem  township,  Westmore- 
(®^  land  county,  Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  K. 
and  Mary  (Guthrie)  McQuaid.  John  Mcljuaid, 
liis  grandfather,  for  many  years  a  justice  of  tlie 
peace  in  Franklin  townsiiip,  was  married  to 
Mary  Kirkwood  who  bore  him  eight  children, 
two  of  whom  are  living,  Thomas  K.  aiul  Daniel 
G.  Elizabeth  C,  who  was  the  wife  of  Dr.  Lan- 
dis  of  Greensburg,  is  dead  ;  John  died  on  his 
way  to  California  and  lies  buried  on  the  Hum- 
boldt river;  Joseph  was  killed  in  the  battle  of 
Second  Bull  Run  ;  Dr.  Andrew,  who  marrieil 
Caroline  Turne}',  of  Greensburg,  died  in  Alle- 
gheny county  ;  James  and  J.  William  are  both 
dead,  'i'homas  K.  McQuaid  (father)  was  born  in 
Franklin  township,  this  county,  Septeml)er  12, 
181'.'.  After  attending  the  common  schools  un- 
til tWL-nty  years  of  age  he  entered  the  peilagogical 
ranks  and  taught  several  terms  of  school,  and 
then  having  taken  unto  himself  a  wife  he  moved 
to  his  father's  farm  in  Salem  township,  on  which 
he  still  lives.  lie  served  five  years  in  the  State 
militia  in  which  he  was  a  first  lieutenant.  In 
1843  he  was  married  to  Mary  Guthrie  and  the 
children  of  the  marriage  were  as  follows  :  Wil- 
I'am  J.,  married  to  M.  K.  lUirnes,  daughter  of 
AV.  M.  ])urnes,  who  died  July  11,  1889  ;  James 
L.,  who  is  marriecl  to  a  daughter  of  George 
Gartlcy,  of  I'ell  township,  and  who  is  now  witli 
A.   W.    Coates,    of  Alliance,    Ohio,    as   general 


agent;  Joseph  R.,  an  attorney  of  Pittsburg; 
Thomas  A.,  resides  on  the  old  homestead  ;  Mary 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  James  0.  Larimer;  Sarah  J., 
mairied  to  R.  II.  Cunningham,  of  Indiana 
county,  and  Agnes  C,  wife  of  J.  S.  I'ariies, 
of  Irwin.  William  Guthrie,  maternal  grand- 
f\ither,  was  born  on  the  farm  in  Salem  township, 
now  owned  by  S.  D.  McQuaid,  in  July,  1777. 
lie  married  a  sister  of  Samuel  Hill  who  bore 
him  eight  children  :  John  married  to  a  daughter 
of  Col:  Thomas  McQuaid  ;  James,  married  to  a 
daughter  of  John  Reattie  ;  Samuel  D.  (deceased) ; 
Nancy,  wife  of  David  McConnell ;  Martha, 
wedded  to  John  R.  Chambers ;  Mary,  wife  of 
Thomas  K.  McQuaid ;  Jane  H.,  married  to 
Archie  Adair,  and  Sarah,  wife  of  W.  II.  Kelly. 
Samuel  D.  JIcQuaid  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  and  New  Salem  academy.  At 
the  age  of  twenty  he  left  school  and  entered  the 
store  of  J.  Harvey  ^^  Co.,  of  Salem  (Delmont), 
where  he  remained  but  one  year.  He  then  went 
to  Newtown,  near  Irwin,  where  he,  in  company 
with  J.  S.  Barnes,  opened  agen-.ral  merchandise 
store  which  was  burned  about  a  year  later.  Mr. 
JIcQuaid  then  returned  to  a  farm  in  his  native 
township,  and  after  four  years  on  it  engaged  in 
the  lumber  and  sawing  business  for  three  years. 
In  lb8G  he  went  to  Apollo  and  started  a  livery 
stable,  but  two  years  later  returned  to  Salem  and 
embarked  in  the  hotel  and  livery  business  in 
which  he  still  continues.  Mr.  McQuaid,  who 
has  been  (juite  successful  and  has  amassed  con- 
siderable wealth,  has  served  five  years  as  first 
corporal,  Co.  L,  llugus  llilles,  lOtli  reg.  N.  G. 
of  Pa.,  and  is  a  member  of  Delmont  Council, 
No.  58,  Jr.  0.  U.  A.  M. 


ORERT  II.  McWILLIAMS,  of  Franklin 
township,  ami  one  of  the  veterans  of  the 
civil  war,  is  a  son  of  Hamilton  and  Mary 
(Mcl'^hvaiue)  McWiUiaiiis,  and  was  born  April  9, 
1820,  near   Murrysville,  Westmoreland  county. 


GS2 

I'ii. 


nroaPiAPniES  of 


His  ^nimllMlln'r  Wiis  \Villi;iiii  McWillinuis 
«liii  uii-.  lioiii  ill  ITSS,  11  iialivc  111'  lirliilid,  w  lio 
came  to  the  United  States  at  a  very  early  day 
and  was  one  of  tlie  pioneers  of  tliis  eoiinty.  His 
wift',  a  Miss  Kerr,  was  a  native  of  Ireland. 
Jlaniilton  Me  Williams  (lather)  was  l)(irn  in 
Franklin  township,  this  eounty,  in  1702,  and 
died  there  in  1870,  aged  about  seventy-eight 
years.  His  wife,  Mary  ]\IcEhvaine,  a  daughter 
of  Andrew,  who  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent  and 
came  from  Coleraine,  Ireland,  and  his  wife's 
maiden  name  was  Caldwell. 


•foSHl'ir  ^riLLKR,  wlii.se  parents  were 
i'  .Idsepii  iiiiil  .Mary  (New Ion)  Miller,  was 
Ci/  born  February  11,  1884,  in  Franklin  town- 
ship, Westmoreland  county,  I'a.,  where  he  now 
resides.  1 1  is  grandfathei'  was  Isaac  Miller,  a 
native  of  Wah's,  who  immigrated  to  America, 
settling  on  the  Yough  river  in  Sewickley  town- 
ship, this  countj-.  He  was  married  to  Susanna 
Thomas  and  had  five  children  :  Deborah,  Samuel, 
Benjamin  and  Joseph  (twins),  and  William. 
Elijah  Newlon  (maternal  grandfather)  was  mar- 
ried in  Adams  county.   Pa.,  to  Ann    McGrew 


The  early  life  of  Robert  11.  McWilliams  was  |  and    moved    to    the    "Quaker    settlement"   in 


spent  on  a  farm,  his  education  was  received  in 
the  common  schools  of  the  county,  and  his  busi- 
ness through  life  has  been  that  of  farming. 

lie  was  married  April  7,  18(18,  to  Nancy  Jane 
Gwinn,  of  \Va.shington  township,  whose  grand- 
father came  from  Ireland  to  Westmoreland 
county.  Pa.,  and  they  have  had  eight  children 
as  follows:  Ulysses  S.  G.,  born  February  10, 
18G0  ;  Ilazlett  D.,  born  August  23, 1870  ;  Rush 
D.,  born  June  9,  1872;  Anna  M.,  born  April 
20,  1874  ;  Hugh  McF.,  born  August  23,  187G; 
Amanda  J.,  born  October  80,  1878  ;  Oliver  S., 
born  January  26,  1881,  and  \Villiam  W.,  born 
July  ;.;,  1880. 

Robert  II.  McWilliams  enlisted  August  1, 
ISlil,  ill  Co.  A,  0;id  reg.  Pa.  Vols.,  and  par- 
ticipated in  all  the  important  engagements  of 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac  for  three  years. 
Among  the  battles  in  which  he  took  part  were 
sit-ge  of  Yurktown,  \a.  ;  WiUiainsbin ;.',  Fair 
Oaks,  Seven  Day's  Fight,  Cold  Harbor, 
Malvern  Hill,  Wilderness,  Spottsylvania  and 
Gettysburg  and  Petersburg  and  skirmishes  un- 
til his  time  of  service  expired.  He  rendered 
valuable  service  to  the  country  in  the  days  of 
her  trouble,  and  was  honorably  diseliarged  at 
Petersburg,  Va.,  on  August  1,  1804.  He  is 
still  imbued  with  a  martial  spirit  and  some  time 
ago  raised  a  company  for  the  N.  G.  P.,  of  which 
he  was  a  lieutenant.  Mr.  McWilliams  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  G.  A.  11.  and  of  the  M.  E.  Church. 


Sewickley  township  about  1787.  One  of  his 
sons,  William  Newlon  (grandfather),  was  born 
in  1772  in  Adams  county  and  was  brought  to 
this  county  by  his  parents,  who  were  Quakers. 
He  married  Keziah  Kobbins  and  they  had 
ten  children  :  William,  Brinton,  Margaret, 
Rachel,  Keziah,  Mary,  Ann,  Elizabeth,  Elijah 
and  Joseph.  Joseph  Miller  (father)  was  born 
February  14,  1788,  in  Sewickley  township. 
He  lived  with  Gen.  Markle  when  he  was  a 
boy,  but  while  yet  young  ri-moved  to  Frank- 
lin township  where  he  remained  until  his 
death.  He  was  for  some  time  engaged  in 
keeping  hotel  and  also  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness ;  ill  religious  belief  he  adhered  to  the 
Presbyterian  creed  and  jiolitically  was  a  whig, 
taking  an  active  jiart  in  polities.  He  married 
Mary  Newlon,  who  was  born  in  1709  and 
died  May  11,  18M0,  her  husband  having  jire- 
eeded  her  to  tjie  tomb  by  seventeen  years. 
They  hail  eleven  ehildren  .  Eunice,  Avife  of 
James  Keister  ;  Susanna,  who  was  married  to 
Dr.  James  H.  Duff"  (dead),  and  now  resides  at 
Wilkinsburg,  Pa.  ;  Obadiah  II.,  formerly  pas- 
tor of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  West  New- 
ton, Pa.,  and  formerly  State  librarian  and 
chajilain  for  a  year  in  the  late  war,  now  re- 
sides at  Parnassus;  Ke/.iab  (dead);  ^Villiam 
M.,  who  served  in  the  civil  war  as  physician 
and  surgeon  and  is  now  located  in  Pittsburg, 
South     Side ;   Hiram,  killed    on    the    railroad 


WESTMORELA  ND  CO  UNT  Y. 


September  10,  1871 ;  ^lury,  wife  of  Henry 
Keck  of  Delinont  (See  sketch  of  Mr.  Keek); 
Joseph,  Cyrus,  who  served  in  the  civil  war  and 
now  lives  in  Missouri;  Dr.  Oliver,  wlm  served 
as  surj^eon  in  tlie  late  war,  was  held  a  prisoner 
in  Lihby  for  four  months,  hut  who  now  is  prac- 
ticing in  Allegheny  city  ;  and  Milo,  who  went  to 
the  front  in  ^lungo  Dick's  company  and  was 
killed  at  the  battle  of  Fair  Oaks. 

Josejih  Miller's  wife  was  Mary  A.  ^IcKeown, 
a  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Sarah  (Haymaker) 
McKeown,  and  to  them  have  been  born  five 
children :  Margaret  J.  Mc.  ;  Mary  Newdon, 
Sarah  (dead) :  Milo,  who  is  married  to  Sallie 
West  of  New  Castle  and  now  resides  in  Pitts- 
burg, South  Side ;  and  Keziah  (dead.)' 

Joseph  ^liller  received  a  good  education  in 
the  Laird  Institute  at  Murrysville,  after  which 
he  embarked  in  agricultural  pursuits  in  which  he 
has  ever  since  been  engaged.  He  was  formerly 
a  republican  but  is  now  a  conscientious  prohibi- 
tionist, and  he  together  with  his  wife  and  family 
belongs  to  the  Presbyterian  ciiurch. 


ryYfT^T>IAM  JOHNSTON  MONltOE,  one 
if  Salem  township's  most  successful  and 
•arnest  teachers  and  live  ami  progress- 
ive citizens,  wa.s  born  in  llemplicid  townsliip, 
Wi'stmorcland  county,  Pa.,  January  ol,  iMiO, 
and  is  a  son  of  William  I',  and  .Martha  E.  (John- 
ston) Munroc.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
'riiuiim.M  .Miiiirue,  uas  burn  in  .Ml.  ileasant  Inw  n- 
sliip  Novendier  I,  1  SOt).  I  le  manied  Caliiarine 
Haney  of  Washington  township,  Westmoreland 
county.  Pa.,  by  whom  he  iiad  live  children : 
Harriet,  wife  of  Perry  I'urk  ;  Jolm,  James,  who 
died  in  youth  ;  J.  R.  and  \Villiam  P.  His 
father,  William  P.  Monroe,  was  born  in  Mount 
Pleasant  township,  Alarch  2o,  1837.  He  at- 
tended the  common  sch(j<ds  until  si.xteen  years 
of  age  when  he  entered  the  Loyaliianna  I'aper 
^^lls  and  learned  the  business  of  ])aper  making, 
which   he   followed  for    only  a  short  time.      He 


next  turned  his  attention  to  teaching  and  in 
order  to  lit  himself  for  that  [n-ofessioh  he  entereil 
New  Alexandria  acatlemy  and  took  the  full  course 
of  study.  Leaving  the  academy  he  taught  in 
llenqilield  to\vushi|)  for  several  years,  after 
which  lie  removed  to  Salem  township  where  ho 
is  now  engaged  in  farming.  On  January  20, 
1858,  he  married  Martha  E.  Johnston,  daughter 
of  William  K.  and  Elizabeth  Johnston,  of  the 
above  named  township.  Of  this  marriage  were 
born  one  son  and  three  daughters  :  William  J., 
M.  Kate,  wife  of  John  N.  McGuire  of  Derry 
station  ;  Jennie  H.  and  Lizzie  S. 

William  J.  ^lonroe  attended  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  township  until  eighteen 
years  of  age.  From  1876  to  1880  he  attended 
tlie  summer  terms  of  Delmont  academy  and  in 
the  latter  year  took  the  full  course  of  the  Greens- 
burg  training  school  under  the  management  of 
Prof  John  Chamberlain.  In  the  fall  of  1880 
he  commenced  teacliing  in  the  common  schools 
of  Salem  township  ami  has  taugiit  successfully 
in  tliem  ever  since.  "Sir.  Manrtie  ranks  among 
the  foremost  teachers  of  Salem  township,  being 
piaclicai  l)Ut  thorougii  in  his  teaching  and 
always  hibnring  earnestly  to  lit  his  pujjila  for 
every-day  life.  He  learned  tlie  trade  of  carpen- 
ter with  (leoige  AVallace  and  after  working  sev- 
eral summers  as  a  journeyman  he  b(^gan  carpen- 
tering and  contracting  for  himself,  which  he  still 
i'lillows  in  connection  with  teaching.  The  many 
buildings  which  he  has  erected  siilliciently  re- 
eniiiiiieiid  him  l(j  thtjse  desiring  lirst-class  work 
in  his  line  of  business. 

On  October  4,  1881,  Mr.  Monroe  united  in 
marriage  with  Elizabeth  M.  Wallace,  daughter 
of  George  and  JLirgaret  Wallace  of  Salem  town- 
ship. ]\h-.  and  ]\hs.  Monroe  have  three  child- 
ren :  Mabel  Grace,  William  Wallace  and  James 
Alfred. 

In  1887  W.  J.  Monroe  became  a  member  of 
McKeesport  Ijocal  Union,  Carpenters  and 
Joiners  of  America,  He  is  a  charter  member 
and  councillor  of  Delmont  Council,  No.  58,  Jr., 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


0.  U.  A.  M.,  and  a  cliarter  ineinber  and  secre- 
tary of  Goocl  Intent  Grange,  No.  862,  P.  of  11., 
and  a  member  of  New  Salem  Pre-sbyterian 
ebLircli. 

'I"  AMES  ORll,  a  well-respected  citizen  and 
I  prominent  justice  of  the  peace  of  Loyal. 
(^  lianna  township  and  a  man  of  good  business 
ability,  was  born  in  Kiskiminetas  township, 
Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  November  30,  1824, 
and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Elizabeth  (Manners) 
Orr.  The  Orr  family  is  of  Irish  extraction  and 
its  American  ancestors  emigrated  sonre  time 
during  the  latter  part  of  tlie  eighteenth  century 
from  Ireland  to  eastern  Pennsylvania.  One  of 
their  descendants  was  Joseph  (Jrr  (father)  who 
immigrated  to  Armstrong  county,  this  State, 
when  quite  a  young  man.  He  was  a  weaver  bv 
trade  but  after  following  his  trade  for  a  »\u<\t  time 
he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  in  Kiskimi- 
netas township,  that  county,  which  he  pursued 
for  many  years.  lie  died  in  February,  1878, 
at  Maysville,  aged  78  years.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  church,  a  life-long 
democrat  and  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  for 
a  number  of  years.  His  wife  was  Elizabeth 
Alanners  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Kiskimi- 
netas township,  where  she  died  when  in  the 
fifty-third  year  of  her  age.  She  was  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

.lames  ()ir  was  rearL-il  on  a  farm  xshrrr  he  was 
Will  lr:iiiird  iu  :p_'ricidliiral  pur>iiil>.  lie  ro- 
cc'ImmI  his  i'(hicntion  in  ihe  iiiriil  .schonLs  lli:U 
were  in  existence  in  his  IkivIiooiI  days.  At  an 
early  age  he  ijuit  the  farm  and  iiitrred  the  store 
which  he  left  in  18  1.")  to  eng:ige  in  the  llnuring 
ijjill  business,  h'or  I'lcven  years  he  successfully 
operated  thi^  mill  which  he  owned  during  that 
time  ami  which  was  known  -.n  the  "  Mavsville 
Mill."  In  ISf)!)  he  rcm<i\cil  to  a  Ki-I.iminetiis 
township  i'arm  whieh  he  continuecl  to  cultivate 
till  iJ^tlH,  whin  he  moved  to  South  Itnul  town- 
,diip  where  hi-  jiilloueii  larniing  iinlil  I.S7-i.  In 
lliiil    yrar   lir    piiicliiiHril    and    movrd    on    to   Ms 


present  farm  of  one  hundred  and  ninety-six  and 
one-half  acres  of  land  in  Loyalhanna  township. 
This  farm  is  well  watered  and  well  improved. 

Jii  1847  he  married  Catherine  Clawson  who 
died  in  1881  leaving  five  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters :  William  C,  Robert  M.,  Dr.  Joseph,  a 
practicing  physician  of  Leechburg,  Harry,  Lu- 
cian,  Matilda  J.,  and  Holly.  In  June,  1885, 
Mr.  Orr  married  for  his  second  wife  Esther  M. 
Morgan,  of  West  Virginia,  who  died  in  March, 
1880.  In  March,  18U0,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Mary  M.  Kice,  uf  Trinidad,  Colorado. 

James  Orr  is  an  old-time  democrat  of  the 
Jeflerson  school,  has  filled  several  of  the  various 
township  ollices  and  was  elected  justice  of  the 
]ieace  in  ]88(;.  Squire  (_)rr  has  been  recognized 
for  many  years  as  one  uf  the  leading  and  influ- 
ential   citizens   of    the    township    in    wliich    he 


AVID  K.  PxlTTEllSON,  who  is  a  son 
^  of  Martin  and  Ann  (Kidd)  Patterson, 
was  born  December  14,  1833,  in  Frank- 
lin township,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  where 
he  still  resides.  His  grandfather  Patterson  was 
a  native  of  Ireland,  as  was  also  grandfather 
Kidd,  both  of  whom  lived  and  died  in  the  Em- 
erald Isle.  Martin  Patterson  (father)  was  born 
in  Ireland  about  1795,  and  immigrated  to 
America,  settling  near  Manordale  in  Franklin 
township.  lie  was  a  wea\(r  by  trade  but  also 
woikeil  at  laiiiiing.  I'l.UliL-ally  he  was  a  demo- 
crat ami  in  rlinii'h  mailers  his  chosen  denumi- 
naliun  was  the  Presbyterian.  He  was  the  father 
of  five  sons  and  live  daughters:  Josej)!!,  now  a 
merchant  at  Hural  Village,  Armstrong  county, 
Pa.;  Jane,  li\ing  in  Fianklin  townshij);  Mary 
(<leail);  Nancy  (dcadl;  liillr,  wife  uf  John  l^^c- 
Elroy,  of  Oil  City;  James  (dead);  David  K., 
Samuel  (dead),  a  soldiei'  in  the  civil  war;  Mar- 
tin v.,  who  owns  and  o])erates  a  large  flouring 
mill  at  Saltslmrg,  Indiana  county,  and  Rebecca, 
who  is  mariiid  lo  lleniy  ^Vauanlaker,  now  of 
\  iTona,  iVIIrglirny  cuunly. 


VESTMOIilCLAXD   CO  UNTY. 


David  K.  Patterson's  wife  waa  Ilaimali,  a 
daugliter  of  William  I'ark,  of  Franklin  town- 
ship, and  she  litis  borne  him  eight  children : 
James  N.,  horn  July  !;">,  IHaH,  now  married  to 
Ella  Murjdiy  and  in  tlie  em|)loy  of  the  gas  com- 
pany at  Murrysvillc;  Annie  K.,  the  widow  of 
Kcv.  N.  S.  Iloey,  formerly  of  Bellaire,  Ohio  ; 
Hannah  P.,  born  January  25,  18(r2;  Lizzie  B. 
M.,  horn  December  14,  1863  ;  Samuel  jNI.  V., 
born  September  7,  1805,  died  September  20, 
1870;  David  11.,  born  September  21,  18U7 ; 
Wm.  S.,  born  July  27,  18G0 ;  Mary  M.  J., 
born  May  7,  1871 ;  Plummer  S.,  born  Septem- 
ber 27, 1873 ;  Harry  K.,  born  March  22, 1877, 
died  Marcli  25,  same  year,  and  Nannie  M.,  born 
June  25,  1878,  died  November  7,  187U. 

David  K.  Patterson's  education  was  received 
in  the  common  schools  and  has  alwaj's  devoted 
his  time  and  attention  to  the  pursuits  of  agri- 
culture. For  twelve  years  he  was  a  renter,  then 
purchased  a  share  in  tlie  Park  farm  and  later 
the  entire  farm.  He  is  also  rather  an  extensive 
stock-raiser  and  politically  is  a  democrat.  Mr. 
Patterson  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  in  which  lie  has  served  as  trustee,  and 
is  one  of  the  most  reliable,  thrifty  and  enter- 
prising citizens  of  Franklin  township.  Tlie 
Patterson  family  is  of  good  stock,  honest,  in- 
telligent, of  decideil  views  and  strong  convic- 
tions, possessing  the  courage  to  cany  into  ert'ect 
what  conscience  says  is  right. 


^  NOCII  B.  PHILLIPS  (deceased).  One 
^g)/  who  lias  passeil  away  in  the  last  decade, 
but  whose  name  will  not  he  forgotten  soon 
nor  his  place  he  readily  filled  in  the  community 
where  he  resided,  was  Enoch  B.  Phillijis.  He 
was  born  near  Cannonsburg, Washington  county, 
Pa.,  June  5,  1821,  and  was  a  son  of  John  and 
Mary  (Wait.s)  Phillips.  John  Phillips  had  been 
a  resident  for  many  years  uf  Washington  county, 
of  which  his  wife  was  a  native. 

Enoch  15.  Phillips  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  days 


when  there  was  but  little  machinery  used  on  a 
farm  to  lighten  the  toils  of  the  laborer.  He 
received  his  education  in  the  private  and  select 
schools  of  Washington  county,  which  at  that 
time  compared  favorably  with  the  schools  tiicii 
in  existence  in  any  part  of  the  State.  On  ar- 
riving at  man's  estate  he  made  choice  of  farming 
for  his  life  vocation.  He  was  actively  engaged 
in  the  cultivation  of  a  large  farm  and  the  raising 
of  first-cla.ss  stock  for  nearly  twenty-five  years. 
During  this  time  he  materially  augmented  his 
means  and  by  jutlicious  investments  in  Pittsburg 
acijuir^  considerable  property  in  that  city.  His 
business  career  was  a  successful  one ;  he  was 
energetic  and  industrious,  with  good  memory 
and  accurate  judgment  and  could  not  fail  of 
success.  In  1805  he  retired  from  active  busi- 
ness life  and  until  his  death,  nearly  twenty 
years  later,  enjoyed  the  fruits  of  his  honest 
labors.  During  the  war  of  the  Great  Rebellion 
he  furnished  a  man  to  serve  in  his  place  in  the 
Union  army.  He  removed  to  a  beautiful  piece 
of  property  one  and  a  half  miles  from  Greens- 
burg,  in  Ilempfield  townshij).  On  July  24, 
1884,  he  passed  away  and  left  behiiul  liiiu  a 
wide  circle  of  friends  to  deplore  his  loss.  He 
was  an  excellent  neighbor,  a  devoted  husband 
and  a  kind  and  indulgent  father. 

On  November  8,  1800,  he  was  married  to 
Rebecca  R.  Winebiddler  and  their  union  was 
blessed  with  one  child,  a  daughter,  Anna  Laura 
Caldwell.  Mrs.  Rebecca  Phillips  is  a  native  of 
Pittsburg,  a  meniher  of  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent families  of  that  city.  She  is  a  daughter 
of  Philip  Winebiddler,  who  was  an  extensive 
farmer  and  active  business  man  and  who  died  iu 
1871  when  in  the  ninetieth  year  of  his  age. 
His  father  was  Conrad  Winebiddler,  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  Pittsburg.  I'liili[)  Winebiddler 
married  Susanna  lump,  a  native  of  Lancaster 
county,  Pa.,  and  whose  father,  Jonas  Hoii].,  set- 
tled at  the  "  Ir(jn  City  "  early  in  the  ])ruseut 
century.  Mrs.  Rebecca  Phillips  is  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian   church  and  is  an  amiable, 


680 


IJIOGnAPHIES  OF 


intelligent  and  cultured  woman.  She  owns  one 
of  the  most  beautifiil  anil  finest  lioiucs  in  Wcst- 
morelaml  county,  liosides  valuable  iiriijuTty  in 
I'illsliiir;:,  llic  lorcriHisi  dI'iIic  u'iral  iiianiir:i<aiir- 
io''  eilii's  of  .Vnicrira. 


•ENRY  REM  ALE  Y,  a  sou  of  Adam  and 
Barbara  (Rubriglit)  Remaley  and  a  lead- 
ing farmer  and  miller  of  Franklin  town- 
ship, was  born  near  Murrysville,  Westmoreland 
county,  Pa.,  December  12,  1827.  Ilis -grand- 
father, Michael  Remaley,  was  of  German  ex- 
traction and  spent  tiie  last  years  of  his  life  in 
Franklin  township,  wliei'elie  dieil.  lie  was  by 
trade  a  blacksmith,  and  his  w ife  was  by  name 
Susanna  Shafter.  Henry  Rubriglit,  maternal 
grandfatiier,  was  a  native  of  Germany,  whence 
lie  immigrated  after  his  marriage,  to  America, 
settling  at  Ilannastown,  this  county.  lie  was  a 
farmer  and  member  of  the  Lutheran  church. 
Adam  Remaley  (fatiier)  was  born  in  Franklin 
township  where  he  carried  on  farming  until  his 
death.  lie  was  by  occupation  a  farmer  and  in 
politics  a  democrat.  He  served  in  the  militia  of 
Pennsylvania  as  a  lieutenant  for  some  time.  I'o 
his  marriage  were  born  five  sons  and  two  daugli- 
ters. 

Henry  Remaley  was  married  to  Catiiarine 
Iiong,  a  claugbter  of  Jacob  liong,  of  Miirrvsville, 
tiiis  county,  lie  was  educated  in  the  eommdii 
schools  (if  liis  township  and  learned  the  ti'ade  of 
miller.  For  about  twenty  years  he  has  owned 
and  operated  a  llmiring  mill  .and  also  owns  a  i'arni 
wiiich  he  runs.  Mr.  Remaley  i.s  a  staneh  demo- 
crat and  a  member  of  the  Reformed  eluinh  in 
which  he  has  served  as  elder  and  deacon,  and  is 
at  present  a  deacon.  He  is  a  relialde,  indus- 
trious, conscientious  man,  one  of  the  county's 
good  citizens.  His  mother  is  still  living  at  the 
age  of  ninety  years  and  is  remarkably  active  both 
in  mind  .ind  iiody  for  iine  so  ad\:uiccd  in 
years. 


•jpACOB  RINGS,  an  enterprising  citizen  of 
'l"  Franklin  township,  was  born  September  27, 
(jj  lf^l«,  in  rhiladelpliia,  Pa.,  and  is  a  .son  of 
Valenlinr  :ii„l  <':,lliarii.c  (NcIV)  Uin-s.  His 
grandfalhrr,  Muliacl  Kings,  was  a  native  of 
Germany  where  he  lived  and  died.  Jacob  NelV, 
maternal  grandfather,  was  also  a  native  of  Ger- 
many but  immigrated  to  America,  settling  in 
Allegheny  county.  Pa.,  where  he  died.  He  was 
by  trade  a  weaver  but  also  preached  for  the 
Mennoniie  denomination.  Valentine  Rings 
(father)  was  born  in  Germany  and  immigrated  to 
tliis  country,  landing  in  Philadelphia  September 
2o,  1818,  and  afterwards  coming  west  to  West- 
moreland county  where  he  located  in  Allegheny 
township.  He  followed  the  trade  of  weaving 
and  believed  in  the  teachings  of  the  Mennonite 
church.  He  had  six  children,  one  of  whom 
died  before  leaving  the  fatherland.  Those  in 
this  country  are  :  John,  who  is  married  and  liv- 
ing in  Burrell  township ;  Peter,  a  farmer  of 
Franklin  township ;  Susan,  wife  of  William 
Benninger  of  Burrell  township;  Elizabeth  and 
Jacob. 

Jacob  Rings  received  his  education  in  the 
conniion  schools  and  for  some  twenty  years  fol- 
lowed farming  in  Allegheny  county.  Pa.,  after 
which  he  farmed  awhile  in  this  county  and  then 
removed  to  Franklin  townshi]),  where  he  is  en- 
gaged in  the  lueicantile business  at  Newlonslnirg. 
lie  is  an  ii|iright,  energetic  business  man,  a  good 
iieii'hbor  ami  an  excellent  citizen. 


r^  DWAKI)  T.  ROBINSON,  postmaster  and 
meieliant  at  \Veaver's  Old  Stand  and  one 
of  the  younger  class  of  representative  and 
])rogressive  business  men  of  this  county,  was 
born  on  his  father's  farm  in  Ilcmpticld  town- 
ship, Westuiorelaiid  county,  Pa,.,  July  23,  18G1, 
and  is  a  son  of  Jacol>  R.  and  Catharine  Stoufler 
Robinson  His  paternal  grandfather,  George 
Robinson,  followed  fanning  ami  merchandising, 
was  a  whig  and  alierwards  a  rejuiblican.     He  was 


;■&?—-_-- 


i 


-    ^ 

7^^ 


-■^  ^  ^»^' > 


^'>)i^  ^tW^^ 


WESTMORELAXD  COUNTY. 


a  member  and  active  worker  of  the  ^Fetliodist 
Episcopal  church.  lie  married  Susanna  I3rini<cr, 
by  whom  he  liad  eight  cliihlren.  His  father,  Jacob 
11.  Uoliin.son,  was  born  in  Ilcmpficld  township  in 
IS;')!'.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  after  attend- 
ing tlie  subscription  schools  of  that  day  engaged  in 
farming  which  he  still  successfully  pursues.  He  is 
a  repultlican  who  works  earnestly  in  the  interests 
and  for  the  success  of  his  party.  He  has  fre- 
quently served  as  a  member  of  the  Westmoreland 
county  republican  committee.  In  1854  he  united 
in  marriage  with  Catharine  Stoufl'er.  She  died  in 
186Vl  and  left  seven  children  :  Mary  E.,  Susanna 
C,  Wm.  L.,  Anna  M.,  Ida  P.,  John  C,  a  lawyer  in 
successful  practice  at  Greensburg  and  who  is  an 
active  and  prominent  republican,  and  Edward  T. 

Edward  T.  Robinson  attended  the  common 
schools  of  Ilempfield  township  and  summer  nor- 
mal schools  at  Pleasant  Unity  and  Greensburg. 
Leaving  school  he  became  a  clerk  for  his  cousin, 
Homer  Robinson,  of  Greensburg.  From  188(3 
to  188S  he  followed  farming  and  stock-raising. 
In  1888  he  purchased  the  store  of  J.  W.  xVrm- 
brust  at  Weaver's  Old  Stand,  and  engaged  in  his 
present  general  mercantile  business  at  that  place. 
His  store  is  well  stocked  with  dry  goods,  grocer- 
ies, boots  and  shoes  and  general  merchandise, 
and  ho  enjoys  a  prosperous  and  continually  in- 
creasing trade. 

Politically  iMr.  Robinson  is  a  republican.  He 
served  as  tax  collector  of  Hempfield  township  in 
1880  and  received  his  appointment  as  postmas- 
ter at  Weaver's  Old  Stand  under  the  present 
administration  of  President  Harrison,  May  1, 
18811.  He  is  unmarried,  popular,  obliging  and 
genial.  He  is  a  member  of  Scwickley  Grange, 
No.  701,  Patrnhs  of  Husbandry,  the  Jr.  0.  U. 
A.  M.,  ;ind  the  Methodist  Episcojjal  church  of 
Greensburg. 

•jl'OHN  RUGII.     One  who  has  inherited  the 

I     many  gooil  traits  of  two  worthy  old  pioiu'cr 

QJ  families    nf    western    Pennsylvania,    is   JdIih 

Hugh,    a     public-spirited    citizen    of    Heinplicld 


township,  and  who  has  contriliuted  largely  of  his 
means  to  the  prosperty  of  Westmoreland  county 
and  the  success  of  the  religious  and  educational 
institutions  of  Greensburg.  He  is  a  son  of  John 
and  Elizabeth  (Weible)  Rugh  and  was  born  on 
the  Old  Rugh  farm  on  which  he  lives,  three- 
fourths  of  a  mile  south  of  Greensburg,  West- 
moreland county,  Pa.,  February  20,  1823.  The 
Rugh  family  is  one  of  the  few  remaining  old 
frontier  families  of  western  Pennsylvania  who 
were  founded  upon  the  soil  of  Westmorelanil 
county  in  the  pioneer  era  of  privation  and  blood- 
shed. Michael  Rugh  (great-grandfather)  came 
into  the  great  forest  regions  west  of  the  Alleghe- 
nies  in  1772,  erected  his  humble  cabin  about  one 
mile  below  the  site  of  Greensburg  and  three  years 
later  was  compelled  to  erect  a  fortified  building 
which  was  known  as  Rugh's  Block  House,  as  a 
protection  against  the  frequent  Indiati  incur- 
sions then  being  made  against  the  frontier  settle- 
ments of  Westmoreland  county.  He  patented 
four  hundred  acres  of  land  including  the  present 
Rugh  farm.  This  tract  he  afterwards  divided 
e([ually  between  his  two  sons,  Hon.  Jacob  and 
Peter.  His  eldest  son,  Michael,  Jr.,  was  cap- 
tured and  held  prisoner  by  the  Indians  for  many 
years  before  he  effected  his  escape.  He  returned 
home  and  eventually  settled  in  the  northein  part 
of  the  county.  Hon.  Jacob  Rugh  (grandfather) 
was  born  in  Northampton  county.  Pa.,  February 
15,  17G1,  and  at  eleven  years  of  age  came  with 
his  father  to  what  is  now  Hempfield  township. 
He  was  reareil  under  the  trying  ordeal  of  front- 
iei'  life  and  became  an  extensive  farmer  fi;r  that 
early  day.  He  represented  the  county  in  the 
Legislature  of  Pennsylvania  for  several  terms, 
was  an  intelligent,  well  informed  and  prominent 
man  and  had  acquired  a  very  large  library  at  the 
time  ot  his  death.  He  married  SabiUa  ]\Iechling,  a 
daughter  of  one  of  the  old  pioneer  Mechlings,  by 
1  \sliom  he  had  eight  children  who  si'ttli'd  in  dillcr- 
i  ent  parts  of  the  county.  John  Riii^h,  Sr. 
!  (filhcr),  was  born  June  ill,  18(lil,  ami  dicil  in 
I    |S58.      He  was  a  snceessful    larnier,  adili'd   con- 


BIOORAPIHES  OF 


si(ler;il)le  to  the  acreage  of  his  farm  and  was  a 
proiiiineiit  member  of  the  Lutheran  church.  He 
■was  a  republican  in  politics.  lie  married  Eliza- 
beth \\'eible,  a  dauj^liter  of  Thomas  Weible,  wlio 
was  a  I'aiiiier  and  distiller  of  Mt.  I'lcasanl  town- 
ship. They  had  eight  children,  of  whom  tliree 
are  yet  living  :  John,  Senilla,  wife  of  Philip 
Kuhns,  and  Elizabeth,  who  married  Adolph 
King  and  resides  in  Iowa. 

John  Hugh  receivcil  his  education  in  a 
school-house  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was 
reared  and  now  resides.  He  has  always  been 
engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising.  To  his 
original  farm  of  two  hundred  acres  he  added 
some  by  purchase,  but  in  1887  generously  dona- 
ted ten  acres  for  the  site  of  the  present  Gillinder 
glass  works  and  sold  over  thirty  acres  in  1880, 
for  which  he  was  well  paid. 

On  April  10,  1S4(J,  John  Rugh  was  married 
to  Eliza  Kuhns,  youngest  daughter  of  Philip 
Kuhns,  of  Ilempfield  township.  To  their  union 
have  heen  born  seven  children,  of  whom  three 
are  living :  Cyrus  Rugh,  who  is  engaged  in 
farming  in  Salem  township  ;  Joanne  Rugh  and 
Amanda  Rugh. 

John  Rugh  is  a  republican  in  politics  and 
when  it  is  necessary  always  takes  an  active  part 
in  the  interests  of  his  party.  He  was  for  a  short 
time  identified  with  the  Greenback  party,  and 
was  its  candidate  for  sheriff  of  Westmoreland 
county  in  1^<S().  He  is  a  member  of  tlie  First 
Lutheran  church  of  tirccnshurg.  He  has  held 
all  of  the  hjciil  nlliccs  of  that  church,  to  which  he 
is  a  liberal  cuntiihutor  and  to  which  he  gave 
largely  of  his  means  toward  the  erection  of  the 
present  fine  church  structure.  He  also  gave  a  con- 
sideralile  sum  to  the  Children's  Aid  Society  and 
contributed  ((uitc  an  amount  to  tlie  (rrecnsburg 
Seminary.  In  addition  to  all  those  generous 
contributions  he  gave  three  acres  in  the  right  of 
way  to  the  S.  \V.  P.  II.  R.  in  1871,  and  after- 
wards donated  ten  acres  of  very  valuable  land  for 
the  site  of  the  present  Gillinder  glass  works, 
and  thus  was  instrmnental  ii   securinir  that  larjje 


manufacturing  establishment  to  Greensburg,  and 
through  its  successful  career  of  rendering  West- 
moreland county  an  inviting  field  toother  manu- 
facturin;:  industries. 


^yAMUEL  RUFF,  a  prominent  and  sub- 
(&J  stantial  farmer  of  Ilempfield  township, 
(^  was  born  three  miles  north  of  jNIt.  Pleas 
ant,  in  Mt.  Pleasant  township,  Westmoreland 
county.  Pa.,  March  28,  182."),  and  is  a  sou  of 
John  and  Rebecca  (Allbough)  Ruff.  His  pater- 
nal grandfather,  Anthony  Ruft',  was  among  the 
early  settlers  of  Mt.  Pleasant  township.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
church,  in  which  he  was  an  active  and  earnest 
worker.  He  was  a  prominent  whig  in  his  sec- 
tion of  the  county,  was  regarded  as  a  safe  and 
reliable  business  man  and  by  honest  industry 
and  judicious  management  he  accjuired  several 
farms  and  for  his  day  was  one  of  the  wealthiest 
men  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county.  He 
was  well  advanced  in  years  at  the  time  of  his 
death.  His  maternal  grandfather  was  a  native 
of  Germany.  After  emigrating  to  Pennsylvania 
he  settled  in  this  county  but  soon  removed  to 
Ohio  where  he  died  at  the  remarkable  age  of 
lOG  years. 

John  Ruff  (father)  was  born  in  171I3  and  died 
in  1847,  when  in  the  54th  year  of  his  age.  He 
removed  to  Ilempfield  township  in  1833  and 
was  engaged  in  farming  as  long  as  he  lived.  He 
married  llebecca  Allbough.  She  was  une  of 
the  early  members  of  Zion  I'^vangelical  Lutheran 
church  at  Greensburg  and  passed  away  in  Au- 
gust, 1873. 

Samuel  Ruff  was  reared  on  the  home  farm 
and  received  his  education  in  the  rural  scliools 
of  Ilempfield  township.  Leaving  school  he  en- 
gaged in  farming,  which  he  has  continued  in 
till  the  present  time.  He  owns  the  homo  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty-three  acres,  a  tract  of 
one  hundred  and  forty  acres  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  Ilannastowu  and  a  one-half  interest 


WESTMORELA  NB   CO  VNTY. 


mZ-,:^ 


in  une  huinlreil  ami  twenty  ;icrcs  of  land  wliich 
ailjciins  tliut  vill:ii,'o.  On  llie  iKmu'sti'Mil  lit-  has 
liuilt  a  lari;e,  linu  brick  liuiiso,  in  which  lie  now 
rcsiiii's  and  where  lie  is  siMrounded  witli  all  tlie 
comforts  of  life  and  enjoys  tiie  fruits  of  his  many 
years  of  labor. 

In  1852,  he  married  Sybilla  Raigh,  daughter 
of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Kepple)  Raigh,  who 
■were  natives  of  this  county.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ruff  have  been  born  seven  children :  Elizabeth 
J.,  Catherine,  Clarion  W.,  John  G.,  Ella  May, 
George   G.  and  Jacob  S.  (dead). 

Mr.  Ruff  in  religious  belief  is  a  luthoran 
and  a  member  and  deacon  of  the  church  of  thet 
denomination. 


/^  LI  SELL,  fourth  in  lineal  descent  from 
^[  Jacob  Sell,  Sr.,  the  founder  of  tiie  Sell 
family  in  Westmoreland,  and  an  honest, 
upright  and  substantial  citizen  of  Ilempfield 
township,  was  born  in  Ileuipfield  township, 
AVestmoreland  county.  Pa.,  on  April  21,  1831, 
and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Polly  (Carr)  Sell. 
Ilis  great-grandfather,  Jacob  Sell,  was  an  early 
merchant  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.  One  of  liia  sons, 
Jacob  Sell,  Sr.  (grandfather)  who  was  a  hatter 
by  trade,  came  to  Westmoreland  county  where 
he  settled  near  Xcw  Stanton  and  afterwards 
married  Peggy  Wcible.  One  of  their  sons  was 
Jacob  Sell  (father).  (See  his  sketch  under 
Ilempfield  township). 

Eli  Sell  was  reared  on  a  farm  where  he  was 
carefully  trained  in  all  farming  operations.  He 
attended  the  subscription  schools  of  his  neigh- 
horhooil  and  since  leaving  school  has  devoted 
most  of  his  time  to  farming  in  Ilempfield  town- 
shi]i,  wiiri'i'  lie  Dwns  t\Mi  desirable  and  highly 
productive  farms.  He  aisn  owns  valualile  [irop- 
erty  in  and  near  Grecnshurg  and  lias  been  in- 
terested ill  th(.'  geiiei'al  mercantile  business  for 
twi'iily-live  yiMi's.  ilis  stdiT  in  ( 1  leciisbiirg 
is  iieavily  sluckcd  with  everything  to  lie  I'niind 
in  a  general  mcrcanlih'  estalilislniient.  I'rnmjit 
and    reliable    in   ail    of  iiis   transactions   lie   lias 


won  a  liberal  jiatronage  and  tiie  confidence  of  all 
wlio  liave  dealings  witli  him.  He  is  a  republican 
in  politics  and  with  liis  fimily  belongs  to  the 
Second  Reformed  cliureli  at  (ireenslmrg. 

On  September  'J,  1850,  ho  united  in  marriage 
with  Catherine  Byers.  They  have  three  eliil- 
dren  :  Jolin  S.,  Dr.  Jacob,  a  practicing  physi- 
cian of  Greensburg,  and  Alice  K.,  the  wife  of 
Dr.  W.  J.  Hammer,  a  leading  dentist  of  Greens- 
burg. Mrs.  Sell  is  a  daughter  of  Henry  Byers, 
a  prominent  farmer  of  Ilempfield  township. 

John  S.  Sell,  eldest  son  of  Eli  Sell,  was  born 
July  30,  18.')7.  He  was  educated  in  tlie  com- 
mon schools  of  Ilempfield  township,  Greens- 
burg academy,  Edinboro  State  Normal  school 
and  DufTs  Commercial  college  of  Pittsburg. 
He  has  been  engaged  in  mercantile  business  at 
Greensburg  since  1870  and  during  the  most  of 
this  time  has  been  in  partnership  with  his  father. 
Particularly  adapted  and  specially  educated  for 
business  pursuits,  he  has  naturally  become  effi- 
cient and  popular  as  a  merchant.  He  is  an 
active  republican  and  takes  great  interest  in 
educational  matters.  John  S.  Sell  is  enterpris- 
ing, liberal  and  progressive.  He  is  a  member  of 
Westmoreland  Lodge,  No.  518,  A.  Y.  M., 
Urania  Chapter,  No.  192,  H.  R.  A.  M.  and 
Kedron  Commandcry,  No.  18,  Knights  Temp- 
lar. 


•|*ACOB  SELL,  an  old  and  highly  respected 
"li"  citizen  and  a  comfortably  situated  farmer 
Qj  of  Hempfield  township,  was  born  at  Gettys- 
burg, Adams  county.  Pa.,  and  is  the  eldest 
son  of  Jacob  Sr.  and  (Peggy  ^Veible)  Sell. 
Jacob  Sell,  Sr.,  was  a  son  of  Jacob  Sell,  who 
was  a  mei'cliant  of  Getty.slmrg  wJicn  it  was  iiiit 
a  small  place.  Jacob  Sell,  Sr.  came  to  West- 
moreland cimnty  when  a  young  man  and  pur- 
ciiased  a  farm  ime-lialf  mile  distant  from  New 
Stanton.  lie  was  a  liatter  bv  tiudc,  a  whig  in 
politics  :iml  marrii'd  I'eggy  Wcible,  daughter  of 
Stephen  Wcible,  who  was  a  I'armei'  of  Hemp- 
field  townsliip. 


lUOQllAPlUKS   OF 


.l;u'()l)  Sell  \\;is  iiMrcii  mi  on  u  r^inii  ;  lio  iil- 
ti'iiileil  the  Now  Siuiiluu  .scliools  i'oi-  scvnal  win- 
ters ami  tlien  engajjjed  actively  in  farming.  Jn 
1831  lie  piirclni.soil  a  farm  of  one  liiiiiilrnl  mihI 
(il'ty  acres  iiji.iu  nliicli  lu^  li;n  iTsiilcij  ever  since. 
lie  has  always  lulluweil  Ikrniing,  except  two 
years  which  he  spent  at  shoemaking.  Politically 
he  is  a  republican.  He  has  been  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  Reformed  church  at  New  Stanton 
for  many  years. 

He  was  married  to  Polly  Carr,  daughter  of 
Arthur  Carr,  of  Greensburg,  Ly  whom  lie  had 
four  children  :  John,  Eli,  who  is  a  merchant  of 
Greensburg;  Mary  (deceased),  and  Uriah,  who 
married  Catherine  Paughman  and  resides  upon 
the  home  farm.  Mrs.  Sell  was  a  member  of 
the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church  and  died  in 
1881. 

John  Sell,  eldest  son  of  Jacob  and  Polly  (Carr) 
Sell,  was  born  June  13,  1JS23.  He  received 
his  education  in  the  rural  schools  of  his  native 
township,  engaged  in  farming  for  a  short  time 
and  in  1847  opened  a  store  in  New  Stanton,  which 
he  conducted  successfully  until  1888.  He  served 
twenty-three  years  as  postmaster  at  New  Stan- 
ton, receiving  his  first  commission  under  Presi- 
dent Tyler  in  1848  and  his  last  commission 
under  President  Lincoln.  He  is  a  strong  repub- 
lican and  an  active  member  of  the  IJefonned 
cliurcli  of  wliich  he  has  been  an  ebler  ior  over 
twelve  years.  He  has  been  twice  married.  Ilis 
first  wife  was  Mary  Ann  I'lvans,  a  daughter  of 
Joshua  I'lvaiis,  of  llciiiplield  town.^liip.  In 
twenty  yiMis  ul'ter  ibeir  marriage  |slie  died,  but 
left  no  cliildrcii.  On  September  7,  1ST3,  he 
united  ill  marriage  with  Melissa  Prant,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Clark  lliaiit.  To  this  second  union  have 
been  born  four  cliibheu  :  Ijaura  Grace,  .Jacob  i 
P.,  attending  school,  Mary  .Melissa  and  John  i 
(Jarlield.  Joliii  Sell  is  a  leading  eiti/cii  of  j 
HempficlJ  townshij),  has  had  extended  e.xjieri- 
ence  in  various  kinds  of  business,  and  altliouidi 
an  unassuming  man  yet  is  prominent  in  church 
and  civil  all'airs. 


•J'SK.W:!,  T.  SlIKKFLKK,  oneof  the  many 
I  sons  of  Westniorelaml  county  who  responded 
\  to  President  Lincoln's  first  call  for  tro<jp3 
and  a  successful  farmer  and  dairyman  of  lleni]i- 
iield  township.  Was  born  in  a  log  Ikjusc  on  his 
father's  farm  in  Unity  township,  ^Vestmoreland 
county.  Pa.,  Jlarch  18,  1838,  and  is  a  son  of 
Samuel  C.  and  Hannah  E.  (Slife)  ShefHer. 
Samuel  C.  Shefller  was  born  on  the  old  Shedler 
farm  in  Hempfield  township  April  11,  1814. 
In  early  life  he  followed  farming  for  a  few  years 
and  then  engaged  in  stage-driving,  which  he 
followed  for  si.xteen  years.  When  the  railroads 
monopolized  the  business  of  the  old  pikes  he 
resumed  farming  and  was  thus  engaged  at  the 
breaking  out  of  the  late  war.  From  18G1  to 
18G5  he  served  as  an  enrolling  officer.  He  now 
resides  in  Hempfield  township.  He  is  a  repub- 
lican, has  held  various  township  offices  and  is  a 
member  of  the  First  Lutheran  church  of  Greens- 
burg. On  June  30,  1833,  he  married  Hannah 
E.  Slife,  who  was  born  in  1813  and  died  in 
1884.  They  had  twelve  cliildren,  of  whom  si.x 
are  living.  The  three  eldest  sons  enlisted  in 
the  late  war.  Daniel  was  wounded  in  one  of 
the  Wilderness  battles  and  died  from  its  effects 
in  a  few  days.  Henry,  who  was  a  member  of 
an  Ohio  regiment,  was  killed  while  serving  in 
one  of  the  western  armies. 

Lsrael  T.  Shefller  received  his  education  at 
Yonngstown  school.  Unity  township,  and  made 
a  start  in  life  lor  himself  as  a  railroad  eni|ilove 
in  lS,"i!i.  In  the  spring  of  iMil  he  was  oneof 
those  who  responded  to  I'residi'iit  Lincoln's  call 
for  seventy-five  thousand  men,  and  (jii  May  I 
of  that  year  he  enlisted  in  Company  <i,  ninth 
Pa.  Reserves  for  three  years  more.  lie  par- 
ticipated in  sixteen  hard-fought  battles  of 
his  regiment,  \vliicli  well  bore  its  part  in  the 
campaigns  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  under 
McClellaii,  Hooker,  Purnside  and  Mea.le.  Ho 
was  honorably  mustered  out  of  the  United 
States  service  at  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  on  May  ll2, 
18t!4.      Leaving   the    army   he    was    married    to 


ciirioin   tun 


WKSTMOllELA ND  CO  UNTl\ 


Sarah  Bitts  Feliiuary  "2,  18Ij.j,  who  died  Feb- 
ruary, 1SG7.  A  Mjii,  ],)auicl,  was  born  October 
23,  18(35. 

February  IS,  1SG8,  lie  married  Xanc}'  l<\:)rry, 
daugliter  of  Jleury  Forry,  of  Newark,  Ohio. 
Tliey  have  four  cliihh'ea  :  Mamie,  born  January 
17,  1S70;  Daisy,  born  March  2,  1872;  Carrie, 
born  June  23.  1875;  and  James,  who  was  born 
October  3,  1880. 

I.  T.  Shetller  is  a  member  of  the  Second  Re- 
formed ehurcii  of  Greensburg,  Post  No.  270, 
Oraiid  Army  of  the  Kepublie,  and  Union 
^\•te^an  Legion.  Mr.  Slicliler  h;is  always  been 
a  republican  in  politics  and  never  misses  an  op- 
portunity to  honorably  work  for  the  success  of 
liis  jiarty. 

ONRAD  SIIUEY,  a  retired  farmer  and 
substantial  citizen  of  Ilemptield  township, 
isason  of  John  andSusanna(Bush)  Shuey 
and  was  born  on  his  father's  farm,  two  miles 
south  of  Harrison  City  road,  in  Ilcmpfield  town- 
ship, Westmoreland  count}',  Pa.,  April  17,  1814. 
Conrad  Shuey  (grandfather)  was  a  native  of  cen- 
tral Pennsylvania  and  came  to  near  Greensburg, 
this  county,  w  here  he  purchased  a  large  farm  on 
which  he  resided  until  his  death.  He  was  iden- 
tiliid  witli  the  early  history  of  our  country,  and 
was  one  of  the  garrison  at  Fort  A\  iieeling,  where 
he  narrowly  escaped  capture  by  the  Indians.  He 
was  an  active  member  of  the  Lutheran  church,  a 
whig  in  politics  and  lived  to  the  ripe  old  age  of 
eighty-seven  years.  lie  was  the  father  of  three 
children,  two  of  \(  horn  grew  up  :  .lohn  and  ('ath- 
ariiie.  John  Shuey  (father)  was  born  near 
Mifllin,  Pa.,  and  was  brought  by  his  parents  to 
this  section  when  a  youth.  All  his  life  was  de- 
voted to  farming,  in  which,  being  industrious  and 
economical  he  was  tjuite  successful.  He  was  a 
whig  and  republican  in  politics  but  never  sought 
an  ofTiee ;  lie  was  identifieil  with  the  Reformed 
church.  I'orn  in  1702,  he  lived  \)i\st  the  al- 
lotted tliree->eore  and  ten  and  died  in  1870.  He 
was    married    to    Susanna    Push,    daughter    of 


Daniel  Bush,  by  whom  he  had  five  children,  of 
whom  Conrad  is  the  eldest. 

Conrad  Sliuey  attended  the  subscription 
schools  of  his  day  and  has  devoted  his  attention 
entirely  to  farming,  now  owning  two  farms  in 
Hempfield  township.  In  ISSO  he  retired  from 
active  life  and  now  resides  near  Greensburg.  He 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church 
since  1834  and  is  a  highly  respected  citizen  of 
the  community. 

He  was  married  to  ALiria,  a  daughter  of  John 
Holtzer,  of  Franklin  township,  and  they  have 
hail  ten  ehildien  of  whom  eight  are  living: 
Christina,  is  the  wife  of  Isaac  Silvis  :  John  M., 
is  a  farmer  of  Hempfield  township  ;  Susan,  is 
married  to  John  Silvis  ;  Conrad  F.,  is  on  his 
father's  farm.  The  other  living  chihlren  are : 
Elizabeth,  M»ry  J.,  Henry  D.  and  Simon  P. 
Mrs.  Shuey  died  and  Mr.  Shuey  re-married,  his 
second  and  present  wife  being  Sarah  C.  Braughy. 


eYRUS  J.  SHUSTER,  of  Delmont,  was 
born  in  Salem  township,  AVestmoreland 
county.  Pa.,  September  15,  1850,  and  is 
a  son  of  Daniel  and  Lucinda  (Rugh)  Shuster. 
Isaac  Shuster,  his  grandfather,  one  of  Westmore- 
land county's  ohlest  citizens,  was  married  to 
Anna  Blose,  of  the  same  count}',  and  they  had 
the  following  children:  Elizabeth,  who  married 
Jacob  Sliutt,  of  Hempfield  township  ;  George, 
now  of  Armstrong  county  ;  Sarah,  wife  of  C. 
IIufTnian,  of  Hempfield  township  ;  Isaiah  ;  John  ; 
Joseph  ;  D.aniel ;  Anna,  wife  of  Daniel  Coy,  of 
Hempfield  township  ;  William  G.  and  Eli,  who 
ilied  in  early  manhood.  One  of  these  children, 
Daniel  Shuster  (father)  was  born  August  22, 
1827,  in  Hempfield  township.  After  leaving 
the  public  sohools  he  worked  at  shoemaking  for 
a  nundjcr  of  years  and  in  1850  began  farming 
on  the  farm  he  now  owns  and  occupies.  He  was 
also  joint  owner  of  a  general  merchandise  store 
in  Greensburtr  with  his  son,  Lewis  Shuster,  from 


mOGRAPIIIES  OF 


ISir,  until  tlic  iluatli  of  tlio  latter  in  1SSM.  llu 
is  now  (iiir  of  IJiL-  (iwiicr^  of  the  Salem  mill  jiro- 
perty  on  which  stands  one  of  the  best  mills  in 
tlie county,  iiaviiij^  thelatest  iin|)rovccl  machinery, 
the  roller  j>rocess,  and  everything  that  pertains 
to  its  success.  Mr.  Shustcr  is  a  member  and  an 
elder  of  tlie  Lutheran  cliurch  at  Delniont  and 
belongs  to  Salem  Council,  No.  42,  0.  C.  F.  He 
married  Lucinda  Rugh,  of  Ilempfield  township, 
who  bore  him  thirteen  children :  D.  Edgar,  died 
February  25,  18SG  ;  Lewis  W.,  died  August  '22, 
18811;  three  died  in  infancy;  Harriet  J.,  mar- 
ried Joseph  JL  Silvis,  of  AVashington  township  ; 
Cyrus  J.  ;  Maggie  A.,  married  J.  ^L  Klingen- 
smith,  of  Grecnsburg  ;  Melvina,  became  the  wife 
of  Frank  C.  Black,  of  Salem  township;  Clara 
B.,  Albert  J.,  ^linnie  and  Gertrude  L. 

Jacob  Rugh,  maternal  grandfather,  was  a  na- 
tive of  eastern  Pennsylvania  but  came  to  West- 
moreland county  at  a  very  early  date,  where  he 
was  one  of  the  first  settlers.  lie  was  a  farmer 
by  occupation  and  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Lutlieran  church  at  Greensburg.  Ilis  mother, 
Lucinda  (Rugh)_Sliuster,  was  born  August  22, 
18S0,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Margaret 
A.  Rngh,  of  Ilempfield  township,  and  a  sister  of 
Dr.  .).  W.  Kii-h,  of  New  .Mexandria. 

('ynl^  .).  SliUstcr  atliiided  the  piilili<'  schools 
and  New  Salem  academy,  and  after  leaving  school 
at  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  entered  the  store 
of  D.  Shuster  &Son,  atGreensburg,  and  remained 
there  four  years,  then  returned  to  his  father's 
faiiu  and  aflcr  (uo  vears  llierc  ut'Ul  lo  Salriii 
March  •),  l.'^^l,  ami  learned  milling  in  his 
father's  mill.  From  188o  until  the  present  he 
has  had  charge  of  the  mill  and  is  conceded  to  be 
one  of  the  best  millers  in  western  Pennsvlvania. 
Mr.  Sliu>tcr  is  a  nieiabcr  of  tlie  Lutlieran  church, 
a  sound  democrat  and  is  a  memlicr  of  ihc  O.  ('. 
K.  and  \Ur..\v.  ().  1 1.  A.  M.,  liaving  attained  in 
both  the  rank  of  Sr.  1*.  C. 

Cyrus  J.  Shustcr  was  married  Seiitember  lo, 
I'S!^:'.,  to  ?tIarLMrct  ]•:.,  only  daULrhtcr  of  ,I,,sc|ih 
and  Mary   liouc  of  S;il(iri  low  ndji|i.      'I'hiv  have 


one  child,  i\Iary  Alice  Shuster,  who  was  born  June 
21,  1S8.S. 


I-OIIN  SllUliM,  of  near  Adam.sburg,  a  de- 
scendant of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of 
the  county  and  a  prominent  citizen  of  the 
"  Star  of  the  West,"  was  born  April  20,  1S34, 
in  Ilempfield  township,  Westmoreland  county, 
Pa.,  and  is  a  son  (tlie  only  child)  of  Solomon 
and  Sarah  A.  (Uber)  Shrum.  His  grandfather 
was  John  Shrum,  of  German  descent,  who  was 
born  in  Heniplield  township  about  1770  and 
was  a  prosperous  farmer  of  that  early  period. 
He  also  worked  some  at  his  trade,  that  of  making 
the  old-fashioned  split-bottomed  chair.  John 
Andrew  Shulze,  who  was  governor  of  Pennsyl- 
vania from  182.3  till  1829,  appointed  him  a 
justice  of  the  peace  and  he  has  served  in  that 
capacity  for  seventeen  years.  He  was  a  demo- 
crat in  politics  and  a  member  of  the  Brush 
Creek  Reformed  church,  of  wdiich  he  was  one 
of  the  founders  and  in  which  he  was  a  trustee 
and  for  very  many  years  served  as  an  elder. 
He  was  a  modest  man  of  retiring  disposition 
and  gave  much  time  to  reading  literary,  bio- 
graphical and  especially  historical  works.  ^Vcll 
informed  and  intelligent  himself,  be  devoted 
special  attention  to  the  education  of  his  children, 
of  whom  four  became  teachers,  Solomon,  John, 
Henry  and  Reuben.  His  wife  was  (!alharine 
Sliirey  of  Ilempfield  township,  by  whom  he 
had  eight  children  :  Anna  Mary,  born  May  3, 
17U7  ;  Esther,  born  [March  10,  1800;  Solomon, 
born  January  7,  LS03;  Elizabeth,  born  October 
7,  1805;  John,  born  September  14-,  1808; 
Henry,  born  August  2'J,  1811  ;  Jacob,  born 
October  1,  ISH  ;  and  Iteuben,  born  August  2, 
ISI.S.  Mr.  Shrmu  died  in  IS")!  and  bis  wife 
survived  liim  about  a  decade,  passing  away  at 
the  age  of  ninety  years.  Solomon  Shrinn 
(father)  was  born  in  Ilempfield  township,  this 
(•(Uinty,  and  icccivcd  a  good  cdiicalion  in  Ijolh 
(icilriah    and     I'jiL'lisli.       lie   can'icd  on  f.uiiiin;' 


WESTMORELAND   COUNTY. 


C97 


liirjTely,  being  an  extensive  landowner,  anil  also 
acted  as  guaiJian,  sottloil  up  estates,  ami  did 
miieli  business  in  that  line.  lie  was  a  member, 
triislcc  and  cider  of  liic  lielurmcil  cliureli  at 
Hriisli  ireck  \siirrc  be,  wilii  liis  paicnts,  lies 
buried,  baving  departed  this  lil'e  .March  y,  18Uli. 
Ilis  widow  died  February  14,  1888,  aged  sev- 
enty-six years,  nine  months  and  twenty-nine 
days.  They  were  the  )jarents  uf  but  one  child, 
whom  they  oalled  John.  I'eter  I'ber,  maternal 
grandfather,  was  a  icsideiit  of  lleinplield  town- 
ship, where  he  died,  lie  married  Naomi  Bar- 
bara Frances,  who  was  born  October  11,  17G4r, 
in  Northampton  county.  Pa.  When  small  she 
was  captured  in  llempfield  township,  this  county, 
by  the  Indians  and  Avas  restored  to  her  parents 
by  an  old  trader  who  discovered  her  seven  years 
later. 

John  Shrum  was  reared  on  the  farm,  got  his 
education  in  the  common  schools  and  has  all  his 
life  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  at  jiresent 
owning  a  large  tract  of  valuable  land.  He  is 
called  upon  more  frequently,  perhaps,  than  any 
other  man  in  the  count)'  to  settle  up  estates,  in 
which  he  is  singularly  succes.sful.  A  democrat 
in  politics,  he  was  in  1878  elected  by  his  party 
as  one  of  the  three  guardians  of  the  poor  and 
served  with  credit  i'or  three  years.  Steady, 
energetic,  reliable  and  entrrpiising,  he  has 
achieved  success  in  life  and  won  a  reputation  for 
honorable  dealing,  integrity  and  Christian  con- 
duct that  extends  far  and  wide. 

John  Shruni  in  18(51  was  married  to  f'ath- 
arine  A.,  daughter  of  Andrew  Kepple  of  I'enn 
township,  l»y  whom  he  has  had  ten  children,  all 
of  whom  are  living:  William  F.,  born  February 
27,  ISOG;  Daniel  E.,  born  July  13,  18(J7 ; 
Solomon  L.,  born  January  -1,  1870;  Emma 
Jane,  born  November  IG,  1871;  Sarah  Alice, 
born  July  3,  1873;  Edward  S.,  born  June  '2-1, 
1870;  David  C,  born  June  21,  1878;  Abner 
E.,  born  March  27,  1881 ;  Anna  E.,  born  Octo- 
ber 7,  1884;  and  Ilattie  Ida  May,  Itorn  August 
25,  1887. 


eYRUS    F.    SMELT 
tradesman,  a  genial, 


YRUS  F.  SMELTZER,  an  excellent 
necommodating  man 
1  a  lea<ling  citizen  of  Adainsburg,  is 
a  son  of  Oaviil  and  Maria  (Rowe)  Smelt/er  and 
was  born  in  llrMi]ili<'M  townsjiip,  Wi-slnmrcland 
County,  I'a.,  October  lit,  1M.')4.  The  Smeltzers 
are  of  German  origin.  Jacob  Siueltzer  (paternal 
grandfather)  was  born  in  this  county  in  1803. 
lie  was  a  weaver  by  trade  but  engaged  in  farm- 
ing which  he  followeil  until  IStil  when  he  re- 
moved to  Marion  county,  Ohio,  where  he  died 
in  1^88.  lie  married  a  Miss  Rush,  by  whom 
he  had  nine  children.  Six  of  these  are  living, 
five  of  them  being  in  the  west  and  the  other  one, 
David,  is  a  resident  of  this  county.  Samuel 
Rowe  (maternal  grandfather)  was  born  in  Hemp- 
field  township  in  17'Jl.)  and  died  at  Greensburg 
October,  1SS8.  He  was  a  stone  mason  by  trade 
but  followed  farming,  and  married  Margaret 
Gressman  of  this  county,  who  bore  him  eight 
children,  of  whom  the  third  was  the  mother  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  David  Sraeltzer 
(father)  was  born  in  llempfield  township,  Octo- 
ber 31,  1825.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm,  learned 
the  trade  of  wagon-maker  with  Isaac  Barr,  now 
of  Greensburg,  but  then  of  llempfield  township 
and  engaged  in  the  wagon-making  business  at 
Grapeville,  which  he  has  pursued  at  that  jilace 
ever  since.  He  married  Maria  Rowe,  who  bore 
him  four  children  :  John  A..  o|'  Maricjii  county, 
Oliio ;  Cyrus  F.,  Samuel,  wlio  was  killed  at 
twelve  years  of  age  on  the  P.  R.  R.,  at  Irwin, 
by  falling  with  the  back  of  his  bead  on  the  frozen 
ties  on  Christmas  day,  ISliS  ;  and  Mary,  wife 
of  John  Pifer  o(  Penn  station.  Mrs.  Smelt- 
zer  died  in  iMiO  and  Mr.  Snieltzer  again 
married,  his  second  wife  being  Elizabeth  Steiner, 
by  whom  he  has  had  five  children :  George 
B.,  Harry  0.,  William  J.,  Sarah  J.  and 
Agnes. 

('yrus  F.  Smeltzer  was  reared  at  Grape- 
ville, where  he  attended  tlie  common  schools 
until  fourteen  years  of  age,  wluii  he  entc'red 
his    father's    shop    and    learned    the    trade    of 


BIOGRAPHIES   OF 


wagon-maker.  After  completing  liis  trade  lie 
workerl  with  his  father  until  six  years  ago, 
when  he  rentoveil  to  Manor  where  he  remained 
one  vi'ar.  He  then  eanie  to  Adamshiirg  and 
opened  his  jircsent  wagnn-making  establishment. 
Mr.  Smcltzer  is  as  good  a  workman  in  his  line 
as  any  in  the  county  and  lias  a  good  trade.  lie 
is  a  democrat,  has  held  various  offices  in  the 
borough  and  is  now  a  member  of  the  council  and 
school  board  of  Adamsburg. 

On  December  23,  1875,  he  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Mary  E.  Bigelow  of  Ilemjifield  town- 
ship. They  have  six  children  :  Edgar  II.,  born 
October  11,  1876  ;  Arthur  D.,  born  February 
10,  1.^79;  Annie  L.,  born  September  28, 1881 ; 
George  E.,  born  October  20,  1883,  Frank  0., 
born  November  21,  1880  ;  and  Allen  Thurman, 
born  August  0,  1888. 


•f-AMES  F.  STANTON,  a  plain,  modest  and 
I  unassuming  citizen  of  raintersville  and  one 
(jy  of  the  foremost  business  men  of  AVcstmore- 
land  county,  is  a  son  of  Alexander  V.  and  Mary 
J.  (Ijarefoot)  Stanton  and  was  born  near  S toys- 
town,  Somerset  euunty,  I'a.,  .April  17,  IXVi. 
Tlie  Stantons  are  of  Knglisli  descent. 

Alexander  V.  Stanton  was  born  in  l>el:iware, 
January  2'),  1822,  and  in  early  life  came  to 
Somerset  cnunty  where  he  purchased  a  grist 
mill  at  Diebertsville,  which  place  soon  clianged 
til  its  present  name  of  Stanton's  Mills.  Ilefol- 
hiwrd  the  milling  liii~inrss  until  his  death, 
M:iieli  11,  l.^TI.  Mr  was  a  member  of  the 
Dunkard  or  (Jerman  liajitist  church,  a  strong  re- 
publican and  a  very  thorough-going  and  popular 
business  man.  lie  was  librral  in  liis  cimtrihu- 
tions  to  the  chuiih  and  all  worlhy  enterprises. 
II.-  married  .Mary  .lane  l!a|-ero(,l  <.r  Dedrurd 
(•(innty,  I'a.,  by  wlmni  he  hail  ihii-tein  children, 
of  whom  eight  sons  and  four  daughters  are  living. 
Mrs.  Stanton,  who  still  resides  at  Stanton's  Mills. 
Ta.,  comes  of  a  long-lived  family.  Her  mother 
lacked  but  two  years  of  being  a  centenarian. 


James  F.  Stanton  attended  the  common 
schoi.ils  of  his  native  township.  At  an  early  age 
he  began  the  battle  of  life  for  himself  in  the 
great  worlil  of  business.  Milling  was  his  choice 
of  occupations  and  he  rented  and  0[ieratcMl  a  mill 
for  some  time  at  Johnstown,  Pa.  He  next  as- 
sumed charge  of  the  Red  mill  on  Stony  creek 
and  in  May,  1873,  came  to  AVestmoreland  coun- 
ty and  rented  the  large  flouring  mill  of  Israel 
Painter  at  Paintersville.  Mr.  Stanton  now 
owns  a  two-third  interest  in  the  mill,  which  is 
equipped  throughout  with  the  latest  of  milling 
machinery  and  has  a  capacity  of  seventy-five 
barrels  per  day.  His  trade  has  so  increased 
that  he  has  had  to  keep  the  mill  running  day 
and  night  for  the  last  four  years.  Besides  his 
large  interest  in  this  mill  he  owns  a  mill  and 
farm  at  Wilmore,  Pa.,  and  several  houses  and 
lots  at  Paintersville.  Mr.  Stanton  is  an  active 
republican  and  has  been  postmaster  at  Paint- 
ersville ever  since  Hayes  was  president,  except 
during  Cleveland's  administration.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Free  Mason  Lodge  of  Somerset, 
No.  3")S  ;  and  the  German  Reformed  church. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  on  January  13, 
1SI)7,  with  Catharine  llowiiian,  who  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  1).  Howmaii  of  Somerset  county,  Pa. 
()f  their  marriage  have  been  born  ten  children  : 
Rertlia,  wife  of  G.  E.  Bair,  M.  D.,  of  Mendon ; 
Anna  M.,  John  A.,  Mary  A.,  Catherine  E., 
James  N.,  Thomas  F.,  Leora  P.,  Elmer  B.  (de- 
ceased) ;  and  I'Jda  G. 

Oil  August  31,  1802,  Mr.  Stanton  enlisted  as 
a  private  in  Co.  D,  one  hundred  and  forty-second 
leg.  Pa.  Vols.  He  refused  a  lieutenantcy  in 
the  company  but  was  afterwards  promoted  to  or- 
derly sergeant  and  was  honorably  disciiarged 
Juno  13,  llS(ir).  He  was  in  tho  battle  (d"  (jlot- 
lysburg  b(^sides  parlicijiating  in  other  battles  and 
skirmishes.  At  the  battle  of  the  Weldon  rail- 
road he  was  wounded  and  taken  prisoner  by  the 
('onfederates  and  removed  to  Castle  Thunder, 
remained  there  one  month  and  was  then  taken  to 
Salisbury  where  he  remained  six    months  before 


WESTMORELAND   CO  UNTY. 


he  was  exchanged.  Excepting  his  services  in 
the  Union  army  Mr.  Stanton  has  given  all  of  his 
time  to  milling.  lie  is  a  man  of  gooi.1  business 
finalities  and  of  excellent  standing  and  is  a  pub- 
lic-spirited citizen  who  takes  an  active  interest 
in  the  material  prosperity  of  his  section  and  the 
county. 

'I'  OUN  STARK,  a  prosperous  and  prominent 
I  citizen  of  Franklin  township,  was  born  June 
(®/  22,  1813,  in  Germany,  near  Frankfurt-on- 
the-Main,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Catharine 
(Hess)  Stark.  All  his  ancestors  for  generations 
back  lived  and  died  in  the  fatherland.  Alter 
the  deatli  of  his  jiareiits  Mr.  Stark,  together 
with  a  brother  Valentine  and  a  sister  Anna, 
came  to  America,  all  three  settling  in  Cumber- 
land county,  I'a.,  near  Carlisle.  At  the  expira- 
tion of  about  five  years  they  went  to  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  thence  to  Illinois,  where  they  purchased  a 
farm  on  which  they  lived  four  years,  and  then 
returned  to  Pennsylvania,  locating  about  18.3'J 
in  Franklin  township,  this  county.  There  they 
bought  land  and  have  lived  ever  since.  Mr. 
Stark  owns  nearly  five  hundred  acres  of  good 
land  and  a  large  Houring  mill  at  Manordale. 
His  brother  Valentine  resides  in  Allegheny  City 
and  liis  sister  Anna  is  the  wife  of  Julin  Mayer, 
now  of  California. 

Jolin  .Stark  was  married  to  Catherine  Shane- 
shulls,  a  native  of  Germany,  by  whom  he  has 
had  nine  children :  Kate  (dead),  John,  George, 
James,  Valentine,  Annie,  Rebecca,  Mary  (dead) 
anil  Catharine.  Of  these  children  John  is  mar- 
ried to  Annie  Howard  and  resides  in  Franklin 
tdwnshi]),  where  he  carries  on  farming  and 
droving;  (ieorge  is  a  fanner  of  Wasliingtuu 
t(;wnsliip;  James  married  Sallie  IJIair  ami  lives 
in  his  native  township;  Valentine  is  married  to 
Janet  Rolen  and  lives  in  Washington  township ; 
Annie  is  the  wife  of  i^ouis  l''ontes,  a  mercliant 
of  Kast  ijil)eity  ;  Rebecca  is  niairied  to  Saiiniel 
Remaley,  a  miller  of  Franklin  township. 

John    Stark    received   his   education  in  Ger- 


many ;  he  has  served  as  school  director  in  his 
township  and  as  assistant  assessor  several  years. 
He  is  a  democrat,  and  with  his  wife  belongs  to 
the  Lutheran  church  at  what  is  called  the  Hill 
church,  in  which  he  has  held  the  ollices  of  elder 
and  trustee.  Reliable  and  thrifty  in  business, 
energetic  in  his  labors,  conscientious  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  social,  civil  and  religious  duties 
^Ir.  Stark  is  a  representative  man  and  a  citizen 
of  high  rank. 


/^  BENEZER  STEEL  was  born  near  where 
^g)/  he  now  lives  in  Franklin  township, 
Westmoreland  county,  I'a.,  September 
29,  1823,  and  is  a  son  of  James  and  Martha 
(McCutcheon)  Steel.  His  grandfatiier  was 
James  Steel,  a  native  of  Belfast,  Ireland,  who 
innnigrated  to  America  about  1778  and  settled 
on  the  Sewickley  creek,  in  Mt.  Pleasant  town- 
ship, this  county,  where  he  took  up  five  hundred 
acres  of  land  and  where  he  remained  until 
his  death.  He  was  a  whig  and  belonged  to  the 
I'resbyterian  church.  James  McCutcheon,  ma- 
ternal grandfather,  was  born  in  Franklin  county. 
Pa.,  and  was  of  Scotch  extraction.  About  1790 
he  came  to  this  county,  locating  in  AVashington 
to\yisliip,  where  he  died.  He  was  connected 
with  the  Presbyterian  church  and  was  the  first 
justice  of  the  peace  in  Westmoreland  county. 
His  wife  was  Martha  Finney  of  McKeesport,  who 
bore  him  six  children :  Samuel,  Alexander,  Cath- 
arine, William,  Margaret  and  Andrew.  James 
Steel  (father),  was  born  on  the  old  homestead  in 
Mt.  Pleasant  township  in  1787,  and  removed 
to  Franklin  township  in  ISlfS,  wliere  he  died  in 
18(12.  lie  fdUowed  tiie  oecupalinn  <if  fanning, 
as  did  his  aneestoi's  and  was  a  whig  in  |ii)liticH; 
he  once  lieid  the  posilidii  of  Captain  in  liie  Stale 
militia.  His  chijilren  were:  luitii,  I'eggy, 
James,  John,  Mbcne/.rr,  Hiram,  ('atliarinc  and 
William. 

I'llieue/.cr  Steel  was  married  to  Sarah  Snyder, 
a  si.-^ter  of  Rev.  J.  F.  Snyder,  of  Franklin  town- 


700 


BIOORAPIIIES  OF 


ship  (see  his  sketch),  and  to  their  union  has  heen 
born  two  cliiKlren  :  Mary,  \Yife  of  Knox  Hill, 
a  merchant  of  McKeesport,  and  James,  wjio  is 
at  iiome.  ^^r.  Steel,  after  leaving  the  eonimon 
sehools,  went  into  llie  liii.siness  of  farming,  which 
he  has  ever  since  fulloweJ.  lie  now  owns  two 
good  and  well-improved  farms,  is  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial citizens  of  the  county,  a  republican  in 
politics  and  belongs  to  the  United  Presbyterian 
church  at  ^lurrysville. 


(t>"lvANCIS  L.  STEWART,  of  near  Mur- 
|V  rysville,  the  founder  of  the  well-known 
••  Laird  Institute,"  is  a  son  of  Dr.  Zacha- 
riah  GammiU  and  Jane  (Laird)  Stewart,  and  was 
born  at  Murrysville,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa., 
June  12, 1S3L  Dr.  Stewart,  who  was  of  Scotch- 
Irish  descent,  was  born  at  Ale.xandria,  in  Hunt- 
ingdon county,  this  State,  in  1805,  from  whence, 
after  receiving  his  medical  education,  he  re- 
moved to  Pittsburg  where  he  practiced  medicine 
fur  a  few  months.  From  Pittsburg  he  came  to 
Murrysville  where  he  pursued  his  profession 
very  successfully  for  about  thirty  years,  then  re- 
moved to  Cannonslnirg,  Wasliington  county.  Pa., 
for  the  purpose  uf  eilucaling  his  children,  and 
died  at  that  place  August  ;U),  lAW-l,  wlini  iu  the 
fifty-eighth  year  of  his  itge.  He  was  suceessfid 
us  a  physician,  had  tlie  confidence  of  all  who 
knew  him  and  married  Jane  Laird  by  wlium  he 
bad  five  children.  One  of  their  sons  is  Dr. 
Tliuuias  H.  Stewart,  now  of  Tnnnbull  county, 
Ohio;  another  is  Kev.  Kobert  L.  Stewait,  now 
of  Danville,  V'a.,  who  served  in  the  late  war  and 
was  wounded  at  Gettysburg.  Mrs.  Jane  (Laird) 
Stewart  was  born  in  180.')  and  died  in  1871)  at 
seventy-four  years  of  age.  She  was  the  eldest 
daughter  of  Kev.  Francis  and  Mary  (Moore) 
Liiiid.  Mis.  l,aird  was  a  daiigliler  of  lion 
John  Moore,  the  lirst  president  judge  of  West- 
moreland county.  Rev.  Francis  Laird,  D.D., 
was  a  man  of  unusual  ability,  a  fine  classical 
scholar  and    a  highly  esteemed  minister.       He 


was  the  youngest  son  of  William  Laird,  of 
Adams  county,  Pa.,  who  married  Jane  McCluro 
and  wdiose  father,  William  Laird.  Sr.,  was  the 
son  of  John  and  Martha  (Russel)  Laird,  respec- 
tively of  Scotch-Irish  and  Fnglish  lineage,  and 
who  emigrated  from  Ireland  to  Adams  county 
about  17G0. 

Francis  L.  Stewart  was  educated  at  Jefferson 
college  from  whicli  he  was  graduated  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1852.  After  graduating  he  taught  in  an 
academy  at  Hunterstown,  near  Gettysburg,  Pa., 
and  afterwards  went  to  Jefferson  City,  Missouri, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  teaching  from  1S5G  to 
1851).  In  the  latter  year  he  was  compelled  to 
return  to  Pennsylvania  on  account  of  fever  and 
ague.  He  then  taught  for  some  time  in  the  Fe- 
male Seminary  at  Cannonsburg,  but  was  com- 
pelled to  relinquish  it  on  account  of  ill-health. 
About  March,  18t)l,  he  returned  to  Murrysville 
where  he  formed  and  instructed  a  few  classes  and 
founded  "  Laird  Institute  "  which  has  success- 
fully maintained  its  existence  ever  since  as  an 
academy  of  the  highest  grade  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  counfy. 

Mr.  Stewart's  taste  and  training  helitted 
him  for  scientific  research,  especially  in  the  de- 
partments of  eheiiiistry,  geidogy  and  botany. 
Hetween  lb>'>-'>  and  IStiS  he  investigated  in  a 
course  of  experiments  extending  over  several 
years,  the  true  value  for  sugar  manufacture,  of 
the  then  recently  introduced  sugar  millet,  or 
sorghum,  ending  in  the  discovery' of  a  process 
still  known  hy  his  name  which  has  been  the  foun- 
dation of  all  practical  work  for  producing  sugar 
from  that  siuiiee. 

About  1870,  as  the  result  of  private  experi- 
ments to  determine  the  nature  and  properties  of 
natural  gas  obtained  as  it  escaped  from  the  earth 
near  Murrysville,  he  ]iublisliiMl  a  statement  call- 
ing alteiiticjii  i'or  the  first  tune  to  the  "rcat 
value  of  the  gas  lor  liicl  lor  manufiicturing  pur- 
])oses.  He  was  led  to  form  a  theory  of  the  ori- 
gin of  the  gas  which,  in  some  of  its  main  features 
is  essentially  the  same  iis  that  which   was  after- 


WESTMORELAND   COUNTY. 


wards  broached  by  Prof.  Mendelief,  of  Russia,  and 
■wliicli  now  meets  with  general  acceptance  in  Eu- 
rope. 'I'liis  tlieory  asserts  the  jiroduction  of  the 
'^■AH  1(1  lie  cdiil  iiiiiiiiis,  anil  I  lie  result  iif  wcll-lciiiiwii 
clu'iiiical  ami  pliysical  causes.  The  condilioiiof 
the  Miiirysville  field  at  the  present  time  is  cited 
as  giving  abundant  proof  of  tiie  theory. 

Mr.  Stewart  is  also  interested  in  the  salt  and 
soda  and  other  chemical  industries,  and  has 
made  important  improvements  in  j)rocesses  and 
machinery  connected  therewith. 

In  1885  he  undertook  the  most  laborious  and 
exacting  work  of  his  life,  the  practical  demon- 
stration of  a  discovery  which  he  had  made,  that 
the  development  of  sugar  in  the  juice  of  the  stems 
of  maize  or  Indian  corn  can  be  largely  increased 
by  an  artificial  mode  of  treatment,  so  that  the 
percent,  uf  sugar  which  it  then  contains  exceeds 
that  of  any  t'llier  plant  groun  outride  tiie  trop- 
ics, not  excepting  tiie  sugar  lieet,  and  nnly 
erpialled  by  the  southern  cane. 

This  research  has  only  been  coinpletetl  during 
the  past  year,  and  some  of  the  results  of  it  and 
the  scientific  and  jiractical  questions  growing 
out  of  it,  were  the  subject  of  a  jiaper  read  by  Mr. 
Stewart  at  the  last  meeting  of  the  American  As- 
sociation for  the  Advancement  of  Science  at 
Toronto,  Canada,  which  has  received  marked  at- 
tention, both  in  this  country  and  in  Europe.  He 
antici[iates  that  sugar  will  soon  be  manufactured 
from  this  new  source  in  all  countries  where  In- 
dian corn  can  be  grown  in  lai'ger  ijuanlity  and 
at  much  less  cost  than  from  the  sugar  beet. 

Mr.  Stewart  is  the  author  of  two  works  on  the 
chemistry  of  .sugar  proiluetion,  ami  of  several 
papers  and  reports,  some  of  which  ha\e  been 
embodied  in  government  jniblications  of  the  Uni- 
ted States  and  Great  Britain,  and  re-published 
in  Euroj)e  and  in  the  English  Colonies.  He  is 
a  mendier  of  the  American  Association  for  the 
Advancement  of  Science  and  also  of  the  Botanical 
Society  of  western  Pennsylvania;  was  the  original 
projector  and  promoter  of  the  Turtle  Cieek  Val- 
ley Railroacl  now  in  process  of  construction,  is 


a  member  and  has  been  an  elder  of  the  Mur- 
rysville  Presbyterian  church  since  18G4,  and  is 
a  stanch,  old-time  democrat.  He  is  well  in- 
I'cirMii'il  in  every  tiling  ri'laling  lo  llio  local  his- 
tory of  his  seclioii  uf  the  coinily.  In  18,jU 
he  married  Margaret  (Harris)  Stewart  of  the 
Juniata  valley.  They  are  the  parents  of  four 
children  living  :  two  sons,  John  F.  and  William 
L.,  and  two  daughters,  Nettie  and  Alice.  Two 
sons  are  dead,  Charles  and  llarrie. 


EV.  JACOB  F.  SNYDER,  one  of  the 
most  faithful  and  hard-working  pastors 
of  the  county,  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and 
Mary  (Marchand)  Snyder.  He  was  born  March 
24,  183G,  in  Franklin  township,  Westmoreland 
county,  l^a.,  and  now  resides  in  his  native  town- 
sliiji.  His  griindfatlier,  Matthias  Snyder,  who 
was  of  (lernian  extraction,  was  boi'u  and  reared 
in  Northampton  county,  this  State,  and  in  his 
youth  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary 
war,  entluring  the  hardships  and  participating 
in  the  struggles  and  battles  of  that  eventful 
period.  After  the  war  he  immigrated  to  West- 
moreland county  when  it  was  yet  a  dense  forest 
and  an  almost  unbroken  wilderness.  \Vild  ani- 
mals and  beasts  of  prey  abounded  and  rovin" 
bands  of  Indians  still  made  inroads  upon  the 
settlements.  He  located  and  settled  down  four 
miles  northwest  of  Greensburg  in  what  is  now 
Hempfield  township.  The  place  was  then  an 
unbroken  forest  and  was  infested  with  wolves. 
His  two  brothers  immigrated  to  Maryland.  Little 
or  nothing  is  known  of  them  beyond  this,  but 
without  doubt  some  of  their  descendants  reside 
there  yet.  G randfather  Snyder  \»as  a  ujcmber  of 
the  Reformed  church  and  held  his  membership 
in  the  Reformed  chuicli,  tireensburg,  which  was 
under  the  pastoral  care  of  that  holy  man  of  (lod 
and  veteran  pioneer  minister  of  the  Reformed 
eliureli  in  western  Pennsylvania,  the  Rev.  John 
William  Weber.  He  de|iarted  this  life  while 
yet  a  comparatively  young  man.     Stricken  down 


702 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


with  I'cviT  ;it  llio  aj^c  of  rorty-livo  liis  cartlily 
n.'iiiaiii.s  liavo  Imig  since  ri']n)Si.il  in  llic  Citiinan 
cemetery  at  Greensburg.  His  niotljer's  maiden 
name  was  Cover.  He  was  a  .sluiemaker  liy 
trade,  i)ut  Ik;  was  cliielly  oecn|)ied  in  ckariiig 
out  liis  I'arm.  His  wife  was  Lucy  Kulins,  who 
liore  him  five  sons  and  two  daughters,  viz.  : 
John,  Peter,  Jacob,  Daniel,  Jonathan  and 
Christina.  The  name  of  tlie  other  daughter 
cannot  now  be  recalled 

Un  tlie  maternal  side  the  great-grandfather  of 
Rev.  .J.  F.  Snyder  was  a  l)r.  Marchand,  a 
French  Huguenot,  driven  from  France  by  the 
'•  revocation  of  the  edict  of  iS^antes."  He  and 
liis  friends  settled  in  that  refuge  of  all  the  op- 
pressed, the  city  of  Geneva,  Switzerland.  One 
of  his  ancestors  had  been  subjected  to  the  most 
cruel  torture  and  rendered  deformed  and  help- 
less for  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  emi- 
grated from  Switzerland  and  settled  during  the 
"French  and  Indian  war"  in  Lancaster  city. 
Pa.  He  with  his  two  sons,  David  and  Frederic, 
practiced  medicine.  The  two  sons  came  west. 
Dr.  l)avid  settled  on  a  i'anii  on  ]jig  Sewickley 
creek  and  practiced  nicclicine.  His  grandfather, 
[)\-.  Frederic  Marchand,  settlctl  near  ^Viianis- 
burg  on  the  farm  now  known  as  the  Dry  faini 
at  Dry's  cross  roads.  After  settling  in  this 
locality  he  discontinucil  the  practice  of  medicine 
and  turned  his  attention  to  agriculliirc.  llcwas 
niarriccl  to  ^liss  Christina  1  human.  Sevm  .sons 
and  two  daughters  were  Ijoiii  unin  tjicni,  viz.  : 
ll.uncl,  David,  Jacui,,  ,l.,lin,  .\d^ini.  I'.t.-r, 
Abraham,  -Mary  and  Susan.  ( i  raiiilLiliicr,  Dr. 
Frederic,  died  in  his  fifty-third  year  and  graiul- 
mothcr  at  the  home  of  lier  son  Abraham  in 
Jacksonville,  Pa.,  in  her  eighty-first  ycai'.  In 
religion  they  were  llefornied,  in  politics  demo- 
crats. 

Jacob  Snyder  (father)  was  born  in  llcmplleld 
township,  this  county,  March  IG,  ITiJT,  and 
died  January  11,  ISfSG,  in  his  eighty-ninth 
year.  He  was  iiianied  in  his  twenty-lirst  yeai' 
to  Miss  Mary  Marchand.    The  family  coni]irised 


eight  ehihlren,  viz.;  Daniel  Marchand,  La- 
vina,  Sarah  Christine,  Susan,  Jonathan,  Jacob 
Frederic,  Matthias  and  an  infant  son  living  only 
a  few  hours.  Of  these  only  Iniir  lived  to  ma- 
ture age.  Lavilia,  the  eldest  daughter,  was 
married  to  Levi  Long,  Sarah  was  married  to 
Ebenezer  Steel  and  Jonathan  to  Jennet  Sword, 
who  lives  on  the  old  homestead.  In  youth  Jacob 
Snyder  (father)  learned  the  carpenter  trade,  serv- 
ing |four  years  with  Mr.  Dry  as  an  apprentice. 
He  wrought  at  his  trade  on  the  Old  Manor  and 
Brush  Creek  churches.  He  pursued  the  occu- 
pation of  carpenter  for  thirty  years.  In  1831 
he  settled  on  what  was  known  as  the  ]Moore 
tract  of  land,  situated  in  Franklin,  one  mile 
and  a  half  west  of  the  village  now  known  as 
Delmont.  Here  the  wife  (Mary  Marchand) 
died  of  consumption,  aged  thirty-seven  years. 
The  parents  were  both  members  of  the  Reformed 
church. 

Rev.  J.  F.  Snyder  was  married  June  11, 
187-,  to  Anna  Mary  K'line,  a  ilaughter  of 
Josei)h  and  Margaret  J.  (Leasurej  Kline,  of 
Salem,  Pa.  The  jiarcnts' ancc>tc;rs  were  of  Ger- 
man, French  and  Irish  extraction.  In  religion 
the  ancestors  were  Reformed.  Previous  to  mar- 
riage Rev.  Snyder  catechized  and  confirmeil  his 
wife.  Their  union  has  bei;n  bicsseil  witli  tlirce 
children:  Nevin  Harbaugh,  born  July  '21, 
l>i7;l,  whoisal  jiresent ■  jireparing  for  college; 
Joseph  Lcasurc  Kline  born  June  14,  1SS.'<,  and 
.lacob  Frederic   Marchand,  born    December  illi. 

Rev.  J.  F.  Snyder  received  bis  prej)aratory 
education  at  Glade  Run,  Wilkensburg  and  Sa- 
lem academies.  During  his  preparatory  course 
he  taught  si-^i  terms  in  the  public  schools,  thei'eby 
earning  the  necessary  funds  to  enable  him  to 
pursue  his  studies.  In  1S5'.)  he  entered  the 
senior  class  in  Heidelberg  college,  Tiflin,  Ohio. 
In  addition  to  his  studies  he  also  taught  in  the 
preparatory  department  of  the  college.  He 
grailuated  from  Heidclbeig  college  in  l^iGO, 
having  the  honor  of  the   valedictory  oration  be- 


WESTM  OREL  A  ND   CO  VSTY. 


703 


stowed  upon  liim  by  tlie  faculty.  In  the  fall  of 
ISiJl  he  entered  tlie  Theolujrical  seminary  at 
Mereer«bui-g,  Pa.,  and  graduated  from  that  insti- 
tution in  lStJ3.  During  his  theological  course 
he  was  employed  as  private  tutor  in  the  family 
of  the  now  sainted  Dr.  Ilarbaugh.  Towards 
the  close  of  his  course  he  also  supplied  for  a 
time  a  vacant  charge  at  McConiicllsviUe,  county 
seat  of  Fulton  county,  Pa. 

In  April,  1804,  he  was  ordained  and  became 
pastor  of  the  Kittanning  charge,  Armstrong 
county,  Pa.,  where  he  continued  almost  two 
years.  Owing  to  ill  health  he  was  obliged  to 
relinquish  his  pastoral  labors  for  some  months. 
When  health  began  to  return  he  entered  upon 
the  pastorate  of  the  fealcm  charge.  After  minis- 
tering tor  six  years  to  this  ])eo[ih'  tlie  i-h.-uge  was 
dividi'd  and  having  leeeived  a  call  from  both 
di\  isii)ns  he  acecjited  a  call  to  IJU'  western  iiaif 
— the  Emanuel  chai'ge,  Franklin  tu^\nship, 
where  be  has  labored  continuously  for  twenty- 
four  years.  ^Vhen  he  went  tiiere  the  Emanuel 
congregation  had  about  si.\ty  members,  whereas 
at  present  the  communicant  membership  num- 
bers three  hundred  soids.  llev.  Snyder  takes  a 
warm  interest  in  church  matters  and  ediicatiirnal 
albiirs.  He  has  the  pleasure  (if  seeing  .soiue  of 
the  boys  who  once  received  instruction  at  bis 
hamls  enjoying  eminent  jiositions  in  the  iliil'er- 
ent  professions.  Many  thanks  lias  he  received 
from  those  whom  he  thus  aided  and  hcljicd  anil 
they  have  attributed  their  success  in  life  under 
I'rovidchce  to  hiiii.  lie  li;is  a  line  iibiiiry, 
ciMilaining  uorks  upon  sciculilic,  ibeoingie.il  ami 
jihilosophical  subjects,  and  being  a  cbise  and 
diligent  student  be  has  ari|uiird  a  great  I'lind 
of  general  anil  special  inliii  uiation,  wliich  con- 
tributes largely  U>  bis  success  in  his  chosen  and 
sacred  calling.  lleali/.iiig  that  there  is  no  ex- 
cejleiici.'  witiioiit  great  lal)(jr  Kev.  Snyder  has 
been  an  indefatigable  laborer  IVoiii  bovluMid  up, 
having  made  his  own  way  through  the  jjrepara- 
tory  school,  college  and  seminary  and  carved  his 
own    fortune  in   the    ministerial   ranks.      lie  is 


singularly  attached  to  children,  among  whom 
he  always  has  hosts  of  friends,  and  in  his  pro- 
fession is  earnest,  sincere  and  faithful. 


'I'  OUN  SNYDER.  One  of  the  old  world's  na- 
1  tives  who  has  achieved  business  success  in 
i/  this  County  is  John  Snyder,  a  pros[ierous 
merchant  of  Manordale.  lie  is  a  son  of  John 
Snyder  Sr.,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  married 
and  died  at  an  early  age  and  whose  wife  sur- 
vived him  but  a  few  months  and  then  passed 
away  leaving  an  only  child,  the  subject  of  this 
sketcii. 

John  Snyder  was  but  an  infant  when  his 
parents  died  and  was  reared  to  manhood  in  Ger- 
many where  he  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  that  country.  In  iNltJ  he 
iiiiuiigrated  to  tlie  United  States  and  for  some 
time  was  a  common  day  laborer.  He  next  lie- 
eame  a  deck-hand  on  steamboats  runnin^-  from 
Pittsburg  to  New  Orleans  on  the  Ohio  and 
Mississippi  rivers.  Leaving  the  western  waters 
he  went  to  xVllegheny  county.  Pa.,  where  he 
purchased  a  farm  which  he  cultivated  till  1878, 
when  he  came  to  Manordale  ami  engaged  in  his 
present  general  mercantile  business.  He  has 
a  good  stock  of  goods  and  a  paying  trade. 

He  was  married  on  August  18, 1854,  to  Eliza- 
beth Weaver,  daughter  of  Adam  and  Elizabeth 
( Sliellenberg(,'r)  Weaver,  of  Allegheny  county, 
Pa.  Adam  Weaver  was  born  ;ind  reared  in 
(leriiiany  Iroiii  which  lie  eiuigia(ed  in  early  life 
to  Aiiieriea.  lie  sctlled  in  ISIS  in  Allegheny 
county,  wliere  he  afterwards  died.  He  was  a 
fanner  by  occu]iati(in,  a  ilemoerat  in  jiolitics  and 
a  nii'inber  of  the  Kefoniied  church.  He  reared  a 
a  family  of  four  sons  and  six  daughters,  ol'  whom 
six  are  yet  living.  One  ol'  the  sons,  Philip 
Weaver,  served  in  the  Mexican  war.  To  John 
and  Elizabeth  (Weaver)  Snyder  have  been  born 
eight  children,  live  sons  and  three  daughters  : 
John,  died  young  ;  Christoplier,  a  niercbant  in 
Pittsburi/,    and    married    to    I'^'aiices    Sboaler ; 


niOGEAPUIES  OF 


Georj;c,  wlio  iimriieil  Eva  (Jylor  and  is  a  fanner 
in  Allcgliouy  county,  I'a.  ;  Lizziu  (iloatl)  ;  John 
(deceased);  Annie  Vi.,  Adam,  and  Minnie 
(d-.ad.) 

In  j)(diticai  t'aitii  Jolin  Snyder  is  a  republiean. 
lie  and  his  wife  and  chihlren  are  members  of  the 
Reformed  church.  In  addition  to  his  store  and 
property  at  Manordale  lie  owns  a  large  farm  in 
Allegheny  county,  this  State.  lie  is  regarded 
as  a  safe  and  solid  business  man,  as  a  reliable 
citizen  and  a  good  neighbor. 


ANIEL  PATTERSON  STAIIL,  one  of 

|^£J  the  popular  and  successful  young  demo- 
cratic workers  of  Westmoreland  county, 
and  the  efficient  business  manager  of  the  well- 
known  G-reensburg  Record,  is  a  son  of  Nathan 
and  MaryAnn  (Melville)  Staid,  and  was  born  at 
Adamsburg,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  April  17. 
ISlJ:}.  The  Stahls  arc  of  (icrman  descent  while 
the  Melvilles  are  of  Irish  origin.  Nathan  Stahl, 
the  father  of  D.  P.  Stahl,  was  born  in  Chester 
county,  Pa.,  October  2!l,  1810,  and  died  at 
A<lam9burg,  this  county,  October  29,  J  868,  aged 
exactly  fifty-eight  years.  lie  learned  the  trade 
of  tailor  and  in  early  life  came  to  Irwin  in 
North  Huntingdon  townshi]),  where  he  puirhased 
and  owned,  for  several  years  a  farm,  on  which  is 
built  the  village  of  Ilahntown.  In  18.J4  he 
removed  to  Adamsburg,  which  at  that  time  was 
one  of  the  most  promising  pike  towns  in  the 
eoinitv.  He  opened  a  tailoring  establishment 
and  was  thronged  with  orders  till  the  railroad 
came  and  diverted  the  great  ^iream  of  travel 
and  large  voliniie  of  biisiness  from  the  ]iike  towns. 
Alter  the  building  of  the  railroads  he  sliU  had 
left  a  very  fair  and  paying  patroiia'ie  until  his 
death  in  18tj!>.  lie  was  a  skilled  wurknian,  a 
{•oi-reet  business  man  and  a  peaeeaMe  and  Well- 
re.-|M'i-|ei|  cili/en.  He  was  a  Ntaneli  deiiKMTat, 
a  consistent  member  uf  the  Kefornied  ehiiieh 
and  a  generous  friend.  April  ti,  l,S4o,  he  united 
in   marriage  with    Mary  Ann    Melville.     'I'hey 


reared  a  family  of  eight  children  :  John,  who 
died  at  twenty-one  years  of  ;ige ;  Elizabeth, 
who  iKissed  away  in  her  nineteenth  year;  Wil- 
liam, married  Matilda  Hunter,  and  is  a  carpen- 
ter by  trade;  Samuel,  married  to  Harriet  Lud- 
wick  and  is  the  oldest  cigar  manufacturer  at 
Adamsburg ;  Emma  M.,  Harriett  M.,  wife  of 
Darwin  Musick  (see  his  sketch) ;  D.  P.  and 
Charles  Presley,  who  became  book-keeper 
for  the  Greenshurg  Record  in  July  1889,  and  is 
a  member  of  Penn  Lodge,  No.  106,  Jr.  0.  U. 
A.  M.  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Stahl  is  a  daughter  of  John 
Melville,  who  was  born  in  Ireland  and  died  at 
Adamsburg  July  1,  1869.  He  was  a  painter  by 
trade,  a  democrat  of  the  old  school  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Reformed  church.  He  did  consider- 
able contracting  in  his  line  of  work.  He  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  MarchanJ  who  was  born  near 
Adamsburg  January  30,  1823,  and  reared  a 
family  f)f  two  sons  and  one  daughter. 

\).  P.  Stahl  was  reared  at  Adamsburg,  where 
he  attended  the  eonimon,  select  and  normal 
schools  of  tiiat  place.  After  working  for  some 
time  in  a  cigar  manufactory  he  was  appointed, 
February  3,  1883,  as  deputy  clerk  of  the  courts 
of  Westmoreland  county  and  served  very  satis- 
factorily in  that  capacity  till  March,  188(j.  He 
then  formed  a  jiarlnershij)  with  Darwin  Musick 
and  on  April  1,  1886,  they  issued  the  initial 
number  of  their  ])resent  paper,  the  Greenshurg 
Record  of  which  Mr.  Stahl  is  the  business 
manager.  D.  P.  Stahl  believes  in  the  principles 
of  Jefl'ersouian  deiucjcracy  as  enunciated  and 
practiced  by  Andrew  Jackson  and  Grover  Cleve- 


I  'f  ACOU  TAKR,  of  Fninklin  township,  is  a 
I  'f  son  of  Collin  C.  and  Elizabeth  (Boilders) 
I  \2/  Tail',  and  was  born  November  1  I,  1830, 
j  in  l'',asl  lluiilingdcin  township,  Westmoreland 
I  eoiinty,  I'a.  Ills  great-grandlather  »as  dolin 
!  Tarr,  of  Scolch-Cerman  extraction,  who  was  u 
native  of  Maryland  but  immigrated  to  near 
I   Stonerville,  this   county,  where   he  was  one  of 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


705 


the  vi'ry  earliest  settlers,  takiiii;  "  toinaliawk 
jHissessioii  "  111'  lIM)  aeres  of  liiiul,  on  wliirli  lie 
lived  iiiilil  liis  death.  i  K' w as  a  potter  liy  tiade, 
a  iiieiiiber  uf  the  Lutheran  cliuieh  and  the 
father  of  five  suns;  Daniel,  Ileniy,  Casper, 
Frederick  and  Cliristian ;  and  five  daughters, 
Maria,  Sarah,  Catharine,  Elizabeth  and  an  in- 
fant, which  is  dead.  Daniel  Tarr  (grandfather) 
was  born  in  East  Huntingdon  township  in  1755 
where  he  died  in  1848.  He  was  a  whig  and  one 
of  the  earliest  opponents  of  slavery.  His  brother, 
Christian  Tarr,  served  in  Congress,  having  been 
sent  from  Fayette  county.  Daniel  Tarr  married 
Frances  Campbell  of  Wincliester,  Va.,  and  was 
the  father  of  six  children.  Once  he  was  captured 
by  the  Indians,  who  were  numerous  and  hostile, 
and  held  in  captivity  for  three  years.  lie  was 
a  large  and  powerful  man  and  in  fact  the  entire 
race  of  Tarrs  have  been  conspicuous  for  their 
size.  Jacob  Bodders,  maternal  grandfather, 
was  also  born  in  East  Huntingdon  townshij)  but 
was  of  German  descent;  he  was  a  blacksmith 
by  trade  and  in  religion  a  lutheran.  He  lies 
buried  in  the  "  Old  Tarr "  churchyard  where 
lie  the  remains  of  several  generations  of  tiie 
ancestors.  Collin  C.  Tarr  (father)  was  bmii  at 
Stonerville,  this  county,  in  17!Hi,  and  died  tiiere 
in  1841.  He  was  a  contractor  and  as  such 
built  that  portion  of  the  "  Old  I'ike  "  lying  be- 
tween Uniontown  and  Hopwood,  previous  to 
which,  however,  he  taught  school.  He  was  a 
democrat  and  the  father  of  ten  children.  Of 
these  Itaiii.l  served  in  the  twenty  I'ighlh  rcL'i- 
menl  for  llui'e  years  and  was  woundi'din  the 
service.  Alexander  also  served  in  tiie  sa.ne 
war,  as  did  Collin,  who  enlisted  in  Co.  A,  of  a 
I'a.  reg.,  and  .)ohn,  who  served  tiiroiighout 
the  war. 

Jacob  Tarr  is  married  to  Martha  Hobaiigh 
and  they  have  seven  children  :  William,  married 
to  JIary  Cole  and  living  in  Franklin  township; 
George,  a  teacher  of  Franklin  township,  who  is 
married  to  Belle  Steel  ami  has  one  child  named 
Oscar;    Daniel,  a  butchei';   Koliinson,   Mag^^ie, 


Jennie,  Annie,  wife  of  James  Mills,  of  Miurys- 
ville,  and  has  one  child   named  Eddie. 

After  leaving  the  eonnnon  schools  .Jacob  Tarr 
learned  the  trade  of  a  jiotler,  at  which  he 
worked  for  a  nund.ier  of  years,  becoming  \'ery 
proficient.  A  piece  of  pottery  made  by  him 
was  exhibited  at  an  Indiana  county  fair  and 
took  first  premium.  In  18G0  he  embarked  in 
the  butcher  business,  which,  in  connection  with 
farming,  he  has  followed  ever  since.  He  is  an 
active  and  careful  man  of  business  and  has 
built  for  himself  a  house  and  barn  arjiong  the 
best  in  the  township.  In  politics  he  was  form- 
erly a  whig  but  is  now  a  republican.  He  be- 
longs to  the  Methodist  and  his  wife  to  the  Re- 
formed church.  Mr.  Tarr  is  a  man  of  much 
intelligence,  has  a  good  library,  takes  quite  an 
interest  in  ancestral  history  and  has  in  his  pos- 
session many  relics  of  the  past,  including  an 
Indian  tomahawk.  His  son  Kobinson  took  a 
thorough  business  course  at  Duff's  college,  Pitts- 
burg, graduating  therefrom  in  1888. 


AJOR  CYRUS  THOMAS,  an  officer 
of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  a  native 
and  resident  of  Hem]iheld  township  and 
a  popular  rejiublican  leader  oi'  Westmoreland 
county,  is  a  son  of  John  and  (!atharinc(AV'eaver) 
Thomas  and  was  born  in  the  historic  llannas- 
town  district,  Ilempfield  township,  Westmore- 
land county.  Pa.,  February  'J,  18o().  The  jiro- 
gciiitorof  the  Thonuis  family  in  Wi'Stiuoreland 
county  was  Garret  Thomas  (great-grandfather) 
ulio  came  from  Germany  alMjut  the  time  of  the 
Fremh  and  Indian  war.  His  son,  liarnett 
Thomas  (giandi'ather),  was  born  and  reared  in 
^Vestmoreland  county.  He  was  a  large  land 
owner  in  this  county  and  the  State  of  Ohio.  He 
held  some  position  in  the  militia  of  Pennsylvania 
and  was  a  member  of  the  old  Harold  Reformed 
elnirch  to  which  he  was  always  a  liberal  contribu- 
tor. His  wife  was  a  .Miss  Mechling,  who  bore 
him  live  sons  and  five  dauifhters.      His  son,  .John 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Tliomas  (fiitlier),  \vas  born  in  Ilcinpfield  town- 
ship, west  of  Greensbui-g,  in  ITVO.  In  early 
lilr  he  reiiinved  west  hut  was  (■(iiii|ieUeil  to  lea\c 
ihc  urslrni  rmihlfy  nii  aerniinl  iir:i;_'iir.  Ill'  ri'- 
luihcij  to  jiis  liiitivr  eiJiilit}'  and  i'lij;a;;ccl  in  fariu- 
ing  (luring  the  rest  of  his  life,  lie  was  an  old- 
line  whig  and  republican,  a  member  of  the  Re- 


sessor  of  his  townsliip  when  it  was  democratic 
by  three  hundred  majority  and  was  second  in 
nundier  of  votes  for  the  republican  nomination 
of  sJinilV  ill  ISS:;,  lSS(i  :,iid  ISS'.I.  ih;  is  a 
UKMulicr  of  liie  l''ii>l  Kdoniicd  ehineh  of  (irerns- 
burg,  Centennial  Lodge,  No.  100,  A.  0.  U.  W.; 
Select  Knights  of  A.  0.  U.   W.,  and  a  member 


formed  church  and  an  honest  and  upright  man.  i  of  Post  No.  4,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

On  February  10,   18-21),  he  married   Catherine 

Weaver,  sister  of  1 'avid  Weaver,  of  Greensburg 
(see  his  sketch).  They  had  six  sons  and  two 
daughters  of  whom  six  are  living.  (H  these 
sons :  Nathaniel,  died  in  the  Mexican  war,  at 
Puebla,  Mexico  ;  Abraham,  was  a  soldier  of  the 
late  war ;  Jacob,  was  captain  of  company  I, 
eleventh  Pa.  Res.,  and  Cyrus,  who  served  as 
cajitain  of  company  F,  103d  reg..  Pa.  Vols. 
John  Thomas  died  December  IS,  1881,  and  at 
that  time  had  six  children,  twenty-four  grand- 
children and  thirty-three  great-grandchildren 
living.  Mrs.  Thomas  was  born  .\ugust  7,  1801, 
and  died  February  21,  18S("). 

Maj.  Cyrus  Thomas  was  educated  in  the  rural 
schools  of  his  neighborhood  and  .larksoii  school 
of  Unity  township.  At  twenty  ycai-s  of  ago  he 
learned  the  carpenter  trade.  He  engaged  for 
several  years  in  carpentering  and  contracting, 
which  he  still  continues.  In  the  late  war  he  en- 
listed October,  18()2,  as  first  lieutenant  of  com- 
pany II.,  lOsth  Pa.  Vols.,  and  in  the  spring  of 
lS(i.")  Ill' raised  company  l'\  of  the  10;;d  n'g.  :ind 
«a.^  coiMMiissioiii'il  as  ils  raplain.  Ai'lti'  the  war 
ho  culi^led  in  llic  National  (luanl  of  t'ennsyi- 
vania  and  was  coujuiissionrd  major  of  liic  tentli 
regiment. 

On  March  14,  18r)4,  Maj.  Tiionias  united  in 
marriage  with  Elizabeth  Jane  Earnest,  of  llemp- 


fiv.  JACOR  L.  THOMPSON,  of  Del- 
mont,  was  born  December  27,  1841, 
*)  in  Washington,  Washington  county.  Pa. 
At  the  age  of  one  year  he  was  taken  by  his  par- 
ents to  'West  ^'irginia  where  he  attended  sub- 
scription schools  from  six  until  ten  years  of  age, 
when  he  returned  to  the  vicinity  of  Cannons- 
burg,  in  his  native  county,  and  for  the  next 
ei'dit  Years  followed  farming.  When  the  civil 
war  broke  out  .lacob  L.  Thompson  was  one  of 
those  who  rushed  to  the  defence  of  the  •'  Stars 
and  Stripes  "  and  assisted  in  crushing  the  Re- 
bellion ;  he  enlisted  September,  1801,  in  company 
A,  eighty-iiflli   reg..    Pa.    \'ols.,   and  was    with 

'  Mc(,'lellan  throughout  his  Peninsular  campaign. 
He  also  participated  in  the  operations  of  (,fil- 
more's  army  in  South  Carolina  as  well  as  in  the 
campaign  of  Gen.  R.  F.  Rutler  during  the  spring 
and  summer  of  1804.  He  took  part  in  a  large 
number  of  battles,  inclu<ling  those  of  Williams- 
burg, Rcrmuda  Hundred,    Deep  I'xjttom,  Straw- 

I  berry  Plains,  Siege  of  Petersburg  Fort  Harrison, 
etc.,  and  was  mustered  out  at  J'ittsburg,   in  No- 

I  vcuiIht,  lS(i4,    having  served   three    years  and 

I  two  months.  Jacob  L.  Thompson  during  the 
last  year  he  spent  on  the  farm    previous   to   the 

'  war,  had  attended    school  at   Jefferson    college. 


field  township.      To  their  union   have  lieeii  born   j   Cannousburg,  Pa.,  and    now    that   his    military 


seven  children,  of  whom  live  are  living  :  Anna 
K.,  widow  of  Thomas  Evans;  Margaret  J.,  wife 
of  William  Ilensel ;  Edward  N.,  a  carpenter; 
Joseph  S.,  a  bricklayer,  and  John  A. 

In  politics  ^laj.  Thomas  is  an  unswerving  and 
li;ird-working  reimblican.      He  was    elected  as- 


duties  were  <.)ver  he  again  turned  his  attention  to 
obtaining  an  education.  He  entered  Duff's 
business  college  at  Pittsburg  from  \vliicli  insti- 
tution he  grailuated  May  12,  1805  ;  then  went 
to  Elder's  Ridge  academy  two  sessions — 1800 
and  1807.    After  a  years  experience  as  a  teacher 


WESTMORELAND  COVNll. 


707 


in  Moirittstowii  Presbyteriiil  iicailuiny,  of  l>un- 
lap's  croi'k,  l';i.,  lie  ciitereJ,  Scplcinbor,  18(17, 
tlicjunior  chiss  of  Wasliington  and  JciTcrson  col- 
lege, at  Washington,  Pa.,  and  graduated  from 
that  college  witli  the  class  of  'O'J,  having  com- 
pleted the  classical  course  laid  down  by  that  sub- 
stantial institution  of  learning.  In  Scjitenibcr 
of  that  year  he  became  a  student  of  the  Western 
Theological  seminary,  Allegheny  City,  graduat- 
ing April  15,  1872.  The  same  spring  he  lo- 
cated at  Curry's  run  as  pastor  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  of  that  place,  where  he  remained 
in  that  capacity  four  years.  He  was  next  called 
to  the  pastorate  of  the  New  Salem  Presbyterian 
church  and  in  187tj  he  removed  to  Now  Salem 
(Delmont),  where  he  yet  lives,  engaged  in  the 
active  work  of  the  ministry.  lie  is  a  man  of 
liOi'U  intellect,  sluirp,  .--lirewil  and  sagacious  ;  his 
views  are  broad  and  liberal  and  his  heart  is 
filled  with  benevolence ;  he  is  both  witty  and 
humorous,  and  his  discourses  freijucntly  sparkle 
with  genius,  though  the  subject  a]ipareiitly  be  j 
dry  and  prosaic.  1 

l!cv.  .laciib  L. 'riioiiipson  was  mairicd  Septem- 
ber 4,   1^7l.^    to  Sarah  Park,    of  near    Camions- 
burg,  Washington  county.   Pa.,   wlio   has    burne 
him  three  children  :    Martha   J.,    born   .lune  10,    ! 
1S7:!;    ^\'iHiam  Park,  born  June  -21,  1.S7.-),  died   ' 
October  1,  1  SSI,  and  Alexander   M.,    b..ru   No-  | 
vember  2,  lSS:3. 

Mrs.  Sai-ab  (I'ark)  'I'hompsou  is  a  daughlrr  of  [ 

William    and    .lane    h.     I'ark,    of  Can i.-buig,    I 

Pa.       Her  iiii.tlier    is  si  illliviiig,    Imt   iici-  I'.illier, 
\\houasa    leading   cili/.eii   of    his  county  and  a 
trustee  of   Washington  and  Jell'eison  (•(ilb'ge,  h: 
gone  to  join  the  silent  majority. 


(1. 


ANIKL  11.  ULKllY,  one  of  the  jiro- 
gressivc,  genial  and  jiopidar  young  men 
of  this  county  and  ticket  and  freight  agent 
at  George's  station,  was  born  on  his  father's 
farm,  three  and   uurdialf  miles  east   of  <Irri'iis- 


and  is  a  son  of  Augustus  and  I'lli/.abetli  (Topper) 
lllery.  His  grandfather,  Henry  Ulery,  was 
born  in  Germany  and  earl}-  in  life  came  to  West- 
moreland county,  whore  he  settled  three  and 
one-half  miles  east  of  ( ireelisburg.  He  was  a 
farmer,  a  democrat  and  a  mendjor  of  the  lie- 
formed  church.  He  died  in  ISS'J  at  the  age  of 
seventy-eight  years.  Hemarried  Hannah  Hugus, 
who  now  lives  at  Greensburg.  They  had  two  sons 
and  two  daughters,  all  of  whom  are  living.  One 
of  these  is  Augustus  Ulery  (father),  who  was 
born  August  5,  1844,  on  the  home  farm.  He 
began  life  as  a  track  hand,  but  is  now  a  division 
foreman  on  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad.  He 
resides  at  George's  station  and  is  an  active  repub- 
can.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen.  On  April  22,  ISiiS,  he  married 
Elizabeth  Top[ier.  They  are  the  parents  of 
two  children  :  Daniel  R.  and  Louis  M.,  who  was 
born  July  22,  1871,  and  is  a  telegraph  operator 
at  Radebaugh  junction,  near  Greensburg.  Mrs. 
Ulery  is  one  of  eight  children  born  to  Henry 
and  (.'atliarine  (Allen)  Topper.  Mr.  Top])er 
was  a  farmer  and  taunei-  and  an  old-line  whig 
in  p(dilics. 

Haniel  R.  Ulery  attended  the  common  schools 
and  (ireensbuig  liigb  school,  duly  8,  18S4,  he 
assumed  charge  of  (ieorge's  station  on  tlie  Penn- 
sylvania Railroad  and  has  continued  to  hold 
that  responsililu  posiliou  until  the  |ireseut  time. 
When  he  lock  eliarge  of  the  s'aliou  he  w  a -i  only 
lilieen  \eais  of  age  ami  Was  one  ol'llie  youngest 
agents  then  in  the  employ  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Railrcjad  ('oiripaiiy.  Mr.  Ulery  has  discharged 
the  duties  (il'  hi-i  position  with  credit  to  himself 
and  salislaetioii  to  bis  com|iany  and   the   jiublic. 

LARKi:   V.  WARDKN,  ...v-register  and 

recorder  of  \\  estmoreland  county,  a  well 

(pialified  civil  engineer  and  a  resident  of 

Greensburg,  is  a  son  of  I'aul  ami  .Mary  (Fleming) 


burg,  Wcstmoreiand  County,  Pa.,  May  II,  isill),  |  ^Varden,  and    was    binii    in    Ivist    Hunting<lon 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


townsliip,    Westmoreland    county,    Pa.        Ilis 
graiiilt'atlier,  Samuel   Wartlen,   was   born  in    the 
north  of   Irelaml  in   1745,  ininiij^rated  to  York 
CDiiMly,  I'a.,  ulicre  he  reiiiaiiicd  a  shoil   lime  ami 
ill    ITliS  or  ITTll  came  (o  whal  is  now   Ivisl   llini- 
tinj^doii    to\viisln[).      He   camped  in   his   eart  lor 
six  weeks  and  tlien  erected  a  cabin  on  "  Spring- 
fields,"  a   tract    of  three  hundred   and   seventy 
acres  of  land  wiiich  lie  located   near  the  site  of 
Mt.  Pleasant.      .Vbout  ITTo   he   was   joined  by 
his   two  sisters  :    Margaret,  wlio   marrieil  John 
Neel,  grandfather  of  William  J>.  Neel,  and  the 
other  who  married  William  Neel,  grandfather  of 
James  Neel.     Samuel  Warden   was  one  of  the 
founders  and  first  elders  and  trustees  of  the  old 
Middle  Presbyterian  church,  which  was  organized 
in  ITTli.    lie  was  aprominent  and  useful  man  and 
died  January  8,  I8I0,  aged  seventy  years.     In 
177G  he  married  Mary    Clarke,  of  Armstrong 
county,  Pa.,  who  died  February  4;  18oU,  when 
in  the   ninety-fourth  or  ninety-fiftii  year  of  her 
age.       They    had    si.x    children :    Robert,   born 
July  8,  1777,  removed  to  Ohio;    Isabella,  bora 
December  17,  1778,    died   young;    Jolin,  boi-n 
October  2,  1780,  went  to   Ohio;    Martlia,  born 
October  14,  1782,  married  John    Latta  ;    Paul, 
born  November  25,  1784,  and  Samuel,  Jr.,  born 
October  18,  178U,  died  in  1824.      Paul  Warden 
(father)  was  reared  oti  the   liome^teail   farm  and 
was  a   man   of    unusual    business    aliilitv-        He 
owned  several  farms  in   \orth  and   Suuth    Hun- 
tingdon  townships,  was  a  democrat    in    jiolitics 
and  united  about  I8OO  with  the  I'liited   I'resby- 
terian  church  of  Mt.  Pleasant,  of  wliich  he  was 
a  consisleni    mcndirr   until    bis  death,  wliicli  oc- 
curri^d  in  Juiic,   \S',h.      In  parliiershi|i  uitli  W. 
V).  Hayes  of   Piitsliurg.  he  sank   the  first  shaft 
for  coal  west  of  the  .Vllegheny   mountains.      It 
was  jiut  down  at  Shaftou.      On  .Vugust2-!,  1821, 
lie    marrie<l    Mary    Fleming   of   Mt.     Pleasant. 
They    had  si.K   childieii:     Samuel,  born    .\ugust 
8,  1822,  and  resides  at  Mt.  Pleasant;    William, 
born  November  2:1,  1823,  died   July   .5,   1844; 
Alajor  Robert,  born  August  21,  1825,  served  in 


the  Legislature  in  1857-58,  married  in  18G0  to 
Nancy  ^\'hite,  of  Fayette  county,  Pa.  ;  organized 
in  18C>1  at  Mt.  Pleasant,  Co.  P>,  twenty-eighth 
ri'g.  I'a.  \'(ils.,  commanded  by  Cieii.  John  \V. 
(Jeary,  was  promoted  major  of  that  regiment  and 
died  in  Winchester,  Va.,  hospital  about  ,1  uly  4, 
1SG2;  Hon.  James,  born  August  1,  1827,  served 
in  the  Legislature  in  1878-79  and  lives  at  i\It. 
Pleasant;  John,  born  August  8, 1829,  educated 
at  Westmoreland  college  at  Jit.  Pleasant,  be- 
came an  engineer  on  the  State  Portage  Rail- 
road, and  died  at  Summitville,  Cambria  county. 
Pa.  in  September,  1853;  Clarke  F.,  and  Elea- 
nor, who  died  August  11,  1844. 

Clarke  F.  Warden  was  a  member  of  the 
first-class  of  Westmoreland  college,  Mt.  Pleas- 
ant, and  took  the  scientific  course  of  JetTerson 
college,  Cannonsburg,  Pa.  He  studied  survey- 
ing and  civil  engineering,  went  to  Illinois,  and 
served  during  1854  and  1855  as  deputy  sur- 
veyor of  Macon  and  Sangamon  counties. 

In  1S5U  he  retured  to  South  Huntingdon 
township,  where  he  followed  farming  until  18G0. 
From  18Ij3  to  18(J9  he  was  engaged  in  the  gen- 
eral mercantile  business  at  Pleasant  Unity. 
In  the  latter  year  he  was  elected  register 
and  recorder  and  served  as  such  iiiLtil  Jan- 
uary 1,  1872.  On  May  1,  1875,  be  was 
ap|iointed  a  clerk  at  Ilarrisburg,  under  Auditor 
Cieiieral  Tem[ilc,  and  in  1877  was  ])romoted 
chief  clerk  and  serveil  in  that  capacity  till  May, 
1878.  Since  then  Mr.  Warden  has  followed  his 
[)rofession  of  civil  engineering  and  in  connec- 
tion with  surveying,  secured  rights  of  way  for 
the  S.  W .  P.  1!.  U.  and  vai'i(jus  natural  gas 
companies.  He  is  a  ])i-omin(iit  member  of  St. 
Clair  Lodge,  No.  53,  A.  O.  U.  W.  In  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  he  is  a  memiier  (d'  Pliil- 
anthroj)y  Lodge.  No.  225,  Uiania  Chapter, 
No.  Iil2,  Olivet  Council,  No.  13,  an.l  Kedron 
Comniiindery,  No.  18,  Knights  Temjilar. 

He  married  Harriet  Jack,  daughter  of  Squire 
James  Jack  and  granddaughter  of  Capt.  .lohn 
Jack  of  Revolutionary  fame,  who   settled  on  the 


WESTMORELAND   COUNTY. 


709 


lie:ulw:iters  of"  Sowickloy  creek  in  Mt.  Pleasant 
toAvnsliip  piior  to  ITG'J.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Wanlen  were  born  four  cliildrcn  :  Mary  E.,  wlio 
died  at  tlie  residence  of  lier  uncle  Josepli  Jack, 
Decatur,  Illinois,  in  1881  ;  Anna  B.  now  ttacli- 
inj;  in  I'ittsbur;^  female  college;  and  two  sons, 
James  J.  and  Willie,  who  both  died  in  infancy. 
Mrs.  Warden  died  at  Pleasant  Unity  in  Decem- 
ber, 1867,  and  her  remains  are  interretl  in 
Jliddle  church  cemetery. 

The  Warden  family'  has  always  been  one  of 
the  substantial  and  influential  families  of  West- 
moreland county  and  has  always  been  prominent 
in  civil  and  political  affairs. 


•f  OIIN  WAUGAMAN,  Sr.,  an  old  and  high- 
I  ly  respected  citizen  of  Salem  township,  was 
^  born  at  Pleasant  Unity,  Westmoreland 
county.  Pa.,  November  17,  1808,  and  is  a  son 
of  Peter  and  Kachel  (Walton)  AVaugaman.  Ilis 
paternal  grandparents  were  natives  of  Berks 
county  and  came  to  Westmoreland  county  about 
1783.  They  were  of  German  descent.  His 
maternal  grandfather,  Boaz  Walton,  died  in 
Franklin  township  in  1820.  His  father,  Peter 
Waugaman,  was  born  in  Berks  county  and  was 
brouL'ht  by  his  parents  to  Westmoreland  county 
before  he  was  two  years  of  age.  He  was  a 
farmer  by  occupation  and  married  Kachel  Wal- 
ton of  Northampton  county  who  died  in  Frank- 
lin township,  this  county,  in  I8ri7.  Mr.  Wauga- 
man was  a  member  for  many  years  of  the  lie- 
formed  church  at  Manor  and  died  in  18G'J. 

.loliu  Waugaman,  Sr.,  was  brought  by  his 
father  at  six  years  of  age  to  Salem  township, 
where  he  attended  the  subscription  schools  until 
he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age.  From  1820  to 
18o2  he  Avorked  on  his  father's  farm  and  in  the 
latter  year  engaged  in  teaming  between  Holli- 
daysburg  and  Blairsville.  After  some  years  lie 
left  the  road  and  engaged  in  his  present  occupa- 
tion of  farmint'. 


On  March  1'2,  18;)5,  ho  married  Susaiimi 
Naly,  daughter  of  Phili])  and  Sarah  Naly,  by 
whom  he  had  ten  children  :  Josiah,  who  died  in 
1888  ;  Boaz,  died  in  18G5;  Joim,  a  painter  by 
trade  and  lives  at  Irwin  ;  Margaret,  wife  of 
Madison  MehatVey  ;  Sarah,  married  John  Kun- 
kle  ;  Bachel,  wife  of  Henry  Miller;  Mary,  wife 
of  John  Good;  Rebecca  married  Hiram  Brinker 
and  Susan  and  Sophia,  who  both  died  in  child- 
hood. Mi's.  Waugaman  passed  away  in  1867 
and  on  September  16,  1869,  Mr.  Waugaman 
united  in  marriage  with  Mrs.  Salome  Pool, 
daughter  of  John  and  Barbara  Bierer  of  Hemp- 
field  township. 

In  politics  Mr.  Waugaman  is  a  democrat.  He 
is  a  member  and  trustee  of  New  Salem  Ueformed 
church.  He  is  a  ipiiet  and  peaceable  citizen  and 
an  honest  and  upright  man  in  all  his  dealings 
with  his  nei'diburs. 


^  BR  All  AM  II.  WEGLEY,  a  prosperous 
farmer  and  a  public-spirited  citizen,  was 
born  on  the  farm  on  which  he  now  re- 
sides in  Hempfield  township,  AV'estmoreland 
county,  Pa.,  on  New  Years  Day,  1830,  and  is  a 
son  of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Ileasley)  Wcgley. 
Ilis  paternal  great-grandfather  was  John  AVeg- 
ley  who  was  born  at  Easton,  Northampton  coun- 
ty, Pa-,  in  1718.  He  married  Christina  John- 
ston of  that  county  and  in  177'!  removed  witii 
his  family  to  AVestmoreland  county.  He  died 
in  1802  and  is  buried  in  Brush  Creek  cenjetery. 
His  grandfather,  Abraliam  AVegley,  was  born  at 
Easton,  December  12,  175;').  He  removed  with 
his  father  to  this  county  in  177--!.  He  served  as 
a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  after- 
wards took  up  three  hundred  acres  of  land  in 
Hempfield  township,  for  which  his  patent  is 
dated  December  17,  1818.  He  was  a  farmer 
by  occupation  and  a  democrat.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Lutheran  church  and  helped  to  organ- 
ize the  Brush  Creek  church  of  that  denomination 


710 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


On  March  2,  1770,  he  was  marriwl  to  Christina 
]>riiK'V.  ilaiiijliti'r  of  Mark  llriiicv,  1>V  \\lionihQ 
hail  ti'ii  chilih-cii,  tliiTc  sdiis  ami  seven  ilaui;;h- 
l,is.  lie  ,IhmI  .May  17,  IS  hi.  .i)i.ni,  W.-lev, 
(liinl  soil  or  AiMiiliinn  U'.-ley  an,!  lallier  of  A. 
II.  Weglev,  was  Imuh  on  the  homestead  (arm, 
January  17,  17I'.").  He  was  a  useful  m;in  in  his 
coiMiuunity  anil  a  iiieiuher  and  ehler  of  the 
]irush  Creek  jjutlieran  ehureh  for  many  years. 
lie  was  liheral  of  liis  means  in  aid  of  his  ehureh 
and  otlier  religious  denominations.  On  June 
24,  181'J,  he  married  Elizaheth  Ileasley,  daugh- 
ter of  Leonard  Ileasley,  hy  whom  he  had  eight 
children,  of  whom  three  sons  and  two  daughters 
are  yet  living,  ^frs.  Elizabeth  (Ileasley)  AVeg- 
ley  died  July  30,  18:3;),  and  in  1S42  M'r.  AVeg- 
ley  unite<l  in  marriage  with  INIary  Kifer.  l>y 
liis  second  wife  he  had  no  children,  lie  died 
Septemher  il,  ls7(i. 

Abraham  II.  Wegley  received  a  fair  and  prac- 
tical education  in  the  Brush  Creek  school  and 
tlien  engaged  in  farming  which  he  has  followeil 
ever  since.  lie  owns  one  of  the  most  valuable 
farms  in  Hempfield  township,  which  is  very  fer- 
tile and  well  improved  and  lies  within  the  great 
natural  gas  belt  of  western  Pennsylvania.  He 
is  a  democrat  of  the  old  school,  has  served  two 
terms  as  school  director  of  his  township  and 
takes  a  deep  interest  in  education. 

.\.  ii.  WeL'ley,  on  Juiie2S,  1S;V,I,  united  in 
marriage  witii  Josiiia  Hull,  a  daughter  of  John 
and  Susan  (I'yerly)  Hull  and  a  grandilaughter 
of  the  fiiirious  Andrew  I'yerly,  who  was  one  of 
Col.  Ilenry  ItoiKpiet's  most  trusted  Scouts  in  the 
French  and  Iinliau  war.  'I'o  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Wegley  ha\'e  been  born  live  sons:  Joseph  Ste- 
vt'iison,  born  May  31,  1(SG2,  married  .Vgncs 
IjOughner,  daughter  of  John  Lough iie.,  Jaini- 
ary  27,  1SS7,  and  is  engaged  in  farming;  AVill- 
iani  Fleming,  born  April  li),  18lj;j,  graduated 
from  Washington  and  JetVerson  college  June  12, 
188!),  and  is  studying  law  ;  John  Larimer,  born 
December  1,  ISlu.died  .lune  22,  187;1;  Homer 
(Jilmer,  born  Dceendier  li,  1870  ;   (Jurlis   How- 


ard, born   December  31,   1873.     The  last  two 
are  attending  school. 

A.  11.  AVegley  and  family  are  mt'udiers  of  the 
i'resbylerian  ebiireh.  Mr.  Wegb'V  is  a  Inislec^ 
ol'  his  ehureh  and  w;is  a  nieiiiber  of  the  buibliiig 
committee,  both  of  Manor  and  I'enn  I'resby- 
teri:in  churelies.  His  neighbors  bear  testimony 
of  him  as  an  enterprising  and  progressive 
farmer. 

THOMPSON  WOLFE  was  born  in  Sa- 
lem township,  Westmoreland  county, 
Pa.,  August  7,  1852,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  M.  and  Eliza  (McQuaid)  Wolfe.  His 
gramlfather,  Andrew  Wolfe,  was  of  ticrman 
descent,  born  in  Pennsylvania  east  of  the  Alle- 
gheny mountains  about  the  close  of  the  Revo- 
lutionary war  and  died  there  in  18,")7.  His  sou, 
John  M.  Wolfe,  was  born  in  York  county,  Pa., 
in  1812,  and  came  to  Westmoreland  county  in 
182.').  After  living  two  years  in  Hempfield 
township  lie  removed  to  Salem  township,  in 
which  he  continued  to  live  until  his  death,  Au- 
gust 0,  18iJ8.  For  many  years  he  held  the 
ollice  of  school  director  in  Salem  township  iind 
was  a  member  of  (Jongruity  Presbyterian 
church,  recognizeil  wherever  known  as  an  earn- 
est Christian.  In  1840  he  married  Eliza 
McQuaid  of  Delmont  (Salem),  who  bore  him 
ten  children:  AVilliam  A.,  who  iirst  married 
Adaline  Fennel,  now  deceased,  and  whose  second 
wife  was  Maggie  Calhoun,  »(  (Oakland  .\  Itoads; 
John  T.,  IVom  whom  nothing  bus  been  heard 
for  si.xteen  years,  when  he  was  in  Siin  h'raneisco, 
on  the  point  of  departure  for  .Australia;  A. 
Thompson;  David  <  1.,  who  niiirried  Sadie  Kun- 
kle  of  near  Saltsburg,  March  11,  1881  ;  Edwin 
M.,  a  photogra])her  now  located  at  Delmont; 
Margaret  A.,  wife  of  James  Waltbour  of  Manijr 
station;  Lizzie  M.,  wife  of  Joseph  liest  of 
yjraildock,  I'a.;  Mary  Jane,  who  died  in  child- 
hood; Sarah  U  ,  who  died  April,  1880;  ami 
Maria  ('.,  who  resides  at  New  Salem.  William 
Mcl^uaid,    maternal    gr:indfalher,   was   of   Irish 


WESTMORELAND   COUyTY. 


711 


ck'Hcciit  uiut  jirub;ilil}'  born  in  Irchiml;  lit'  \v;is 
one  of  the  old  settlers  of  Westmoreland  county 
■where  lie  died  in  1854  at  the  a^^e  of  about  ei^lity 
years.  lie  marrird  M:ir^'M|-i-l  |):ivis,  wlm  lini(! 
hiln,  aiiicili;^  (ilbiT  (  liildicii,  a  dail^^hlcr  wimiri 
they  named  Kliza.  She  \sas  born  in  ^H'^2^2,  be- 
came the  wife  of  John  M.  Wolfe,  lived  to  the 
age  of  about  sixty-three  years  and  died  January 
23,  188G.  A.  Thompson  Wolfe  left  school  at 
the  age  of  sixteen  to  begin  farming  and  has 
ever  since  successi'ully  followed  that  occupation. 
IFe  purchased  in  ISSrt  tlie  firm  on  which  be 
now  resides  and  has  made  many  improvements 
on  it.  Mr.  AVolfe  is  a  self-made  man.  Starting 
in  life  as  a  i'arm  laborer  with   no  ca]iital  but  a 


pair  of  willing  .bands  and  a  stout  heart,  he  has 
by  industry  and  economic  management  paid  for 
a  fine  farm,  one  of  the  best  in  the  township. 
He  is  a  member  and  trustee  of  the  I'resbyterian 
ibincb  at  ('oiigniity  ;  is  a  pleasant  and  agree- 
able gentleman,  honest  and  upright,  and  de- 
serves the  prosperity  he  enjoys. 

A.  T.  Wolfe  was  married  February  15,  1877, 
to  Lydia  Kunkle  of  Bell  township  and  their 
union  has  been  blessed  witl>isix  children  :  Carrie 
Ellen,  born  December  "27,  1877  ;  Leroy  Senour, 
born  Septemlier  14,  1870  ;  Chalmers  K.,  born 
August  '2(j,  1881  ;  John  Lloyd,  born  March  11, 
188-3;  James  Kunlde,  born  August  31,  1885; 
and  Rhea  Thompson,  born  August  2G,  1888. 


[iS> 


Allegheny,  Bell,  Burt^ells  and 
LUashington 


AVID  ALTER,  M.  D.,  an  honoreil  citi- 
zen Linu  the  leading  physician  of  Parnas- 
sus and  whose  practice  for  a  quarter  of  a 
century  lias  exteniled  over  a  wide  area  of  country 
surrounding  that  live  and  progressive  borougli, 
is  the  eldest  son  of  Joseph  and  Margaret  C. 
(Dinsinore)  Alter  and  was  horn  on  I'uckety 
creek  in  riuui  tdWhsliip,  Allegheny  county,  I'a., 
])eceiuher  :!S,  LSiiit.  The  Alter  family  of  this 
State  are  of  Swiss  descent  and  originally  settled 
in  Cuinherland  county  where  Capt.  David  Alter 
(grandfather)  was  horn  in  177o.  lie  married 
Elizabeth  Mell,  of  German  extraction,  and  re- 
moved in  1803  to  I'uckety  creek  where  he  had 
purchased  the  old  "  Miller"  tract  of  land  on 
which  was  erected  the  well-known  "  Alter  Mills" 
which  did  the  grinding  and  sawing  ii»  early 
times  for  a  large  scope  of  country.  He  served 
as  captain  of  a  company  during  the  War  of 
1812  and  his  sister  was  the  wife  of  Governor 
Ritner  of  Pennsylvania.  To  Captain  and  Eliza- 
beth (Mill)  Alter  were  horn  twelve  children  : 
Maury,  wile  (if  Major  George  Diigan;  dosepii. 
■lacob,  Sanniel,  John.  Henry,  David,  Jeremiah, 
Daniel,  Elias,  Sampson  and  Elizabeth,  who  died 
young.  From  these  children  have  descended  the 
numerous  Alter  families  of  to-day.  Joseph 
(father)  was  born  in  181)0  and  followed  f;.-ming 
and  milling.  He  was  a  famous  wrestler  and  a 
great  athlete.  He  died  in  18G1  anil  is  buried  at 
the  old  Dugaii  graveyard  on  Puckety  creek. 

He  married  JIargaret  C.  Dinsmore,  daughter 
of  Robert  and  JNIargaret  (Curry)  Dinsmore.  Mr. 


and  Mrs.  Alter  were  the  parents  of  three  sons 
and  eight  daughters.  The  sons  were  :  Dr.  David, 
Robert  D.,  now  dead,  and  Rev.  Joseph,  a  general 
missionary  ot  the  U.  P.  church  at  Colfax, 
Washington. 

Dr.  David  Alter  received  his  education  in  the 
common  sclioi.ils,  Kreeport  academy  and  Madison 
college,  Oliio.  lie  taugiit  school  for  eiglit 
terms  while  attending  college  and  reading  medi- 
cine with  Dr.  Thomas  Galbraith  of  Tarentum, 
Pa.  He  attended  lectures  at  Jefferson  Medical 
college  of  Philadelphia,  from  which  he  gradu- 
ated March  !•,  18G1.  After  graduation  he  lo- 
cated at  Puckety  church,  this  county,  and 
practised  till  18G2  when  he  went  out  to  Harrison 
Landing,  A^irginia,  under  contract  as  the  sur- 
geon of  the  fifth  reg.,  New  York  Vols.  He 
next  served  with  the  fifty-fourth  reg.,  Pa.  Mili- 
tia, then  was  a  volunteer  surgeon  at  Gettysburg 
and  in  the  fall  of  1SG3  assisted  in  the  capture  of 
Gen.  John  H.  Morgan  in  the  State  of  Ohio.  Dur- 
ing the  ensuing  November  he  was  a  delegate  to 
the  Christian  Commission  to  Tennessee  and  Ala- 
bama. On  Sej)temher  10,  18G4,  he  was  mus- 
tered in  as  a  surgeon  of  the  two  hundred  and 
sixth  reg.  Pa.  A'ols.,  served  as  such  until  -June 
2G,  18G5,  and  was  among  the  first  troops  to 
enter  Richmond  after  its  evacuation  by  Lee.  In 
the  fall  of  18G.')  Dr.  Alter  located  at  Parnassijs 
and  has  rem;iined  there  ever  since  in  the  suc- 
cessful as  well  as  the  active  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession, in  which  he  ranks  deservedly  as  one  of 
the  first  physicians    of  the  county.     He  is  an 


WESTMORELAND   COUXTY. 


anient  republican,  conies  of  a  strong  anti-slavery 
family  and  has  served  his  Ijorough  as  chief  bur- 
gess, president  of  the  school  board  and  member 
of  ihc  town  council.  lie  is  a  nicinlici-  nf  \]\v 
I'nitcd  Presbyterian  cliiiicli,  .scrwd  as  the  lirst 
president  of  tiie  I'arnassus  Banl<  and  was  very 
active  in  organizing  the  literarv  and  philoso- 
phical societies  of  the  town  as  well  as  helping  to 
build  up  the  graded  schools  of  the  borough. 
He  was  a  surgeon  of  the  Allegheny  Valley  rail- 
road, was  once  president  of  the  Allegheny  A^illey 
Medical  association  and  among  his  distinguislied 
students  are  Dr.  J.  L.  Crawford  of  Greensburg. 
(See  his  sketch)  and  Dr.  George  C.  Parks,  late  of 
Murrysville,  whom  he  has  just  admitted  into 
partnership  with  himself  at  Parnassus.  Dr. 
Alter  is  a  naturalist  and  anticjuarian  of  consider- 
able note.  He  has  one  of  the  largest  and  most 
valuable  collections  in  Pennsylvania  of  old-time 
relics,  ii;itural  history,  cuins  and  curiosities. 
This  collection  includes  the  llag  that  hung  over 
the  speaker's  stand  in  the  Confederate  House  of 
Representatives  at  Riclimoml.  besides  historic 
maps  and  rai'e  documents.  He  owns  the  old 
Alter  family  clock,  wliicli  was  made  in  ITTa  of 
brass  beaten  and  worked  by  hand,  for  his  gieat- 
grandfather  the  year  his  grandfather  was  burn. 
Dr.  Alter  united  in  marriage  December  31, 
1H()3,  with  Mary  Anderson,  daughter  of  John 
II.  and  Jane  (Irvine)  Anderson,  by  whom  he 
has  three  children  :  Aloii/.o  Anderson,  AVilliam 
Irvii»e  and  Joseph  Galbiaith.  'J'hg  eldest  son, 
.Vlon/.o,  after  advancing  well  in  his  college  course 
engaged  for  several  years  in  teaching  and  is 
now  engaged  in  the  study  nf  medicine.  Tiie 
second  son,  \Villiam  I.,  at  the  age  of  si.xteeu 
started  a  weekly  paper  called  the  /':iniais)su8  AV«'S 
which  lie  conducted  successfully  for  nearly  two 
years  when  he  took  Greely's  advice  and  went 
^Vcst.  lie  is  now  priiiting  a  live  little  weekly 
paper  at  Verona,  Allegheny  cou.ity.  Joseph 
Galbraith  is  at  this  date,  Ajjril  1,  IHOO,  about 
fitted  for  the  juiiiur  cImsh  in  C(dli'ge  which  he 
e.xpccls  to  enter  the  coming  autumn. 


T  ACOB  ALTER,  one  of  Pennsylvania's  vet- 
"l  eran  soldiers  of  the  late  war  and  the  efficient 
(2/  and  obliging  ticket  agent  and  telegra])h  op- 
erator at  Cliarticr's  slalinu  on  ibi'  .Mlrgheny 
\'alKy  Kailroiid,  was  limn  in  .Mlrglu'ii y  town- 
siiip,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  Dctober  3, 
18-1:2,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  ami  Ann  (Stotler) 
Alter.  Samuel  Alter  was  born  in  Allegheny 
township  in  1809  and  died  in  1885  at  the  age  of 
seventy-six  years.  He  was  a  trustee  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  always  supported 
the  whig  party,  and  upon  its  downfall  entered 
the  ranks  of  the  then  but  just  organized  Repub- 
lican party.  He  served  his  township  for  several 
years  as  a  member  of  its  school  board.  He  mar- 
ried Ann  Stotler  of  Allegheny  county  and  reared 
a  family  of  eight  children.  Mrs.  Alter  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and 
resides  upon  the  Allegheny   township  farm. 

Jacob  Alter  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  at- 
tended the  township  schools  until  he  was  nine- 
teen years  of  age,  when  he  enlisted  (18G2)  as  a 
soldier  in  Co.  I,  123d  reg..  Pa.  A'ols.,  and  served 
for  nine  months.  At  the  eml  of  his  term  of  ser- 
vice he  came  home,  but  in  a  few  weeks  enlisted 
for  three  years  in  Thompson  Independent  Bat- 
tery or  Co.  C,  Light  Artillery,  and  served  to  the 
close  of  the  war.  He  took  part  in  the  battles  of 
Fredericksburg,  Chancellorsville  and  Antietam, 
and  was  discharged  in  Pittsburg  on  June  30, 
1865.  During  the  latter  part  of  that  year  he  went 
on  the  Mississippi  river  where  he  served  for  two 
years  as  watchman  on  the  steamers,  Kenton  and 
Lcunidas.  In  18G1*  he  left  the  western  waters, 
became  a  brakeman  on  the  "  Allegheny  Valley 
Railroad  "  on  which  he  lost  a  lindi  one  year  later. 
He  then  secured  the  position  of  night  watchman 
at  the  general  ollice  of  the  road  in  Pittsbur". 
After  twelve  years  satisfactory  service  as  watch- 
man, he  solicited  and  obtained  his  present  posi- 
tion of  freight  and  ticket  agent  and  telegraph 
operator  at  Chartier's  station,  lie  is  a  nieiuber 
of  the  Methodist  K|iiscop;d  chinch,  ( ).  H.  T.,  and 
the  Railroad   Station   Association,      lie   is  a  re- 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


jiiibliciui  but    is  not    :in   oxtii'inist    in    )ii)liticiil 
alV:iir.s. 

lie  was  in;irii(.(l  on  June  15,  liSliS,  to  Jane 
II.  Mui'iison,  daugiiter  of  Wiiliuin  ]\Iurrison,  of 
AUcj^'lKiiy  townsiiip.  'I'liey  arc  tiie  parents  of 
six  children,  four  sous  and  two  daughters  :  Frank 
R.,  Frederick  S.,  Stella  M.,  Nannie  L.,  David 
and  John. 


fAMUEL  L.  ALTER,  a  progressive  far- 
mer, a  successful  dairyman  and  a  reliable 
citizen  of  Lower  Burrell  township,  was 
born  in  Allegheny  township,  Westmoreland 
county,  Pa.,  June  17,  1848,  and  is  a  son  of 
Samuel  and  Ann  (Stotler)  Alter.  Samuel  Alter 
^vas  born  near  Logan's  Ferry,  Allegheny  county, 
I'a.  lie  learned  the  trade  uf  blacksmitli  and  re- 
moved, when  a  young  num,  to  Allegheny  town- 
ship, this  county,  where  he  pursued  his  trade  for 
several  years.  lie  then  luirchased  a  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  si.Kty  acres  of  land  which  he 
continued  to  cidtivate  until  his  deatii  in  18S2,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-eiglit  years,  lie  was  a  mem- 
ber, steward  and  trustee  of  the  Metiiodist  Ej/is- 
copal  church  and  an  earnest  and  enthusiastic  re- 
jiublican  in  politics.  lie  manicd  Ann  Stoller 
and  reared  a  fauidy  (jf  six  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters. Mrs.  -Viter  resides  upon  the  farm  and  is  a 
member  iif  the  .M.  K.  chui-cb. 

Samurl  L.  .Vherwas  reaiedih  bis  native  ln\\  ii- 
ship  and  received  his  education  in  tlie  comnmn 
schools.  At  twenty  years  of  ago  he  immigrated  to 
Kieiniuiiid  coiiiily,  (  )iiio,  wlieie  he  remained  one 
ye.ir  and  tbeu  returned  huuie.  Two  year.s  later 
he  went  west  again  and  spent  one  year  in  farm- 
ing in  Peoria  county,  Illinois.  The  ne.\t  year  he 
located  at  Franklin,  Venango  county.  Pa.,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  the  oil  business  for  about  five 
years.  At  tlie  end  of  that  time  lie  purciiased  a 
farm  in  Alieglieuy  townsliip  and  was  engaged  in 
farming  and  the  dairy  business  until  the  spring 
of  188'J,  when  he  bought  a  small  farm  in  Alle- 
gheny township  and  removed  to  the  farm  of  R. 
II.  Martin,  of  ninety-six  acres  in  Lower  Burrell 


township,  which  he  is  now  cultivating  in  addi- 
tion to  comUicling  a  large  dairy.  He  is  a  pro- 
hibitionist in  jioiitics,  a  member  of  Parnassus 
Methodist  Episeo|ial  church,  an  energetic  and 
successful  faituer  ami  dairyman  and  a  well  re- 
spected citizen. 

Samuel  L.  Alter  was  married  on  August  11, 
1870,  to  Harriet  L.  Martin,  a  daughter  of  Rob- 
ert II.  Martin,  of  Lower  Burrell  township. 
Their  union  has  been  blessed  with  three  children, 
all  sons :  William  R.,  born  September  27, 
1871  ;  Dallas  L.,  born  September  27,  1873, 
and  Charlie  II.,  born  January  18,  187G. 


OBERT  P.  ARNOLD,  a  resident  of 
Lower  Burrell  township  and  ex-commis- 
sioner of  Westmoreland  county,  is  en- 
titled to  the  credit  of  being  the  first  person  who 
ever  brought  oil  down  the  Alleghen}'  river  and 
placed  it  on  the  Pittsburg  market  for  sale.  He 
was  born  at  Kittanning,  Armstrong  county.  Pa., 
May  15,  1832,  and  is  a  son  of  Andrew  and 
Isabella  (Parks)  Arnold.  Andrew  Arnold  was 
born  and  reared  near  Kittanning  where  he  suc- 
cessfully operated  a  large  tannery  for  over  forty 
years.  He  was  an  olddine  wiiig,  a  member  and 
trustee  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  died  in 
iMil,  aged  (i(i  years.  He  married  Isabella 
Parks  who  was  an  exemplary  presbyterian  and 
died  in  18M0  when  in  the  eighty-sixth  year  of 
her  age.  Robert  Parks,  the  maternal  grand- 
i'alher  of  the  subject  ol' the  sketch,  was  a  native 
of  Milllin  county,  this  State,  and  removed  wlien 
a  young  man  to  Armstrong  county  where  he  re- 
sided until  his  death  at  ninety-two  years  of  age. 
He  was  a  prosperous  farmer,  a  Jacksonian  demo- 
crat and  an  earnest  presbyterian.  His  wife, 
Isabella  Parks,  whose  maiden  name  was  Bratton, 
was  a  member  of  the  same  church  as  her  hus- 
band and  passed  away  in  the  eighty-ninth  year 
of  her  age. 

Robert  P.  Arnold  was   reared    at  Kittanning 
where  he  received  his  education  in  the  common 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


715 


scliool.s  and  acaileniy  of  that  jilace.  In  1858  lie 
Vi'niovoil  iVoiii  KillaliiiinL;  tu  ihc  farm  (in  ^vliicli 
ho  nnw  rcsiili's.  In  lS(i-J  hu  cnli.Nlc'il  in  llio 
liJli'cnlh  I'a.  ('avahy,  jiail  ii-i|ialri|  in  all  (ho 
latllis  in  whioii  his  irj^iniont  was  in;^a;,'cil  and 
wad  honorably  dischurge<l  from  the  Lnited 
States  service  in  Nashville,  Tennessee,  in  June, 
ISCi.J.  He  then  came  back  to  Lower  Hunx'll 
township  where  he  has  been  engaged  in  farming 
ever  since.  His  farm  of  eighty-five  acres  is  well 
watered  and  nice  lying-land  for  agricultural  pur- 
poses, and  on  it  are  erected  good  buildings. 

In  July,  18(J8,  he  married  Josephine  Irwin, 
daughter  of  Isaac  Irwin,  of  Lower  Burrcll  town- 
ship. In  18S::;  Mrs.  Ainuld  died  and  left  two 
children,  botli  sons  :  Parks  Crawford  and  Harry 
Isaac  Arnold. 

After  the  war  Robert  P.  Arnold  was  engaged 
for  some  time  in  coal  and  mercantile  business. 
He  was  the  first  person  who  ever  brought  oil 
down  tlie  Allegheny  river  to  Pittsburg.  He  sold 
his  first  lot  to  the  Peiina.  Salt  .Manufacturing 
company  at  thirteen  dollars  per  barrel. 

He  is  an  enthusiastic  democrat,  served  as 
county  commissioner  from  1S7G  to  1879  and  has 
been  school  director  of  his  township  for  over  ten 
years. 

•jfOlIX    LARBEPv,   a    .son    of   Thomas    and  ' 
'i     Martha  (Jamison)  Rarber,  was  born  April 
2J     1,    18:i7,   near  North    Wasliingion,  West-  j 
nioreland  county,  Pa.,  and  still  resides  in  Wash-  i 
ingtdii    ti)wnshi|).      His    grandfather   was   J(din 
Barber,  a   native  of  Ireland,  who   emigrated  to 
this  country  about  17'JU,  settling  at  New  Texas,   I 
Allegheny  county,  Pa.,  where  he  followed  the 
trade  of  weaving  and  coloring  until  about  1S09, 
when  he  removed  to  Washington  township  and 
continued   at   his   trade  until   his  death,  which 
occurred   in    18.')!.      He  was   a  member  of  the 
Reformed    Presbyterian    (Covenanter)    church, 
Avhose   members    take   no   part  in   the  political 
afl'airs  of  the  country  fc"  the  reason  that  God  is 
not   recognized    by  the  Constitution.     Thomas 


Barber  (father)  was  born  in  Ireland  about  the 
year  1784  and  was  linuiglil  licre  by  his  parents 
when  live  vears  ol'  age.  lie  was  iifloen  years 
old  when  I  lie  liniiily  leiunved  to  Washington 
township  in  179.')  win  )<:  be  died  in  ISli;"),  having 
followed  ianuing  all  his  life.  Martha  Jamison 
(mother)  was  born  iu  Washington  township  and 
was  of  Irish  descent.  She,  too,  belonged  to  the 
Reformed  Presbyterian  church,  and  died  in 
1884,  aged  81:. 

John  Barber  receiveil  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  and  in  his  younger  days  began 
farming  on  the  old  Wharton  farm,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1855,  when  he  purchased  his  pres- 
ent homestead,  on  which  he  has  ever  since  con- 
tinued his  agricultural  pursuits.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Apollo  and 
in  politics  is  a  democrat.  In  1801  he  enlisted 
in  the  Fourth  Pa.  cavalry,  Col.  Campbell,  and 
served  continuously  till  18(34,  Avhen  he  was  sent 
home  severely  wounded.  lie  was  in  numerous 
engagements  and  received  his  wound  while  with 
Sheridan  before  Richmond,  May  11,  1864. 

John  Barber's  wife  was  Miss  Rachel  Nesbit, 
a  native  of  Franklin  township,  who  is  the 
mother  of  four  living  children :  Elizabeth, 
Thomas,  Sarah  and  Calvin.  Her  parents  came 
from  Ireland  and  were  brought  up  in  the  U.  1'. 
church. 

ellARLES  W.  BAXTER,  a  prominent 
farmer  of  Lower  Burrell  township,  was 
born  April  1,  18G:i,  in  Allegheny  town- 
ship, AYestmorelaiid  county,  Pa.,  and  is  a  son 
of  John  and  ilargaret  A.  (Hays)  Ba.xter.  His 
grandfather  was  James  Baxter,  of  Irish  descent, 
but  a  native  of  eastern  Pennsylvania,  who  at  an 
early  day  came  as  a  settler  to  this  county,  pur- 
chasing the  farm  now  owned  by  Charles  W. 
Baxter,  which  at  that  time  was  entirely  covered 
with  timber  and  on  which  he  resided  until  his 
death  in  1879  in  the  eighty-third  year  of  his 
age.  He  was  a  democrat  and  a  member  of  the 
U.  P.  church.    John  Baxter  (father)  was  born 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


in  Allegheny  county  and  moved  with  his  father 
to  tlie  farm  which  he  bought,  and  on  which  he 
lived  from  1830  until  1887,  when  he  removed  to 
Tii'('cliliiirj;aiid  rclifcil  from  iiclivc  laljiir.  Tlioiigh 
he  never  <lcsiicd  ollice  vol  lu>  is  a  rc|mliln-aii 
and  has  iiccu  active  in  behalf  of  his  jiarty.  lie 
is  a  lueniher  of  the  M.  E.  church,  llis  wife,  a 
native  of  this  county,  is  a  member  of  tlie  same 
church. 

Charles  W.  Baxter  was  reared  in  the  country, 
educated  in  the  common  schools  and  at  Parnassus 
academy  and  has  always  been  engaged  in  f:irm- 
inir.  now  owning  the  old  homestead  consisting 
of  l-")0  acres  of  choice,  well-improved  laud 
especially  adapted  to  stock-raising.  Ho  is  a 
republican  and  takes  an  active  part  in  behalf  of 
his  party  and  is  now  serving  as  school  director 
and  judge  of  election.  He  is  identifieil  with  the 
M.  K.  church  at  Bethel,  in  which  he  is  steward. 

Charles  W.  Baxter  was  married  February  1, 
1887,  to  jMiss  Lillie  M.,  a  daughter  of  Hiram 
Shearer  of  Lower  Burrell  township  and  they 
have  one  child,  a  daughter  named  Emily  A. 

C.  W.  Baxter  is  one  of  the  most  enterprising 
farmers  in  his  section,  raises  a  great  deal  of 
stock  and  belongs  to  an  old  and  highly  respected 
family.  lie  is  intelligent,  of  strict  integrity, 
good  moral  character  and  an  agreealde  com- 
pauloM. 

'I'dllN  C.  BOAT,,  oneof  thecnergeti<-,  thrifly 
''■'  and  conilortahiv  siluateil  faruu'rs  ol"  Aile- 
[^  ^henv  luwn^inii,  is  a  son  ol'  S;iniiiel  and 
Sarah  ('l'a\lor)  lioal,  and  was  born  on  tlie 
firm  on  which  he  now  resides  in  .Mlegheny 
tiiunsliiji,  Westmoreland  county,  I'a.,  .Inly  -•'!, 
jSIS.  lie  IS  of  Irish  exlraction.  llis  lalher 
(Samuel  Boal)  was  born  in  county  iMonaghan, 
province  of  Ulster,  Ireland,  in  I80i).  He 
attended  the  national  .schools  of  Ireland,  learned 
the'  trade  of  weaver  and  at  twenty-one  yearg 
of  age  crossed  the  .Vliantie.  Upon  binding 
at  New  York  he  ininiediately  pushed  west- 
ward   and   located  in  iMlegheny  township  where 


he  died  Juno  1,  1873.  8<jon  after  his  arrival 
he  went  to  near  McKeesport  in  Allegheny  coun- 
ty. Pa.,  where  he  resided  for  a  few  years  and 
worked  at  his  trade  of  weaving.  He  then  re- 
turned lo  .Mlegiieiiy  townsiiip  where  be  wiis  en- 
gaged in  farming  as  long  as  he  lived.  He  mar- 
ried Sarah  Taylor  who  was  born  in  Washington 
county,  this  State,  in  1813,  and  died  in  Alleghe- 
ny township  May  3,  1889.  They  reared  a 
family  of  several  sons  and  daughters.  Samuel 
Boal  and  his  wife  were  consistent  and  useful 
members  of  the  United  Presliyterian  church. 
He  was  an  active,  thorough-going  and  hard- 
working man.  Kind.-hearted,  he  was  gentle  in 
manner  to  all  and  tender  to  those  in  distress. 
He  was  generous  to  a  fault,  always  a  friend  to  the 
poor  and  helpless.  He  was  a  very  modest  man 
who  was  highly  esteemed  by  hi.s  friends  and  re- 
spected by  all  who  knew  him. 

John  C.  Pioal  was  reared  to  farming  and  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  common  schools  of 
his  native  township.  Arriving  at  manhood  he 
made  choice  of  forming  as  a  life  pursuit  and  has 
followed  that  business  successfully  ever  since. 
He  owns  a  farm  of  fifty-three  acres  of  productive 
land,  which  he  cultivates  carefully  and  upon 
which  he  has  made  valuable  iiniirovements.  Mr. 
Boal  is  a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
church  and  takes  a  dee])  interest  in  the  success 
of  his  own  and  other  religious  denominations. 


•f  KSSK  BUTUKB,  a  descendant  of  the  IJiitler 
'l'  family  of  llevolutionary  fame  and  one  of 
QJ  the  iironiincnt  citizens  and  leading  business 
men  of  Alh'gbeny  townshi|i,  was  born  inWbeat- 
lield  township,  Indiana  county,  I'a.,  .lanuary  i', 
1.S28,  and  is  a  son  of -lames  and  Martha  (Clark) 
Butler.  The  Butler  family  has  won  honorable 
distinction  in  every  section  of  the  I'nioTi  and  in 
every  era  of  its  history.  Ca]it.  ^Villiaui  Butler 
(grandfather)  was  one  of  the  five  "lighting" 
Bullers,  who  \\  ere  sons  of  Thonuis  Butler,  who 
was  born    in   Kilkenny,  Ireland.     Bicliard,  the 


WESTMORELAND   CO UNTY. 


eldest  brother,  rose  to  tlio  rank  of  iiiujoi--;^cnor:il 
and  fell  in  St.  Clair's  ilflViiI  ;  Clapt.  William 
was  the  next,  and  the  throe  younger  ones  were 
Maj.  Thomas,  Adjt.  Gen.  I'ereival  and  Capt. 
Edward,  who  all  served  with  great  honor  in  the 
Revolutionary  war.  Capt.  William  (grandfather), 
"the  second  son,  who  accompanied  St.  Clair  to 
Canada  and  Ticonderoga,  was  an  officer  through- 
out the  Revolutionary  war,  rose  to  the  rank  of 
colonel  and  was  in  many  of  the  severest  battles. 
lie  was  the  favorite  of  the  family  and  was 
boasted  of  by  this  race  of  heroes  as  the  coolest 
and  boldest  man  in  battle  they  had  ever  known." 
He  afterwards  was  a  captain  in  the  War  of  1812. 
lie  was  born  in  Ireland,  liveil  to  the  remarkable 
age  of  one  hundred  and  four  years  and  died  in 
Crawft)rd  county.  Pa.,  in  lS:2t!.  A  very  inter- 
esting account  of  these  five  I^uller  brothers  wilt 
he  found  in  lieorge  Dallas  .Miiert's  History  of 
Westmoreland  county.  One  of  Ca])t.  William 
Butler's  sons  was  James  Butler  (father),  who 
was  a  native  of  tiiis  county.  He  went  to  In- 
diana county  where  he  followed  farming  i'or 
many  years,  anil  was  also  a  moulder  and  furnaie 
man  in  the  old  Ross  furnace  of  this  county,  and 
then  removed  to  Crawford  county,  this  State, 
where  he  died  in  1833  aged  sixty  years.  He 
married  Martha  Clark,  who  was  a  member  of 
the  old  and  well-known  Clark  family  of  this 
county. 

Jesse  Butler  was  reared  on  an  Indiana  county 
farm  and  received  his  education  in  the  subscrip- 
tion schools  of  that  day-  At  i-ightccn  years  of 
age  he  learned  the  liude  of  lihicLsiuilii,  iit  wiiii'h 
he  continued  to  work  till  ISl'l.  From  1872 
to  1880  he  was  engaged  in  the  oil  business  in 
which  Ik;  was  very  successful.  Since  1880  he 
has  liei'n  a  resident  of  Aileglieiiy  township, 
where  he  owns  a  very  valunbie  I'arin  of  one  hun- 
dred and  forty-three  acres  of  lini;  laml.  He  lias 
been  a  class-leader  for  thirty-five  years  in  tiie 
M.  E.  church,  of  which  he  has  been  a  member 
for  forty-five  years.  He  is  an  active  republican 
uiid    lias    been    a    townsiiip  centra!   committee- 


man of  that  [larty  for  eight  years.  He  is  a 
fine  mechanic  and  worked  for  twelve  years  at 
his  trade  in  Pittsburg,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
the  erection  of  the  largest  rolling  mills  of  that 
city. 

In  1848  he  married  Comfort  Greenhill,  who 
was  a  daughter  of  II.  B.  Greenhill,  and  died  in 
1854,  leaving  two  children:  William  J.  and 
John  D.  On  September  13th,  1856,  Mr.  Butler 
married  for  his  second  wife  Mary  E.  Oakes, 
daughter  of  Samuel  Oakes,  of  Indiana  county. 
Pa  To  this  second  union  have  been  born  six 
children  :  Albert  E.,  Maggie  B.,  Lula  M.,  Ira 
E.,  Harrv  B.  and    liicbard   H. 


>Or  A.  BUSH,  M.  1).,  a  descendant  of  two 
\^^  old  and  respected  families  of  the  county, 
and  a  jiopular  and  successful  ])hvsician 
of  Washington  township,  is  a  son  of  Eli  and 
Jane  (Iddings)  Bush,  and  was  born  February  11, 
1.S5U,  in  Washington  township,  Westmoreland 
county,  I'a.  His  father  is  a  native  of  this  county 
and  by  trade  a  blacksmith,  who  followed  his 
trade  in  Washington  township  until  1889  when 
he  removed  to  Marion,  Ohio,  where  he  now  re- 
sides. He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  a  democrat  and  in  every  respect  a 
worthy  man.  His  wife  is  also  a  native  of  this 
county  and  has  always  been  a  leading  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  ciiurch.  Jesse  Miller,  great- 
grandfather on  the  maternal  side,  came  into  this- 
county  from  Eastern  Pennsylvania  at  a  very- 
early  day.  He  it  was  who  donated  tiie  land 
upon  which  the  Poke  Run  Presbyterian  church 
now  stands — the  oldest  house  of  worship  in  that 
section  of  the  county. 

Dr.  A.  A.  Biisii  was  reaml  in  the  neighbor- 
hood in  which  he  now  resides,  receiving  his  early 
educalion  in  the  common  schools  and  at  the 
Laird  institute  at  Murrysville;  after  finishing  he 
began  reading  medicine  and  in  1873  entered  the 
Bellevue  hosjiital  and  medical  college  of  New 
York  city,  graduating  therefrom  in  1875.     He 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


then  located  at  North  Washington  where  he 
practiceil  liis  profession  for  three  years  and  then 
removed  to  Merwin.  After  six  years  in  tlie  lat- 
ter |il;ici'  lid  rciiliived  tii  Oiikhiiid  .\'  luiiids,  whcni 
he  imw  resides  and  hiiH  ii  lni-;^(^  luid  ^rowinj^ 
jir.'Kliie.  Dr.  liush,  prior  to  entering  Helleviic 
hospital,  was  engaged  for  some  time  in  teaching, 
and  is  now  not  only  skilled  in  liis  profession  but 
a  progressive  man  in  every  way.  lie  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Mount  Carmel  Lodge,  No.  542,  1.  0.  0. 
F.,  a  prohibitionist  and  like  all  other  members  of 
his  family  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

Dr.  A.  A.  Bush  was  married  June  1,  1871,  to 
Miss  Sarah  A.,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Deborah 
Weister,  of  Washington  township,  who  is  one  of 
the  leading  women  and  most  earnest  Christian- 
workers  of  that  vicinity.  'I'hey  have  two  chil- 
dren :  Marchand  S.,  born  January  5,  1H72,  and 
Jesse  M.,  born  November  21,  187l5. 

Dr.  Bush  takes  great  interest  in  bees  and  fine 
•stock,  to  which  he  devotes  considerable  time  and 
•ittoiition. 

■T^ENJAMIN  B.  CAMPBELL,  of  Lower 
Buri'ell  township,  is  a  son  of  Rev.  Allen 
D.  Campbell,  D.  D.,  and  Nancy  W. 
■(Bakewell)  Campbell,  and  was  horn  .Inly  10, 
182S,  in  Allegheny  City,  I'u.  His  father  was  a 
native  of  J>altimore,  a  graduate  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Pennsylvania,  and  received  his  theological 
training  under  Rev.  Dr.  Mason.  His  last  charge 
was  that  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  church  of 
Allegheny,  af^'r  leaving  uliich  he  lived  lor  about 
ten  years  retired  from  active  hibor,  and  died  at 
his  linnie  in  Allegheny  in  ISlil,  in  ilic  seventieth 
year  of  his  age.  lie  was  one  of  the  leading 
ministers  of  his  day,  and  at  one  time  was  pastor 
of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  of  Nashville, 
Tenn.,  of  which  Mrs.  General  Jackson  was  then 
a  member.  His  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Ben- 
jamin Bakewell,  of  Pittsburg,  native  of  New 
Haven,  Conn.,  and  died  in  1862  in  her  sixty- 
iifth  year. 

Benjamin  B.  Campbell  was  reared  on  the  site 


of  Allegheny  City,  graduated  from  the  Western 
University,  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  in  1845,  and  from 
Princeton  College  the  following  year,  after  which 
he  rend  law  wilh  Melcalf  it  !,ooniis,  of  I'ilts- 
burg,  and  wu.s  adnilKed  to  llic  /MIeglieny  county 
bar  in  181'J.  Alter  a  successful  practice  there 
for  three  years  he  became  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  Bakewell,  Pears  &  Co.,  glassware  manufac- 
turers of  Pittsburg,  with  whom  he  continued  until 
1880,  since  which  time  he  has  been  president  of 
the  Bear  Creek  Oil  Refining  Company  (limited). 
In  1874  Mr.  Campbell  moved  to  his  present 
country  home  on  the  A.  V.  11.  R.,  near  Parnas- 
sus. He  has  a  fine  residence  with  beautiful  sur- 
roundings, fronting  the  Allegheny  river,  has  a 
fine  literary  education  and  great  practical  ex- 
perience in  the  affairs  of  life,  and  in  political  mat- 
ters adheres  to  the  doctrines  of  the  Republican 
party. 

Benjamin  B.  Campbell  in  1851  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Lois  Jane  Wade,  a  daughter  of 
Major  William  Wade,  formerly  of  the  United 
States  army  but  lattei'ly  a  member  of  the  late 
firm  of  Knap,  Wade  &  Co.,  of  Pittsburg. 

'i'AMES  HUTCHINSON  CHAMBERS,  a 
I  union  (illiccr  of  the  late  war.  e-x-register  and 
(iJ  recorder  and  ex-sherilf  of  Armstrong  county 
and  manager  of  the  leading  hotel  of  Apollo,  that 
county,  is  a  son  of  John  B.  and  Martha  (Guthrie) 
Chambers  and  was  born  in  Allegheny  township, 
Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  May  21,  1838. 
His  great-graiidliither,  James  Chambers,  was 
born  about  I74S  in  Ireland,  immigrated  to 
Pennsylvania  and  settled  at  Chambersburg,  Pa. 
There  he  married  a  Miss  Hutchinson,  by  whom 
he  hail  two  children  :  AVilliam  (grandfather), 
and  Jane  who  married  Judge  Bovard,  of  Butler 
county',  Pa.  Alter  his  marriage  he  removed  to 
(near  A]iollo)  Washington  township,  where  he 
died  in  1848,  ageil  one  hundred  years.  He  took 
up  seven  hundreil  acres  of  land,  was  captured  by 
the  Indians  and  kept  prisoner  on  an  island  in 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


Lake  Erie  until  the  close  of  the  French  and 
Indian  war.  After  this  the  red  men  stole  his 
.horses,  but  his  stentorian  cries  bi'CJUght  tiie  sol- 
diers finiii  tiie  hliiik -house  two  luiies  away  and 
thev  recovered  them.  His  son,  \Villiam  Ciiam- 
bers,  was  born  in  1777  and  died  in  1851.  He 
juarried  Fannie  Bovard,  who  was  born  in  1787 
and  passed  away  in  18(14.  Eight  children  were 
the  issue  of  tlieir  union :  James,  John  B.,  ^\  illiam, 
George  II.,  Mary,  Jane,  Margaret  and  Nancy. 
Of  tliese  William  is  still  living.  John  B.  Cham- 
bers (father)  was  born  June  13,  1813.  He 
•followed  farming  until  April  1,  1845,  wlien  he 
.moved  to  Apollo,  Armstrong  county,  Pa  ,  wliere 
he  built  the  Apollo,  a  boat  which  ran  between 
Apollo  and  Pittsljurg,  on  the  Pennsylvania 
canal.  He  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness from  1849  to  his  death  October  "21,  1881), 
and  at  the  same  time  was  freight  agent.  On 
May  2i),  1871,  he  was  elected  president  of  the 
"Apollo  Savings  Bank"  and  was  annually 
re-elected  as  long  as  he  lived.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  of  Apollo 
and  contributed  generously  of  his  means  to  the 
■erection  of  churches  of  all  denominations.  He 
was  a  man  of  sterling  moral  character  and  was 
universally  esteemed.  His  various  business  en- 
terprises were  well  managed  and  the  people  ever 
•had  confidence  in  his  judgment  and  sagacity. 
On  May  (!,  18;j7,  he  married  Martha  Guthrie, 
a  daughter  of  William  and  Mary  (Hill)  Guthrie 
•and  who  was  born  in  Salem  township,  August 
•27.  ISll.  Her  r;i(h.r,  William  Gulhric,  \^as  of 
fc-eolrli-lii.^h  drscclit  ami  was  a  .sou  of  John 
Ihitlirie,  who  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  on 
Beaver  run,  near  Delmont.  The  oflspring  of 
John  1>.  and  Martha  Chambers  were  four  chil- 
dren: .lames  11.,  Samuel  11.,  born  June  14, 
1840,  died  February  '24,  1889;  William  G., 
born  December  15,  1842,  and  Mary  Jane,  born 
January  20,  1844,  now  intermarried  with  D.  A. 
Heck,  of  Butler,  Pa. 

James  Hutchinson  Chambers  spent  mucli  of  his 
early  life  in  his  father's  store.      He  attended  the 


common  schools,  completed  his  academic  course 
at  Saltsburg  academy  and  taught  two  tei'ms  in 
the  schools  of  his  native  county.  In  1858  he 
went  to  Missouri  wliere  he  fjund  a  better  field 
for  teaching  than  then  existed  in  Pennsylvania. 
He  taught  till  IbOl,  when  he  returned  home  and 
enlisted  as  Sergeant  in  Co.  C,  103d  reg.,  Pa. 
Vols.  He  participated  in  all  the  battles  of 
the  Peninsula  under  McClellan,  was  then  trans- 
ferred to  North  Carolina  where  he  took  part 
in  the  engagements  of  Kingston,  White  Hall, 
Goldsboro  and  Plymouth.  At  the  last  named 
battle  he  was  wounded  and  taken  prisoner  with 
Co.  F,  to  which  he  had  been  transferred.  He 
was  confined  in  the  Confederate  prisons  at  Ma- 
con, Ga.,  Charleston,  S.  C,  where  he  was  placed 
under  the  fire  of  the  Union  batteries  and  Char- 
lotte, N.  C.  On  March  1,  18tj5,  he  was  pa- 
roled for  exchange  and  was  honorably  discharged 
from  the  service  at  Annapolis,  ]Md.,  after 
serving  si.\  months  beyond  his  time  of  enlist- 
ment, lie  was  color-bearer  of  his  regiment 
until  1863,  when  he  was  commissioned  Sergeant- 
Major.  On  May  20,  18G3,  he  was  promoted  to 
second  Lieutenant  of  Co.  F,  and  July  4th,  for 
meritorious  bravery,  was  promoted  to  first  Lieu- 
tenant. After  the  war  he  engaged  in  mercantile 
business  for  two  years.  From  1869  to  1870  he 
was  in  the  oil  business,  then  embarked  again  in 
merchandising  at  Apollo,  which  he  quit  in  1875 
to  become  register  and  recorder  of  Armstrong 
county.  After  serving  two  terms  he  was  elected 
sheriH'  in  ISS:!.  in  1S86  hu  liecame  cashier  of 
Du  liois  (Pa.)  Deposit  I'.aiik  and  served  till 
1887.  In  1889  he  with  several  others  pro- 
jected the  Chambers  House  at  Apollo,  which 
was  o])ened  on  February  6,  1890. 

May  28,  1867,  he  married  Kate  K.  Brenner, 
who  was  born  near  Jacksonville,  this  county, 
December  15,  1847,  and  is  a  daughter  of  George 
and  Elizabeth  (MahaiVey)  Brenner  ;  the  former 
born  December  13,  1813,  and  a  son  of  Michael 
Brenner,  of  York  county.  Pa.,  ami  the  latter  born 
June  25,  1812,  and  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Ma- 


720 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


liafTcy,  of  tliia  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chambers 
have  oiiu  cliilJ,  Etlitli  McCruui  Cliainbers,  who 
was  born  October  5,  180'J. 

James  11.  Cliainber.s  resides  on  the  lioniustead. 
lie  is  a  presbyteriun,  a  decided  republican  and 
a  member  of  the  G.  A.  11.,  I.  0.  0.  F.  and  A. 
Y.  M.  ^^ 

•f  ESSE  A.  CLEMENTS,  a  substantial  citizen 
and  prosperous  farmer,  is  a  son  of  Jesse  and 
Ann  (Barr)  Clements,  and  was  born  July 
ol,  1844,  in  Washington  township,  Westmore- 
land county,  Pa.,  where  he  now  resides.  Ire- 
land was  the  birth-place  of  his  grandfather,  James 
Clements,  who  in  childhood  came  to  the  United 
States  with  his  parents.  The  family  settled  in 
Allegheny  county,  where,  in  1815,  Jesse  Clem- 
ents (father)  was  born.  The  latter  got  but  a 
limited  education  in  the  poor  subscription  schools 
of  that  day.  When  yet  a  young  man  he  took  pos- 
session of  the  farm  now  owned  and  occupied  by 
his  son,  Jesse  A.  Clements,  on  which  he  re- 
mained until  his  death,  February  G,  1853,  in 
the  thirty-ninth  year  of  his  age.  \\e  was  a  use- 
ful member  of  the  U.  P.  church.  His  wife  was 
a  native  of  Armstrong  county.  Ph.,  a  member  of 
the  United  Presbyterian  church  and  died  July 
20,  18G1. 

Jesse  A.  Clements  was  born  on  the  old  home- 
stead and  educated  in  the  common  schools,  after 
which  he  followed  farming  until  August,  18G1, 
when  he  joined  the  78th  reg..  Pa.  Vols.,  and  en- 
tered the  service  as  a  soldier  to  fight  for  the  pre- 
servation of  the  Union.  Remaining  in  Camp 
AVright  till  September  IG,  he  was  mustered  into 
the  regular  service  in  which  he  continued  until  No- 
vendjcr  2, 18G4,  when  he  was  mustered  out.  Dur- 
ing these  three  ycar.s  he  participated  in  numerous 
skirnii.shes  and  several  battles,  among  wjiicli  were 
the  eiigai'cnients  of  Stone  Kiver,  MurtVeesboro 
and  Cliickamauga.  xVt  Stone  River  he  was 
wounded  just  below  the  knee,  which  caused  him 
to  be  laid  up  for  a  period  of  nearly  si.x  months. 
Mr.  Clements  is  a  stanch    republican,  a  mend)er 


of  G.  A.  R.  Post,  No.  243,  and  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  church.  He  has  a  fine  farm  in  the 
gas  belt,  though  the  nearest  market  is  si.x  miles 
distant. 

Jesse  A.  Clements  on  the  11th  day  of  July, 
18G7,  was  married  to  Margaret  Ewer,  of  Irish  de- 
scent, but  a  native  of  Westmoreland  county,  and 
to  their  union  seven  children  have  been  born,  of 
whom  six  are  living :  Robert  B.,  born  April  8, 
1868 ;  Hayes  J.,  born  October  21,  1870  ;  John 
E.,  born  January  12,  1872;  Daniel  A.,  born 
February  20, 1874;  Thomas  C,  born  April  15, 
1875,  and  Knox  D.,  born  September  22,  1879. 
James,  who  was  born  November  18,  1887,  died 
on  the  7th  of  April  the  following  year. 


fAMUEL  B.  COPELAND  (deceased)  was 
a  son  of  William  and  Elizabeth  (Arm- 
strong) Copeland,  natives  of  Ireland  who 
in  their  youth  came  to  the  United  States  where 
they  grew  to  maturity  and  were  united  in  the 
bonds  of  matrimony.  Allegheny  township  was 
the  place  of  their  settlement,  and  there  William 
Copeland  carried  on  farming  until  his  death 
which  occurred  in  1858.  Both  he  and  his  wife 
were  members  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  or 
Covenanter  church,  in  which  he  was  elder. 

In  Allegheny  township  Samuel  B.  Copeland 
first  saw  the  light.  He  was  born  May  2,  1833, 
reared  on  the  farm  and  given  a  common  school 
education  which  he  used  to  great  advantage  in 
after  life.  Soon  after  attaining  his  majority  he 
went  to  Londonderry,  Ohio,  where  he  embarked 
in  the  mercantile  business,  but  his  father's 
death  in  a  short  time  compelled  him  to  return 
home.  He  then  remained  for  a  while  on  the 
homestead  farm,  but  after  a  few  years  purchased 
a  farm  of  his  own  in  Allegheny  township,  upon 
which  he  remained  three  years,  and  in  18G7  went 
to  Cliartiers  where  he  again  engaged  in  the  mer- 
cantile business,  continuing  there  until  his  death 
which  occurred  July  27,  1888,  in  the  fifty-sev- 
enth year  of  his  age.      He  was  a  very  successful 


WESTMORELAND   COUNTY. 


721 


man,  had  built  up  a  large  business  Avhicli  his 
widow  is  still  conducting.  lie  was  intelligent, 
careful,  keen,  honest  and  upright  in  his  methods, 
and  highly  cstceiiied  by  all  who  knew  him  l?ut 
lifo  i.s  sliiirt  at  hcsl  and  the  grim  reaper  eut  him 
down  lung  ere  he  leaehed  the  allotted  ihree- 
score-and-teii.  llewas  not  unprepared  however, 
and  when  the  summons  came  to  join  the  innu- 
merable caravan  he  cheerfully  obeyed. 

In  1862  Samuel  B.  Copeland  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Margaret,  daughter  of  James  MeKit- 
rick,  of  Guernsey  county,  Ohio,  who  is  the 
mother  of  ten  children:  Laura  A.,  now  Mrs. 
David  Boyd,  of  Parnassus ;  Mina  E.,  now  the 
•wife  of  Rev.  W.  C.  Sampson,  of  McKecsport, 
Pa.  ;  Ella  M.,  Mary  C,  Lillian  M.,  Alvin  S., 
James  M.,  William  E.,  Walter  L.  and  Clyde 
E.  M.  Mrs.  Copeland  is  still  living  at  Chartier's 
where  she  is  still  carrying  on  the  mercantile 
business  itd't  by  her  husband,  and  is  a  number 
of  the  Hefurme(l  Pre.sbyterian  church  in  which 
Sanjiiel  B.  Copeland  was  formerly  an  elder. 


OBERT  S.  DINSMORE,  one  of  the  old 
anil  favorably  known  teachers  of  West- 
moreland county,  and  a  popular  justice 
of  the  peace  of  Lower  Burrell  township,  was 
born  iti  Plum  township,  Allegheny  county.  Pa., 
July  111,  1829.  He  is  a  son  of  Robert  and 
Mary  (Livingston)  Dinsmore  and  is  un  the  re- 
mote jiaternal  side  of  Irish  extraction.  His 
great-grandfather,  Robert  Dinsmore,  came  from 
Ireland  to  western  Penn.sylvania  in  an  early  day 
where  he  i)atented  tliree  hundred  acres  of  land 
in  the  counties  of  Westie.oreland  and  Allegheny. 
lie  had  several  adventures  with  the  Indians  and 
■wolves.  Jle  was  accompanied  to  this  country 
by  his  son,  Robert  Dinsmore,  Jr.  (grandfather), 
■wlio  settled  in  I'lum  township,  Allegheny  county, 
where  he  died  in  1S44,  aged  eighty  years.  His 
Hon,  Hobert  Dinsmore  (father)  was  born  in  the 
year    IHOU.       He    removed    to    l^ower    Burrell 


township  when  a  young  man  and  followed 
farming  till  his  death  in  18G8.  He  was  a  far- 
mer by  occupation,  a  democrat  in  politics  and  a 
man  of  firm  and  decided  opiniims.  His  wife 
was  Mary  Li\ingsl(in,  who  was  born  in  the  same 
year  as  her  husband  and  died  in  ISd;"),  aged 
si.xty-five  years.  She  was  a  native  of  Allegheny 
township,  this  county,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  churcli. 

Robert  S.  Dinsmore  was  reared  on  a  farm  in 
Lower  Burrell  township  and  attended  the  rural 
schools  of  that  day  and  Freeport  and  Glade 
Run  academies.  He  commenced  life  for  him- 
self by  engaging  in  teaching,  which  he  followed 
for  twenty-eight  years,  during  which  period  he 
taught  thirty-one  terms  of  school.  In  18.^8  he 
taught  one  term  at  Latrobe,  and  was  afterwards 
]>rineii)al  for  one  term  of  Parnassus  academy. 
For  the  last  twenty  years  he  has  devoted  his 
time  largely  to  the  management  of  his  farm 
which  contains  one  hundred  and  twenty-live 
acres  of  good  farming  land.  He  is  a  member 
and  elder  of  Parnassus  Presbyterian  church. 
He  is  a  democrat  and  has  been  elected  four  times 
as  a  justice  of  the  peace  but  only  lifted  his  com- 
mission twice  and  served  for  two  terms.  At 
different  times  he  has  held  all  of  the  townshiji 
ollices  and  is  now  serving  as  a  member  of  the 
township  selio(d  board.  That  Si|uire  Dinsmore's 
services  as  a  ])ublic  official  has  been  satisfactory 
to  his  constituents  is  well  attested  by  the  fre- 
quency of  his  election  to  important  local  oflRces. 
April  18,  1S(J1,  Sijuire  Robert  S.  Dinsmore 
married  Isabella  Clirisl}',  daughter  of  Havid 
11.  Christy  of  rium  township,  .\lleglieny  county. 
She  tiled  in  18(i;i,  leaving  one  child,  John  11., 
who  is  now  a  fainier  of  Page  county,  Iowa.  On 
September  3,  18G7,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Sarah  J.  McKee,  daughter  of  William  McKee, 
of  Allegheny  township.  To  this  second  union 
iiave  been  burn  seven  children,  si.\  sons  iMid  one 
daiigliter:  Harry  H.,  William  M.,  Mary  A., 
Robert  R  ,  Clan  nee  (_'.,  .VK'.xamler  C.  and  l!en- 
jamin  S. 


-I 


722 


BIOORAPUIES  OF 


■jj^AMES  I.  DOUGALL,  a  respected  citizen 
'i  of  Alloglienv  towiislii])  ;iiiil  one  who  did 
(2/  viili;iiit  si'i'vice  fin-  his  country  in  tlic  hite 
will-,  is  :i  son  oi'  S;innH'l  imd  SmimIi  .1.  (Iliicy) 
|),.mi;m11  nnd  WHS  horn  SciilcMihci-  1.'.,  ISKI,  in 
Allegheny  townsliip,  AVestiuoreland  county.  Pa. 
His  great-grandfather  was  Samuel  MacDougall, 
a  native  of  Scotland,  who  left  that  country 
under  peculiar  circumstances.  Having  a  friend 
■who  loved  the  daughter  of  a  lord,  he  assisted 
the  pair  to  elope.  The  irate  lord  collected  a 
posse  and  gave  chase,  overtaking  the  lovers  and 
firing  into  their  carriage.  The  young  lady  was 
killed,  but  Mr.  MacDougall  escaped  to  America, 
where,  in  order  to  avoid  detection,  he  dropped 
the  prefix  Mac.  The  tragic  fate  of  the  lady 
made  so  deep  an  impression  on  his  mind  that  he 
could  never  forget  or  forgive  himself  for  the  part 
he  had  taken,  so  he  studied  for  the  ministry  in 
the  Presbyterian  church,  lie  died  in  Franklin 
county.  Pa.,  where  James  Dougall  (grandfather) 
was  born  and  where  he  died.  Samuel  Dougall 
(father)  was  a  native  of  Franklin  county,  Pa., 
born  1801  and  came  to  this  country  about  1837, 
locating  in  Allegheny  township.  In  his  younger 
days  he  taught  sciiool  for  several  years  and  then 
engaged  in  farming  which  he  followed  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1882  in  the  eighty- 
second  year  of  his  ago.  He  was  an  energetic, 
active  man,  a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
church  and  a  republican.  His  wife,  a  native  of 
Allegheny  county,  a  member  of  the  same  church, 
died  in  1877  in  the  seventy-fifth  year  of  her  age. 
James  I.  Dougall  received  a  country  school 
education  and  in  18(51  enlisted  in  Company  I), 
sixty-second  reg.  I'a.  Vols.,  serving  three  years, 
ten  months  and  i'our  days.  He  [jarticijiated  in 
all  the  important  battles  in  which  his  regiment 
was  engaged  and  was  twice  slightly  wounded, 
once  at  the  Wilderness  and  once  at  lioydton 
Road.  Having  left  the  army  he  returned  home 
and  soon  engaged  in  boat-building  in  Alle- 
gheny county  at  which  he  continued  until  IMS-J 
when    he    returned    to    this    county    and    began 


working  at  the  carpenter  trade.  In  April,  1889, 
he  fell  from  a  building  he  was  erecting  and 
broke  his  leg,  since  which  time  he  has  not  been 
engaged  in  any  iiiirlicuiar  business.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  M.  l'].  church  at  Mt.  Hope,  of 
which  he  is  one  of  the  trustees,  and  in  politics 
is  a  stanch  republican.  Mr.  Dougall  owns  a 
valuable  property  in  Allegheny  township  and  is 
an  excellent  gentleman  and  a  jrood  citizen 


flMON  P.  FAULK.  A  well  balanced  and 
well  stored  mind,  a  life  full  of  useful 
purpose,  whatever  position  it  may  occupy, 
is  of  far  greater  importance  than  the  average  re- 
spectability of  the  world,  and  among  the  posses- 
sors of  these  desirable  (jualities,  is  Squire  Simon 
P.  Faulk,  who  is  one  of  Westmoreland  county's 
most  popular  justices  of  the  peace  as  well  as  one 
of  Allegheny  township's  representative  citizens. 
He  was  born  in  Armstrong  county,  Pa.,  Novem- 
ber 19,  1824,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Eliza- 
beth (Kepple)  Faulk.  His  paternal  ancestors 
were  useful  citizens  and  brave  soldiers  in  their 
French  home,  from  which  Henry  Faulk  (grand- 
father) immigrated  to  America.  He  had  been 
a  soldier  in  the  French  army  and  after  coming  to 
this  country  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war ; 
two  of  his  brothers  came  with  him  and  from  the 
three  have  descended  the  numerous  Faulk  fami- 
lies of  the  United  States.  Henry  Faulk  was  a 
finely  educated  man,  spoke  several  languages 
and  died  in  Stark  county,  Ohio.  His  son,  John 
Faulk,  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was 
born  in  New  Jersey  in  1780,  fought  in  the  \Var 
of  1812,  then  came  to  Armstrong  county.  Pa., 
where  he  taught  school  till  18-3'J.  In  that  year 
he  removed  to  Allegheny  township  and  served 
as  justice  of  the  peace  until  his  death  in  1855. 
He  commanded  the  respect  of  all  who  knew 
him,  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcojial 
church  and  married  a  sister  of  Gen.  Broad- 
head.  She  dic(l  and  left  five  children  :  Hon. 
Andrew  J.,  wiio  served  as  I'cjvernor  of  Dakota 


WESTMORELAND   CO UMTY. 


under  President  Johnson  ;  John  D.  1?.,  Samuel, 
Henry  and  Caroline.  Some  years  after  Mrs. 
Faulk's  death,  Mr.  Faulk  married  Elizabeth 
Kcj)[ile  oi'  this  (•oiinty,  will)  (licii  in  ISTM.  Hy 
his  hccond  niiirriiii^e  he  IkhI  three  sons  and  two 
daughters:  Simon  P.,  Esther  E.,  lion.  Philip 
K.,  who  lost  an  arm  in  the  Wilderness  battles 
and  is  now  a  mcuiber  of  the  Legislature  from 
South  Dakota;  David  K.,  of  Titiisville,  who  also 
was  a  soldier  in  the  late  war  ;  and  Charlotte. 

Simon  P.  Faulk  was  reared  jirincipally  in 
Allegheny  township,  where  he  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  rural  schools.  He  learned  the 
trade  of  tinning  which  he  has  followed  in  con- 
nection with  farming  till  the  ])rest'nt  lime.  He 
owns  a  well-improved  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  land  and  has  dealt  very  success- 
fully in  sheep  for  many  years.  In  lStJ4  he  was 
appointed  as  an  enrolling  officer  for  his  town- 
ship by  Capt.  Coulter  and  served  in  that  capa- 
city until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  a  demo- 
crat until  the  commencement  of  the  last  war, 
since  which  he  has  been  a  conservative  republi- 
can. He  served  for  twenty-five  years  as  justice 
of  the  peace,  and  the  vast  amount  of  legal  busi- 
ness which  he  did  during  that  time  may  be  in- 
ferred Irom  an  e.Kamiiiation  of  his  dockets,  which 
show  over  five  thousand  cases. 

Uu  May  21,  1850,  he  married  Mary  Shearer, 
daughter  of  John  Shearer.  They  have  six 
children  living:  John  E.,  who  is  a  successful 
merchant  and  owns  a  large  store  at  the  Leech- 
burg  bridge;  James  F.  C.,  Harry  E.,  David  E., 
Mary  E.  and  Ada  E. 

Sijuire  Simon  P.  Faulk  is  a  member  of  the 
Leechburg  Presbyterian  church.  He  is  recog- 
nized as  a  man  of  fine  business  ability  and  stands 
high  in  the  esteem  of  the  community  in  which  he 
resides. 


rf  AMUEL  GARDNER,  a  farmer  of  Wash- 
(^j  ington  township,  was  born  August  22, 
(^  1825,  in  Franklin  township,  Westmore- 
land county,  Pa.,  and   is  a  son  of  Thomas  and 


Sarah  (Scovens)  Gardner.  On  his  mother's 
side  a  great-grandfather  was  Col.  Hand,  a 
native  of  England  and  an  officer  in  the  British 
army,  who  had  charge  (jf  Dii(|iiCMtie  Hai  racks, 
near  I'ittsburg,  during  tho  Kreiich  and  Indian 
war  and  for  whom  Fort  Hand  of  this  county 
was  named.  Robert  Gardner  (grandfather)  was 
a  native  of  Ireland  who  came  to  this  coun- 
try early  in  life,  settling  in  Huntingdon  county, 
this  State.  He  followed  farming  all  his  life 
except  while  serving  as  a  soldier  in  tha  Revolu- 
tionary war.  His  son,  Thomas  Gardner  (father), 
was  born  in  Huntingdon  county  in  1793,  edu- 
cated in  the  country  schools  and  in  1824  he 
immigrated  to  Ohio,  but  the  ague  forcing  him  to 
leave  he  returned  to  the  "  Keystone  State," 
locating  near  Murrysville,  this  county.  All  his 
life  was  devoted  to  farming  except  two  years 
that  he  served  in  the  War  of  1812.  He  was  a 
democrat  most  of  his  life  but  when  tho  Repub- 
lican party  was  formed  he  joined  it  on  account 
of  its  anti-slavery  principles.  He  died  in  18G0 
at  the  age  sixty-three  years.  Edward  Scovens 
(maternal  grandfather)  was  a  native  of  Pialti- 
more,  Md.,  but  when  a  young  man  farmed  a 
few  years  in  Huntingdon  county,  this  State, 
then  returned  to  his  native  city  where  he  fol- 
lowed the  cabinet-making  trade  until  his  death 
in  1858.  Politically  he  was  a  whig  and  relig- 
iously a  methodist.  His  daughter,  Sarah  (Sco- 
vens) Gardner  (mother),  who  was  also  a  member 
of  the  ^L  E.  church,  died  in  1808,  aged  sixty- 
three  years. 

Samuel  Gardner  was  reared  in  the  rural  dis- 
tricts of  Franklin  township,  where  his  education 
was  received  and  where  he  worked  at  home  and 
for  the  neighbors  until  1848,  when  he  removed 
to  his  present  place  of  residence  and  has  evcF 
since  remained  there  in  the  business  of  farmir.g. 
He  owns  an  excellent  farm  and  the  buiblings, 
which  are  good  and  substantial,  cominaml  a 
beautiful  view  to  the  south. 

Samuel  Gardner  was  married  June  21,  I860, 
to  Jane  Hill,  who  is  a  member  of  the  Poke  Run 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Presbyterian  church  and  who  is  of  Irish  descent 
on  lioth  sides,  ;i3  her  grandfathers,  William 
Ilill  and  William  Ross,  both  were  hrour;ht  by 
their  parents  to  this  country  from  Ireland.  To 
their  union  have  been  liorii  seven  children,  of 
whom  five  are  living:  Edward  A.,  born  Decem- 
ber 29,  1861 :  William  R..  born  June  16,  1865  ; 
Frank  L.,  born  December  27,  1868  ;  Laura  C, 
born  November  28,  1872;  and  Samuel  H., 
born  August  15,  1876.  Mrs.  Gardner's  father, 
Samuel  Hill,  served  six  years  as  an  Assembly- 
man and  three  years  as  Senator  in  the  Legisla- 
ture of  Pennsylvania.     lie  died  in  1858. 


•jIfAMES  GRAHAM,  a  prominent  farmer 
"l  and  substantial  citizen  of  Burrell  town- 
(j/  ship,  is  a  son  of  John  and  Sarah  (Gouddic) 
Graham,  and  was  born  January  10,  18oJ<,  in 
county  Antrim,  Ireland.  His  father  was  a 
clutli  or  linen  finisher  in  his  native  country, 
Erin,  and  followed  the  same  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1865  at  the  age  of  sixty 
years.  In  184s  he  came  to  the  United  States 
but,  preferring  his  native  country  to  this,  re- 
turned. His  wife  was  also  born  in  Ireland, 
same  county,  and  died  in  1881'  at  East  Liberty, 
Pa.,  having  come  to  the  L^nited  States  in  1875. 
James  Graham  was  reared  in  his  native  land 
until  seventeen  years  of  age,  receiving  his  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools  of  that  country. 
He  then  went  to  Scotland  where  he  worked  in 
till'  inal  niiiu's  for  a  luiuibcr  of  years  and  imiui- 
gralid  to  America  in  lMif<,  locating  in  Alle- 
gheny county,  Pa>,  where  lie  was  engaged  as 
pit  boss  for  Di.xon,  Stewart  k  Co.  tor  about 
twelve  years.  Iij  188U  he  purchased  the  farm 
he  now  owns  in  Upper  Burrell  township,  on 
which  he  has  continued  ever  since.  A  large 
jjortion  of  this  farm  is  iinderhiid  with  coal. 
.Ml.  (iraham  has  opened  a  pit  and  in  connection 
with  his  agricultural  work  engages  largely  in 
the  coal  business.  He  is  a  republican  in  pol- 
itics, a  member  of  the  U.  P.  church  and  one  of 


the  good  and  reliable  citizens  of  the  county. 
Although  a  patriotic  gentleman  and  loyal  to  the 
Stars  and  Stripes,  Mr.  Graham  still  cherishes  a 
high  reganl  for  his  native  Erin,  which  he  visited 
a  few  years  ago  and  while  tiierc  no  doubt  felt 
like  saying  with  the  poet :  "  How  dear  to  this 
heart  are  the  scenes  of  my  childhood." 

James  Graham  in  1859  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Margaret,  daughter  of  John  Nesbit  of 
Lanarkshire,  Scotland,  and  their  union  has  been 
blessed  with  eight  children  :  John,  Alexander, 
James,  Margaret,  Arthur  N.,  Christina,  Robert 
and  Archibald. 


X^LBERT  M.  GOSSER,  a  resident  of  Al- 
^  J  legheiiy  township,  and  a  merchant  at 
Leechburg,  was  born  January  14,  1834, 
at  Adanisburg,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  and 
is  a  son  of  William  and  Susan  (Kistler)  Gosser, 
both  natives  of  this  county.  His  grandfather 
was  Adam  (iossei',  a  native  of  Northampton 
county,  this  State,  who  came  to  this  county  at 
an  early  day  and  was  a  contractor  on  the 
Greensburg  and  Stoystown  pike.  One  of  his 
sons  William  Gosser  (father)  was  a  blacksmith 
and  prior  to  1840  worked  at  his  trade  in  Ad- 
amsburg,  but  in  that  year  he  removed  to  Leech- 
burg, where  he  continued  at  his  trade  until 
some  twenty  years  before  his  death,  when  he 
retired  from  business.  He  died  at  Leech- 
burg in  1888  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven 
years.  He  belonged  to  the  Lutheran  church, 
was  a  life-long  democrat  and  a  popular  man, 
serving  his  borough  as  burgess  and  council- 
man. Strong-willed,  honest  and  successful  in 
life,  he  was  highly  regarded  by  all  who  knew 
him  and  had  hosts  of  friends.  His  wife,  who 
was  a  native  of  this  county  and  a  member  of 
the  Lullieran  ciuirch,  died  in  1838  at  Adams- 
burg. 

Albert  M.  Gosser,  though  born  at  Adams- 
burg,  was  reared  at  Leechburg,  Armstrong 
county.  Pa  ,  where  he  received  a  common  school 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


education  and  afterwards  learned  the  trade  of 
marble  cutting,  at  wliicli  he  continued  about 
twelve  years  in  Leecliliur^^.  In  IHUH  ho  eii- 
gaj^eil  ill  the  iiiercaiitile  busincHS  at  lliat  jdaeo 
and  has  been  there  ever  since,  carrying  on  a 
large  general  store.  Mr.  Gosser  being  the  lead- 
ing merchant  of  Leechburg  has  a  large  trade 
and  conducts  a  very  successful  business.  lie 
is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church.  In  1872 
be  built  a  fine  residence  in  Allegheny  township, 
this  county,  wliere  be  now  resides.  In  1884  he 
•  was  one  of  the  democratic  nominees  for  Assem- 
bly, but  with  the  remainder  of  the  ticket  was 
defeated  by  a  small  majority. 

Albert  M.  Gosser  was  married  in  1858  to 
Susan,  a  daughter  of  Israel  Hill,  of  Armstrong 
county,  by  whom  he  has  four  sons  and  four 
daughters :  Newton  II.,  Emma  D.,  Homer  D., 
Franklin  I.,  Lydia  K.,  Lottie  E.,  Grace  L.  and 
AVilliam  A.  Of  these  children  Franklin  I. 
Gosser  is  a  graduate  of  the  law  department  of 
the  University  of  Jlichigan,  at  Ann  Arbor,  and 
a  practicing  attorney  of  Pittsburg.  Newton  II. 
Gofser  is  engaged  in  the  furniture  and  con- 
tracting business  at  Apollo  and  the  others  are 
yet  at  home.  A.  M.  Gosser  is  an  active  and 
successful  business  man,  and  one  of  the  best  and 
most  enterprising  citizens  of  the  county. 

4  OSEPII  S.  HAWK,  a  pleasant,  sociable  and 
I     intelligent   citizen   of   Allcgiieny   township 

(§/  and  a  well-informed  man  upon  all  matters 
of  public  interest,  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Eliza- 
beth (Steen)  Hawk  and  was  born  in  Allegheny 
township,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  October 
24,  1820.  On  bis  paternal  side  his  ancestors 
were  among  the  early  settlers  of  the  county.  His 
great-grandparents.  Hawk,  came  to  near  the  site 

•of  Greensburg  long  prior  to  the  burning  of  Ilan- 
nastown  in  1782.  One  of  their  sons  was  Daniel 
Hawk  (grandfather)  who  was  born  in  Northamp- 
ton county,  Pa.,  and  c»ine  with  his  parents  to 
this  county   when  only  four  years  of  age.      His 


father  owned  the  farm  which  is  now  known  as 
the  Wclty  farm  and  lived  to  bo  eighty-eight 
years  of  age.  Of  bis  children  one  was  Josepii 
Hawk  (father)  who  was  born  near  Greensburg, 
November  25,  17Uo.  He  removed  in  1818  to 
Allegheny  townsliip  where  he  died  in  December, 
1880,  when  in  the  eighty-eighth  year  of  his  age. 
He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  a  democrat  in 
politics  and  had  served  his  townsliip  as  scliool 
director.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
church  at  Greensburg,  but  when  he  removed  to 
Allegheny  township  where  there  was  no  church 
of  his  denomination,  he  united  with  the  United 
Presbyterian  church  of  which  he  remained  a 
member  until  his  death.  His  wife  was  Eliza- 
beth Steen,  who  was  born  March  5, 17S)7,  in  the 
Ligonier  Valley,  was  a  member  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  church  and  died  July  3,  1880. 
They  had  nine  children  and  all  were  brought  up 
in  the  United  Presbyterian  church.  One  of 
these  sons,  Joiin  C  Hawk,  enlisted  in  the  sixty- 
second  reg.  Pa.  Vols.,  was  wounded  so  badly  at 
JIalvcrn  Hill  that  lie  was  discharged  from  the 
service  and  returned  home,  where  he  afterwards 
married  and  resides  upon  a  farm  of  two  hundred 
acres,  which  he  owns  in  partnership  with  the 
subject  of  this  sketch. 

Joseph  S.  Hawk  was  roared  in  Allegheny 
township  where  he  received  his  education  in  the 
rural  schools  of  his  boyhood  days,  which  he 
supplemented  by  constant  reading  and  self- 
study.  At  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  began 
teaching  whicii  he  followed  for  ten  years. 
Since  then  he  has  been  engaged  in  farming  and 
resides  with  bis  brother  •John  C.  They  own  a 
valuable  farm  of  two  hundred  acres  of  choice 
land  and  give  attention  to  its  cultivation  and  im- 
provement. Joseph  S.  Hawk  is  a  member  of 
the  United  Presbyterian  cliurch  and  a  democrat 
in  politics  and  has  served  as  school  director  of 
Allegheny  township.  In  1859  and  again  in 
18G0  he  was  nominated  by  his  party  for  the 
Legislature,  but  as  Armstrong  county  was  then 
in  his  legislative  district,  which  was  hopelessly 


726 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


rc|iiil)lit';iii,  he  w;is  dflVaU'il  us  mi  iiii'viliiblt;  re- 
sult, iiltlidiij^li  jiuUinj^  lliu  lull  strciiytli  of  his 
p;irty  ami  in  some  j)l;ices  riinnin;^  awa}'  ahead  of 
the  ihiiioeralie  ticket.  Mr.  Hawk  diviiUs  lii.s 
liirie  iictuecii  his  t'liriu  and  Ins  lihrui'V  and  is 
well  aeijuainted  with  all  the  topie.s  of  ini]iorlu)ice 
or  interest  wliieh  ;ire  hrinir  di.scussed  to-day. 


•Jf()IIN  HUNTER,  of  Upper  Biirrell  town- 
ship, Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  was  born 
on  the  farm  on  which  he  now  resides,  Jan- 
uary lill,  IfSl'J,  and  is  a  son  of  Alexander  and 
Elizabeth  (Anderson)  Hunter.  His  father  was 
born  in  county  Donegal,  Ireland,  and  immi- 
grated to  the  United  States  when  a  young  man, 
locating  in  this  county,  where  lie  followed  ped- 
dling for  a  while.  Later  he  embarked  in  the 
mercantile  business  at  Freeport,  Armstrong 
county,  and  early  in  the  present  century  re- 
moved to  the  farm  now  owned  and  occupieil  by 
John  Hunter,  where  he  died  in  1825,  at  the  age 
of  si.xty -seven  years.  J  lis  wife,  who  died  in 
1840,  aged  sixty-nine  years,  was  a  native  of 
Upper  Burrell  township  and  with  her  husband 
belonged  to  the  Covenanter  church.  John  An- 
derson (maternal  grandfather)  came  to  this 
county  from  east  of  the  mountains  about  1782 
and  purchased  five  hundred  acres  of  land  in 
what  is  now  Upper  J5urrell  township.  Several 
times  he  was  obliged  to  flee  from  the  Indians, 
who  were  very  hostile  and  troublesome  at  that 
lime.  On  his  farm  eight  men  were  killed  by 
the  redskins  and  they  were  buried  on  the  same 
farm.  The  names  of  three  of  them  were  Capt. 
.Miller,  \Vilson  and  Bennett.  Mr.  Anderson,  who 
died  about  1.S17,  is  buried  at  I'oke  Run  church. 
Une  of  his  sons,  Frank  Anderson,  while  acting 
as  a  scout  for  a  party  of  settlers  fleeing  to  Ilan- 
nastown,  came  upon  four  Indians,  one  of  whom 
he  killed,  but  failed  to  secure  the  dead  body 
because  a  drunken  white  man  who  accompanied 
the  women,  hearing  the  report  of  the  gun  threw 
tlie   women    into   confusion    and   fright    by   his 


sereaiiiH  and  before  order  could  be  restored  the 
other  three  Indians  carried  the  dead  one  ofl'. 

John  Hunter  was  reared  on  the  farm  he  now 
o(;cupics  and  alter  leaving  the  comnion  schouls 
devoted  bislinic  to  iigriculliii  al  pursuits.  His 
farm  was  largely  timber  land  when  he  began 
and  most  of  it  has  been  cleared  by  himself.  In 
his  earlier  days  he  used  to  see  on  this  land  deer, 
bears,  wild  turkeys  and  once  saw  a  catamount 
there.  Mr.  Hunter  is  a  prosperous  farmer,  own- 
ing two  hundred  acres  of  valuable  land,  part  of 
which  is  underlaid  with  coal  and  gas.  He  is  an 
industrious,  energetic  man  and  a  member  of  the 
Reformed  Presbyterian  or  Covenanter  church. 

In  1S47  John  Hunter  and  Mary  Ann,  daugh- 
ter of  Robert  Murry,  of  Burrell  township,  were 
united  in  marriage  and  to  them  have  been  born 
three  children :  Elizabeth,  Margaret  J.  and 
Robert  A.  They  have  also  eleven  grandchildren 
and  three  dead. 

^-"IIOMAS  C.  KIER,  one  of  Bell  town- 
\Pj  ships  well  educated  and  intelligent  citi- 
-i»  zens,  and  one  of  Westmoreland  county's 
leading  fire-brick  and  tile  manufacturers,  was 
born  on  Wylie  avenue,  in  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  Au- 
gust 5,  184/),  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  M.  and 
Nancy  (Eieher)  Kier.  His  great  grandfather 
Kier  was  a  native  of  Ireland  and  immigrated  to 
the  United  States  some  time  after  1785.  One 
of  his  sons  was  the  grandfather  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  and  was  a  successful  salt  manu- 
facturer at  Tareiitum,  Pa.  Samuel  M.  Kier 
(father)  was  the  first  man  in  the  United  States 
to  gather  the  petroleum  oil  which  came  up  with 
the  salt  water  in  his  father's  salt  wells  and  sell 
it  as  a  medicine.  His  bottling  establishment 
was  at  the  corner  of  Seventh  avenue  and  Grant 
street,  Pittsburg,  from  which  he  shipped  thou- 
sands of  bottles  to  his  agents,  who  were  located 
in  every  part  of  the  Union.  He  afterwards  had 
the  oil  analyzed  in  Washington  City,  D.  C, 
where  it  proved  to  be  a  superior  article  to  coal 
0(1.     He  was  a  remarkably  energetic  and  a  won- 


]VESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


72T 


dcrftilly  successful  business  man.  lie  was  also 
enijuiicd  in  tlio  iron  and  steel  liusiness,  the  pork 
transiiortatioii  traile  and  operated  two  llourinj^ 
mills,  lie  owned  over  one  Iiundrcd  farms  and 
died  in  I'ittsbiirg  in  187t),  aged  si.xty-tliree 
years.  lie  was  a  member  and  one  of  the 
founders  of  Christ  M.  E.  church  of  Pittsburg. 
His  wife  was  Nancy  Eicher,  a  native  of  Greens- 
burg  and  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church. 

Thomas  C.  Kier  was  reared  in  Pittsburg.  lie 
received  his  education  in  the  Pittsburg  High 
school,  Meadville  college  and  the  Western  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania.  Leaving  school  he 
entered  the  Pittsburg  business  office  of  his 
father  and  in  1874  formed  a  partnership  with 
his  brothers,  William  L.,  and  Harry  Iv,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Kier  Bros.  Tliey  erected  a 
brick  works  in  Bell  township,  si.\  miles  below 
Saltsburg,  on  the  Kiskiminetas  river.  That 
establishment  burned  down  and  shortlv  after- 
wards they  erected  their  present  ample  and  com- 
plete brick  works,  which  occupy  four  acres  of 
ground  and  in  which  sixty  men  are  constantly 
employed  in  the  manufacture  of  fire-brick  and 
tiling.  Their  ware  is  disposed  of  in  Pittsburg. 
They  own  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres  of 
land  adjoining  their  works  and  it  is  undeidaid 
with  coal,  gas  and  fire-clay.  They  use  the  cele- 
brated whetstone  grit  of  the  Allegheny  mount- 
ains in  the  manufacture  of  their  superior  wares, 
Thomas  (J.  Kier  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  of  Saltsburg.  He  is  a  republican  in 
|iiilitics. 

In  ISS:!  he  united  in  marriage  with  Ihinnah 
K.  Anderstm,  daughter  of  John  Anderson,  a 
farmer  of  Conemaugh  townsMp,  Indiana  county. 
Pa.  Their  union  has  been  blessed  with  two 
children  :  Mary  B.  and  Samuel  C. 

'JSRAEL   KUNKLE,  an  enterprising  citizen 

I     anil  a  prosperous  farmer  who  has  resided  all 

]     his  life  in  his  native  township,  was  born  in 

Burrell   (now    Upper  Burrell)  township,   West- 


moreland county.  Pa.,  on  the  lOth  of  March, 
18-14,  and  is  a  son  of  Frederick  and  Eliza  J. 
(Barnhart)  Kunkle.  His  fatlier  was  born  near 
Greensburg,  in  Hem])field  township,  where  he 
carried  on  farming  for  some  years,  afterwards 
removing  to  Burrell  township  where  he  died  in 
1852  at  the  age  of  forty  years,  having  devoted 
his  life  to  the  pursuits  of  agriculture.  He  was 
a  man  of  great  energy  and  strength,  an  incessant 
toiler  and  a  successful  farmer.  His  wife  was 
also  a  native  of  Hempfield  township  and  belonged 
with  him  to  the  Reformed  church.  She  clied  in 
1876. 

Israel  Kunkle  was  reared  on  the  farm  on 
which  he  now  resides,  received  a  common  school 
education  and  has  always  been  engaged  in  hus- 
bandry. He  owns  tlie  old  homestead  which  is 
an  excellent  and  well  imjn'oved  farm,  and  another 
valuable  farm  near  Merwin.  He  is  one  of  the 
most  successful  farmers  of  the  county,  a  good 
business  man,  intelligent,  shrewd  and  careful, 
and  stands  high  in  the  estimation  of  all  that 
know  him.  He  is  a  democrat  in  politics  and  in 
religious  belief  adheres  to  the  teachings  of  the 
Presbyterian  church,  of  which  he  is  a  consistent 
member  and  a  liberal  sup])orter 

Israel  Kunkle  was  married  to  Agnes,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  McQuaid  of  Washington  township, 
who  died  May  20,  1887,  leaving  four  children  : 
Elmer  U.,  Lyda  J.,  Sadie  B.,  and  Melvin  II. 
Mr.  Kunkle,  on  the  18th  of  March,  18'J0,  was 
married  to  Mrs.  Maggie  (Steel)  Patterson, 
daughter  of  James  Steel,  of  I'^-aiikliti  township. 

Like  his  father,  Mr.  Kunkle  is  a  stanch 
democrat  and  very  properly  believes  that  the 
people,  and  not  the  oflicers,  are  the  government, 
and  that  the  officials  should  be  regarded  as  the 
servants  of  the  people  who  elect  them. 


/^LEXANDER  A.  LOGAN,  a  prominent 

\^  J    farmer  of  Lower  Burrell   township,  was 

born  at  Logan's  Ferry,  Allegheny  county, 

Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of  Hugh  ami  Elizabeth  (Perry) 


728 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


hoffiu.  His  j^riindfatluT  was  AlexMiiilcr  IjOf^aii, 
a  native  of  Now.  Jersey,  who  came  to  western 
Pennsylvania  at  a  very  early  day,  settling  at 
Logan's  Ferry  where  for  many  years  he  served 
as  justice  of  tlie  jieaee.  At  that  day  justices 
were  *' few  and  far  between,"  and  Mr.  liOgan 
•did  a  land  oflice  business  in  tying  matrimonial 
knots,  as  the  candidates  came  from  far  and  near 
to  be  married,  the  fee  varying  from  fifty  cents 
to  one  dollar.  Hugh  Logan  (father)  was  born 
at  Springvale,  Allegheny  county,  and  was 
for  many  years  engaged  in  the  hotel  and  mer- 
cantile business  at  Logan's  Ferry,  where  he 
was  postmaster  for  a  long  time.  F'or  quite  a 
number  of  years  he  ran  the  only  mercantile 
establislimcnt  in  that  community.  In  1809  he 
built  a  barn  there  that  is  yet  standing.  lie;  died 
in  the  eighty-fifth  year  of  his  age.  lie  was  a 
prominent  citizen  of  his  day,  had  the  confidence 
of  the  j)ublic,  settled  up  many  estates  and  was 
connected  with  the  Lutheran  cliureh.  Harrison 
I'crrv  (nmternal  grandfather)  was  a  native  of 
^Vales  who  immigrated  to  the  United  States  at 
an  early  date,  settling  at  Pittsburg,  Pa.  He  was 
a  carpenter  by  trade  and  hung  the  first  bell  ever 
hung  in  Pittsburg — the  court  house  bell. 

Alexander  A.  Logan  was  reared  at  Logan's 
Ferry,  assisted  his  father  in  the  store  and  on  the 
farm,  and  at  the  age  of  thirty  years  entered  the 
service  of  the  P.  F.  W.  it  (J.  U.  II.  as  a  Pullman 
conductor,  continuing  therein  until  the  close  of 
the  late  war,  running  between  Pittsburg  and 
Cliic'Mgo.  Li  181)5  he  was  ajijiointed  traveling 
agent  for  the  Fort  \Vayne  and  AUentown  li.  K. 
lino,  and  traveled  through  New  England,  mak- 
ing bis  headnuarters  at  Boston.  In  18G7  he 
returned  and  removeil  upon  a  farm  in  liurrell 
township,  purchased  by  his  father.  Some  ten 
years  later  he  sold  this  farm  and  bought  the  one 
he  now  owns  and  occupies.  Mr.  Logan  is  a 
republican,  has  served  as  school  director  and 
in  1880  was  census  enumerator  for  Lower 
and  Upper  Purrell  township  ami  Parnassus 
•borou'rh. 


Alexander  A.  Logan  was  married  in  18tJ4  to 
Miss  Kate  Fitzgerald,  of  Newport,  Ky.,  and 
they  have  three  children  :  Frederick,  Maud  aiul 
Olive. 

■FAMES  LESLIE,  a  prominent  farmer  and 
I  dairyman  of  Burrell  township,  was  born  in 
2/  Allegheny  county,  Pa.,  October  31  (Hallow 
E'en),  1814,  and  is  a  son  of  George  and  Rebecca 
(Ferguson)  Leslie.  His  grandfather  was  Wm. 
Leslie  who  was  born  in  eastern  Pennsylvania 
and  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  the  Revo- 
lution. He  came  to  Westmoreland  county 
when  a  young  man,  where  he  died,  (ieurge 
Leslie  (father)  was  a  native  of  Allegheny  county. 
Pa.,  and  for  a  ([uarter  of  a  century  was  a  farmer 
on  the  farm  of  Mr.  Ford,  the  glass  manufacturer, 
and  in  181)0  came  to  this  county,  locating  at 
Burrell  township,  where  he  continued  farming 
until  his  death  in  1833  at  the  age  of  about  fifty- 
one  years.  While  in  Allegheny  county  he,  in 
connection  with  farming,  was  engaged  in  run- 
ning a  ferry  boat  at  the  foot  of  Bull  creek.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  a 
whi"  and  was  a  very  determined  man,  noted  for 
honesty  and  uprightness.  His  wife  was  a  native 
of  Allegheny  county  where  she  died  at  the  age 
of  seventy  years.  Her  father,  David  Ferguson, 
was  a  native  of  Ireland  who  came  to  the  United 
States  when  a  young  man  and  served  in  the 
ranks  during  the  Revolutionary  war. 

James  Leslie  Wiis  reared  in  the  country,  at- 
tended the  common  schools  and  in  1830  came  to 
Westmoreland  county  where  he  has  ever  since 
continued  in  the  jjursuits  of  agriculture,  owning 
a  valuable  farm  there  and  anotlier  in  Armstrong 
county.  He  is  also  engaged  in  the  dairy  busi- 
ness, is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
and  a  republican  in  politics. 

James  Leslie  was  married  to  Jane  L.,  a 
daughter  of  Martha  Hughes,  of  Burrell  township, 
and  to  their  marriage  four  sons  and  two  daughters 
have  been  born:  Wm.  G.,  Joseph,  David  L., 
Thomas   G.,  Martha  and    Mary  J.     Martha  is 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


729* 


the  wife  of  Joseph  Murray,  who  is  a  justice  of 
the  peace  of  Verona,  Pa.  Two  of  tlie  sons, 
Wm.  G.  and  Joseph,  were  soldiers  in  the  civil 
war,  as  wore  also  their  uncles,  George  and 
Thomas  Leslie. 


■r^IRAM  T.  METZGAR,  a  prominent  and 
1*1  leading  citizen  of  Bell  township  and  the 
(s)  ellicient  agent  of  the  Philadelphia  and 
Saltshurg  natural  gas  companies,  was  born  in 
Indiana  county,  I'a.,  April  8,  1838,  and  is  a 
son  of  Daniel  and  Elizabeth  (Ringer)  Metzgar. 
The  Metzgar  family  was  originally  from  Holland. 
Frederick  Metzgar.  paternal  grandfather,  was 
born  in  eastern  Pennsylvania,  immigrated  to 
Westmoreland  county,  where  he  lo  ated  in  Mt. 
Pleasant  township  and  followed  for  many  years 
his  tiade  of  saddle  and  harness  maker.  Chris- 
tian Rintrer,  maternal  grandfather,  was  born  in 
Franklin  township,  this  county,  where  he  was  a 
farmer  by  occupation.  Daniel  Metzgar,  father, 
was  born  in  Pleasant  Unity  in  Unity  township, 
Westmoreland  county.  lie  removed  to  Salem 
where  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business 
which  he  pursued  till  his  death  in  1859,  when  in 
the  forty-seventh  year  of  his  age.  lie  was  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  a 
democrat  in  politics.  His  wife  was  Elizabeth 
Rini'er  a  native  of  Franklin  township  and  a 
mendjer  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  died  in 
188;J,  aged  seven ty-si.x  years. 

Hiram  T\  Metzgar  was  reared  j)rincipally  at 
Delmont  and  received  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  and  an  academy  at  Pleasant  Unity. 
Leaving  school  he  followed  the  general  mercan- 
tile business  at  Dehnoi't  till  18tj3,  when  he  en- 
gaged in  the  clothing  business  at  Pleasant  Unity. 
Two  years  later  he  resumed  merchandizing  at 
Delmont  which  he  pursued  successfully  until 
1808.  lie  then  removed  to  his  present  farm 
where  he  has  resided  ever  since,  excepting  two 
years  (1873  to  LSTo)  spent  in  the  oil  country. 
He  was  also  in  the  oil  region  in  1801  and  1802. 


In  1885  he  was  employed  by  the  Natural  gas 
company  of  Philadelphia,  who  are  doing  busi- 
ness in  Pittsburg,  to  secure  land  leases  for  them. 
Ho  has  paid  out  since  then  nearly  ^50,000  as 
royalties  and  for  leases.  He  is  also  acting  as 
an  agent  for  the  Saltsburg  natural  gas  company. 
He  owns  a  splendid  farm  of  two  hundred  and  five 
acres  which  is  well  improved.  He  is  a  member 
of  Poke  Run  Presbyterian  church  and  Lodge 
No.  542,  I.  0.  (>.  F.  He  is  a  democrat  in 
politics,  was  elected  in  1876  as  justice  of  the 
peace  and  has  served  in  that  capacity  ever  since. 
In  18l)4  he  married  Mary  E.  Rowman,  daugh- 
ter of  John  Bowman,  of  Bell  township.  To 
their  union  have  been  born  five  children,  three 
sons  and  two  daugliters:  J.  Clarence,  Charles 
H.,  Armel  H.,  Matilda  B.  and  Mary  L. 


JOHN  ELLIOTT  MrGEARY,  a  prominent 
fanner  and  leading  citizen  of  Allegheny 
township,  was  born  July  5,  1835,  in  Alle- 
gheny township,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  and. 
is  a  son  of  James  and  Margaret  (Elliott)  Mc- 
Geary.  His  grandfather  was  William  McGeary, 
who  came  from  eastern  Pennsylvania  to  this 
county,  where  he  took  out  a  patent  for  a  tract  of 
land  in  Allegheny  township  in  the  early  days 
when  the  hostility  of  Indians  frequently  obliged 
the  settlers  to  ilee  to  a  block-house  for  safety. 
For  many  years  he  was  a  ruling  elder  in  the 
Poke  Run  Presbyterian  church  during  the  jias- 
torates  of  Revs.  Luird  and  Kirkpatrick,  and 
died  in  1851  at  the  age  of  eighty-eight  years, 
having  reared  a  family  of  seven  sons  and  two 
daughters,  all  of  whom  lived  to  grow  old.  One 
of  the  sons  was  James  McGeary  (father),  a 
native  of  Allegheny  township  and  a  farmer  by 
occupation.  In  his  earlier  years  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Poke  Run  Presbyterian  church  but 
latterly  joinetl  the  U.  P.  church,  to  which  he 
belonged  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  1875  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years.  He 
was    a   democrat    in    politics   until    the    Know- 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Notliinc  party  originated  and  alter  that  was  a 
republican.  His  wife,  who  was  a  native  of 
Allegheny  county,  was  also  a  member  of  tlic 
U.  P.  ciiureli  and  ilied  in  iMSii  nl  the  aj^e  of 
seventy-seven  years. 

John  E.  McGeary  was  reared  on  the  homestead 
farm  and  received  liis  education  in  the  common 
schools  and  at  the  Leechburg  Institute.  After 
leaving  school  he  engaged  in  teaching  which  he 
followed  for  twenty-two  years,  always  boarding 
at  home  and  meeting  with  singular  success. 
Between  the  terms  he  also  carried  on  farming 
and  now  owns  a  valuable  farm  which  he  keeps 
in  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  improvement. 
lie  is  an  elder  in  the  Puckety  U.  P.  church 
and  a  republican  in  politics,  now  holding  the 
olhce  of  township  auditor.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Patrons  of  Husbandry  and  is  an  otlicer  in 
the  State  Grange. 

Jdlin  E.  McGeary  was  married  in  18')!S  to 
Sarah  J.,  a  daughter  of  George  McLaughlin,  by 
wlmui  he  has  six  children  living,  four  sons  and 
two  daughters:  Martin  N.,  George  JI.,  Annie 
M.,  Miller  J.,  LiUie  J.  and  William  A.  Of 
these  children  Martin  N.  McGeary  is  a  prac- 
ticing attorney  and  a  iiieiiiber  of  the  law  finii  of 
Spiegel  X  Mc(ieary,  of  (ueensl-urg.  George 
II.  Mi-Gcary  is  a  ])hysiciaii  and  is  located  at 
lloiM. 'Stead,  I'a.  Miller  .1.  Mc(ieary  is  a  clerk 
in  a  clothing  store  at  Homestead,  and  the 
others  are  yet  at  home. 

.1.  I'',.  Mc(ieary  is  one  of  the  good  citizens  of 
the  ciiiiiily  mid  belongs  to  uii  old  and  res|iceted 
faiiuU  . 

'i'  ()1L\  S.  McKEAN,  one  of  the  most  intel- 
'1  ligL'nt  men  and  a  leading  farmer  of  IJurrell 
(^  township,  is  a  son  of  John  and  Margaret 
Jane  (Anderson)  McKean  and  was  born  Febru- 
ary 5,  1841.t,  in  Lower  Biirrell  township,  West- 
moreland county.  Pa.  His  grandfather,  John 
S.  McKean,  was  a  native  of  county  Donegal, 
Ireland,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  18L0, 
settling  in  Burrell  township,  tiiis  county,  where 


he  owned  a  quarter-section  of  land  and  was 
also  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business,  in  con- 
nection with  which  he  ran  a  four-horse  wagon 
through  the  country,  buying  produce  which  he 
hauleil  to  Pittsburg.  Mr.  McKean  was  a  suc- 
cessful business  man  and  an  active  politician, 
taking  great  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  Demo- 
cratic, his  chosen  party,  which  elected  him  to 
all  the  various  othces  of  the  township.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  United  I'resbyterian  church 
and  died  on  March  8, 1861,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
one  years.  His  son,  John  McKean  (father),  is 
a  native  of  Philadelphia,  born  three  months 
after  his  father's  arrival  from  the  Emerald  Isle. 
Ever  since  his  marriage  he  has  been  engaged  in 
farminiT  in  Burrell  township,  of  which  he  is  one 
of  the  oldest  settlers.  He  was  born  in  1815 
and  still  lives  on  his  farm  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
five  years.  He  has  been  a  life-long  democrat 
and  always  took  an  active  part  in  politics. 
Energetic  ami  honest,  he  has  made  life  a  suc- 
cess, has  accumulated  considerable  property  and 
has  fre(iuently  been  urged  to  become  a  candi- 
date for  ollice,  but  steadfastly  refuses.  He  is  a 
memlicr  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  and 
has  been  for  more  than  half  a  century.  His 
wife,  who  was  also  a  liieiubei',  died  December  23, 
IMT'J,  at  the  age  of  lifty-live  years. 

,l<ihii  S.  McKean  was  reared  on  the  home 
farm,  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  and  the  Parnassus  academy  and  has 
ever  since  devoted  his  attention  to  farming, 
with  the  exception  of  four  years  s]ient  as  clerk 
ill  a  general  mercantile  house  at  Parnassus. 
He  now  owns  a  good  farm  near  Parnassus  and 
is  still  a  thrifty  agriculturalist  and  one  of  the 
foremost  citizens  of  his  township. 

Jolm  S.  McKean,  on  the  '24th  of  October, 
1872,  was  uniteil  in  marriage  to  Frances  R.,  a 
daughter  of  Cieorge  W.  Holl'man,  a  leading  cit- 
izen of  Burrell  townslii[),  who  died  June  12, 
1863,  aged  forty-si.\  years.  'J'o  this  union  have 
been  born  seven  children:  George  IL,  born 
October  14,  187-3  ;    Jolm   Frederick,  born  Au- 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


gust  10,  1875;  Anna  C,  born  October  9,  1877; 
Anderson,  born  Novciiiber  14,  ]87'.l;  Arthur, 
born  March  13,  1882;  Joso]ih,  born  April  8, 
ISSI;   nrul  li'niiik,  l.nrii  l''cbin;iiy  "Jl,  I^IHI. 

,).  S.  McKcaii  ii^  11  sliiiii'li  (l('ii:oci-iil,  lia.s 
sorvoil  soveriil  terms  us  asses.-'or,  lias  li^'eii  for 
seven  years  a  school  Jireetor,  now  holds  the 
ofilce  of  justice  of  the  peace,  having  been  com- 
missioned by  Gov.  Pattison,  and  is  at  this  writ- 
ing a  formidable  candidate  for  the  ollice  of 
county  commissioner,  lie  with  his  wife  is  a 
member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  at 
Parnassus  and  of  Parnassus  Lodge,  No.  804, 
I.  0.  0.  F.  Mr.  McKean  is  one  of  the  county's 
best  citizens.  Bright  and  keen  intellectually,  a 
good  student  and  a  close  observer,  energetic  and 
shrewd  by  nature,  and  withal  honest,  honorable 
and  public-spirited,  he  has  achieved  success  and 
commands  the  respect  of  all  who  know  him,  re- 
gardless of  religious  or  political  creeil. 


•jfAMES  L.  McKEAN,  a  steamboat  pilot  of 
;everal  years  experience  and  one  of  the  iri- 
iueiitial  citizens  of  Allegheny  township,  is 
a  son  of  Uobert  and  Nancy  (McKiviston)  Mc- 
Kean and  was  born  in  Allegheny  township, 
Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  June  24,  1^27.  His 
graiiilfather,  William  McKean,  was  a  native  of 
eastern  Pennsylvania.  His  great-grandfather 
came  from  the  East  and  purchased  a  large  tract 
of  land  for  three  sons,  William,  Thomas  and 
liobiit.  He  crosscii  the  Allegheny  mountains 
and  purchased  a  large  tract  of  land  in  what  is 
now  Allegheny  township.  <)n  his  farm  stood 
one  of  the  old  block-houses  which  were  erected 
to  defend  the  Westmoreland  frontier  from  Inilian 
invasions.  He  was  a  cou.in  of  Gov.  Thomas 
McKean  of  Pennsylvania.  He  was  a  man  of 
strict  honesty  and  dieil  in  184(3  at  the  age  of 
seventy-nine  years.  (Sec  sketch  of  F.  S.  ^Ic- 
Kean).  One  of  his  children  was  Robert  Mc- 
Kean (father),  who  was  born  in  1801  in  Alle- 
gheny township  where  he  followed  farming   for 


nearly  half  a  century.  In  the  early  years  of  his 
life  he  was  employed  in  the  keel-boat  business  on 
the  Allegheny  river.  He  was  a  good  neighbor,  a 
.successful  farmer,  a  stanch  di'niocrat  and  a  I'aith- 
ful  member  of  the  Catholic  chinch.  lliswilV 
was  Nancy  McKiviston,  who  was  a  native  of 
Brownsville,  Fayette  county,  Pa.,  belonged  to 
the  Catholic  church  and  died  in  1888  at  the  afo 
of  eighty-seven  years. 

James  L.  McKean  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  and  attended  the  rural  schools  of  his  boy- 
hood days.  In  1838  he  went  on  the  Allegheny 
river  where  he  followed  keel-boating  for  upwards 
often  years  and  then  was  engaged  from  18o6  to 
1875  for  ten  years  longer  as  a  steamboat  pilot. 
Leaving  the  river  in  1875  be  removed  to  his 
present  farm  in  1876  where  he  has  been  engaged 
ever  since  in  farming  and  stock-raising.  lie 
owns  one  hundred  and  si.xteen  acres  of  good 
farming  and  grazing  land  on  which  he  has  made 
many  improvements.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Catholic  church  at  Freeport,  Armstrong  county. 
Pa.,  1  as  been  a  life-long  democrat  and  has  served 
his  township  as  school  director. 

In  1851  James  L.  McKean  married  Sarah 
Call,  daughter  of  John  Call  of  Allegheny  town- 
ship. She  died  in  1SG3  and  left  four  children, 
three  sons  and  one  daughter  :  Elijah  S.,  Frank 
S.  (see  his  sketch),  Ann  Elizabeth  and  Robert 
J.  On  September  10,  18G7,  Mr.  McKean  mar- 
ried his  second  wife,  Sophia  Maxler,  a  daughter 
of  John  Maxler,  of  Freeport,  Armstrong  county. 
Pa.  To  this  second  union  have  been  born  five 
children,  three  sons  and  two  daughters  :  Mary 
B.,  William  L.,  Cecilia.  Leo  and  Louis. 

The  McKean  family  has  always  been  noted 
for  its  thrift  and  enterprise  and  is  one  of  the 
early  settled  families  of  the  northern  part  of  the 
county. 

(^jr>^B  ANK  S.  McKEAN,  an  active,  thorough- 

'jt      going  atid  successful  farmer  of  Allegheny 

township,  is  a  son  of  James  L.  and  Sarah 

(Call)   McKean.     He  was    born    in  Allegheny 


BIOGRA  PlIIES  OF 


township,  Westmort'lanJ  county,  Pa.,  February 
'I'i,  1850,  and  is  a  great-grandson  of  William 
McKean,  who  was  a  cousin  of  Gov.  McKcan, 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  one  of  the  early  settlers 
of  what  is  now  Allegheny  township  (sec  sketch 
of  James  L.  McKean).  Robert  McKean,  pater- 
nal grandftither,  was  born  in  the  first  year  of 
the  nineteenth  century  and  lived  to  the  ripe  old 
age  of  eighty-seven  years.  lie  purchased  and 
cleared  out  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  ten  acres 
of  land.  l>uring  the  earlier  years  of  his  life 
he  followed  keel-boating  on  the  Allegheny  river, 
making  trips  between  several  New  York  towns 
and  Pittsburg.  He  married  Nancy  McKiviston 
and  settled  down  to  farming  which  he  then  fol- 
lowed until  his  death.  He  was  an  honorable 
man  in  business  affairs,  a  democrat  in  politics, 
and  a  member  of  the  Catholic  chuich.  One  of 
his  sons  was  James  L.  McKean,  the  father  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  is  a  prosperous 
farmer  and  respected  citizen  of  the  township. 
He  is  of  the  same  political  belief  and  religious 
faith  as  his  father  before  him  (see  his  sketch). 

Frank  S.  McKean  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  and  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  Allegheny  townsliij).  After  attaining 
his  majority  he  followed  iarming  until  18S2, 
when  he  engaged  in  the  grocery  and  hardware 
business  at  Derry  station,  this  county.  lie 
continued  successfully  for  three  years  in  that 
line  of  business,  then  (ISSf))  retired  from  nier- 
cantiT:  pursuits  and  went  on  a  farm  of  two 
huiiclreil  and  lil'ty  acres  in  his  native  township, 
which  he  has  been  farming  ever  since,  lie  also 
gives  some  of  his  time  and  attention  to  stock- 
raising  and  keeping  a  butter  dairy. 


eighty-four  years.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Catholic  church  and  one  of  the  leading  business 
men  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county. 

In  jiolitics  Mr.  McKean  is  an  unswerving 
democrat.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
church  and  has  always  been  successful  in  all  of 
his  business  enterprises. 


Frank    S.   McK'tai 


Kcbniary    '2(1,    1S84, 


married  Ellen  Lynch,  a  daughter  of  the  late 
l''rank  Lynch,  of  .\lleglieny  township,  who  was 
a  native  of  Ircjaml,  and  came  in  1800  to  this 
county.  He  conducted  a  distillery  for  Several 
years  on  the  farm  on  wliich  Mr.  McKean  resides, 
was  al'lcrwiii'ds  engaged  in  the  uii(ilcs;dc  liipidr 
business    in    rittsliiii-''  ami   died    in     ISlI,    a"(Ml 


YYII^I^I^-^^I  McWILLIAMS,  M.  D.,  of 
Merwin,  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  pio- 
neer families  of  the  county,  was  born 
December  8,  1821,  in  F'ranklin  township,  West- 
moreland county.  Pa.,  and  is  the  eldest  son  of 
Hamilton  and  ^lary  (McElwain)  McWilliams. 
His  grandfather  was  William  McWilliams,  a 
native  of  county  Donegal,  Ireland,  who  shortly 
after  his  marriage  came  to  the  United  States, 
locating  in  what  is  now  Franklin  township,  this 
county,  where  be  took  out  a  ])atent  for  some 
three  hundred  acres  of  land  near  Murrysville. 
He  was  a  veiy  early  settler  there  and  freciuently 
when  plowing  carried  a  gun  strapped  on  his  back 
to  protect  liimself  from  the  Indians.  He  died  at 
bis  home  at  Murrysville  in  January,  18,'J2,  aged 
iiinoty-si.x  years.  Ilanulton  McWilliams  (father) 
was  a  native  of  Franklin  township,  .born  near 
Murrysville  July  2,  1792,  and  died  near  there 
July  19,  1870.  He  was  a  farmer,  a  member  of 
the  "  Seceder  "  church  while  it  existed  and  later 
a  Presbyterian,  and  a  democrat  until  1800  when 
he  became  a  republican.  He  was  an  active,  en- 
ergetic man  of  strong  mind  and  well  versed  in 
business  methods,  doing  for  others  much  writing 
and  business  that  required  more  than  ordinary 
intelligence.  His  wife,  a  native  of  Franklin 
township,  died  .\ugust  D5,  1848,  aged  fifty-four 
years. 

Dr.  William  McWilliams  being  the  eldest  son 
of  a  farmer  was  inured  to  hard  labor.  His  edu- 
cation was  rcceiveil  in  the  common  and  select 
schools  and  at  Allegheny  college,  Meadville, 
I'a.,  and  on  Apiil  1,  lSlS,-lie  hegan  the  reading 
of  iMcdicilii'  with    1)|-.   I).  C.   Fowler,  of  (iicrns- 


WESTMORELAND   COUNTY. 


burg.  In  1851  he  graduated  from  the  Western 
Keserve  Medical  college,  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  at 
once  located  at  Crooked  creek,  Armstrong 
county,  but  tii(!cnsuiiigfall  removed  to  McLaugh- 
liiisville  (Merwin),  tiiis  county,  ■where  he  lias 
ever  since  remained,  enjoying  a  large  practice  in 
which  he  has  been  yemarkably  successful,  especi- 
ally in  the  treatment  of  typhoid  fever  and  diph- 
tlieria,  in  which  he  is  singularly  skillful. 

Dr.  William  McWilliams  was  married  August 
2tJ,  1852,  to  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  David 
Walker,  of  Allegheny  township,  who  died  March 
3,  1871,  aged  thirty-five  years,  leaving  five  chil- 
dren :  Mary  M.,  Rebecca  J.,  Willie  M.,  Mar- 
garet 0.  and  Elizabeth.  Three  other  children 
are  deceased :  Ilazlett  M.,  died  in  his  eighth 
year;  Hamilton  M.,  in  his  fourth  year,  and 
James  S.,  in  his  third  year.  Dr.  McWilliams 
on  December  27,  1875,  was  married  to  Sarah,  a 
daughter  of  Robert  Murry,  of  Upjjer  Burrell 
township.  Mary  M.  McWilliams  was  niarrieil  to 
Robert  M.  Hunter,  May  13,  1880,  and  died 
March  16,  1886,  aged  twenty-six  years,  leaving 
three  sons  :  William  C.,  John  W,  and  Robert 
M.,  the  latter  of  whom  died  October  26,  1888, 
aged  three  years.  Willie  M.  ^IcWilliams  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  academies  and  at  Al- 
legheny college,  read  medicine  with  his  father 
and  is  now  attending  the  Western  Pennsylvania 
Medical  college,  at  Pittsburg,  from  which  he  w  ill 
shortly  graduate,  having  taken  a  three  years 
course  of  lectures,  his  first  year  having  been 
spent  at  the  Wooster  Medical  college  of  Cleve- 
land, Ohio. 

Dr.  McWilliams  is  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian church,  a  republican  in  politics  and  one  of 
the  oldest  practicing  physicians  of  the  county. 
Starting  in  life  without  means  he  has  by  skillful 
financiering  succeeded  in  acijuiring  considerable 
wealth,  owning  at  present  :hree  good  farms  and 
various  other  valuable  properties  and  has  edu- 
cated all  of  his  children.  Nor  is  his  success  due 
alone  to  financiering.  Realizing  that  a  "rolling 
stone  gathers  no  moss,"  he  has  stuck  to  his  pres- 


ent location  for  nearly  forty  years,  labored  faith- 
fully and  diligently,  and  besides  the  competency 
he  has  amassed  lie  has  establisiied  a  reputation 
tor  skill  and  made  for  liimself  a  name  that  is  re- 
spected and  honored  wherever  known.  He  is 
indeed  a  man  of  sagacity,  integrity  and  upright- 
ness. 


OBERT  MILLER,  proprietor  of  the 
Markle  flouring  mill  and  a  descendant  of 
an  old  and  prominent  family  of  the 
county,  was  born  April  1,  1831,  in  Allegheny 
township,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  and  is  a 
son  of  Matthew  and  Sarah  Moorhead  Miller. 
His  grandfather  was  Robert  Miller,  who  came 
from  east  of  the  mountains  to  this  county  where 
he  was  a  farmer  and  early  settler  of  Washington 
township.  Of  this  township  Matthew  Miller 
(father)  was  a  native.  Matthew  Miller  was 
known  tliroughout  the  country,  at  least  by  rep- 
utation, as  he  was  the  manufacturer  of  the  cel- 
ebrated "Miller"  grain  cradle,  starting  this 
business  in  Allegheny  township  in  1823  and 
continuing  at  it  until  his  death  in  1884  at  the 
age  of  eighty-five  years.  This  cradle  was  one  of 
the  best  and  had  a  wide-spread  reputation,  about 
five  hundred  a  year  being  turned  out  to  meet 
the  demand.  Mr.  Miller  was  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  California,  being  a  member  of  Capt.  An- 
krim's  company  of  Pittsburg,  and  crossed  the 
plains  in  1819,  returning  in  1852.  Mr.  Miller 
was  a  member  of  the  Poke  Run  Presbyterian 
church  and  a  life-long  democrat.  He  served  as 
school  director,  held  various  other  offices  and 
stood  high  in  the  esteem  of  all  in  his  commu- 
nity. His  wife  was  also  a  native  of  Washington 
township,  belonged  with  her  husband  to  the 
Poke  Run  church  and  died  in  1855  at  the  age 
of  fifty-one. 

Robert  Miller  was  reared  in  Allegheny  town- 
ship and  after  leaving  school  learned  the  cradle- 
making  trade  witii  his  fatlier.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-one  he  took  Greeley's   advice   and  went 


734 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


west  to  California  wliere  he  remainoil  about 
oij;lit  years.  ciii;ai;oil  in  tlu'  niiiiinLT  tuisinoss,  rc- 
tiirninir  lioino  in  I.S.V.i.  In  ISdi'  lie  oMtrri.Ml  iho 
I'liilcil  Stall's  na\al  scrvii c,  coiiliniiin;;  lliorciri 
mure  tiian  two  years,  ami  canjc  linnie  in  l.Sfi;). 
Isine  years  later  he  embarked  in  the  milling 
business,  at  ■which  he  has  been  engaged  ever 
since,  now  owning  and  operating  what  is  known 
as  the  '' Markle "  mill  and  enjoying  a  large 
trade.  Mr.  Miller  is  a  member  of  the  Pine  Run 
Presbyterian  church  and  has  always  been  a 
steadfast  democrat,  having  served  his  township 
as  school  director  and  in  other  capacities.  lie 
is  one  of  the  best  citizens,  of  strict  integrity, 
broad  experience,  great  enterprise  and  unques- 
tioned character. 

Kobert  Miller  was  in  1877  married  to  Miss 
Sarah  Sober,  daughter  of  Daniel  Sober  of  Alle- 
gheny township. 


[T^EV.  0.  II.  MILLER,  of  Lower  Burrell 
township,  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Mary 
(Newlon)  Miller,  and  was  born  June  22, 
1822,  at  Murrysville,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa. 
His  father  was  a  native  of  this  county,  born  in 
17H3,  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at 
Newlonsburg  and  also  carried  on  farming  at  the 
same  place.  He  liclonged  to  the  Presbyterian 
church  at  Murrysville,  in  which  ho  was  an  elder, 
and  in  politics  was  an  old-line  whig  and  latterly 
a  republican.  Reliable  and  full  of  energy  he 
was  more  than  ordinarily  successful  in  business 
and  e.\erted  a  great  inlhience  for  good  in  liis 
couimunity.  He  died  in  18G2  in  the  seventy- 
ninth  year  of  his  age,  and  his  wife,  a  native  of 
Sewickley  township,  was  gathered  to  her  fatiiers 
in  188U  at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years. 

Rev.  0.  II.  Miller  until  seventeen  years  of 
age  was  reared  in  the  rui  "1  districts,  in  whose 
common  schools  he  received  his  early  education 
and  after  attending  Jefl'crson  college  three  years 
graduated  in  Ibl:}  from  AVashington  college. 
Entering  the  Western  Theological  seminary  the 


same  year  he  graduated  therefrom  in  1846  and 
Asas  in  that  year  lici'used  to  jireach.  'I'he  next 
year  he  was  onlained  and  installed  as  |)astor  of 
the  l'"airrKd<i  church  in  Ligonier  valley,  in 
1848  ho  became  pastor  of  Lebanon  Presbyterian 
church,  Allegheny  county,  where  he  labored  for 
ten  years  and  then  took  charge  of  the  Wapello 
church  in  Iowa.  Two  years  later  he  returned 
to  his  native  State,  becoming  pastor  of  the 
church  at  New  Florence,  this  county.  In  18G2 
he  was  elected  chaplain  of  the  twelfth  reg.  Pa. 
V.  R.  C.  ;  in  18G4  became  pastor  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church  at  West  Newton,  Pa.,  and  four 
years  later  was  appointed  to  a  i)Osition  in  the 
State  school  department  at  Ilarrisburg  by  Gov. 
Geary,  who  in  1871  made  him  State  Libiarian. 
To  this  position  he  was  reappointed  in  1874  by 
Gov.  Ilartranft  and  in  1878  was  chosen  chaplain 
of  the  Allegheny  County  Work  House,  in  which 
capacity  he  served  more  than  five  years,  retiring 
on  accH)unt  of  ill  health.  He  then  located  on  a 
small  farm  in  Lower  Burrell  township  where  he 
now  resides  and  is  conducting  at  his  own  ex- 
pense a  sort  of  experimental  fruit  farm,  being 
ambitious  to  have  the  largest  and  choicest  col- 
lection of  fruits  in  the  county.  Owing  to  out- 
door exercise  his  health  has  been  entirely  recov- 
ered, wliich  was  his  original  object  in  locating 
upon  a  farm. 

Rev.  0.  11.  Miller  in  184G  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Julia  Ann,  daughter  of  James  Wil- 
son of  Pittsburg,  and  their  union  has  been 
blessed  with  six  children:  Annie  W.,  Mary  N., 
J.  Kerwin,  J.  Wilson,  Ruth  P.  and  Elizabeth  B. 
Of  these  children  J.  Kerwin  and  J.  Wilson  are 
the  proprietors  of  the  wall  paper  store  at  No. 
.'J43  Smithfield  street,  Pittsburg,  doing  business 
under  the  firm  name  of  J.  Kerwin  Miller  k  Co. 
Rev.  Miller  and  family  occupy  a  beautiful  resi- 
dence just  above  Parnassus  and  are  among  the 
best  people  of  the  county.  Mr.  Miller's  suc- 
cess in  life  has  been  far  above  the  average,  and 
much  of  it  he  attributes  to  the  Icvcl-hcadedness 
of  his  faithful  and  loving  wife. 


WKSTMOIlELAyn  COUNTY. 


735 


•f  OIIN  R.  MOORE,  M.D.,  one  of  tlio  load- 
'I  iiif^  citizens  of  Tiowcr  l^mroll  towiisliip  iiriil 
QJ  a  ineinber  of  onu  of  tlio  oMest  families  of 
lliCi  coiltily,  in  :t  Hon  of  \\  illi:iin  ^iml  l'",li/.!i  (Kow- 
limd)  Mooi'is  Mild  \v;i,s  lioiii  A|)iil  7,  iHlili,  in 
Alk'glieuy  tounsliiij,  \\'cstnioiiland  county,  I'a. 
His  grandfather  was  the  Hon.  John  Moore,  tlie 
fii'st  jiresident  judge  of  AVestmoreland  county, 
Avho  was  a  member  of  the  first  Constitutional 
Convention  of  Pennsylvania  held  in  1776,  and 
who,  in  the  last  decade,  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury was  a  State  senator  representing  the  district 
of  which  Westmoreland  county  formed  a  j)art. 
His  daughter  Mary  married  Rev.  Francis  Laird, 
the  father  of  ex-State  senator  II.  P.  Laird  of 
Greensburg.  William  Moore  (father)  was  born 
in  this  county  in  179-,  and  was  by  profession  a 
civil  engineer;  he  died  in  1839  in  Rowling  Green, 
Ky.,  where  he  had  been  for  four  years  working  for 
the  State  putting  in  locks  and  dams.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  as  was  also 
his  wife,  a  native  of  Allegheny  county,  Pa.,  who 
died  at  McKeesport,  Pa.,  in  1847,  aged  forty- 
eight  years. 

John  R.  Moore  spent  the  days  of  his  youth  in 
Pennsylvania,  Ohio  and  Kentucky,  living  three 
years  in  the  latter  St:ite.  Al'icr  his  liillier's 
death  his  mother  returned  to  I'tinnsylvania  with 
lier  family  and  took  up  her  residence  at  McKees- 
port. Mr.  Moore's  literary  education  was  re- 
ceived in  common  and  academic  schools  and  un- 
der jirivate  tutor.s.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one 
yeiir.s  he  began  reading  medicine  with  Ors.  Hill 
and  Sheldon  of  McKeesport,  and  in  18.J4  gradu- 
ated from  Jefferson  Medical  college  of  Philadel- 
phia. Prior  to  his  graduation,  however,  Dr. 
Moore  Jiad  practiced  medicine  three  years  in 
Allegheny  township,  this  county,  whither  he  re- 
turned after  completing  his  course,  and  success- 
fully continued  his  practice  there  until  ]8(i4 
when  he  located  in  Burrell  township  where  he 
still  remains.  In  his  practice  which  is  (juite 
extensive  he  has  been  very  successful,  and, 
Ihoiigh  being  ailvauced  in  years  and  having  boiii 


in  active  practice  upwards  of  forty  years,  is  still 
busy  ill  the  pursuits  of  the  healing  art.  l)r. 
Moore  for  a  number  of  years  was  a  member  of 
the  County  McilicMl  society,  but  ccasccl  atleiid- 
unce  upon  the  iiiccliiigs  on  ac'coiiiiL  of  the  long 
liistance  he  was  obliged  to  travel.  He  is  u  re- 
publican, a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
and  a  scliool  director  of  his  township. 

In  186"8  Dr.  John  R.  Moore  was  married  to 
Miss  Mary  G.,  a  daughter  of  John  McElroy,  of 
Allegheny  township,  this  county.  To  their 
union  have  been  born  three  children  :  William 
S.,  Elizabeth  N.  and  John  R.  William  S. 
Moore  is  a  bright  young  man  and  is  now  at- 
tending the  Indiana  State    Normal  school. 


fAMUEL  M.  NELSON,  a  descendant  of 
one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  this  county, 
a  gentleman  of  rare  experience  and  enter- 
prise and  the  efficient  cashier  of  the  Apollo  bank, 
is  a  son  of  James  and  Nancy  (McCartney)  Nel- 
son, and  was  born  June  20,  1842,  in  what  is 
now  Upper  Burrell  township,  Westmoreland 
county,  Pa.  His  great-grandfather  Nelson  was 
a  native  of  England  who  came  early  in  life  to  the 
United  States,  settling  in  Westmoreland  county, 
near  (ireensburg,  where  Nathanitd  Nelson  (grand- 
father) was  born  about  the  close  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary war.  James  Nelson  (father)  was  born 
in  Washington  township  in  Decendjcr,  1800. 
He  attended  the  exceedingly  common  schools  of 
that  day  until  fourteen  years  of  age,  when  he  ap- 
jiiiiiticed  himself  to  William  Marshall  to  learn 
the  wheel-wright  trade,  receiving  the  liberal  com- 
pensation of  comfortable  clothing  and  three 
months'  schooling  each  year.  Having  comple- 
ted his  five  year  apprenticeship,  he  engage<l  in 
the  carpenter  business  which  at  that  time  includ- 
ed taking  the  timber  out  of  the  woods,  and  con- 
tinued at  that  for  fourteen  years.  In  those  ilays 
twine  binders  existed  only  in  the  dreams  of  in- 
ventors, and  the  "  ci'adle  "  was  in  universal  use. 
This  all'orded  Mr.  Nelson  an  opportunity  for  the 


73G 


BIOOEAPHIES   OF 


exercise  of  his  skill  and  he  began  the  manufac- 
ture of  the  celebrated  "  Nelson  Grain  Cradle  " 
which  he  has  ever  since  continued,  though  lat- 
terly in  a  small  way  owing  to  tlie  niulti|)lication 
of  rcajjers  and  binders.  His  wife,  Nancy  Mc- 
Cartney, is  tlie  oldest  daughter  of  Hon.  Jacob 
McCartney,  of  Armstrong  county.  Pa.,  and  was 
married  in  1838  ;  she  is  the  mother  of  five  chil- 
dren. Jacob  McCartney  was  born  in  eastern 
Pennsylvania  but  came  early  in  life  to  West- 
moreland county  where  for  a  number  of  years  he 
was  a  prominent  man  of  affairs,  having  built 
several  saw-mills,  woolen-mill  and  the  first  steam 
grist  mill  in  his  section.  He  was  a  genial  and 
very  popular  gentleman,  served  one  term  in  the 
Legislature  of  Pennsylvania  and  died  in  1880  at 
the  age  of  ninety  years. 

Samuel  M.  Nelson  was  reared  in  the  rural 
districts  and  attended  the  country  schools  till 
185it,  when  lie  entered  the  Leechburg  academy, 
which  he  attended  till  18G1.  In  18tJ2  he  joined 
a  home  militia  company  which  went  down  to 
Antictam  but  returned  in  a  few  weeks  without 
participating  in  any  battles.  In  the  fall  of  18li3 
Mr.  Nelson  entered  the  o4th  reg.,  Pa.  State 
Militia,  and  participated  in  the  chase  of  Morgan, 
being  present  at  his  capture.  After  his  return 
Mr.  Nelson  assisted  his  father  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  grain  cradles  for  nearly  fifteen  years, 
then  in  1877  went  into  a  store  at  Markle,  this 
county,  remaining  there  about  five  years.  Be- 
coming a  stockholder  in  the  Apollo  bank,  he 
w;is  in  hsS".^  iliosen  cashier  of  the  in.stiliition, 
which  position  he  still  ellicieiitly  and  faithfully 
fills.  He  is  a  most  intelligent  gentleman,  pub- 
lic-spirited and  progressive,  thoroughly  wide- 
awake and  especially  interested  in  all  that  tends 
to  improve  the  condition  or  advance  the  pros- 
pects of  his  native  county  or  his  adopted  home. 
A  careful  and  shrewd  man  of  business,  honorable 
and  upright,  cordial  and  generous,  he  has  hosts 
of  friends  and  is  highly  respected  syid  esteemed 
by  all  that  know  him  and  his  character. 

Samuel  M.  Nelson,  on  the   1st  of  November, 


1870,  was  united  in  marriage  with  Nannie  E. 
Watson,  a  native  of  Allegheny  township,  this 
county,  and  tlieir  union  has  been  blessed  by 
four  children  :  Netta  L.,  born  October  12, 1872  ; 
James  N.,  born  May  20,  1874 ;  William  N., 
born  xipril  27,  187(3,  and  Blanche  C,  born  April 
20,  1878. 


HARLES  PARKIN,  one  of  the  leading 
men  of  the  county  and  the  architect  of 
his  own  fortune,  is  the  son  of  Henry  and 
Ann  (Skelton)  Parkin,  was  born  January  2G, 
1838,  in  Yorkshire,  England,  and  now  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Lower  Burrell  township,  this  county. 
Ilis  father  was  a  steel  manufacturer  of  England, 
who  died  there  in  1SG4,  aged  si.xty-four  years, 
and  his  mother  died  tlie  previous  year  at  the  age 
of  sixty  years. 

Charles  Parkin  was  reared  in  his  native 
country,  where  he  received  a  common  school  edu- 
cation, and  learned  the  trade  of  manufacturing 
steel  with  his  father.  In  18(30  he  came  to  the 
United  States,  locating  as  Pittsburg,  where  he 
worked  at  his  trade  for  five  years,  when  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  R.  Miller  and  William 
Metcalf,  and  started  what  is  now  known  as 
the  Crescent  Steel  Conquiiiy,  whose  works 
or  factory  is  in  the  seventeenth  ward  of  Pitts- 
burg and  turns  out  forty  tons  a  day.  In  May, 
1888,  Mr.  P;iikiii  with  his  family  moved  from 
Pittsburg  tu  lii.s  beautiful  residence  just  above 
Parnassus,  wliere  he  has  a  fine  farm.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of 
Butler  street,  Pittsburg,  is  a  republican  in  poli- 
tics and  has  served  as  school  director  and  treas- 
urer of  the  seventeenth  ward  school  board.  For 
a  number  of  years  he  was  one  of  the  directors 
of  the  Metropolitan  Bank,  of  Pittsburg,  and  is 
now  one  of  Westmoreland  county's  most  sub- 
stantial citizens.  Coming  to  America  with 
nothing  but  his  trade,  Mr.  Parkin  owing  to  his 
energy,  brain-power  and  business  qualifications, 
has  succeeded  in  amassing  considerable  wealtli, 


WESTMORELA  ND  CO  UNT  Y. 


anil  in   carving  out   fur  himself  a  fortune    and 
standing  of  whieli  lie  may  liu  justly  proud. 

(Jliarli'H  Parkin  was  married  twico,  lir.st  in  IHlJ;} 
to  i'lli/a  I'li'lclicr,  of  liincoliiMhln-,  Mngland,  who 
(lifd  in  1KT-,  leaving  two  cliildron,  W^dlur  F. 
and  Charles  B.  Charles  B.  Parkin,  in  June  of 
1888,  graduated  from  the  Faribault  Military 
academy,  of  Minnesota,  and  in  July,  188it,  he 
ut  tlie  age  of  twenty  years  was  removed  from 
eartii  by  the  angel  of  death.  Mr.  Parkin's 
second  wife  was  Annie  V.  Dravo,  of  Pittsburg, 
whom  he  married  December  24,  1884.  To  this 
union  have  been  born  four  sons  and  one  daughter, 
Edward  H.,  William  M.,  Harry  D.,  Alice  and 
Malcolm  B. 


|EV.  ROBERT  REED,  deceased,  was  an 
able,  ellicient  and  popular  minister  of  Al- 
legheny township  where  he  was  pastor  of 
old  Bethel  Reformed  Associate  church,  lie  was 
born  in  Londonderry,  Ohio,  June  13,  1S21, 
and  was  reared  in  that  State,  where  he  re- 
ceived a  thorough  education,  lie  was  graduated 
from  the  Muskingum  college  and  shortly  after- 
wards entered  a  well  known  theological  seminary 
from  which  he  graduated,  lie  was  an  energetic 
and  hard-working  student  at  school,  where  he 
gave  ample  promise  of  his  after  success  and  use- 
fulness in  life.  In  18tj0  he  was  ordained  and  in- 
stalled as  pastor  of  the  Brookland  Reform  As- 
sociate church  which  was  organized  in  18o2.  Its 
first  pastor  was  Ifev.  Hugh  Walkinshaw,  who  was 
succeeiled  in  184^  by  Rev.  C)liver  Wylie  whose 
successor  in  18(30  was  Rev.  Robert  Reed  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch.  From  18G0  to  1882  he 
served  this  church  faithfully  and  efliciently  ;  in 
connection  with  it  he  was  stated  supply  of  J'iiiza- 
beth  church  near  McKeesport,  Pa.  In  1882  his 
health  compelled  him,  after  a  pastorate  of  nearly 
a  quarter  of  a  century,  to  resign  his  charge  and 
retire  from  active  ministerial  labor.  Four  years 
later,  on  October  31,  188(3,  he  passed  away  when 
in  the  sixty-lifth  year  of  his  age. 


He  united  in  marriage  with  Mary  Walkin- 
shaw, of  Allegheny  township  and  who  now  re- 
sic|c3  at  Youngstown,  Ohio.  Tiiey  were  the 
jiarents  of  ten  ciiildren,  seven  sons  and  three 
daughters:  Rev.  Hugh  W.,  a  United  Presby- 
terian minister,  now  located  at  Youngstown,  0.  ; 
Thomas  S.,  a  farmer ;  Rev.  R.  C,  pastor  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  church  at  "  Old  Bethel," 
Illinois  ;  Rev.  J.  Kno.K,  a  United  Presbyterian 
minister  and  in  charge  of  a  church  of  bis  de- 
nomination in  St.  Louis,  Mo.  ;  \Vitliiim  G.,  Mel- 
ville T.,  Mary  L.,  Emma  J.  and  Maggie  E. 
William  G,  Reed,  the  fifth  son,  is  a  stirring  and 
entergetic  farmer  of  near  Ingleside  where  he 
owns  a  well-improved  farm  and  is  recognized  as 
one  of  the  steady,  successful  and  substantial 
citizens  of  the  county. 

Rev.  Robert  Reed  was  an  untiring  and  zealou.i 
minister,  whose  life-work  in  bis  chosen  and 
sacred  calling  was  crowned  with  abundant  suc- 
cess, lie  was  a  plain  man,  unostentatious  in 
manner  but  perfectly  fearless  in  the  discharge 
of  any  duty.  By  his  straightforward  course  of 
life  he  possessed  the  confidence  of  his  congrega- 
tion and  won  the  respect  of  all  who  knew  him. 
He  was  logical  and  clear  in  thought,  forcible  and 
strong  in  language  and  was  an  entertaining  and 
convincing  speaker.  He  was  honored  as  a  min- 
ister, respected  as  a  citizen  and  admired  as  a  man 
of  purity,  truth  and  honesty. 


r^EZEKlAH  ROAVE,  one  of  Wasliington 
\^P  townshi|)'s  representative  and  model 
(«)  farmers,  is  a  son  of  John  and  Esther 
(Allshouse)  Rowe  and  was  born  in  Ileinpfield 
township,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  April, 
1823.  His  great-grandfather  Rowe  came  when 
a  boy  from  Germany  to  this  country.  His 
grandfather,  was  born  near  Greensburg  and 
always  followed  farming  in  the  vicinity  of' that 
place.  His  son,  John  Rowe,  the  father  of  the 
subject    of    this    sketch,    was   born  in    17'J4  in 


738 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


Ilempficlil  townsliip  where  he  died  in  1848  when 
in  the  fifty-fourth  year  of  his  age.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  tlie  rural  schools  and  Ijccaiuc  a  fair 
scholar  in  hoth  English  and  (icrnian.  Ho  was  a 
stonemason  by  trade  but  followed  coopering  dur- 
ing the  winter  season.  He  was  an  old-line  whig 
politically,  a  lutheran  in  religious  faith  and 
married  Esther  Allshouse  by  whom  he  had  ten 
children.  iSlrs.  Rowe  was  the  daughter  of  Hon. 
Henry  Allshouse  who  served  for  three  successive 
terms  as  a  member  of  the  State  Legislature  and 
was  a  prominent  and  leading  man  in  his  section 
of  the  county. 

Ilezekiali  Howe  received  the  limited  education 
of  his  boyhood  days  and  left  the  farm  to  learn 
the  trade  of  cooper  which  he  followed  until  18G1. 
In  that  year  he  purchased  and  removed  to  his 
present  farm  which  is  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
township.  It  contains  one  hundred  and  ninety- 
three  acres  of  gently-rolling  land,  which  is  well 
watered  and  on  which  are  good  buildings  and 
two  fine  bearing  orchards.  His  large  brick  resi- 
dence, which  is  modern  in  style  and  arrangement, 
is  heated  and  lighted  throughout  by  natural 
gas. 

He  has  been  twice  married.  His  first  wife  was 
Hannah  Iloltzer,  to  whom  he  was  weddcil  March 
4,  1845.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Evangelical 
TiUlheran  church  iiiid  died  October  JtO,  1S48, 
leaving  two  children  :  Hi/.ekiah  J.  and  Annclta. 
On  March  3,  1850,  he  married  Lousanna  Holt- 
zer,  a  sister  to  his  first  wife  who  p;issed  away 
.AugusI  II,  ISS'.t.  |!y  his  second  Miarriiigo  Mr. 
Itowe  had  twelve  clnlclreii,  of  whom  live  sons 
and  four  daughters  are  living:  Henry  L.,  Will- 
iam J.,  James  M.,  Harry  F.,  Calvin  J.,  Hannah 
C,  Martha  .J.,  Maggie  M.  and  Jessie  L. 

Ilezekiali  Rowe  is  a  consistent  member  and  a 
useful  trustee  of  the  Merwin  Methodist  Episco- 
j)al  church,  of  whos(;  Sunday  school  he  has  been 
superintendent  for  several  years.  He  is  a  man 
of  well-balanced  mind,  sound  judgment,  unques- 
tioned integrity  and  has  always  been  successful 
in  his  various  business  enterprises. 


fEOROE  W.  ROSS,  a  venerable  and 
highly  esteemed  gentleman,  was  born  Oc- 
tober 27,  1801),  in  Jturrell  township, 
Westmoreland  county,  I'a.,  on  the  farm  where 
he  now  resides,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Mary 
(Cochran)  Ross.  His  father  was  a  native  of 
county  Down,  Ireland,  and  when  about  eighteen 
years  of  age  came  to  America,  locating  in 
Franklin  county.  Pa.,  where  he  married,  after 
which  he  removed  to  Burrell  township,  this 
county,  purchasing  about  1794  the  farm  now 
owned  by  his  son,  George  W.  Ross.  On  this 
farm  he  continued  until  his  death  in  1827,  when 
he  was  fifty-four  years  of  age.  He  was  one  of 
the  earliest  settlers  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
county  and  was  frequently  liarrassed  by  Indians. 
Ilis  wife  was  born  near  Chambersburg,  Pa.,  and 
died  in  1857,  aged  seventy-eight  years.  Both 
were  members  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
church. 

George  W.  Ross  was  reared  on  the  fiirm 
till  sixteen  years  of  age,  received  a  common 
school  education  and  upon  leaving  the  farm 
went  to  Greensburg,  where  he  learned  the  trade 
of  chair  making,  at  which  he  worked  some  fifteen 
years.  In  1840  he  moved  to  his  present  farm 
and  has  ever  since  devoted  his  time  to  the  pur- 
suits of  agriculture.  He  owns  a  large  farm  of 
choice,  well-iiiqiroved  land  ab^^^it  two  miles  from 
Parnassus,  where  he  has  lived  for  half  a  cen- 
tury. Mr.  lioss  is  one  of  the  stanchest  demo- 
crats in  the  county  and  Avas  elected  county  com- 
missioiu'r  in  1S,')7,  serving  three  years  with 
credit  to  himseir  and  satisfaction  to  the  pcoide. 
In  18l)0  he  engaged  in  the  oil  business,  which 
he  successfully  followed  about  six  years.  He 
has  served  as  assessor  of  his  township,  treasurer 
of  the  school  fund  and  in  his  younger  days  was 
an  active  and  very  infiuential  politician.  He  has 
lived  an  honorable  and  useful  life  and  in  his 
declining  years  is  happy  in  the  consciousness  of 
not  having  lived  in  vain. 

George  W.  Ross  was  married  in  1863  to  Miss 
Esther  Ann  Irwin,  a  daughter  of  William  Irwin, 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


of  Burrell  townsliip,  who  is  still  living  and  who 
has  liorne  him  throe  children :  Alice  E., 
Urihln  and  George  W.,  Jr.  Mr.  Ross,  who  is 
more  tliaii  an  octogenarian,  is  one  of  Burrell 
township's  hest  and  most  substantial  citizens, 
whose  hoary  head  deserves  the  reverence  of  all, 
and  wliose  life  and  character  are  such  as  incite 
the  rising  generation  to  nobler  deeds  and  purer 
lives  and  inspire  their  minds  with  sentiments  of 
virtue. 


•jji"  EREMIAII  RUBRIGHT,  a  member  of  one 

J  of  the  old  and  esteemed  families  of  the 
county,  and  a  prominent  farmer  of  Upper 
Burrell  township,  was  born  July  10,  184(j,  in 
Franklin  township,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa., 
and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Hannah  (Rugh)  Rub- 
right.  His  grandfatlier  was  Henry  Rubright,  a 
native  of  Northampton  county,  who  at  an  early 
day  came  to  Franklin  township,  this  county, 
where  John  Rubright  (father)  was  born.  The 
latter  still  resides  in  his  native  township,  where 
he  has  always  been  engaged  in  farming  and  now 
owns  a  large  amount  of  land.  Liberal  to  all 
those  in  need  and  charitable  in  disposition,  he 
h;is  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all  that  know  him. 
In  politics  he  is  a  democrat  and  has  done  much 
good  work  for  his  party,  though  he  never  de- 
sired any  oliice.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Re- 
formed eJiureh  and  is  now  in  tlie  eighty-second 
year  of  his  age  and  haj)[iy  in  the  consciousness 
of  a  life  well  s[ieiit  and  successful.  His  wife  is 
also  a  native  nf  Franklin  tdwnsJiip,  is  a  Hiruil)er 
of  the  Lutheran  church  and  in  the  eightieth 
year  of  her  age. 

Jeremiah  Rubright  was  reared  on  a  fiirm,  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  common  schools  and 
has  devoted  his  life  to  husbandry.  In  1875  he 
removed  to  Upper  Burrell  township,  where  he 
owns  a  farm  containing  upwards  of  two  hundred 
acres  of  choice,  well-improved  land,  lying  on  the 
Greensburg  and  Tarentum  road.  lie  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Pine  Run  Reformed  churL-li,  in  \Nliicli 
he  is  an  elder.      Politically  lie  is  a  stancii  ileiuo- 


crat  and  has  taken  an  active  part  in  the 
affairs  of  his  party.  Besides  farming  he  also 
deals  Considerably  in  live  stock  a!id  is  consid- 
ered ono  of  tlie  Ijcsl  farmers  and  citizens  of  his 
township. 

In  IStJ'J  Jeremiah  Rubright  and  Mary,  a 
daughter  of  Jacob  Lessig,  of  Franklin  town- 
ship, were  united  in  marriage  and  to  their  union 
five  children  have  been  born :  Benjamin  F., 
Hannah  A.,  Rose  B.,  Nerva  M.  and  William 
R.  Mrs.  Rubright  having  died  June  19,  1880, 
Mr.  Rubright  on  the  4th  of  March,  1882,  mar- 
ried Mary  E.  Gumbert,  daughter  of  John  Gum- 
bert,  Sr.,  of  Allegheny  township,  by  whom  he 
has  five  childrei) :  Emma  S.,  Lizzie  E.,  Charles 
F.,  Lena  E.  and  Nellie  A. 


r^OLOMON  SIIANER,  one  of  Allegheny 
(^j  township's  energetic  and  influential  citi- 
\^  zens  and  a  pleasant,  intelligent,  entertain- 
in<'  and  companionable  business  man,  is  a  son  of 
Henry  and  Catharine  (Cline)  Shaner  and  was 
born  in  Allegheny  township,  Westmoreland 
county,  Pa.,  May  14,  1849.  The  Shaner  family 
is  of  German  origin  and  is  one  among  the  early 
settled  families  of  this  county.  Henry  Shaner 
(father)  was  born  in  Westmoreland  county  in 
1809  and  died  in  Allegheny  township  November 
ii,  1881.  He  was  an  industrious  farmer,  a  mem- 
bci-  anil  elder  of  the  Evangelical  liUtheran 
eliurch  ami  a  cojiservative  republican  in  politics. 
He  was  a  good  citizen,  honorable,  honest  and 
ujiright  in  all  his  dealings.  He  was  character- 
ized by  jiatience,  indusiry  and  courage.  His 
remains  are  interred  in  Lone  Hill  cemetery 
where  his  wife  sleeps  beside  him.  He  nuirried 
Catharine  Cline,  who  was  born  in  this  county 
in  1810.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Evangelical 
Lutheran  church  and  died  in  1889,  aged  seventy- 
nine  years. 

Solomon  Shaner  was  reared  on  the  home  farra 
He  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools 
and  Leechburg  academy.      In  LSTT  he  engaged 


BIOORAPIIIES  OF 


in  the  general  mercantile  business  at  Shearers 
X  UoikLs,  Avliere  he  soon  built  up  a  good  trade 
which  lie  lield  for  twelve  years  and  a  half.  In 
September,  188'J,  he  concluded  to  leave  his 
flourishing  mercantile  business  and  engage  in 
farming.  His  farm  of  seventy-three  acres  of 
fine  farming,  well  watered  and  highly  cultivated 
land,  adjoins  Shearers  X  Roads.  lie  also  owns 
some  valuable  property  at  ilillsville.  As  a  busi- 
ness man  he  is  prompt,  accurate  and  reliable. 
As  a  neighbor  he  is  kind  and  accommodating 
and  as  a  man  he  is  honorable  and  true  to  any 
trust  reposed  in  him.  He  is  a  member  of  Leech- 
burg  Evangelical  Lutheran  church  and  a  stanch 
republican  and  served  his  township  in  1882  as 
auditor.  By  careful  management,  economy,  in- 
dustry and  fvir  dealing  he  has  accumulated  his 
present  jiroperty,  and  being  in  the  very  prime 
of  life  with  good  health  and  abundant  energy, 
he  bids  fair  to  be  a  prominent  and  useful  busi- 
ness man  for  many  years  in  the  future. 

January  10, 1878,  he  united  in  marriage  with 
Ella  K.  Bergmen,  daughter  of  Henry  Bergmen, 
of  Allegheny  township.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shaner 
are  the  parents  of  two  children,  both  daughters  : 
Maud  L.  and  Nellie  B. 


"ENRY  SHEPARD,  one  of  the  well  re- 
sjjccted  citizens  and  industrious  farmers 
(^  of  Allegheny  township,  was  born  in  Al- 
legheny county,  Pa.,  where  a  portion  of  the  city 
of  Pittsburg  now  stands  and  is  a  son  of  AValter 
and  Elizabeth  (Black)  Shepard.  \Valter  Shep- 
ard  was  born  and  reared  near  Shepardstown, 
Maryland.  During  the  Whiskey  Insurrection 
he  came  to  Alleglieny  county  where  he  located 
on  the  site  of  Minersville.  He  purchased  a  farm 
and  was  engaged  during  his  lifetime  in  farming 
and  teaming.  He  well  recollected  the  turbulent 
times  in  western  Pennsylvania  that  prevailed 
during  the  reign  of  the  "  Whiskey  Boys,"  and 
the  numerous  "  liberty  poles"  which  they  erected 
in    defiance  of  the  United    States   government. 


He  died  in  1845  at  the  age  of  si.xty-five  years. 
He  married  Elizabeth  Black  who  was  a  native 
of  Alleglieny  county,  and  passed  away  in  1883 
when  in  the  forty-third  year  of  her  age. 

Henry  Shepard  was  reared  on  a  farm  until 
he  was  eleven  years  of  age.  He  received  his 
education  in  the  pay  or  subscription  schools  of 
that  period.  At  eleven  years  of  age  he  went  to 
Avork  in  a  brickyard  and  learned  the  brickmaking 
business  which  he  followed  for  forty-three  years. 
For  the  last  twenty  years  of  this  time,  from 
1847  to  1867,  he  owned  and  operated  a  large 
brickyard  whose  utmost  capacity  was  often 
taxed  to  supply  the  orders  which  he  received  for 
brick.  He  kept  up  with  all  the  improvements 
in  his  line  of  business  and  furnished  the  market 
with  brick  eijual  in  quality  and  durability  to  any 
that  were  offered  for  sale.  In  1872  Mr.  Shepard 
purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-six 
acres  in  Alleglieny  township  to  which  he  re- 
moved in  187'J  and  upon  which  he  has  resided 
ever  since.  He  now  devotes  the  principal  part 
of  his  time  to  the  management  of  his  farm  and 
the  care  of  his  stock.  He  raises  good  crops  of 
grain  and  grass  and  has  fine  stock.  In  politics 
he  is  a  republican.  He  is  a  regular  attendant  of 
church,  contributes  liberally  to  religious  and 
benevolent  purposes  and  is  a  man  who  is  well 
liked  by  his  neighbors. 

He  was  married  to  Jane  Cunningham  of 
Butler  county,  this  State.  To  their  union  have 
been  born  five  children,  two  sons  and  three 
daughters:  William  H.,  Nancy  Jane,  Sarah, 
Robert  S.  and  Odessa. 

Henry  Shepard  is  remarkably  well  preserved 
for  his  years  and  never  loses  a  day  from  his 
work  or  business. 


•fYlLLIAM  M.  SWANK,  a  well-known 
and  progressive  farmer  of  Allegheny 
township,  is  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Eliza- 
beth (Lyon)  Swank,  and  was  born  March  15, 
18o'.t,    in    Allegheny    township,    Westmoreland 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


741 


county,  Pa.  His  fittlicr,  a  native  of  Ligonier 
Vallfv,  was  a  farmer  and  in  connection  witli  that 
occupation  followed  carpentry  a  great  deal.  lie 
dic.l  March  IC,  1.^;'>'.l,  uli.ii  liis  »u\\  William  M. 
was  ImC  oMo  ilay  old.  His  uiic,  also  a  nativu  of 
the  hidtoyc  Ligonier  Valley  and  a  member  of 
the  United  Presbyterian  church,  died  in  August, 
1868. 

William  M.  Swank  was  reared  on  a  farm  near 
his  present  place  of  abode  and  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  common  and  academic  schools, 
after  which  he  was  engaged  in  teaching  for  four 
years,  and  since  then  has  devoted  his  attention 
to  farming  and  stock-dealing  in  which  he  has 
been  very  successful.  lie  now  owns  two  valua- 
ble farms,  well  watered,  improved  and  specially 
adapted  to  the  raising  of  fine  stock,  and  he  is 
considered  one  of  the  most  enterprising  farm- 
ers of  the  county.  He  is  connected  with  the 
United  Presbyterian  church,  has  been  a  life- 
long republican  and  has  served  as  school  di- 
rector, assessor  and  auditor  of  his  township. 
lie  is  well  connected,  being  a  cousin  of  Gen. 
Lyon,  of  James  Swank,  the  great  iron  manu- 
facturer of  Johnstown,  and  of  George  Thomp- 
son, editor  of  the  Johnstown  Tribune. 

William  M.  Swank  was  married  in  January, 
1861,  to  Miss  Margaret,  a  daughter  of  Samuel 
Boal  of  Allegheny  township,  who  died  May 
4,  1882,  leaving  seven  children :  Ida  C, 
Samuel  J.,  David  D.  Kno.x,  Archibald,  William 
B.,  Newton  M.  and  Edwin  R. 

On  September  30,  1885,  Mr.  Swank  remar- 
ried, his  second  wife  being  Margaret  J.,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Robert  Boyd  of  Allegheny  township.  To 
this  union  have  been  bori'  three  children. 


rYYiLLIAM  T.  WALKER,  a  prosperous 
business  man  and  an  intelligent  citizen 
of  Perrysville  and  the  leading  merchant 
of  Bell  township,  is  a  son  of  Alexander  C.  and 
Harriet  (Ilanna)  Walker  and  was  born  in  Bell 
township,  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  April  16, 


1856.  His  great-grandfather,  Alexander  Wal- 
ker, was  born  in  what  is  now  Bell  township  and 
his  flither  was  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  and 
Indiiin  fighters  of  the  county.  One  of  Alexiin- 
(U'r  Wulker'.s  .smiH  is  .lames  \Valkcr  (gran<l- 
futher),  who  was  born  in  Bell  township  in  1802 
and  is  still  very  active  for  a  man  of  eighty-eight 
years  of  age.  He  owns  five  hundred  acres  of 
land,  has  always  been  a  very  industrious  man 
and  a  consistent  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  He  is  a  democrat  and  was  married  to 
Margaret  Alcorn,  by  whom  he  had  six  children. 
His  son  Alexander  C.  Walker  (father)  was  born 
in  18.32  and  died  May  17,  1883,  when  in  the 
fifty-first  year  of  his  age.  He  was  a  presbyte- 
rian  and  democrat  and  held  various  local  offices 
in  both  Salem  and  Bell  townships.  He  was  a 
carpenter  by  trade  and  owned  a  farm  which  was 
partly  in  Bell  and  Salem  townships.  He  married 
Harriet  Hanna,  who  is  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  and  now  resides  at  Blairsville, 
Indiana  county,  this  State. 

William  T.  Walker  ivas  reared  on  the  home 
farm  and  attended  the  common  schools.  Leaving 
school  he  went  to  the  oil  country  where  he  re- 
mained for  two  years.  He  then  removed  to 
Pittsburg  where  he  was  employed  for  four  years 
as  a  clerk  in  wholesale  and  retail  grocery 
houses.  At  the  expiration  of  this  time  he  re- 
turned to  the  home  farm  and  was  engaged  in 
farming  till  the  fall  of  1888,  when  he  removed 
to  Apollo,  Armstrong  county.  Pa.,  where  he  re- 
mained in  the  employ  of  the  Adams  Express 
Company  till  the  spring  of  1890.  He  then 
formed  a  partnership  with  his  uncle,  James  L. 
Walker,  under  the  firm  name  of  Walker  k 
Walker  and  engaged  in  their  present  general 
mercantile  business  at  Perryville,  the  principal 
town  of  Bell  township.  They  have  a  well-fitted- 
up  store-room  and  carry  in  stock  dry  goods, 
groceries,  notions,  hardware  and  every  thing 
that  is  to  be  Ibund  or  called  for  in  a 
first-class  store  outside  of  a  city.  They  have 
secured  a  large  and  lucrative  trade.     WilUiam 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF 


T.  Walker  is  well  qualified  both  by  natural 
ability  and  years  of  experience  for  the  mercan- 
tile business  and  has  been  largely  instrumental 
in  making  his  store  the  leading  mercantile  es- 
tablishment of  the  township.  He  is  a  member 
of  Apollo  Presbyterian  church,  a  democrat  in 
politics  and  an  enterprising  and  honorable  l)usi- 
ness  man,  whose  pledge  of  future  success  lies  in 
the  enviable  reputation  which  he  has  already 
achieved  and  his  own  untiring  energy. 

In  September,  1885,  he  united  in  marriage 
with  Orzilla  Alcorn,  daughter  of  Thomas  Al- 
corn. Their  union  has  been  blessed  with  two 
children  :    Florence  and  Ma  Belle. 


•f  OHN  WATT,  a  descendant  of  two  old  AVest- 
t'  morelmd  county  families  and  a  highly  re- 
Q}  spected  citizen  and  one  of  the  best  farmurs 
of  Allegheny  township,  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  (Curry)  Watt,  was  Ijorn  on  the  farm 
on  which  he  now  resides  in  Allegheny  township, 
Westmoreland  county,  I'a.,  December  20,  1814. 
lie  traces  his  jiaternal  ancestry  back  to  George 
Watt  (grandfather),  who  was  born  near  Dublin, 
Ireland,  and  came  to  Adams  county,  Pa.,  after 
the  ifevolutionary  war.  In  1801  he  removed 
to  what  is  now  Allegheny  township,  where  lie 
purchased  four  hundred  acres  of  land  on  which 
he  resided  until  his  death  in  1810.  His  son, 
John  Watt,  was  born  in  Adams  county  and 
came  in  1810  to  Allegheny  township,  where 
nine  years  later  ho  became  the  owner  of  a  large 
part  of  his  father's  farm.  lie  was  an  extensive 
farmer  and  raised  largo  numbers  of  horses  and 
cattle.  He  was  one  of  tlie  )rganizers  and  an  elder 
of  the  Associate  Reformed  church  in  his  com- 
munity. He  left  the  Democratic  party  in  1832 
anil  became  a  whig.  He  was  a  representative 
man  in  his  township,  held  various  local  offices 
and  died  in  1841  at  the  age  of  seventy-one 
years.  His  wife  was  Elizabeth  Curry,  who  was 
a  member  of  the  Associate  lUfmiiird  cluncli 
and  died  in  18-38  aged  sixty-one  years.      \Vlien 


a  girl  she  once  iled  at  night  with  her  father's 
family  to  a  block-house  on  account  of  Indians, 
who  came  and  burned  the  house.  Her  father, 
John  Curry,  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  the 
county.  He  was  a  swift  runner  and  a  good 
marksman  and  always  escaped  from  the  Indians 
when  they  pursued  him. 

John  Watt  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm 
and  went  to  school  in  one  of  the  old  school-houses 
of  that  day.  It  had  greased-paper  windows,  an 
eight  foot  fire- place  and  a  split-log  floor.  He 
has  always  been  engaged  in  farming  and  owns 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  his  grand- 
father's farm,  on  which  he  raises  good  crops  of 
grain  and  some  very  fine  stock.  He  is  a  repub- 
lican, has  been  inspector  and  judge  of  election 
and  has  served  three  terms  as  school  director. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
church,  in  which  he  has  been  twice  elected  as 
an  elder  but  would  not  serve. 

March  20,  1845,  he  married  Catherine  Van 
Tine,  daughter  of  Ilezekiah  Van  Tine.  They 
have  eight  children,  two  sons  and  six  daughters: 
John  C,  who  enlisted  in  company  I,  fifth  reg. 
Pa.  Heavy  Artillery  Vols.,  and  served  till  June 
30,  18G5  ;  William  A.,  Elizabeth,  Mary,  Melissa, 
Allie  M.,  Clara  and  Emma  J. 

John  Watt  is  a  successful  business  man,  of 
which  his  present  prosperity  is  a  proof. 


•JI'OHN  WYLIE,  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  one 
'■f'  of  the  prominent  justices  of  the  peace 
(g/  of  this  county  and  a  leading  citizen  of  Up- 
per Burrell  township,  is  a  son  of  Ilobert  and 
Margaret  (Henderson)  Wylie,  and  was  born  on 
the  farm  on  which  he  now  resides,  on  September 
27,  1820.  His  paternal  grandfather,  John 
Wylie,  came  in  an  early  day  from  Adams  to 
Westmoreland  county.  He  purchased  eight  hun- 
dred acres  of  land  in  what  is  now  Upper  Burrell 
township,  where  he  settled  and  was  annoyed 
by  Indians  fur  several  years.  Like  his  neigh- 
bors he  was  coinjielled  to  carry  his  gun  while  at 


WESTMORELAND  COUNTY. 


743 


work  on  account  of  Iiulimi  war  parties  tliat 
raided  the  northern  part  of  tlio  county  as  hitc 
as  1790.  He  died  in  1787.  Ilis  son,  Robert 
Wylie  (fatlier),  was  born  in  Aikims  county  in 
178!}  and  was  brought  by  liis  parents  to  their 
western  home  wliere  he  was  reared  to  manhood 
and  lived  till  his  death,  March  9,  1851,  when  in 
the  sixty-eighth  year  of  his  age.  lie  was  an  in- 
dustrious former,  a  strict  and  zealous  member 
of  the  Associate  Reformed  church  and  a 
quiet  and  peaceful  man.  He  served  in  the 
War  of  1812.  He  married  Margaret  Hender- 
son who  came  when  quite  young  from  county 
Tyrone,  Ireland.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
same  church  as  her  husband  and  died  in  1867 
aged  eighty-tliree  years.  They  reared  a  family 
-of  one  son  and  seven  daughters. 

John  Wylie  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  received 
liis  education  in  an  old  log  house  which  served 
for  school  purposes  in  that  time.  He  has  always 
been  engaged  in  farming  and  owns  one  hundred 
.and  thirty-three  acres  of  well  improved  land 
which  is  a  part  of  his  grandfather's  farm.  He 
also  deals  to  some  extent  in  stock.  He  has 
been  an  elder  in  the  U.  P.  church  for  thirty-six 
years,  is  a  republican  in  politics  and  served  as 
school  director  for  eighteen  years.  He  is  now 
serving  his  third  term  as  justice  of  the  peace. 

April  5,  1849,  he  married  Margaret  Ander- 
son, daughter  of  James  and  Margaret  Anderson, 
of  Washington  township.  Squire  and  Mrs.  Wy- 
lie have  four  children  :  James  A.,  married  Sadie 
E.  Martin  and  is  farming  in  Armstrong  county, 
this  State;  John  K.,  a  successful  merchant  of 
Mcrwin  and  married  to  Mary  E.  Long;  Annie 
M.  and  Rebecca  J. 

Sijuire  Wylie  is  well-known  throughout  the 
northern  part  of  the  county,  and  has  been  em- 
ployed for  years  by  his  neighljors  to  attend  to 
legal  business  for  them.  He  enjoys  the  confi- 
dence aial  esteem  of  all  who  know  him.  His 
services  are  in  constant  demand  in  his  section  of 
the  county  to  settle  estates,  act  as  guardian,  to 
■draw  up  deeds  and  to  write  wills.     For  the  last 


few  years  ho  has  been  specially  employed  by  the 
I'ine  Run  Gas  Company  to  secure  and  take 
acknowledgements  of  land  leases  for  them. 


LEXANDER  YOUNG,  D.  D.,  L.L.  D., 

now  resident  of  Lower  Burrell  township 
and  whose  long  and  ardent  labors  as  a 
college  professor  and  Christian  minister  have 
been  remarkably  successful,  was  born  near  Glas- 
gow, Scotland,  June  4,  1815,  and  was  brought 
to  Pittsburg  in  1819,  where  he  spent  his  boy- 
hood with  his  father  in  working  the  largest 
market  garden  that  then  supplied  the  Pittsburg 
market.  He  attended  the  Allegheny  academy 
for  several  winters  and  the  whole  of  his  seven- 
teenth year.  He  then  acted  as  an  assistant 
teacher  in  private  schools  and  entered  the  West- 
ern University  from  which  he  was  graduated  A. 
B.  in  July,  1838.  During  the  last  eight  months 
of  his  senior  year  he  was  instructor  in  Latin  and 
for  two  years  after  graduation  was  professor  of 
Latin  and  Greek.  He  prosecuted  his  theologi- 
cal studies  while  teaching  in  the  AVestern  Uni- 
versity, was  licensed  to  preach  April  13,  1841, 
was  ordained  as  pastor  of  the  Associate  Re- 
formed Presbyterian  congregation  at  St.  Clairs- 
ville,  Ohio,  June  22,  1842,  and  continued  in 
that  relation  till  December,  1855,  when  he  was 
elected  professor  in  all  departments  of  the  Theo- 
logical Seminary  at  Oxford,  Ohio,  except  that  of 
Church  History.  At  the  close  of  the  session 
ending  April  1,  1858,  the  seminary  was  moved 
to  Monmoutii,  Illinois,  where  Dr.  Young  per- 
formed the  same  amount  of  seminary  work  as  at 
Oxford.  He  also  became  professor  of  Greek 
and  Hebrew  in  Monmouth  college  and  one  of  the 
co-pastors  of  tlic  United  Presbyterian  congrega- 
tion at  that  place.  After  three  years  the  entire 
pastoral  labors  devolved  upon  him  which  he  dis- 
charged for  five  years.  When  the  Second 
United  Presbyterian  church  was  organized  at 
Monmouth  he  was  its  co-pastor  for  three  years 
and  then  pastor  for  five  years.     In   addition  to 


744 


BIOORAPniES  OF 


all  these  labors  he  was  elected  and  served  for 
twelve  years  as  professor  of  the  Evidences  of 
Christianity  in  Monmouth  College.  For  the  last 
sixteen  years  Dr.  Young  has  been  professor  of 
Pastoral  'riioology  and  A])ologetics  in  the  United 
Presbyterian  Tiieological  seminary  of  Allegheny 
City.  During  this  time  as  sickness  or  death  has 
caused  any  chair  to  become  vacant,  he  has  filled 
it  until  that  professorship  was  permanently  sup- 
plied. During  this  same  period  he  has  been 
stated  supply  for  the  congregation  of  Logan's 
Ferry,  besides  occupying  other  pulpits  as  his 
labor  in  that  line  has  been  desired. 

November  26,  1840,  he  was  married  to  Lucy 
Jane  Bennett  of  Derry  township.  They  have 
two  children  :  William  Bruce  Young,  who  has 
been  for  the  last  si.xteen  years  cashier  of  the 
Monmouth  National  Bank  of  Monmouth,  Illi- 
nois;  and  Elizabeth  Jane,  wife  of  Rev.  Dr.  John 
A.  Gordon,  pastor  of  Pomona  Presbyterian  con- 
gregation of  Pomona,  California. 

Since  April,  1874,  Dr.  Young  has  been  a  res- 
ident of  Lower  Burrell  township,  where  he  owns 
two    hundred  acres  of  land  near  Parnassus  and 


has  a  beautiful  residence  fronting  on  the  Alle- 
gheny Valley  Railroad.  The  degree  of  D.  D. 
was  conferred  upon  him  by  Jefferson  college  in 
1855  and  that  of  LL.D.  by  Washington  .J  Jef- 
ferson college  in  1872. 

Entering  now  upon  the  fiftieth  ytir  of  his 
ministry  Dr.  Young  feels  thankful  that  h<  nas 
been  so  favored  that,  in  thirty-five  years  spent 
in  the  seminary  and  enough  time  in  other  lines 
of  teaching  to  make  upwards  of  forty  yea"3,  he 
has  never  failed  to  meet  classes  from  fai.t  of 
health.  Although  distant  from  the  scninary 
upwards  of  twenty  miles,  he  missed  one  recita- 
tion by  the  breaking  of  an  engine  and  detained 
a  class  once  for  fifteen  minutes  and  twice  for 
five  minutes.  In  his  ministry  he  was  twice  una- 
ble to  preach  by  a  slight  illness  of  a  few  hours 
and  was  confined  to  his  room  by  measles  for  five 
and  one-half  days.  This  wonderful  measure  of 
health  is  largely  due  to  his  use  of  digestible  food, 
abstinence  from  intoxicants,  narcotics  and  to- 
bacco in  every  form  and  by  judicious  exercise  at 
all  seasons  of  the  year. 


-^G  G  0  6'eo  e  g><z>  o  0  o  b  o  e  0O  e  e'o  a'b  9  oq"( 


^^# 


8760    I